Eikona's lab is on the southern side of the covenant. It consists of a large room with windows and a fireplace. Here she has hung her mirrors all over the walls. To a casual observer, this seems to be it.
Only if you go inside the fireplace, which is just under 4 feet high, you see that a short passage leads on to a small door with the sanctum marker.
Behind that door, there is a miniature standard lab, too small for most magi to use comfortably, but just the right size for Eikona and Renardine.
Free virtue: Studio: +3 Aesthetics
Free flaw: Disguised: -1 Aesthetics
Minor flaw (replaces basic): Diminuitive: no consequences unless someone enters the lab who isn't supposed to
Total: +2 Aesthetics (adds to her Artistic talent reputation, but is not enough to change it to the next level)
Don't know if you're still leaning this way, but this could be a good fit for Perion. I'm imagining your companion helping Perion get to all sorts of remote and dangerous magical locations, as well as helping him keep an eye on things going on around the valley.
Away from the books un til Monday or Tuesday, but I might create someone. Do you want the companion to be socially competent (otherwise it could be some sort of major fairie blooded being). The socially competent version would probably be a shapeshifter.
Bit of a busy week on my end, but I think this is best left to your preference. I think it would be interesting to see what you come up with for a "guide" kind of character, and then figuring out why Perion might end up seeking them out or running across them. Socially competent sounds like a good fit for Perion given his Blatant Gift. Socially "competent" for Perion might as well just be any normal person almost, so it also gives you a pretty broad range to work with.
Idea for story in 1207: Eikona left Constantinople, but maybe Constantinople didn't let go of Eikona? I was thinking of her being summoned back for the Tribunal, either as: