[Storm Front Alchemy - Alchemy Training] Finding the Steps (Peer mod Selena)

[Toruko Kasui]

Later that brightening, Second cycle of Cryxatum, Spring of Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIII Post Fractum.

occ: Training from nothingness to Basic to Intermediate. Following on from here

Toruko left the grand building with high hopes. Perhaps she should swing by the Storm Front Alchemy store to better be aquainted with the one who was to train her. It sure would be interesting to learn Alchemy from nothing to Intermediate. No doubt it would take a little while but Toruko was pleased to have the apprenticeship even though it may have cost her a slight nudge. She was sure her whole family would be impressed at the news if ever she had the money to buy stationery to write to them. Her sister in particular would be envious of her new skills in Alchemy. Perhaps, Toruko thought, I could start a career as an Alchemist first and see what happens.

Her boots trod through the streets with optimism and pride. All those around her seemed to be in a better mood. The strangely moody humans, lugging the bursting carts behind their weary back also seemed to be lifted as Toruko passed. Her aura was oozing out happiness and excitment that everyone seemed to be affected. She waltzed through Markus' Quarter, nodding to herself as she saw a glimpse of her hovel. That was not her destination for now. Toruko was so excited to go to the docks, her pace quickened to a brisk jog. Even the weather was shining. The sun breached the clouds and its rays stroked Toruko's white hair. Clouds had dispersed to allow the Spring sun to warm the city. Toruko wondered what the docks would be like at this time, early afternoon. It was soon after thinking that, she was there.

The docks boasted an odour like no other place in Nexus Prime. Toruko remembered the Mud Flats thinking that was bad enough. The stench of the tanneries, potters, bricklayers and the underlining scent of mud created a hard smell to beat. However the docks were in a league of their own. The aroma of fish, fresh and rotting, the wet staining stench of sweating men and another smell. A peculiar smell at that. Toruko held her little button nose tightly and waved the air away before her face hoping it would go away. Her eyes, tight from near tears of the smell, darted around trying to find the Alchemist's store. She would ask a passer-by but it seemed that only thugs and sailors were roaming here. The half elf was glad she only took a small amount of crowns with her on her trip to the City Hall.

Storm Front Alchemy. It seemed that this was the place. The store wasn't located near the other few shops in the surroundings. It was placed between warehouses and seemed to be secluded. As Toruko approached the building, the underlining smell earlier seemed to be coming from the back of the building. She was too scared to go look for herself, incase strange chemicals were to be found there. Instead her fingers pushed open the door and peered inside. There was nobody to be seen. Opening the door further, it was almost certain she was the only one in the entire building. A small desk and chair sat by itself collecting dust, fine furniture had been placed near a wall to sit and wait upon. Toruko closed the door quietly and stood by the desk hoping a clerk would soon hurry along. Instead, nobody came. Her fingers traced the desk's side before sitting down in wait. Perhaps a mad Alchemist would burst through the only other door present in the room. Toruko took out the stamped page of paper approving her apprenticeship details and hoped for the best.

[Selena Ile Andra]

Not long after arriving in the seemingly empty store, Toruko would hear the sound of mumbling and books being piled upon each other near the back of the store. The voice that did the mumbling sounded young and impatient, nothing like she would have expected from a seasoned Alchemist, who would be her teacher. If Toruko would venture a glance around the corner she would nearly be run over by the youth carrying a large stack of rather dusty books, the stack threatening to fall as the youth made himself known.

Walking past Toruko, it would seem that he didn't see her, which was understandable since the books that blocked his view. Toruko would notice that he was about to trip over a chair that had been left carelessly on the floor. Whether she tried to warn him or not, he wouldn't hear it in time, he tripped over the chair, he and the books went sailing to the ground hard. The boy sat up frowning, his face turning red as he looked at the mess that had occured. "Who the feth put this chair here!"

The angry boy had bright red hair that matched his face, freckles splayed across his face and ice blue eyes that looked as though they could freeze you with one glare. He was human, his childish temper proved that much, perhaps only 16 or 17 patterns old. He was about to continue cursing when he looked up to see Toruko standing there, he instantly shut his mouth, not wanting to scare away a potential customer.

