Extended Vacation~

Aaron spent a couple of days in bed, crying on and off. After about a week, he was ready to give living a shot. He took a walk into town and came back a few hours later. He approached Phillipus after dinner, while he was relaxing in the hot tub. "Hey there," hr said with a wink as he slipped into the water, "I brought you a present."

He sat up, surprised. "Really? Oh, you shouldn't have, that's so kind of you! What is it?"

"Well, I was reading up on some of the things you discovered for...cures. Soooo..." He pulled out a couple of very nice but simple pipes, some opium, and lighters. "I thought this might be nice for some relaxation!"

The Caster's jaw dropped. "Where did you - That is -" He moved in front of Aaron as if hiding the items from any interlopers, his voice a low hiss.

"These are illicit!! What if someone sees us??" He looked around, then got out of the hot tub. "Come, I can use sigils to keep this discreet inside." He brightened slightly. "Then I'll be able to take notes!"

"Well first of all nobody is here but us, secondly, this place is owned by the YAKUZA. I promise we'll be fine, but if going inside will make you feel better we can."

"Notes~" His voice was a song. Once inside, he drew sigils on the walls of the spare room to keep the air clear and opened a journal on the table between two plush chairs. After packing the pipes, he drew deep and exhaled through his nose, sighing contentedly.

"Been awhile eh?" he asked, taking his own drag. He had gotten some pretty quality stuff. "So, what are you taking notes on exactly?"

"Effects, any thoughts I may have. Of course, I can hardly guarantee an epiphany, but when an opportunity arises to expand the mind, one would be remiss to ignore its fruits."

"That is definitely true. I do a lot of that." he chuckled. "In fact, I have more stuff if you wanna try it. But anyway, mostly I got this to share with you to say thank you for peering into the horrible bits of my mind. I appreciate it."

"It was - well, it wasn't a pleasure per se, but I'm always happy to help. Peace of mind is just as important as health of body."

"Exactly! And just...thanks." He grabbed a nearby pillow and snuggled it.