"Who's there?" called a voice from within the alchemist's cottage.
"Rennie!" the young gnome called. "Rennie Poppercork?"
"Rennie Poppercork who?"
Rennie put her hands behind her head. "Rennie Poppercork, your new apprentice? Golly, don't tell me you forgot I was coming!"
The door flew open. "Ah, Rennie Poppercork, of course!" said the slim, dark-haired young man who opened the door. "I almost forgot I was advertising for an, er, for an apprentice." He smiled charmingly. "Come in, come in! Ready to work, I see?"
"Uh-huh!" Rennie nodded. She had on a green tunic, sturdy overalls, tough leather boots and strong gloves. Her chipmunk-brown hair was covered with a broad sunhat, the better to keep any more freckles from forming on her already-freely-freckled face. "My book said that alchemy was five percent inspiration, five percent education, and ninety percent digging stuff up! So... I'm ready to dig stuff up!"
"Good, good!" the alchemist, one Percival the Pourer by name, said cheerfully. "Though you'll find in this line of work your unique, ah, physiological gifts will be far more useful to you than that. If I wanted dirt turned over, I would have taken on an ogre!"
"My wha?"
"All in due time, my dear, all in due time." Percival rubbed his hands together. "I see you've been eating quite a plain diet, haven't you? No antlers, no tail, no scales, no glowing body parts or leaves or feathers."
"Oh no, Master," Rennie said, bowing, "at my house we ate boiled mushroot, mostly."
"The least alchemically active natural substance of all time," Percival said, nodding. "Of course. Well, we'll soon introduce a little variety into your diet, won't we? But it's best to start off this way, oh yes, with the cauldron freshly scrubbed out, so to speak."
"I suppose," Rennie said, not quite sure what he was talking about. All she really knew was that she was expected to help create potions.
"Well, if you're ready to dive right in, my girl," the alchemist said, "I've got an assignment you can help with right now!"
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