"You're welcome?" Kalchine gasps out, straining to breathe, let alone talk under the pressure of the hug.
"Perhaps we will be unlucky and you'll never need my magic again," he tries to joke.
Bulvi returned Maka's embrace. Saki must have been rubbing off on him, he was quite worried for Maka during that fight but his faith in her abilities had proven correct. "You are pretty handy with your fire yourself... if I wasn't so certain they'd taste quite foul I'd say we had dinner sorted."
"If we had the luxury of more time I'd say we could get some more cloaks to match mine... could be a group uniform of sorts." Bulvi shoved a few more of the yeti's off the porch.
"How are you finding your first alien world Kal? I swear they aren't all covered in snow."
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"But we won!? Maka said in confusion, adrenaline still coursing through her blood. "And you and Fin found some answers. This day wasn't so bad if you ask me. Could have been a lot worse.
"The last thing I was looking to do tonight was a totally useless fight against a bunch of nosy bigfoots. But yeah, I suppose things could have been worse, especially if you and Bull hadn't been noodling around with the Skeleton Guy."
"Why did the monk with a wooden leg join a new dojo? He believed in 'branching' out!" Maka was barely about to get her joke out before she burst into laughter.
Quasit shuts her eyes and groans, grinning widely all the while.
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"You're welcome?" Kalchine gasps out, straining to breathe, let alone talk under the pressure of the hug.
"Perhaps we will be unlucky and you'll never need my magic again," he tries to joke.
Quasit, knowing exactly what Kalchine is thinking, also finds herself musing at the prospect of a No Holds Barred Hug-Off between Maka and Chest Thumper.
Once Maka releases him, Quasit tosses a little snowball at him with a smirky wink.
"Perhaps we will be unlucky and you'll never need my magic again," he tries to joke.
"That would be horrible!" Maka replied with full seriousness.
if I wasn't so certain they'd taste quite foul I'd say we had dinner sorted."
"That's okay, Cluckers prefers bad meat."
"The last thing I was looking to do tonight was a totally useless fight against a bunch of nosy bigfoots. But yeah, I suppose things could have been worse, especially if you and Bull hadn't been noodling around with the Skeleton Guy."
"We got our noodling done right after dinner. We were waiting because Bull was worried about you two...three." Maka quietly corrected herself and hoped Selena didn't notice.
"We got our noodling done right after dinner. We were waiting because Bull was worried about you two...three." Maka quietly corrected herself and hoped Selena didn't notice.
"I heard that!" Selena says from just past the doorway, but it might of had a trace of amusement in her voice, or that could've been just one's imagination, hard to say.
"I heard that!" Selena says from just past the doorway, but it might of had a trace of amusement in her voice, or that could've been just one's imagination, hard to say.
"What!? I didn't say anything!" Maka poorly lied as she stepped behind Bulvi.
"I did try to draw their attacks to give you a chance to pull back Selena. But you know where and when to best use your magic. You know well the consequences and risks, you are the only one here who has ever died after all." Bulvi had the slightest curve to his lips as he responded dryly.
He looked behind himself at Maka "She doesn't make you nervous does she?"
Kalchine is surprised by the snowball. He looks over, ears up and small eyes wide.
But then he recognizes the mischievous look on Quasit's face and his ears lower to a more relaxed position. He gives a shrug and a sheepish grin.
Moving closer, he talks quietly to her, though not so quietly everyone couldn't chime in if they wanted to.
"Do you think that was something sent by our enemy or do you think that was just a random encounter?" he asks.
"Snow, war, other than the dependence on machines more than magic, my first alien world isn't much different from my first world," Kalchine answers Bulvi.
"Although...I can feel spring coming much faster here."
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"Do you think that was something sent by our enemy or do you think that was just a random encounter?" he asks.
"I don't know. But if I had to guess, I'd say it was just a random thing. If I was a bigfoot out hunting with my pals, and I saw a giant hut with chicken legs, I'd probably come over and gawp at it too. They certainly weren't expecting us to teleport in on top of them. And I think if Rasputin knew where to find us and the hut, he'd just send more soldiers. He seems to have hundreds at his disposal."
