Our avatars are in a room together

-nods- You too.

Do you mind if I stay- I do not intend to impose upon your- alchemy, Marcia.

-The couch laze-

-The outside standing-around-

I um don't mind, Rider... (Finishes with electric potion recipe and begins writing up a fire potion recipe.)

-nods- Very well. -smiles-

Another one, then?

(nods) It's for a fire potion. Can be used as a bomb or setting things on fire.

-nods- I see... I heard once, in life, that in my time we had to rely on building up a gas beneath the floorboards.

One of my nieces was involved in such an explosion, after I had her married off to a baron in Italia.

Sorry to um hear that..

-nods- Yes- it is- unfortunate...

-sighs- My life had a lot of my family dying, unfortunately. Both my parents were dead by the time I was two years of age, I believe it was. A regent assigned to me, for fourteen years.

These things though are of course in the past, now.

As much as I wish some of it was different...

Yeah... Fate's a cruel mistress, right? (finishes recipe for her fire potion)

-nods- Indeed it is.

It's definitely not nice to outlive your children.

-sighs- Which as much as it is a pain to say... at least I had plenty of them.

...I'm a bit um curious, but what um were they like?

Drost was a fine example of a son. He knew how to use a sword, and he was an excellent fit for the throne... he was my firstborn as well.

But- a terribly stressed man too. He unfortunately had to deal with a rebellion once, which I could not interfere with. It was a matter between my vassals, something he had to deal with.

He took an illness- much like I did near the same time... I lived to see the end of it- but he unfortunately died. He was 44 years of age, at the time...

(Listens to Rider's story. She doesn't speak up, but she's clearly sobbing at the end of it.)

-he is particularly sad about Drost it seems-

Otherwise... two of my daughters died from the cold. Young ages, only- 17 and 20, I think it was...

(The sobbing gets worse, especially since one of the daughters is around her age. She wipes her face after a moment or two.)

-Swipes some stuff on her tablet and shows her world map to Mindy-

-That looks pretty different-

-just keeps his mouth shut a little- Yes- it is... tragic.

-sighs- But, that is the past.

I'm sorry to make you sad over this, Marcia. You shouldn't need to cry.

Okay, Rider... Can we um talk about something else?

Certainly. I would much prefer to do so.

Is your alchemy a hobby?

Huh, that is strange...

(nods) In fact, I run a potion shop with a friend of mine in my hometown...

Ah- is business good?

It's great... (smiles) Alchemie is a real wiz when it comes to talking to the customers.

-Hello anyone available?-

-Sits up on the couch and stretches a bit-

-She's just going for a walk to clear her head-