Super Special Secret Guest Appearance!!! Onii-sama Visits!!!

[Johnathan]

The hallways of the EX building were bustling with activity as students ran about to reach their various clubs. A group of excitedly giggling girls skip by, the one in front moving backwards to see her friends as they chattered. Beneath their feet, several floor tiles cracked and splintered under the pressure of an unseen force. However, the strange event went unnoticed, the sound of cracking completely unheard over the volume of their laughter.

As they passed, turning at the intersection to continue on to the appropriate section of the building, the hallway they vacated stilled, the unused generalized club rooms waiting for a group to one day claim them for use. The sound echoing faintly from other areas of the massive building seemed to slowly fade away, replaced by the sound of light scuffing footsteps.

A young man in black robes, with a white shawl twined loosely around his neck and over his shoulders stood over the cracked tiles, his impassive gaze peering into the empty all purpose laboratory club room he faced. He studied the room from outside for a moment before taking a leisurely step forward. A surge of bright red energy arced out across the floor of the hallway from his feet, passing over the crack tiles and knitting them back together. When it faded, it would appear as though they had never been damaged.

Stepping into the room, his eyes wandered aimlessly over its various fixtures, furniture, and stock of base ingredients. Calmly making his way around the room, long dark hair swaying with every step, he approached one of the many large glass faced cabinets filled will ingredients. With a gentle touch, he slid the protective glass open, carefully collecting a few choice vials of various powders and liquids. Taking his selected goods to one of the long nearby lab tables, he carefully placed his collection down on its surface and took a seat on one of the many cushioned stools.

A series of frantic footfalls could be heard fast approaching, echoing through the quiet of the hallway. There was an audible squeak as leather souls caught on the smooth tiles of the hallway floor and a pixie of a girl with long red pigtails slid into view, stopping in front of the door. Katarina gaped as she laid eyes on the young man, pointing a shaky finger in his direction as she struggled to find words.

"Ah.....you....uh, I....um....." The young man turned away from his collection of materials to fix the dumbfounded Ancient with an inquisitive stare.

"Hello to you as well, Katarina." The words seemed to jump start the pixie's mind back into a functioning state and she made a hasty but deep bow.

"Ah, yes, hello Malthior." She quickly straightened and stepped into the room, blinking rapidly in apparent confusion. "You, um... don't you have other duties to attend to?" Malthior raised a single eyebrow as his head tilted slightly to the side.

"There is a reset." He stated simply. "I've come to view my young sister's attempts at crafting a standalone existence." Katarina clapped her hands together and seemed to bubble with excitement.

"Oh~ how did I do?!" She asked with expectant enthusiasm. Malthior turned and placed a single finger on the black tabletop. There was an arc of red energy as a thin golden spire formed, rising ten inches from the table's surface. It's tip seemed to blossom up into a thick golden bud, before flattening into a wide but exceptionally thin silver disk. A very faint hum filled the room as the disk instantly began to spin rapidly on the tip of the golden spire, balancing well aside from a slight waver vibrating audibly through the air.

"The Balance is... stable, enough. At the very least it hasn't yet torn itself apart." Katarina blushed a bright red and fiddled the tips of her index fingers together.

"Erm, does that mean...?" Malthior studied her seriously for a moment and she froze under his gaze. Finally he nodded and she sunk to the floor in relief.

"A passable first attempt, if nothing else." She clapped her hands on either side of her face and shook her head, pigtails flailing wildly behind her.

"Few, oh I was so nervous. No one else other than Desdemona has come here yet, and I didn't know who it was, and then I saw it was you, and then I didn't know what you would think, and I was so worried you would get mad and tear everything apart, and then I would have had no-"

"Katarina." Malthior interrupted her tangent, his voice the same impassive droll as always. Still, she froze and glanced up at him again. "Thank you for greeting me, but perhaps you should return to the matter you were addressing before my arrival." Katarina clapped her right fist into her open left palm like she just remembered something.

