"There! Finally got 'em all pureed!" Ace wipes a hand across his brow.
You're finally finished with shelling and puréing all the chestnuts all while trying to swipe back the chestnuts Grim managed to nab to try to eat.
Deuce rubs his tired arms. "My arms are killing me."
Trey laughs. "Nice work. It'll be all the sweeter for your pain!"
"The smell alone already has me droolin'." Grim's eyes were locked on the tart as Trey mixed the chestnut purée with other ingredients.
"I just need to add butter and sugar to the chestnut paste, and a sensible splash of oyster sauce, that's my secret ingredient!"
"Oyster sauce!" Deuce and Ace cry out. You tilt your head in confusion. Wouldn't that just ruin the tart?
Trey merely smiles. "Yep. The umami of the oysters gives the cream a deep, savory flavor. I use this one here: Walrus-brand Young Oyster Sauce. All the best bakers use it in their tarts." Trey says like it's matter of fact.
Deuce looks just as confused as you. "Really? But isn't oyster sauce like, super salty?"
Ace put a hand to his head, scratching his head in thought. "Some folks put chocolate into curry, don't they? Maybe it's the same idea."
Trey bursted out laughing, catching you off guard. Trey holds his sides from laughing so hard. "I'm totally lying! No one in their right mind would put oyster sauce into a pastry."
"What? So you were just yankin' our chain?" exclaims Ace.
Trey finally catches his breath from laughing at your befuddled faces. "I mean, if you'd used your brain, you'd have realized how ridiculous it was! Let that be a lesson to you. Don't believe everything you hear."
Grim folds his arms, looking unimpressed. "Feh. And here I thought that human was actually somewhat decent."
"Grim!" You whisper-yelled to the cat. You pull him off the counter and into your arms, making sure he wouldn't get into more trouble.
Trey continues stirring. "Next, I'll put in the cream... Oh!"
"What's wrong?" Asked Ace.
"You guys gathered so many chestnuts that we may have overdone it with the chestnut paste. I don't think we have enough cream to mix in."
Deuce steps forward. "Then I'll go buy some. Do they sell it at the school store?"
Trey tilts his head in thought. "They sell pretty much everything, so... probably. Can I have you pick me up a few other things?" Trey starts writing a list. "I need two cartons of milk, two packs of eggs, some muffin cups, five cans of fruit."
"I don't think I'll be able to carry all that back." Deuce tuns to you. "Y/N, could you come with me?"
You shrug. "Sure. I've never been to the school store yet so it would be interesting to see."
"Then I'm comin' too!" Grim states. "I'm getting dizzy from all this stirrin'. I need a break!"
You, Deuce and Grim walk into the little building that was the school store. Once inside, the room is full to the brim with different knick knacks and oddities. There was so much to look at it was hard to tell where one shelf ended and another began. Deuce approached the checkout counter and rang a small bell.
"Hello, can I get some he- Whoa. This shop is wild. They have crystal skulls, grimoires, taxidermied... Uh, I don't even know what animal that is!"
You stifle a giggle from how easy Deuce got so distracted. Grim quirks an eye from your arms.
"You think they really sell cream in here?"
"Greetings, my stray imps, How fare you today?"
A man suddenly appears from behind the counter, cheerfully wavering at you. He was a lithe young man with magenta eyes. Black and purple locks flipped over the right side of his head in an undercut. Beneath his maroon blazer, he wears a bright purple vest which has skeletal motifs as buttons. He wears a hat which is sewn together of maroon and black colored parts. He has a small skull affixed to a red sash wrapped around the hat. He wears a necklace decorated with long, tooth looking bones. He also wears a black apron, tied together with a black and white ribbon. He has a single pocket visible near his hip, which holds a green hamsa-type object inside.
"Welcome to Mr. Sam's Mystery Shop. What among my humble selection interests you? A charm from a secluded land? The mummified remains of an ancient king? A cursed tarot card?"
Grim jumps to your shoulder and hides in your hair. "Myah! I wasn't expectin' this kinda selection!"
Deuce hesitantly hands Sam the list Trey gave him. "Um, we wanted to buy all the items on this list..."
"Ring up two cans of tuna while you're at it!"
"No, Grim! We're not here for tuna!" Deuce calls over his shoulder.
Sam scans the list. "What's this? Cream and eggs and... Quite the sacchariferous list! I'll get everything for you."
Sam disappears behind a curtain leading into the back of the shop. Deuce scratches his head.
"Whoa, he really does stock that stuff, huh?"
Sam reappears from the curtain holding various large bags. "Here you go. It's pretty heavy. Are you sure you can carry this? Luckily for you, our 1/100th size flying saucers are 30% off today. Perfect for carrying groceries!"
"Ooh, lemme see! That sounds awesome!" Grim tries leaping off your shoulder but you quickly grab him and hold Grim close, trying to prevent a future mess.
"No Grim, stop wriggling!"
Deuce shakes his head at the struggling monster. "We're fine, thank you. Let's go, Grim."
Grim folds his arms and huffs. "Myah! I didn't realize today was National No Fun Allowed Day!"
Sam waves at you as you leave the shop. "Very well. Then until next time, my little imps. Do come again! Ciao!"
You and Deuce are walking down Main Street while Grim is perched on your shoulder, on your way back to the kitchen. The sun is starting to get low in the horizon.
"Wow, that store was amazing!"
Grim scoffs at Deuce. "Yeah, and you're amazingly cheap."
Deuce bristles. "Who are you calling cheap?"
He lets out a huff and glances over to you. "Y/N, looks like you got the bag with all the cans. That must be heavy. Let me take that one. I've got a little trick for carrying heavy bags."
