Glade 15th, Year 75, Age of Steel
Alyssum watched as Rúnar placed a number of different items on a table, things which looked to be just regular plants but it was hard to tell. She'd been quickly learning that seemingly innocuous items could turn out to be exceptionally dangerous, Rúnar apparently included on that list. "Today we're going to be doing something special. I'm going to be teaching you how to experiment with ingredients to figure out what effects they have." He said as he motioned to the spread of plants with a smile. Alyssum had to admit to being mildly worried the longer she stared at the plants which were laid out on the table, so she opted for silence instead of a response.
Luckily it was a silence Rúnar was starting to get used to so he took it as a signal to continue. "The first and most important step in figuring out what an ingredient does is of course consulting with other alchemists and resources you might have on hand. While testing is an important step, using the knowledge that others have acquired is valuable. It prepares you for whatever unique circumstances might come from your testing of certain ingredients. Regardless, sometimes other people are wrong or sometimes an ingredient just hasn't been tested before. So, when we find ourselves in a situation like this there are a couple methods we can use in order to figure out what an ingredient does." He pulled some of the ingredients closer as Alyssum peered over his shoulder. She actually recognized a good number of them and felt slightly more relieved upon realizing that a good majority really were harmless. Or at least they were medical herbs she'd worked with. Harmless was a word she was starting to realize didn't particularly exist.
"We're going to actually do something special. Pick any of the plants, whatever calls to you." Rúnar said. Alyssum paused for a moment looking over the plants before one of them caught her eye. She picked up the flower, inspecting the familiar bloom. "Sweet Alyssum. Shall we work with that one today?" He asked, carefully minding Alyssum's expression. Her eyes were watery and while it was hard to read, there was something bitter sweet about the air she gave off as she nodded and gently set the flowers back down on the table while Rúnar set up the alchemical supplies.
Alyssum was the first gift that Alyssum was given, a gift from Isra as far as she could tell though she was never entirely certain. It was something that Isra had described as immediately and without question knowing. Alyssum's namesake, the sweet alyssum flowers, were ones that Isra had shown her only once before but she'd committed how they looked in her first caretaker's hands. It had almost been a full season since Isra left her, yet sometimes Alyssum still felt the bitter nipping cold of that night. She had to admit that Rúnar was right, Isra was a bad caretaker. Should have never been allowed near a child in any parental capacity. At the same time, until Rúnar had taken her in Isra had been the only kind of parent Alyssum had ever known, lost or abandoned long before her young mind could form solid memories of whoever or whatever kind of people had been her parents.
"So, pup, how much do you know about your namesake in terms of medical uses? Most of the time common medical plants their most potent effect in potion use will simply be what healers use them for. An example being chamomile being used a sleep aid in normal medicine, we just use a couple extra steps to make sure that effect is stronger," Rúnar said as he set up the alembic and motioned for her to start ripping up the flower into little time shreds.
"Well... I know that it can be used to get rid of extra water in the body. It's really useful for edema and ascites. That's all Isra ever told me." She didn't know what the words meant but she repeated them simply because Isra had told them to her and Alyssum had tried to memorize every little detail about her namesake that she could scrape up from her first caretaker. It was perhaps the most complicated sentence she'd been able to voice the surprise showed on Rúnar's face before he let out a small laugh.
"Correct you are pup, but there's more story to it than that. When looking for alchemical effects, not everything is going to be obvious. Sure, getting rid of fluids in the body is obvious because that's the medical effect, but sometimes ingredients might take on... what's a good word for it? Stories. One example is that Sweet Alyssum used to be used to cure rabies and wounds caused by rabid animals. The belief came from the meaning of the word. A lyssum. A pair of words that in a long dead tongue meant 'against madness' or 'against rage'. While you can't even think to use a regular Alyssum flower to heal a rabies bite, there's something to be said about Alyssum used in a potion..." He said as he motioned for Alyssum to put the flower shreds into the alembic. After he pored a little water in and lit a small fire on the alembic as Alyssum watched it begin to boil. She tilted her head to the side, half watching the potion and half listening to Rúnar.
