TAFFC: Que Sera Sera

IC:

"Oh, dammit."

Abraham swore, as the reason his his misery appeared in the chair next to him. "Hello. Did you really have to shove me into someone else's chest again?"

"The new girl, of all people?"

IC:

Rebekah bit her lip, poring over her alchemy textbook, forehead wrinkled in thought. After fifteen minutes, she grinned.

"It's just chemistry! It's just chemistry with words substituted, and an air of magic!"

"The same principles apply!"

The teen didn't quite seem to notice that no one was sharing in her evident glee.

IC:

"Really? This one's pretty simple. Here, let me show you."

The teenager slid up one row, crouching beside Desde's desk, where she was trying and failing to follow the experiment outlined by the teacher. She'd gotten the setup right, most of it, but she didn't quite understand the way it was supposed to go.

"The book here makes a big to do about changing the color of the fluid, something about alchemical significance, but what this actually does is called titration. Basically, this burette,"

She gestured at the long, thin cylinder positioned above the flask. "Is filled with a base, and an indicator. This clear solution in the beaker is a moderately acidic solution. When you set this off, bu flipping the burette over and opening the valve, drops of the base will start dripping into the acid."

"There comes a point where the amount of basic fluid is enough to neutralize the acid in the flask, and the color changes. In most cases, you want to stop just as the liquid starts to change. In this case, it seems like the teacher wants the most vibrant color change possible."

"Follow?"

IC:

IC: "Yep!" Karrie chirped, smiling widely. "First impressions are important, I always say."

"... Which is, of course, why you see fit to ruin all of mine."

IC: Seemingly oblivious to the goings-on around him, Jolek gave his flask a swirl, noting the metallic color of the solution, akin to blued steel.

Removing the cork, he unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and carefully poured a small bit of the substance in.

Which he promptly tilted back and disappeared from sight, with an eerily "disembodied" chuckle.

Potionmaking, the specialised subset of alchemy revolving around the creation of tinctures and substances one ingested to grant normally impossible magical effects, happened to be his foremost subject in the area.

After a total of five seconds unseen, he faded back into existance as the miniscule dosage wore off.

"Perfect."

IC:

"You're very welcome." Rebekah replied, shifting her head slightly as she smiled. As her hair shifted, the single accessory she wore, the single unique item, was revealed; a pin bearing two silver, stylized wings.

"Glad that I at least could be some level of help. Let me know if you need anything, okay? I find this pretty dull, so I'd jump at the chance to do something other than deal with this mockery of science in silence."

IC:

The teenager cocked her head ever so slightly, confusion crossing her face. After a moment, the confusion vanished, replaced by an uncertain happiness. Slowly, she smiled widely, the expression covering up the momentary confusion.

"You mean... I actually have a friend?"

IC:

There was a momentary pause, as Rebekah processed this new information. A split second later, she let out a sound that can best be called a squeal of joy, and propelled herself forward. Desde was pulled into a hug before she could blink.

"Thank you!"

IC:

"I've never had a friend before," Rebekah said with a mixture of glee and awe, grinning widely. "I'll try not to mess up. I don't really know how to behave."

IC:

"I don't think you want me to act how I normally would. For a variety of reasons." After a moment, the teenager let go of Desde, and pulled back slightly.

"Many, many reasons."

IC: Jolek's oft-neglected phone blinked, indicating a new message being recieved. Perplexed, he minimised the browser and opened it up.

Kaira? She doesn't usually...

Scanning the message, he sighed inwardly.

Well, looks like he was gonna have to get a new copy of Skyrim...

If he even wanted it.

IC:

"Nonononono!"

Rebekah said backpedaling rapidly, realizing Desdemona had interpreted her statement as the exact opposite of what she meant.

"It's nothing inherently bad... It just usually involves a lot of stern voices and pushups. And having to lecture my little sisters."