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OH MY GOD, SHE MIGHT ACTUALLY KILL ME/j
IN WHERE Cassandra holds a training lesson with [Name]
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"Everything begins with your stance, [Nickname]." Cassandra informed the kid beside her, adjusting the broom in their hands in order for them to balance. [Name] properly adjusted it to Cassandra's liking, not liking the idea of messing up.
It didn't take long for [Name] to return to the kingdom of Corona after Cassandra had promised them a couple of lessons in combat. They, once again, felt bad for leaving their best bud back in Old Corona, knowing he'd have to continue deciphering the mystery behind the black rocks and with the two critters running around in his lab. Hopefully Quirin doesn't find him tampering with the rocks... again.
It's not like they were doing anything bad! Sure, [Name] suggested scratching the black rocks with whatever they had. They even somehow got their hands on small daggers from Xavier's blacksmith for reasons only they know. They even tried pouring some formulas on the daggers for some hopeful effects. Nothing.
Besides, Varian insisted they take the lessons. After all, he does think they could be extremely beneficial to them for the future. He even went to the depth of reassuring them that he's got everything under control (even though they both knew better).
So, reluctantly yet so wanting to go at the same time, [Name] found themselves here. Outside in the open fields of the Kingdom Castle, far away from any precious flower beds.
"Alright, first question. Why will you fight?" Cassandra quizzed, looking down on them with a stern look. Her question got them thinking: Could there be another reason why they accepted these lessons? They knew they needed to learn to fend for themselves. No need for another Andrew-related incident to happen again.
"I need to learn to fight for myself," [Name] answered, hesitating for a bit. Why did Cassandra ask them, knowing very well that the answer is why she offered this? It is just all so confusing to them.
"I am aware. But fighting for yourself isn't going to get you anywhere," Cassandra lectured, taking out a sharp dagger from her boot to throw it at Eugene's painted face in her sparring dummy. She aimed and threw the dagger with such grace, yet the sight was a bit scary. It landed perfectly on Eugene's nose. "I should know."
[Name] felt their arms drop slowly, bringing the broom down with them. "What do you mean?"
"Wanna know something, kid? If you have a reason to fight other than yourself, you are sure to win the battle," Cassandra continued, smirking in the end with her arms crossed. "I fight for this kingdom. I fight because I want to be in the royal guard. I fight for Rapunzel," Cassandra listed, keeping her head up high as she spoke.
"I'll... fight for the kingdom, too?" [Name] made a sheepish little grin, shrugging. With all due respect, they don't know another reason to why they'll fight. Maybe to help the kingdom? Fight for the people of Corona? All of this conversation had made their head flooded with possible answers. But they'll soon wash away.
"You'll need a different type of motivation," Cassandra added, obtaining a broom of her own to practice with [Name]. "You saw me train before. And you're aware of why I trained so hard that young."
"Because you wanted to be a part of the royal guard," [Name] reminded themselves, bringing their broom up close to ponder for a bit. They were well aware of the knowledge about her training since the age of six. Cassandra held a massive first start compared to them, for they started these training lessons at fourteen.
"Yes, you're not wrong," Cassandra hummed, spinning her broom a couple of times. "But I soon found another reason. It motivated me more to be successful when it comes to these things," Cassandra continued, holding her broom as she got into a stance. [Name] took it as their cue to get into position, following Cassandra's steps of how to hold the broom properly.
Cassandra began to swing soft attacks towards [Name], just hoping what Cassandra informed and taught them to do before the actual sparring began. [Name] lifted their broom sideways with both hands, using a technique that they saw Cassandra do once to counter her soft blows.
"I fight for the people I care about. That's what fuels me," Cassandra revealed, not wavering one bit as she kept on throwing soft blows at [Name]'s way. Not too harsh but she wasn't giving them an easy time either. Going easy first isn't an ideal route to pave a successful path in these types of things. [Name] kept on trying to counter the attacks, missing a couple as they just narrowly missed the end of Cassandra's broom (cause they got them Disney Princess surviving skills).
