"Sadly I hate Mao, but that's kind of the point. I will absolutely invite you, and maybe it'll grow on me after I use it to mana grind for a while. Fun things can still be hard, after all, hence the other games. I expect poker might be a hit, too, with this crowd." And maybe he can win some mana off the other enclavers if it gets popular. He's actually decent at poker. 

To Theun: "Hmmm. Just about any kind of personal buff or boost is good for me. I'm a bit shy of reasonably cheap ranged attacks, they aren't my usual fare but they're good to have...Memory? Immune booster? Resilience?" 

"Hmm, not my go-tos, but I have others... What languages?"

He pulls out his personal spellbook and flips through. "Oh, I also know a pretty quick artifice to make a book only open for the owner. Needs a bit of your involvement, but the basic lock that a strong senior could overpower I could get done in work period today. Books are my affinity."

"Ooh."

"I have English, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, Hebrew, and Sanskrit, and six of those are the potion. That's a handy affinity, I like it. I would totally trade a potion for a book ward. I warn you, though, I am shit at artificing." 

"No worries, it's basically just 'hey, spell, have a taste of this guy's mana so you know who to look for' and a one-line incantation. Meet you at lunch and trade then?"

"Sure! Here, have the potion now, that way you've got the memory for morning classes if you want it. Shelf life ain't great so drink it soon." And if he stiffs Alexius at lunch, well, Alexius knows not to trust him next time. 

Shannon has mostly been listening quietly to this conversation. She knows that she's supposed to be meeting people and making a good first impression, but this group is really intimidating and she feels like everyone here is several times cooler and more interesting than her. She also doesn't exactly have anything she could trade.

"...I'm interested but I don't have much I could trade for it right now," she admits. "Once I get alchemy supplies I'll be able to brew a potion I have for mouthwash that keeps your teeth in perfect condition without having to brush them. Maybe I can get in on your next batch?" 

It's slightly tempting to beg Raleigh for a favour so she can get it now, it sounds GREAT and she's almost certain Raleigh would get it for her, but also that would be really embarrassing. 

"- that's a really good potion concept. Does it taste awful or what?"

"I agree, that'd be a good trade. How long does a given mouthwash container last?" 

"If you're fine trusting my word, sounds good," he replies to Alexius. He drinks it now, not much sense in waiting if it's going to go bad. Asking the first girl about a ward can wait anyway.

"You only need about a teaspoon each time, and using it once a week should keep you covered, so a bottle lasts a pretty long time. It...doesn't taste worse than normal mouthwash? But I hate normal mouthwash so, I don't know. I can flavour it if you have the ingredients for that." 

"Not worse than normal mouthwash is fine," Bella assures her. "I'd like some, I brought toothbrushes but would rather have to fuss about using them less frequently."

"Yeah, sounds like a real time-saver. I should be selling the next batch on Monday the 13th at dinner, hit me up." 

The potion: works. It takes a bit to notice the sharper memory as it fades in, but it does. 

Angie shows up to the table on her own at this point, wandering over from one not too far off where Zed is half passed out in their mediocre breakfast and Alexei is switching between watching her, them, and the room around them like a good paranoid with a compromised clavemate.

She stands nearby to wait for an opening, and then, "Morning, Alexius," not a good morning but certainly a morning, somewhere, "Were you up all night doing this?" 

Zzzzz.

"Morning indeed. I suppose I could claim I just whipped it up before homeroom, make myself look even more a prodigy, and get immediately called on my bullshit...yes, in fact, but most of that time was setting up a makeshift brewery in my room. Good thing stimulant spells like me." Oh, he should do introductions. "This is Theun, book specialist, was offering a neat owner-recognizing book ward; Bella, who does metamagic and has excellent taste in breakfast companions; and Shannon, whose tooth-preserving mouthwashes we were just discussing. Everyone, this is Angie, she traded me those wonderful speed and reflex spells." Well, her and Yolanda, he supposes. One can't have too many buff spells. 

"Book wards, tooth preserving mouthwash, and metamagic, you attract all sorts of interesting people. I suppose it only makes sense, those potions of yours are going to go fast. Speaking of, you were going to set one aside for Zed, yes? They're still waking up, but I'll bring it to them. We'll be doing another run down to the supply rooms sometime next week, too, if you want in on that?" 

He hands her a vial from the tray's dwindling supply. "For Zed, with my compliments. We did talk about doing a regular potions-for-supplies trade, didn't we? I think I could afford to keep you three in potions for what Zed's doing. Unfortunately I can't do the trade the day of, since these potions don't keep that long. But I can do two more now or three from the next batch in exchange for the supply run support?" Based on yesterday's results, Zed's spell and Alexei's vigilance are definitely worth three potions. He runs through the disclaimers again - 24 hour shelf life so drink it fast, five to ten days' effect, study after it wears off, and it only works on stuff you learn whilst empotioned. 

Hmm, "One more now, and two from the next batch," she counters. Her visual memory has not gotten any worse in the past twelve hours, even if it isn't quite eidetic. She might take one sometime if she ever needs to cram a language, but she isn't even language track. 

"Deal." He hands over a second vial, then has to pause to negotiate with a pair of interested sophomores. Yes, they really are eidetic memory potions, here's how they work, yes, he noticed they were from a prestigious enclave, no, he is not dropping his already rock-bottom prices, mana is cheaper for them then for freshmen, great, thanks, pleasure doing business with you. 

Angie heads back to her table while he does that, poking Zed upright enough to drink their potion, and pressing Alexei's on him while ignoring any arguments he might be trying to make that she ought to drink it. If he's talking his mouth is open for her to pour a potion down, ha. 

She comes back once that's done with and her clavemates are adjusted enough to the way the world looks when it stays put in your head. Once the sophomores are out of the way, she gets to the planning portion of the transaction.

"I think the best time might be Tuesday after classes, we all three have the same class together then, and you?" Supplies should not be so depleted then, but the supply of mals will hopefully be moreso. "We'll start with artifice supplies and work our way up, while there's still some students about. Sara will be down there already, she has a shop class last period Tuesday," she adds. 

"Works for me. I have Materials Identification last thing Tuesday, should be in the area." 

"If you're closer to Shop 197 than the classrooms on the fourth floor I'd suggest going down there rather than waiting on us, it might take us a full fifteen minutes to get down all those stairs. At least Sara should have a couple other juniors with her, she said she was going to pull some in to show the spell off to." Hopefully no more than two, though, and paying well for the privilege - the more people along the more the spell costs. The exposure was probably worth the cost yesterday, but there definitely won't be any more freebies. 

"Convenient. I'd appreciate it if you'd let Sara know to expect me." 

"Will do!" She wiggles her fingers in a little wave, "See you in mal studies." Even if they won't be saying hi during it, unless he sits by them for some reason. 

Off she goes back to her table.