"Once we check in with our scavenger hunt prize, we're taking a rest, no matter what Grandmother wants. Assuming we aren't jumped by a giant newt or an eight-legged ocelot." She rubs her fatigued eyes and arches her back to stretch it.
Maka’s stomach growled loudly in agreement with Quasit. “Yeah, I’m so hungry I could eat a dragon!”
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"Queen of faries? I guess I can kind of see that." Sakitu reaches up and adjusts her own headband, a slender silver ring decorated with red and orange gemstones. She glances over to Fin and and tries to make eye contact but he doesn't seem to notice her.
”Should we go back to that tree and see Vigliv now?”
Sakitu skips over to him and grabs onto his arm, giving it a squeeze. "Sure. That sounds like a great idea."
You return once again to the grotto with its spring and tree. As you approach, Selena gets another mental image, clearly sent from Baba Yaga--the matryoshka doll, submerged again in the water, with the crown lowered around it.
Selena sighs heavily as she stops the group. ”Seems like the next step is a bath for grandmother. Any reason to wait till after we rest for that?” Her question seems a bit leading and analytical.
Kalchine holds up his hand. "I don't know how everyone else is doing, but I've expended much of my magic for the day. If there is a challenge like the last one after the next step, we risk being unprepared for it," he points out, looking to Sakitu to gauge her reaction. Selena obviously feels confident in her ability to face whatever threat is coming and the others don't have to worry about refreshing their abilities.
Though Maka's comment suggests that she might be running low on energy, as well. He can't even imagine how much food she burns in creating those flames and her acrobatic antics.
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Quasit explains her willingness to follow the mental directive from the doll.
”After we overcame the first trial— that…whatever-it-was in the lake, we bathed the doll in some of its nasty juices and it broke a seal on the doll. I’m guessing this submersion with the crown is going to do something similar. And of course, that’ll be followed by another mission to get the doohickey to break the next layer of seals on her prison, but we’re not touching that until we rest, no matter how much she bellyaches.”
”There’s also a small chance that breaking this seal might be the one that allows her to get free, but I doubt it. The risk of waiting is that someone or something might show up and try to steal the crown from us before we use it. I keep expecting Queen Elvanna to show up at some point, or send demons after us or something. I say it’s worth the risk to just use it now and get this step sorted out.”
“Well, let’s break the seal then.” Maka said, rolling her shoulders. “The sooner we’re done, the sooner I can make dinner.”
Once doll and crown are submerged, there's a loud crack, and the doll splits open... revealing another, smaller doll.
A sudden surge of power washes over you, along with the weak voice of an old woman that seems to fade in and out. "Finally, you slowpokes!. Could you be any slower about it! Fine, I can help you poor dears a bit now. Vigliv, tell them about my death."
Summoned by the Witch's call, Vigliv steps out of the tree and speaks. “Your bravery has won through, even against the treachery of those who would steal your prize. But your quest is not yet done. You have recovered Baba Yaga’s fate and her power, but now you must seek out her death. As she rose in power from a mere mortal, Baba Yaga used great magic to ensure that death would not be able to swiftly find her through misfortune or betrayal.
“Baba Yaga placed her death in an athame, a witch’s knife, which she then hid in a chest within a corpse, which she buried under an oak tree on the mystical island of Buyan. Even if Baba Yaga was slain, her death would still need to be recovered and released back into her body in order for her to truly die. And so Baba Yaga plucked the island from the ocean and stored it in one of the many hidden realms of her hut so that none could stumble across it, and her death, without first facing her power.
“Now, to free Baba Yaga from her prison, you must go to Buyan, find her death, and bring it back here to her cauldron. She is gaining greater awareness as you free her and will be able to guide you to some extent; heed her counsel. Now go; the death of Baba Yaga awaits you.”
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Quasit listens with interest as she hears Baba Yaga's voice for the first time.
Once the next mission is fully unveiled, Quasit nods vaguely, then turns to Maka.
"I'm thinking jambalaya, do you know how to make jambalaya? Ooh, and I'd kill for something with cinnamon in it."
"Camp here, or back in the Hut? I suppose we should check on Anastasia."
Selena picks up the doll and places the crown back on her head.
”Patience Fin. I’d expect an elf to understand the value of it.”
She listens intently to Vigliv’s exposition.
As the group heads off to eat, Selena addresses the doll, asking her about some of the stories she has heard of Baba Yaga’s exploits.
