This is a oneshot idea from @Yoongisiimp, so thank you!
POV Shadowfax:
...
"Is it on?"
"I think so?"
"What do you mean I think so?"
"I don't know how to work an electronic, Aiden! I barely even know what a this thing is!"
"How do you not- ugh never mind, just give it to me."
"Nooo Wifey we need you!!"
"Rudy's the one who doesn't even know what a camera is!"
"I thought this was called a Shadowfax! What is this cAmErA device you are speaking of? Hey! Give it back!"
"Excuse me? Shadowfax is mine."
"Ughhhhh can we please just start already?"
"Yes! Just as soon as Rudy gives back the camera!"
"For the last time, what is a camera??"
Shadowfax was finally taken hold of by more professional hands, and the vision whirled for a moment before finally coming to a rest on two girls sitting at a counter.
One was taller and more muscular, with tan skin and dark brown hair with highlights, while the other slouched casually, black hair braided in two thick french braids, and golden skin illuminated by the low hanging light fixtures.
They were gathered in Brynne's kitchen, which was far larger and finer than all of the other Potato's (Potatoes's?). It was snowing outside, but inside the warmly lit kitchen, no one knew any different. They all wore sweaters and aprons, except for Rudy, who was adorned in a bright red sweater with puff balls around the collar and a llama on the front chewing on a string of christmas lights. It was absolutely hideous, from the light up llama eyes, to the llama rear end on the back. But Rudy had insisted.
~flashback~
"What is that?!" Rudy screamed, pointing at a shop as they prepared to ascend and then descend the escalators on the second level of the Atlanta mall.
Aiden sighed. "That is something we like to call an ugly Christmas sweater, Rudy."
"Ugly? Ugly??" Rudy had stars in his eyes. "How could you say such a thing? It's the most beautiful thing in the world."
Aru scooted up next to him. "Second only to Mini," she teased, and Aiden smirked.
Rudy's cheeks reddened and he glanced quickly at Mini to see if she'd noticed, but she was busy sanitizing her hands before the escalator.
The rest of the Potatoes stepped casually onto the escalator, but Rudy hesitated.
"Go, Rudy," Aiden said, behind him.
"Th-they're moving so quickly, I can't step on one!" Rudy gasped, staring at the fast-moving steps before him.
Seven minutes and one panic attack later, Rudy finally jumped off of the escalator.
"That. Was. Terrifying." He wiped sweat off his brow. "Let's go again."
He made to walk towards the next escalator, but Aiden grabbed his collar and hauled him back. "Oh no you don't. The sweater shop was your idea in the first place."
Rudy's face brightened as his eyes fell again on the sweaters in the shop window. "Oh right." He said, and the group walked in.
It took Rudy nearly thirty minutes to finally decide on a sweater. Christmas lights adorned the inside of the store, and he pointed excitedly at anything and everything he saw, asking what they were. By the time the Potatoes made it out, they were all ready to have one less member.
~end of flashback~
"Alright. Welcome to the cooking, uhh, channel. Um today we are with Brynne, who insisted that we make this because there's 'nothing else to do', and Aru is tagging along because why not."
Aru flashed a peace sign.
"Okay, so today we are, uhh in Brynne's kitchen, making... what are we making again?"
"Brynne's extra extra chocolate brownies." Brynne said loudly. Aru perked up.
"Whaaaaat?? Can I help?" Rudy asked from off-screen.
"Absolutely not," said Aru, Brynne, and Aiden together.
"Pleeeeeeease?"
"NO!"
"But I'm a prince!"
"So anyway, we'll begin by combining all the wet ingredients." Brynne pulled out a bowl.
"If you don't let me help, I will personally-"
"Gosh! Fine!"
"Yayyy!"
"So, as I was saying," Brynne glared at Rudy as he took a seat at the counter next to her. Aru smirked. "We combine all the wet ingredients."
Rudy frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Shut up, Rudy." Brynne warned. Aru pulled up the sleeves of her navy blue sweater, slid the bowl towards her and got up to grab the eggs and milk from the fridge.
"I call being the taste-tester!"
"Hey, that was my job!"
"But I'm a prince."
The two girls began mixing the ingredients together, ignoring Rudy's comments. They let him add the flour, though, which resulted in white powder everywhere except in the bowl. Eventually, the batter was mixed together, and all that was left to add was the chocolate chips.
"Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?" Rudy bounced on the hardwood floors, the puff balls on his sweater bouncing with him.