"When you fight for someone, that'll drive you to come back. Alive," Cassandra kept on going, throwing advice and blows towards [Name]. "Knowing that someone's life may be at risk can fuel just about anyone to fight with all they can give. People fight for someone. Not just for themselves." Cassandra managed to land a final soft blow beneath [Name], knocking them off their feet. They fell to the ground, making a small 'oof' sound.
"Someone wins because they do it for someone. Now, answer me this, kid... Who will you fight for?" Cassandra finished, stretching a hand for them to take it. [Name] gladly took her hand, getting themselves back on their good old two feet. The raven-haired women passed them their broom, still giving them time to regain some breath and time to think.
[Name] thought. But for some odd reason, the first person who came into their mind was Varian. Not their mom. Not their dad (they never met him, why would they?). Not even Cassandra or the princess. Just their best friend.
They don't want to see him hurt. They were scared for their life back when Andrew threatened to slit their throat because they were afraid of the people around them. Especially him. That alone could say a lot, but they decided not to think too much of it.
"For him," [Name] spoke, looking back up at the woman. "I want to fight for Varian. He's my best friend. I care and love him so much. I... just don't want to see anyone hurt. Him, especially." They looked right through Cassandra's eyes, giving her a determined look of their own with a hand above their chest.
"That's the spirit," Cassandra broke into a smile, reaching a hand to ruffle their hair. "Oh, and we should try other things. Seems like swords may not be your thing."
[Name] broke into a small fit of giggles, nodding with slight enthusiasm. Swords were definitely not built for them.
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Eugene Sucks Ass at Backing
IN WHERE two gremlins assist Eugene to bake a surprise
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"I guess it's not too bad for a first attempt," Eugene chuckled, ignoring the chaotic mess around him. Flour splattered everywhere on the table, with bits of sugar and starch spread across the table. But what stood more was the result that caused the mess to begin with. A plate of... Eugene had no idea what they were. A chocolate cake? Brownies? It looked pretty edible, at least. Besides, there was totally a lot of steam that emerged from his first result of baking. And it didn't look too burnt. He's doing great so far.
The smell, which was a bit pleasant much to his surprise, caught the attention of two noses. Who just happened to pass by the kitchen in where Eugene was.
Two heads peaked out of the door, both with puzzled looks. "Hey, Mr. Rider, I'm looking for Rapunzel," One of the heads, Varian, told the man wearing an apron. He and [Name] came to talk with Rapunzel about the black rock situation and what they have so far. "Is she around somewhere here-"
It was just then that he realized the mess in the kitchen. [Name] held an agape mouth as they took a further glance inside the room, stepping inside as they dragged Varian along by his hand. "What's that?" [Name] tilted their head, pointing at the platter of... who knows what. The smell was a bit tasty, though (how? They dunno).
"If you're going to throw them out, at least let me grab a bite," [Name] suggested, making a grabbing hands motion for Eugene to pass them the plate and a spoon. Eugene looked at the plate before deciding to do the predictable: Actually hand [Name] the plate and a spoon. He certainly didn't want to try it. He could use some advice, too.
[Name] took the plate with a hopeful feeling. They've been dying to eat some sort of treat for themselves after they pulled an all-nighter in taking Varian's place to track down notes about the black rock situation. And besides, they've been two weeks into Cassandra's training lessons, and they got to say, they've improved. Swords were definitely not their things. Cassandra gave them hand-to-hand combat lessons alongside archery. And so far, [Name] found more delight playing with her daggers more often.
"It's nothing. Just a little experiment," Eugene said, watching [Name] take a bite of the cake. Even within the first bite, [Name] retreated the spoon back to its plate and immediately threw that shit away. Their taste buds felt like they were poisoned, screaming with agony.
Okay, maybe they were being a bit too dramatic.
"Okay..." Varian muttered out, giving [Name] a couple of shoulder pats. He could only imagine how it tasted like based on their reaction alone. "Well, what are you trying to do? What's your hypothesis for your experiment?"
