Food...
Hungry...
!!!
What is this-
...Tears.
Amidst a sensation akin to waking up from a long dream of darkness and regrets, she noticed and teared in the sudden but delicious taste of carefully prepared steak, fresh, perfectly cooked vegetables, and a plethora of other rich tastes that she had never dreamed of in her life, but now enjoyed and craved.
But more than that, before she could demand for more, she felt and tasted tears. Tears that were different from her phantom tears of joy.
Tears of regret.
Strengthened by food, drawn to the outside, she peered out and silenced, all cravings and demands slowly disappearing even as more food and bottles of wine rolled or flowed in with a heavy flood of muddy water. Sparks burst across her palate, but her heart settled and even ached as she ignored them all because of the stronger taste of tears, blood, and regret.
"I'm sorry." The boy said, crying to himself again and again under the heavy rain. "I'm sorry." He said, choking on wine with each memory and thought that shook and trembled throughout his small being. "I'm sorry." He pleaded in small whispers under a barren tree amidst scattered bottles of wine, amidst puddles of mud drenched by blood, tears, and rain.
Self-hate and regret, laments and grief, apologies to no one yet everyone...
The boy did not want her (no, she sees the other thing in his hands), the boy did not know her (no, she knows how thoughts could be louder than anything else in the world), but she saw him and her heart stretched.
The tree groaned.
Ooooooong...
"I will protect you."
He neither heard her nor saw her. But thankfully, he also had no chance to do what he had set out to do.
A person who knew the boy appeared and though she wasn't happy with how rough the man treated the boy, she was glad that it really wasn't the boy's time yet and that the boy was safe for now.
She rested with the boy's eyes.
------------
"Damn it!"
Edro, former servant of Lady Violan before she became the Countess, cursed as he turned back and went after the damn punk of the kind dear territory lord who had married his widowed lady.
When he had first saw the damn brat wandering around in the rain despite how he had heard of what had happened earlier in another bar (and good thing because this piece of trash who had always made his former lady unhappy deserved that and so much more), Edro had vindictively wanted to leave the brat walking in this accursed weather alone but in the end, he couldn't do it.
Upon facing the door of his house, Edro had found himself turning back to drag the stupid punk back home.
Growling upon finding the trash (drinking yet again!!) at the Man-Eating Tree (the rope probably wasn't serious, but Edro spitefully wished the brat would do the world a favor and do it) and dragging him back, Edro snarled, "Stop causing so much trouble for your family!! It's really too bad that Lady Violan and Count Deruth would cry over your death!"
Edro sneered at the brat that had drunken himself into a despondent stupor, feeling his countless grievances over the years spill out. They had never met, Edro wasn't even sure if the kid knew him and his history as Violan's former noble family's knight, but Edro had always been watching and Edro had always been furious at Cale's despicable behavior.
"I really hate you and sometimes I just want to strangle you to end all their sorrows, but their tears are the only things that are stopping me from beating up trash like you who deserve to die."
There was no answer and Edro huffed in disdain before noticing someone in the distance that he could happily hand over and be done with the trash to.
Good riddance.
He never wanted to see this scum again.
________________________
And so, it was April 5, Year 781 of the Felix Calendar.
________________________
("Stop causing so much trouble for your family!! It's really too bad that Lady Violan and Count Deruth would cry over your death!")
It was late afternoon when Cale woke up on his own bed instead of the infirmary's sick bed. On a
warm bed instead of the cold ground beneath a dead tree in the slums. There was no butler waking him up as there had been for the last ten years, but Cale wryly didn't expect there to be one after yesterday's commotion.
Ron wouldn't neglect his duty unless he was truly gone, so Cale must have finally chased off the only person who took care of him and stayed by his side no matter what throughout the last ten years.
Seeing this and remembering his mother's old knight's rant last night, Cale huffed, "No one would cry over me..." , but Cale also couldn't help but think of his father's depression after his mother had died (...his mother, he still couldn't remember what his mother looked like anymore... had she really left him too?), of Lily who was so young like he had been... and of his father's begs at the infirmary door last night, and Cale frowned as he despondently looked at the wrinkles of his blanket.