"Ugh, whatever." Brynne handed over the Costco-sized bag of chocolate chips. "Make sure you don't add too much. Even if they are extra extra chocolate, the ingredients still need to be balanced."
"Got it." Said Rudy, taking the scissors and cutting open the bag.
"Add about half of that." Aru said, checking the recipe.
Rudy carefully tipped the bag and sprinkled the proper amount into the batter. He actually did it pretty decently.
"That good?"
"Huh. Not bad." Brynne nodded. "Aru, can you mix it?"
"Yep." Aru took the bowl and a mixing spoon, but Rudy grabbed it back.
"Can I mix it? Please?" He gave Aru the biggest puppy eyes he could manage.
"No, Rudy, you've already done enough." Aiden sighed.
"Awwwww."
"Nah, it's fine." Aru said. "He can mix it."
"You sure?" Aiden sounded surprised.
"Just as long as he doesn't get it everywhere." Aru slid the bowl to Rudy, who took the spoon and began to stir, a giant grin on his face.
"Aru, make sure he doesn't get overexcited again." Said Brynne, scooting back from the counter. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
Aru nodded. "Yes ma'am."
Moments later, Rudy set down the spoon. "Done!" he yelled.
Aru jumped from where she was bouncing Vajra against the wall. "Already?"
"Uh-huh."
Aru took the bowl and stirred it around a little. "Looks good."
Rudy beamed.
"Now time to put it in a pan and then into the oven."
Rudy looked confused. "What's an oven?"
Aru paused. "You're kidding, right?"
"Rudy, we've been over this." Aiden said exasperatedly. "People here don't cook food the way they do in Naga Loka."
"How do they do it in Naga Loka?" Aru asked. She poured the batter into a fancy-schmancy metal pan from Brynne's cupboard.
"Oh, they call down fire from Lord Agni, kinda like how you do with Vajra, Aru." Rudy gasped. "I bet you could use Vajra to cook the brownies!!" *AN: this is total fiction I actually have no idea how they do things like this in the myths :P
"Rudy, no. Remember what happened last time Aru messed with lightning?" Aiden set the camera on the counter, the lens still pointing at the pan of brownies and the two making them.
"Oh come on, Aiden, we do it all the time in Naga Loka! And Aru's the daughter of Indra, so nothing's gonna happen."
"It's crazy!"
"How about it, Aru?"
"I don't know, Rudy," Aru looked at the ping-pong ball in her hand. "I'm not sure it works that way..."
"See? She doesn't wanna do it." Aiden said.
"Hang on, I never said I don't want to." Aru stepped forward.
Aiden gawked.
"It would be pretty cool." Aru shrugged. "Like Thor. D'you think I'd look like Thor?"
"I cannot believe this is happening."
Rudy cheered as Aru stepped toward the innocent pan of brownies. Vajra thrashed in her hand.
"Careful, Shah." Aiden warned.
Rudy scowled. "She knows. Quit being so protective."
"What?"
Their conversation was cut off by Aru raising Vajra in lightning bolt form above her head. One moment of hesitation was spent, but Rudy yelled "Go!" and she thrust it down.
Bang!
A bright flash of light filled the room, and Rudy and Aiden were temporarily blinded. A wave of heat thrust through the kitchen. Next thing they knew, Aru was sprawled out unconscious on the floor against the refrigerator, and half-cooked brownie batter splattered all over the walls and cupboards.
"Shah!"
Aiden dropped the camera satchel and dashed to her side while Rudy ran away screaming. He got zapped when he touched her shoulder, but shook her anyway.
"Shah, talk to me. Shah!" Her head lolled senselessly. If her hair hadn't been braided, it probably would have looked like a rodent that had prodded an outlet. "Rudy, now look what you did!"
A door slammed down the hallway and Brynne came stomping into the kitchen. "What is going on-"
She stopped short when she saw the disordered room. Her jaw dropped. "Aiden, what did you do?" she asked, kneeling next to him.
"It was Rudy's idea!" Aiden shot back.
"Hey!" Rudy stepped out from behind the corner. "I thought it would work."
"No, Rudy, as you can see, it didn't work. You killed Shah!" Aiden gestured exasperatedly down at Aru, who still hadn't moved.
Rudy paled. "Really?"
"Ugh, be quiet, both of you!" Brynne threw her hands out between them. "I leave for one minute and come back to a murder scene! Now Aiden, tell me exactly what happened."
