Right after signing up, Eirhiun returned to her room in the tavern. She planned to spend the rest of the day preparing for the adventure, and was already getting ready to synthesize for hours on end. She smiled at Chip, who helped bring over her materials, "Thanks, Chip."

He chirped, and Eirhiun gave a small laugh. "Have you been a bird for so long you forgot you can speak?" she joked, before adding in a more repentant tone, "...Sorry."

Chip stared at her for a second before a deep voice that only Eirhiun could hear rang in her head. "I suppose I have engrossed myself into my role far too much as of late. It is not your fault."

"...I'll make it up to you. You'll get to fight lots this time around," Eirhiun said with a smile, before walking over to the cauldron and stirring stick she snuck into the tavern. 

How? 

...Alchemy was a wondrous thing. 

That's why she was grateful none of her syntheses ended in failure so far- compensating for property damage because of an explosion was something Eirhiun wanted to avoid, even if she had the cash. And if they dared to try and confiscate the cauldron and stirring stick she was given by her parents, she would sacrifice every single coin she had on her. If that didn't work, blood would be shed. [i]...Maybe that's a bit too much.[/i] Putting an end to her darkening thoughts, Eirhiun resumed her synthesis.

At first the two of them chatted to their heart's content, but a silence soon fell as Eirhiun began to focus on her work, striving to craft the highest quality and strongest she had ever synthesized. She was mindful to take breaks every once a while, but continued to work hard with the goal of filling her backpack to the brim- well, not exactly, since it was a backpack made from alchemy, so just until there was no more inventory space.