thebastion | Day 311 | Open Broadcast

Who: Rob, anyone
Open: Open
When: Day 311
Where: Everywhere, then Colin's workshop
What: An invitation to learn how to make healing potions.
Format: Will match
Warnings: None?

[So remember that capability the amulets have to broadcast a message to every amulet in the Bastion at once? And remember this guy, who is probably near the bottom of everyone's list on who's most likely to ever use this function? Someone go check if Ibuki made some flying pigs or something, because Rob's making a broadcast here.]

Hey, uh, this is Rob. I've, uh. [A pause, then continuing in a way that's recognizable as someone reading from a script.] So I've been working on teaching myself alchemy using the plants and animals that Paarthurnax has brought in, and I've finally figured out how to make healing potions. I've been thinking that it would probably be a good idea for multiple people to be able to make them, just in case something happens to me or the healers, so I'm wondering if anyone would like to learn how to make them themselves. I wouldn't say it's particularly hard, it just takes some patience and attention to detail. If you're interested in me teaching you, come over to the workshop and bring something to take notes with if you think they'd be helpful.

[A relieved gasp for breath at the end is cut off when Rob ends the broadcast.]

[Sure enough, Rob can be found anxiously waiting outside the workshop. He nods when you walk up.]

You here for the, uh, for the learning about making potions?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There aren't any guarantees, but I wouldn't want to either.

[Zuko is normally not that good at sitting still and healing.]

[He nods, then there's an awkward pause for a moment.]

So, uh, I guess we can start with grinding up the ingredients? Uh, this is a mortar, and this is a pestle. You put the ingredient in the mortar and then grind it with the pestle like this...

[Because the mun doesn't know enough about this to write out a detailed description, let's summarize. Rob will walk Zuko through the processes, giving her plenty of opportunity to do each part herself. There's grinding the materials up, distilling water to mix with it (for completeness sake - he keeps jugs of distilled water around so he doesn't have to do this constantly, but he wants her to know how to do it herself if she has to), calcinating, distilling, and otherwise purifying and refining the ingredients and mixture. None of the steps are difficult to explain the basic concepts of, but the complexity comes from the details of how they're done. He may not be the Super High School Level Teacher, and he can easily go on tangents, but he's able to explain most things multiple ways if she's having trouble with an explanation and he's patient enough not to get frustrated at her if she takes time to get things right (he's more likely to get frustrated at himself and apologize for his inability to explain it better).

At most it'll take a few days to level up Zuko's Alchemy skill to something useful depending on how quickly she catches on, and once she's got the hang of Restore Health potions he'll offer to teach her how to make Weakness to Fire poisons, or any of the other kinds he has the ingredients for if she wants.]

[And Rob will have to explain some of it multiple times because Zuko isn't the fastest learner, and even if he doesn't get frustrated with her, she'll get frustrated with herself. She might remark several times on how needlessly complicated this is, but she never shows any inclination towards giving up on it.

Once she finally works through everything to produce a finished potion, she's... kind of dubious that she actually succeeded.]

How can you be sure it's not a dud?

With a healing potion?

[He pulls his knife off his belt and holds it out to her, pommel towards her.]

That's fairly easy.

[Another person might have objected to the concept of harming herself for the sake of testing something, but this is Zuko, who once attempted to get herself struck by lightning for the sake of testing something.

She takes the knife and her only concern is:]

I wouldn't have to drink all of it just for a cut, would I?

[Yeah she just. doesn't want to waste the potion.]

[Rob has also tested potions on himself multiple times, so she's in good(?) company.

And let's just apply video game mechanics to the real world here.]

You'd think so, but for some reason the potions only work if you drink the entire thing. Don't ask me to explain why, but that's how it seems to be.

Hmph.

[Good company? Where are the real adults.

Zuko frowns, debating the merits of this. If she tries it and it works, she'll have wasted a perfectly good potion and then she'll have to go through all those annoying little steps again.

But if she relies on it to work later without testing it, she could be screwing herself over here.

Welp. Yeah, she's gonna use the knife to make a small cut in her thumb before downing the potion.

...seems like it's working?]

[And with such a small cut it works almost instantly, too. Rob takes his knife back.]

Grats.

[Zuko rubs the traces of blood off her healed thumb and looks at him in confusion.]

What?

Grats? ...Oh it's short for "congratulations". Since "grat" is the second syllable in "congratulations" when you write it out... This isn't being translated into anything useful, is it?

[Well, from Zuko's perspective it's like abruptly saying "happiness" at someone, but it makes a lot more sense than the other syllables.

Of which there are only three total for her anyway, so.]

Strange thing to shorten.

A lot of slang is strange.

But anyways, it worked. Once you get more practice it should go a lot faster.

I guess so.

[Zuko... probably doesn't know as much slang as she should anyway. We're still working on picking up curse words here.]

Well, thank you. You're a patient teacher.

[Awkward because compliment that he doesn't feel is accurate.]

Well, uh, there any other potions or poisons you'd like me to show you? Like that Weakness to Fire poison? Or'd you wanna take a break for now?

[He has more patience than Zuko, okay.]

I've had enough for today. I don't know about using something like that anyway..

[Aren't most things inherently weak against fire already? Even firebenders.]

Basically you just put it on a weapon and strike the enemy with it. I've got a couple here if you wanna try 'em out.

But, uh, feel free to come back and practice whenever you want.

No, I mean...

What's the point of that? Does it make the burns worse?

[Because she's... not really on board with that.]

I think so? That or it makes things that wouldn't be particularly damaged by fire more susceptible to it, like creatures that are made of rock or fire. I haven't been able to test it beyond touching a candle, so I'm not sure exactly what it can do.

I think I'll pass.

Day 311 | Open Broadcast

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