Before you can protest, Deuce takes a heavy bag from you and adds it to the many bags he was already carrying. You let out a giggle.
"I didn't know there was a trick for that. You're quite the power shopper."
Deuce's cheeks tinged pink at your compliment. "Yeah. My mom always used to stock up at sales, and the bags would get ridiculously heavy. I was the only man in the house, so I got to do all the heavy lifting, and-"
Deuce pauses and shakes his head. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to monopolize the conversation."
You laugh and put a hand on Deuce's arm to reassure him. "No need to be sorry. I enjoy getting to know more about you."
You gaze into his cyan eyes as he stares into yours. "Do you really mean that?"
"Of course! I want to know everything about you."
Deuce turns his gaze to the floor. "Well I-"
Before he could say anymore Deuce smacked into another student, sending the bag of eggs crashing to the hard floor.
"Myah! The eggs!" Grim cries from your shoulder.
Deuce stares at the broken eggs scattered on the ground. "T-the carton of eggs is totally smashed! And now the bag's dripping eggs everywhere."
"Ouch! Why don't you watch where you're- Hey! You're the jerks who broke the egg yolk on my carbonara!"
Oh come on! You recognize the group of students from earlier today who tried to pick a fight over their 'ruined' food.
"I've had about enough of you punks. You need to learn your place!"
Deuce furiously glares at the opposing students. "You're the ones who darted out at us from around a corner! And you picked a fight with us at lunch over an egg that you were still totally able to eat! And now you've destroyed six of OUR eggs!"
Grim nods. "Yeah, he's right!"
One of the boys took an intimidating step forward. "So what? You sayin' that was our fault?"
Deuce stands his ground. "I am. Please reimburse us for the eggs. And then apologize to the chickens."
You throw Deuce a curious glance. The chickens?
Another one of the students laughs and steps beside his friend. "Ooh, look who's got his big boy pants on. You sure are makin' a big deal outta some stupid eggs."
Deuce glares at the three bullies. "What?"
"They haven't even touched the ground, so they're still edible. Quit whinin'."
You take a step forward. "Excuse me?"
"You should thank us for savin' ya the trouble of crackin' 'em!"
The group laughs like they said the funniest thing on earth. Deuce clenches his fists and gives them the scariest death glare you had ever seen.
"That ain't funny."
The other boys stop laughing. "Huh?"
"I said, THAT AIN'T FUNNY." Deuce steps forward and the other boys take a step back.
"You don't get to call my eggs stupid. You don't get to call ANY eggs stupid! Those eggs may not have gotten to be chicks, but they were gonna make some amazing tarts! Do you get it yet? DO YOU?"
"What is with this guy all of a sudden?"
"You owe me six eggs. If ya ain't gonna pay me for em, then you're gettin' a bruise for each one!"
"Are you serious right now?"
Deuce grins. "Buckle up, jerks."
Before you know it, Deuce sent the bullies packing. It was like Deuce was a one man army.
"This guy is out of his mind!"
"Let's get out of here!"
"Next time you eat an egg, you better apologize a hundred times, you buncha chumps!" Deuce calls after them.
"Whoooooa." Grim whispers.
Deuce glares at the retreating boys, breathing heavily. You slowly approach him and gently put a hand to his shoulder.
"Take deep breaths, try to calm down."
Deuce tries to breathe but he crumbles to the floor.
Grim hops from your shoulder and approaches Deuce. "What's wrong?"
"I did it again, didn't I?" Deuce lets out a frustrated yell. "I was dead set on becoming an honor student this time too!"
You kneel down next to him, placing a supportive hand on his back. "What do you mean?"
"When I was in middle school, I was pretty wild." Deuce shakes his head, staring at the ground. "I cut school all the time and got in fights. I called my teachers names, hung out with bullies, bleached my hair... I blasted around tight curves on my blastcycle, I'd show off my magic to kids who couldn't use it yet... I was a total punk."
Grim put his paws to his hips. "So you were only a little more annoying than you are now?"
"Grim! Don't you dare!" You shout to the cat.
"But one night, I saw my mom talking on the phone to my grandma. She was trying to hide from me, but I saw her, and I could tell she was in tears."
Deuce brought his hands to his head, covering his eyes. "She was saying how she must have been a horrible mom, and that maybe she never should have tried to raise me by herself. That had nothin' to do with it! She hadn't done anything wrong. It was all me."
Deuce sighs and puts his hands to his lap. "When the carriage came to take me to Night Raven College, she was so happy for me. I decided then and there that this time, I wouldn't do anything to make her cry. This time, I'd become an honor student, someone she could be proud of. And I already messed it all up!"
You take Deuce's hands into yours. He looks up at you, surprised by your actions.
"You didn't mess up at all Deuce."
"But I-"
"Everyone slips up sometimes, it doesn't make you a bad person or someone to be ashamed of."
Grim nods. "I mean, did ya mess up though? Is putting up with jerks what honor students do?"
"Huh?" Deuce looks quizzically at Grim.
"Even I, Grim the Magnanimous, was ready to pound those losers into tuna paste! You just got to 'em first." Grim smirks.
"Even honor students get angry sometimes." You add. "And I'm not gonna lie, I'm glad that you stood up for yourself against those bullies."
Deuce looks deep into your eyes, holding tightly onto your hands. He lets out a small laugh.
"I guess you're right!" Deuce glances to the crushed eggs. "I just hope those chicks can rest in peace."
You laugh. "You know chickens don't live inside eggs, right? Those aren't the type of eggs that hatch."
"Wha- WHAAAAAT? Are you kidding me?"