Refine Plants?

After checking the other two, she found that Azul had gone to investigate the area around the gigantic lake around the area while Leona had gone to try to find a way down from the mountain only to find that there was no way down. Just after making it back to the Heartslabyul's peak, as she'd like to call it, she woke up and found herself back in her dorm room again. The walls had be renewed and the majority of the dust was gone as everything seemed much newer now aside from the rickety sound of the wooden floor and structure of the house.

.....

After returning to the dorm, she was left with the sight of the two sitting around the table and egg dishes sat on the table. According to Yuu, he had to leave for another interview with another birthday that day and it just so happened to have been Trey's. After the event that happened a few weeks ago, he has healed on the most part and was able to return to athletics classes. Lotus was filing through the herbs again after classes had ended that day. Today, she had followed along with the rest of the science club as Trey and the others went back to sort out some mechanism trouble in the botanical garden. She had taken care of the strawberries Trey had regrown after giving the previous ones to Jade at one point.

"Will you be taking part in the Halloween this year, Lotus?" She looked up and saw that it was the Octavinelle student that she later learned was called Gabriel and Elijah.

"Nah." Lotus shook her head sadly, "I'll be a bit busy this year, but I did tell the prefect that I'd take part and help out if I find the time."

"That's too bad..." Gabriel shook his head with a sigh.

"There's a Pomefiore student outside of the botanical garden..." Elijah spoke up.

"Ah..." Lotus wore a small wry smile, "I wonder if they're looking for me this time..."

Gabriel laughed, "It's because of that lotion you gave one of their students before the magift tournament."

"I guess..." Lotus sighed, "But, that burn would leave a scar behind, so I felt that it'd be a pity if that were to happen... I didn't think that it'd be liked by many later on..."

Gabriel shook his head with a sigh, "You're being too nice again. You should be careful because there are people that'd take advantage of that."

Lotus smirked, "I understand. But, thank you for the reminder, Gabriel."

"That's..." Elijah looked to the box of herbs curiously.

"Oh, I was looking through some of the herbs in the botanical garden and decided to try research them." Lotus filed through the herbs with her hands, "There are certain herbs that can help stop bleeding of wounds when when use the herbs into oil. Adding Aloe helps lower the pain during the application of the oil on the wounds. A combination of oil with Aloe vera could be used for children who aren't used to feeling the pain during application of medicine."

"Ugh..." Gabriel shuddered, "I remember having herbal medicine once. It was so bitter I spat it back out and my parents got so mad."

Lotus wore a dry smile, "Because herbal medicine are expensive, more than finding a traditional eastern doctor."

"You know traditional herbal medicine?" Elijah looked to her in surprise.

"I know but am not really a professional. I just study it." Lotus responded bluntly, "I'd assume it's second to western medicine in accuracy to treat illness, but I haven't seen much other medicines to know yet so I can't say for sure."

"You really seem to know a lot though..." Gabriel noted as he looked into her tray, "I've seen you dry these up a few days ago and you can still classify them even though they're all dark and dry."

"They are. But, if you can't tell them apart by sight, you can still tell them apart by smell, texture and taste. If there's a risk of poison mixed in among the bunch and you can't tell by the smell or texture, there's still physical appearances. The shapes of the leaves and flowers, even the roots. It'd be better to leave that to a professional though." Lotus explained, "However, the plants that I've harvested has been confirmed with the caretakers here. So, I don't have to worry to much since there's not really much poisonous plants to find here anyway."

"Geh..." Gabriel grumbled, "That's a lot to watch out for."

Lotus shook her head nervously, "It did take me a while to figure it out too. I'll have to study under a professional before I can use it as medicine, though."

"Oh, you know a lot about these things..."

Lotus looked back and saw that it was the guy Cater had introduced as Rook just two days before she was introduced to each other as juniors and seniors of the school and members of the same club. Of course, Lotus rarely ever talked to him since then, but she knew she was never out of his sight either. How did she knew this?

Cause she can feel eyes on her everytime in Science Club which she later learned did gardening and many other unique stuff that it'd probably not be different from a do-it-all sort of activity. Did she feel uncomfortable?

