Alexander "Sasha" Chorchnoi stands triumphantly in the center of his newly completed lab. This local government was fairly generous in their contributions after reading his letter of introduction and observing a few chemical demonstrations. They had granted him a lab off of the town's main street with a stock of his requested materials. "Har har har... It's all mine!" The Russian bellowed to himself. To celebrate, he took his second to last vial of vodka out of his pocket, downed it, swung the front door open to the street, and set to work making a new batch of his favorite drink. The front of the shop was unmanned, but a large bell rested on a counter so that anyone requiring his services could alert him.

With the Kettles and Coils all set up for the distilation process, Sasha ponders what to do next.

"Well, I guess I'll go work on catching some dinner." as he grabs his pole and tackle.

Sasha sets up the shop for his departure, closes the front door, and heads into the street. A slate remains on the door for away messages.

*Sasha departs Okibi no Renkinjutsu*

*Sasha enters Okibi no Renkinjutsu*

More solid than solid... the opposite of clear.... He didn't possess such a material... but if he could make one.... of course the process could be, nay should be reversible... to infuse gold back to it base substance... but what would seve as the foundation of the pre gold element? Distilled potatos become mush... so something akin to mush in a more solid form, but the opposite of clear.... Charcoal!

Sasha quickly set up an appropriate reverse distilation coil, loaded the kettle with charcoal, and found a bit of gold.

"This could be it! MWAHAHAHA!"

---------Several hours later---------

"This isn't it...."

Sasha was covered in soot, tired, and even feeling a bit hung over. It appears that something was wrong in his science... The gold and charcoal had indeed mixed, but they didn't blend. All he was left with was some sparkely dark flaky substance... Maybe this was the root of gold, but he had never seen it occur naturaly. Oh well...

It was time to start some more distilations... someone might want to buy something eventualy... Sasha set up processes for everlasting lamps and a couple of simple plant alchemy courses including Rosemary, Wormwood, Eucalyptus, and simple Rose.

"Sleepy sleepy sleepy..." Sasha yawned. He would work on setting up prices for his wares tomorrow. After bathing, he climbed into bed too tired for even a last drink.

As he drifted into unconsiousness he pondered, "What happened to my fishing gear and those last couple of bottles of the... good.... stuff....zzzzzzzzzzzzz"



----------------The night passes----------



"My pudding!" Sasha woke with a start. He heard himself yell it, but wasn't exactly sure why... some fragments of a dream washed over him... there had indeed been pudding... and a girl he remembered from the fish market... Sasha sat up and closed his eyes, trying to let the memory drift back to him....


-----------------15 minutes later---------------

An abrupt crash brought Sasha out of his dreams of pudding and the girl from the fish market...

"What is this all of the sudden? I haven't even woken yet...."

Even as he said it, Sash knew that something would be out of order in his lab. Not a total tragedy as his new distilations were just beginning, but still unwelcome.

As he stood, clad only in his shorts, he grabbed the most servicible weapon he could see. A 1.5 pood kettlebell (24kg/54lbs)... The raw iron was cold, bur more importantly it was heavy. Sasha did three quick swings around his legs to stretch and headed downstairs.

The destruction wasn't terrible, but two traps had gone off. One everburning lamp had been set off on a table by the window... it gave a feeble green light that was worthless with the sun up. The second was a mild smoke that tended to mix with sweat and dye people bright orange...

More noticible was a bleeding man in armor lying on the floor and someone else jumping through the window.

"What manner of devil wakes me from my dream!?" Sasha demanded as he gave the kettlebell the momentum for a good toss.

*jumps in from the streets*

As Ronin jumped through the window, he heard a familiar voice call out. "What manner of devil wakes me from my dream!?"

Ronin peered into the smokey room at the figure which was malliciously swinging something that looked remotly heavy... "Sassha? Is that you? Its Ronin... I was just, dispencing of a little trash. Why is it so smokey in here?"

Sasha slowed the swing of the kettlebell, gave it a nice clean, jerk, and press so that it rested on his shoulder.

"Ah, my friend Ronin... come to ask me why I left so quickly last night? Hah hah ha!" Sasha laughed, as this was obviously not the case. "What manner of present is this for the morning, my friend?" Sasha gestured at the still bleeding body on the floor? "Shall I wake him?"

