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Water And Vinegar (Blink)

Started by Eckhart_Von_Musel, May 23, 2017, 04:52:25 AM

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Eckhart_Von_Musel

Just as Eckhart expected, all Belladonna had done was make Kaida angry- almost unnaturally so. "What were you thinking! She's a dragon! A dragon! She's more than capable of killing us!"

"But, um, I..." Eckhart stammered. "I can't put her in a shepherds pie! Shepherds don't herd cats!" Giving Kaida a sympathetic look, he'd try to calm her down. "Look, why don't we just keep moving? I can see the market stalls from-"

Belladonna laughed gleefully, cutting Eckhart off. "Woo! I haven't had that much fun since Vanya and I figured out how to cast silencing wards on people!" Jumping back onto Eckhart's bag, she purred loudly. "Tuna Fish lets me climb him. He smells nice too- unlike you, flower child."

Eckhart went red in the face. "Bella, shut uuuuup." he whined. "You're gonna get us killed!" He hurriedly began walking towards the market stalls, looking out for the ingredients he'd need to get. "Come on, lets just get the food and pretend this never happened."

Blink

Internally she was laughing that Eckhart took her so seriously about putting the cat into the pie. Clearly, Kaida would never eat a cat... at least she never planned on it. Even she was happy he turned the conversation towards moving in the direction of the stalls. Maybe, just maybe, she could find someone willing to buy a magic cat. She would give them a good deal of course. "I'll show you flower child you stupid feline. Probably trade you in for some actually"

The wheels were already turning on how to get rid of this horrible beast.

"Tuna fish?"

As she walked she looked over her shoulder at Eckhart, hoping he would explain this one to her. "Why does it call you tuna fish?" Blinking she looked him up and down as if she had missed him having scales or a tale or something.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Oh, um, well..." began Eckhart, a bit thrown off by Kaida's sudden question. "My jacket, it belonged to a fisherman before I got it, like, ten years ago." He scratched his head. "I guess the smell never washed out of it or something?"

"Nope!" Belladonna chimed in. "It smells amazing."

"I can't smell it anymore." Eckhart continued. "A lot of people have pressured me to get rid of it over the years, but it's a perfectly good coat y'know? It's warm, big enough to be used as a blanket, and and it was only twenty bits!" He beamed at Kaida. "If I were to buy a new one, it'd probably cost seventy bits, and I don't have that kind of money."

Suddenly Eckhart saw the stall he was looking for. Various cuts of meat were laid out on the counter for display, all of it fresh. Eckhart's mouth watered- he'd never had enough money to afford high quality meat like the stuff being sold here. He turned to Kaida.

"What kind do you want? The recipe normally uses mutton, but I could easily swap it out for beef or venison if you wanted."

Blink

"Practical I guess"

Even Kaida could see that sometimes you have to make the best out of a situation. She wouldn't judge him for his jacket as he may have thought. He had no money despite the fact his sister was living it up in Zannaric, perhaps she should keep that bit to herself.

As they approached the stall of meat Kaida's stomach churned in the most unpleasant way. Turning away from the stall she placed a hand over her lips as if she may vomit. "I don't care just pick one and get on with it." She couldn't bring herself to turn back around and look at the meat and so started walked towards another stall.

Nothing really caught her complete attention as she walked along the line of stalls, her eyes peering in and skimming each and every single one of them. She had hoped that while she strolled alone Eckhart would finish up getting whatever it was he needed for the pie he was going to make.

Kaida did though stop at one stall and purchase something...

Eventually, she made her way back towards the feral beast and Cranberry with an almost smile on her face. "I found something useful" Kaida then patted a package she held at her side but did not reveal what it was.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

With Kaida seemingly sickened by the sight of the raw meat, Eckhart was left alone to purchase the ingredients. He ended up settling on mutton- it was what the recipe called for, after all. He then purchased an onion, three large potatoes, two carrots, and some corn. "I already have the salt, pepper, and broth in my bag, so all I need now is a dish!" he told Belladonna excitedly as he put the ingredients in his backpack. "This is going to be awesome!"

"Why are you cooking for her again?" the cat asked. "She doesn't strike me as the type who likes human food."

