Fable - Ask Midnight Munchies Part Two

[Livia Quinnick]

The kitchens of the Academy seemed to have seen many passable dishes, but over the course of several months, each week if all three were present on Academy grounds, Houri and Thraah and Livia would meet here with a new recipe of cake to bake.

In these times, they have failed and triumphed, spoken about little things in their lives, and spoke of whatever mission they were on that they had to miss the last meet up.

Livia had ensured her hair was passable, perhaps a shade or two darker than her natural brunette before her magic changed it entirely. Still, she kept the silver ends, an inch longer than usual, but it had slowly crept up in the past year. It was not the time to tell them about her magic, not when she needed to be sure her control of it could be mastered finally.

And so Livia began pulling out all the ingredients, now an expert on finding them even if the staff kept moving things around. She pulled out the equipment needed, then opened up the page to the baking cook book she had bought in Vel Cirak on a mission a few months back.

"I swear to every holy and unholy higher... lower... being, if they do not show up..." Livia sighed and turned to watch the door.

 

[Thraah]

The side door opened and in came Thraah.
She was unusually silent. Lost in a world of her own. She barely gave Liv a look as she made her way over to the plates and began setting them out in a manner so slow it was as if she moved underwater.
She had even left the door open as she came in and a draft soon swept into the kitchen, chilling it considerably with the Spring nights air.
In her world she was in several places, with several people all at once.
Maz, Kristen, Perrine... Zeph.
On the back of a horse, in the upstairs room of an alehouse, In her sister's room... Vel Castere.
So much had happened in a few short weeks. Her world had turned upside down and back round again.
Tonight was supposed to be a return to normal. Just sneaking and baking and eating and talking about, nothing.
She did not feel like talking.

Livia Quinnick
Houri

 

[Zinnia]

A subtle jostling noise emanated from a pantry door within the kitchen, and after a moment a figure silently stepped out into the space.

Zinnia shut the door quietly behind her. She wore her pajamas: a thin, white, crop cami; a pair of baggy pajama pants; and most peculiarly, a fluffy caterpillar-like creature that one might be forgiven for mistaking for a plush, clinging to the top of the girl's head.

The girl turned around to face the room, ready to sneak her way barefoot back to her room once more, when she stopped dead like a deer in a spotlight. Her eyes went wide as she noticed the other two figures currently in the room. Zinnia had never been caught before, but now she stood with a large hunk of cornbread in her hand, mouth full and crumbs on her face, the creature on her head similarly munching on a morsel of the golden snack.

Zinnia swallowed audibly after a long, awkward pause. Lowering the cornbread behind her back she nervously waved her free hand.
"Umm...h-hello."

 

[Houri]

"What's she doing here?"

Houri had slipped in as Livia and Thraah had turned to Zinnia, so she had missed the part where Zinnia had stumbled into their little gathering rather than being invited. Usually a voice would rebuke her for her choice of words, or goad her into calling forth a lightning storm to eviscerate the witness to their technical crime. But since she had returned from her week travelling the countryside with Silas, the voices were... quiet. On the one hand it was a relief to be alone when she knew the voices were a sign of things not being Right, but on the other hand there was now no guiding hand. No gentle nudge. She would have to figure out the intricacies of socialisation on her own.

Just like everyone else.

Later on she would call herself a fool, but for now she enjoyed the false sense of relief her innocence provided her with.

Houri set Gladys down who went squawking into the room over to her usual pallet and then set her hands on her hips to glance between her two friends.

"We're meant to warn ahead of time if we're bringing guests."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"Why are you both looking at me?" Livia rolled her eyes, arms crossing at her chest. She still wore her training uniform, having returned from a bried Taskforce training session earlier this afternoon, but had spent some time making sure her hair did not show a silver hair out of place for this moment tonight.

"Thraah, you saw St. Kolbe walk in like that." Liv threw the Initiate a hardened look, but softened after a moment. There was a time where Liv would have just pressed further, but Houri and Thraah had become such good friends these past months. She regarded them highly, just like Natasha. Livia also did not know if Thraah wanted to talk about it, her magic giving her that momentary guidance of not finding the words to say.