Sasha walked over to a drawer full of vials, selected one, and pulled it out.. ."I think he may be too far gone for this" as he held up a vial full of a yelowish powder.

Sasha was still trying to figure out what was goign on, but he figured that being cool was teh best way to go.

Several faces were peering in through the window and the smoking potion continued to billow by the window.

Ronin laughed. "He should be already dead... and if he's not, I will make shure to finish him off." He looked at the foolish peasents who dare peep into the room. He said forcefully, "And I'll have to treat anyone foolish enough to be spying on us in a simular manner." The peasents scattered.

Ronin smiled. "They will learn before long, hopefully," he looked down, and noticed an odd green flame burning nearby, "By the gods!" He exclaimed, "What type of magic is that?!"

"Fair enough... iI don't know what your quarrel was, but it is of no concern to me." Sasha replaced the vial in the drawer.

"As far as the green flame, it is an eternal candle... no more magic than it is science." As he said this, Sasha placed a stopper on the green flame's bottle and it slowly flickered out leaving a hunck of greenish silver at the bottom of the container.

You should be more concerned with the smoke, my friend, Orange does not suite you, Bwahahaha!" Sasha laughed as he could see that the slight mist of combat sweat on Ronin's forehead, arms, and chest had indeed reacted with the smoke to produce a bright orange hue. Sasha also placed a stopper on this bottle.

Reaching into a closet, Sasha grabbed a small cloth sack, clapped it over the pooling blood, and watch the cloud of powder settle into the liquid.

"What?" Ronin stammered as he looked at his now orange body. "geh..." Ronin shook his head, and started to help Sassha with the blood. "The man's crime was simple, he caters to his lord's every whim. All samuri do. It is their way, and that is why I killed him."

After most of the blood was up Ronin started searchind the man for money, of which he found a few thosand yen... not bad actually. He handed half of it to Sassha, "For the window." and then slipped the rest into a small leather pouch at his waiste. He then lifted up the body, and grunted, "We've got to get rid of this..." A few minutes latter, he was on the roof with Sassha, and deposited the body into large contraption called a kiln. Sassha turned it on, and they went downstairs.

"Well.. now that I'm all nice all nice and orange... I don't suppose that it would be possiable to become normal once more, is it...? Well... in any case, I'm quite tired... I've still got some of the sake in my system, and the fight, although not long, was taxing, none the less." He sat down on the floor. "I trust that you will not mind my resting here for now?" Sassha made it known that it was ok, and Ronin fell asleep silently.

Sasha took the common stance of a stranger ina foreign land... he figured he wouldn't cause any waves and he would be free to keep researching.

The money from the dead man was more than enough to repair the window, considering it was a government owned facuility, the would take care of the bill. The rest woudl be useful for purchasing materials that he couldn't ask his sponsors for... or charity... either one.

Sasha gave Ronin a tonic to wash away -MOST- of the orange dye. A faint tint was sure to remain for a day or two. With the warrior now asleep unceremoniously on the floor, Sasha returned to the distilations he had begun the night before.


---------------minutes later------------


Sasha decided to get some exercise as his processes were running just fine. He grabbed his kettlebell and head outside.

*Sasha extits the lab*

*Sasha enters the lab from the street*

He hoped that Amethyst would be close behind, but not too close... he needed 30 seconds... We jumped to the drawer full of vials... 25 seconds... found the one waaaayyyy in the back..... 20 seconds .... poured the powder in the glass and filled it with vodka .... 15 seconds .... stirred well .... 10 seconds ...placed it on the counter of the shop ... 5 seconds.... started pouring himself a drink... 0 seconds....

"Amethyst my friend! Please, have a drink with me and I will tell you what is on my mind...."

The Russian gestured towards the glass and raised his in salute.

"To Mother Russia!"

Ame slowly paced into the lab, very confused on what to make of the matter... It was like a bad case of deja vü to find the place is a lab...

And the sound of Sasha making a mess before she entered didn't even parallel to the look on her face when he was standing there with a glass of vodka in his hand giving a cheer to his home country. Gesturing like a doctor telling a kid to count the items on a poster over upon the far wall before jamming them with a needle.

No, Ame was extremely uncertain.. And those such emotions could be seen clearly on her face... Weariness, Uncertainty, Hestitance... The whole shabang...

Placing out the bandaged yet bloody hand to gesture him off... She replied.. A bit more shallow now that her mind was taken off killing people temporarily to wondering how Sash was going to trick and/or hurt her... "n...... No thanks..."