"Either way, they won't be bringing tales of us back to wherever they came from."
He looked behind himself at Maka "She doesn't make you nervous does she?"
"Of course she does! She's mean and she turns people into frogs!" Maka whispered back.
"Of course she does! She's mean and she turns people into frogs!" Maka whispered back.
"Maka you know we joke about her turning people into frogs but I don't think we've ever seen her do it." His eye turn towards Selena. "That wasn't an invitation, I have seen you perform many magical spells that are equally impressive."
"She is a very serious person and wouldn't squander such magical power in a short sighted moment off annoyance." He reached his hand behind himself to take Maka's reassuringly. "Besides she knows there would be consequences and you can rest assured I'd keep you safe no matter how slimy until I could have the magic dispelled right?"
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Sakitu holds back while Kalchine applies healing to Fin. She is getting used to seeing him get injured in battle. She still doesn't like it but it doesn't bring the rush of panic and anxiety that it used to.
As soon as it looks like Kalchine is done, she goes to Fin and wraps him in a strung hug. "I'm so glad that you're ok. I would tell you not to keep going out and putting yourself in danger but that would be pointless."
She yawns and listens to the others chatter about what had just happened and about wooden legs.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I want to get back to sleep. I'm sure Fin does too." She squeezes his arm and tugs it slightly. She pulls him towards the fireplace passage that leads back to the room where they were sleeping earlier.
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As soon as it looks like Kalchine is done, she goes to Fin and wraps him in a strung hug. "I'm so glad that you're ok. I would tell you not to keep going out and putting yourself in danger but that would be pointless."
Fin smiles fondly at Saki as he returns the hug. ”Sorry, Hlao-roo, archers make for easy targets up close; but we only had enough time to react as we blinked back right among them…
“Could be wrong…but I kinda think these yeti were sent to watch the hut. Rasputin knows enough about the hut to know we can only exit and enter from here so what better place to ambush us…”
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I want to get back to sleep. I'm sure Fin does too." She squeezes his arm and tugs it slightly. She pulls him towards the fireplace passage that leads back to the room where they were sleeping earlier.
Fin arches an eyebrow, his grin growing wider. ”Aye, I could go for a couple more hours sleep after our recon…”
He lets Sakitu pull him back to where they were sleeping. He disrobes down to his underclothes and lies down next to her, spooning her, putting his arm around her and stroking her hair softly as she falls asleep…
Maka wrapped her arms about Bulvi. "You'd still love me if I was slimy though right?" She said with a toothy grin.
"Yes but I think you would want me to exact revenge... or get you back to normal, preferably both but at least one." He took Maka's hand and kissed the back of it reassuringly. "That's not an invitation for you to jet through an ooze and try to hug me afterwards to be clear."
"Mmmmm no. It's more important that you love me. If I'm a frog, I'm a frog. One of my dad's disciples is a talking frog, and he can kick like you wouldn't believe! Also, probably one of the best singer's I've ever heard. Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be so bad to be a frog. I don't know what I was even afraid of." Maka pulled Bulvi into a deep, rolling kiss.
"You hear that Selena, I don't even care if you turn me into a frog!" Maka shouted once she came up for air.
From the other room, and yet receding further, "What about a rabbit, or a spider, or perhaps a fat little grub? The possibilities are endless. I'm sure I can find something suitably terrible!" Definitely sounds playful like the idea is exciting.
"Oh yeah, like you could handle a fire breathing spider that can kick as good as me. Do you even hear yourself!?" Maka growled back, her irrational fear seemingly converted to irrational confidence.
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Sakitu snuggles into Fin and falls to sleep almost immediately. Strange images of walking rocks and exploding trees fill her dreams yet she is able to sleep soundly.