Instead, Liv then moved her olivine gaze to Zinnia.

"Do not mind them. It has become a secret thing we do every week if we could. For their recollection; we all met just like this, walking into one another at the same time. Do you know how to bake?" She posed the question by turning to face the other Initiate. Liv did not know Zinnia well, but they had worked well together on that mission hunting down a spy. For Liv, that spoke volumes of one's character.

Thraah
Zinnia
Houri

 

[Thraah]

"I did not see shit Liv."
Did she not? She might have noticed but it didn't register, the way something unimportant might not register.
After staring a hole through Liv Thraah looked around at Houri then cast her eyes to the ceiling in resignation and reluctantly scooped a fourth dish out of the cupboard.
*So much for back to normal.* She thought to herself.
The air was different. Even Zin did not seem like her usual self.
Maybe nothing was okay.
Maybe they all had their own stuff.
Thraah lifted the plates and forks and brought them to the island in the middle of the room.
Her next task was to prep the oven so she did, no flare, no jokes.
She just opened it and stacked it and lit it with her fingers.
She stared at it for a moment as if she could see something. Which she totally could. She could see Vel Castere burning to the ground.
Fortunately Gladys, whom Thraah doted on frequently, tugged at her boot laces.
She bent down and stroked the chicken on her tiny head and neck.
"Hi girl. Lay any winners this week?"
Gladys gave only a jerking quizzical glance as a response.

Livia Quinnick
Houri
Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Oh. Tension. Zinnia shrank back a bit. Houri seemed upset. Thraah seemed...dejected? It was pretty late, maybe she was just tired. Livia was weirdly welcoming, but...

"I, uh...th-thought Seri and I were alone down here, s-sorry..." she said, poking the critter atop her head. Its eyes, like curious dinner plates, slid open and to attention. "Seri, b-beanie please!"

Seri made a noise akin to cooing and began to glow with a warm light. After a moment its body's shape was lost within the glow, and when the light receded just a few seconds later, a loose, knit cap with a pompom on its top remained in the creature's place.

"G-good boy," Zinnia commended the thing, squishing a piece of cornbread into the cap, which promptly absorbed the morsel.

As if suddenly reminded that she still had observers, Zinnia rapidly bread into rear pocket of her pants and donned a look that definitely did not scream that she was hiding something she wasn't supposed to have.

"I...I've d-dabbled, yeah," she replied to Livia's question at last. She quite enjoyed cooking, as those who'd sampled her dish at Friendsgiving the previous year could attest to, but hadn't done as much baking. Baking was like cooking, but with more rules, she'd found. "Ah! B-but, I think I'm int-truding, so, we can just, um..."

She took a couple of nervous, barefoot steps to the side and hooked both her thumbs towards the nearest door.
"G-go?"

 

[Houri]

Houri continued to stare for a further few tense seconds. She waited for the usual swell of Ardvi's raging or Shiva's irritated winds but... nothing. Not even Mithrine's gentle chiding to let the girl go unscathed. So Houri did something she very rarely got the chance to do, she made a decision for herself.

The initiate gave a shrug, accepting Livia's rational for Zinnia being allowed to stay and enter their sacred circle. She went to join Thraah and show off Gladys latest batch of eggs.

"I think she knew it was brownies this week," Houri glanced to the chicken who merely fluffed her feathers as if to say so? Tutting, she set out the eight blue-shelled eggs she'd found in Gladys coop.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia raised a brow at the energy of Thraah and Houri. Could they not just pretend this was not a chore to do? Perhaps they were sleepy... or...

Liv sighed, removing her training jacket and carefully placing it onto the counter before turning to look to Zinnia. "Interesting hat you got there. Never seen one like it." She then lifted herself to sit on the counter and quirked a brow towards Houri and Thraah.

"They usually are a little more upbeat... Thraah, more than Houri really..." She did not hide her words as she spoke them to Zinnia, hoping at least one of them would turn around and be more receptive... again, Thraah more than Houri.

