(A/N: I know, I know. I should be figuring out part 2 of Duly Noted. But head canon of Zhalia picking up a lot of science and being really good at it from her time living in a literal mad scientist lair is one of my favorites. Biology, chemistry, biotech, regular tech, hacking, ect. Reading medical journals disguised as magazines, trying to map out the Seeker genome to figure out how some people are genetically predisposed to being able to use Seeker magic and taking apart the TV because 'Need it, world depends on it, look I made you guys a toy car you can drive with your brain, stop looking at me like that' or some such. Just little hobbies, ya know?

Plus, Dante having the nagging fear that Zhalia will put another bomb in either his closet or her own is personally a favorite funny head canon for me. So please enjoy!

PS…prepare for some science. Don't try any of this at home. This particular info came from my very strange chem professor back in high school who relayed it to us through an anecdote where everything did NOT go as planned and as such should not be taken for fact or reliable. He showed us the burns to prove it.)

Wednesdays were early days for Den and Harrison's level at the Venice Academy. Usually they would walk home with Zhalia, drop off their bags and pop over to Dante's for lunch before getting started on their homework with Cherit until Lok and Sophie got back. Once homework was finished it was Seeker training and fun until dinner.

Not today though.

Because on Tuesday, a particular blue haired guardian got a phone call about a particular set of fraternal twins having bad chemistry grades.

So instead of eating some of Dante's famous sandwiches and looking forward to learning how to use a combined Touchram from Zhalia and the Foundation's Finest, they were at Zhalia's apartment.

Doing stoichiometry.

"This sucks." Harrison muttered to his brother from the side of his mouth. "She's taking this too seriously."

Den glanced over. "She's got us under guard, man. Of course she's taking it too seriously."

Both brothers jumped in their seats when Gareon, in his non-powerbonded form, leapt from where he was coiled up on the table between them and let out a hair-raising hiss.

Zhalia's voice rang from deeper within the apartment. "If it's not related to chemistry, shut up!"

In a sudden explosion of movement Den shot up from his chair and threw his pencil up along with his hands. "Oh come on! Zhalia, we aren't ever going to use this stuff! We're Seekers! Chemistry is for the regular kids who have to go to regular jobs like being a pharmacist or an engineer or a college dropout!"

In a flash Zhalia was at the table, arms crossed and an annoyed frown on her face. "Seriously?"

Harrison shrugged. "I mean, he's got a point, Zee. We're going to be using stuff like history and anthropology more than chem. We don't really need to understand stoichiometry."

"I use stoich every other week." Pushing past the boys, Zhalia began gathering up their papers and shoving them into their bags. Gareon croaked and disappeared into his amulet, casting green light around the little room. "Grab your stuff. We're going to Dante's."

Den pumped his fist in the air, snatching up his backpack. "Yes! Real food! No more stupid chemistry!"

"I never said you were getting out of learning chemistry." Zhalia snapped as she slipped on her jacket and handed Harrison his bag.

"Then what are we doing?" Harrison asked warily. From his time working with Zhalia in the Blood Spiral, he knew that she had some…different teaching methods when it came to certain things.

Zhalia paused at the door to kick one of the panels that lined the wall. It slid aside with a faint hiss to reveal a large rolling metal suitcase with multiple latches and locks. "I'm going to show you how I learned chemistry." The twins shared mildly alarmed glances as their guardian grabbed the case and stepped outside.

Then Harrison shrugged and said, "At least it won't be boring."

"…Yeah, and Dante's house has cookies. Win-win, I guess."

"Hurry up!"

"Hey, guys!" Lok waved cheerily at the figures in the courtyard. "I thought you were doing chemistry!"

"And what exactly…are you doing now?" Sophie asked hesitantly. Who wouldn't be a little trepidatious at the scene before them?

The three street kids– well, at this point you could count Zhalia as a kid considering the giddy excitement displayed only by the wild smirk on her face– looked up in unison. Crouched around an empty beaker that rested on a tripod above a hovering Boltflare, they looked almost tribal. Adding to effect were their goggles, which had red tinted secondary lenses swung out to the side to reveal the inner clear primary lens like the glass feathers of some strange bird.

"We're still doing chemistry."

"None of your business. Don't ask questions, Princess."

"Whatever it is, it's getting me out of homework."

Lok and Sophie exchanged glances.

"Well…okay then." Sophie edged away from the trio. "If you need us we'll be inside…working."

Zhalia sat back on her heels and reached into the metal case that lay open behind her. "Yeah, yeah. Scram, you two. This is straatkind business."

Only once the two teens had disappeared into Dante's house did Zhalia start pulling reagents from the box. "Okay, just between the three of us, Dante isn't exactly keen on me doing this kind of thing. So this is our little secret, yeah?"

