It had been an eventful day and Susan was dragging as she passed through the Ravenclaw common room. The sight of Dr Maturin reminded her of the owl, and she stopped to speak with him.
"Dr Maturin, good evening. I understand the delivery has arrived?"
Stephen looked up from his reading. "Why, yes, it has," and he indicated the small package, which had been slit open (surely he wasn't using his surgical instruments for this kind of thing?) and neatly reclosed. "There's a good deal of stuff in it. Have at it, my dear." He had, of course, removed his bottles of Bastet and Laudanum; they were upstairs in the dorm, hidden away with the real laudanum. He considered telling her about the chat he'd had with Teatime the other day in the library after she left, but decided against it. If she didn't already know Teatime was dangerous, she'd be a creature with a good deal less sense than he knew she had.
Susan claimed the bottle of Embalming Fluid happily, and rummaged through the tiny sample vials. By chance she picked up the sample labeled "Szepasszony" and sniffed it. It was unlike any perfume she'd ever tried: cold, crisp, faintly floral, and it reminded her instantly of fresh air high in flight. Even more than the Embalming Fluid perfume, it smelled like her. "May I take this one as well? I'm not entirely sure how to pronounce it, but I love it."
"Oh? You may have whichever you like, as many as you like," replied Stephen pleasantly, without looking up from his reading. "I think it good that they please you. Myself, I have no need for any of them, you know."
(( Because he's already found his signature scent! ))
Stephen smiled as he returned to his chair. "It is the great beastly thing that Miss Sto Helit is reading through. I have seen medical texts less thick."
"Hello," Susan said. "Here it is, if you like, and there's another one as well. I don't think I can wrap my head around it all just now, to be honest." She handed the main catalogue to Door and turned her attention to the Twilight Alchemy listing. Her initial reaction was one of skepticism, but she knew quite well what belief in a thing could do, and decided simply that it was probably just as well that these things had not made it to the Disc. The reaction of the wizards, for one thing, would be something else altogether.
Katya got to the door to the Ravenclaw common room and paused. How was she going to let Stephen know she was outside. Since she was so new she had no idea what the correct protocol is situations like this. She didn't want to offend anyone. Great. NOW what do I do? I think it a little extreme to send an owl to let Stephen know I'm standing out side the door to the common room
"Forgive my intrusion," Inara says as she steps into the common room. "I was looking for Simon or River, but this room smells heavenly. What are you doing in here?"
River picked up on Inara's presence in the common room--- hearing with both mind and ears--- and came out into the common room. "Inara--- hello!" She stopped and sniffed. "Mmmm... it does smell wonderful!"
Stephen hears unfamiliar voices and looks up from his Transfiguration reading. "Hello," he says a little awkwardly, fearing a repeat of the embarrassing events in the library. "The scents are from some alchemists, and these ladies and myself had been interested in their work. I am not sure you have met: they are Miss Susan Sto Helit and the Lady Door. I am Stephen Maturin, a Ravenclaw."
River came over to the table. She was sometimes cautious around new people, but all three of these read as... safe. Safe like Serenity had become safe for her. "Hello," she said shyly to all of them. "I'm River--- my brother Simon and I are Ravenclaws." She looked at Maturin. "My brother's a doctor, too." She didn't realized that he hadn't introduced himself as such; it was just something she knew about him, immutable. She looked around at the other two strangers. "I know Inara from Serenity," she volunteered.
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"Dr Maturin, good evening. I understand the delivery has arrived?"
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(( Because he's already found his signature scent! ))
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