Jay was in the middle of putting the plates away when Ryn spoke.
"The last ingredient was in the fridge."
Jay froze.
Slowly, he turned around.
"…I'm sorry," he said. "Say that again?"
Ryn closed the icebox, then turned and stared at Jay dead in the eyes.
"The final ingredient for the Essence Condensing Pill. Ethereal Ice. It was in the cold storage."
There was a long pause.
Then Jay's face went blank.
"...What did it look like?" he asked carefully.
Ryn didn't look away.
"Clear," he said. "Perfectly smooth. Looked like ice."
Jay's breath caught.
"…How big?"
"Palm-sized. Maybe smaller."
Jay dropped the plate.
It didn't shatter, as he caught it last second, but the clatter echoed loudly enough to make his panic very real.
"I almost used it," Jay said hoarsely.
Ryn frowned. "What…?"
Jay dragged both hands through his hair, eyes wide, unfocused.
"I was reaching for it. You know…to cool the boiled eggs so we could peel it faster."