A sudden surge of power washes over you, along with the weak voice of an old woman that seems to fade in and out. "Finally, you slowpokes!. Could you be any slower about it! Fine, I can help you poor dears a bit now. Vigliv, tell them about my death."
The power that washed over her touched something deep in Maka’s draconic nature. Her scales shimmered faintly as they hardened against even magicd, the air around her briefly warping with heat before settling. “Well, that’s a mean way to give a gift.” Maka huffed.
[b]"Anyway, I've never made jambalaya but describe it to me and I'll give it my best shot." Her toothy grin flashed. “How hard can it be?”
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"Ooh, you'll like it. It's a kind of stew you serve over rice. Really spicy. Chicken, sausage, shrimp and onion, garlic, tomatoes and celery and peppery seasoning. I've never made it myself actually, and I know we don't have half those things, but I'm really craving it. Yeah, how hard can it be? If we can kill an intergalactic lich queen and her undead hordes, we can fake a good chicken stock, right?"
In a sudden rush of gourmet greed and excitement, Quasit leaps like a child onto Maka's back, throws her arms around her friend's neck and plants a smooch on her cheek before sliding off, then grabs Sakitu by the hands and reels and twirls with her for a few steps. "Ooooooh, let's hope for a nice desert island to dig up our buried treasure on! With sunshine and parrots and just a few cute little crabs and sand and palm trees and cabana boys and warm azure lagooooons to swim in! Bring your swim suit, Amazing Fox Lady!"
She catches Kalchine's eye and gives him a gleeful, slightly sultry wink.
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"... Oh wait. Crabs? Those are those things that pinch you, right? I don't know. Do they swim in the lagoon too?"
Quasit pulls back and regards her friend sternly.
"Sakitu J. Amazing, are you telling me you've never seen a CRAB before? Didn't your parents ever take you to the beach? You must be the only person on Golarian to see an ancient white dragon before her first CRAB!"
"And yes, they pinch you, but only if you're naughty!" Quasit sneaks a few little crab pinches at Sakitu's belly, her silliness once again flying free.
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Quasit blinks at her friend and wonders to herself (not for the first time) whether it was really ethical for Sakitu to have access to lethal magic.
"Because they're cute!" she persists. "And look, if you don't mess with them, they won't mess with you. Though it is sorta fun to stick your toes under their little butts and flip them into the water! But Kal is a druid-- if they bother you, we'll have him talk to them and get them to lay off. Or you could magic up some kinda anti-crab shield spell."
Clearly Quasit seems to imagine that this wouldn't be too difficult.
"Come on, let's go back to the Hut. I think that Norn is judging us. Plus I want to see how Anastasia is doing. And it'll be easier to cook dinner in there."
”Maka would you mind heating up some tub water whenever you get a free moment? Izzie needs a good soak and I think I’m gonna join him…”
"Oh yeah, and your boyfriend has a CROCODILE, but you're worried about some pinches from a little crab?" Quasit teases, giving her friend a final friendly pinch on her rear.
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Sakitu blushes at Fin's comments. She realizes that this conversation could easily get uncomfortable way too fast. She moves on to more neutral territory.
"Well, if they are cute like you say, then I hope we see some but I won't be putting my toes anywhere near them."
At the mention of the hut, she nods. "Yeah, I'm getting kinda hungry. And if Fin is going to take a soak, I might join him. But not the crocodile."
She catches Fin's eye and gives him a look. "It's going to be me or the crocodile. Your choice."
Kalchine can only smile at the change in Quasit. Her mercurial nature is part of what fascinates him about her. One moment as brooding as storm clouds on the horizon. The next moment as deadly as blizzard winds carrying sleet at skin flaying speeds. The next bright as the sun shining on an expanse of even snow.
Her description of the desert island seems quite enjoyable though he's practically sweating already. Or would be if he could sweat.
"They have an innate and constant ability to Detect Evil," he adds to the crab conversation.
"But also, I believe they would be quite delicious if added to this 'jambalaya.'"
He contemplates mental healing and anti-curse magic to be used if Fin chooses the crocodile.
When it's clear there aren't any questions for her, Vigliv slips back into the tree.
As Vigliv departs, Selena makes sure to thank her. Not being one to forget the serving staff much less lesser visitors. Usually at least.
You climb back down into the Hut and find things much as you left them. After looking around the rooms you find Anastasia being entertained by the Coffin Man doing some card tricks that are rendered all the more impressive by the skeletal nature of his hands.