...He didn't want to hurt them anymore.
(His father didn't move from his room when the funeral was over. For days, countless days, he never responded to anyone's worries or words, going through daily activities like a lifeless ghost going through the motions... His father would heal, Violan and Lily would bring him out of his haze, but they shouldn't have to see him like that.)
(Dead eyes that couldn't see, a closed door that blocked out his calls, a father wasting away before his eyes... no.)
Cale's eyes darkened as he fisted his blankets.
Even if it hurt...
Even if there was no meaning...
Even if he didn't want to face anyone anymore...
He'll... subsist for now.
('Try' sounded like an exaggeration. Cale didn't think he could 'try'.)
Cale sighed, looking up at the clock. It was already two hours past noon. His brother must have already gone to the capital.
"Good. Only Basen deserved to be successor. They should all just leave him alone." Cale thought to himself. Finally, they were going to stop bothering him and do what they always should have done. Cale stretched, feeling a bit steadier at the thought.
He was alone-
"Umm... It's not good to be alone."
Had Cale not been lying in bed still, Cale would have stumbled and possibly even fallen to the ground.
"What the-"
"Being alone is sad. Mm. It's best to be with others."
His eyes shook, especially as he looked around and saw no one. "Who the-"
"Ah." His eyes shook more when he realized that the voice was in his head . "I forgot. I am Indestructible Shield. An ancient power."
"What?" Cale shook his head in disbelief, "I don't believe you. In the first place, ancient powers aren't able to talk."
"This is the first I've ever heard of it too." The ancient power casually agreed. "It must be because the heavens decided to give you a friend."
"..."
"Yes. Being alone is sad." The ancient power obliviously continued, seemingly nodding to herself in his head, and Cale stared at the wall in disbelief, a bit of indignance rising in him that an ancient power of all things thought he was lonely and felt the need to subtly, one-sidedly decide to be his friend.
He didn't want to hear this anymore.
"Leave me alone." Cale finally spoke, his voice an angry growl. He tried pushing the voice out of his mind, but it seemed that nothing was working.
"I can't." The ancient power honestly claimed before continuing. "Besides, I don't want to. Your room is interesting. I've never seen such a room before back in our time."
"Get out you fucking noisy-ass power!! Out-"
"How nostalgic. When I was alive, people would always speak this way too. Insults were even a form of endearment in ancient times. By the way, mine was glutton."
Cale cursed. He couldn't get the ancient power to leave by force because it was in his head and he couldn't get the ancient power to leave voluntarily because apparently ancient times was filled with insults and curses. He had a stupid voice in his head that he couldn't get rid of and Cale didn't like it one bit.
He had wanted to be alone.
"How the hell did I even get an ancient power?!"
Cale knew for certain that he didn't have one since birth and Cale also didn't remember ever picking up a power so rare that it was said that you had to be chosen by god to find one and also so difficult to receive that it was said that you needed to pass through a hellish ordeal to get one.
Why did he have one? No god would favor him (more like give him divine punishment instead) and he didn't remember having undergone a strenuous trial for something before. How the hell did Indestructible Shield get into his head?
"You fed me." The glutton proclaimed.
"...What are you, a stray cat?!" Were ancient powers really that simple to get? And when?! When did he feed a power?! Could powers even eat? Did they have mouths??
While Cale was questioning his knowledge of the world, the glutton happily mused, "It would be nice to be a cat. I would get fish everyday to eat - clams, mussels, lobsters, tuna, and bass. Eating meat off the master's table... Ahhh, that would be a good deal. The steak yesterday was really good... Juicy, tender, fresh and full of flavor; the fat melted in the mouth and the meat-"
As Cale realized when he must have fed the power (the steak yesterday? It can't be - the Tree? All along there had been an ancient power in the Man-Eating Tree?), his stomach growled. Loudly. Cutting off the glutton's in-depth rant about last night's leftovers that he didn't get to eat.
"...Damn ancient powers making me hungry."
"Mm, mm! You should eat! Eat lots of good food! Life starts with good food-"
"You can hear my thoughts too?!" Cale growled.
