((OOC: Well, I'm back. I'd be horribly surprised if anyone remembers me, let alone missed me. Um.. if I remember correctly, I need a timestamp? Let us say it's the 12th of Tria, 81378 (4).)) Katrina sat on her hind legs, reclining on a bench. Artificial sunlight fell down on a few unruly prongs of hair as she yawned loudly. The young 'dragon's kitara case sat beside her on the ground. It would have looked like an earth guitar if she had taken the time to shape it correctly. The body of the instrument was shaped as a triangle, the sides of which, Kat had sanded well. Despite the shape, the kitara was loud enough, and fit quite nicely into the pendragon's lap. "What to do, what to do..." she mused, tilting her head to one sied and watching a few other students pass by. Had it not been such a lovely day for doing absolutely nothing at all, Katrina might have found herself training or studying for her classes. It was indeed a wonderful day to be lazy though, and so she simply lounged there, staring at different pupils as they passed. Sighing, she flicked her tail out in front of her, watching the blade that jutted from either side gleam in the light. She was bored, there was no doubt about that, and usually Kat did odd things when she was bored. Looking around quickly to see if anyone was watching, Katrina bowed low over her pack and started digging through it. She extracted a small bottle and then looked around again to see if anyone had noticed. A hearty little weed sat by the bench in the ground, minding its own business. A quick flick of her tail-blade severed the poor plant in two, its upper stem falling over lightly. Kat bit the side of her lip and glanced around quickly again. She dumped a little bit of the bottles contents on her padded finger before applying it to the bottom half of the weed. Deftly placing the weed's top back in place, Katrina watched as the two halves slowly knitted themselves back togehther. She stifled an excited yelp, placed the bottle back in her bag, and returned to sitting by herself, her eyes wandering back to the weed every once in a while. "Very promising," she said to herslef with happy tones. ((OOC: I'm off to brush up on rules and the culture. Vocab helps too... I haven't been here in so very long...))
<table align=center width=75%><td><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-family:Tahoma'>Carefully balancing the vials in each paw, Nub attempted to open the book that lay precariously balanced before him with his hind leg. Of course some might think working with dangerous substances perched high up in a tree to be eccentric, but those individuals didn't know who he was. He wasn't called "The Alchemist" for nothing. Nope, Nubajek had earned himself a name for his strange ways, but also and mostly for his skill in the creation of new, useful and powerful substances. At that very moment, he was trying to find ways of enhancing his latest and best invention yet, a silvery viscous liquid that could eat away at any material, be it metal wood or stone, his baby as he fondly called it, "Ukep". A sudden ghust of wind caused the leaves to rustle and the book to slam shut with a loud "thud", and the youth, who had jumped at the noise, cursed as he let one of the vials, the one containing his precious Ukep, fall down to it's certain demise. Quickly stuffing all his things into his bag, he threw himself backwards, coiling his ebon legs around the sturdy branch, as a desperate attemp to save his "creation", hopefully without committing suicide in the process. <span style='color:0099CC'>What wouldn't I do for the sake of progress?"</span>, </span>he thought. But it was too late, and he made it just in time to see his baby crash into a wooden bench narrowly missing it's occupant, then, through the hole it had created, onto the grass. <span style='color:99CCFF'>"For Lehi's sake !" </span>he muttered, then, noticing Katrina he smiled sheepishly, realising how odd it must be for her to see a cursing dark face appear out of nowhere mere inches from hers. Not to mention the vial that had almost crashed into her. Ramath knows what would have happened then. A bench could be replaced, repaired, a 'dragon however... Healing had never been one of his better subjects. <span style='color:99CCFF'>"Hi there. Sorry for the inconvenience. Won't happen again, I swear.</span> Nubajek felt like a nioti caught in the act of talking to an object. And his emerald eyes, like a mischievous nioti's, were glinting as they always did when he was up to no good. <span style='color:99CCFF'>"Name's Nub, by the way, but people 'round here call me The Alchemist"</span> he added, nodding towards what had once been a vial.</p></span></span></td></table>
Quirking an eyebrow, Katrina scooched away from the hole rather quickly. She looked up into green eyes and cracked a small grin. "A pleasure... I'm sure it would be even moreso if you weren't dangling in front of me like that." The hole in the wood next to her caught her attention. "I'm Kat..." She peered over through the gap to the ground below. The grass was disolving before her very eyes. "Now that's useful..." she murmered before looking up again. "What exactly does that do?" Kat asked, jerking a thumb down the hole, singnifying that she meant the liquid that had eaten through the bench. Things like these interested her, although she enjoyed making things grow over disintegrating them. She wished he would climb down from there; she could not help but feel like he was going to land in a heap on her head, possibly spiling some form of toxin all over. Still, she was not one to pass up an opportunity to talk with a fellow alchemist. Heck, this 'dragon had even earned it as a title. Her mind started turning through all the herbs that could do things like that to your body and then started going down a list of things she knew of that could stop said effects. Boy, was she excited now. And so she fidgetted in her seat, eager to hear what the potion did, and how he had made it. Maybe they could swap notes sometime?