"Hahahaha! Strong and funny, but surely you jest? To turn down a drink with a commrade is not something to take lightly... unless I am not your commrade...."

Sasha gave Amethyst a whithering smile.

"Please, five minutes was what I asked for and these five minutes are mine. I know so very few people in this land and a drink with my kin is hard to come by...."

Suddenly he became jovial "Or maybe vodka is not for small girls after all? Bwa ha ha ha!" Sasha roared.

It was almost as if the man was expecting to get beheaded with an axe in five minutes... The thought amused Ame's inner self and it was most likely spending the woman's last moments sane deviating a plan to throw her off into berserk nature again.

Ame shivered... But his words brought her back to reality... Sure hte woman still had a hangover and wasn't at all feeling too good about life or her aquiantances' future... Still, Come On. This guy was calling her Weak

Thus Amethyst, stepping over Ronin's unconscious body, took the drink - giving Sasha once of the nastiest looks she could muster. You could hear that distant tail tail and deep throated growl in that very look. Attempted to chug the drink...

Of course nearly lost it and started coughing uncontrollably a moment later.. but she would be fine as long as her windpipe was concerned...

Sasha smiled and immeadiately felt guilty... as he downed his drink, he tried to push the feelings away. He was doing this to help, right? And besides... it was also saving his own skin... this woman looked poised to kill him just moments ago. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed the looks of fear that most of the towns people gave her, he just didn't pay much heed to them...

If everything was going as planned, she would be physically relaxed, logicaly present, and emotionaly detached in just moments. Haitian zombie powder was not a toy to be sure, but he didn't figure that herbal tea was enough to gain the level of calm he required. Sasha snickerd briefly at the thought of trying to give an angry Amethyst a cup of chamomele tea... with cream... heh...

Back to busines... "My friend, I must apologize for my rudeness. How do you feel today?"

+++++++++++ TO BE CONTINUED +++++++++++++++

Ronin woke up as the pissy woman from the Invinciable Sake Shop walked over him... Sassha gave her some of his odd alcohol, and Ronin decied that it may be better to leave the two alone.

*slips off into the streets*

"Now Miss Amethyst, what you should be feeling right now is relaxed. I know it may be tempting, but don't go to sleep. You just drank a bit of something called Zombie powder, but the name is descpetive. You aren't in any danger of becoming the undead, and your will is still your own. The mix has two main effects. First, as I am sure you have noticed, both your brain and muscles should be super relaxed, and therefore your movents should be slower and the rage less severe.. This is the reason that I gave you the drink... I wanted to survive our conversation here. Secondly, you are a bit more open for suggestion, but I think I will stay away from that property. I want nothing to do with changing your will."

Sasha gave a sigh and thought about how to proceed. This was closer to real Alchemy ttan he had been in quite some time. Most people know that Alchemy attempts to understand and transmute matter... While this is true, the full scope is much more broad... Rather than just matter, Alchemy acknowleges that the spiritual aspects of life should also be understood and at times, transmusted. In fact, true Alchemy MUST include both physical and spiritual elements to be fully effective. If Amethyst's rage could be understood, then it should be possible to transmute. Of course, it could never go away completely... Just as a physical transformation of salts to vapors may be reversed through the introduction of new elements, so too is a spiritual transmutation reversable. All Sasha could do is give Amethyst a path to follow. How she walked that path and what it's final destination was belonged to her.

"Now, my friend, I will apoplogize again... I have a rapid cure for what I have done to you, and you have but to ask and I will release you, regardless of my own peril. If, however you wish to continue our talk, I promise to do whatever I can to guide you on your journery. How does that sound?

The entire suprise of being drugged, betrayed, was dramatically reduced... Not only because of the drug numbing her mind and actions.. But because she was so paranoid that he would be like mugatou and trick her with drugs as it was.... And... He did...

Now this didn' tmean that her actions of being pissed over the matter weren't as well muted.. the woman showed a very feirce and ugly look in her eyes as if she were still thinking about ripping Sasha's head off his shoulders if she could move fast enough to do so... However, even if her inner thoughts were desperate in revenge, her body couldn't act them out like she wanted... It was as if time for everything but her thoughts and hearing and site were slowed down... But only for her.

It was odd... she didn't like it..