He quickly stood to his feet and brushed himself off since his black breeches had collected the dust from the floor and books, his loose white shirt had some dust as well. Now that he had calmed down, his skin was fair, his freckles easier to spot now. "Serale Miss, how can I help you?" He asked as he began picking up the books he had dropped, it was plain to see that he was embarassed to have behaved in front of a lovely young lady much less a customer. His master would surely be vexed if his young apprentice's temper lost them another customer.

[Toruko Kasui]

Toruko waited patiently in the small, compacted room. Nothing much of interest was on show here. The walls were practically bare, floor tidy and air somewhat clean. It smelled nicer in this small room than it did outside the building itself. She wondered how that could be. Her eyes travelled lightly around. A plain looking door led to another room. The frame was simple, dark brown stained door hiding mystical items or poisonous potions bubbling on an open spitting fire. She could hear faintly a rummaging from inside this room. Her curiousity got the better of her yet again and found herself up on her feet gazing at the door with wonderment. Perhaps she could sneak a peek if she opened the door quietly. Her hand reached out but her mind told her not to.

It was just as well her mind told her to stop for she heard another sound coming from across the room a little ways. Her head tilted to see, parted her lips ready to speak to whomever was coming this way. All she saw was a walking pile of books trailing to the desk. The stack of books was threatening to fall at any wrong movement. Toruko didn't have any time at all. Her hand reached out as she saw what was to come. The boy tumbled over the chair, cursing as he fell. The books scattered and dust flew up into Toruko's nostrils. She sneezed a couple of times before attending to the fallen boy.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" She hoped the lad would be alright. He had a fiery head of hair with heavily contrasting ice blue eyes. She looked at him and smiled. "Would you like some help?" she said as she picked up a couple of the books and set them upon the desk. He didn't look much younger than she but her half elf blood would make her only a little older than she was. Yet she counted her birthbrightenings as any human would letting her elf blood be elf blood.

The boy inquired if he could assist her. She forgot about that completely for a split moment! She reached for the piece of paper which had fallen to the floor in her attempt to warn the boy of the falling. Toruko passed him the slip.
"My name is Toruko Kasui. I applied for an Alchemy apprenticeship this brightening and was approved. Is your master in, young sir?" Her eyes trailed to where the boy had come from. She hadn't even noticed there could be something around that corner. Toruko smiled brightly hoping the master Alchemist would be in and willing to start teaching very soon.

[Selena Ile Andra]

The young man picked up the rest of the books, smiling when he saw that she helped pick up a few. "Thank you for your help and I greatly apologize for my cursing, it has just been a long day, though that isn't exactly a good excuse." He gave a charming sort of half smile as he restacked the growing pile of books. He coughed a bit as the dust assaulted his senses, he hated the dust that this place collected, not a good place for someone with sensative senses.

Once all the books were picked up and restacked, he turned to look at the slip that Toruko handed him. The dim lighting above made it hard to read, so he just listened to what the girl said. "A pleasure to meet you Toruko, my name is Daxtin and as a matter of fact, yes Master Negus is here."

Daxtin handed Toruko the paper back and made his way to the back of the building where the worst of the smell was located. Toruko would be able to hear faint words being spoken, recognizing Daxtin's voice, but not the other, so it had to be Negus. After a few minutes of waiting, Daxtin appeared again, though the smell that had overwhelmed Toruko when first arriving clung to his clothing. "Master Negus will be with you in a few moments." He picked up the stack of books again and turned to give her another smile. "I would love to stay and chat longer, but I must reshelve these books and you will have your hands full with Negus anyway."

She would only wait a few moments before a large man appeared around the corner, his breed somewhere between Arakmatan human and half orc. His once dark skin had become more ashen though, though whether it had been from age or the effect of his work, no one could really tell. He wore leather gloves and a leather apron to protect his body, almost like what a blacksmith would wear, gray linen was worn underneath his apron. The large man had not one hair upon his head, yet another effect of his work perhaps, since even his eyebrows appaeared to be out of place on his face.

Negus looked the young girl up and down in a sort of appraising way before simply saying. "Follow me." Negus turned towards the back of his shop, trusting that his new student would follow as well.

