Malgrim:
Cassius nodded, tilting his head to the side a little in inclination. His dark eyes travelled over Malgrim’s face, and the alert intensity of his gaze probably counterbalanced how silly he looked with purple hair, eyebrows and stubble.
“Right, Malgrim.”
He seemed vaguely curious, but he did not ask details. He likely thought it was none of his business. Or maybe he just was not curious enough to ask. He put the dixie cup down.
“I do not require formality, so if you wish, you can call me Instructor Cassius, or, Instructor Lucidus.”
The tall man smiled, which was admittedly a little unpleasant to look at. His teeth had a sharpish appearance, despite being perfectly human, and he had prominent canines. The scar on his cheek didn’t help; it gave the impression if a longer, asymmetrical corner on the right side.
“I’ll look forward to seeing you in the next class. Make sure you take your syllabus with you. If you want to practice on your own, you can request access to the lab, or purchase your own set from the sources listed within the syllabus. The syllabus goes over all the ingredients, the process, and the principles being taught in every lesson.”
Malgrim was free to go.
Faolan:
This was a question he was asked a lot, by everyone who knew he had access to such things. He had several pre-formulated answers to this question prepared, but it was still a little frustrating. As with any ability where he potentially could do something that had power in this world, creating and working on such things had significant drawbacks, including taking time, skill, natural ability, and rare resources, but those things rarely mattered to him.
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath, before answering, his voice patient;
“Yes, and no. Everyone has to learn the basics and how to control the mixing, flow, and amount of what is contained within each potion before we go on to potions that may cause harm. These are all harmless potions, but many, if improperly mixed or titrated, can become poisons or create the wrong effect, but our goal is to move towards potions like healing potions which are ‘useful’ in that regard. If any on the medical staff would like to attend, they may, but we will need to have another session for them to catch up. It is not something that can be done en masse and easily, it is a precise art, or we would already have a generous supply available.”
The old werewolf hoped that answered his question. He hesitated a moment longer, just to be sure. He hated saying it like that, but the discussion reminded him of so many others. His unnatural long life, resurrection… He simply chose not to discuss those matters for the most part, for people’s hunger was too great.
Faolan was free to go.
Zavijah
Zavi collected her syllabus, and was allowed to leave with a set of raw materials to practice on.
Cassius instructed her on how to check out laboratory equipment if she wished to practice on her own time, and gave her contact information concerning how to get in touch with him in his office, or by phone if she had one.
He also pointed towards the resources in the back of her book, which instructed her on where to purchase equipment if she wanted to make this an investment.
“You may always request to come here and use some of the class materials to practice as well, if that is something you want to try. I am available to unlock the lab, and so is some of the laboratory staff in room 2010.”
She was then free to go.
Simon:
Cassius handed him his syllabus from a small pile on his large desk. The book was mid-range in terms of thickness, which was itself impressive, as there were not many sessions in his class. Perhaps it was more about the background and materials present.
“This outlines the theories and principles that I discuss concerning the contents of the class. Each potion we make has a section here that demonstrates what portion of potions-making we are focusing on. The individual potions themselves are harmless, and most are not inherently very useful, it is more what their creation means in terms of how to understand alchemy and move on to what most people are excited about.”
He looked back towards the door, and seemingly, through it.
“If you would like to practice, I or the lab staff can unlock the lab for you. Or I suppose, you could buy this kind of equipment. I have some sources listed on the back cover.”
The old werewolf seemed amused, and half-smiled. He did not imagine a world where everyone was so excited they wanted to buy an expensive alchemical set right away, but the option was there.
“I can walk you through making potions at any time during the week, you will just have to contact me beforehand. My contact information is in the front of the syllabus. You don’t have to stay to clean, Agent Groves, but I appreciate the offer.”
His half-smile became a true smile. The fellow was nervous, but he liked him. He had a thoughtful demeanor. Good to see in a youth.
Kazan: “Make sure you take the syllabus with you. You can come back any time to practice, with permission. My contact information is in the front.”
He handed him the paper booklet, thick like one from an ordinary academic class. The writing on the front seemed simple enough;
“Basics and Principles of Alchemy.”
Within had a discussion of the theory of alchemy and the principles of potion-making. All very straightforward. Each potion had the principle of alchemy they were striving for above it, along with the purpose of each. All very basic, harmless, but also not terribly useful potions, for now.
Kazan was free to go.
And thus concludes the first Alchemy session. Everyone receives one credit towards gaining the skill Basic Alchemy: Simple Potions