Of Nature and Numbers

Love Potion?

Kellen was holed up in the student use science lab, again. He was working on a potion that if mixed correctly would eliminate the need for verbal spell work for up to five hours. It was a daunting task for a student but then, Kellen was the one that came up with the mix so it was only fitting he be the one to mix it and use it first. Everything was going smoothly so far he'd been very meticulous in his note-taking and he'd only had to start over once, mixing thoughts was a tricky thing.

"That's too much." the soft murmur made Kellen stiffen and he rose his head. Valerian was standing in the doorway to the labs his lavender eyes open and honest. "Your calculation says a sixteenth that is nearly a seventeenth," he explained when Kellen didn't respond. Kellen sat back and set the dragon scale back on the table drawing out the tape measure to check. Sure enough, valerian was right again. Kellen felt his lips twitch up in thanks.

"It's eerie how you can see that from all the way over there." Kellen murmured he took the scissors and carefully removed the extra.

"My dad works an apothecary I'm used to dealing with tiny measurements." valerian moves farther into the room his eyes running over the work scrawled over the board, actually seeming to compute and analyze the things he's seeing. Kellen has to pause again, he can't help but appreciate the view of valerian studying his work.

"You lived in the city right?"

"Mm, Chicago. My dad runs-"

"Kenna Kove, catering to all supernatural no matter what." Valerian glances at Kellen and offers a small smile.

"That's my dad."

"He's sort of a legend the first mage to one openly marry a siren and two help anything no matter what." Valerian doesn't respond to the choosing instead to study the bubbling liquid in the beaker. "Four years and I never put two and two together," Kellen mutters rolling his eyes at himself. Valerian takes the stool beside Kellen and shrugs.

"We aren't exactly the same he and i." valerian smiles suddenly, a cute lopsided smile that makes dimples appear on his cheeks and his eyes spark and suddenly he's less a fae and more a teenage boy.

"You're eliminating verbal spell work by using a potion that doesn't need words to be activated." it's not a question and Kellen is caught so off guard by the accuracy of the statement he looks around at all of his work wondering if maybe he wrote it somewhere.

"I- yes."

"That's brilliant." valerian muses leaning forward to look closer at the ingredients. "Scale from a dragon's snout, the drool of a sloth, the yawn of a lion-" valerian giggles. Kellen is struck dumb, he just stares at valerian who's eyes are twinkling with mirth as he reads over the list. It's the most alive Kellen has ever seen him and it's odd to think the boy is normally so wan.

"Why are you down here?" Kellen wonders, the labs were far to the west wing in the basement kept far from anything so no accidents would affect the rest of the school.

"I was looking for you." Kellen ignores the thrill those words send along his nerves and just raises his eyebrows. Valerian sits back and rests his chin on his fist, legs swinging and looking for all the world like a child awaiting a treat. "I decided I want to try and understand exactly what it is you believe. I feel I'm not getting the whole picture."

"You want to know why I like numbers?" Valerian smiles, the same real smile, it makes Kellen's chest feel oddly warm and like there isn't quite enough room for his heart.

"To put it less eloquently, yes." Kellen taps his finger on the black stone of the lab table thinking for a moment before turning and carefully adding the dragon scale into the bubbling indigo liquid.