[Toruko Kasui]

Toruko giggled openly, a relaxing change to her normally over tense and cautious approach to strangers. She knew, if the Alchemist approved of her, she would be seeing a lot more of Daxtin. She kept in mind she would have to be approved by them both. First impressions count and so far, Daxtin was a sparking interest to Toruko. He seemed to be of similar age, perhaps a little younger. He looked like a sweet enough guy maybe despite the cursing but who didn't curse every now and then. And with an entrance like that, it wasn't surprising he cursed. She would find a good friend in him, she hoped.

"Don't worry about the cursing, that's okay!" she said with an awkward smile. Her family never cursed. She was delighted to hear the Alchemist was in today. She was so excited to meet him. The images of the Alchemist were floating in her mind. Was he tall? Dark? Mysterious? Or was he small? Weary? With a big long nose? It didn't matter to her, she wanted to learn as soon as possible. Judging by the books Daxtin was carrying, it seemed he may also be an apprentice. She wondered if they would become friends or rivals. Toruko never faulted anyone and she certainly did not like becoming enemies with anybody.

Daxtin returned her slip of paper and waddled off to talk with the Alchemist. In this short period of time Toruko was given, she flattened her hair, uncreased her dress a little and picked off a lump of dried mud that was stuck to her boot with the other foot. Daxtin came back quickly and started to stack the shelves full of books. Toruko tightened her beads in her hair, readjusted the golden hair clip and cleared her throat as she waited. Her nerves began to kick in. A lot.

"Thank you, Daxtin," she replied and waited a little longer.

The Alchemist casually walked out from the corner and stood tall before her. Toruko froze. A half orc? A human? She wasn't quite sure but she didn't mind at all. She smiled and bowed low. He seemed a pleasant person and beconned for her to follow, and she did.

[Selena Ile Andra]

If Negus noticed that attraction between the two, he made no implication. Simply turned so she could follow him further into his shop. He knew his student Daxtin had loads to do at the moment, so he would have time to evaluate the girl who wished to be an Alchemist in peace.

He led her down a staircase that went down a short into a room which was placed about half a story lower than the front of the store. The roof remained about the same height however, giving the place more space than the store, it was also obvious that this was where the Alchemist spent most of his time.

Equipment filled every other shelf, long tubes of glass and brass, fire pits and various ovens seemed to be built out of the ground. A refuse pile could be seen in one corner, with pieces of broken glass and other things which seemed more or less hazardous to one's health. The remaining shelves seemed to be filled with jars and bottles which were marked with small labels in a neat script.

Once he reached the room and stood by a long table and waited for her to arrive, the room had hints of the same smell that she had smelled outside the building, so it was apparent that the smell originated in here.

As soon as Toruko came to stand in front of him, he spoke again. His voice held a certain warmth to it, but beneath that warmth was something darker, he was not a man to be trifled with. "Why do you wish to learn Alchemy?"

In the background Toruko would hear a familiar voice as Daxtin made himself known, but he seemed intent on the books he read, he was in the corner where he would not disturb or be disturbed by his Master or the new girl, though she would notice that he glanced her way a few times with a charming smile.

[Toruko Kasui]

Toruko made her way across the small room, passing the desk and fallen chair, following the Alchemist dilegently. She caught a glimpse of Daxtin rearranging his books. She smiled at him, getting another glance before leaving. He was definitely a cute guy. Another name, she hoped, to add to the small group of friends she was aquainted with here in Nexus Prime. Toruko didn't have long to glance at Daxtin, her new tutor was leading the way at quite a pace. He was obviously larger than Toruko and looked well built, a complete contrast to Toruko who was thin and short. She found it hard to keep up with him at first, her boots trailing slightly on the floor and steps as she walked.

The staircase led down to a room filled with aparatus. Toruko's eyes glinted in all the colours around. She heard bubbling and fizzling, sparking and steaming all from differently labelled tubes and flasks. This was exactly what she was hoping to find. The peculiar smell she caught a sniff of outside the building was somewhat stronger here. Flames licked the bottom of flasks, boiling the liquids inside, creating putrid stenches. Toruko found the room amazing. The room was darkly lit, creating vivid shadows, hopping over the walls and under tables. The shelves lining the room were covered with jars, tubes and bottles each with their own labels neatly written. She noted the discard pile in a far corner of the room. Crinkled up slices of paper burried in shards of splintered glass and possibly a sauce of chemicals, lay waste here. She realised at once she was gawking and hurried along to the table he was waiting at. He then asked her the question she was unprepared for.

