Author: Mithridate, Posted: Fri Sep 6, 2019 8:59 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

Juniper's workshop wasn't much different from his, though he lacked the live animals and instead had full-length charts depicting the structures of the body or diagrams of arcane method. When she scolded one of her live reagents he couldn't help but laugh. "A very fetching purse, might I add. Snakeskin patterns have their own natural charm." Right away he went to tend to the bite, neutralizing the poison with an injection of his own. "This will help reduce the intensity and duration of the swelling. In a few hours it'll be as if it never happened." It was a relief that Juniper was glad. Truth be told, choosing to live in an unfamiliar environment was a huge leap for him. When he moved to Sularia he took great pains to ensure his room was exactly the same as it had been in Antikythera down to the placement of furniture. The sense of familiarity was comforting, but he knew he couldn't stay put in the same place forever. That characteristic stubbornness was one of his quirks, as his mother put it. 

"Of course you can–whether my mentor allows it or not." He said with a smirk. "I'll open a portal for you, it'll save you the pain of going through a crowded airship ride. We can browse the market for things that might make your job easier and souvenirs." When it all came down to it, most fields of magical study had some form of overlap one way or another. Whether you were an alchemist, healer, or necromancer you were bound to use at least a few of the same potion reagents. He had also heard of fantastical items sold in Karith's apothecary shops like aged antler racks, dried reptiles, scales, and much more. You could say Karithian traditional medicine was a precursor to advanced alchemy in itself. "I'll be leaving in two months. By then my mentor will have the paperwork that grants me permission to study under her approved. The laws there are much more stringent than in Iria, based on what mother told me. Luckily I'm only studying medicine, or else I'd have to wait longer. Alchemists have their actions regulated by the ruling body in Karith."

He didn't know all the details, as he was still learning about the new place he'd be living in. If he had chosen to study in Iria his mother could act as a guide, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the inner workings of the floating city. There were so many things he would need to do just to prepare; studying Karithian language and customs being just one of them. It was much more difficult than Adelunian, that was for sure. 

Author: Juniper, Posted: Fri Sep 6, 2019 6:06 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

Juniper smirked a bit as she moved the ladle once more in a stirring motion. “A group of bandits. They attacked the army on their way back from patrol. They killed every last one of them but the military seems to think they had some sort of objective so we’re rising them and asking questions. Caged rats bite so I won’t be participating.”

Around Juniper’s workshop were lots of hanging bones, poisonous snakes in cages, poisonous plants, you named it and she had it about. Even the rats avoided her workshop. Pizis looked up at Efrain wagged his tail and put his head back down. He was well trained now and had about a hundred more surgeries on him to outfit him with better parts over the years.

“I always have a spare moment for you Efrain. You know you only have to ask.” That once really shy girl flashed him a smile. It was filled with a flirtatious vibe that only really Efrain knew. She liked him and he was really her only friend.

Juniper went over to the snake enclosure and reached in. The cobra latched onto her almost immediately and she smacked it good. “Keep it up,” there was a glare in those beautiful eyes as the snake let go out of fear. Any other person would have been dead from the venom but oddly enough Juni had built up a resistance after being bitten so many times. She latched the fangs onto the cauldron to let the drops of venom. Once she was done she threw it back into the tub. “Bite me again and I’ll make you a purse.”

Very rarely did Juni ever get mad but Efrain came out of her when she was. They had effectively rubbed off on each other. She winced a bit and looked over at him. “Think you can patch me up while we talk?” She sat down by him and smiled.

For a few moments after he spoke she stopped and held a neutral look. She was actually processing it. “I’m happy for you Efrain! You’ve wanted to go for so long! You never bore me though so don’t ever worry about that. It’ll be like you never left if you come here all the time! Maybe I can come to visit you too?” She didn’t know if he was scared to tell her but she knew she should be proud of him.