Ame slowly aimed to grasp the hilt of her sword.. Though not only did she fail in clasping her sevierly bandaged injured hand into a mutual fist, she missed the hilt by miles. Glanced down angrilly at her hand.. before slowly - stubbornly giving up...

Had been in drugs before... Knew, even though she was trying so VERY hard to fight it right now, it was one thing that was hard to conqure...

Numbly glowered at Sasha... the first words spilled from her mouth were absent sluggish gibberish.. With a keen grasp on her mouth, however, she was able to try again successfully.. "I don't like drugs..." And This, in itself, was a fairily sedaited response from how she was feeling...

Not quite the response he had asked for, but that was somewhat to be expected.... Sasha paced back and forth in front of the girl as she shot daggers of hate at him from her eyes.

"A drug is just a substance, like any other... this one just happens to have a noticible effect on you. If you are in tune with your body, every substance will have a noticible effect... from salt to tin... But as you don't like drugs, I don't like drugging people. If you think that you can keep calm for the three minutes we have left in our conversation, I will give you an antidote right now. You were going to kill me, I merely stopped you for the moment. Seems like a fair trade to me...."

her glared deepend... knew he was lieing. he was going to drug her more in the future... all doctor people do... They will all deceive her... All hurt her...

And she would've told him this if her body would let it... however... The woman was able ot muster up against the drug something to the effect of "I want to kill you more now....." which took a great act of feat to overcome with the drug in her veins..... But the words were lame and peanuts compaired to the vast depth of that look in her eyes... This was soon repeated with "I don't like drugs..."

This was obviously strong enough to show that the woman had been through drugs before.. and that hatred in her eyes made it evidant that her old drugged up times weren't at all good...

Felt numb.. Felt tired... Just wanted to sit down... And did so in a slumping sort of manner... Even though, deep in her mind, she wouldn't take her gaze from Sasha...

The situation was getting worse.... Some people just wern't pure logic... but that wasn't news to Sasha. Though, it was a fact he often forgot.

He had two real choices now... leave her drugged and take her somewhere far away so that he migth have a chance to escape, or give her the antidote and hope that logic prevailed. Well, there were more choices, but a lot of them were violent in a distasteful sort of way.

"Oh, well, what the hell," he muttered... Sasha open a cupboard and took out a vial with a pinkish liquid in it. After drawing a couple of drops out of it with a squeeze tube, he shoved them in the woman's mouth. Just teh contact with the thin membranes of her gums would ensure adequate absorbtion. He would have about 20 seconds to ready himself before she was back...

He used that time to grab the sword from her side and toss it to the back of the lab.

"Now it's gonna feel like a little bit of lightning in your veins" the Russian cringed...

He took her sword away... This only caused her thoughts to flicker with growing speed... Well, that and the fact that the new drugged resolver was now running through her body and mind. She had that prickly sensation of a numb bodypart (like a foot being asleep) getting it's feelings back... It hurt slightly = as if being poking with a million needles... but the feeling faded...

Ame slowly got up... Adimantly surprised he undrugged her... Glaring at him now wiht a skeptical eye.. Unsure wether to kill him now since he did release her of the numbing bind...

Remained silent for a long moment. Watching him. Stretching out her fingers then back in to create fists - as if still getting the feeling back...

Until finally, she got up the thoughts to speak with.. "Why didn't you chain me to a wall and walk off to leave me suffering..."

"Well, I could, if you'd like," Sasha winked, "but I didn't figure you would... so that would have been a wasted action that helps nobody."

Sasha wasn't dead yet.. this was going better than expected.

"I like to help people, myself included... so I figured that I might save my life for a few moments and explain some helpful things to you.... but you took it a little differently than I guessed you would. A bad experience in the past, perhaps? No matter, your history is yours to share as you see fit.."

Sasha motioned towards a small tea table with two chairs... one he pulled out for Amethyst, the other he stood behind to wait for her company.

Yet still, the baikokudo's eyes never left the man.. it was almost as if she didn't blink.. and the look she had was still mutually dangerious..

However, Sasha's reply was better than what she was expecting - thus calming her reflexively irritated actions a bit... Surprisingly - though she didn't yet notice it - the voice at the back of her mind wasn't badgering her with added ferocity in wanting to kill the Russian... Even with what he previously did to piss her off...