Creating a single ingredient potion was helpful when it came to figuring out the effect of a single ingredient, at least based on what she'd gathered so far. She'd also continually heard Rúnar compare alchemy to a form of chemistry. By adding in other ingredients, the affects of the singular ingredient could be added to or even outright changed. She wondered what the base effect of the alyssum was going to be. There was something almost anxious about it as she waited silently and watched the potion bubble away. "Remember that things like heat can also change the outcome. Again, if you ever wanted to learn chemistry, alchemy is a good skill to compare it to."
"How do we test once it's done?" She asked as a couple of droplets slid down the neck of the alembic and pooled at the bottom of the extension made specifically to catch them.
"That's a good question pup, and a hard one to answer. The issue is that what you need are test subjects. And there are a lot of hard to answer questions that come with test subjects." Rúnar said with a heavy sigh. Alyssum could tell he was trying to come up with an easy way to explain a difficult subject. She didn't like the fact he was treating her like a child, but she didn't know the words to voice her complains.
"In order to understand what exactly a potion does there are a number of tests you can do safely. And bore you start looking for test subjects you should always be thorough with your basic tests. See if the potion is corrosive or if it has any toxic properties. You should always be as safe as possible. But... eventually you need to try and figure out what effects the potion has on a living body. Sometimes things turn out completely fine and your discover you've gotten your hands on something that causes temporary water breathing or fire resistance but sometimes..." Rúnar trailed off, flinching slightly and wringing his hands. "This goes for medicine as well as alchemy. Sometimes in order to understand if what you've created is actually going to help you have to ask someone brave to test it for you. And sometimes that brave person... Gets hurt."
"Is there any way..." Alyssum's quiet voice trailed off when Rúnar gave her a small, sad looking smile.
"A lot of people will test potions and medicines on animals first. Rather risk the life of livestock than risk the life of a mortal person. That doesn't really... feel right for us Rathor though. It's uncomfortable to treat something half our kin practically are as disposable testing fodder. Yet having a test subject in general can be a very morally gray kind of thing." Rúnar ran a hand through his hair before turning to Alyssum and gently patting her on the shoulder. "Alyssum, I'm not going to ask you to be a good person. The concept of good is one that's as flimsy as a paper sword. All I'm going to ask is that ultimately you're able to make decisions that leave you with no regrets when the sun sets on your life time. Regardless of whether you treat lives as something precious or little more than product, just like happy, okay?"
Alyssum didn't understand exactly what Rúnar was asking her to do. It contradicted what a lot of people told their kids, reinforcing the idea of good over and over. But Rúnar's gaze was genuine. "Why?"
"I've done a lot of awful things that I don't regret. Terrible, horrendous things in the pursuit of a Purpose I very well might never complete... That doesn't matter though, because the things I did were done for a reason and I have no regrets about doing them. Try to live the same." Rúnar looked like he was going to continue but he stopped when he glanced at the potion. "Ah, it's done," he muttered under his breath as he quickly took the alembic off the fire and worked on freeing the resulting solution, putting the alyssum potion in a small bottle.
"I will tell you, despite al of the moral questions regarding finding test subjects they honestly aren't as hard as you'd think to find. A lot of people down on their luck or with addictions that make saving money hard will be willing to test potions for you for the right amount of coin. Some countries and cities have programs where convicts can work with medical and alchemical professionals in exchange for bail money or shorter sentences. Jindai are arguably one of the races who agree to dangerous potion testing the fastest. In fact, they're probably the group that raises the least questions when it comes to ethical testing. Because their entire goal in life is to die they really don't care, and they're of the belief if they don't die spectacularly enough they can just try again. So a lot of Jindai will jump at the chance to test more dangerous potions if they think they have a chance of exploding or melting into a puddle or something of significance."
That sounded unpleasant, Alyssum had to admit. She couldn't imagine wanting to die so desperately, but other people couldn't imagine what it was like to have a Purpose so she chocked it up to a cultural disconnect. "Do we have a test subject?"
Rúnar shook his head. "No, but I already know what alyssum flowers do and I can explain the effects to you in detail later when one of my regular test subjects arrives to help with the evening bleeder anesthetic potion. For now, we're just going to go over basic safety procedures like when to wash your hands during potion testing, what to do if you get an unknown potion on you, fire safety. You know, the fun stuff," Rúnar's grin suddenly turned teasing as Alyssum's ears flattened against her head.
"That's the opposite of the fun stuff!" She barked in a voice as loud as she could physically manage.
"Yes, but I promise, it's well and truly necessary."
