Her eyes followed the red liquid as it flowed through the coiled plastic tubing and entered the glass collection beaker that was sitting on her laboratory table top. She needed 5 more milliliters of the stuff and then she could analyze its magical content and complete her thesis. Alison was a 24 year old master's student at the University of Sunderland and was apart of the first wave of bio-magical researchers that the kingdom of Sunderland had ever had. Wishing to stick to the traditional view that magic was a deep seated ability inseparable from the soul, most of the population refused to believe that there was a biological basis for their special abilities or that magic could be analyzed, quantified and experimentally manipulated.
But Alison was about to prove them all wrong. The red liquid that was painstakingly dripping into the glass beaker was what she called Potion de feu, and was actually an extract of her own Fire magic. It had taken her four years to determine the "fire gene" and then get it copied and expressed outside a human host. She had used bacteria as the amplification medium because they duplicate so fast, and it had taken her at least 6 months to find a bacterium that wouldn't spontaneously erupt into flames.
Alison was exceptionally proud of her work, and thought it was incredibly important for the future of her society. She was most excited about its potential use in magical medicine. The four elements each had aspects of the body that were under their jurisdiction to heal, but if a doctor of a magical element couldn't be found promptly it could lead to the life-time injury or even death. There was currently an Earth doctor shortage and people with weak bones and digestive issues were feeling its repercussions. If her project was successful, however, the magic needed could be bottled and a doctor of any element could use it.
She was so convinced that this was possible that she had encouraged her fellow graduate students to attempt to do the same thing for the Air, Water and Earth elements. Unfortunately, most people thought she was crazy to attempt her project, and since she also suffered from an extreme lack of funding, no one was interested.
Much to her pleasure however, two year ago a young Air warlock named Braden Matthews had taken her up on the offer. He even came with his own source of funding; all Alison had to do was share her lab space. With the knowledge that she'd already acquired from the Fire gene, Braden was able to quickly catch up to where she was with his own Potion de l'air. It had taken a little tweaking though, for while her bacteria had been flammable, Braden's enjoyed levitating.
And so, he was at that very moment attempting to recapture bright pink bacteria cultures that were flying around the room. He eventually admitted defeat and came to stand behind Alison as she worked, looking over her shoulder to see how the Potion de feu was coming.
"Do you think they make seat belts small enough for E.Coli?" Braden asked.
"Hmm, I don't think so Braden, but I look into it for you." She giggled at the visual of bacteria driving tiny little cars but before she could tell him about it he spoke,
"I don't think I have ever heard you giggle before, Ali. It's really cute." Her cheeks instantly blushed and she quickly turned back to look at her equipment. "Aww, don't be embarrassed. It suits you."
She had no idea what to say to that, so she figured a change in subject was in order.
"You might want to choose a different medium for your Air bacteria cultures. I think if we used a more gelatin-based medium they wouldn't be as likely to float away. It's not as good as a seat belt but it might work."
He was silent for a few moments and then replied, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll try that first thing tomorrow. Have a good night Ali, and don't stay here all night like you usually do. You don't really need beauty sleep, but I hear it's good for you anyway."
She had let him walk away after his last comment and now stood frozen, completely confused. Braden had shared this tiny lab space with her for the last two years, and he had been nothing but strictly her friend. They cussed around each other like sailors to vent their frustrations, and he was constantly teasing her like she was his little sister. The only other time he had commented on her laughter was when he told her she snorted, and then pushed her nose us so she looked like a pig. But then in the space of the last 5 minutes he had flirted with her twice—that was what flirting looked liked right? What the hell was going on?
Inevitably she had ended up staying at the lab until late because she had to wait for the experiment to end, analyze the extract, ensure the extract's safety and then clean up. It had been past 10:00pm by the time she finally crossed the threshold of her apartment. But it was only 10:15 when she passed out on her bed naked, having been too tired to put pajamas on after getting her clothes off.
