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

[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---"

[el_tybs]

Sam narrows his eyes at Gavin. "Are you... verbally making a story about me kissing Krem?" First off that wasn't advice, second... well actually Gavin was pretty good at this but they were in public!

"You know I have a bowl full of pulped Elfroot here. And I can cast fire."

[slipshot]

He only grinned in response, the threat taken more as encouragement than otherwise, and he cleared his throat.

"Closer - closer still - he could feel it, Krem's breath on his lips, as it caught in the cold air, ice crystals dancing between them. His heart skipped, for a moment he was certain he may die, right there, on the spot, if he should finally taste those sweet lips--"

[el_tybs]

The way Sam's eyes widen and how his cheeks turn red is probably near comical. Gavin is enjoying this way too much, and he's not being none too quiet about it either.

"Andranste's flaming- Gavin!" Sam makes a grab for his friend, planning on getting him into a headlock if he actually does catch him. He's not the least bit angry, but he is certainly embarrassed.

[slipshot]

Gavin was laughing full out at that point, and didn't even try to dodge or resist as Sam suddenly had him in a headlock.

He would apologize, or something, probably, if he wasn't laughing so hard that there were tears coming to his eyes.

[el_tybs]

Now that he's got him in a headlock, though not at all applying any pressure, Sam doesn't know what to do. Gavin is laughing so hard he's crying and... some of the others are looking at the two of them making a fuss. Sam smiles sheepishly before giving another sigh.

"Enjoying yourself?"

[slipshot]

"Yes," Gavin admits, wiping a tear from his eye as he pulled himself free of the headlock. "Sorry. I'll stop. Come on. Show me how to make a poultice. Or show me how to light one on fire, that could also be interesting."

[el_tybs]

Sam gives Gavin a look and crosses his arms. "You set poultices on fire." There's a long pause before he breaks into a smile. "Potions can be though."

[slipshot]

That gets what can only be described as an evil grin.

"Really? I would have thought the fact that they were, well, liquid, would have stopped that." Then again, oil was a liquid and burned very well. The grin spread. "Show me."

[el_tybs]

Sam chuckles. "Well you're right about that. Poultices can be set on fire, but all they do is smoke most of the time. Potions are liquid, yes, so they can't really be set on fire. But you can boil them. Makes for interesting experiments."

Well at least they were off the subject of Krem. Pushing his early stage poultice to the side, Sam begins to set up a space to allow for a potion to be set over a flame.

[slipshot]

"I like the sound of 'interesting experiments'," Gavin agreed, shifting over to help Sam clear some space. "Especially ones involving the word 'fire'."

Mostly he was just glad that Sam had seemed to stop blushing. As much as he loved teasing him (and he did love it) there was, you know, a certain amount that was enough.

Besides, he could always tease him again later.

[el_tybs]

Better watch yourself Gavin. Sam plans on getting you later for that. The challenge is in full effect now.

"They certainly go hand in hand." Once the table is setup Sam looks at what they have to work with. Really just items to make a healing potion. He doesn't want to waste much or doing something too big, so he starts working on a half recipe. "Have you made potions before?"

[slipshot]

"I think they thought it was better that I didn't end up wasting all the medicinal supplies," Gavin teased, carefully rolling up his sleeves before rubbing his hands together. "Bruce said he'd give me lessons, though, which I think he will learn to regret, later," he added with a grin.

"So what do I do?"

[el_tybs]

"Really?" Sam says curiously, turning his head over to where the man in question is standing, still looking rather out of place. Poor Bruce.

"Alright. If you could grind up some of that Elfroot. Not enough that it is a paste though, just enough so it's easy to sprinkle. I'll go get some water."

[slipshot]

"Yeah, he's approximately one hundred times too patient with me, but you won't see me complaining."

He took the elfroot and the mortar and pestle, and set into it with a vigour. Unfortunately, vigour didn't seem to be the thing required, as it slid around too much and just generally did not seem to want to cooperate. Eventually, however, he got it ground down to a sort-of-sprinklable mixture, with some chunks that were too large and others that were, well, as Sam put it: paste. When Sam came back he turned his bowl to show him. "Is this alright?"

[el_tybs]

Obviously Gavin had not used a pestle and mortar a whole lot. Still, he had put in the effort and had ground up enough that they needed. "That's good enough."

Placing the mug of water on the table, Sam looks at the ingredients again, making sure he was figuring out measurements right. "Alright, pour some of the water into the potion bottle then sprinkle a bit of the elfroot in."

[slipshot]

"Water and elfroot, got it," Gavin agreed, grabbing the mug to pour the water - spilling a bit as he did so, but whatever, this wasn't an exact science, was it? - doing so, and then grabbing a handful of elfroot to drop it in. Well. He did sprinkle it. He'd never really grasped the concept of 'a bit'.

"There!"

[el_tybs]

He had barely finished his sentence when Gavin enthusiastically started on combining the ingredients. Well that was... a way to do it. That wasn't the correct way, but it wasn't like they were trying to do this exactly the right way. Taking lessons from Bruce would be good for Gavin to learn it the right way.

"Well that was more than we needed, but that's fine." Grabbing a stirring stick he slowly started to mix the water and elfroot, watching as the liquid changed color.

[slipshot]

"More is always better, right?" Gavin asked, his voice absolutely innocent, though he had something of a wicked gleam in his eye. He leaned over the table to watch the mixture as Sam worked. "Does it burn a different colour?" He asked curiously. "Like how sometimes if you throw copper shavings in a fire, it goes green?"

[el_tybs]

"More is always better," he agrees somewhat, his eyes going a bit distant as he thinks about something while stirring, before turning to look at Gavin, "sometimes. Can't overdo ingredients when you're actually trying to make something."

He chuckles as Gavin almost puts his face right up to the flask. "Well potions generally turn red after you mix the elfroot and then simmer it. I'd imagine we'd get a similar color, but since you put in more than needed and we plan on getting it boiling... not sure what we'll get."

[slipshot]

"Well, obviously we should make it more interesting, then." He reached across the table and grabbed a handful of - well, truthfully he didn't even look at what he was grabbing - before dropping it into the flask as Sam stirred it.

There was an impressive sizzle and snap, as the nameless herb joined the concoction, and Gavin grinned.