"People find it difficult to connect with ice. Earth, air, fire, water, even metal and spirit are elements we can understand and feel close to." He stops, hand hovering above a bottle, head tilted while he thinks of how to explain. "Ice is… It's water, emotion, but frozen, still, dead."

"Not dead," Runa says suddenly. She flattens her dress and smiles gently between them both. "Not dead. Just… sleeping."

Viatorus shrugs and nods, bowing to Runa's experience. He's not going to debate with a woman whose country is so often so cold. "Sleeping then. Inactive. Most mages are passionate about their work and talents. It's hard not to have emotion intertwined with it."

With that explained, Viatorus looks back to the experiment thoughtfully. "It doesn't look like he's making a potion. The other things he's using wouldn't make any potion I've ever heard of… And the plant is magical. I don't know that a part of it is magical…" His hands come together and fidget. He looks from Adia to Runa and then to the experiment again. "Um, he… he studies magic. His research centres on using magic in its purest form. People say it's the most powerful magic in the history of magic… but it's mostly very good for casting more efficiently."