1994-09-07: An Odd Request

Participants:

Tonks_icon.gif Sechnall_icon.gif

Scene Title An Odd Request
Synopsis A disguised Tonks comes to Sechnall to have an unusual potion identified..
Date September 7, 1994
Watch For Tonks being not-clumsy.
Chronology A strange potion presented to Sechnall by Tonks is brought to the attention of Severus Snape.
Logger Sechnall

The Chaser

The inside of this shop - The Chaser, as the large wooden sign outside declares it - is kept snug and warm by the huge fireplace at the back end of the display room. The interior is quite neat and clean, with shelves full of ingredients from ceiling to floor covering most of the walls. Large racks of vials containing all manner of liquids, solids, powders and other oddities take up most of the center of the room, but there's enough space between them to navigate easily. All in all the decor is pleasant but unexciting, mostly consisting of earthy greens and browns.

Two doors in the back of the shop are kept locked at all times - one leading to the owner's personal living quarters upstairs, and the other to a small laboratory area where potion-brewing and alchemical processes are carried out. During open hours there is always a clerk posted behind the register. Occasional glimpses might also be caught of the resident house elf, Mixie, going about her duties.


The door opens, if there's any chime or bell to alert the proprietor it'll probably have gone off. Tonks isn't being completely inconspicuous here save for her visage, of course. Her hair is a dishwater blonde, her eyes a dull green, and she looks like she spent too much time on the shores of Spain thanks to what appears to be a fading sunburn. Her attire is simple business-like robes. She pause once she closes the door behind her, being mindful of the racks. She's being /extra/ careful not to…well.. be herself. "Hello?"

It's currently just after closing time and it would appear that the shop's employees have gone home for the night, despite the door being unlocked. But there is a man in a drab brown peacoat seated towards the back of the room with several sheafs of parchment in his hand, his calm brown eyes skimming over each page before he sets it down neatly on a table next to him. Though there's no chime to announce a visitor, he looks up as soon as Tonks enters, probably alerted by a change in lighting or the sound of the slightly-rusty hinges. Sechnall stands and sets the papers down, immediately putting on a placid smile and clearing his throat. "Oh, good afternoon. I'm afraid we're all closed up for the evening."

She blinks a bit, having made an honest mistake. Tonks glances behind her, "Oh, did I miss…" She frowns. Well, hopefully this doesn't put too much of a damper of things. Still, she turns around and offers, "Well, I was hoping you could help me with a potion identification. It's recently come into my possession and well, help's needed." She laughs here, her voice a bit ditzy sounding—probably to go with the bad blonde hair and fading sunburn.

"Ah, w-well, yes. I suppose that wouldn't be too much of a problem," Sechnall says, not exactly being the assertive-type. He paces towards the front of the shop, withdrawing his wand from inside of his sleeve and flicking it once to bring up the lighting. Once he arrives at the counter he offers a brief, polite smile and glances curiously at the Witch. "Well, hm, let's take a look at the potion in question then, shall we?"

Again, she's careful, moving up to the counter. She doesn't want to accidentally bump things, and make a mess, not when this needs to be identified. "Thank you," Tonks offers, her thin lips parting into a smile. She then reaches into her robes, withdrawing a bag. Opening it, she pulls forth something that's wrapped in soft, velvety looking cloth. The bag's returned before she settles the cloth-covered thing on the counter, then she unfolds it. There's a stout flast with very dark liquid in it. Should he pick it up and roll it around, he'll find it moves a lot like molasses.

The alchemist smiles politely once more and gives a curt nod, then turns his attention to the flasked concoction as it's deposited on the counter. "My, how odd.." He holds out both hands to pick it up firmly between two sets of long, lithe, gloved fingers - the gloves presumably being worn for practicality's sake, considering his profession and how many toxic materials he's around on a daily basis - and turns it slowly, observing the way the liquid on the inside flows, for lack of a better word, gloopily. "I.. hm. This is /not/ a common household potion." Sechnall tears his prying eyes away from the bottle and looks back at Tonks. "Young lady, is there any possibility you could leave it here for the night and check back in tomorrow? It might take some time to make a concrete judgment."

She had a feeling that would be said. "I figured something like that would be needed to be done," She keeps the disappointment out of her voice. The fact that she doesn't know this Alchemist doesn't help either, but the drought needs to get identified. It /is/ Ministry evidence she's entrusting the Alchemist with — but she's not letting him on to that little bit. "I'll come back in two days," Tonks offers instead. "Allow you to really get to know what this is. Looks like something one might want to take their time with," Is her suspicion.

"Very good, two days. I can assure you by the time that you return I'll have an answer for you," Sechnall replies. And then, suddenly, exclaims, "Oh! Perhaps you'd better take one of these, as well, just in case you need it back sooner than you expected. Or if you have any other inquiries." Reaching over on the opposite end of the counter, the shopkeeper picks up a small business card with his name and the address of the shop printed in embossed silver letters and extends it to the 'blonde' girl. "Here you are, then."

Oh that's good. "Thank you," Tonks offers, taking the offered card. She regards the wording on the paper before she reaches back in for that bag, and put it there. It'll probably go through a fine toothed comb of paranoia once she leaves the Alley and before she returns to any place she would consider 'permanent'. "Thank you very much for your help, it's greatly appreciated."

"Glad to be of service, my dear," Sechnall says in return, moving from around the inside of the counter to shuffle over to the doorway and open it up politely for her. Obviously he's rather eager to begin work messing about with the gooey black liquid. "Oh, and feel free to stop by at any time; just knock if the door's locked. I'm here quite a bit later than this, most evenings."

Tonks backs away, again careful not to bump into anything. The dishwater blonde hair bobs as she nods. "I will, thank you." And remind her to do a background check, again, just to make sure, but this was something that was necessary. Another good bye is given and she's breezing out the door, leaving the Alchemist to his latest acquisition.


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