<table align=center width=75%><td><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-family:Tahoma'><span style='color:99CCFF'>"How does it work, Sweets?" </span>he said, munching thoughtfully on his lower lip, <span style='color:99CCFF'>"It's quite simple really, once you think about it. You know how some insects can shoot burning substances to fend off enemies? Well, I've always been intrigued by this phenomena and, with a little help, I got my hands on a large enough sample of this burning substance, which I later named "Substance A". I spent months studying it's various properties and the different chemicals it was made of, trying to write an adequate formula for it. A few experiments and accidents later, I was delighted to discover that similar properties could be found in everyday substances - such as silver, gold, coal, wax, air, water, and some common plant extracts. Who would have thought listening in botany would actually pay off, eh? All you needed to make substance A, were the correct amounts, and the right reactions at the right time... I had come up with the right formula, which I can't disclose to you, else I should kill you. And voilà , after much distillation and enhancements of Substance A, I obtained my baby, which I later decided to call "Ukep". " </span> Feeling the blood come to his head, Nub decided it was time to stop "dangling in front of her like that", and, swinging himself, tried to return to a sitting postion. Easier thought than done, but a few attempts and embarrassements later, he had gathered his bag and was slowly climbing down the tree. Panting a little from the effort, he came to sit on the side of the bench that hadn't been touch by the falling vial.<span style='color:99CCFF'> "As for what my Ukep does... It can eat through any substance, though only when in it's most concentrated form can it eat through stone. And that, is very difficult and expensive to obtain." </p></span></span></td></span></table></span>
After listening to his little speach, Kat was deciding whether to tell him she loved him or question further. She went with the latter choice to save herself a possibly awkward moment. "So if it just eats through things like that, what kind of container do you store it in?... and can I get some bottles made out of the same stuff?" Katrina's mind was racing, her eyes wide. Little formulas popped up in her mind and then went running in little circles around her brain. Surely containers of that sort could hold just about anything. If this pure form of 'ukep' was so strong, where did he keep it? Surely glass would work for the weaker form of the substance, seeing as how glass was made from sand, and sand from stone. "Do you just use metal for that, or am I overly impressed?" Katrina grinned and checked her kitara case for any signs of 'ukep'. Ukep, ukep... if her basic Ramanthian class wasn't failing her, couldn't that be translated to mean acid in the common-tongue? Minds like Nub's were in short supply here. Had Kat been slightly less modest, she would not have counted herself among these great minds of Janardan. Her ego tended to be overly-inflated though, and so she thought highly of herself. A slight breeze ruffled her hair as she checked her kitara case again. Should her baby have suffered any damage, she might have become violent. ((OOC: Well, thunderstorm ended. I'm done!))