Thraah Zinnia Houri

 

[Thraah]

"Yeah well, I've had a lot going on."
Thraah threw out, not looking at anyone but Gladys until she saw the eggs.
"Good girl Gladys, you've been hard at work! Yes you have, yes you have!"
It was so much easier to talk to a chicken right now. Despite Liv's not so subtle hint that she should entertain Zinnia and her, living hat?
The fuck was that thing?
"Stormy, what the everliving fuck is on Zin's fucking head?."
Stormy seemed a bit distracted, or less distracted maybe. It was hard to tell but Thraah noticed anyway because even though it mattered Thraah's seemingly drifted mind was currently anchored by a different burning question.
"Zin what the everliving fuck is on your fucking head?"

Livia Quinnick
Houri
Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia shuffled her feet nervously. Yeah, none of these girls had been there when she'd "acquired" her pet. In fact, Kor, Aelita, and Lumen were the only ones left that had been. The other three were all either dead or had deserted.

"Oh, um...th-this is Seri, my pet. I got him in Vel Y-Yuna, almost a year ago now. The locals call him a h-haterpillar," she paused as if considering whether or not she'd just committed some kind of social faux pas. Her eyes widened in horror when she suddenly decided that she had.

"Oh, b-but, um! He's very well mannered, I promise! And, and I...I l-like your chicken! I've, um...n-never seen one that lays b-blue eggs like that before..."

 

[Houri]

Houri's eyes followed Thraah's to the hat after she had finished carefully putting the eggs onto the prep table. Again, only a strange quietness flooded her mind. No smart comments, no laughter, nothing. What did she think? Her eyes lingered on the hat for longer than was probably socially acceptable before drifting down to Zinnia's.

"Her name is Gladys," which for Houri was the equivalent of acceptance to her being there. The tension eased from the room and Houri returned to her designated job of whisking the eggs. "Does this... stuff concern my brother?" she glanced across to Thraah, genuine concern in the twist of her lips and creased brow. "Despite his height he is still my little brother. I have no qualms hurting him if he did something..."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

In terms of friendly greetings, that was perhaps the best Zinnia would get from the other Initiates. Livia, herself, was not one to gush over someone new, but she was respectful of St. Kolbe since they worked together on a mission.

"Haterpillar? How strange and yet fitting all the same." It made her smile nonetheless. Livia reached behind her for the recipe book, knowing that Houri knew the recipe as this was the third time they were making it. Not a sweet tooth, but Livia could not deny how rich they came out.

"Here, look through this recipe book. I am sure Houri is not against making a second dessert tonight." The book was offered to Zinnia, a small grace of giving the girl something to do if she was to stick around. "Find something and I am sure the kitchen will have it. Amazing how many ingredients they have, but still, our food is served the way it is now..." Her nose scrunched in delicate dismay.

"Well, go on. Tell us why we had to miss our meet up last week. Houri looked positively livid when she knocked on my door and woke me, asking why none of us were meeting." She directed her questioning to Thraah.

Thraah Zinnia Houri

 

[Thraah]

Hatterpillars sounded great and Thraah instantly wanted one.
Aaaand, yep.
There it was.
The question.
Thraah had been too exhausted to be here last week, on account of being away on missions and, home stuff. They knew about Vel Castere of course, she had been gone a whole month but she was unable to get any real rest before she had to go home. She supposed an explanation was in order.
"No, thanks Stormy. Maz is, well he needs to relax but he hasn't hurt me or anything."
*He got me near drowned but I wasn't hurt. Man I need to learn how to swim!"
"But it is kinda about him, I guess. Like, not fully but yeah."
Picking up Gladys Thraah warmed her arm, the way the chicken liked it which earned her a soft ruffle as Gladys nestled into her grasp.
Kristen would have told Alistair by now, Thraah wondered how he took the news. Kristen was a babe, no doubt but looks weren't everything. She didn't know Alistair but Kristen was a good judge.
"Last week was cancelled because I had to go home for, a family thing. I say a thing. My sisters got sick. Like, bad sick. They nearly..."
*They nearly died before my eyes.*
She wasn't crying, Thraah did not cry in front of others... not that they could see anyway.
But she felt like it then as she looked to Zin.
"And who cares if Gladys lays blue eggs, she's the BEST!"

