Step one: Grind the elfroot into a paste...

[fleurdesel]

WHO: Adelaide & Whoever wants to attend
WHAT: Potions & Poultices 101
WHEN: Harvestmere 28, morning
WHERE: The Garden
NOTES: As advertised the day before.



Set Up

As promised Adelaide had a large kettle brewing of a simple black tea. It wasn't much but it was hot and it was bitter- sugar, honey, and cream weren't exactly in ample supply but there were a few jars of donated jam and honeycomb donated by the kitchens and patients. Her own supplies for potions and poultices are laid out on a makeshift table. To one side her apprentices finish writing out and folding instructions- basic recipes for healing poultices, salves, potions- and the principles behind simple healing spells. If you could throw a fireball, you could heal a cut. Anything more complicated took greater study but the basics? Should be well known.

Behind and looking somewhat uncomfortable but, well, present, Bruce stood minding the bundles of herbs, handing out what was needed. While not a mage the surgeon was trustworthy and, honestly, needed to get out more.

During

It was simple enough. Adelaide went over the information on the cards handed out by her apprentices, demonstrated the proper techniques for grinding, mixing, layering the poultices and brewing for potions. They did not have as many kits for the brewing as they did for creating poultices, but they should have enough for those with an interest to learn or to help. After going through those Adealide would motion the mages that wished to learn more of basic healing off to one side to walk them through the theory, using some of the not quite so injured patients to demonstrate. Volunteers, all- she was careful in her instruction and thorough above all else- the last thing they needed was anyone getting injured from an attempt at healing.

After

Packing everything away in the afternoon to return to her tent, Adelaide was available for further questions, commentary- or criticism if something seemed poorly done, presumptuous, or overly curt.

Comments

[el_tybs]

"MouMou?" he repeats as well, his brows narrowing in confusion at LeBlanc. Who was- was he MouMou? Then she's squeezing his shoulder and subtly hinting at what she was talking about before. Nuances. Riiiight.

And then Gavin isn't helping. Beautiful, best timing, friend Gavin isn't quite here to save him. Not with that grin and how he repeats his new nickname and 'nuances'. Hiding under the table still won't save him.

Sam sighs. "I'm making a poultice right now actually."

[fleurdesel]

"I shall leave you to it, then. Do not burn anything." Which isn't exactly possible with a mortar and pestle but- stranger things have happened. She offers them both one last faint smile before moving away to the other attendees.

[slipshot]

Not totally here to save him, no. Gavin watches Adelaide leave before bumping Sam's shoulder with his own.

"What was all that about?" he whispers conspiratorially. "I don't think I've ever seen you such a shade of red. It looks good on you." Yes, it may be payback time.

[el_tybs]

Sam gives a long sigh and leans heavily on the table with his elbows, putting his face in his hands. What was that saying? Out of the frying pan? Though he supposes Gavin is much different talking with Lady LeBlanc. Big difference with someone you see as a mentor and mother figure, and your friend.

Course said friend isn't just here for his benefit. Not with how he tosses that sentence he used a while back, back at him. Sam snorts, putting his hands down on the table. "I might have - tried to kiss someone..."

[slipshot]

The poultice is, of course, completely forgotten, as Gavin slides a hand onto Sam's shoulder and leans in to better listen to him.

"Tried to?" he asked, grinning, but it wasn't teasing so much as honestly happy for him (and a little bit sympathetic). "Is that what she was talking about? Did she spot you?"

[el_tybs]

"She... might have been the interruption." He said 'might have', but he really means 'was'. Granted she hadn't meant it, she was just worried, but it was rather bad timing. Unless he would have gotten a punch to the face, then it could have been good timing?

[slipshot]

"Ahh," Gavin said, understanding at last, giving Sam a sympathetic shoulder shake.

"Dare I ask who this lucky person is that was so close to getting a kiss?"

[el_tybs]

There is a long silence as Sam considers whether he should say or not. There's also a brow raising at Gavin saying Krem was 'lucky'. "I... don't know if they consider it like that."

Another long pause, and another sigh. "It was the Chargers' second-in-command."

[slipshot]

His eyebrows raise at that. "Krem?" He asks, though his voice is still low enough to only be heard by the two of them.

"That's--" Two seconds to process that, before the smile breaks his lips again and he lets out a little laugh, "That's fantastic!"

[el_tybs]

If Gavin didn't know who he was referring to then he might have been concerned. Sam smiles at the Elf's excitement. "I said tried. It didn't actually happen. There was a moment... and then nope."

[slipshot]

"Well being interrupted by a stern mage has a tendency to do that," Gavin pointed out. "Are you - you should try again, then."