As Sakitu snuggles into him, Fin smiles contentedly. As she falls quickly back to sleep, he can hear her murmur lightly, and assumes she’s dreaming…while he wonders what she might be dreaming of, he drifts off, and soon dreams himself…and a disturbing one as well…
He is back in the forest of Kyonin, not long after they moved after his father’s death, gathering herbs with his mother, when they are ambushed by 4 goblins…warned by his faithful hound, Huan, Fin drops one goblin with his bow while Huan dispatches a couple. The remaining goblin rushes him before he can bring up his bow, so he ducks but gets grazed with the beast’s club, dazing him for a moment. It sneers at him drawing his dagger and starts to stab sown with it, when Huan, in a flash, come flying out of nowhere, his jaws locking on to the goblin’s throat, crushing its windpipe, killing it quickly; all the dazed Fin can do is breathe heavily before darkness takes him…
Fin is breathing heavily after dropping what he thought was the last Razmiran, on his knees, bleeding from a bolt in his right shoulder and a scimitar wound in his side. He turns to see the Razmiran patrol boat captain letting loose a bolt meant for him…too fatigued and wounded, he cannot move fast enough…but Keshia can and jumps in front of him catching the bolt in her left breast…Fin screams in agony as this vision too fades to black…
Both wounded, Fin and Bulvi are blockading the stairs, the zombies in a frenzy trying to reach them. Fin alternates between healing Bull and firing over him, fighting the clock as Quasit, Sakitu, Ibona, and Alexia are all out and perhaps dead or dying. As they finally dispatch the last undead, Fin swings down p from the stairs, reviving all but cannot reach Alexia in time as she bleeds out…another anguished yell and this too goes black…
He is struggling in the Maiden, in the grasp of that bastard satyr’s giant plant creature; heavily wounded and fighting though barely conscious, when the creature is slain, Fin falls into the murky pool. Seeing Kezhia pull him out of the pool, he thinks he must be dead…till he realizes it’s not Kezhia but Q…and then he’s out…
He is defending the Dragon Legion’s castle, when several evil dragonkin triple charge him, wounding him nearly to death…in shame, Fin has to tuck tail and withdraw…or he will die…
Rasputin glares at Fin. "I grow tired of your archery skills. Die."
A coldness washes over Fin and for a moment he cannot breathe…but he withstands it…not knowing what just happened Fin feels he has neve4 been this close to death before…
His near death visions end…but his father, ripped throat and all, along with Kezhia, bolt still in her breast, appear. They smile initially, then turn grim…
His father says, ”This Rasputin is powerful, my son…he can kill with but a word…”
Kezhia continues. ”Yes, my love…more deadly than anything that has come close to killing you…tread lightly, Uncle Fin…”
And then they too fade away…
Fin awakens in a sweat. Not wanting to wake Sakitu, he quietly moves to the next room, still in his skivvies. He nods to Bones, murmuring lightly, ”Bad dreams, Bones,” as he goes through his monk forms to clear his brain and ponders his dream…
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Maka stirred in the early morning hours, her internal clock signaling the arrival of dawn, although not entirely synchronized with the planet's star. She pressed a gentle kiss to Bulvi's forehead before disentangling herself from her lover.
Stretching with feline grace, Maka unleashed a yawn that resonated more like a mighty roar, marking the beginning of her morning ritual. With a practiced hand, she reached for a wooden comb, its fine teeth navigating through her raven locks with gentle precision, untangling any knots.
As the comb traced through her dark hair, Maka entered a silent meditation, each stroke a rhythmic dance mirroring the fluidity of fire. The soft sound of the comb gliding through her locks became a soothing melody, guiding her into a deeper meditative state.
In her customary routine, Maka infused herself with energy, the warmth flooding her body, enhancing her speed, stamina, and strength. She easily surpassed previous limits, a tangible testament to the progress made in her training and the trials of her journey. The additional energy brought about transformative changes, scaling patches of her skin expanding as her draconic features sharpened. Heat and light radiated from her hair, transforming from yellow and orange near the scalp to a deep red, with only the very tips retaining their original black hue, resembling whiffs of smoke atop the flames.
Having unraveled the last tangle, Maka shifted her focus to the intricate art of braiding. Her skilled fingers wove the strands into an elaborate pattern, and the flaming energy within her hair flickered in acknowledgment of the connection between the monk and her revered element.