Aiden relayed the story while shooting daggers at Rudy, and nervously poking at Aru. By the time he was finished, Brynne was nodding her head knowingly.
"Sounds to me like you used the wrong pan." She said.
Even Aiden was perplexed. "You can use the wrong pan?"
Brynne raised her eyebrows. "When you live in a household that shops frequently at the Night Bazaar, then yeah, you can use the wrong pan. You guys must have tried to electrocute that new instant pan. It's enchanted so that if a recipe calls for one hundred minutes in the oven, your food is cooked in ten. But if a lot of heat or energy is applied all at once..."
Rudy nodded slowly. "Ohhh, that makes sense. My personal chef loves those. I guess I never thought that you would have one, Brynne."
Aiden tipped his head. "So when Aru tried to electrocute the pan..."
Brynne nodded. "Exactly. Now, I'm calling Mini."
"Nooo don't do that. Don't do that!" Rudy exclaimed.
"Why not? Do you have the medical experience to treat an electrocuted demigod?"
"Well no, but I don't want her to get super mad at me! You know how Mini is." Rudy threw his face into his hands.
"Uh-huh." Brynne nodded, then traded a side-eye with Aiden. "Sounds to me like you don't want to get in trouble with your girlfriend." She deadpanned.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Said Rudy, turning a light shade of pink. "I just don't want her to get stressed out, that's all!"
"Yeah, sure," Brynne sighed. "Alright. If Aru doesn't wake up in five minutes, we'll call Mini. Until then, I don't know, give her some medicine or something."
Aiden turned to Brynne. "Should I get her some water?"
"Uhhh, you'd better not. Just put her on the couch, she'll be fine." Brynne pulled up her sleeves and rolled her eyes at the messy kitchen around her. "I gotta clean up this mess."
Rudy cringed and hurriedly said, "Uh, Ima go and um, prepare the couch. Yeah." He scampered away.
Aiden hooked his arms under Aru's knees and shoulders and lifted her up gently. A few threads of lightning danced across her hair, and Aiden stared for a moment before shaking himself and carefully treading towards the living room.
Brynne snapped a photo of them then tucked her phone into her pocket. Chuckling to herself, she got to work.
*Battery at 0%. Goodbye!*
Aru's POV:
Aru woke up on the couch, her top soaking wet. Her eyes wildly darted around the room in confusion before resting on the faces before her.
"I told you not to dump water on her!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
"Shah? Shah, can you hear me?"
Aru groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Loud and clear, Wifey."
"So she is alive?" She heard Rudy say.
"No, Rudy, we're talking to a dead body." The snark that laced Aiden's tone only when talking to his cousin was obvious, and Aru snorted, bringing her hands away from her face and starting to sit up.
Bright light suddenly throbbed behind her eyes, and her surroundings began to rotate around her. "Can someone please make the room stop spinning?"
"Woah okay, Shah, slow down." Aiden said, pushing her back down.
Aru's teeth started chattering. "Why is it so cold in here?"
"And that is why we don't use the water, Rudy." Aiden said. "Go get her a blanket."
"You do it!" Rudy said, taking a seat next to Aiden on the coffee table.
"I have to stay here and make sure Shah doesn't get herself fried again."
"Fine." Rudy got up and left the room. Aru groaned.
"What is it?" Aiden asked.
"My head. This is just like the last time I electrocuted myself." Aru murmured, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. Vajra bounced on her stomach. "I hope this one doesn't last as long."
Aiden smirked. "Don't worry, Shah. You have Brynne's cooking this time."
She smiled wearily. Rudy came back in with a blanket and Aru reached for it eagerly. She sat up again, slowly this time, and reached for the remote.
Aiden snatched it up before she could. "I don't think it's a good idea to let you touch electronics for a while, Shah."
Aru scowled. "You worry too much, Ammamma. I just wanna watch Aladdin."
Aiden sighed and turned on the TV. Aru scooched over to make room for him and offered him some blanket, beaming.
"Is she awake yet?" Brynne hollered from the kitchen.
"Yep," Rudy called back, sitting down on the other side of Aiden.
Brynne came into the room, flour smudged on her cheek, and stirring another bowl of batter. "Soooo what's Mini gonna say?"
They all looked at each other, then shrugged. "What Mini doesn't know won't hurt her." Aiden said, then pulled up Disney Plus.
💛💛💛
HAPPY CHRISTMAS SEASON!!!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm super excited for the stories to come!
Don't let the muggles get you down!
-aminha14