Hazelnuts and plaid

[Varric]

Oh? "How about something with an extra punch? Magically reinforced toxins."

[Nikolaos "Niko" Kingfisher]

He snorts. "Tch. Can't do. You want to go uptown for that. We're pure alchemy here."

[Varric]

"How about the base for something like that then?" Varric presses. "Something that has onset symptoms like food poisoning but primarily affects the lymphatic system, with secondary duress on the liver and urinary system?" A pause, then he repeats that last sentence in overly precise Catfolk to be sure Niko got the jargon correct.

[Nikolaos "Niko" Kingfisher]

Niko waves him away on the repeat, already deep in thought. "Ya-ah, could do," he says finally. "A preparation of a specific caterpillar toxin would do it, if you blended it into a poppy syrup base."

[Varric]

Varric studies him for a few seconds. "Need to experiment for it? Not something you've tried before?" he asks, trying to pitch his voice towards dubious or doubtful.

[Nikolaos "Niko" Kingfisher]

He wavers a paw back and forth. "I have done similar things. Not this particular tincture. It will cost extra, for the experimentation. Take longer, too. I could do you Black Lotus much easier, cheaper too. Works just as well."

[Varric]

"Hmm. What kind of similar things?" Varric asks as if considering the idea.

[Nikolaos "Niko" Kingfisher]

"Other centipede poisons. But they don't last long enough to really do much damage, not against any enemy you're facing. A hindrance, not lethal. But preparing it the way you would Black Lotus would enhance it." The tip of his tail twitches, his eyes still focused on the middle distance, seeing possibilities instead of reality. "I could do it. Maybe add a bit of my own twist if you need to be sure it gets dead."

He sneezes, and that seems to jolt him back to reality. "I'll have you sign a waiver, of course. No responsibility what you do with it. You poison a big rat or something, you hear? Don't do anything stupid that comes back on me."

[Varric]

Well, there's that. Damn. He's right, like as not (need to tweak the Lotus process to account for vermin nature instead of floral) but he's never done it before. "What about one of your brewers? Any of them have any experience with... dire rat removal?"

[Nikolaos "Niko" Kingfisher]

He waves a paw. "Maybe. Most alchemists are. Nori would have been the best bet for that, cursed be her name." 

[Varric]

"She did a lot of rat extermination then?"

[Nikolaos "Niko" Kingfisher]

"Not at my shop, but before my time, yeah, she was an exterminator. I hear that's what got her in trouble. Went after the wrong kind of rat."

[Varric]

"You don't seem all that broken up about losing her. Not a good employee or..?"

[Nikolaos "Niko" Kingfisher]

"She was okay. Nothing special. But she left me short-handed on short notice." He snorts. "How am I meant to run a shop when my employees go gallivanting off adventuring and get arrested?"

[Varric]

"Not one to get attached to the hires?"