"Well," she thought for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully. "The thought of creating things from old ones, of changing the things around us to benefit ourselves and others takes my interest greatly. I would love to be able to create all sorts of different recipes and things like that!" she said with an air of excitement. She couldn't wait to get stuck in. Daxtin shortly followed with his stack of books. Toruko turned to give him another smile before flicking back to her Alchemist teacher who was hopefully happy with her answer.

[Selena Ile Andra]

Negus peered at his possible student, evaluating her answer in his head, his narrow eyes most likely intimidating the young girl. Without replying to what she said, he walked over and pulled a bottle from behind the counter, without making his intentions known, he walked over to the table Toruko stood next to and poured the contents of the bottle onto the table.

The fluid was barely visible as it landed on the tabletop surface, he began tracing his finger lightly across the surface, swinging back and forth as he worked. He then leaned down and blew carefully on the surface of the counter. In a few moments a brilliantly red five pointed star was seen, the lines being drawn through it, caged by a circle.

Daxtin lifted his head from the book when he saw what his master was doing, he knew the test well and knew that Toruko may need some assistance with it, it would be a good way of getting to know her better. He stood to his feet and stretched, he needed to move around and get the circulatin going again, so he walked over to stand right beside Toruko, standing a whole foot taller then her.

Negus looked up after he finished with the work on the table and noticed Daxtin standing beside Toruko, but he said nothing about it, he merely turned to Toruko, putting his full attention on her. "When you can tell me what this means then we shall begin, until then we have nothing further to discuss." With that said, he turned and disappeared up the stairs, leaving Toruko alone with Daxtin and the mysterious brilliant red star.

Daxtin grinned looking at the star, he knew that star all too well and would help Toruko if she asked him.

[Toruko Kasui]

The Alchemist peered at Toruko who was standing patiently if rather nervously awaiting a response. Yet he did not respond at all. She wondered if she said anything wrong or if her reply was not sufficient. Her heart began to speed up. She felt as if his eyes were scowling at her. Now she was almost certain she had said or done something wrong. Perhaps there was only one right answer in liking Alchemy. Maybe she didn't say what he wanted to hear. It didn't matter now. He turned away from her. He remained silent as he busied himself. Feeling she was still being watched, she tried to pay attention to what he was doing but without making it too obvious. She noted the bottle, the small label but unable to read the writing as his hand covered it. She noted his movements but not his intentions. He blew lightly.

When he was left, Toruko was rather stumped. He had just gone. She turned to the table where upon he poured the liquid. She tried not to touch the other bottles around the table, careful not to break his apparatus. Her eyes peered down and saw a pentacle. She knew she'd seen it before, but where. Her eyes closed and tried to think hard. For some reason, she saw her mother before her smiling. Perhaps this was linked to her mother, but she wasn't sure how. Her memory reminded Toruko of her house. The familiar smell of the kitchen, bread baking in the oven, father smoking a pipe just by the door, the scent of the grass in summer. She remembered walking up the stairs to her parent's study. She opened the door and found scraps of paper. Her eyes scanned them and found, hidden in a book, a piece of paper with the star on it. Toruko opened her eyes and blinked.

Her mother's book was about Arcana, not Alchemy. Toruko was heavily confused. Daxtin stood beside her, grinning a smile Toruko was not pleased to see. He oozed an air of pride; he knew what it meant. She rest her head upon her hand as she studied the star. Perhaps the star and circle combined symbolised... ah who was she kidding. She had no idea. She felt Daxtin beaming some more.

"Erm, Daxtin," she began with a smile. "You know what this means don't you? I know I have seen it before. I'm not too sure what it means though. Will the master lock me up in here until I understand this star? He won't be mad...right?" She was scared he wouldn't teach her Alchemy at all unless she got the answer spot on. All she could do now was wonder.
"A star...the circle... Does it symbolise- Hmm..." She was trying to think out loud but Daxtin's grins made it hard not to be irritated.