<table align=center width=75%><td><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-family:Tahoma'><span style='color:99CCFF'>"That's precisely the question I faced. "Subtance A", not being all that strong, could easily be stored in glass jars and bottles, seeing as it could not eat at the small sand particles the glass was made out of. Glass works for the less strong Ukep too, though after a few weeks, you might find the glass around it is thinner. As for the more concentrated form, which I call Super Ukep, let's just say I discovered it by accident, a nearly disastrous and painful accident. Heh, if you ever venture into the basement levels you might find the many victims of this experiments, namely the scorched tables, melted beakers and testubes."</span> He held out his two once uniformly ebon paws that were now patched with pink where the acid had burned him. <span style='color:99CCFF'>"Of course I had known that the purification and distillation would make it more effective but I'd never expected it to be that strong."</span> He grimaced at the far from endearing memory. <span style='color:99CCFF'>"So I faced a new challenge. What substance could be used to make a container for something that ate every solid? Well, the answer to that, is none. No solid at all. I was almost on the verge of giving up when I realised what an absolute fool I had been all along. So far I had kept to the only subject I really excel in, but nothing I had learned in Alchemy, or in Botany for that matter, would help me in this. But I wasn't limited to that knowlegde, was I? Listening in Charms finally had a use. The answer to my problem was so simple I nearly cried. Do you see what I'm getting at? </span> he asked, his eyes burning with the same fire they had the day he had made the following discovery, <span style='color:99CCFF'>"All that was needed, was to cast a simple insulating charm onto the glass jars, so that air could act as a buffer zone between the glass and the Ukep." </span> He cocked his head slightly, studying the silver 'dragon at his side. <span style='color:0099CC'>"She must think I'm some insane scientist wannabe or something." </span> He thought she was quite pretty, but not pretty in a delicate-violet-that's-about-to-fly-away kind of way. More like a rose, with torns, for he could tell she trained a lot. He had never seen her in Advanced Aerobatics... Perhaps she was training to be a warrior? Or maybe she played Jemdrull? Realising he had been staring at her rather rudely, he turned, blushing slightly, and took something out of his bag. Smiling, he handed her one of the empty charmed jars. It looked like an ordinary bottle, but when you looked a little closer, you could percieve the flowing layer of air.</p></span></span></td></table></span>
An ecstatic grin burst onto her features as she gently took the offered bottle. Examining the little container closely, the grin faded and she bit her tongue in concentration. "I think I love you," she blurted, her mind not filtering her thoughts as it had before. The same idea had probably been wandering around from a few minutes ago and had found a way back to the front of her mind. Once she realized what she had said, a faint tint of red crossed her cheeks as well. "Heh," Kat chuckled and glanced up at him. She shrugged it off. "Hey, can I keep this?" she asked, holding up the bottle and waving it slightly. She wanted to know if he was giving it to her, or just showing it.
<table align=center width=75%><td><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> <span style='color:99CCFF'> "I think I love you" </span></span> His dark eyebrows shot up in surprise, shock slowly mapping his face. In fact, he had been so surprised by the sudden outburst he had almost fallen off the bench. She thought she loved him? She loved him?! </span><span style='color:0099CC'>"Must be a figure of speech." he told himself, shaking the thought off as one would shake off water from their coat.</span><span style='color:99CCFF'>"Heh"</span>, <span style='color:steelblue'>he replied in a mimic, <span style='color:99CCFF'>"You're the first one to tell me they "loved" me."</span> One could tell he was trying very hard not to laugh. <span style='color:99CCFF'>"And for this"</span>, he added, </span><span style='color:99CCFF'>"You may keep the bottle. Though I cannot know what use it might be to you?"</span> </p></span></td></table>
The whole situation would have been laughable had it not been happening to her. In fact, ha she been listening to the conversation from the sidelines, she would have laughed herself to tears. "Why thank you, Nub. It's very nice of you. She flashed him a bright grin as she placed the bottle into her bag. "I have my uses for things like this... just little projects of my own. Actually, I've been think of branching out in my experiments. But no, I've said to much already," Kat said with a dismissive wave of the paw and a smile. "Seriously though, I appreciate the gift." More thoughts scurried around in her head. A few of these thouts involved flying sandwiches, which was no real surprise if you hung around in Katrina's mind long enough. Two of these thougts colided and produced a somewhat sane idea. "Say, would you care to grab a bite to eat?" Katrina grinned yet again, notiong how very green his eyes were.
<table align=center width=75%><td><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> <span style='color:0099CC'>"She's really pretty when she smiles, especially when her eyes sparkle like that."</span> he thought, unconsciously making the mental note that he should try to make her grin more often. <span style='color:0099CC'>"Projects of her own, hmmm... Interesting. Said "too much"? In my opinion she hasn't said enough... I'll have to ask her about that sometime. But that can wait, and anyways food sounds like an excellent idea."</span> <span style='color:99CCFF'>"Sure, I skipped breakfast this morning."</span>, he said, getting up then offering her his arm, <span style='color:99CCFF'>"And I'm glad I did..."</span>, he continued, <span style='color:0099CC'>"' 'Cause otherwise I wouldn't have met you."</span> <span style='color:99CCFF'>" 'Cause otherwise I wouldn't have met you."</span> Heh. Had he said that out loud? <span style='color:0099CC'>"Idiot idiot idiot idiot..."</span> thought Nubajek over and over again, lowering his dark face and allowing his ebon tresses to hide his blushing face. </span> </p></span></span></td></table>
Katrina's face flooded with red and she casually averted her eyes. (Honestly, had she been watching this from afar she would have been throwing popcorn and laughing loudly.) Taking his arm in her hand, she picked up her kitara and slung it over her shoulder with the other. "I skipped breakfast before training once," she managed to say with her voice under control, "It's not such a good idea. You end up thinking of sandwiches." She smiled up at him, trying to peer under his hair to see his face. Really she could not explain what he did to her. Sure, she was hyper enough most of the time, but Nubajek made almost made her quiet. Almost. So trying to salvage some of her sanity, if one could call it that, Kat called up thoughts of sandwiches to displace the ones in her head. She couldn't be thinking what she had been. She couldn't think about... Well, she'd just have to focus on training and experiments! Surely there was not time for... romance.