Eckhart paused at this. "I'm... not actually sure." he confessed. "She asked me to? It was all a blur." He scratched the back of his head. "I suppose it's better than her trying to kill me again."

"Why did she try to kill you the first time again?"

Eckhart paused again. "... I have no idea."

Belladonna scoffed. "Sounds like a complicated broad. You seem to attract the crazies, you know that?"

Eckhart went red in the face. "Let's not talk about that."

It was then that Kaida reappeared with a small parcel at her side. "Oh, um, hey!" Eckhart said. "I only have one thing left to get." He eyed the package with interest. "I don't suppose that's a casserole dish?"

Blink

When Eckhart pointed out the package held at her side Kaida jerked her head to the side, keeping her gaze from his.

"No... no it's not."

She didn't really have anything else to say about it and honestly didn't want to leave the conversation hanging like that.

"Let's go get a casserole dish then."

And then Kaida reverted back to her normal self as she eyed the cat next. "I see the thing is still with us."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Did you think that I was leaving?" Belladonna said snidely as Eckhart began to make his way to the glassblowers stall. "Eckhart is my human now, so he stays with me." She gave the dragon a look. "Did you want some alone time with him?"

"Oh, knock it off Bella." Eckhart grumbled. "Could you at least try to be nice? Please?"

"No."

Eckhart sighed as he purchased the rectangular dish. "Sweet Ansgar, this is getting ridiculous. At least Kaida seems to be taking it in stride now." After paying the man, he turned back to Kaida. "Okay, that's everything! Now we just need to find someplace with a wood stove we can use!"

Eckhart's cheeks flushed a bit, and he looked at his feet so as not to meet the dragon's gaze. "Thank you for lending me the money. I... I really appreciate it. I don't have much, my family never has." He looked up, but he found himself unable to look Kaida in the eyes- so he looked at her nose instead. "It really, um, means something to me. I promise that when I have the money, I'll pay you back, okay?"

Blink

Feeling slightly more entitled than the feline Kaida only lifted her nose in the air. She wasn't going to give it the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her even if we all know it did.

Her snide attitude though quickly crumbled when Eckhart turned bashful. The very reaction caused her to stop in her tracks as she was confused. Was someone thankful.... to her? This surely was something new for the young dragon. Never had someone thanked her for anything... ever.

When he mentioned paying her back one day with money though the wheels began turning in her mind. It caused her way of thinking to revert back to the very first day she met him. "How about instead you can just owe me a favor." This favor, of course, being that when he realized his true potential that he would join the ranks of her future plan.

Despite how much good or bad she did Kaida would always carry the same plan in mind. Special beings deserved to be recognized and so she would forever seek them out. She would lead them on the path they were meant to stride down instead of living in fear or confusion. And then, when she brought them all together she would make sure they showed the world how truly 'special' they were.


Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart's eyes widened. "She... really doesn't want the money back? Just a favor?" He nodded hurriedly. "Yes! That sounds great!" He gave the dragon a genuine smile. "Thank you!"

"Y'know, maybe she's not terrible." Eckhart thought. "She seems to understand my money situation at least."

Eckhart remembered passing an inn that had a communal kitchen, so he led Kaida there. Upon reaching it however, he realized it was packed. He turned to Kaida with a disappointed look on his face. "I think we'll need to wait. Hopefully the meat won't have gone bad by the time it's our turn."

Blink

As they walked down the street towards the inn Kaida couldn't help but eye the cat in disgust. She would never understand why people kept such menial company. First her brother with that mutt and her clone and now Cranberry with this fuzzball. Before she knew it Jaela would be towing around some horrible creature.

"What is this world coming to?" she sighed to herself, barely audible for anyone to hear but herself.

When they arrived where Eckhart was leading them Kaida's frustration only worsened when she saw the line. "Have you not been paying attention Cranberry? I wait for no one.."

Kaida's mouth then curled into a sinister smile as her crimson eyes scanned the crowd. "Plug your ears."

From her small frame, a growl then escaped her throat and almost immediately the line of people were grasping at their stomachs. It really was quite simple making someone feel sick with a bit of vertigo. In a matter of minutes, the crowd had cleared, the lot of them probably rushing to the nearest outhouse or bush to upchuck their meals.

