NOT approved by the FDA

With his workshop and "interview room" now set up and ready to receive its first guests, Azrael turned his attention to replenishing his inventory used in his trade. Thanks to Mireia's assistance collecting more stonefish spines, he had more than enough physical instruments to work with. Some time had been spent gathering up the necessary plants and flowers he required to manufacture his pharmaceuticals, and even more time to properly strain and decoct them down to the more potent essences and serums. So many amateur inquisitors had relied on brute force to extract confessions and compliance from their subjects, but his father had found that letting the plants do the heavy lifting was far more effective. All Azrael had done was perfect his sire's original recipes.

The latest batch of several serums had been finished and allowed to steep, several sizable mason jars filled with various liquids sitting on the shelves around his den. Many were colorless, though some held a sinister purple or green hue to them. Azrael's sage green eyes ran over each one, none of them labeled, though he didn't need them. He was meticulous in his organization and could recognize them immediately. Taking down one of the clear ones, he carefully filled a small vial with the liquid, then sealed the vial with the spine-impaled stopper. He returned the jar, then repeated the process with a pale violet serum, continuing until he had several of his injectors filled with a variety of drugs. Now all he needed was some test subjects. Sure, he could have jabbed Mireia with them, but that wouldn't have been nearly as fun when she was aware of what he was cooking up. No, he needed someone... unaware.

Azrael called down one of Absinth's darling ravens and tasked it to find him a pair of Sidi—any Sidi they found—and summon them to his lair. Then the Saxe brute made his preparations. He stashed his injectors into his satchel and headed down to the edge of the lake in the center of the Glácies, sliding it off to hang from a branch of a nearby tree. Then he waited by the edge of the water, his toes just barely dipped into the cold lake. The island was a beautiful scene, isolated and tranquil—the perfect place for him to play with the Syndicate's latest toys and for him to test out his new recipes. Hopefully none of them would be fatal. He didn't relish the idea of explaining to Sephiran why he was suddenly down a Sidi.

"Azrael Saxe"