Carolyn didn't waste much time after Rikive's go ahead.

"I'll need to use your kitchen," she said, dusting off her mom jeans as she stood. Thankfully she meant the downstairs kitchen.

Fiona was keeping order as best she could with all the kids but she kept rocking Estelle back and forth. Her face was getting more and more worried with every passing minute when her daughter wouldn't be her usual energetic self.

Carolyn escorted her wife into the kitchen with Rikive and Parry, then gave her the lowdown on what was going to happen while popping open her own side bag and removing small bottles of ingredients.

"We'll need sea salt, some grass clippings, a- well, I won't say what that is out loud. Parry wouldn't like it. Anyway, on down the list..."

-------------------------------

Thankfully, impossibly, Carolyn and Fiona had all the ingredients but one between them. The missing last ingredient troubled Fiona but Carolyn had to dismiss her concerns.

"I'm really not comfortable with only mixing this halfway."

Carolyn dumped the sea salt into the kitchen blender.

"It can't really be helped, hon. We aren't going to get a dragon scale here in the city. Those are special order only. This'll bring him up to talking age, just not to four years old."

Fiona nodded but frowned, reaching into her pocket with Estelle balanced on her shoulder. "Maybe. I just hope it'll work at all- ah, here we go." Fiona removed her own smartphone, focused it on Parry in his high chair, and started snapping pictures.

"If you don't think it'll work, why are you taking pictures?"

"I have faith in you, dear- and I want some blackmail." She stuck out her tongue at Parry. "Just in case! But Rikive, you're going to have a fun time. Whoever put this hex on Parry has to remove it of their own free will. Depending on who wants to humiliate Parry like this, it may be a bit of a task..."