"Seems like it's our turn now."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart's eyes widened as he lifted his hands to his ears. "Kaida, why can't we just-"

Kaida interrupted him with a low growl. People in the crowd began to get dizzy and fall over, and many of them ran away clutching their stomachs. "...wait our turn." Eckhart finished, feeling dejected.

Eckhart heard Belladonna laugh from behind him. "Ha! You need to keep this girl around, Tuna Fish! She's hilarious!"

Eckhart craned his neck to look at the cat on his shoulder. "Wait, I didn't clog your ears. How are you-"

"Oh yeah, I can use any spells you know. That's part of being bound." She scratched her ear. "I never told you that?"

"You haven't told me a lot of things." Eckhart muttered. Sighing, he walked through the doors of the inn. "Come on, before somebody realizes we were the ones who did this."

Blink

Kaida followed Eckhart inside with a wide smile on her face. She really was feeling quite accomplished with all the problems she had managed to solve throughout the day. First, there were the horses and now this.

"You worry too much." She chimed in as she jumped up to take a seat on the counter. "You really have to learn to let loose. Use your abilities to your advantage and make your life easier. Everyone does it."

It was her own way of justifying her actions. Take a step or be stepped on... or at least that was what Emelia had always told her.

Kaida then eyed the cat who unfortunately was still tagging along. "Pets aren't allowed in kitchens... SCRAM."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

As Belladonna scampered off, Eckhart looked at Kaida in confusion. "Let loose?" He took the ingredients out of his bag and set them on the counter next to where the dragon was sitting. Taking out his scalpel, he began to peel the potatoes. "I'm, uh, not sure I can." he admitted. "I know I'm not the most fun person to be around. You're not the first person to tell me."

"I'm not sure why I'm telling her this.' Eckhart thought to himself. "Although I got to admit, she is really easy to talk to."

Echart laughed quietly as finished peeling the first potato and began working on the second one. "You should've seen how my sister treated me. She'd call me on it all the time." He picked up the last potato. "Although I think she just liked putting me down, y'know?"

He looked up at Kaida. "What's your sister like? Like, I get she's evil, but when she's not doing that world exploding whatever. Is she as bad as mine can get?"


Blink

So they were going to talk about sisters now.... lovely.

Taking in a large breath Kaida prepared to unleash the story that was Emelia Black-Hearth on him.

"If I ever showed more attention to any of my other siblings they usually got in trouble in some messed up sort of way. Emelia was possessive over me, which as a child I did not mind. I could literally do anything I wanted with no repercussions."

Kaida smiled, self-reflecting a bit now on why she was the way she was. "I didn't really know what the word 'no' meant."

"However, as I got older and began acting on my own I noticed how much Emelia thought she had her claws in me. If I ever had one on one time with Aeizith she would always appear. Or if she got wind of me having a heart-to-heart with any of my siblings without her I was suddenly betraying her."

Kaida then paused as she eyed the potatoes he was peeling. ".. then there was the food."

Immediately her face twisted as if she were going to vomit. "I didn't realize it when I was younger, but looking back now I noticed how she was always pushing me to eat... people. Like I think she got some kind of rise out of it."

Kaida then visually gagged as her complexion fell even more pale than normal. "Now every time I eat I think that somehow someone is getting off on it."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Putting down the peeled potato, Eckhart stared at Kaida with wide eyes. "Holy shit, that's fucked up." he said after a few moments. "And this person is still out there somewhere?"

"Wait, does this mean she doesn't eat people anymore?" Eckhart thought. His shoulders- which had been tense all morning- began to relax. "I feel for you. I'm not sure how I'd deal with a person like that in my life." he said as he filled a pot with water and began to boil the potatoes. He began to use his scalpel to chop the onion next, trying his hardest to ignore the fumes.

"Hildegarde wasn't quite as bad, though she had her moments. You know how some people are, like, born lucky? That was her." Finally finishing with the onion, Eckhart wiped the tears out of his eyes and got to work chopping the carrots. "Her powers made her the pride of our family, and she really enjoyed pointing out that I was nowhere near her level. Every day there was something." He began to speak in a passable imitation of his older sister. "Eckhart, you can't mend broken bones yet? That's like a seal who doesn't know how to swim!"

