[whoops i was too slow!!
i'll leave this here anyway 'cause I got carried away]
Ryn snatches the vial off the table, holding it up to the light for a second to take a better look.
Well, if this stuff does what it's meant to do... what's a missing week in exchange for that kinda knowledge? There's no reason he can't write himself a few memos for later, right? ...It could also be poison. Like... this is shady lookin' stuff, and he doesn't even know this guy... still, that's never stopped Ryn from drinking anything before.
"Fuck it."
He pops it open, and chugs the contents.
The tingly, metallic taste sticks in his throat as he sets the empty bottle back down on the table with a click. Ryn blinks a couple of times... then is stuck by a wave of vertigo and nausea that's enough to have him reeling, clutching his head in his hands. Maybe it was poison. Maybe he's dying. That'd be right. An on-brand way to go, at least. Shit, shit...
...And the feelings gone as soon as it came.
Ah. He's fine. Ryn's hands inch back down to his sides, and after a moment, he looks up.
"...Huh."
Looking at Autumn suddenly feels a bit like looking at... a coffee-table book? Ryn can imagine running a hand over it, almost; he mentally flicks though its glossy pages, catching flashes of memories. Autumn out walking on a cool, foggy morning, taking in the view of a mirror-still lake; the mellow rot of fallen leaves; the weight of textbooks in his bag; god, so may words-- technical-sounding shit Ryn doesn't care to make heads or tails of; Autumn cosying up by a fireside, curled around a hot cocoa; Autumn on a restful night, following as the world outside goes to sleep...
...Well. He doesn't really know what else he expected.
"Have you, uh... got a pen?"
--
Ryn eyes the bottle. He reaches out to it slowly, it illuminates his fingers like firelight... then he draws back before he touches it, giving a wry smile.
"...Yeah, as cool as havin' a few more arms would be, I've got enough painful party tricks to keep me happy already. You keep it."
He sends the bottle rolling back over to its owner with a sharp flick.
--
"Heh, your turn."
Ryn slips a tiny, cylindrical vial out of his coat pocket, and slides it across the table under his palm before revealing it with a flourish. Green-tinted glass houses a few drops worth of opaque, black liquid.
"Drink this and you'll instantly turn into a snake for a couple of hours. Like, a literal snake. Dunno what kind, dunno if you get to keep your mental faculties. You just get to be a snake for a bit, and afterwards, it's straight back to your old self. No catch."
He makes a bit of a face, "...don't ask me where I got this stuff."
He leans back in his chair, stretching a bit, "Mm, anyway, what'd you reckon? Down for a little slithering?"