Glared at the table... Almost hesitant... Had been through a situation like this as well with the previous assholes that drugged her - though she doesn't remember half of it... However, that wasn't why she hesitated..the woman right now simply wanted to grab her sword and run... This was seen all too well through her eyes of dark green. Only thing stopping her was that her sword was nowhere near her or the doorway out.

Stepped over to the table, glancing at teh chair wearily.. "I wanna stand..."

"That's fine..."

Sasha spun a chair around backwards and straddled it. The table and chair were of Japanese make and a bit small for the man's larger frame. As he rested his elbows on the table and rubbed his face with his palms, he looked a bit out of place...

"Where to start." He looekd up at her.

"For change to take place, one must be ready to put for an effort. Usually one persues Alchemy to change matter in the beggining and then finds out that the true gift is the changing of the soul. You, I think might have an advantage in starting if you know this fact already. So I must ask you, do you want to gain control over your rage, or do you want to remain unchanged?"

The woman standing with him sitting made him fell suddenly off balance... he smiled a bit as he wondered if maybe tea was the real thing that was needed right now. He got up and began to steep a pot of persimon and hibiscus tea.

Stood there like the ex-warrior she was.. Watching his words as they fluttered expertly from the russians mind.. But not grasping any of them... After all Ame couldn't read, stayed away from the 'cheaters way out of battle', and therefore didn't know the first thing of alchemy... Though through the head of his speech, she took in that this guy wasn't some normal fish smelling, vodka bingeing russian... ... ...

The surprising question at the end of his paragraph forced her back into the conversation she missed out on... Blinks for a brief moment before getting a strangling grasp on the question.. Becoming angry for a moment - for no apparent reason other than his asking about her rage as if it were a weakspot... And soon afterwards - if not finally - turning away... Though her eye was still following his moves to go make tea... "There's no way to stop myself... I've tried..."

Sasha continued to tend to the tea.

"If you have decided as such, the it is true. I can no more help you change what you know you are unable to change then I am able to create an ocean of vodka... though I should like to very much in both cases," he smiled.

The tea was well boiled and he brought the pot and two cups with saucers, both of Russian design, to the table and set them down. "We take pleasure in our tea as well as our harder drinks, yes?"

"Is there a path you would like to explore with me, or do you want to leave? Our five minutes are up and you have paid your obligation to me. You may stay or go, answer or not as is your will."

Sasha poured two cups of the steaming tea. "I'll offer you one, but this time I understand if you decline."

Ame glanced darkly at the cups... Wondering what their 'friendship' was all about.. and of course not trusting him...

When he set the cups down, she took hers and glanced it over to make sure there was nothing in the cup to begin with, before setting it down and watching him pour the tea...

Thought over her words like a starving fish wonders over the prospects of biteing the hook - just cause there is food on it... "I don't like my other self and I don't like killing friends without remembering any of it... But i don't like drugs... And I don't like being decieved by filthy men... " insert glower... "You're not as bad as someone else I know was... And you drink Vodka... Until now you haven't hurt me..." concludes "If you Can make a miracle, I wanna see it happen..."

"Til then, ya jerk..." she added on to make her point.. "I can't leave til you give me back my sword..."

Doesn't touch the cup of tea, but doesn't say anything about drinking it..

watches him...

Sasha raised his glass of tea towards his mouth, raises it towards Amethyst slightly, and takes a sip... which promptly burns him... "ooh.. it's hot.. heh"

"I am not a maricle worker... I merely work with the miracles we have at hand. Heat and dryness, coldness and moistness... these four energies drive everything. Though I may not look like it, or act like it, I am a scholar at heart. I can teach you many things, and I'm sure you could do the same for me... but working miracles is reserved for on high. What I am able to do is create a conditiong of your mind that might allow you to control the inner anger. It will not be a quick process..."

Holds the teacup now that he went to drink it.. but doesn't start yet.. Her distrust in him is still there... and showing, none the less... fingers the cup absently...

"I'll still call it a miracle if I'm able to keep from blacking out and killing everyone around me... But I wanna make it damn well clear..." Started checking off the list in her mind.. "I don't want my skills to be dulled... I don't wanna be drugged... I don't wanna be tricked to do your dirty work... And I don't wanna be forced to hurt any of my friends cause of something you did..." Once again, it was obvious that most of her list had happened in the past - or it wouldn't've been there... Shivers at a thought, but shakes it off...

