Dinner: Interrupted

When Marcus had gone to the kitchen, he found Suki already brewing some Seers' Tea for Kate. Brian recommended that Marcus take not just coffee but some of the tea in case what had set Kate off had also affected Khaat or Jess.  Suki prepared the tray quickly, and Marcus took it back upstairs to Robert's bedroom.

"Coffee or Seers' Tea," he told Khaat and Jess.  "Suki made some tea for Kate, and Brian suggested I bring some up."  He didn't really take time to give Khaat a choice. He knew her too well and knew she needed the tea rather than the coffee.  He poured her a cup and handed it to her. "Jess? Something to drink?"


Michael was still brooding about Robert when he heard the sound of porting. Someone else arriving when, so far as they knew downstairs, no one else should be arriving.


"Relax," Brian said, rising, his wand already drawn.  "Are you kidding? With tonight's events? It could be any number of people coming to see if Robert's alright. Let me go see who it is before you kill them."


"Oh, good choice," Edward said from the doorway, "Especially since you lot sent for me. I didn't just drop in." He waved the owl at them. Brian took the owl and read it.


"Ah. Jess. Robert's room," Brian said. 


"I gathered that much. How can I help?" Edward asked.


"He was poisoned.  We could use a potionsmaster tonight."


"Clearly," Edward frowned.  For them to summon him from Tuscany in the middle of the night, Edward already knew it had to be serious. He didn't say another word. He simply turned and went upstairs.

He went into Robert's room and saw the scene looked very grim indeed.  He saw Khaat and Jess there.


"I'll do what I can," he told them. He went to Robert and assessed him, frowning. Then he inspected the potions bottles, finally checking the sample of the ale. "Foul," he said quietly.  "Most foul indeed."

Jess watched as Marcus returned with the tea and coffee things she smiled at the smell of the seers tea. " tea please." she said and took the cup the first sip did its job and she breathed out in relaxation. But it was short lived a she felt Edward apperate on to the grounds.

"Thank goodness, hes here Khaat." she said softly and waited for him to appear at the door way she moved with her tea and stood to one side letting him do his thing , she knew Robert would be in good hands now with Edward helping. She did wonder where the hell Brant was and why he'd not returned as well but she guessed Edward was the higher ranking potioneer so was better to have him there.

"The toxin itself is a fairly common potions ingredient, but not to be taken internally," Edward said. "Its used in weedkillers for magical plants and whatnot. That doesn't mean that getting it confused for something else hasn't happened.  And I have seen it used for a very effective weapon. He is lucky to have survived."


"How does it work?" Khaat asked. "As a toxin."


"Immediately starts to become toxic for all known bodily systems," Edward said.  "He would have first had sharp stomach pain and then his other systems would have followed suit within seconds. Neurological fogging, decreased heart function and respiration, increasing lack of mobility and muscle control, degenerating until...."


"I get it," she said quickly.  That sounded all too vicious to her, and all too much like what she had seen at the hospital. 


"Death would have been in a minute or two if someone hadn't intervened so quickly," Edward said. "The potions you have here are designed to start to reverse the damage to the various bodily systems and to make him more comfortable by minimizing stomach problems, reducing fogging, helping him with pain relief, helping him sleep and rest.   And its good there's still more antitoxin here. He may need it.  Now, how can I help?"


"I don't want anyone to be able to touch that sample unless they're a potionsmaster. Can you do that?" she asked.


"Oh, most certainly," he said. "Can I be of any help to Robert, do either of you think?"

Jess stood and listened to Edward some what shocked but not that shocked at what he said as she'd felt the affects when she first touched him earlier that night. When he started to describe to Khaat the affects she moved to her side " yeah I think we got it " She said her voice some what sharp to him. " Sorry, been a long night." she apologized to him looking down at Robert.

"How often should the potions be administered and what are the doses?" she asked " the instructions weren't too clear." she admitted to him. She heard the door open again and Brant stood in the doorway in a pair of sand colored shorts.

" got here as fast as I could, good to see you Edward." he said and stayed right where he was stood. " if there's anything I can do to help I'm here now and going no where."

"See if you recognize this," Edward said, handing him the sample. "I wouldn't drink it to test it, though." Edward thought the poison spoke for itself, frankly, and he didn't think Brant would miss it or the implications of such a powerful substance in someone's pint.


"The potions for pain and nausea and his other symptoms are old familiar standbys that I'm sure you know," Edward said, trusting that the common potions weren't the ones Jess was talking about.


"If I were you, I'd keep very close watch for the next 6-8 hours. That will be the toughest. If that goes well, then we can perhaps relax a bit.  If his vitals slip in the next few hours, I wouldn't wait. I'd give him a dose of antitoxin. It's not going to hurt him, as foul as it tastes.  And it does taste insanely foul.  But when he's with it enough to care that it just tastes plain rude, you'll know he's getting better.  For now, he's too sick and too out of it to care much, I'd presume."


"Can we mix it with something to make it less nasty?" Khaat asked.  Edward smiled, amused.


"You can try it," Edward said, "And he might appreciate it until he can think again. But, if I know him at all, he's going to think you're treating him like a sissy when he's well enough again to notice. We'll know he's better when he can be demanding and snarky again."