"Ah right. Planning super big epic awesome finale for everyone to enjoy. There's so much to do, what with Leaz~y's dramatic betrayal, and then the super evil brigade takeover, and the rebellion, and the-"

"Yes, Katarina." Malthior interrupted again with a sigh.

"Ah, right then. Well, I'll just go. Get back to that. Uh, right. Have fun while you're here! Uh, don't work too hard! Um, try to-"

"Katarina." With a cringe, the hyperactive redhead vanished from sight. The distant echoes of the building faded back to life as time resumed its normal flow and Malthior returned his attention to the table before him. Gently taking the vials, he began to poor out a slowly growing mixture in a pile. His eyes flashed to the spinning silver disk as it shuddered, and the wayward Ancient idly wondered if he would have any more visitors.

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(OOC: Special cameo by Malthior! He's fiddling around with alchemy. Anyone can stop by if they want, just had the idea and figured I'd write it while I had the energy.)

[Rikka]

A childish giggle sounded down the hall as the patter of small bare feet came running. Long white hair flew behind a child of 5 years old. A big grin was across her face and her eyes were alight with excitement as she chased a rolling green and red blob down the hallways. Another giggle escaped her as she attempted to pounce on the little blob only to have it slip through her fingers. White fox ears perked up as she pushed to her feet and raced once more after the little blob.

Running past an alchemy room she stopped a few feet past the door and backed up until she was peeking around the edge. There was a man pouring chemicals in a pile and a swirling disk beside him. Ears perked forward she stepped into the doorway and then into the room. "Hello, I'm Kiki. What are you doing?" She spoke calmly not wanted to startle him. Not that she thought she could but she had startled a student once and had almost gotten frozen solid. So she was just being safe.

He looked as though he could be a teacher but he wasn't cause she had never seen him around. Maybe he was new and was gonna start after the tournament. Well it would be good to get to know him now!

[Johnathan]

"Alchemy." Came Malthior's simple reply. He emptied a vial of clear liquid onto the top of the powdery pile, before setting it down and reaching for the next. "It's dangerous to be in a laboratory without proper protection."

And arc of red energy lanced out across the floor. It reached Kiki's feet, stopped, and then spun up around her body in a tight spiral. Air was pulled in from all around in a gust as the molecules condensed together to form something new. On her feet formed a pair of comfortable white with blue accents children's shoes. They would never grow dirty, never wear down, and stretch with her feet. Next, a light blue lab coat formed around her. On the breast was a small embroidered flower with her name scrawled in calligraphy underneath. Incidentally, the lab coat was likely stronger than military grade armor. Finally, on top of her head rest a pair of big laboratory goggles, and on her hands, running up to just below her elbows were a pair of thin white gloves, made from the same material as the coat while being thin enough not to sacrifice dexterity or grip friction.

"Goggles on." Malthior stated in his typical even tone as he poured out another vial.

[Rikka]

Kiki blinked. She knew he was doing alchemy but had wanted to know what he was going to do with alchemy. As he told her she needed proper protection she blinked and looked down at her feet. About to go get proper protection she blinked as red something raced across the floor and was expecting to be shoved out as she squeezed her eyes shut. When nothing happened she slowly opened one eye at a time until she was staring at her new stuff. New shoes and a lab coat with her name even!

Gasping she rand her hands over her new things until she heard him say 'goggles on'. Reaching up her head she found the goggles. Pulling them on she about ran over to him but remembered that stein didn't allow her to run around in the science lab so she shouldn't do it here. Walking she found a 3 step step stool and placed it next to the strange man in black. Crawling up it she stood so her waist was even with the counter.

"What kind of alchemy are you doing? And May I help Mr...um...Whats your name?"

[Johnathan]

"Malthior." Came the typical one word reply. Reaching over, he grabbed the base of the spinning balance and another arc of red energy coursed through it. The disk stopped and collapsed into another spire as the first one shrunk and expanded slightly. With a deft flick, the newly formed spire was spun through the air to his other waiting hand as it's shape continued to morph slightly. The tips of the two needles blunted into soft points while the other ends expanded into small balls.