"And you still can't mend them." a small voice in his head reminded him.

Eckhart smiled meekly. "I mean, she's not wrong about me, I've always been a bit of a joke. I'm not even sure why I'm trying anymore." He finished cutting the carrots and turned to look at the dragon. "Do you want corn, or no corn? Not everybody likes it in shepherds pie."

Blink

When Eckhart mentioned those who are born lucky all Kaida could think of was her own sister. Even now she was 'lucky', getting to live despite the wrongs she had placed on the world.

"I don't think Hildegarde quite knows what you can really do Cranberry." Kaida then reached down and picked up a piece of the potato Eckhart had discarded and immediately regretted it. Unbeknownst to him, she spit it back out and then flicked it across the kitchen. "I'm going to die eating this... I know it already."

"Don't cut yourself off from the world just because you think you're not good enough. Take it from someone who knows. If you are constantly comparing yourself to your siblings then you will get nowhere on your own. I mean... look at me! Electi with his emotional bullshit, Emelia with her power trips, Eira with her little garden and Aeizith with his ice. All of my siblings did something different and never once did I think I was inferior to them."

"I may not be able to suck someone into a void or freeze them solid into a human popsicle but I can do great things all on my own. And that is exactly what you have to do.... make those abilities of yours your own."

It may have sounded like Kaida was giving some kind of inspirational speech, and maybe she was a little bit, but there was more behind it. She was pushing him towards something. Something that only he could discover if he looked hard enough.

"No corn please"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Upon hearing Kaida's motivational speech, Eckhart's face turned a deep shade of red. "Th-thank you for believing in me." He said quietly. "It means something."

Abruptly Eckhart looked up from the counter. "Wait. Eira is your sister?"

Blink

Here she was, laying out this wonderful inspirational speech for Eckhart and all he could focus on was Eira. Immediately Kaida's expression reflected the pure disdain on what had just happened.

"You and every other boy in the world..." Kaida presuming Eckhart had a small crush on her older sister now.

"Yes, Eira Black-Hearth is my sister. You know... the delicate and fragile girl with locks of flowy hair." Kaida ran her own hands through her hair as she began to mock how she saw Eira. She even shifted her voice into a higher pitch to insult her further. "Oh no, Kaida! Don't hurt humans... I want to study them because secretly I wish I were one."

And if Eckhart didn't laugh... it didn't matter. Because by the end of it Kaida had amused herself plenty enough to be caught in an inescapable fit of laughter.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

As he put the chopped onions and carrots in a pan, Eckhart's mind flooded with memories of the girl he had met in the woods a few months ago. Some of the stranger aspects of the encounter made sense now that he knew who she actually was. "Randomly cutting yourself is totally a Black-Hearth thing." Eckhart decided. "I could easily see Kaida doing that too."  He put the pan on top of the wood stove- which was conveniently already lit- and then leaned against the counter as he let the vegetables cook.

Eckhart's eyes widened as the dragon began to mock her sister. He shook his head. "Kaida, I agree with you that your sister is kinda weird but... why would you want to hurt humans? What makes you think that's okay?"

Blink

The fit of laughter was short lived as Eckhart's question had killed that mood. It seemed as though he was looking for conversation of a more serious variety and so Kaida happily obliged. Her demeanor changed in an instant from the laughing girl to someone who was more than annoyed but enraged by a single thought.

"Why would humans want to hurt dragons? What makes them think that's okay? What makes humans think they are so high and mighty that they can strap a saddle to our backs and ride us like horses? What makes humans think it is okay to wage wars against other creatures simply because we are different?"

She didn't mean to seem so harsh when she said it but Eckhart had just uncovered the very basis of Kaida's ideals. This was why she hated humans on most days because they were so incredibly stupid. Well most of them were anyways...

"So why not torture the ones that would do the same to me if they could? Why not kill those who would see my head hanging on their wall as a prize? It's self-preservation Eckhart and the sooner you realize how ugly this world really is the better off you will be."

"I am not afraid or ashamed of what I am. I am a dragon that would kill a human in an instant if it meant I could put at least a small dent into the deluded fantasies carried about my kind. Would you?"

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