After all 'I tried to kiss someone' said in the voice that Sam had said it in was not just your average friends kissing each other. That was a very significant 'I tried to kiss someone', and Gavin was pretty convinced that both Sam and Krem needed a good kissing. Win, win.

"You're going to give it another shot, right?"

[el_tybs]

Sam looks at Gavin then, raising a brow at the suggestion. He should try again. A lot easier said then done. "I... don't know. It had been a rather specific moment, and I'm not sure how welcomed it would be a next time. It would also probably require me to actually be able to look him in the face."

[slipshot]

"Did he smack you?" Gavin asks a little wryly. "Because if not, I think you're probably fine. Krem doesn't seem like the kind of man who'd stand for bullshit, if he didn't want it."

At the last, though, Gavin chuckles and pokes the poultice. He was about to make a joke about it when something very uncomfortable happened in his chest - an intrusive thought, about struggling to look at someone - and his ears tinted red as he shoved that feeling down hard.

"You need a referee?" He managed to get out, teasing a little.

[el_tybs]

"No..." Sam runs a hand through his hair, remembering Krem shoving at his forehead a bit after the bump and then ruffling his hair. "I didn't exactly give him the chance to if he wanted. Plus Lady LeBlanc was there. I doubt he would've decked me with her there."

Sam doesn't miss the coloring at the tips of Gavin's ears, raising a brow curiously at that. He's about to ask what it is when the Elf makes a ridiculous suggestion. Sam sputters. "A ref- You just want to watch!"

[slipshot]

He takes the distraction gratefully, grinning at him.

"I will neither confirm nor deny this," he says, "But perhaps referee is the wrong word. Mediator? Helpful setter-upper?"

[el_tybs]

Sam gives a small groan at that. He's not against public displays of affection, but he'd rather not take that first step with a suspecting audience. "Instigator," he offers when Gavin starts listing off alternate words.

He's still rather embarrassed by it all, but he's less so now that it's off his chest. "Well before anything happens I should probably go talk to him first."

[slipshot]

"Wing man!" Gavin decides, with a grin. But the grin fades into something more sympathetic as he pats Sam's shoulder.

"Talking - yes. Probably. I never was very good at that part, so I have absolutely no advice, but you're probably right."

[el_tybs]

"Shhhhh." Despite how embarrassed he is Sam is laughing as he tries to quiet Gavin down. For the most part the Elf had been, but the 'wing man' part had been rather loud. A few heads had turned their way. Gavin certainly did good on his word about the whole blushing thing from when they first met.

He'd have to get him back. Eventually.

"Never was," he repeats the words and raises a brow. "So you've had experience in this."

[slipshot]

Gavin kept giggling a bit, but he did quiet down. At the question, however, he made a bit of a face.

"If 'in this' you mean wanting to kiss people, failing, and wanting to try kissing them again, then yes," He replied, teasing in a low voice. "I do know something about kissing people."

[el_tybs]

"Oh, well. Maybe I should be asking you for pointers since you know so much." He's joking as much as he's being serious. He's kissed before, but he hadn't initiated it so there is no real reference to know when was a good time... or a bad time.

[slipshot]

"I'd give you a demonstration if I wasn't deathly afraid of Krem's maul," Gavin replied slyly, still grinning. "But it's a pretty straightforward business. Have you never kissed anyone before?"

[el_tybs]

It honestly takes Sam a moment to register what Gavin is getting at, and when he does there is more blushing and a loud laugh, needing to be quiet forgotten at a moment. "If you're worried about that then I probably should be as well." He highly doubts Krem would do such a thing over him though. It's nice that Gavin would think so.

"Yes, I have kissed someone before. There were a couple people I tried with in the Circle... and there was one person while we were at Haven."

[slipshot]

"So specifically you want Krem-seducing advice," Gavin said, nodding thoughtfully. (Thoughtfully teasing, at least). "Unfortunately I don't have any advice that specific, except to say that if there was anything for anyone to interrupt, it was probably mutual."

[el_tybs]

Maker preserve him. Now that Gavin knows, Sam has a feeling that the Dalish Elf is going to be hounding him about this particular subject for a long while. "Krem-seducing- I don't think I've gotten that far." Wait, how did trying to kiss someone turn into seducing?

"It was... dark?" Sam offers dumbly to the mention of interruptions. Had it been mutual?

[slipshot]

"Krem-kissing advice then," Gavin teased with a dismissive wave.

And Sam was right. He definitely wasn't letting this one go.

"He feels it - that tug in his heart, pulling their lips closer, the dark of night surrounding them like a blanket. He can barely breathe, as he catches just the faintest glimmer of the moon in Krem's eyes---"