Brewing Studio, Third Floor. 1pm.

Most of the brewing studios at St.Mungo's were unoccupied this afternoon, an unsurprising symptom of the weekend. Those who worked at the cauldrons were accustomed to diligence during the work hours of their weekday and would hardly opt to be at leisure in a tiny room that reeked of medicinal herbs.

Yet here she was, Vivienne Thorpe, in her customary studio with towering shelves surrounding her on three sides (tomes, registries, jars of ingredients). Brewing was not her area and, even with Healer Foley's blessing, it was necessary for her to work on sedative prototypes in her own hours. Wearing her lime green robes open at the front-- a white blouse and jeans below-- she sat cross-legged on a stool just infront of a medium sized cauldron; the fire underneath had only just been kindled. A little inconvenient, lighting a natural flame, but necessary for her purpose today.

The witch tied her hair back as she waited for the cauldron to heat up and then glanced up at the large, white clock next to the studio entrance. Una was due here soon. The two of them had spent the last month since their first meeting corresponding via owl mail. Mostly quick inquiries and plenty of advice from The Alchemist. They had met only once during their correspondence[1] and, even then, only to exchange opinions regarding one of the prototypes Vivienne had sent her.

Today's appointment would allow them to practically go over the brewing of the sedative, from start to finish, if they were lucky. Viv turned around to prop open the window behind her, allowing for a chilly breeze to sweep gently into the room. The weather outside was grey and cloudy. Autumn would soon begin creeping up on the city.

When she turned back around, a knock came at the door and her grey eyes shifted towards it: "Come on in," the Healer called out pleasantly. Another stool had been set out across the cauldron, so that they would both be overlooking the concoction.

1.	Presumed meeting at a muggle location, nothing of significance.

Una didn’t mind working on Sundays. She was already working pretty much all the time, except for her few hours sleeping or dating Sid. There was that lovely time she spent with Molly in Godric’s Hollow one week ago too, and even if a part of her would love if all her weekends could be like that, her dominant part still takes work too seriously. Even a work that wasn’t officially hers, but she honestly had compromised herself. Vivienne’s potion was a kind of mirror potion to the one she was personally working in. Many things she could learn and observe from that parallel research, and yet hopefully help a dear person, an important cause, maybe even a whole hospital. It was so worthy that nothing could go wrong from that. Not in front of Vivienne’s eyes.

That was the best part of it, the part that makes her think about everything she was doing; the part that worked as a reminder of Foley’s words on that horrible meeting Una kept in mind for shame - work alone wasn’t good. At all. But for as long as Una was always open to work on other’s people project, along with anyone that asks her help, her own projects were closed and secretive. Not that she thought they were too big or too good to share with anyone, on the opposite, the Alchemist just couldn’t believe in her own ideas, not at the point to show them up and seek support. If she fails like this it would be devastating. Better fail alone. Or between just a very few people.

She trusted Vivienne, she trusted her judgment, and just knew she wouldn’t fail on her brewing. Una trusted her enough to even let something about her own personal brewing slip, but still it was the Healer’s task she should focus on that afternoon. All the letters, even the brief meeting, nothing was hard to fit on her agenda, including that moment when she knocked the door and Vivienne sweetly invited her in. Thankfully Una didn’t feel the need of ceremonies with her anymore, simply doing as told and entering the room with curious eyes.

Her robe was maybe too dark and heavy for the occasion, as usual, and her large bag contained only a few things, just in case. She was alerted they would have everything they need in there. And with a smile she saw the cauldron already heating on a proper fire. The Healer was so competent.

“Good afternoon, Vivienne! How have you been?” She greeted with a brighter smile before putting her bag over a table and walking towards the Healer and the cauldron. She didn’t sit on the stool just yet; first she observed everything around more carefully with her gloved hands resting on her hips. “Interesting place… here… ” she muttered, appearing to be distracted. But then, suddenly, she came back from her wanderings. “So! What have you decided about the ingredients? Which of the plants worked best?”

"How have you been?"

Vivienne slipped on a pair of tiny, magnifying spectacles as she looked up to greet her visitor. The glass magnified her grey eyes and she blinked at the blonde witch pleasantly: "I've been well, merci." Between her very recent revels with a certain auror and the everyday workload at St.Mungo's, she thought that life had been treating her quite kindly these days. Una appeared to be taking in the brewing studio... it was, maybe, a  much smaller space than the one she worked in. Viv smiled to herself, imagining the Alchemist busy at work and surrounded by a dozen cauldrons. Maybe not a dozen but possibly something equally impressive.

“So! What have you decided about the ingredients? Which of the plants worked best?” Straight to work then.

The Healer adjusted her spectacles and gestured for Una to take a seat while she spoke: "The Hellebore has been scaled back and the Valerian increased, since we last spoke. Peony turned out to be useless, even if it did make the floor smell quite nice the other day. I'm on Olibanum now; frankincense, you know. It was effective in the last prototype," her brow wrinkled into a gentle frown and she paused.

Most other ingredients, from her initial base, weren't worth mentioning. Vivienne straightened her back and glanced towards the shelf to her right, an arm's length away. Amongst the jars there were two small ones containing petals: "I brought some sunflower. Dried and fresh, wasn't sure which one to experiment with."

This was all conjecture, after all. But important conjecture. They needed active lycans to test this on and when that happened, results could be lethal if not dangerous.