Author: Mithridate, Posted: Fri Sep 6, 2019 5:45 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

"So, who are the sorry saps who'll be dragged out of their eternal rest this time?" Came the familiar sarcastic voice. In the time he had spent with Juniper, the pungent smell of necromancy concoctions was something he had grown used to. You had to develop a threshold of tolerance if you were going to work as a healer, as you would be seeing, hearing, and smelling things that weren't pleasant. Efrain came in, careful not to disturb anything or trip. Today was different from the usual visit to the one person he would willingly refer to as a friend. He had been considering his options with the progress in his studies. One one hand, he could continue at Auzial where many of Arri's greatest scholars graduated from. And on the other, he could accept an apprenticeship offer with an apothecary in Karith. Entering Auzial was the expected choice, however he never forgot his first experience in the alchemists' city. His academic interests had grown from herbalism and anatomy to include alchemy and enchantment. His mother had spent time abroad in Iria, so it wasn't strange if he were to do the same. 

Still dressed in hues of dark blue and black, he was outside without his usual coat. Crossing his arms over his vest, he watched Juniper as she worked. "Pizis, you look well." He said with a nod to the undead dog. There was a short silence as he thought of the best way to break the news to her. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was going away for a long time and wouldn't come see her often. Right now the number of people he didn't mind seeing could be counted on a single hand. "Juniper, when you're done do you have a moment to spare? I'll keep out of your hair until you're finished–there's something I want to tell you. It's nothing serious, really." Normally he wouldn't care about being misunderstood, but she was a rare exception. When she was finished with the batch, he took a seat and waited until he had her undivided attention.

"For the first time, I think I have butterflies in my stomach. I've been thinking about going to Karith for a while, and a few months ago mother said she found someone there who would be willing to take me as an apprentice. It's at an apothecary, the same kind with the wall of drawers I'm sure I've bored you with whenever I mention it." He cracked a wry smile, attempting to be humorous despite being anxious. "If I accept, I'll be living there for a few years until I complete my apprenticeship. But I'll still stop by when I can–instantaneous travel is one of the portal spell's saving graces."

Author: Juniper, Posted: Fri Sep 6, 2019 5:14 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

“Mmmhmm.” Pizis looked interesting and at least he didn’t smell bad. She made sure that they could all live with his smell. She thought about his question. “No, it would be dangerous if I reanimated an animal that had been abused for instance. It’s much better to make a new animal. A caged rat will continue to bite even after death. That’s what my mother told me anyways.”

Thinking about his next question Juni nodded. “Animated corpses who hold flesh still need to have substance of something to hold their forms. We can reanimate skeletons that don’t need anything but they don’t make good bodies and they can’t make any noise really.”

Juni was surprised by his answer but she nodded. “Everyone always needs more doctors.”

Mora smiled a bit and chuckled. “She is a sweet child and sometimes I think maybe a bit too sweet for the line of work we have. I think they’ll have a good relationship. We can only hope.”

Seven long years went by and Juniper found herself mixing a large cauldron of necrotic concoction. “Juni, I need that by tonight. We’re raising a whole bandit camp to get information.” It was her mother.

“It will be done,” Juniper reassured. Her long black hair fell in wild waves as the sides were pulled back not to get into the cauldron. “Honestly, a whole bandit camp?” She whispered slightly. She was still young so she didn’t look too out of place for her age… If you discounted her in almost all black with vivid jade details here or there.

She heard the knock at the door and smirked. It had to be Efrain. “Come in, just mind the smell. We’re making a nasty batch today.”

Author: Mithridate, Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 10:58 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

"I'll give him a pardon for it then." He crossed his arms and nodded, like an officer. Nerine herself let out a sigh at that. He must have caught a glimpse of Celosia while she was handling recruits. When Juniper explained the dog was reanimated through necromancy, he didn't seem too surprised. "So that explains how he looks." The stitches were a clear sign as well. Perhaps his gaze was too direct, as the girl was now using her jade skull to cover the lower half of her face. "Pizis is very new then," He commented. "Do the parts not retain its past memories when you reanimate it? For instance, if the head was from a trained guard dog would it follow its old habits from its previous life? Why do undead creatures need to eat anyway? I thought their digestive systems stopped working, or does necromancy restore some functions?" Once someone was able to get past his initial standoffish attitude, next would come the questions. 

If Efrain didn't know something, he would ask on it directly. He knew the meaning of tact and subtlety, but he wanted to know right away and didn't want to wait. Using too many words meant more chances people would be confused, and then they wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know. Unfortunately this directness made him somewhat rude in some situations, but much less than when he went straight to spouting inflammatory verbal darts. "I want to be a doctor." The dark-haired boy said with his hands on his hips. "Not just a healer, someone who can fix things inside and outside of people. I saw a shop in Karith once that had a hundred drawers on a wall, every one had a different thing for medicine in it. When people come in the person behind the desk listens to their problem and picks out what is supposed to help."  

