Hey guys, Cobs got 1,000 fricking votes! Thank you all, and have this lovely milestone gift~
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Puff's popularity had withered in a matter of weeks, only a few points and whispers shedding the fading trails of his spectacular transition to freedom. Despite this, Vera could still see the undying twinkle of cheer in Puff's eyes, and the wandering attention in Káel's.
He was in a conversation with Truvius, the two talking about Puff's refusal to fly and Mr. Mudelin's disappointing lack of call outs on Káel. Yet his gaze had bounced just past her too many times to be a coincidence. Their suspicions seemed to be right.
Vera had put her patience to practice, slowly softening Káel up with a wave of warmth in place of her comfortable chill. On this particular lunch break she felt that she had gotten close enough to him to ask about the room without having to give anything in return. So, after the four had topped their plates with more snacks than substance, Vera made sure to seize the spot right next to him, banishing Truvius and Talli to face them across the table.
Without any small talk to soften their start, Vera went straight for the prize, bringing up the room so nonchalantly Káel had to process her question twice to make sure he'd heard it right. Vera bit her lip as Káel's gaze meandered off to Truvius, folding into a squint at the clear lack of confusion on his roommate's face.
"It's fine, we might as well tell them," Vera whispered, trying to steal his attention again.
"Tell us what?" Truvius cut in, the lagging confusion finally catching up to only make it look worse.
"Y-yeah, what?" Talli added.
Puff narrowed his eyes at the three, and although Káel felt exactly the same, he hid his look of doubt with an impassive stare. "Well okay, not like that question came out of nowhere," he said, catching a split second twitch of impatience on Vera's face.
"Yeah, I guess it was, it just crossed my mind."
Káel's eyes flicked to his right for a split second, as his face became slightly annoyed, fueling the theories running through Vera's head. "I think I found a way to open it."
"So it didn't just disappear?" Vera's eyes lit up with genuine intrigue. "Does that mean we can go back in there?"
Káel chuckled nervously while his three friends stared him down, dropping his gaze to the unhelpful frown Puff was flaunting. "Well no... Not exactly. There's a Ceptrum blocking it."
"Well then, we'll find someone with a Ceptrum who won't report us," Vera replied, shifting her gaze just past Káel's shoulder with a creeping smile. "Incoming."
He whipped his hands up to cover his head, smacking away a hand that was seconds away from reaching its goal.
"Hey you warned him, that's no fun," Ray said, grinning cheesily at Káel's death glare. "So, how's it going?"
Káel could sense the approval travelling between Truvius and Vera, but this time, the six foot two blond bane of his existence had a use. It would take a blindfold and blasting music to not realise his friends were plotting, but two could play on the stage of secrets. Or in this case, four.
"Hey Ray, do you have a Ceptrum?"
Ray blinked, pulling back to count the sheer amount of times he'd opened a Ceptrum in front of Káel. "You betcha, why do you ask?"
"Remember that Ceptrum we found... In the wall?" Káel whispered, trying a little too hard to trick his friends into thinking he was with their plan.
Ray nodded. "The one you were trying to hide, but failed epically at?"
"Yeah, that one. And do you remember how it didn't open for you?" Káel continued, ensuring Ray was staring directly at him while he did a minuscule nod.
Ray swallowed his confusion as every signal Káel was trying to show on his face finally hit the target. "Oooh, yeah. Yup." His golden eyes landed on Vera, a pressed smile etched to his features while he leaned on the table to pull all three of Káel's friends into his shadow. "I also remember telling him I'd drag him straight to Samanthra if he messed around with school property again." The dark ring to his whisper did the trick, pulling a cringe from his audience. "Guess that also includes you guys now."
Vera didn't let the fear settle for long, her nose scrunched as she challenged Ray's stare with growing disbelief. "Says the one that tried to open the Ceptrum."