Una couldn’t help but giggle when Vivienne looked up at her wearing the magnifying glasses. Not that the instrument was unfamiliar to her, but see it on the Healer’s sweet and elegant features was a little funny. “Sorry, Vivienne, it’s just… I’m glad you’re well!” She cleared her throat, bashfully blushing and getting back to what really mattered.

She took the seat as the Healer gestured her, listening attentively her response about the ingredients. “Ja… flowers can be a little temperamental sometimes. Peonies are ladies, and if they didn’t feel well with their fellows at the potion, they just decide to… quit,” Una shrugged, laughing softly. “But it’s a good thing Olibanum worked. Its essence almost never fails, it’s almost sacred, you know…”

"I brought some sunflower. Dried and fresh, wasn't sure which one to experiment with."

“Ooooh,” Una got up suddenly excited, heading to get the jars in the shelf Vivienne indicated. “Sunflower can work beautifully, it’s the Son of the Sun you know… ” she came back with the jars, opening the one with fresh petals and gently smelling them. “Fresh enough! Did you keep the corolla? It’s an important part, that directs it straight to the Sun. I think I did bring some… essence…” she muttered, looking at her bag thoughtfully; but instead of taking her time trying to remember, she walked towards it to search. “Sunflower… sunflower… here! It’s the pure essence, corolla, seeds, petals...” Una lifted a small flask smiling, "but the fresh ones will still be useful!". She came back to her seat beside Vivienne, taking off her left glove delicately, getting ready to work. “We’re gonna brew just a sample today? How many do you need?”

There was something amusing about Una's depiction of flower usage in potions. Vivienne thought that most women would feel an almost analogous kinship with such an attitude; temperamental indeed. Not the usual way in which they preferred to be compared with roses or whatnot.

There was some excitement at the mention of sunflowers and the Healer smiled, getting caught up in the mood.

“Sunflower… sunflower… here! It’s the pure essence, corolla, seeds, petals...” Una brought back the vial she procured, returning to the seat across the cauldron. Of course they did have fresh samples of the corolla and Viv reached down to the bag she'd left on the floor next to her side-table, retrieving a tightly sealed jar with said ingredient.

Another smile pulled at her lips and she set it down: "Ingredients are ready then," she said with a satisfied voice before glancing back to her visitor, this time looking over the spectacles which were slowly slipping down her nose. "Oui, only a sample."

Brewing anything more than a sample would likely be considered a waste of ingredients. Her colleagues on the first floor would not be so forgiving, after all, if the sedative was not so effective as she expected it to. Viv looked down into the cauldron, her hands moving to very lightly brush the inside of the iron edge as she gauged if it was warm enough for them to begin.

"A sample of...cinq...non, ten vials. There is reason to believe that there will be more than a single patient, in the event of another incident." They were still restricted on how openly they discussed the Lycan issue in association with the potion-- not everyone at St.Mungo's knew or approved of Una's awareness.

Vivienne was almost surprised by how deeply she trusted the Alchemist, both with the integrity of the sedative and with her reputation as a professional.

"Ah, ja! Great, ten vials..." she confirmed with a nod, while recalculating silently the ideal measures of each ingredient. Una had a good idea shaped on her mind about the potion in its end, after weeks working mentally on it with Viv, sharing ideas and checking her prototypes. Everything was already done lively inside her head, and if she were alone, she would probably works fast, spontaneously, guided by her own observations about the nature of the ingredients, just taking notes in the middle of each process. But brewing with the Healer should be different, the most orthodox as possible. Not a bad thing at all, but something that demands more concrete thoughts instead of just the practice.

“I think the Olibanum should be the heart of the potion, the Helianthus and the Hellebore can work as a base. The sunflower essence I gave you is a true Primum ens[1], and maybe if we use just a pinch of Aurum potabile[2] along with the spirit of wine to macerate the Olibanum  it can show great results… ” Una exposed her thoughts, unsure if she was using appropriate words but still secure enough of Vivienne’s knowledge about Alchemy. Her eyes, that was so far analyzing the ingredients, glanced quickly at the cauldron and then she gave a reassuring smile to the Healer.

“Three parts of Olibanum, seven parts of Helianthus and Hellebore each, the essence to solve and the powder to coagulate. A pinch of Potassa carbonate at the first and the seventh hour. ” Her hands were moving quickly and gently to separate and measure the right amount of ingredients. She handed the fresh sunflower petals to Viv. “Pulverize it with a gently spell and you can start brewing the base while I macerate the Olibanum. I… I will do it with my own hands, but it won’t take long. ” Una smiled, a tad nervous, instead of trying to find an excuse for her choice of avoid magic. Alone it was easier, natural, to pull her wand here and there and plants and natural substances always reacted perfectly to her spells. But it never included another person – besides her father – watching, so smile and start working on the maceration quietly was the best way Una found to deal with it.

“Vivienne…” she muttered after a while in silence. “How is it like to… work, with these patients… that time of the month?” She asked and raised her eyes at the Healer, watching her with curiosity while waiting for the answer.

((OOC: So sorry for taking so long =\))

1.	"... While five such principles are designated as creating illness within us, the ens tincture, created from the Vegetable Kingdom, can be used to correct these imbalances and bring us physical and psychic health. One author writes, 'The Ens manifests the highest initiatic virtue of the plant it is made from.'" ~from here.
2.	"Aurum Potabile is gold rendered potable by intermixture with other substances, and with liquids." ~at the notes. It was a medicine Paracelsus praised.