OOC: Do you want to start a new thread when they reach the cafeteria?(which they need not do in the near future ;)) <table align=center width=75%><td><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> There she was, grinning that wonderful grin of hers, even broader than before. <span style='color:0099CC'>" Does she do it on purpose?! I wish she would stop..."</span></span> But he really didn't. How could he, when it suited her face so well? When everything about her was so perfect? <span style='color:0099CC'>"Lehi save me from soppiness, I'm at it again. I have to be rational. Rational. The fact that she's smart and i can have a decent conversation with her doesn't make her perfect, and even though I think I'll actually, physically melt the next time I see her precious, beautiful smile... That's it, I'm going in circles."</span> <span style='color:99CCFF'>"Speaking about growling tummies, I assure mine will soon be roaring. Speaking about sandwiches on an empty stomach can do that to you."</span> he told her, smiling. </p></span></span></td></table>
((OOC: New thread? Cafeteria? Sure, why not. And no, they need nt get there anytime soon *wink wink* HEY! You definately changed your last post.. hold on...)) Laughing, Katrina continued to grin broadly. "I must concur," she said in her best assistant to the scientist voice. She looked down at her paw which fit so very nicely around his arm. "Quick" she thought to herself, "find some reason to hate him..." Katrina really had to be studying now, not engaging in anything more than a loose friendship. So why could she not come up with a reason not to like this 'dragon? Perhaps it was because she found him charming, funny, intelligent, interested in the same things she was, and not to mention quite attractive. "GAH! What are you thinking, you silly niotie?" she chastised herself. So what was wrong with him? Nothing. Great. Just splendid. ...It really was. "Well, I suppose we should head to the cafeteria then... altough I do keep a nice supply of sandwich making items in my dorm room." Katrina said with another smile.
OOC: Noo... You don't have to do anything anymore. I'm sorry you had to rewrite part of it already ! Please don't kill me. <table align=center width=75%><td><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> <span style='color:0099CC'>" " 'Cause otherwise I wouldn't have met you." For Lehi's sake, what was wrong with him? Could you get any cornier?!" </span>He recalled, thinking about the foolish words he had said only moments ago. Lehi save him, he almost sounded [and he shuddered at the thought] romantic ! Had his brain been swopped in his sleep? What had happened to the eccentric, single, mad scientist in him? "Sandwiches sound nice, Kat" he laughed, "So to the dorms it is?" </span> How could he blame himself for being "soppy"? How could anyone not enjoy the company of such a witty, funny, beautiful... <span style='color:0099CC'>"That's it. there goes my sanity."</span> </p></span></span></td></table>
((OOC: That's it. I'll kill you. I semi-rewrote my other post to make it fit, and now you want me to un semi-rewrite it?!!!!! I'll stab you with my spork in your sleep!!! Heh, WE know what words were exchanged... let's just continue on. ^__^)) "The dorms it is," she confirmed, pulling him along by the arm. "Now the rooms a mess, and I'd like to blame it on my roommate, only she moved out a while ago. Journeying and whatnot." Perhaps going to her room had not been the best idea. There were bottles and horribly maimed plants everywhere. Of course she always fixed her flowers after she chopped them in two or deprived them of nutrition, but they were still littered all about the room. THey would cross that bridge when they came to it though. For now, Katrina was happy just walking through the courtyard on a fine Tria's day.