With her fiery hair now restrained in a tight braid, Maka adorned herself in the traditional robes of her order. Running her fingers along the embroidered symbols of fire and the teachings of the monastery, she marveled at the surprisingly well-preserved condition of the garments, a result of numerous magical tailorings. As she secured the robe, Maka felt the familiar weight of responsibility and purpose settling upon her shoulders.
Exiting her quarters, Maka silently made her way to the outermost chamber of Clucker's current configuration. There, she discovered Finn, moving through his forms clad only in his small clothes. Taking a moment to appreciate the view, her burning eyes followed the graceful movements of Finn's back muscles. "Your form is good, worthy of any disciple of the Dragon's Eye Monastery." she remarked with a toothy grin.
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Quasit doesn't sleep well. Again. Her eyes are tired and her body fatigued and yet her mind dances in circles for hours on end, like the futile cycles of a fever, hung up and repeating stupid infuriating details. After 3 or 4 hours of this, she gives up trying, and stumbles back outside the Hut to sit on the porch and keep watch.
The stark piney wood smells pleasant but feels lonely. Few birds can be heard, no animals can be seen, and the sky is a bland overcast white where she can see it through the trees. The dead yetis lie nearby, swelling and putrefying slowly in the cold air, scarred with burns from Maka's terrifying flames, but incongruously covered now with a rime of morning frost.
Sitting there, alone on the porch, wrapped up in her magical cold weather gear, she finds that she can't even shiver miserably. She stares dully this way and that, but nothing interesting presents itself. For a while she picks at her nails, scouring out the dirt and paring them down to nubs.
And still her mind races. She does her best to not think about her father, and to not think about the disaster of the previous night, or any of the other countless horrors of the past weeks, but those thoughts chase her with insistent tenacity whenever she lets her guard down. Especially when sleep begins to creep closer to her -- then the unpleasant pall of sickening worry and throbbing guilt sink their claws into her thoughts and feelings, and then her mind is off again, like a hind pursued by dogs.
Before she's even aware of it, she's pulled off her coat and is drawing the point of her silver dagger along her pale forearm, leaving shallow lengthwise furrows of oozing bright blood. The pain helped somehow. It was real and immediate, and banished the galloping anxiety for a few moments. It didn't matter, it could be healed, her flesh had been punctured and slashed and bruised so many times and then healed again with magic -- injuries and pain now felt less serious and frightening. The memories of physical pain faded quickly, she found. Feeling them again in little ways was almost pleasant, like a comforting smell.
On an impulse, she touched her tongue to her bleeding arm and tasted her trickling exsanguination. A boring salty taste, but it reminded her she was hungry. Not painfully hungry, just another aching emptiness. She pulls up her shirt to reveal her soft, scarred belly and begins to trace the face of one of the yetis into her skin. It is clumsy and childish, but it occupies her attention for several minutes as tiny streams of blood run down to her waist. Again the sharp sting of the wounds in the cold air feels almost pleasant, and the dull throb from her now multiple wounds are like a chorus of sensations with an almost hypnotic appeal.
And then again, before she's even aware she's doing it, she's pressing the point of the dagger straight in, just over her belly button... a quarter inch... a half inch... a full inch...
Now the pain is stronger, no longer a sting but a screaming burning insistent feeling. Now the blood is pumping out, and it's no longer a pretty carmine red but a dark nasty stream. It was staining her trousers. She knew she should stop, but somehow she didn't want to. She could always heal it. Even if she plunged it all the way in, up to the hilt, piercing her bowels and making a tremendous mess of herself, all she had to do was pull out a potion and drink it.
And maybe she didn't even want to heal it.
She imagined that Pharasma was watching her now with cool indifference, but nonetheless watching. Would it be so bad, just crossing over? Escaping all this? At least she'd be able to sleep. The dirk slips in a bit further and now the bite was excruciating. She bit her lip and whimpered, tears of agony squeezed from her eyes. She held her breath and her belly muscles tightened about the foreign object, protesting the intrusion. At this point, she didn't really need to push anymore unless she wanted to make it quicker, and actually do it. Go all the way. Finish it.