____________________________
Cale sighed as he walked through the hallway listening to the glutton's little noises of awe and appreciation at the marble sculptures and paintings that lined the walls of the hallways. Though, admittedly, he did feel some pride for his family and house at her genuine amazement.
"You really are a noble."
His small pride and satisfaction disappeared for annoyance at the genuine surprise. "What. Am I supposed to act like a noble to be one to you?"
To this voice that only knew him for a few minutes was he not worthy of his family's name too?
(He wasn't and this was just confirmation-)
"No, no. " The glutton surprisingly, casually said without a pause of thought, "It's fine to be you. I knew many nobles who didn't act like nobles too and it's very endearing."
Cale froze at the kitchen door. "Hey, just because you're in my mind and safe from my fists, don't think you can just call me endearing and get away with it-"
"OHHHH!!! LOOK!! BREAD!!! I've never seen bread before!! Ancient times did not have bread!! And this much - You really are a noble! What does it taste like?! Eat one, eat one, eat one right now and tell me what it tastes like- Wait. I might get jealous. But you should eat. Ahhhhh, I am conflicted-"
Cale sighed at the chaotic ancient power that was definitely not listening to him and was definitely living up to its 'term of endearment' from ancient times. Regardless, he was hungry so he moved his foot inside. And then paused as he realized.
"Wait. If you did not have bread back then, how did you know that it's bread?"
The glutton paused mid-rant, "That is a good question." She paused further as if thinking about it and Cale wondered what intelligence an ancient power would tell him about its mysterious self. He instead stumbled at the glutton's happy, carefree answer. "I don't know!" This annoying ancient power- "My friend's better at this." She admitted, "Food's the only thing that's important to me. Now, eat, eat! I promise I won't be jealous, but you should really eat!"
________________________
"By the way, do nobles nowadays not have any servants?"
Cale paused in the middle of cutting a block of ham he had found in Beacrox's kitchen. Since Ron was gone, leaving behind only a glass of water at his bedside, Cale figured that his son must be gone as well, meaning Beacrox's exclusive kitchen would be empty.
It was the reason why he had gone to it.
He didn't want to eat with anyone nor did he want to see anyone. Thankfully, his father still had the servants pulled from his side of the mansion from last night because with Ron and Beacrox gone, he could be alone as he wanted... or at least relatively so.
"It's okay. Even if they go, I'm still here." The glutton said genially after a pause of realization and Cale stared at the block of ham before grumbling,
"I want you to go." The glutton hummed in disbelief and Cale growled in annoyance. This damn ancient power that was making its own assumptions and staying stubbornly still in his head. "How do you even know whether I used to have servants or not? I could have just done everything and been fine by myself."
"Yes. Like your slice of ham right now."
Cale looked down at his wretched piece of ham, blocky in some areas, shredded in others, and with plenty of holes. The glutton giggled at his poor cutting skills and Cale wanted to learn how to stab her intangible existence with his knife.
"Fuck you! Can you do any better? Ha?!"
"Nope!!" The glutton shamelessly declared without a shred of embarrassment. "I have never once cooked before in my life!"
"Then don't fucking comment on my cutting skills!!
_______________________
"It really does look good..."
Cale was trash and Cale wanted this ancient power out of his head, but he did feel slightly guilty as the glutton drooled longingly from the back of his head at the makeshift sandwich in his hand. She tried to limit it so that he could eat undisturbed, but some rants inevitably leaked out because of their shared headspace. Cale was still trying to figure out how to control, limit, and block the flow of his thoughts to the ancient power and also most importantly how to stop hearing the ancient power's own flow of words.
It wasn't very successful.
"If it's the same chef as the one who made the chicken and the steak, I imagine it to be so good... Roasted to perfection with herbs. Tenderized, marinated, and seared." The glutton cited from her earlier reviews of last night's leftover dinner that had been mingled with muddy rainwater. The glutton didn't mind though, happy to eat, because apparently she had eaten much worse in her life and her very death had involved eating dirt.
Considering how she didn't mean to tell him that though, Cale was beginning to notice that the glutton normally said whatever was on her mind. When it came to anything related to food, the
glutton simply had no filter.