Would've gone on about how she knew enough, even when that wasn't true.. and how she only wanted to become Unberserk... but didn't get into it.. fact, the thoughts and not being able to get into it slowly if not gradually pissed her off... Did this guy still want something from her? Or was he acting like she knew Nothing... The voice deep down inside emerged finally, asking her why she didn't kill him yet.. but she shook it off...

"Now Where's My Sword, Dammit..." Her voice was raised and it was clear that half of her mind was on where her tachi was... Was almost as if she was treating the sword as her child... If... You can imagine Ame with a kid...

"Now I must assume that when you say 'drugs,' I would assume that you mean substances like you were subject to earlier... In alchemy, you musthave the spiritual inputs as well as the material. This means that I would have to give you several preparations to take on a regular basis.... as well as exercised to acompany them. How about that?

This will not dull your skills, in fact, they may become sharper.... and as far as my dirty work, I do my own laundry... and that's about as dirty as it gets."

Sasha sipped again at his cooling tea, finding it to be of a drinkable temperature.

Was becoming slowly if not sevierly pissed that he was completely ignoring her demands about getting the sword back...

Oh, and now he was going to drug her up More? Ame slammed the cup on the table - though it broke neither the cup nor the table... "There has to be a way besides drugs!" Her angry stubborn emotions raising with each word - the dangerious look returning to her eyes.. "All Drugs Do Is Hurt People! ******, look at what you did just now. I dont' wanna go through that again... "

That line about how him helping her get rid of the berserk problem could make her skills better completely threw the woman in the wrong direction.. her anger grew.. "And Now What, You're Saying I'm Weak If I Dont' Get Your Help!?"

"AND WHERE'S MY SWORD!" Flames were practically igniting off her shoulder and in the background at her present dangeriously fragile mode of consciousness...

But seriously, Ame didn't want to be tackled and drugged again, specially without her sword in her side... Slowly, shakedly - now having to fight the voice in the back of her mind while it was practically chanting 'kill kill kill' - Ame took a seat... With the same barely controlled actions, the woman clad in red stained green took the teacup nearby. And, with grand attempt to stay calm, took a sip...

Sasha sighed...

"Well, it's not for everyone. Amethyst, I would not say that you are physicaly weak. Emotionaly, I am sure you are strong, but in both areas, one can always be stronger.."

Sasha walked over to where the woman's sword lay on the ground and retrieved it. As he handed it to her, she said, " This is all I can offer,. I do wish I had whatever answer it was that you are looking for. Either way, I hope we can remain commrades."

Amethyst still looked unstable... but what else was new? Sasha sat down and sipped his tea in silence. After a few moments he looked up.

"You must excuse me for a moment, my friend. I must attend to a few projects."

Sasha checked on his distillations and concentrations in the lab. As everything was in order, he headed to the roof to turn off the kiln.

Ame was in a shaked midsip of the evil demonic tea of russian doom when Sash tried to make his flashy coverup for having called her weak... But, closing eyes, she tried extremely - noticably - hard to shake it off...

This was until she heard the clink of her sword being handled by someone other than herself.. opened her left eye - which had a noticable recent scar over it along with everywhere else on her body, even though most were covered by her robes... Watched the man hold her sword, soon after handing it to her...

Placing undranken tea down, the woman accepted her sword. was tempted ot unsheath it and see if anything became of the blade. But knew if she even chanced at doing so she'd loose in it this present state of mind. So, in the end, the woman clad in red stained green tied Shin'i back to her waist.

Watched Sasha for a moment afterwards. Thought about this, doubtfully lettering her emerald eyes stray to the cup of tea ominusly sitting there...

Took the tea... Glanced at the Russian Alchemist..

Drank the tea...

Now that her sword was by her side, the voice deep within her mind began it's chant of desirable torture, pain, and other filthy thoughts. Though it's only coincidence it started up when she got Shin'i back... There was absolutely nothing wrong with the sword and the voice could've kicked in with just any old weapon or means of destructive force given to her.

However, Ame was pretty controlled for the moment...

Honestly, now that she got what was rightfully hers and the Russian was done with her for now, the woman didn't want to leave as much as she did... Specially since his eyes were off her and the man was busy doing other chores...

But how dare that bastard up and disgard her like that. The nerve of him. All men are filthy, dammit. Why hadn't she killed him yet... These very bits of messages rippled through her mind like they normally do...

