Stickbug Campfire [Sunday Night]

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

Greg was there, and with him he had several packets and jars of various substances that looked like they might be unpleasant to eat or get in one's eye. They were labeled things like MgSO₄²⁻ and Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O.

He was also eating some marshmallows as he scorched them.

[Open, yay!]

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[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter laughed. "I think it says something about Fandom that I just took your claim to magic without question. Is it a certain kind of metal or something that changes the colour?"

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"Chemical compunds," he explained. He held up a bag of salt. "Even this, which is probably kind of familiar." He tossed a pinch into the fire, which sparked bright yellow. "Even table salt is a chemical compound that can do stuff like this. It's fun."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Looks like it," Peter said. "It's the fire that makes the colour? Or the salt melting?" He thought for a second. "Metal turns colour when it's heated. Is that related?"

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"It's more the act of sublimation - when the powder or salt or whatever hits the fire and reacts to become a gas, it creates the color because of the heat," Greg clarified. "But then you also have copper sulfate, which is part liquid metal, so part of that is the metal retaining the heat before reacting."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter nodded. "This is where I'm going to take your word for it, I think. I'm glad you're on our side."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"It makes for prettiness," Greg shrugged, flinging some copper sufate in and watching the blue flames.

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Works for me," Peter replied grinning. "May I try some?"

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"Sure," Greg said, smiling and offering a small bag of powder. "Strontium chloride. It'll make red flames."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter took a pinch and threw it into the flames. He watched with a grin as they turned red for an instant. "Oh, ace. That's brilliant."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"See? And it's great for dates," Greg advised. "I mean, if you have candles lying around or something. Girls love it. Or at leas the one girl I've tried that with did."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Peter said thoughtfully. "It sounds like a brilliant idea. Where do you find the chemical compounds?"

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"I order them online," Greg said. "But some of them are available in drugstores and stuff. Sodium chloride - the yellow one - is just table salt, and the white one is epsom salts."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"I'm going to try that at some point now," Peter said. "Though if Willow laughs at me, I may blame you." He added, laughing.