From what Cale had heard, she had lived a tragic life. Forced to become a priestess candidate for people who wouldn't even feed her much, she lived a life filled with moments of hunger and starvation and died a death caused by her last meal of dirt. Cale could tell that she was a nice person and yet she had been unable to enjoy her simple hobby of eating food.
While he was trash and was able to eat and waste all the good food that he was given.
"Are you going to cook for yourself now?" The glutton asked after he had finished his second sandwich of bread and cold ham.
Cale thought about it and nodded. He didn't want to see his family again (his father cried behind the closed door) (a shame to the family, only able to cause pain, harm, and misery) and he didn't want to have a chef or any servants or to visit any tavern or restaurant in the city again ("Stop causing so much trouble for your family!!") (they left, Ron, Beacrox, everyone hated him and left-).
"Yeah," Cale quietly mumbled.
The glutton sighed, "This is a big problem." Cale flinched, wondering if she was going to tell him off for chasing them away. If she was going to say it, say all the thoughts roaming in his head and put all (the dread) the feelings inside him into words that Cale could not avoid because of their shared mind. Instead, the glutton said resignedly, "I don't know how to cook, you don't know how to cook-"
"Hey, I do. Don't make your fucking assumptions." Cale snapped and the glutton just hummed in disbelief. Cale could feel her looking down at the poor block of leftover ham that looked like a shredded pincushion from his cutting skills and the pieces of lettuce that resembled the aftermath of a mana bomb.
"Eventually, this would run out..." She continued as if Cale had not said anything. "Do you know any recipes to avoid having to eat raw meat?" The glutton paused before musing idly, "Though raw meat can taste good; there was this one time-"
"There should be something in the library." Cale said, turning to wash his hands and go. He didn't want to know what else the glutton had tried in her impoverished life.
Although she never seemed bothered by her former life, it never failed to make Cale feel incomprehensibly guilty. Which he shouldn't because this was a damn person from thousands of years ago that had nothing to do with him and that shouldn't even be trespassing into his head and talking in the first place!
"You... you have a library of recipes?!" The glutton exclaimed excitedly and Cale deadpanned. This ancient power that only cared for food and itself.
"It's just a normal library. And stop yelling in my mind." Leave him alone.
"That's nice too. I've never seen a book of recipes before. I wonder what good food they would have inside... Hey, hey, do you think you can learn how to make bread?? That would be so nice; your chef left so many kinds of bread in the basket. Ah, to know and be able to make all the food that you want is the best-"
No such luck.
Cale scowled as the glutton went on another carefree rant.
______________________
Unlike Beacrox's kitchen, the library was closer to the main part of the estate where his family resided.
Thus, there were servants - maids who sometimes dropped things and paled upon the sight of him, butlers who stuttered and flinched, hallways in the middle of cleaning that suddenly had a cluster of frozen people as if an arctic wind came in and iced them all into statues while they had been working.
Cale's mood fell further, his scowl deepening drastically, especially as he wondered if the glutton's gradually lengthening silence meant that she was finally understanding what kind of person he was (trash, a bastard, not someone to befriend or like) and that she'd finally give up on him and go away (like the others, as they should, they should all just leave him alone so that he could disappear-) (and if the glutton really couldn't disappear despite wanting to leave, he didn't know how he'd feel about someone who hated him, feared him, or cried at him like his father, the servants, or that punk permanently residing in his head).
"Ah!! There's an ancient power here!" The glutton finally perked up and beamed, her voice steadily growing louder with excitement, "Record's here!"
Cale immediately retracted his hand from the doorknob to the library.
"What?" He asked in disbelief.
Seriously, what?
Cale had never heard about an ancient power in the house before (where the fuck were these annoying bastards coming from??) and he also didn't want to have another ancient power in his head (the glutton was already one person too much from his desire to be alone and he absolutely did not want another).
"Record is here!" The glutton repeated happily, "Get Record. You should get Record."
"No." Cale firmly said, deciding to abandon the library. No way. He was not getting another one. He would rather starve or risk burning down the kitchen and his body to ashes. He did not want to hear another person in his head.