Deftly, Malthior spun the silver needle through Kiki's hair, gathering it all up into a loose bun. When he was finished, he pressed it and the gold needle into the rest of her hair, locking the bun into place.

"I'll be performing molecular reconfiguration alchemy, one of the simpler disciplines." Left unsaid was that the magic he worked to craft her new clothes out of the air around them was Subatomic Reconstruction: True Alchemy. "The theory behind it, is in knowing the precise ratio of ingredients, and calculating the precise number of molecules of each substance, the alchemist can craft a construction formula to accurately place each molecule in the structure. It allows for a much higher level of quality in the end product as opposed to crafting with physical tools, or by melting and hardening ingredients. Since the location of each and every molecule is theoretically accounted for, to a greater or lesser extent based on the skill of the alchemist, the end product can be crafted without impurities." Malthior turned to view the small girl beside him.

"Have you any practice in the theory and magic behind alchemy?"

[Rikka]

Kiki smiled as he gave his name. "Nice to meet you Mr. Malthior." Her eyes widened as she watched the two needles form from the spinning disk he had. Holding still as he messed with her hair she felt him pull it up. Giggling she smiled at him. Listening to him she kept quiet. Blinking she wasn't quite sure what he was talking about.

"No I don't. But I'm a quick learner, or so I have been told. I can do ratios and numbers! I promise I will listen." Kiki was very eager to help. She liked helping and being able to learn something new was an added bonus. Standing still she watched him waiting to see if he would send her on her way or allow her to help.

[Johnathan]

Nodding, Malthior reached across the table to his left to slide one of the electronic scales in front of Kiki. Opening a drawer in the table, he took out a small shallow bowl to set on top of the scale.

"You can measure out ingredients then." He stated calmly. "Make sure to take the mass of the dish into consideration." He selected several of the beakers and vials, naming their contents and the desired amount as he placed them in front of her. "There are additional dishes in the table if you require them."

Meanwhile, he withdrew a piece of chalk from seemingly nowhere and began sketching a circular transmutation array on the table around the slowly growing pile. "There are certain mathematical constants that can be used to extrapolate on information we already know; such as determining the number of molecules of a substance from it's mass or volume. Incidentally, if you happen to find yourself in an existence alien from your own, knowledge of these relationships can help you to determine whether the value of these constants are divergent from those of your home reality."

Malthior continued tapping away at the table with his chalk, sketching an increasingly complicated diagram across its surface. He didn't require the diagram, as he could perform the calculations necessary for any level of alchemy in his head alone, but for the benefit of his attentive helper, he would sketch it out regardless.

[Rikka]

Kiki clapped her hands together as he nodded allowing her to stay. Listening to instructions she nodded her head and accounted for the dish as she measured each ingredient out for him to the precise decimal. Placing the dish on the table within his reach she pulled out more and continued lining each of them up in turn. Listening to him explain about the alchemy. When she was finished she placed her hands at her sides so not to disturb anything and watched him draw the diagram on the table.

She had some questions she wanted to ask but kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to make him mad at her for interrupting him or being annoying. Cause now that she was spending some time with him she realized he didn't feel like he belonged. It was a weird feeling that made her want to ask but she didn't.

[[Ooc; Child intuition at its finest.]]

[Johnathan]

With a final few clicks of chalk on the hard smooth surface of the table, Malthior finished inscribing the transmutation circle. Gesturing to a few of the sections, he explained them for Kiki's benefit.

"It's important to be as thorough as possible with the transmutation circle. When the methods for measuring the appropriate ingredients is not as precise as would be ideal, it's best to apply a specific ratio, with quantities of each material selected to be slightly less than what is theoretically present. Then, we can apply another section of the transmutation algorithm to dispose of the excess material, condensing it into a single item to be disposed of or recycled later."

Standing up, Malthior reached over and picked Kiki up under her arms and sat her down on his stool, which subtly grew to be the appropriate height. Staying behind her with his arms forward, he held his hands palms up.

"Give me your hands."