Houri
Livia Quinnick
Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone had stopped asking questions, and no one seemed to care that Zinnia had been pilfering a post-workout snack. On top of that, it seemed she'd been inducted into an impromptu hang-out of sorts. What a happy accident!

The gold-eyed girl happily accepted the recipe book from Livia and began to flip through the pages. There were quite a number of highly appetizing looking treats within--much better than cornbread, despite her love of the stuff. Brownies, tarts, pies...it was hard to choose.

Zinnia had started to zone out a bit and had only vaguely heard Thraah's mention of her rather unfortunate visit home. That was when Thraah shouted at her. She jumped with a yelp, accidentally snapping the cook book shut.
"I...I'm sorry! I d-didn't say it was a b-bad thing, I think it's n-neat!" she cried, holding the book in front of her face like some sort of impotent shield. If Zinnia's physique--readily visible given her cropped outfit--was any indication, she probably could have handled Thraah well in a fight. Thraah's overwhelming force of personality was far too much for Zinnia to deal with, though, and she quite readily fell into her flight mode. "I *hic* l-like Gladys, please don't *hic* sh-shout at me!"

After a brief pause Zinnia added, much more quietly:
"And I...um...*hic* h-hope your s-sisters are *hic* ok-kay..."

 

[Houri]

Houri stared at Zinnia after her little outburst. She had begun to accept over the past year that the world was a different one to that which she had left, but sometimes she still did wonder how those like Zinnia had survived at all. She still remembered how her cousin Trix has killed an initiate in their old year group for crying over a broken leg. She gave a tiny shake of her head then looked back to Thraah.

"You should have said," she said with customary bluntness, returning to her whisking. "My sister just opened a hospital. I could have had her make space for your sisters."

She whisked for a bit then seemed to realise there was a lull in the room. Oh, right. Empathy.

"I... hope they are well now though."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"And? They are alright now, are they not?" But her olive eyes narrowed at Thraah's outburst. Whatever made her upset if her sisters were fine and healthy? She was back at the Academy now.

Livia then sent an apologetic look to Zinnia, and she at least hoped the girl was not about to make an excuse and see herself out. "Do not mind Thraah. She is uncharacteristically not herself today...." Her gaze dragged back over to where Thraah handled the chicken she despised. "And if she is here, back at the Academy, then her sisters are well again. I know there is more to this mood you are in." Her magic seemed to point to Thraah, not ready to let it go because she knew her friend was holding something back.

"Is it still about Vel Castere?" She tried to understand, unable to let her magic rest.

Thraah Zinnia Houri

 

[Thraah]

*Ugh! Vel Castere!*
"Yes, they are all well now, thank you!"
Thraah fought to contain her own frustrations at the events in what she had so enthusiastically labelled "A shit town for wankers!" as well as the fact she had no idea Houri's family had a place they treated specifically the poor.
*OF COURSE THEY DID DUMBY, THEYRE LUANA'S!*
Feeling her temperature rise to uncomfortable degrees, she took a deep breath let it out through her mouth in a condensed jet of hot air.
Gladys seemed to enjoy it and began preening her feathers.
Thraah twisted her neck and it let out a loud crack and when she spoke next her teeth did not move and it was with forced pleasantness.
"I did not know that your family did that Houri, thank you for letting me know. I'll pass it on to my folks!"
She wasn't mad at them, she was just mad at the way it turned out. If she'd known she'd have come to Stormy, of course. Instead she had to resort to, Perrine Urahil. Perrine being the only choice was the only thing that made her do it.
It was the window all over again.
Zephyrine came to her mind, red hair caught in coloured light.
*BADUMPUMP!*
She brought Gladys up to her chest and held her there, looking away and down in bitterness at yet another failing.
"Fucking Vel Castere..."
Of course Liv knew something. Liv knew everyone's beeswax.
"Should have fucking melted it..."
She spoke to herself, as if it's destruction would somehow erase the badness she had caused there. Supposedly it was all done and dusted, but it didn't feel over. She was still there. Still wandering it's dark streets angry at her hasty words.