And then abruptly she pulls the dagger out and scrambles into her pack for the healing potion and gulps it down. The wounds close quickly, leaving behind just the mess outside her skin. She pitches the flask and stands up, walks down to the ground and retrieves handfuls of snow, and washes away the worst of it. She finds herself looking at her right hand, the one that had held the dagger, looking at it like a foreign thing, some new insidious enemy. And a sudden realization comes to her of how close she'd come to the edge, and how sweet and enticing it had been.
Her hand comes to her mouth and she fights the urge to retch and she begins to tremble all over. She kicks a dead yeti three or four times, but gets little satisfaction from this, as the flesh was already half frozen and rock hard. She looks back up at the doorway to the awful Hut, suddenly worried that one of her friends would be watching her. How many more breakdowns could she have before their sympathy began to bleed into weariness with her emotional lability? How many more breakdowns could she have before her spirit was wounded beyond repair?
When would she be able to sleep again?
Feeling small and stupid and ridiculous now, she sits on a dead yeti and begins poking its dead face with a stick and loses herself in melancholy and self pity, haunted by the lingering wish to just maybe, possibly, throw off all this stress and worry and just not drink the potion next time.
Selena goes outside to fiddle with the rifles and pistols and test the best ones from the lot. Only to notice Quasit and even through her youthful detachment realized something was out of place with her.
"What's wrong with you? Pregnant or something?"
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There, she discovered Finn, moving through his forms clad only in his small clothes. Taking a moment to appreciate the view, her burning eyes followed the graceful movements of Finn's back muscles. "Your form is good, worthy of any disciple of the Dragon's Eye Monastery." she remarked with a toothy grin.
Immersed in his forms, Fin jumps a bit, turning quickly to face Maka, sweating and breathing heavily. With a sheepish smile, he shrugs as he answers, ”What can I say? I had an awesome teacher; she taught me everything I know…and then some…”
Immersed in his forms, Fin jumps a bit, turning quickly to face Maka, sweating and breathing heavily. With a sheepish smile, he shrugs as he answers, ”What can I say? I had an awesome teacher; she taught me everything I know…and then some…”
Maka waved her hand a Fin dismissively. "Bah, I barely taught you anything. You did all the hard work, I just helped you unlock the potential that was already there. ...actually yeah that does make me an awesome teacher!"
The bony guardian of the Hut's door seems indifferent to all the comings and goings, not deigning to look up from his card game as Fin, Quasit, Maka, and Selena move about.
"What's wrong with you? Pregnant or something?"Quasit gives a quick look back and hesitates for a moment, then looks back down at the yeti face she's poking.
"Yup. Totally pregnant. Me and this yeti here. Mind if we name Junior after you?" she sneers sarcastically.
Selena frowns, sets the weapons aside and sits on the step, "Okay, fuss up. What's the problem?" Selena does her best to sound like her mother.
"Only a fool, or an immortal fighter, would look forward to going back to that camp. But I still don't feel like that's the whole truth. There's something troubling you, something more than mere fear or anxiety. Even I can see that." Selena sits patiently, probably the most mature Quasit has seen her yet.
"Quasit, you are my responsibility. That means your unresolved problems are my problems. Letting problems fester is never a good thing. You are not by yourself, snd your problems are not yours alone to solve. Your failure to address such problems does not hurt you alone. They hurt me, they hurt everyone back home, and they hurt them." Selena gestures towards the hut, "This is why nobles are in charge, why nobles are the warriors, the leaders, the keystones to society. We bear the responsibilities beyond our own lives. You are doing a noble's job, and thus bearing the pressure the common folk should never have to. In doing so, you sacrifice the right to keep it to yourself. People depend on you now. It is selfish, and weak to face these problems alone. Especially when you were not born to bear them. So tell me what the issue is, so we can fix it before you crumble, destroying yourself and everyone else."
Selena raises her voice a bit, feeling a bit offended, "Who dies when you crumble in the enemy camp? Saki? Bulvi? Fin? Next time your weakness can very well cost them their lives and may even fail the entire reason we are here. Making every bit of suffering pointless. So get yourself sorted out. Now!" Selena finished with what was clearly a command. Then she picked up the guns and walked a bit away from the hut and laid them orderly on the ground and starting forming snow into targets.