[Selena Ile Andra]

Daxtin walked over to where his books lay as Toruko tried to think on whether she knew what the star symbolized or not, he closed his one book and walked back over to stand close to her, so he was quite close when she opened her eyes. There was something about her that he was beginning to like, most people where afraid of Negus when first meeting him, feth even Daxtin was nervous when first meeting him.

He knew once he saw the look in her eyes that he was irritating her with his smug smile and honestly he was feeling a bit smug about his knowledge, he had been studying under Negus for a few cycles and had learned so much, even though he hadn't known what the symbol meant when he first saw it either.

Really, if he wanted to be realistic, he and the girl would technically be rivals for their master's attention and if she had been a guy, Daxtin doubted he would help him out. But Toruko was quite cute and very interesting and was going to be hard to turn down in helping, but maybe he could have some fun with it.

He had to laugh when she asked if Negus would lock her down there, he put his hand on her shoulder for a moment with a charming smile. "No Toruko, he won't lock you down here, but until you can tell him what it means, he won't teach you. Take it from me, it took me a whole cycle to find out and have him teach me."

He really wanted to help her, but he also knew that part of Alchemy was learning to find the information on your own, cause you won't always have someone around to help you. Without saying anything, he took his hand from her shoulder and walked over to where he had his stack of books, he skimmed the titles for a few seconds before finding the book of his choice. He carefully removed it from the stack and walked over to where Toruko still stood, he set the book on the table beside the symbol on the table. "Here is the book you will need to find the information, I can't outright tell you what it means because you need to learn to find the information you need on your own, I didn't make you go through all the books in the library like Negus did me." He gave a little laugh. "You won't always have a devlishly charming guy around to help ya, but for now you do."

He couldn't help but flirt with her a little bit, but he also knew she needed to look through the book and find the information and he had his own studies to get to. "I'll be over there if and when you need me." He said before walking back over to his desk.

The book itself was a worn and torn book with ancient looking cursive writing, the title of it. "Symbols of Alchemy." She would skim many pages before finally coming to the page that held the brilliant red star. Underneath the star, in deep red text it read. The lower parts of the pentacle, represent the physical, as represented by the Elements, the top of the pentacle, this represents the Spirit, the Mind and its position shows that it is of greater importance than the Physical."

[Toruko Kasui]

She had felt the nervousness turn to slight fear when the Alchemist was peering at her before leaving her alone. She desperately wanted to be approved. Her thoughts were on the right line. There was something symbolic about this pentacle, she knew it had to be something like the snake eating its own tail. She hated not knowing something when it was this important. Daxtin's smug smile faded slightly. Perhaps Toruko's slight irritation with his knowledge was more obvious than she had meant. Afterall, she barely meant offence to anyone. And yet she couldn't help but like him.

He probably knew a lot more than her. He seemed like a book worm, carrying the books, reading them as Negus talked to Toruko. Daxtin seemed an intelligent person but rather too smug about his extensive knowledge. Then again, Toruko thought to herself, she would probably also be feeling smug if a total newcomer and novice entered hoping to get stuck in straight away without the proper knowledge. Toruko wasn'tfond of reading but she knew that this is what was probably around the corner for her in this new situation. The corner Daxtin was in was filled with books. She felt dizzy just looking at them. She would need Daxtin's help to go through all those books at some point in her apprenticeship. Daxtin seemed to be the teacher's pet kind with his head firmly stuck in books, trying to impress the Alchemist. If they were both apprentices, she knew she would also have to buck up and research to get on the good side of Negus.

Daxtin's hand rested on her shoulder. Toruko wasn't too sure how to respond and so carried on as normal. A small smile did cross her lips.
"I'm glad he won't lock me up here but I am wondering about his character. He seems slightly strict. Please tell me he's actually a nice guy!" Her smile turned smaller as he told her how long it took before Negus began to teach him. She hoped nothing would go wrong like that. Perhaps she could sneakily learn from his mistakes but she knew it was wrong to think so.

