Policeman and the cat

31 - Love for cats

They got back two hours later, running into Milo who was actually returning from the toilet.

"You look like cats high on catnip." That sounded oddly convincing coming from a male with cat ears and a tail. "We would figure, but you better spend some before Letty sees--"

"Before I see what?" Mom asked as Milo's ears lowered in a 'this ain't good' kind of gesture.

High on catnip, huh? But they've been running into the HQ looking like this over and over and no one really said anything. Someone had mentioned they looked high on aether, who was it again? He felt like he had drawn in too much air into his lungs, but something along those lines all over his body, it was that kind of feeling.

Nelly's cheeks were a bit flushed, pupils wider than they should be in these light conditions.

"Oh, you are back," Mom noticed the two of them. "Is it that exciting out there in the woods?"

Was it exciting? Ian and Nelly both nodded before assigning that another meaning. To think there would be twenty-three of those-- Without Chilli around, they would have been ambushed nineteen times.

"Have to watch for the trees," Nelly said. "Ground is uneven as well."

"Easy to trip and slip, asphalt is easier--" Ian said. Of course, it would be-- they were used to solid ground.

"You went out to train in the woods?" Mom asked.

"We meant to go for a short walk, but--" Ian said.

Mom looked half relieved and half disappointed, but then she chuckled, then turned to head to the toilet.

Milo waved his hand in a 'come along' gesture and ran over to the kitchen, got milk, a jar of honey, poured milk in two mugs. "Dip your finger in honey, counterclockwise in the milk twenty-four circles, same amount as when casting a purification spell."

Ian and Nelly followed the directions, no questions asked.

"From stuff you can find in the kitchen, there are two things best at locking in aether - alcohol and sugar, the cleaner or more distilled, the better it will bind in but the faster it will scatter," Milo said. "And it will have that obvious shimmering look alchemists love in their products."

Ian and Nelly finished their rotations, then, so Milo told them to do twenty-four more, clockwise this time.

Then he added - "The lower the purity of the medium, the longer it will last, though - so honey in milk or a thick home-brew. And unless someone gives it a taste they will never know it's an aether essence."

Ian was counting along while listening, so he didn't yet ask anything before he was done. And once the 48th rotation finished, he felt normal again and Nelly, too, looked like usual.

Before Ian voiced his question, though, Milo added. "Potion bottles are made from sugar glass with a simple spell applied, I can trade you what that spell is for one of those."

Ian smiled, passing the mug over and Milo drank it, then moved his ears to listen in to the surroundings, before lifting up a hand and drawing the most basic pentagram there was in mid-air.

"The cheapest way to use it would be carving the symbol out into something and pouring a low-concentration aether essence in, then placing the sugar bottle on top," he said. "That will harden the glass. Then you can pour whatever potion in and it will stay like it should for as long as you need, as long as you--"

Milo smiled pointing at the other mug and Nelly passed that one over and Milo drank it as well.

"Seal it with a cap made from glass made in the same manner. Alchemists like plug caps like these," he said getting out a simple carafe. "And you seal it by running your finger around the connection point using neutral alignment aether."