Kalchine nods a greeting to Maka and Fin as he passes through the chamber where they are practicing. He pauses in front of the bone man, still not entirely comfortable with the apparition and not entirely sure of what his role there is.
He hurries through the door to the outside and the glorious spring that is so rapidly approaching only to pause again as he sees Quasit close and Selena in the distance.
"I didn't know we were taking watches," he says. "Or are we all waking up early on this world?"
He comes down off the porch into the snow, kneeling down to push his hand through it to rest on the barely frozen earth beneath.
He looks up at Selena and cocks his head, nodding to the fresh, though faint blood stains on her clothes and the drops that stain the snow, each one sunken just slightly where its heat melted the frozen water before freezing again.
He nods toward the stains on her clothes then towards Selena. "It's dangerous to fight internally. Words and deeds that don't have meaning in and of themselves can build on each other. It only takes a moment of spite to let the flow of battle take its course and instead of saving a comrade, you let them fall. And console yourself that it's not even your fault."
Clearly, he has misjudged what happened.
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As Selena finishes scolding her and then walks off, Quasit makes a point of not turning her head. But she looks sideways toward the back of the little witch and her eyes narrow. She breathes quickly as she fights to calm the adrenaline, then decides to go back inside before she does something rash.
"I didn't know we were taking watches," he says. "Or are we all waking up early on this world?"
Quasit stands up as she hears Kalchine's voice and she begins walking back toward the Hut.
"I couldn't sleep." says Quasit. "And to be honest, I don't even know what time it is."
She speaks casually but doesn't meet the druid's gaze as she walks past him and heads back inside.
She sits down by the coffin man. "You wanna deal?"
"Morning Kal! Be careful going outside, don't get too far from Cluckers." Maka called out to Kal with a wave. Though she had remained silent when Selena had gone by.
The monk was moving through her forms with Fin when Quasit headed inside and sat at the Coffin Man's table. "Morning Quasit! I didn't see you go outside...wait did you get any sleep?"
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Seeing Selena, then shortly after Kalchine leave to go outside, Fin nods to both arching an eyebrow, murmuring to Maka, ”Looks like no one is sleeping much tonight…”
When Quasit comes back inside, Fin’s brows furrow even further as he had no idea she had gone outside. Curious, he starts to say something…but then seeing her demeanor as she sits by Bones and tells him to deal, he thinks better of it and remains silent. When Maka speaks up, Fin figures he should probably leave, thinking she’d be better at talking things out with Quasit if there was a problem, knowing his limitations…
He nods to Maka and then retreats back to Sakitu, snuggling with her, pondering his dreams…
The Coffin Man laughs his dry, coughing laugh, sweeps up his cards, and starts shuffling. "Need a moment of distraction, so you come to me? I suppose I can't complain..."
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"Morning Quasit! I didn't see you go outside...wait did you get any sleep?"
"Not a wink. Too much on my mind, I guess. So I figured I'd keep watch for more Bigfoots and get some fresh air, but I got Selena instead." At this she glances back over her shoulder at Maka and blinks a double take.
"What happened to your hair?"
"Not a wink. Too much on my mind, I guess. So I figured I'd keep watch for more Bigfoots and get some fresh air, but I got Selena instead." At this she glances back over her shoulder at Maka and blinks a double take.
Maka ran through a rapid series of emotions: concern and protectiveness for Quasit, anger and suspicion towards Selena, and delight that someone had finally noticed her hair. "But you...did she...Oh, I'm storing a bunch more energy in my body, and it's coming out of my hair. Isn't it great!? The boys didn't even notice."
With pride beaming on her face, Maka turned her head from side to side to give Quasit a better view. In the process, she gained a better understanding of Quasit herself.
The pain in her face, the weight on her shoulders, the tears in her clothing, the dried blood hastily cleaned, the expert attempt to hide that her hands were shaking. "Hey...I'm sorry you had a rough night. You know you can always wake me up if you want company, or a cuddle, or to be put in a sleeper hold. Anytime, not just when I'm sleeping!"