The glutton panicked and if voices could flail, she was certainly doing so in the space of his head.
"Wait!! Cale, don't go! Stay, stay!!"
"Stop!!! Don't go!"
"Cale, please listen!!" ("Cale. Please listen to me." His father begged with tears forming in his eyes-)
The shouts grew louder and more frantic with each step away from the library and Cale snarled at the headache-inducing voice in his head, punching the wall and scaring a servant that happened to pass by to run more quickly away.
"Fine." He growled. "Answer me this. Why the fuck would I want to get Record? Why the fuck would I want another one of you?"
The glutton beamed at his stop. "For me, of course."
"I'm leaving."
"Wait!!! Waaaitttt!!! Record is super smart. Record knows everything. He can answer all your questions. He can also solve all your problems. He also knows how to cook. He can teach you how to make the best food. Stay. You won't regret Record."
"..."
Cale closed his eyes. He wasn't even sure what to believe of Glutton's hurried promotion of her friend, everything sounding like lies and exaggerations that she made in a rush to get him to pick up her fellow ancient power.
Cale even scoffed at the 'solve all your problems' part. Yeah, right. No one in the world could do that, much less sort out all the mess that he was (and he didn't think he wanted anyone to; he deserved everything, had done all of this himself).
Perhaps the only thing Cale could trust was the part about the ancient power knowing how to cook, Glutton being an extremely honest glutton and food critic. She wouldn't lie about Record knowing how to make good food.
Which was unfortunate because that made getting Record, another damn voice in his head, tempting because Cale didn't even remember the last time he had read a book (ten years?) and he definitely didn't want to stay too long in the library to read a book (there were eyes, too many damn eyes there) so it'd be nice to have someone who could just teach him everything on the spot in the privacy of the abandoned kitchen.
But he could also just check out a book to read and avoid having two people too many too close to him.
"And- And because Record can help you record your memories so that they'd never be forgotten." The glutton hurriedly continued as Cale began to move away again. "You'll remember them as if they had just happened a second ago. Don't you have any good memories you want to keep like that?"
"..."
(His mother... He had forgotten what his mother was like-)
(Basen and Ron left... His father, mother, and Lily would soon too. Maybe he would forget them like his-)
Cale paused in his steps away from the library, hesitating and then mouth opening to ask where Record was.
At least until the glutton continued to talk nervously in his silence, "He's also a really good person! We used to call him Record of Humanity."
No. The quality was a no. The name was an instant no. Cale began to walk again to the glutton's panic.
"Absolutely not. I don't want a goody two shoes in my head." Cale sneered.
He didn't want a Lily or Basen or Deruth or even a Violan in his head.
He didn't think he could live with someone good or pure - someone not like him and someone who could get hurt by him and his words. Already. Already, he had hurt so many-
"Record is not a goody two shoes!!" The glutton instantly protested and if she had hands, Cale was sure that the glutton would have tried holding him back from leaving even further down the hall. "He isn't good-" She began insisting before pausing and then thinking about it and realizing her earlier contrary argument and then backtracking, "Um... he's not really?"
"Where's the question." Cale deadpanned.
"Um, well, it's just hard to describe Record. Record can be really nice, but he never really shows it. That's why we used to always call him shy boy, but that wasn't really correct too because he's not shy... Um, Record's like... Mmngh... I wish there was a good word to describe him. There has to be a word somewhere- but anyways I promise you'll like Record. He's a really really good guy- You know what. Just do it for the food. Food's always a good reason. People should just live to eat good food."
Cale sighed when the glutton gave up on her own long circular confusing train of thoughts and he decided to just stop thinking and, indeed, do it for the sake of food. He really didn't want to stay too long in the library where there were people nor in this side of the mansion filled with servants (and parents and siblings) that might chance on his presence.
(He thought about the memory ability again and realized that he wouldn't deserve it. He didn't deserve to keep good memories of people to look back on when their memories of him would be filled with bitterness and grief, hatred and anger and woes. Did anyone even have a good memory of him-) ("...so that I never have to see you again! I hate you! Why do I have to have a brother like you?! You're father's biggest mistake!") (Cale's thoughts numbed.)