Daxtin waddled back over with a book in his hands and passed it to Toruko. She was somewhat surprised he was helping her. She flicked through the pages as soon as he handed it to her, desperate to find the answer. What if he gave her the wrong book? She knew she would hit him over the head lightly if he did!
Her eyes skimmed through the dusty, rough and ancient looking pages. She suddenly saw it. The star, the pentacle on the table. She lay the book next to the symbol and read to herself. Before she read the description she remembered she hadn't thanked Daxtin for his help yet.

"Thanks, Daxtin!" she beamed. He walked back to his desk as she said it. She continued reading and found the answer. It seemed simple enough. The top, the Spirit, above all else. She waited for Negus to come back but knew he probably wouldn't. She guessed perhaps it was too soon to go up to Negus to tell him the answer. Toruko walked to a pile of books and flicked through them, leaving the other book open on the table. With learning the Pentacle's description, she tried to piece together how she would go about saying it.
To be an Alchemist...learn with the physical but use your spirit and mind above all else... no, it didn't sound right. She returned to the book and stared at it trying to figure out how to tell Negus what it meant.

[Selena Ile Andra]

OOC: Sorry it took me so long.

Daxtin groaned and practically slammed the book he had been reading and looked back to see that Toruko had found the symbol and what it meant. He couldn't concentrate anymore, his neck aching from reading so much and his brain feeling as though it were about to burst. He smiled and set the book he had been studying up on the stack and walked back over to where Toruko stood muttering to herself. She was one of the most intense girls he had met in a while, by the way she was trying to memorize the information she had just read, she must really want to learn Alchemy.

He hadn't answered her question before on whether or not Negus was a nice guy, he was tempted to let her find out on her own, but he also knew that if you got on Negus' bad side, you normally stayed there. He didn't mind some healthy rivalry, but it had taken a while to get on his good side and he didn't need someone taking away the master's attention.

He knew the next test Negus would give her and also knew that the information for that test was also in the book she already read. She probably hadn't look for it which was understandable given the fact that she had to find the information on the brilliant red star and didn't read more into the other symbols. He jumped up on the table next to where she stood and smiled. "So I see you found it, well done. As for Negus being strict, you had better believe he is, you need to stay on his good side or you will learn next to nothing."

"Well Negus won't be back down here for the rest of the brightening, he is off to his experiments and such and has left you to your own devices at the moment. Since you found out what you needed to know so soon, how about we go and get something to eat perhaps, he won't see you until tomorrow anyway, that's just how he is."

[Toruko Kasui]

She studied the picture well, remembered what it looked like incase Negus asked her to draw it as well as tell him what it meant. She noted the meanings and couldn't help but turn the next page. It had another symbol on it but was different to the one she was meant to learn. Toruko was scared she would forget it so turned back quickly. It was strange, she thought. How am I supposed to have known this symbol? Negus probably wanted to teach her how to look up things, how to research and how, even though he was her tutor, he wouldn't always be there to show her the answers. Thinking literally was probably required in Alchemy. Finding new ingredients, recipes for success, the symbols and much more would only ever be found or noted down in books. It was no wonder then she found the answer in the book Daxtin handed her. Toruko wasn't looking forward to reading but the smug smile Daxtin showed, even if it was only briefly, made Toruko decide she had to be a little better than him somehow.

She hoped if she stayed in the Alchemist's store, she would be able to spend sleepless nights reading infront of a candle or fire, researching new ideas and catching up. Toruko was definitely interested in this field but was more wanting to learn about the practical sides of the subject. She hoped once she had learned enough at the Alchemist's, she would eventually be able to create her own things and perhaps sell them too. She sighed, thinking it was a silly idea. Toruko was a long way away from becoming a merchant yet. She would have to learn a lot before thinking of it again. More determined, she studied the picture again.

Daxtin jumped up on the table she was at, which startled her.
"I wouldn't have been able to find it if you hadn't shown me the right book. Thank you so much! It's a very thick, old book. Looks almost ancient!" she smiled. She was truly thankful. She couldn't even think about reading fifty odd books before finding this one. She shuddered.
"He's really that strict? Oh my!" she gasped. It was strange to think but it made some sense in her mind. "I really do hope I don't irritate or disappoint him in any way!"