"Are we making a bomb?" Den asked bluntly.

"No. We're making part of a bomb." The elder twin's shoulders slumped, apparently in disappointment. "But only because this is how I learned stoichiometry. I'm supposed to stop doing this kind of stuff, part of the whole 'let's be good guys now' thing."

Harrison frowned. "Who would teach you stoich by making bomb parts?"

"Long story. He was a mad scientist. And now I teach this way, apparently." Zhalia shrugged and set her two reagents down. "Okay, get your paper out. This here is sodium-free salt. What's table salt usually made of, elements wise?"

Den looked up from his notes. "Sodium and chlorine?"

"Yeah, that's right. Plus a little added iodine so we get a proper source of that but that's not the point. Anyway, this is sodium free. Instead of NaCl, sodium free salt is made of Potassium Chloride."

Zhalia hefted the bottle and set it beside the Seeker fueled Bunsen burner set up. "Harrison, what's the molar mass for Potassium Chloride?" After a little searching on his periodic table and a quick check of his calculator the thin boy arrived at 74.55 grams per mole. "Good! Write that down. Both of you.

"So with our potassium source all figured out all we need now is a source of nitrates." She lifted the second jar. "Which leads us to our little friend ammonium nitrate solution. Get the molar mass for this guy. You're going to have to use your table of common ions. Alright, nice." She set it down beside the other jar. "Now for the stoich."

Den groaned. "I knew you were going to make us do the math."

"Oh, shut up. I'm teaching you better than Klaus did. He'd make me test the ones I practiced on." Zhalia took off her jacket and tied back her hair. "So, this is a solution of 40 grams NH4NO3 in 100mL of water, but obviously this is more than just 100 mills. Meanwhile, this is solid KCl. What we're trying to get is a solution of water, ammonium chloride, and, wait for it, potassium nitrate.

"This will be a double replacement reaction. The chloride ions and the nitrate ions switch places. Write out the reaction equation. No, that one goes on the left side, it's what we start out with. There." The former spy rubbed her hands together, obviously pleased that her plan on getting the boys to both learn their chemistry and help her make secret bomb reagents was working. "Not bad, not bad. Alright. I want only a hundred grams of KNO3. We first have to figure out the limiting reagent for the reaction, and while we do that it will also tell us how much of each we need to make a hundred grams."

It was about three hours later that Zhalia came into the house, sweating from the Venice heat and the prolonged exposure to the heat of the Boltflare Bunsen burner. She bumped into Dante in the kitchen.

"Hey! Didn't expect you till later." The detective smiled, earning him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, well, the boys needed some hands on chem help and your place has a walled in area. Needed the privacy."

The term 'hands on' set off mild alarm bells in Dante's mind. "What kind of chemistry help?"

"Nothing special. Could I borrow some of that sugar?" Zhalia asked casually before she snaked an arm around her boyfriend, snatched up a handful, and darted outside faster than he could catch her about the waist.

Odd behavior was normal in Dante's house. When your girlfriend crawled into your window about as often as she used the door, your oldest friend in the house was a talking gargoyle that was from a time before memory and your protégés frequently required you to buy new dishware after magical accidents and pranks, you got used to odd.

But a certain chemically inclined someone yelling "Guys, I got the sucrose! Open the can, open the fucking can before he figures it out!" would always be a little disconcerting in Dante's mind.

Especially considering what happened to her last apartment.

"ZHALIA, WE AGREED NO MORE BOMBS IN THE CLOSETS!"

Coffee mug forgotten, the Foundation's Finest dashed from his kitchen to the door just in time to hear Den and Harrison utter "Boltflare!" at their guardian's urging and the quiet hiss of a very short fuse.

And the entire courtyard was blanketed in a thick white smoke.

Sophie looked up from her psychology notes when a white haze drifted in front of the window and raucous laughter reached her ears. "What on earth are they getting up to out there?"

Lok followed her gaze and had to hide his disappointment at being left out. "Looks like Zhalia taught them how to make smoke bombs."

"Oh." Dante's shadow flitted through the smoke, easily identifiable by his flapping trench coat. "Should we help him or something?"

Frowning, the Lambert boy leaned back in his chair, half attempted maths homework forgotten. "Nah. It's chemistry. Can't get in the way of that." He cracked a smile.

Sophie shook her head. "That was lame, Lok Lambert."

"Ah, you love me for it. Can't deny that…reaction!"

The Casterwill groaned and put her head down on the table, but couldn't hide the smile on her face.

(A/N: Also, a big "thank you!" to everyone who has read, reviewed, or done any type of stoichiometry in their life. But mostly to the readers and reviewers. You all are the best.)