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After looking around the rooms you find Anastasia being entertained by the Coffin Man doing some card tricks that are rendered all the more impressive by the skeletal nature of his hands.
"Hi honey, we're home! Hoo, what a day at the office!" Quasit announces just before entering the room. She didn't know what the Coffin Man got up to when no one was around (aside from playing Patience), but she was quite sure she didn't want to know.
Seeing the skeletal horror performing card tricks for the violently orphaned princess strikes Quasit as one of the sweetest things she's ever seen, so she pauses to watch so as not to interrupt, and even gives Coffin Man a little burst of applause when he completes his performance. Then she addresses erstwhile Grand Duchess.
"Are you hungry? Maka is going to start cooking up some dinner. You could probably help her if you want. Or maybe you'd like to go for a walk outside in Russia with me? Thought I'd see what the weather was like."
Anastasia starts slightly at Quasit's entrance, though she quickly tries to gather her Grand Duchess Dignity about her. "A walk would certainly be welcome, as much as I enjoy these diversions I am feeling somewhat cooped up in here."
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Quasit leads the way outside after offering Anastasia a blanket to drape around herself to help her stay warm. She takes a deep breath of the woody air then ventures down the steps and begins a wide circuit about the Hut, never letting it entirely out of her sight.
At first she mostly walks silently, giving the girl some space. She didn’t want Anastasia to always feel interrogated when they were together. ”It continually amazes me how similar Russia is to my world. We have birches and pines just like this. I love the smell. And everyone is human here, which is like a lot of places back home. It makes you wonder, it’s almost like one world is a child of the other. Or something. Same animals too. Days are the same length, more or less.”
Eventually though, she gets more personal. ”Ana, did you ever feel… different from your sisters? Like, I don’t know, strange dreams or little powers or abilities they couldn’t do? Did your parents treat you differently? Like, I *know* they probably treated Alexei differently, because he was the heir and he was sickly. But your mother knew that Rasputin was your father. Which means Baba Yaga is your grandmother. And she’s basically a magical demigod, and Rasputin was a powerful magic user. I have to wonder if you inherited any sort of talents like that?”
”I have to tell you, we’re getting pretty close to freeing her. Baba Yaga. She’s going to be interested in you. May want to use you, or give you powers you don’t currently have. We can even talk to her now, though she sounds far away. So if you have anything to ask her, or say to her, now would be a good time to do it. Or if you like, we can try and keep her away from you, and hope she doesn’t know who you are. We haven’t mentioned you to her yet. I don’t really know how much she knows. She might know Rasputin had a daughter, but may not know he resurrected you. I promise we’ll try and protect you, if that’s what you want. If nothing else, she should owe us a favor after all this is done.”
”Have you ever had jambalaya?”
Fin grins widely. ”Then it will be you, Hlao-roo, no contest there…sorry Izzie, you can soak later…”
Maka walked out of the designated bathroom, steam billowing behind her. "The bath is ready. Don't worry, Izzie, we'll take one after you help me with dinner." She crouched beside the crocodile and gave the big reptile a series of affectionate chin scratches before heading to the kitchen.
"That is strange," Anastasia agrees when Quasit talks about the similarities between worlds, though she doesn't seem too interested in the fact.
She frowns at the questions. "I don't... think I've noticed anything like that? I had the usual lessons for a young lady in etiquette, dancing, and the like"
After all of the other questions, the question about jambalaya seems like a surprise to her. "No, is that... French?"
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Maka walked out of the designated bathroom, steam billowing behind her. "The bath is ready. Don't worry, Izzie, we'll take one after you help me with dinner." She crouched beside the crocodile and gave the big reptile a series of affectionate chin scratches before heading to the kitchen.
Fin bows gratefully to Maka. ”Thank you, Mistress of Fire, I am most grateful…c’mon Hlao-roo, it’s bath time…”
As Sakitu eases in with her swimsuit, Fin quickly disrobes and follows suit…the water is nice and hot…he fully submerges for a moment before easing his head above the water…and putting his arm around Sakitu as she nuzzles up against him…he’ll enjoy this moment for as long as he’s allowed…
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"I don't... think I've noticed anything like that? I had the usual lessons for a young lady in etiquette, dancing, and the like"
"Ah. I mean, that's good! Makes things simpler." she says, seemingly relieved.