Turning back, to the glutton's cheer, Cale opened the door to the library.
The library was still the same as ever. Large with multiple tables and tall shelves filled with hundreds of books. White marble statues, as they had for the rest of the estate, dotted the bright room that was lit by the warm afternoon light shining through the clear glass windows. On the dome-like ceiling was a large painting of a family of golden turtles on a tranquil lake by a partially forested marble mountain.
It was a normal library.
Cale couldn't even imagine there being a rare ancient power here, especially one that his family who had lived here for who knows how many generations hadn't known of, but the glutton enthusiastically guided him to a white, well-polished marble statue in the middle of the room.
Cale immediately recognized it.
It was a statue that every little boy who passed through the library would have admired and it was a statue that every Henituse child would have known because it was said that the statue was of the first Henituse guardian knight who had promised the people of the kingdom to guard them from the monsters of the Forest of Darkness. Although the Henituse were not known as a strong martial arts family anymore, that title now went to the Ailans of the southeast region, the Henituse still honored their promise and kept a vigilant watch on the Roan Kingdom's northern border to the Forbidden Region.
Cale walked towards the statue he had not seen for a long time, having not been to the library or even his own study for ten years. It was still a beautiful sculpture of a disciplined knight diligently standing guard, his sword stabbed through the neck of his fallen ogre prey and into the marble ground.
Cale wondered what he would have to do for this ancient power. Fight an ogre and present the blood to the statue? Or would the statue animate and he would be forced to fight the memory of the knight? Or since the ancient power had to do with memory, perhaps he would have to undergo some kind of test on his knowledge of the past?
The glutton laughed, "No, no, it's Record so just touch the sword."
"..."
Cale touched the marble sword of the guardian knight and sure enough, light - plain and unobtrusive and immensely underwhelming light shone and entered into his head. Thankfully, it left no tattoo of a book or any other mark on his forehead, but still, that was incredibly underwhelming.
Although Cale wasn't expecting much, not after glutton, Cale stared at the statue, feeling a stark impression of being cheated of something.
"You're kidding. Why is everyone always saying that ancient powers were rare and hard to get?" He literally just tossed some leftovers at a tree for Shield and touched a sword for Record. What strenuous trial that by itself could be a story of the legends?!
"Why complain about missing a trial? Trials sound like so much work."
Record was a quiet, weary soul, but Cale realized that he really hadn't regretted picking up Record. It was a thought that continued to pervade his thoughts in the next coming months and even years.
Record paused, quietly realizing, "I exist."
Ignoring the loud, heartfelt "Record!!!" from the glutton, Cale scoffed, "So ancient powers really weren't meant to talk?"
"Yes. I have never heard of an ancient power user being able to hear their ancient powers before."
Cale quietly wondered why he was different as he walked out of the library. His frown deepened as he also stormed on the thought of how he had two voices now inside his head despite having wanted to be by himself just this morning.
Damn it.
_____________________
Despite his former resolve to be alone, Cale was surprised to find himself slowly easing up to the ancient powers in his mind.
There was something about Record that was really easy and nice.
Perhaps, it was his calming presence and the quiet that he had brought back to his mind, the ancient power never speaking up unless necessary or prompted and the ancient power often restraining Glutton when she became awkwardly too much in the initial periods of silence as they came ("Glutton, it's okay to be silent." "Oh, okay." Cale's shoulders slumped in relief, so relieved that he didn't question what that meant).
Or perhaps, it was Record's patience and the straightforward help he would offer without question.
Once back in the kitchen, Cale could really understand what Glutton meant by how Record was a good person as Record patiently guided him into cleaning up his late afternoon meal mess, not minding at all Cale's default grumbles and curses and self, and then taught him the basics of working in a kitchen without ever treating him like an idiot for not knowing anything. Record was different from the proud, strict tutors Cale was used to as a kid. Never scolding him for doing something wrong or imperfect, never carrying an arrogant or duplicitous undertone in his words, never rigidly forcing him to go one way, Record patiently answered all his questions as he taught and Record even asked questions, never assuming anything about Cale and what he wanted.