"It's not that kind of experiment," Eugene stated, dusting off the flour and starch he got on his apron. He soon dusted off the remaining off his hands. "I'm trying to do something special for Rapunzel. You know, show her my domestic side."
"... maybe you should reconsider," [Name] whispered, the unwanted taste in their mouth agonizing their tongue.
"What? You two think I don't have a domestic side?" Eugene vacillated, giving the two kids a small side eye. That made said two kids awkwardly avert their sight from him, hands behind their back (yes, they were still holding hands during this).
"I didn't say that!" Varian defended himself, noticing [Name] whisper something about them being the one who spoke the truth. He silently agreed with them, knowing he probably wouldn't escape Eugene's revenge if he said that in front of him. "I mean... I thought it, but I didn't say it."
"Well," Eugene began, stepping on a bag of flour to do a cool pose for the nonexistent camera. With his hand on his hip the other on his thigh. "Maybe baking's not coming to me as easily as wit and charm, but I can't be natural at everything."
Varian smiled a bit, looking at the man in front of him with pure amusement. "Why don't you ask one of the royal chefs to help?"
Eugene sighed, "They're all busy preparing for a big state dinner. And I sort of wanted to do this on my own, but... well..." Eugene hissed slightly, now realizing the consequences of his actions around him. That meant he'd have to clean. And judging by how [Name]'s reaction showed obvious displeasure from a single bite of his cake, it didn't turn out good.
"Here, I'll help you," Varian smiled, rolling up his already rolled up sleeves. "After all, I'm a master of alchemy, and what's baking but alchemy with slightly more mundane ingredients and tastier results?"
"I'll... help with the finishing touches," [Name] offered, just freeing themselves from that god-awful taste stinging in their tongue. It's usually Varian who's superior when it comes to these types of things. [Name] can only do a bit better than Eugene (which gave them no permission on the table to speak to begin with).
"What's your recipe?"
"I... don't really have one. I was sort of playing it by ear," Eugene admitted, scratching his chin. That explained why his first result wasn't tasty.
The duo sighed heavily, not believing this guy literally baked a cake without knowing shit in the first place. Varian sighed, "Oh boy. Grab a mixing bowl and hand me some eggs." Varian turned to [Name], whispering, "Please? Mr. Rider over here doesn't know..."
[Name] nodded, remaining absolutely silent as they went to fetch the ingredients and tools necessary.
"Eggs!" Eugene piped, snapping his fingers. "I knew my cake was missing something, but I thought it was oregano and buttermilk..."
"Say what now?"
Varian quickly got into mixing the necessary ingredients needed the moment [Name] put them on the table. "It's a good thing I came along when I did," Varian mentioned, his attention solely directed towards the bowl in front of him as he began cracking eggs. "Measure out a cup of flour, please?"
"Sure," Eugene accepted, not knowing Varian was specifically giving that task to [Name]. Varian poured the precise amount of milk as Eugene came with a bowl of... something. Eugene came in the way to begin pouring the-
"Hold on there," Varian warned, raising a hand to prevent Eugene from moving. He knew off the bat that Eugene didn't bring him the correct ingredient. [Name] passed over a cup of flour to the table as Varian spoke, "Eugene. That's starch," Varian claimed, using his actual name for the first time in forever.
"Oh. Whoops!" Eugene laughed a bit at his own mistake, not being aware of the absolute mess he would cause if he ever added starch to the mixture. The two kids made sure to keep a close eye on him as Varian stirred the mixture.
"I wonder..." Varian hummed, digging into his pockets to take out a couple of vials. He smiled once he got his hands on a particular vial. "I've been dying to try this out- it's some new extract I bought called vanilla. The merchant told me it's primarily for baking, but I was going to use it to make my experiments smell better," Varian explained to none other than himself (despite [Name] being there), pouring some vanilla extract on to a tablespoon, all with a devious little smile. The smell alone was intoxicating but in a good, sweet way.
"That smells incredible!" Eugene pointed out, taking his sweet time to sniff out this wonderful new smell. Eugene was just about to snatch one of Varian's chemical compounds until [Name] stood in between both of them, blocking Eugene's way.