She looks down at the Grand Duchess, a sweet useless little aristocrat, wondering what in the world they were going to do with her.
After all of the other questions, the question about jambalaya seems like a surprise to her. "No, is that... French?"
Quasit shakes her head. "No. Gurundi. Originally anyway, but I think the Galtans snazzed it up. I don't know, I'm no chef. It's pretty good though."
Not wanting Anastasia to feel uncomfortable, she now confines herself to asking about things the little girl knows more about, asking her about foods she likes, and what sorts of dances she knows, and finer points of etiquette.
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After getting back inside the Hut, Quasit makes her way to the 'kitchen' ostensibly to help Maka make a meal, but really to make some more coffee. As she grinds up the beans, she chuckles to herself.
"Is it weird that I'm more excited about finding coffee than I am about finding a literal ton of gold bars?" she asks.
"Is it weird that I'm more excited about finding coffee than I am about finding a literal ton of gold bars?" she asks.
"No. Coffee is better than gold, and we already have a bunch of gold." Maka replied with complete seriousness.
When Quasit takes Anastasia out for a walk, Kalchine follows them out. He's close at first but then he tosses down the little ivory figurine that is Chest Thumper and the frost ape is none too happy about being cooped up.
He pushes Kalchine down then plants his palms on the druid's chest and bounces up and down, causing the triaxian to grunt and puff out the air in his lungs with every bounce.
Chest Thumper then plops down in the snow, crossing his massive arms over his chest and ignoring all of Kalchine's attempts to apologize or explain.
In fact, they are still there, the smaller brother moving in front of the larger one again and again with the frost ape turning his back on him again and again, when the two young women return.
Kalchine gives them an embarrassed smile, his ears down as they pass. Though Chest Thumper looks at them out of the side of his eyes.
Maybe he decides pouting is beneath his dignity in front of the ladies and that's why he finally gets up and wanders into the woods with Kalchine following him.
Bulvi gives a polite shake of his head to the invitation for a walk wanting to stick near Maka and help her with the meal prep.
"Is it weird that I'm more excited about finding coffee than I am about finding a literal ton of gold bars?" she asks."No. Coffee is better than gold, and we already have a bunch of gold." Maka replied with complete seriousness.
"That's a fair point, it might be why nobles get overly indulgent." He looked over at Selena and smiled. "I should have said some nobles." To be fair to her the woman was severe.
Quasit shakes her head. "No. Gurundi. Originally anyway, but I think the Galtans snazzed it up. I don't know, I'm no chef. It's pretty good though."
Not wanting Anastasia to feel uncomfortable, she now confines herself to asking about things the little girl knows more about, asking her about foods she likes, and what sorts of dances she knows, and finer points of etiquette.
Anastasia seems about what you'd expect from a sheltered noble pre-teen in shock from her whole family and herself being murdered only for her to be resurrected and then subjected to the past few weeks of craziness. Actually, she's probably doing better than Quasit would anticipate given that litany of madness she's survived, but it's not hard to see that Anastasia is just barely holding things together in spite of the brave face she's putting on everything.
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"No. Coffee is better than gold, and we already have a bunch of gold." Maka replied with complete seriousness.
"Well, it certainly tastes better." agrees Quasit. "You know, I was thinking of running an import/export business anyway, maybe I should see about becoming a coffee importer. How hard could it be?" She stops to smell the aroma of the pulverized beans in the grinder, and whimpers helplessly in delight. She then sets about actually making the drink. She also helps Bulvi chop up whatever vegetables are available.
"Chest Thumper is mad at Kalchine again. He doesn't like being a little statue. Can't say I blame him. But I can't really get in the middle of that, I guess. I mean... you know--not that way, I don't do three-ways with...just, um..." She stops chopping, her brain fritzing out briefly. "Anyway. I hope Kal gets me something nice for our 24 hour anniversary. If 25 years is silver and 50 years is gold, what's the 1 day anniversary? Coffee maybe?"
The drink now ready, she pours herself a steaming cup, and contemplates finding a date for Chest Thumper.
"Selena isn't married, is she?"
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"Well, it certainly tastes better." agrees Quasit. "You know, I was thinking of running an import/export business anyway, maybe I should see about becoming a coffee importer. How hard could it be?"
Maka glanced over from the pot she was stirring, the wooden spoon clacking against the rim. "One of the farms near my monastery grows coffee. If you come visit, I could introduce you."