As the two children talked, Nerine was ecstatic over how well this was going. "Oh, heavens. I think my face is getting warm. And I agree–it's the same predicament for Efrain. Only he tends to actively drive away those he dislikes upon sight. Whenever I tried to leave him with other children he would come storming back full of complaints or with crying tailing his heels. I think this is the first time he hasn't done any of that to a stranger." Leaning on her arm, she continued. "I've never had my hands so full when it came to his two older siblings. Lys hardly caused any trouble and Chrys took care of herself."

Author: Juniper, Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 10:36 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

Her mother pushed her out to Efrain like Nerine had done to her done. Her odd eyes stared at him for a long period of time. “Hello… Ms. Nerine and Efrain.” Efrain was her own age that much she could tell so she didn’t put much honorifics to his name. “My friend is Pizis… and he is sorry.”

Once inside she looked him over and nodded. If he was sure there was no way she could force him to let her look him over. “Very well.” Once he asked her the question she found herself pondering it. “It’s necromancy. I dug his parts up and cut them up… Honestly, if you had poked his eyes out I would have been fine with it. I’ve been thinking that if I mix him with wolf for the eyes they might be a bit better. I think his one eye is bad… His hearing really needs work.”

Her voice was still shy as her face flushed a bit from speaking to another child. She pulled the skull up and hid behind it. Her eyes were the only thing he could see other than the jade skull. “He’s a zombie dog. I put him together last week but he’s still being trained. Honestly, he is a good boy when he doesn’t feel the need to eat the living.”

Mora sat down with Nerine and watched. “She doesn’t have many friends as you would have probably guessed. Maybe it is a good thing you got a hold of me for this.”

Her face was still flushed as she watched Efrain. “What do you do? Everyone in Sularia does something.”

Author: Mithridate, Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 10:26 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

Efrain was no fighter. He wasn't as physically able as his elder brother, but that didn't stop him when he had a hellish looking piecemeal hound baying down at him. Pulling out a wand he held it aggressively with the pointy end out and glared daggers. The patchwork dog bowled over the boy in a dark purple coat and he flailed about with the parts on him. His eyes had closed as he braced for impact, in his defense. Wildly he was attempting to jab or hit at what was no longer moving. "Off–off! Get off of me!! I'll put your eyes out, I swear it!!!" Then, that dead weight sitting on his body got up and moved. Opening an eye, he saw the mishmash mutt bound away to a girl in dark clothes and rolled onto his side. His mother had a momentary look of worry when her son was tackled, and was much relieved when the dog left him. "Yes, Mora. I've been at my wits' end trying to pull him out of the house, so it's a very special occasion that he's decided to grace others with his presence." He rolled his eyes at his mother's teasing. 

Nerine placed her hands on his shoulders, moving him forward. "Efrain dear, this is Mora and her daughter Juniper. She's a friend of mine from my days as a girl. Say hello, won't you?" There was a sigh, but he did as told. "…Hello Mrs. Mora, Ms. Juniper." He had picked up a habit of using honorifics at the age of five. His eyes glanced over at the garden in the distance at the mention of their pollen being poisonous. While their mothers were having tea, Efrain was sitting by his sullen self. He was straightening his clothes, checking if anything had been dropped out of his pockets and the like. Another of his odd habits was an insistence of having things in specific places. He always put a handkerchief in his right coat pocket for convenience, less important things in his left, etc. If it wasn't where it usually was he would go through everything before it turned up. 

While Juniper was securing her unruly pet in a cage, he was watching closely. Her voice was rather quiet, but he heard her just fine. "No, I doubt it. I have two more layers of clothing beneath my coat and I make it a habit to wear sleeves that reach just past my wrist. My collar was turned up while I was on the ground so my skin exposure was minimal." Efrain's steely eyes went back to the caged dog. "…How did you do that?" He meant towards making the lifeless pile that fell on him get back up and return of its own accord.

