[u][b]Nettle[/b][/u] When at last they arrived at the library Nettle looked up at the massive collection of books. Her expression was one of a calm but relaxed neutral state. To her the sight of this place was one she was very, very familiar with. If she could have a choice in the matter she'd spend every session here. She'd just search through each and every publication, taking in the combined knowledge stored here to help her hammer down the steps leading up to her ultimate destination: The home of The Caregiver. [b]"If anyone has anything they need found, do tell Sio. She'll be more than happy to find you anything you need."[/b] Nettle slowly turned her head to look back at Livia. It was less like she was looking at her and almost like she was looking through her. "Hhh... I remember... Hhlast where I left the books hI was hh researching." Turning back she continued on until she was approximately in the middle of the room. Standing there she focused her mind, her eyes closed as she channeled the magic through her to open the way. To the observer it would appear as though she were just standing there. To those with sight beyond the human ken three strange nature sprites manifested. Those familiar in such a field would recognize them as Thistle Sprites, mischievous little fae who can bring a fair amount of pain to the unwary. In legends they are known to creep into unwary adventurer's tents where they would gently and subtly devour their toes before scattering back into the wild leaving their victim to awake the next morning with this unpleasant surprise of theirs. There are rumors that this story was spread by someone who didn't know they had dragged their feet through poisonous brush resulting in their toes needing amputation but those who know Thistle Sprites know better. _ She greeted the three wild sprites who were already roaming about, tussling through books left about and firing off thin bolts of purple energy tinged with mottled green hues. Little thistle flowers were already growing out of some of the shelves, off the spines of books and other miscellaneous surfaces. She rattled off the titles of the books she was studying yesterday evening, the hyper little sprites staying still only long enough to hear her instructions out. They flitted away, moving about the library like silent invisible little bumble bees. While the sprites worked at the task she set them she found herself an open table to set herself up at. Sitting down she brought forth her bag and produced from it a series of vials as well as her mortar and pestle. setting out before her a small stone bowl she produced a vial with a fine white powder contained within. She gently tipped the vial, tapping the bottom so that only small smatterings of the substance sprinkled into the bowl. Capping off the vial she reached in the bowl and took a thin pinch of the powder that laid within. She held it a small distance away from her nose initially, taking in it's scent by cautiously fanning the air over it to her. A standard precaution for one who has regular business working with lethal formulas. The scent of the powder smelled proper. It had a fairly strong scent that while bland would catch in one's chest causing the one breathing it to inhale deeper than usual. To the untrained nose one might mistake it for powdery smelling salts. It was of course much more than that. She could already feel the tingling effects of the substance from this whiff alone already acting on her brain like a small parade of electric spiders crawling all across it. Having confirmed it to smell as the substance she believes it to be she gently touches a small few granules against her tongue. It had that lovely taste akin to licking formaldehyde but with an added prickly sensation that rolled up to the base of the tongue. While this was not a taste to savor it did confirm that there was no cross-contamination with any other substances in the mix. This was important since the psychoactive properties of this compound she was brewing were very potent. A faulty reaction could have nasty consequences, even on the likes of her. _ Taking out a couple more vials she repeated the process, adding a couple particular leaf oils into the mixture. Finally she took out something that looked like finely ground cinnamon. It was, of course, not that at all but something much more mystical. Rather than produce a pinch by hand she instead ran her index finger along the length of the clear glass. The portion of this strange dark brown powder closest to the side her finger was at seemed to slide up the side of the glass, following her finger as she traced it along the outside. Soon the powder escaped it's glass prison and hovered right before her finger tip, no closer. Taking her thumb she pinched the floating ingredient against her index finger. Upon her exerting pressure upon the floating substance the edges of her finger and thumb right around where the substance was held caught alight with a magical purple flame. Like holding the flame of a candle it was fairly hot so she spared little time. She snapped her fingers, the force applied by her finger and thumb causing the substance to elicit a bright flash of this purple flame erupted. Just as quickly as it appeared the purple flame broke apart into gentle drifting motes of dissipating motes of such fire. As these motes dissipated the traces of the powder they carried aloft drifted into the bowl like tiny spores from a freshly bloomed flower. The powder still seemed to glower with residual magic as they landed upon the mixture she had created. White smoke rose from the bowl. Initially she fanned a small sample of the smoke into her nose to make sure it wasn't faulty before she took a full dose of the stuff. The effect of this smoke, even in as small a sample as she had just tried, did far more than just tingle her brain and rush her lungs. She could feel all her senses and awareness widen as her mental processes unfolded and expanded all at once. Memories once distant and foggy were now clear and instant. Her thoughts ran as though time were slowed around her. She was aware of so much more around her, able to process and comprehend it all in ways uncanny to the normal mind. As everything seemed to check out she leaned over the bowl, burying her face a slight bit into the white smoke and breathing in her wondrous mind enhancement formula. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated and breathing deep. A smile tugged at the side of her lips as she began to internally brainstorm for her more esoteric speculations. The sprites were fairly prompt in hauling in the books she desired despite the fact that they were almost as big as they were and easily a half times heavier too but to Nettle's expanded mind it seemed to draw out for an astonishingly long time as each second felt as though it contained an hour. [b]"So what are all of you here studying, anyways? I'm looking into some...legends around an old eastern empire."[/b] "Hhh... I am currently hhstudying Yggdrasil. I also am hhhstudying the dreaming... Amongst other hhhthings." Even as Nettle spoke she wasted no time. She took the first book that was brought to her, opening it immediately to the page she left off at. As another book arrived she opened that one as well. She held both of the books simultaneously, rapidly reading through one and quickly glancing over to the other one, flipping through pages and reading through select passages before returning to her primary text. It seemed she was studying this tree of many realms and switching to a separate text to cross-reference certain details. To what ends only she knew.