Brant walked over a little embarrassed to be standing in front of Jess and Khaat with his legs on show. He took the bottle and sniffed it lightly "Fairly common potions ingredients, Neurological fogging, decreased heart function and respiration, increasing lack of mobility and muscle control, degenerating,damn I know it " he said and smelt it again as he tried to figure it out. "Belladonna mixed with Gurdyroot, yuck, the Belladonna alone would have done it, this person wanted pain but quick acting." He said and shivered as he looked at Edward. " he wouldn't have noticed the color." He held up the vial and moved the liquid " stout , the dark color would hide it." He looked down at Robert on the bed.

Jess listened and breathed out at Brant's diagnosis of the poison. " is he right?" she asked moving to touch Roberts hand checking his vitals as she did most of the time.

"He is, of course," Edward said. "You already know that there's not much smell to it, and I seriously doubt he had poison on his mind when he drank that ale. Brant, my guess is that there is enough poison in that sample to be quite deadly for an adult, let alone a child. Let's make sure that we make it impossible for anyone to get to.  Khaat has requested that we put it behind spells so that no one can access it but a potionsmaster. And I think that's very wise.  I presume you know how to do that.


"That, and we might want to check the potions here to make sure we've got additional bottles of these, just in case we need more.  He may continue to have some distress and discomfort for several days.  I doubt you'll keep him down that long, if he rallies quickly.  But there's no need for him to be in pain or dealing with chills or shock or nausea or any of the rest of it. As wizards, we can do better. Muggles expect to have to muscle through, but we can do better.


"And, I think one of the two of us needs to be within earshot at all times for at least the next 24 hours. We can re-evaluate that after that.  I don't have any preference as to how we divide that. Whatever works for you."


He then noticed how rattled Khaat's energies felt to him. Not her emotions, but her seer's energies.  He wasn't sure why he hadn't seen it before, except that Robert's issues had been first on his mind.


"You let me know if you want to talk about that," he said to her. 


"What?" she asked, looking up from her teacup.


"Whatever you saw. We can talk about it, if you like."


"Um...thanks," she said.  "Maybe later?"


"Of course," he said, sensing she wasn't ready to say anything for some reason.

Brant listened to Edward having the deepest of respect for the more superior potioneer. He nodded and thought for a moment then smiled " I have just the place, its a safe Robert enchanted that only a potioneer can open that means me you and himself " he said placing the lid back on the bottle.


He stood and listened further and nodded again " I'm going no where and my rooms right across the hall and one up" he said ether that or you can take the spare room next door to this one." He added Jess nodded she agreed.

"I think Khaat would feel happier if you stayed close Edward" she said hoping he would stay. "No offense on skills Brant" she saw him chuckle and shrug.


"None taken, he is the better potioneer after all." He nodded to Edward.

"I'm older, that's all," Edward said. "I was better at werewolves, actually. But if you'd like me to stay, I'll certainly do that. And, yes, Brant, I think the safe is an excellent plan. I'll trust you to take care of it and double check the age lines on the lab."


"Thank you," Khaat said. "All of you." She set her teacup aside.  "I don't think any of us are going to go back to sleep tonight. I think I'm going to go get dressed. Daddy always leaves something undone.  I'd best find out what it is this time and get to it. Excuse me."

She went back to her room to shower and dress. When she went io the room, the portrait over the bedroom fireplace spoke.


"Where did you go?" the voice asked.


"Just across the hall. Why?" she asked.


"Thats not what I mean," it replied.  "You don't rattle like that. Where did you go?"


"I was with you!" she retorted angrily, tossing a pair of khaki slacks and a floral top on the bed.


"No," it replied. "I'm just the artwork.  You really should figure it out, though."


"You're just the artwork. What would you know?" she said bitterly, heading to the shower. Marcus stood in the bedroom doorway, listening.


"You didn't expect that to work, did you?" Marcus asked the portrait, going through the motions of making the bed.


"I had hopes of it, yes," the portrait said.  Marcus snorted. 


"Now I know you're not Remus," Marcus said. "He'd have known better.

"You have a better plan?"


"We all have a better plan," Marcus said. "We do our jobs so she can stop worrying. The rest of it will solve itself...."


"What do you know? You're just the bodyguard."  When the portrait spoke, Marcus bristled. He snatched the portrait down from the wall, walked it downstairs to the potions lab and opened the door and turned it backwards to face the wall and slid it behind the bookcase, while the portrait kept shouting at him, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!

"Try tormenting Brant and Edward for a couple days," Marcus said quietly, leaving and closing the door behind him.

Brant nodded to Edward " yes will do " he said taking the poison bottle he walked down to the potions lab. Opening the door he frowned hearing some one saying Hey over and over again. This he tried to ignore as he crossed to to the safe , opening it he placed the bottle into it and closed it locking it he spun the dial then cast the age spell over t so nobody under the adult age could open it. It was now that the constant Heying from the book case got to him and he went to search for what or who was making that noise. 


He pulled out some books and after half an hour found a picture frame of Remus turned to face the wall " well who put...nope I have an Idea" he said and chuckled placing it down on the desk next to him.