"Please don't touch anything, Mr. Rider."
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"What's that amazing smell!?" Rapunzel asked with enthusiasm, her green eyes lighting up the room as Eugene placed a platter on the table with a silver lid. She saw her face reflect on the silverware, chuckling at the weird sight of it.
"Probably the smell of Eugene burning down the kitchen, as expected," Cassandra commented with a smile, sitting across the table. It was her specialty (and in her blood) to say something about Eugene at any given moment.
Eugene cleared his throat, clearly but partially offended by Cassandra's comment. "Anyway, enough about that. Time for the piece of resistance!" Eugene announced with pride, lifting the lid to reveal the cake he made (with additional help).
The cake resembled gears moving. No- like- actual gears moving. Decorated with chocolate frosting and multiple little cake pops to support their post, tall and proud, this cake alone is a beautiful site. Not to mention the cute little house with a- is that a fucking working chimney?
"Wow! It moves!" Rapunzel gasped. She's never seen a cake that looked delicious. And it moves, too! Not even Uncle Monty could compete with it (since she despises his guts. Fortunately, the feeling was mutual). Or Attila (okay, maybe not him. Taste can make up for looks).
"Well, Blondie? What do you think?" Eugene peeked over by his girlfriend's side, gently grabbing her shoulders. Rapunzel smiled with gratitude as she planted a quick cheek kiss on his face.
"I think you're full of surprises!" Rapunzel beamed brightly, backing off to meet Eugene's smile. "How'd you make the icing?"
The sound of someone clearing their throat was enough to answer that. They turned to the two teens in the room, both with smiles on their faces.
In short, the cake is better than before since Eugene didn't touch it.
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Dear Black Rocks, GET THE FUCK OUT
IN WHERE more black rocks are arriving to Corona
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"Mom, are you seeing this?" [Name] looked outside the windows of their room, noticing the newfound and multiple clusters of black rocks through Old Corona. They turned around and lightly chuckled when they were met with silence.
Right. Mom rarely comes home this early. When was the last time they even faced her? When she promised to take them to her job? Fuck, when was the last time they even talked? Did she even hear the new incidents that happened around them and Varian?
It was quiet. Too quiet. The only faint traces of ambiance being Fido barking as he chased Ruddiger down through the streets of Corona. Maybe the wind is beginning to blow, leaving behind a weird chilly breeze behind. Which was weird. The Kingdom of Corona isn't famous for their cold weather.
Nevertheless, [Name] never felt colder. An empty house sounded great since one can gain no disturbances at all. Sometimes it felt lonely, sure. But nobody can disturb you. [Name] can see why Varian likes solitude sometimes. Nobody can bother him as his mind is solely focused on one thing.
The sunrays from above were the only source of light in their room, illuminating it with warm colors. What felt off was the weird and eerie cold colors blocking their vision when they turned to the door. The sun doesn't bring a more solemn tone in the room. So, what did?
[Name] turned to see newfound black rocks sprouting from below. It was slower than usual, like it held some sort of trouble as it tore through their floor. [Name] screamed out of fear at the sight (like any other normal person). How come the rocks appeared without any scratches? They knew the rocks were unbreakable, but it did put up a fight as it barged to the inside of their home.
The black rock rose slightly, not appearing as threatening compared to its siblings outside. Some already were beginning to damage fences and crops. Even water wells, too. They recently heard that a man entered his basement to see some black rocks stabbing right through his stuff. Sucks to be him.
They must be signs. [Name] couldn't think of any other thing. Ever since everyone knew that Rapunzel's famous long locks grew back like magic, the black rocks began appearing. They didn't seem much of a threat at first. But with every passing day, they began spreading through Old Corona like a disease.
[Name] sighed. Could they go back to getting in trouble instead of dealing with a possible supernatural related mess?