After sensing Cale had finished admiring the near perfectly sliced cut he had just made from the slab of beef (an extremely stark contrast to his sad ham slices in the afternoon) and prepared with Record's help, the ancient power unobtrusively continued.
"How do you like your steak?"
"Medium rare."
"Okay, then take the cast-iron skillet, the third black pan hanging on the bottom row of the wall to the left, and place it on the stove. Turn the fire on to..."
Relaxing.
Relaxing and even nice.
Cale didn't remember the last time he had felt like this.
------------------------
"How are you such a good cook?"
"...Aren't you the one who cooked it?"
Cale marveled at that too (he actually made something. He, who had never touched a pan in his life, actually made this. What. The. Fuck-), but he still couldn't believe this stupid ancient power that was still saying that (why wasn't he more proud of himself - Cale had only accepted the best of the best in his life and this was something he would want to keep eating) and he couldn't believe that an ancient power was the one who could teach him about everything.
"I thought you were fucking poor too." Cale said, stilling after a moment when he realized what he had just said. Shit, did he just bring up bad memories or something that would be an extremely touchy and bitter subject now that these two who had miserable lives were in him, a spoiled brat.
Record, however, proved to be very nonchalant about his life like the glutton as he admitted without any underlying feeling. "You could say that. I don't think I have seen a kitchen like this for
thirteen years... ten thousand and thirteen?"
"Record was still a good cook though." Glutton beamed, a bright presence in Cale's mind when it came to food as always. "Even when we had no salt or vegetables or herbs or wild animals to find or catch while we were traveling, Record's plant roots were to die for."
"...I think you only think that because of hunger."
"No, no, it was still a much better alternative than chewing rocks like Rock suggested." Glutton paused thoughtfully before adding, "Or eating mud."
"It would have been too much work to dig for mud under the ice." Record conceded.
Cale couldn't listen to this (that wasn't the problem!!). Especially after having eaten an extravagant full course meal in front of these punks.
"Was there really no bread back then?" Cale asked incredulously. Bread was common. Bread was cheap. Even commoners could afford bread. Surely, there was something else they, even as travelers, could eat without resorting to such things that he couldn't even imagine before now.
"Not exactly." Record said to Glutton's "There was?", continuing his explanation as casually as he had back when he was teaching Cale how to cook, "Many places people lived in were desolate back then. Wheat could only grow in a few places most people weren't allowed to be." So only a few people had been allowed to eat it and the other crops that could only grow on fertile lands, went unsaid and Cale frowned as he wondered if there had been a great drought or blight in ancient times.
"I could teach you how to make it though if you're interested."
"...It's fine. My damn chef left a lot before he ran off." Cale huffed. Later, Cale might be interested because Glutton was right and Record was a damn good cook. But for now, Cale didn't want to make something they apparently had never been able to eat (then again, wasn't that almost all of the food that he ate on a daily basis, even just now if Glutton's rants were to be trusted?).
Cale felt that he would feel bad if he ever wasted food as he thoughtlessly had before in the past in front of these two - which was a horrible feeling because Beacrox did leave a lot of ingredients in the kitchen to finish. Cale scoffed as he looked at the pantry and fridge that were both fully stocked. If his butler and chef were going to run off, they really didn't have to be so polite and not take the excess with them.
Glutton perked, drooling dreamily, "Your chef is good too... Record, Record, do you know what ingredients he could have used on this chicken that I tasted last night? It tasted juicy and sour and tangy yet extremely fresh. Like dancing in a fresh garden while surrounded by lightning sparks of flavor that crackle in the crisp air around. The chicken was-"
Glutton never failed to impress Cale as she went on and on about food. Just as Record never failed to impress Cale with how dispassionate and curt, yet somehow not in a negative way, he was as he answered compliantly but shortly, with disinterest.
"It might have been lemon, salt, pepper, olive oil, and rosemary... Maybe oregano, parsley, or garlic too."
"Oooooohhh, such things exist - the cooking world is surely a realm of gods."
"...I wouldn't go that far."