Once he was out of the room on the roof, however, the thoughts passed... Ah how wonderful silence was... Now she was able to think on more productive things... Like.. The smell of this place. Was sort of a mixture of clay, gunpowder, fish, alcohal, and other assorted elemental attributes - like a school science lab but.. with the added features..

Still, the stentch of thsi place wasn't the only thing that bothered her. What was this guy doing with all these 'experiments' anyway? Heh, least there were no electric eel around... So this guy wasn't completely like Mugatou...

Amethyst stood wobblely, still not completely recovered from the drug recently running through her veins.. It was all good, though.. She paced through the placed nad looked at hte many things in the lab... With interest? Sure..

Sasha came down the stairs from the roof to see Amethyst wanderign about his lab. He stopped on the stairs and watched her with a bit of nostalgia... He remembere teh first time he had walked through a lab, wondering about this chemical or that vial of liquid... and new he knew all about those physical things. For a moment he was overcome by just how much more there was to know abotu Alchemy... how little he actually had accomplished in turning lead into gold.... all he had for his latest efforts was goldish black chalk power trash... Maybe he could sell it as makeup...

Back to the matter at hand.... Sasha was completely clueless as how to proceed with helping Amethyst. Perhaps he should just be satisfied with being alive... no, it was not enough to JUST be alive... after all, "The unexamined life is not worth living."

Sasha stepped off the last few stairs with deliberate loudness, "Would you like a tour, my friend?"

By the time Sasha was walking down the stairs, Ame was pondering like a kitten on something of Sasha's that was on a desk - most likely for decoration. It was a set of 4 kenetic energy balls. Sure it was nothing big, but Amethyst was pretty infatuated with it. It looked so different and out of place that it bothered her.

However, all this snooping around looking at stuff dramatically made hte hair on the back of her neck stand on end when Sasha boomed out in his voice of nowhereness about a tour. She jumped, and nearly knocked the 'toy' off the desk.. Though recovered soon after and nothing fell...

Turned towards him, as if a school kid trying to hide the fact that they were doing somethign harmlessly bad.

Blinked... And innocently waved him off - completely forgetting for the moment taht she wanted to kill him previously... "N... no.. I don't care much for this stuff... It's just.... different..."

"Hahahaha!" Sasha laughed loudly and in genuine joviality for the first time in quite a while.

"The methods may be different, but they obey the same laws as everything else. If you kick a small stone into another, does not the second stone move?"

Sasha began to loudly explain this experiment and that, heedless to weather or not Amethyst was paying any attention at all... all the while making jokes that likely only he got....

Suddenly, Sasha felt rather filthy... he hadn't actually taken the time to clean up after his workout.

"Say, how about a trip to the bath house and breakfast... I'll be my gift!"

For a while with SASHA hoarsly laughing from deep in his chest - a true laugh, it's something that can't be acted out - Ame felt sheepishly bad. And, funny enough, through most of his explination, the woman didn't know what the carp he was talking about until the end. At this, the baikokudo looked at the kenetic energy balls in amazement towards what he was trying to explina. Not Of the explination, but that they were actually there and important for something... ... Of course, when she game to this grandrealization it was far too late. The Alchemist already started a new branch of conversation about bathhouses and food...

Blinked at him, unable to say anyway.. Before finalyl getting a fierce angry grasp on the conversation.. "Oooi.." her low alcohal tinted voice implied, "I'm not going into a bathhouse with you......"

Sasha laughed again at the woman's anger an embassasment... his face turned red and a couple of tears came to his eyes.

"BWAHAHA!" Sasha slaped Amethyst on the arm... "Not together! HAHAHA! Separate sides, isn't that how it is done in this country? Men on one side of the wall, women on the other? HAHAHA! You are too funny!"

Sasha picked up a handful off coins left over from Ronin's visit and started heading for the door.

"Come! We wash away our trouble for the time being!"

Got slightly angered by the fact that he was laughing at her and correcting her... Though not for misunderstanding something... Amethyst never understood that she misunderstood alot of things the community hands out to her life in harmless situations... But that's all for the good....

Tenses up with her undoubtful look at being slapped in the arm, beigns covering eyes slightly..

Amethyst follows him out, however, without much more word... At least he wasn't thinking stuff the way she was.. it was saving him most of his lives...