Chapter 3 – They’re getting closer.

Three hours after Leo had smashed the jar they’re still in the potions lab. Hakyeon had gotten distracted, cleaning the room and organizing the shelves so Hongbin could find everything easily. Hongbin had gathered what ingredients he needed and begun teaching himself a new potion, asking Hakyeon for help every now and then.

They’re both getting hungry when someone literally appears in the room out of nowhere. Hongbin jumps back in surprise, knocking his cauldron and sloshing its contents onto the floor where it bubbled dangerously and started to spread in tendrils that wrapped around the table leg and climbed. Hongbin jumps away from it, alarmed.

Hakyeon on the other hand barely flinches, not from the sudden appearance of another man nor from the strange aliveness of the potion. He throws a handful of magic at the advancing potion which fizzles loudly and curls up on itself like burning paper.

“You didn’t add the spider legs at the right time,” he tells Hongbin before turning to look over at the man and the cat at his feet.

“Thanks, Leo,” Hakyeon says. “Next time don’t come right into the room we’re in though.”

Leo meows back and then jumps up onto the work bench. The man who had appeared with him ignores everything bobs down next to Hongbin’s failed potion. He inspects it before gathering up the remains. He’s tall and attractive, but his hair was a startling shade of blue that Hongbin had never seen before. Dyed hair was not something found in the capital, where he was from.

“Ravi,” Hakyeon grins and the man stands up instantly to finally acknowledge Hakyeon.

“You need to teach that cat some manners,” Ravi tells him. “I was busy, you know. I had to ask customers to leave.”

Hakyeon rolls his eyes. “Not my fault.”

Frankly Hakyeon was surprised Leo had gone to get Ravi at all. “Are you sorry for breaking that jar?” he asks.

Leo flicks his tail and ignores the question. It’s only then that Ravi turns to face Hongbin.

“Oh! Is this who made such an amazing failure of a potion?”

Hongbin’s cheeks heat but Hakyeon that answers.

“This is my apprentice,” he informs Ravi.

“Really?” Ravi asks, raising an eyebrow. “After what happened to the last two I’m surprised you took on another.”

Hongbin frowns. What had happened to the last two apprentices? It must have been bad if–

“What’s your name?” Ravi questions, cutting into his worrying.

“Hongbin,” he replies instantly.

“I’m Ravi.”

Hongbin wonders where Ravi is from. His name was definitely not from the capital’s approved name list, that’s for sure. Maybe he was from the coast. He knew that people down there had weird names. It didn’t explain the hair though. Before Hongbin can ask where Ravi is from Hakyeon pulls out his list of needed ingredients.

“Hongbin, clean that up and start again. Follow the directions properly this time,” Hakyeon says.

“Yes…” Hongbin mutters, still feeling a little embarrassed.

“Don’t worry about messing things up,” Ravi tells him. “I mess up potions all the time.”

Hongbin wants to point out that Ravi’s potions were probably a lot harder and more complicated than the one he’d been making. They also probably didn’t try to climb table legs when they spilt on the floor. With a sigh Hongbin begins to clean his cauldron again as Hakyeon and Ravi start to talk business.

It takes Ravi and Hakyeon more than an hour to go through the list and figure out how available each ingredient is. In that time Hongbin manages to successfully make his potion. Hakyeon had been right before, adding the spider legs at the correct time made all the different to the colour and consistency of the potion.

It’s Ravi that inspects it this time. Hongbin can’t believe how relieved he feels when the older man announces that he’d passed. In fact, he’d done really well. Both Hakyeon and Ravi bottle some to add to their stocks.

Hongbin is about to begin cleaning – again – when Ravi reaches out and plunges his hand into the remaining liquid. Hongbin cries out in alarm, knowing full well that you don’t touch potions that shouldn’t be touched, and this one should definitely not be touched.

Hongbin looks into the cauldron expecting to see Ravi’s hand either melting or mutating but instead he sees Ravi’s hand and a reducing amount of potion. Once it’s fully drained Ravi pulls out his hand and grins at the apprentice who is open mouthed still.

“A little trick,” he says.

As far as Hongbin knows there was only two spells to empty a cauldron. The first required spoken words and the second was single-use and needed to be crafted first. Hakyeon had refused to use either of them earlier, stating that it was unnecessary magic and that he didn’t want to get in trouble with Leo again.

“Ravi’s magic is a little special. I’ll explain it to you when we start working on spells,” Hakyeon tells him.

“Okay,” Hongbin agrees easily with a shrug. He’s curious but at the same time Hakyeon has mentioned having a snack and he’s pretty hungry.

They set off through the house then with Leo leading the way through the winding hallways until they enter a bathroom and go out the front door.

“Oh, forget it, then. I hate this house, Hakyeon,” Ravi grumbles. “When are you going to fix it?”

“I’m trying my best.”

Ravi rolls his eyes because he doubts it and takes a few steps away, followed by Leo.

Do they need space to teleport? Hongbin wonders. How had he teleported into the potion lab before if that was the case?

“I’ll bring over the ingredients tomorrow or the day after,” Ravi tells Hakyeon.

“Thanks. Don’t rush yourself.”

“Good luck, Hongbin.”

“Thanks,” Hongbin smiles.

“You’re pretty good at making potions. If you want you can come over and I’ll teach you some beginner level ones that don’t often get taught but are super useful.”

“That’s a good plan,” Hakyeon smiles.

“I look forward to it,” Hongbin replies, a little excited by the prospect of learning something that wasn’t in his books.

The two older men wave at each other and Hakyeon and Hongbin begin to head back inside.

“Oh yeah, Hakyeon?”

Hakyeon turns around to look at Ravi. His smile slips off his face when he sees how serious the younger man looks. “What is it?”

“They’re getting closer.”

It doesn’t mean anything to Hongbin but the look on Hakyeon’s face says it all. Whoever ‘they’ were, Hakyeon didn’t want them anywhere around here. Leo’s ears flatten to his head and his tail titches nervously. Hongbin feels himself tense up a little. Hakyeon was a powerful sorcerer and Leo was a cat who could teleport and do a number of other unbelievable things. If they were on edge then Hongbin should be too.

Ravi sighs and in the time it takes Hongbin to blink both he and Leo are gone. Hakyeon also sighs but then he turns to Hongbin and grins.

“Let’s get started on dinner,” he suggests. “Leo’s going to get grumpy if we don’t eat soon.”