[h3][color=bedded][b][center] Thomas Richard Harrison [/center][/b][/color][/h3]
[center][indent][color=bedded][i]Location:[/i][/color] The Road from the Apothecary towards the Tavern, the Tavern.
[color=bedded][i]Interacting with:[/i][/color] Satilla, the Group, Femnal [/indent][/center]

With a nod to Kyra and Sana, who decided it was better to hurry than the dwaddle the daylight gone, the cosmic sorcerer acknowledge the fading light. Ah once more the romanticism of keeping these beetles alive slipped way with the lamenting of the western sun.
 Would they even know they were being harvested for their special glands? The illuminating organ so preciously held that was its defense,
 now became its down fall. To which Thomas sadly had to wave goodbye to one of his new pets, and with a solemn sadness tilted his reach into their imprison to carefully avoid getting bitten by a startled bunch of bugs. And yet also careful enough not to release all of them when only one could be dealt with at a time. Slowly, ever so gently, sneaking up on the insects before grasping one by the thorax and pulling away from the rest. The flashing distress of ember-like glow before its eyes signaling its anger. Squirming to escape, mandibles clicking and clacking away in a fierce demonstration against the predators strange. [color=bedded]"I'm sorry buddy..."[/color] How quaint, an apology as Thomas forced the wriggling beetle against the table, hands pressing against the surface for Satilla to extract the precious glands near the frightened creature's eyes. Thomas could hold, if Satilla could cut. Or if Satilla prefered to hold while Thomas cut, the question was how may days would each gland last?

[color=bedded]"How many more do we need to uh... Extract from?"[/color] Thomas wondered aloud, [color=bedded]"I think we can spare a few if we can get two good glands out of each one."[/color] With his free hand digging around for his pestle and mortar to grind up the remains after Satilla was done. [color=bedded]"Yeah, he didn't seem to have any Saltpeter, it's a pretty common alchemical reagent, I mean its used in quite a few processes and even... Wait a minute..."[/color] Thomas seemed to have a stroke, or a stroke of brilliance. Maybe it was the feeling of the life fading away from beneath his palm, or the twitching of legs still fighting him despite all that happened. [color=bedded]"Uh, Mister Femnal Sir, you don't happen to have any niter do you? Any charcuterie or brining salts in the back room there?"[/color]

And either way, they had to cut up whatever amount of beetles were suggested. Though Thomas was rather protective of anyone but himself and Satilla handling them. In a twisted parental way...