[Rikka]

Kiki watched as he finished with a few last clicks of chalk. Listening to his explanation she blinked and nodded. She liked listening to him explain what everything was. When he picked her up she squeaked. Sitting still on the stool as it grew to the right height. Smiling she watched him and obeyed his command. Gently she placed her hands in his to see what would happen.

[Johnathan]

Gently taking her hands, Malthior leaned forwards and placed them on either side of the transmutation circle with his own hands on top. "Applying the transmutation algorithm is a matter of Will. With a pre-drawn transmutation circle, you don't need to actively mold and manipulate the Will directly, merely provide it for the array to put to use. Though you may not have actively practiced alchemy before, I can feel the beginnings of stirring Will within you. Have you practiced any of your magic before?"

[Rikka]

Kiki watched as he took her hands and placed them on either side of the circle his on top. Listening she blinked as he brought will into it. Will? Though as he continued she blinked and realized the will he was talking about was also the magic they used. "Yes. I have an af-affinity for water. I am trying to learn to control it....but sometimes it doesn't work. Last week I accidentally flooded Ms. Alice's room...I'm still not allowed back in yet." Kiki hadn't meant too. She felt really bad she had angered Ms. Alice. Shaking the sad thoughts from her head she looked at the circle again. "So for the uh circle to activate it you use magic or will?"

[Johnathan]

"Correct." Malthior affirmed. "Your Will, is the force, the energy, that allows you to create or manipulate the water." Reaching over, Malthior grabbed the glass vial filled with water. "Just as we can move water with a glass vial or a metal bucket, Will is just another method of applying force to actualize a change. So, rather than tapping into your affinity to transmute your Will into water, you must simply push out the Will in it's raw state. Think of it as pushing on the transmutation circle with your Will or magic directly, like you would attempt to push the table, or lift a bucket with your own strength. Visualize it in the same way as you would attempt to manipulate water already in the world around you, as opposed to creating it directly. I will help."

[Rikka]

Kiki smiled as she got the answer correct. So she needed to visualize what she wanted. Magic. "Okay. I think I can do this." Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly then did it again. Blinking she pictured her magic blue like water. Closing her eyes she gently poured it out as if she was pouring it out of a cup into the mold of the white chalk lines. Opening her eyes slowly she kept her breathing slow and steady as she looked at the circle to see if anything had happened.

[Johnathan]

As Kiki slowly got the hang of pouring out her energy, Malthior made slight adjustments where he needed to. At times he cleansed out the slight tint of affinity formation in the energy, at others he added a bit more or took some away to regulate the flow. Overall, the small girl did rather well for her first time, limited more by Malthior's perfectionist standards than an inability to supply energy properly.

The energy arced into the circle in a pale glow, before being drawn in and altered. The chalk circle began to glow with a white light, which quickly propagated to the center and into the pile of ingredients. Almost immediately, they began to change.

A writhing, pulsing, twisting, growing, and compressing dance of material started as the transmutation circle began to do its work. The materials mixed as the molecules shifted and spun through the mass to reach the location dictated to them by the circle. Quickly, the item's basic shape began to take form. The mass pulled up into a small tower about six inches tall, before gradually molding itself to a more refined humanoid shape.

"Very good, that's enough." Malthior declared after several seconds, stopping Kiki from pouring any more energy into the circle. "The transmutation array has enough energy to complete its function now. In a few more moments it will be complete."

As he said, several moments later, the glow faded and a strange little figure was left standing in the center of the circle. It was about eight inches tall and rather slender. It's surface was smooth with precise detailing, giving it the image of a sleek minimalist sort of doll. In the center of it's chest was a small clear sphere.

Malthior stepped back from behind Kiki and moved to the table at her side, pulling up another stool to sit on. Reaching out, he took the small figure from the circle and brought it in front of himself. With a brief flash of red energy, a thin pointed tool appeared in his free hand, which he ran down the length of the doll's side. With a faint hiss, the front of the doll folded open like a book, and Malthior immediately began to scratch away inscriptions within.