Yes.

Did she feel bothered by it?

Of course not!

"Ah, Rook-senpai!" She smiled wide when she heard his voice and Trey following close by him later, "Trey-senpai, good afternoon!"

"Mh." Rook responded with a wide smile and a nod, "Bon jour! I was returning from building the mini-sprinklers and overheard your lovely lecture of Traditional Herbal medicine. I have to say I'm intrigued by what you know of traditional medicine."

Lotus looked to him curiously, "Eh, but it's not really all that interesting as potions, is it?"

"Potions and herbs are indeed different in some aspect, but they're not completely two different things." Rook explained, "Herbs are also often used in potions too, but not all can be as effective as those without magic and some of them doesn't even have to be magical at all."

Lotus nodded, "That's true. Rook-senpai is also well-versed with potions, so herbal medicine shouldn't have left his range of vision during his studies either."

Rook chuckled, "I have seen what you have made for one of our students a few weeks ago and was surprised by the number of herbs used for the ointment. However, none of the replica we have created seem to match the potency with that of the one you made."

Lotus sighed, "I thought that would be the case if so many keeps coming back to me for more..."

"Indeed. Not even I could remake such a concoction." Rook agreed with a sigh.

"Not even... Vice-dorm leader Hunter-senpai?" Gabriel looked to her in bewilderment, "Something Lotus had created couldn't even be replicated? You even gave them the ingredients but they still couldn't replicate it?! Lotus, just what did you do to the concoction?"

"Eh?" Lotus raised a brow curiously, "Let's see... I usually refine the herbs over and over again."

"Refining?" Rook raised a brow with wide eyes.

"You can refine plants?" Trey raised a brow.

Lotus nodded, "Of course, however, plants are a little more fragile than minerals and animal parts. By refining it or even using magic on it, you can increase the potency of a function of the herb. What I did was refine the herbs over and over again till it could help with certain medicinal purposes. For instance, to make the ointment, Aloe vera is a must but Sea Buckthorn can help enhance the healing process and help multiple the effect that aloe vera could do to the skin. The problem is which part of the berry would help the aloe vera rather than hinder it and how do we refine it down to its purest form."

"Refining a plant down to its purest form..." Rook raised a brow in surprise, "I thought they had said that this recipe would be simple."

Lotus smiled mischievously, "Of course it'd be easy to create. The other Pomefiore student have already made a few replicas already, haven't they?"

"Ah..." Rook chuckled with a smirk, "So, that's the trick here."

"Eh?" Gabriel raised a brow as Elijah just huffed a sigh once he heard her words.

Elijah patted Gabriel's shoulder, "He meant that making it isn't a problem, so he handed the recipe to them, but the problem is rather they could refine it to match or suppress his level of effect."

"But, not even Vice-dormleader Rook has been able to remake it to..." Gabriel paused in bewilderment and his eyes widen upon realization, "Gah! So, it's like that?!"

Trey sighed, "They've remade it over and over again using the ingredients and vague steps Lotus has laid out for them, but what they didn't know was the complexity behind each steps."

Rook smiled, "You took an ingredients and refined it over and over again to gain just the most simplest form that is require to speed the recovery process of the skin in the most gentle touch and lessened the pain more than just a simple aloe or cream could do to a wound. What we missed was the effort placed into each ingredients before they were combined, then?"

Lotus smirked back, "You're not wrong. The recipe is rather simple as I said."

"Haha..." Trey laughed in exasperation, "There's more?"

"Maybe." Lotus responded vaguely.

"I'm starting to feel like a fool for warning him earlier..." Gabriel grumbled.

"Ah." Rook nodded in agreement with the brightest smile, "Rather than warning him, it should be more that we are being warned. Haha! Ah, very well. I'll try and solve your puzzle."

Lotus chuckled, "I'll be looking forward to it, then. Even more so, since it is the vice-dorm leader of Pomefiore refining this himself. I've heard much about your skills from Mister Crewel."

"Likewise." Rook laughed, "Haha! Another three days perhaps? I will return with the concoction I've created!"

Lotus smiled, "Made, you mean."