If 25 years is silver and 50 years is gold, what's the 1 day anniversary? Coffee maybe?"
"In my experience it's lanet hai." Maka replied, flashing Quasit a toothy grin.
"Selena isn't married, is she?"
Maka added the chopped vegetables to the hot skillet, the aroma blooming through the room. "I guess it wouldn't be that surprising if she was right? What with all the witchy nobility nonsense?" She shrugged, wiped her hands on a cloth, and went back to tending the simmering pot
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"One of the farms near my monastery grows coffee. If you come visit, I could introduce you."
"Perfect!" says Quasit, as she hops up to sit on the table, kicking her feet like a toddler.
"In my experience it's lanet hai." Maka replied, flashing Quasit a toothy grin.
Quasit giggles at this.
"Selena isn't married, is she?""I guess it wouldn't be that surprising if she was right? What with all the witchy nobility nonsense?"
"Hmm, do witches get married? They always kinda struck me as not the marrying kind. Like, they'd reproduce by creating a poppet in a cauldron and imbuing it with life via some dark unholy ritual. Plus if my wife is a witch, I'm always playing second fiddle to a fox or a cat or a toad. That's not great."
"Can you imagine Mr Selena when the ol' ball and chain comes home in a new halfling body?"
"Plus, I can't see any witch helping to do the dishes after dinner or making the bed in the morning. Plus anytime things get rough, she wiggles her nose and you're bewitched!"
She slurps her piping hot cup of coffee. "Mmmmmm. Not quite as good as Mametqul's, but I'll get there. He probably had more time to practice."
Selena rolls her eyes silently at the southerners who constantly forget she is barely 16 and certainly not in a position to just randomly any old son.
Chest Thumper comes lumbering into the kitchen and plants himself in the least convenient spot possible then looks around curiously, watching all the little ones go about their strange, mostly pointless tasks. He sniffs the air, savoring, like all sane creatures, the smell of warm, well made coffee.
Kalchine comes in behind him, muttering in his native tongue. Many of the people in the room understand the language but he is talking softly and using certain idioms that don't make sense to non-natives. He's brushing snow off his armor and fur and glares at his foster brother.
But the smell of coffee is just as alluring and he comes over to Quasit and takes the cup from her hand. He has it up to his lips when he glances at her over the rim. One look and his ears droop and he slowly puts the mug back in her hands, learning an important lesson about Golarion ladies:
Don't drink their coffee.
"You're so pretty," he says before going to get his own mug.
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But the smell of coffee is just as alluring and he comes over to Quasit and takes the cup from her hand. He has it up to his lips when he glances at her over the rim.
Kalchine faces the visage of Quasit with one eyebrow raised interrogatively.
"You're so pretty," he says before going to get his own mug.
"Oo, nice save." she answers good-naturedly.
Quasit makes her way over to where Maka is stirring the pot and decides to proactively supervise things by tasting the stew and making recommendations and adjustments. Although she talks about food a lot on most days, she typically eats whatever is prepared without much comment, but she seems quite invested in how this meal turns out, continually sticking her finger into the sauce, half-burning her finger, and extinguishing the pain by plunging the scalded digit into her mouth to soothe as she tastes.
"This is really good." she pronounces after several minutes of this. "It's not really jambalaya, but it's a very tasty cousin. If cousins can be tasty. Maka-laya. We should write down how we made this."
Still hovering by the pot, she scoops some Maka-laya into a bowl and grabs a wooden spoon, and then settles to the floor cross-legged to tuck into the meal. "Gosh, this reminds me so much of home." she says wistfully. "I'm not a very good cook really, but I cooked things for my dad all the time. And sometimes he'd cook for me. Sometimes it felt like the main reason I worked for Colin was so I could get nice things to make dad for dinner. We had this miserable little kitchen--I mean, the whole place was basically just one big room with a few curtains dividing the sleeping areas from the other areas, so it wasn't really a kitchen per se. More like a corner behind the stove where we hung the pans. And we had this tall stool--I'd gotten hold of a decent-sized glass window pane, and I'd kinda balance it on the stool and use it for when I needed to cut things or whatever. He liked omelettes, so I got pretty good at those."
After a particularly large and too hot bite, she lets her mouth hang open as she exhales across the food broiling on her tongue, even going so far as to fan a free hand at her gaping oral cavity. Eventually she manages to chew it just enough to get it swallowed and follows this with a long slurp of coffee which is now relatively lukewarm.