"No, Record, you are a g-"
"Glutton, no-"
Some time in the midst of hearing the happy, food-energized Glutton praise the composed but affection-shy (oh, was that what she meant by shy boy?) Record who tried to fend off her compliments, Cale realized that he was relaxing again, forgetting any awkward or solemn moment even as they once in a while temporarily appeared, forgetting to be angry, just enjoying their presence.
It startled him when he realized that he had been asking questions. Starting and continuing conversations even when it wasn't necessary for the sake of food as he told himself was the only reason he got Record for.
"By the way, are you really called Record of Humanity?" Cale asked at night, freezing at the abrupt realization of all these things - that Cale was actually relaxing and talking to someone normally, actually asking personal questions interestedly.
Record sighed and Cale could imagine the guy burrowing his head in his palms. "That's just what this one bastard made up. Just call me Record."
Record was a quiet, weary soul, but Cale realized that he really hadn't regretted picking up
Record. It was a thought that continued to pervade his thoughts in the next coming months and even years.
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*Extra: on the other side*
Glutton:
As Cale quietly thought to himself on the way back to his room from the library, Glutton beamed as she held Record tightly, not wanting to let go.
It had been one long year since she had last seen him. With how long ago ancient times was, it had been one and over ten thousand years since she had last seen him too.
Although she had despised having to eat a land full of dead mana as her last meal, one of her greatest regrets back then was separating with all of her friends the year before she had died.
Had she gained the power to turn back time but could only change one thing of the past, it would be that. They all really should have stayed together instead of going off on their separate ways.
There had been reasons, but now the glutton thought that none of it mattered because she had both missed them and needed them so much.
Even now, Glutton needed Record, having not known what to say to this kid who was walking on the path of self-destruction. Earlier, she had tried distracting him by talking a lot, but talking had never been her thing (she had never really talked to anyone outside their group except to demand food before), and she could tell that she had crossed a few lines here and there in her thoughtless rants (agh, why did she ask him if he had any good memories earlier? If he had, then he wouldn't have gone to the tree).
Then, there was that awkward silence in which she didn't know what to say on the entire way to the library as Cale's servants... reacted colorfully to his appearance.
Really, sensing Record had been such a relief. Record should know what to do. Record always knew what to do. And Record would help.
Record always tried to push people away, distancing himself from others (and she understood when she had first heard of Fire's death and felt the icy cold washing her and latching onto her heart), but Record would always help.
Glutton beamed when she felt Record slowly return the hug (hugs from Record were super rare!)
and nod to her silent request.
It was weary and quiet, but ever steady and reliable and Glutton felt herself relax at that nod. Feeling alright again, Glutton whispered words she had wanted to say to all of her friends.
"I missed you."
to be continue....
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this is some notes from the original file, but since its just to long and im lazy rn to type it bear with me. but if someone want to read all notes i'll think about it, just tell me.
Little Notes of Details That Won't Appear Again:
-Everyone thinks that Cale is drunk, but the times Cale had ever been drunk in his life can be counted on a hand despite how many times he drinks a lot. Edro mistakes Cale's depression as drunk and talks, but Cale was actually awake.
-Cale knows everyone in the city because they are his people and Cale actually has pride as a Henituse and family that guards the territory. Cale also does know about his second mother's family. So Cale does know about Edro - and he's one of the righteous people that he avoids.
-Glutton is pure and oblivious and normally extremely food-oriented. She doesn't know how to comfort people, but she does know that people can be comforted or less depressed when you listen or say something that distracts them from their depression because of Record so she tries that with Cale. The distracting part at least XD And (very) not quite like Record who does it unintentionally most of the time, but she tried XD
-Deruth doesn't know about why Cale acts like trash, doesn't know how others treat Basen when they were little and still sometimes even now, and doesn't know about the Man-Eating Tree incident. He also doesn't know about Ron and Beacrox's disappearances for a while. He wants to be a good father, but sadly he simply doesn't know a lot of things and normally when he tries to do something, it's too late.
-Weary or not, Record still cringes at praise and admiration towards him. Not that it stops Glutton from calling him a food god.
-well about Endo, he is a minor character also lily's sword instructor