Author: Juniper, Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 9:07 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

Juniper was an odd child even among Rosenites but most in the Black Court were. She had long wavy hair that was pulled back on the sides in braids. Poisonous flowers were on the black of her head. Beautiful jade colored flowers from the dark gardens of Sularia. Her eyes were the same shade of jade with an oddly bright purple around the pupil.

Her dress was made long black silk with a jade colored sash around her waist. A jade skull was in her arms as she walked around the building that housed the Poison Garden of Xula. “Pizis,” she called with a very soft voice that barely reached the ears of others. She knew that he would hear her. Or he should have. “Pizis…”

Meanwhile, at the front of the building the dog that was in pieces and stitched together was running towards Efrain. He was making horrible sounds that were so off from barking. It attacked the boy and in a good defense the dog ended up dead on the ground.

“Pizis!” Juniper stepped out from around the building and came up to him. “You bad, bad dog. I told you no going after the living.” There was a gentle scolding from her as she squatted down next to the dog. Strange green ooze left the skull and fell onto the dog. There was chanting from Juniper. Soon the dog that was surely dead was no longer and it bounced back up to her side.

“You’ve been a bad, bad boy.” The dog’s ears went back as it tried to whimper.

The door opened and Mora stepped out. She looked just like Juniper. “Juni, I told you to keep Pizis on a leash.”

“He slipped off by decapitating himself, Mother…”

“Oh, well I guess we’ll have to make the stitches stronger… Won’t we?” Mora looked down at her daughter with a smile. “Nerine! My dear, it’s been far too long. This must be little Efrain that you’ve told me about. This is my Juniper.” Mora put her hand on the girl’s back. “But please come in… but don’t smell the flowers. They will kill you if you smell their pollen.” There was a table set up with chairs and tea.

Juni was looking Efrain over as she took Pizis over to a cage. “You are being a bad boy…” She locked it and turned to Efrain once more. “He didn’t take a bite of you, did he? I’m not sure if he’s contagious… like other zombies. I'll have to take a look at the bite if there is one.”

Author: Mithridate, Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 8:41 PM, Post Subject: Belladonna [P]

"Efrain, get dressed. We're going to see someone today." His lower lip curled up in a frown, but he dragged himself off his chair. Even though he was the difficult child out of his family, he knew not to act up too often. Causing trouble meant no bargaining room for when he wanted new books or plaster models. He made himself presentable, looked once in the mirror, and then went to his mother. "Where are we going?" He asked. "We're going to the Black District. I friend of mine from my student days asked me to bring something for her." His mother explained. He crossed his arms with a surly look. "They have a garden full of plants you've seen before." She added, and his scowl softened a bit. He didn't like going outside, which made him an oddball apparently for a Rosenite. He didn't like socializing with others his age, as most of them were annoying. He didn't get along with the few boys in Sularia either, having gotten into fights with him being on the losing end before the kids were separated. Even then he still was trying to grab hold of someone's hair, refusing to let go. Determining who was at fault was even more unclear as he was usually the one to throw insults before the fists started flying. Short-tempered and reclusive, his mother was doing her best to try to find him at least one friend.

Efrain felt talking to adults was slightly more tolerable. At least most of them knew what they were saying and understood. He hated it when they treated him like a child and used 'child-speak' when he was present. It seemed like his natural state was one of irritated frustration. He was picky, despite being an early bloomer compared to his brother and sister. The most often used word from him was 'no', the next most used being 'why'. As his father put it, it was like the boy was challenging everything–scrutinizing it with his sharp gray eyes. The Black District was one of the ones closest to the sea, though that portion was a sheer cliff so he heard. Before long they came across Sularia's cemetery, in six divisions like the courts. You could identify which was which by color of that section. It was rows upon rows of stone statues and crystal glass coffins of children who never made it to being adults. The obsidian bricks told him they were in the Black District officially, and this was when he was looking for the garden his mother had promised him. 

Having raised two children before him, Nerine had grown wise when it came to motherhood. This time she told Efrain to stay with her and not to wander off, to which he obliged. Unlike Chrys and Lysandre, Efrain did do as he was told–when it suited him. If he decided not to wander, he wouldn't. They went up to a building and his mother knocked, to which a person inside answered who she was looking for. "Is Mora in? Please tell her Nerine is here with a little something she asked from me."