Lungs and Livers

Partner work were two words that Osmund dreaded hearing in the same sentence together. It always meant that he would get paired up with some idiot and would end up doing most of the work in order to save himself from failing. With results like that, Osmund was better off working by himself.

However, the Ouletts did have potions class with the Cassavants, which meant there was Katie Brooks in his class. He wouldn't admit it to the ginger's face, but he didn't mind her company. She wasn't like the muggle girls from his old school. She was much more tolerable. He had held onto the last hope that the Professor would allow them to choose their own partners for the assignment, which was immediately shot down by his assigned pairing.

"Can I please work alone, sir?" Osmund tried, sticking his hand in the air. The professor was quick to shoot down his last chance of escape and not before too long, Osmund found himself sitting next to Linette, the girl who knew to much about him, with only a cauldron in between them. He thumbed through his textbook avoiding her gaze. "Before you say it, I do not sniff books," A frown pulled at his lips as he said it. This could potentially be a long class.

Title inspired by Repo! The Genetic Opera

Potions class. The class Linette had dreaded the most. She was certain she would fail dreadfully. Reading the textbook had confirmed it for her and so far she had done just that. Partner work though did sound promising. Maybe she would end up with someone who was good at this potions gig. She crossed her fingers she would end up with a good partner and wanted to clap with joy when she heard who it was she was to be paired up with. If anyone was going to help her do well this lesson it would be the book sniffing Oulett.

Linette shrugged at his words. "Okay then. You don't sniff books. I hope you do understand this book though. Ready to begin the potion? Before we begin I'd better warn you that potions and me don't really mix too well. I can read the instructions though if you like." She smiled brightly at him. "This will be good won't it? I'm sure we'll have the best potion in the room." So long as she didn't get too close to the cauldron that was.

Despite the fact that she had agreed to Osmund's statement, the boy was still skeptical of her. Linette was smart, it was hard to deny that. No doubt she would find other ways to pick out his shortcomings and use them against his. He watched her from the corner of his eye while he tried to make it seem he was looking away.

"I do understand books, thank you very much," Osmund replied, turning to the correct page in the book and then setting it sprawled open in front of the pair. He was about to add that he was perfectly capable of reading the instructions himself when he finally understood the meaning of her offer; she wasn't going to touch the potion at all. The boy rolled his eyes, assuming this meant she was afraid of the ingredients, but ended up allowing her to do her part and read in the end, for, at least she would be doing something.

He pulled an animal liver from the kit and began to slice it, half tempted to wiggle one of the pieces of organ in front of the girl's face just to see how she would react. "We'll be fine as long as we follow the book," Osmund replied, not willing to flatter himself with ideas that his potion would champ the others. "So what's the deal? Is it the icky potion ingredients?" He pried.

She was pleased to hear Osmund agreed to her suggestion. It made things so much easier and maybe her or rather their potion would be acceptable to the professor. "Good," she replied. "Now first up we have to, oh you're already doing that. Make sure you cut it evenly. What happens if you don't cut it evenly I wonder?"

Linette shrugged at his question. "Potions and me don't mix. I think maybe I'm in too much of a hurry or something." She wasn't about to admit that the other reason was because of the icky ingredients. Not to Osmund. If it were someone else like Teddy perhaps she would have. "So if you don't want a ruined potion this way is the best way to do it." She followed the page with her finger. "Okay next step is to crush two porcupine quills. When do we get to the actual brewing?"

Osmund had nearly forgotten the character trait Linette had warned him of upon their first interaction; her ability to talk on and on. The boy rolled his eyes as he had already gone on with the assignment and yet Linette was there blabbing away.

"You must be precise with potions," Osmund answered her question, repeating the words his father had said to him, long ago. "A sloppily made potion makes for sloppy effects. Say you are to transport tortoises for a long distance, but in order to make the job more efficient, you make a shrinking potion to make them more transportable. If the potion isn't made perfectly, the duration of the potion could last shorter than what you need and your tortoises will be sprouting back to regular size earlier than you intended, which, in the least, would be inconvenient," Osmund explained, grabbing the two quills and then mashing them up in the mortar and pestle. When Linette impatiently asked when the brewing would come, Osmund slammed his fist into the table and turned to her with a snippy, "Were you not listening to me!? You cannot rush these things if you want a good potion! Now what comes after the quills?"