She was surprised Negus just left her. Then again, without Daxtin's help, she would've taken all brightening and night most likely. She wasn't too surprised when she realised this and shrugged.
"I am quite hungry actually. It'd be a nice way to spend some of the brightening if the tutor doesn't come back!" Again Toruko couldn't help but smile. He was so charming. "So, you've been here a while? Since you know him so well, I mean."

[Selena Ile Andra]

Daxtin gave a big grin when she thanked him, it made him feel good to know he had helped her so much, cause he knew that if he hadn't given her the book, she wouldn't have found the answer so soon. He jumped back off the table and stood right in front of her, he was never a modest kind of guy when it came to girls he liked and wanted to get to know.

"No worries Toruko, I always like to help a pretty girl." He wandered how she felt about him, he was used to girls ignoring him because he was a major book worm and an apt student, his studies over having fun. But for now he figured he had studied enough and going to eat sounded very appealing, especially with Toruko.

He looked down at the book and smiled. "That book just happens to be my own, it was given to me by my father who had once been a great Alchemist. He died when I was young and left me this book to inspire me and help me with my own journey to become an Alchemist like him." He leaned back and smiled as he picked up the book. "Feel free to borrow it anytime, it is chock full of important information that is quite useful."

He nodded and tried to keep from laughing when she gasped, Negus was a good guy, he just had his own set of rules and was quite set in his own ways, which meant you had too adjust to his ways. "Negus is a good man and a great teacher, just don't question his methods and don't lag behind so much and you will be fine."

He was glad that she agreed to get something to eat with him, they could talk more out in the warm sun better then they could in the dank dark place. He held out his arm in a gentlemens fashion and waited to see if she would take it.

"I know a few good places to eat and aren't too expensive." Being that he was a student, he didn't have many crowns. "I have been studying under Negus for a few cycles now and although he doesn't open up much to anyone, he is quite a well of knowledge. I swear he could do anything." He spoke with tone of high respect for his teacher.

[Toruko Kasui]

ooc: I'm sorry! Don't eat me! I've posted now though hehe!

A pretty girl? Me? She thought to herself. Perhaps Daxtin was trying to charm his way through to her, maybe trying to let her guard down for some odd reason. But there was something about Daxtin she liked a lot. His little charming smile that made any room sparkle a bit more. He ws so helpful to Toruko. She knew she would probably owe him one for giving her the book. Although he may not have directly shown the page the symbol was on, he gave her the right book. Perhaps, having read so many books himself, Toruko's aura was showing her dislike of thorough reading. This was probably to change; a need to read as an Alchemist's apprentice. There was much to learn.

Her cheeks flushed a pale rose but tried not to show it by bowing her head, letting the beads and hair fall over her face until she felt a little cooler. He was the first lad she had met in this city and he was lovely. It was no surprise Toruko was blushing at him. Her embarassment got the better of her and she could not comment about his compliment without bursting into a coy state.
"The book was your fathers? That's amazing! To be brought up with an Alchemist and now becomming one! Was it your dream to follow in your father's footsteps?" she exclaimed excitedly. The news of his father's death was a bitter blow to her excitement. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" A short pause stretched by. "Thank you, it seems a handy book to borrow. If the Alchemist decides to pull more tests on me, I'll probably find it very useful!"

She wasn't sure if this was the time to tell him her own dreams and aspirations so left the subject as it was until he asked her. She didn't want to come across too self-centred.
"Oh gosh no! I would never question anybody's methods at all!" she said at last. "Unless...does he do really strange things?" She smiled a cheeky smile, very rare for such a timid young lady such as herself.

The room was too dark and seemed too oppresive. A stroll and eat somewhere else would be welcomed gladly. She saw Daxtin offer his arm like a true gentleman and again she blushed. Toruko waited before deciding whether or not to take his arm.
"I'm relatively new to the city myself so I would not really know where to eat!" She wasn't surprised to learn Daxtin had been an apprentice for a litle while now.
"Were you able to learn a lot from him? He seems like the type of person who really loves what they do. It's a rarity, isn't it?" Her arm reached out and shyly accepted Daxtin's.