Finding the energy to stand up from their bed, [Name] walked over to their desk. It was filled with a paper mess, many different types of paints, attempted replicas of Varian's chemical bombs, random boxes filled with important or unimportant junk, you name it. Even the wall was covered with old drawings that they made, along with several notes or decorations of the sort.
A chaotic mess at best. Just how they liked (and hated) it. [Name] really needed to clean up this place for once. At least, they say that but never do it.
Grabbing the [Name]ium and putting in one, they began their mission. The purpose they have right now. Something to devote their time to instead of doing stuff that people claim to be useless. Sure, not many people seemed to care about the situation of the black rocks. Not yet at least.
Oh, but those paints do look pretty right now. So pretty that [Name] felt obligated to grab them and make more of a mess out of fun and boredom. It was pretty much the reason they began finding this hobby enjoyable. Because a nine-year-old [Name] was bored one day when Cassandra wasn't around.
It's still very tempting to paint instead of focusing on their goal.
[Name] touched the tip of one of their many brushes before fully snatching it, bringing a couple of paints while they were at it, too. Marching towards a bland spot on their wall (in which there are multiple), they got to work. This can free their mind from the black rocks.
If it weren't for the empty spot conveniently near said black rock that just entered their room.
[Name] also felt inclined to touch the black rocks. They look smooth (like butter/j) and ignoring the whole 'doom arriving' feeling, it was pretty. The sunlight could really capture and create the lighting on it. So, they tried to make another useless and futile attempt on even making contact with the rock.
Only to back away like a coward at the last second.
Something inside [Name]'s gut told them not to. But their other side was practically screaming 'DO IT, YOU COWARD!' out loud. Something about the black rocks didn't feel right...
What were they going to do again?
...
Visit Varian, that's what. Maybe the black rocks were a sign of something. Maybe a sign for them to go back to drowning in many theories and hypotheses about the rocks.
[Name] swiftly opened the door to his lab (Varian lent [Name] a spare key some time ago whenever they wanted to pass time in his place as long as they agreed not to make a mess), stepping foot while being careful to not activate any booby traps.
"Hey, bluey! How's it going so far- HOLY SHIT!"
[Name] probably went through the five stages of grief on the spot. For what they saw wasn't exactly what they expected.
Varian hurriedly scribbling on the walls. Wait, that was normal.
What was new is Ruddiger and Fido resting on the huge ass black rocks in the middle of his lab. It tore through the floors all the way to the roof, leaving behind nothing but a mess. The floor tiles were scattered across the lab, bits of the roof fell down, it even looked worse than [Name]'s room. Chairs damaged, all the weapons and tools (that they legally got) everywhere, you name it.
Varian seemed completely fine with this. He turned with that giddy bucked tooth grin of his to [Name]. "Oh, hey [Name]," Varian greeted them, waving. How could he be so happy after the destruction from the inside of his lab? Yet again, this also meant him not having to travel through Old Corona to do tests on the black rocks.
[Name] will never understand this.
"When did this happen?" They pointed to the huge black spike in the dab middle of his lab. How come they got attacked by a small one, but Varian got a whole package!? And he's fine with it!?
"This morning, actually," Varian informed them, walking to the black rocks to give them a little knock. "They seem to be growing at an exponential rate. You did notice the number of black rocks growing throughout Old Corona, right?"
A small nod from [Name] is enough to be an answer.
"But hey! I can concur these tests right here! And my dad will probably catch me less than before," Varian celebrated in this win-lose situation. Sure, he might get in trouble with his dad (again). But at least he can work in a quiet and secluded area without anybody telling him or [Name] to go away. Hooray!
If Varian seemed fine with this sudden inconvenience, why can't [Name]?
"So... what do you have so far?"
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Fun Facts!
- Cassandra teaches [Name] two to three times a week. They are soon accustomed to small daggers or anything easy to carry around.
- [Name] isn't that good in the kitchen. All they can do is decorate the baked goods well since that's the fun part.
- [Name] is usually home alone since their mom barely comes home thanks to her job. That's why they sometimes crash in Varian's place from time to time.
- The black rock situation seemed to be growing worse.