<table align=center width=75%><td><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> "I've never been one for neatness and order" he admitted, "So I'll probably feel right at home." Despite his internal struggles (ooc: and the stupidity of the person that rped him) Nub felt happy beyond words and somewhat relieved. He couldn't remember the last time he had spent quality time with another 'dragon. Perhaps he had dedicated too much of his time, too much of his life to Alchemy. He would really have to thank the stars he had met as wonderful a person as Kat, and hoped today would only be the beginning of a long lasting friendship. He felt positively ecstatic, if a little nervous and embarrassed. "But who wouldn't be happy on such a beautiful day?" he thought, scanning the courtyard's lush green grass, great ancient-looking yet healthy trees and the many, many delicate flowers that covered them. One particulary pretty purple flower, falling from one of the younger trees caught the attention of his emerald gaze. He held is paw unstretched, gently capturing it in his dark paw as they passed under the flowered branches. Grinning, he offered it to his new friend, saying, "Here, take it. I trust it'll look a lot nicer in your hair than in mine." </span></span></span></td></table>
((OOC: *pat pat* It's okay. I wuv you anyhow. ^__^)) Katrina looked up at him, a faint smile gracing her conuntenance, "Why thank you," she said, taking up the flower in the hand that was not clinging so very fondly to Nubajek's arm. "I do believe that's the second gift you've given me today." She chuckled and looked up at the branches overhead. "What a lovely day." True, her muscles were tired and her heart was beginning to flutter, but she couldn't have wished for anyone else to drop out of a tree in front of her. "No," Kat told herself sternly, "think of flying sandwiches again." Once her mind was focused on food, she decided that maybe she would rather focus on her new friend. Goodness, she had just met him. Surely he was too young for her anyhow, but he was so sweet, so gentle, so smart... "Stop, stop, STOP!" her brain yelled, but Katrina wasn't listening. "Perhaps you had better find a good place to put it," Kat suggested, placing the dainty thing back in his paw. "You can see where it fits better than I can." "Flowers in you hair?! How can you objectify yourself so?! Why just this morning you were..." Her mind went on telling her how horrid all of this was, but Kat wasn't interested in what her brain had to tell her at the moment.
OOC: I solemnly swear that will never happen again ^_^ BIC: <table align=center width=75%><td><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> "I do believe that's the second gift you've given me today." "And believe me, if I could I would never stop giving you gifts... That's it, I'm using superlatives again. Rational. I must remain rational. Think in a clear, scientific way. No wonder they say love isn't an exact science... Stop thinking of romance already! This not the time." Leaning over her shoulder, he gently placed the frail flower amongst her purple tresses, tucking it behind her ear. Their faces were so close he thought he could hear her breathing. So close, he could almost touch her... But he restrained himself from doing any such thing. He wasn't completely insane, not yet. Pulling away, he was satisfied by the result. The flower truly looked as though it belonged there, and though he was not usually one for flowers, whether in someone's hair or not, he felt it had a much happier function there than it would have had, had it fallen to the ground, only to be trampled on repeatedly by student feet. "So, tell me more about yourself. I do believe you have spoken of little experiments and projects?" </span></span></span></td></table>
Jerking away from her thoughts at his voice, Katrina nodded. "Yes. I also take healing classes, so I've sort of taken to hacking up plants and then piecing them back together again so that they grow like nothing ever happend." Kat smirked and looked over at him. He had been so close just seconds ago, placing the flower so very gently... "STOP!" her mind yelled, and this time she listened in hopes of having a conversation with Nub. "I tend to delve into the fronima a little more than I need to, I suppose, but lately I've been trying to find plants that can do the same thing. I'm sure my work isn't as exact as yours is. Heh," She looked ahead of her down the pathway, noting a few other 'dragons talking, playing, studying. It really was a beautiful day. "DIGRESSION!" her brain accused, and so she listened again all for the sake of conversation. "Usually I just take different parts of plants and try to find the right levels so you won't end up dead if you take a purgative or something." "Smoothe, real smoothe... purgatives? That's just lovely." Katrina was just about to hit herself in the head. Arguing with yourself constantly was probably not a good sign. Walking along, she felt her tail brush up against something. Her eyes widened as she assumed it had been the tail of her new friend.
<table align=center width=75%><td><span style='color:steelblue'><p align=justify><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> "Purgatives?!" "Healing is one of those subjects I find extremely interesting and in which I wish I could fare better. I fear my brain is too science-orientated and doesn't understand anything it can't explain, that it can't prove. I've never been one with a fertile imagination and, since the power of Fronima is one no one can explain, measure or define, I tend to stick to the more prosaic sciences. This is why I greatly admire any who excel where I can barely succeed... Such as yourself." , he explained in gentle tones, "Your experiments, do you plan to test them on living creatures one day?" Nubjajek couldn't explain his sudden humility. He had often been accused of flaunting and showing off, and many a time his pride had gotten him into minor squirmishes. Yet, with Kat, it was different. He didn't feel the urge to prove himself, and his mind, instead of searching ways to better his image, was at rest. For the first time what seemed like years, he finally felt at peace with himself, content. The only thing that bothered him at the moment was the strange sensation he felt just then, like butterflies fluttering inside of him. "Must be the hunger... Unless... That's it, you're at it again. No "soppiness", remember? Think of something else. Think of... Purgatives." he told himself, grimacing slightly. </span></span></span></td></table>
