An Alchemic mess!

The disaster!

          Masamune was humming in the huge almost-empty kitchen. Azuchi castle had opened its gates to host the yearly peace council this time. The Takeda-Uesugi alliance, the Oda army, the independent forces of Ikko-Ikki monks and the pirates had arrived several days ago. Despite this being a week of tension and intense preparation, he was happy. His secret trader from Damascus had arrived three months ago, after eons of waiting. And he had presented Masamune with a very unique gift. A gift costing a fortune.

          A small wooden chest was saved from certain doom and a watery grave at the last minute. It was fished out of the sinking gutted belly of a Tunisian ship hit by the blue Aegean waters of the Mediterranean by passing fishermen. But this chest was not just a safe-keeping. It started creating problems to the people that took hold of it! They would often behave in ways unbecoming of them or like they imitated others! Experienced healers, researchers and magicians of the lands were summoned. The box was opened and its contents examined thoroughly. There was no doubt about it! The box contained a stone and several pages from Necronomicon, a book that was rumored to belong to crazy scientist Abdul Alhazred, also known as Book of the Dead or Kitab al-Azif. A dangerous book!

          What Masamune ended up owning was a stone found inside the box, along with two pages explaining its use. The pages were torn from that alchemist's spell book! If handled correctly, the broth prepared from the stone could allow two people to temporarily swap two of their personality traits with each other. The stone needed to be boiled in sacrificial blood over the full moon in an open fire and be allowed to absorb the moon's beams for no less than 7 nights. Then, a broth was cooked by gathered spices, sea water and stone chips.

          In Masamnune's pages, it was clear that when two sets of lips drank from the cup with the potion, their most dominant traits would swap between the people taking a sip. A lot could go wrong, but Masamune had to try for science's sake and for getting back at Mitsuhide that poured sake into his spicy soup at the last banquet. Masamune ended up confessing his love to Nobunaga's mare that night and then sleeping in Shogetsu's den! So, he followed each step with blinding devotion and completed his potion merely minutes ago!

          Mitsunari was obliviously reading a book next to him, an unwilling victim to Masamune's revenge! He thought how funny it would be if Mitsuhide's tongue got caught up by shame and inexperience, while Mitsunari would roam about the castle being sarcastic and witty for a change! He left the big steaming pot next to Mitsunari, who paid no attention to his surroundings when reading, and went to fetch Mitsuhide. Mitsunari absent-mindedly took a big sip and frowned. This was a very salty and spicy tea indeed!

          "Oh dear me, dear me! This must be lord Ieyasu's tea! I better go tell him it is getting cold!" he said, as he started walking towards Ieyasu's infirmary. As he was walking out of the kitchen, Shingen walked in and immediately went for the weird-smelling steaming dark red liquid. He had just eaten a whole plate of sweet buns and was thirsty.

          "This must be Yuki's calming concoction, the one he promised to make me this fine morning. Mmm." He sat down by the counter and took a huge sip. Then, he nearly spat the nasty-tasting liquid out, coughing and cussing. "What in all the maidens' gorgeous spread legs is this vile poison? Yukiiii, naughty boy, are you trying to poison m-"

          Shingen never finished his sentence. He felt momentarily dizzy and lost his surroundings to nothingness, hearing a faint buzz. The same thing happened to Mitsunari, as he was walking in Azuchi's corridors. Both took a deep breath, shook it off and carried on with their intended schedule. The potion erased its existence from their memory as it took effect, choosing wisely.

          Shingen started walking outside the kitchen holding the cup without meaning to, but passed it on to Kenshin, who was scowling by an open atrium to the garden, pissed off that no one wanted to play death match with him. Kenshin took it and sipped it almost automatically, thinking it was sake. His heterochromatic eyes shot wide open! He retched and set it at a table nearby, threatening to behead the maker of this bloody stench if he ever dared appear! Yoshimoto took hold of the cup, mostly admiring the strange engravings he thought he saw arise from the steam. Taking a small, elegant sip and setting it down as he wiped his gorgeous mouth with his silken handkerchief, he felt nauseous immediately! A sharp pain shot through his head as he stood up.