 

[Zinnia]

A cold stare from Houri was not what Zinnia expected given how nice the other girl had generally been to her in the past. Maybe Thraah wasn't the only one who was "uncharacteristically not herself" this night. Still, the shock of it sent the jolt to Zinnia's brain that she needed to get a grip on her little freak-out. She lowered the cookbook and held a hand over her chest, taking slow breaths to regain her composure. Surely Thraah wasn't like some of the more vile initiates at the Academy. Thraah had to be better than Leander, or Soleil...right?

"Wh-what's wrong with Vel Cas-stere?" Zinnia asked cautiously, curiosity overwhelming her better judgment.

 

[Houri]

Houri gave Zinna an approving nod and encouraging smile when she lowered the cookbook then returned to her whisking, waiting also for Thraah's answer.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Quinnick quirked a brow at her friend, lifting a hand to roll it, as if to say go on.

"Yes, we know, Vel Castere was a bust. You have not said what makes you grumble it's name, nor have you told us anything you did there. You were gone two months. I know most of that was the weeks of travel, but honestly, Thraah, we have been stuck here at the Academy and Vel Anir in that time. Were there any pretty faces there? The Western Guard training in front of you that you committed their routine to memory?"

Livia was dying to hear what on earth called her friend to the western fortress city. It played on her lips, a name that felt hot and almost too dangerous to speak. If her magic gave her that instinct, then she knew she was right.

"A certain red head was there, was she not?"

 

[Thraah]

Thraah's eyes went narrow as her face blushed.
Liv was on thin ice with her for this pestering.
"Yes, Zeph was there and she was being a total..."
She corrected herself with a creak of her neck and turn of her head.
"We had a fight and... it's kinda still going."
Gladys was fluffing her feathers happily in Thraah's arms.
"First-there-was-this-bird-then-this-jerk-who-was-all-"You-wanna-be-here?"-and-so-I-showed-him-what-was-what-and-then-Zeph-was-all-"get lost"-so-I-was-all-"fine,-I-will"-and-then-she-got-even-more-mad-at-me."
That was the guts of how it started at least according to Thraah's memory.
"And she's still mad. Says she didn't even want me to come with her in the first place. Can you believe that?"
She couldn't at the time. It was like a blow to the brain instead of the guts.

Houri
Livia Quinnick
Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia watched Thraah intently, trying to glean as much information as she could about what was happening. She didn't really understand, unfortunately, but there was one answer she could think of.

"Y-you know...sometimes if you want to stop a fight, you h-have to apologize. Even if you don't b-believe you did anything wrong."

She spoke up gently and carefully, not wanting to provoke Thraah's ire once more.

 

[Houri]

Houri was also interested in hearing the answers to Livia's questions, unfortunately she was the one closest to Thraah baring Gladys and she could feel the heat radiating off her in pulsing waves steadily growing hotter. She could handle the heat, loved the deserts of the Empire and the jungles of the Wilds, but there was something distinctly uncomfortable with being in a small room with many flammable objects and a pyromancer. She didn't need any of the Proctors stupid empathy rubbish to know Livia's questions were going to get them all roasted.

"Yes, good idea Zinnie. Aaaanyway...."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia simply quirked a brow at her friend, her face unchanged in expression.

"Too right, Zinnia." She added, then turned her attention to Houri. Perhaps anymore questions should wait for another day.

"Well? Anyone else got something to share to catch up on?" Anything to deflect her own recent experience with her magic becoming stronger. And no one had noticed her darker shade of brown hair, but perhaps it was hard to tell in the torchlight of the kitchens. "What about plans for the summer holidays?"