Maka could tell that Quasit wanted to be alone. Maka knew she wouldn't be in any kind of social mood if her dad died. She certainly wouldn't want to be on some stupid witch quest on another winter world. And while Maka might appreciate a bunch of enemies to fight, she knew Quasit didn't. "Okay, you relax and play cards, I'll cook breakfast.
Becoming quite adept in the makeshift kitchen, Maka swiftly brewed a kettle of coffee and presented Quasit with a cup. Before long, she assembled a hearty spread of pancakes, pan-fried salt 'pork,' and a thick cereal porridge adorned with dried nuts and slices of strange fruit. Placing an abundance of food in front of Quasit, Maka left her friend to enjoy the meal in peace, except for occasionally hovering around and encouraging her to eat more.
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[But you...did she...Oh, I'm storing a bunch more energy in my body, and it's coming out of my hair. Isn't it great!? The boys didn't even notice."
"Yeah, I like the mix of orange and yellow and brown -- it sorta make you look like a calico cat."
"But... gosh Maka, is it safe to be, um, storing up so much energy that it's coming out your hair? That sounds dangerous. Are you gonna keep changing?"
"Hey...I'm sorry you had a rough night. You know you can always wake me up if you want company, or a cuddle, or to be put in a sleeper hold. Anytime, not just when I'm sleeping!"
Quasit looks down and nods uncomfortably. "Yeah, I know." she mumbles.
"Okay, you relax and play cards, I'll cook breakfast.
Quasit only plays cards for a few minutes, being unable to concentrate and making a lot of foolish mistakes, So she follows Maka to where the monk is cooking and stands beside her quietly, leaning a cheek against Maka's bicep, trying to osmotically absorb her optimism and determination.
As the scope of the meal dawns on her, Quasit becomes a little alarmed at the scale of eating that is apparently expected of her.
"Cripes Maka, where do you get all this food? I thought I packed pretty well, but I'm down to just a couple gross bits of jerky that I'm never gonna eat and some Triaxian whatchacallits. And I know there are no pancake fixings in this miserable Murder Hut."
Quasit wraps up some "pork" in a pancake and begins eating it like a hot dog, and slurps on coffee eagerly.
"But... gosh Maka, is it safe to be, um, storing up so much energy that it's coming out your hair? That sounds dangerous. Are you gonna keep changing?"
"Well...It's safe for us at least. Don't worry, I got it all figured out in training." Maka considered all the combat applications of the technique but figured Quasit didn't need to hear about it.
"As for the changes, probably. My dad said my eyes didn't always glow when he first found me. Besides the hair, I've got more scales and I think my teefarewaymorpoindy..." While mumbling the last part, Maka opened her mouth to show her teeth to Quasit. Who couldn't help but notice that the monk's top and bottom canines were more pronounced.
Quasit looks down and nods uncomfortably. "Yeah, I know." she mumbles.
Maka narrowed her eyes, unsure that Quasit knew knew. "I mean it."
So she follows Maka to where the monk is cooking and stands beside her quietly, leaning a cheek against Maka's bicep, trying to osmotically absorb her optimism and determination.
As Maka continued with the cooking, she did her best to remain a stable leaning post for Quasit.
As the scope of the meal dawns on her, Quasit becomes a little alarmed at the scale of eating that is apparently expected of her..
"Cripes Maka, where do you get all this food? I thought I packed pretty well, but I'm down to just a couple gross bits of jerky that I'm never gonna eat and some Triaxian whatchacallits. And I know there are no pancake fixings in this miserable Murder Hut."
"Actually, this mostly is gross bits of jerky and Triaxian whatchacallits. I don't really know most of the ingredients I'm using even are."
Maka looked around suspiciously before leaning in to a whisper. "I think cooking is mostly just about getting ingrediants that match the taste and texture you are going for and then burning them the right way." She whispered as if she had uncovered one of the great secrets of the universe.
"The porridge is just some grains I smashed up and boiled, and I think pancakes are really just flour, sugar, and water. Mix it together, mess up the first 2 and add more flour or water, and that's it."
"Also I keep a secret stash in Bulvi's magic bag." Maka revealed her actual great secret with casual ease. "You know, for emergencies. Maka pulled out a piece of chocolate and handed it to Quasit with a toothy grin.
The Coffin Man sighs as Quasit abandons their game, though his sigh is interrupted by a coughing fit.
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"The porridge is just some grains I smashed up and boiled, and I think pancakes are really just flour, sugar, and water. Mix it together, mess up the first 2 and add more flour or water, and that's it."
"Also I keep a secret stash in Bulvi's magic bag." Maka revealed her actual great secret with casual ease. "You know, for emergencies." Maka pulled out a piece of chocolate and handed it to Quasit with a toothy grin.
Quasit gratefully snarfs down the chocolate. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all. I'm just surprised that you happen to be toting around flour and sugar and stuff in Bulvi's bag. While I was blowing my money on hooch and fancy soap and bangles at the centaur camp, you were obviously buying a bunch of more practical things." She takes another long slug of coffee. "Wow, chocolate and coffee go really well together. It reminds me of being in Absalom. There was a gnome there who ran a fancy coffee house not far from the Grand Lodge that sold a bunch of exotics foods. For a while after I left the Society I thought about working there, but I got self-consious about the idea of Pathfinders seeing me reduced to being a glorified barmaid. Plus I've never had a real job for more than a few weeks, I don't even know if I could do it."
Realizing that she's jabbering, Quasit stops talking abruptly with a shrug and a smirk and another slurp of coffee. She looks up at Maka again, studying her hair and scales and nascent fangs.
"So... are you actually turning into a dragon?" she blurts out with a touch of anxious pathos.
Maka pleasantly nodded along as she listened to Quasit, the monk enjoying some chocolate and coffee herself.
"So... are you actually turning into a dragon?" she blurts out with a touch of anxious pathos.
Maka scrunched up her face as the gears of her mind turned. "Mmmm probably not, a lot of it fades when I let the energy out...well not let it out I guess, but like, that thing where you turn pipes off? Hold on, I'll show you."
The fire monk focused intensely for a few heartbeats, causing her once-illuminated hair to return to its usual black hue, and her other draconic traits to recede. In that rapid transformation, she briefly assumed the appearance of an ordinary human, only to have the illusion shattered by her eyes that continued to emit a faint glow and small patches of scales that persisted. After another moment of concentration, a luminous energy coursed through her hair, and the scales gradually began to reemerge.
"Like that. So you know, probably not a dragon dragon but I might grow a tail one of these days. I think I'd look good with a tail..."
Maka trailed off as she began to think about something Quasit had said. "Wait a minute, I know that coffee shop! It was the only place in Absalom you could always get ripe mangos. Hah! I wonder if we were ever there at the same time?"
Maka pictured Quasit and herself in a line waiting for their drinks, separated only by a few people. Both of them completely unaware of the other or what lay ahead of them.
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"Hold on, I'll show you."..."Like that. So you know, probably not a dragon dragon but I might grow a tail one of these days. I think I'd look good with a tail..."
Quasit doesn't look comforted by this display. "Jeepers..." she breathes heavily.
"Having a tail would make wearing pants complicated." is about all she can come up with.
"Wait a minute, I know that coffee shop! It was the only place in Absalom you could always get ripe mangos. Hah! I wonder if we were ever there at the same time?"
Quasit's face lights up with recognition. "Oh yeah! Is that what those were? I figured they were some sort of fruit but I didn't know what kind. To be honest I always went straight for the little cakes with all the frosting. Or the granola cookies. Now I have to think of the name of the place...it was some sort of .... was it 'Cup' something... Oh this will drive me crazy... no, saucers. Yes! The Flying Saucer Cafe! And the gnome would use a mage hand to deliver cups of coffee to tables sometimes! Spacklefritz! That was his name! And he had a fake eye that he'd change periodically. Kind of a weirdo, but those cakes! Me and Nevar spent hours in there drinking coffee and talking about everything."
As her nostalgia mounts, Quasit seems suddenly more energized and relaxed.
"I wonder if that place is still there?"
"I wonder if that place is still there?"
"Everything dies, in time," the Coffin Man offers, cheerfully.