Ray greeted her jab with a cold silence, snapping at Káel and pointing to an emptied corner of the dinner hall. Káel obeyed the rare moment of seriousness Ray was leaking, leaving his food to follow the elite where unwelcomed ears wouldn't have a chance to snoop.
When they had stopped comfortably in the shadows of a snaking corridor, Ray swiveled on his heel to plant his feet facing Káel. The usual grin replaced by a cold frown. "I'm not saying this twice. I don't want to see you, or your new friends in that room.
"I know," Káel sighed, the surprise plain on his face as Ray's chill warmed to a scowl.
"You know, so you told everyone?"
"Vera told everyone," Káel retorted. "She was with me the first time I found it."
Ray pursed his lips, trying to carve into the concrete frown on Káel's face for the smallest grain of a lie. When he pulled out empty handed his shoulder's laxed, allowing him to breath out every shred of his weighty front and bounce back to his typical playful charm.
"So, how's that whole battery thing going?"
Káel's expression soured. "It's going."
"So no progress?" Ray masked his relief with an impassive smirk. "It's fine if you give up, I'll try and work something out."
"No," Káel quickly replied. "I will get you one."
The air around Ray rose with a cocky sway. "Suit yourself. Don't see why you hate this place so much though, you actually have friends here."
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Káel eyed Jeremiah, distrust pitted to his stomach at the feline that had not only returned unscathed after his little letter run, but appeared to come back bearing gifts. A thick leather shoulder bag that nearly popped Káel's arm from the socket when he casually grabbed it from Samanthra and flung the hard weight over his shoulder with a wobble.
The stuffed sack most certainly wasn't something his scrawny house cat would be able to drag through the wilds, which held many speculations to its possibility, but at the head of the helm was Jeremiah having an unknown form of assistance.
A person?
Káel averted his squint before Jeremiah caught it, sighing with relief as he cracked his door open to face an empty room. Puff was still with Alestra, happily committed to quaint biweekly flying lessons just behind the stables. Káel could spare his friend an unnecessary barrage of feline harassments if he got Jeremiah out before curfew.
Káel threw the sack on his bed, wincing at the hard crack that pulled his roommate out of the study room.
Truvius paid the scene a quizzical smile. "More stuff? Tell me that's your school supplies."
"Hopefully," Káel replied, emptying its contents onto his covers in a sea of books and semi-useless trinkets.
"That's a lot of textbooks, it's looking hopeful," Truvius said, walking out of the study room, to get a better look at the pile.
Káel fished out a white envelope from a pile of paper and pencils, flattening out its severely crumpled edges to open it. A softly decorated parchment was its only resident, folded in thirds and covered in neat black scrawls as he opened it.
Dear Nephew,
First of all, that's very funny, I didn't think you had a sense of humour, or even knew what a Zodraic Battery was. I hope you don't find it surprising that I did not pack an explosive artifact into your bag, since I will need more than a 'please'.
I believe I have provided you with a sufficient amount of school supplies and funding to get you through the year, but tell me, if, for some ludicrous reason, you need more.
I am also slightly confused at your defensive nature towards your kidnapper. Is he threatening you? If that is the case, please inform me and I will deal with them for you.
Also, how have you been treating Jeremiah? He came to me more sassy than usual. Did this dragon you mentioned have anything to do with it? He's never liked them for some reason, and takes to harassing their young. Speaking of dragons, congratulations on getting your own guardian, I've found most dragons are relatively intelligent partners to have by your side, just keep an eye on it, they're not well liked in your region.
Anyways, you seem to be enjoying Lumi more than I anticipated. But I must remind you to keep your identity under wraps.
I must be off now, try to avoid any more encounters with ferocious creatures, and try feeding Jeremiah once in awhile, he's a cat not a plant.
~Sincerely Staz
"Damn," Káel muttered, folding up the letter and throwing it on his cluttered nightstand. He paid Truvius a small glance, his roommate's fascination with a mechanical pencil allowing him to stare at Phantom with a soft whisper. "No luck."
Phantom shrugged. "He didn't say no."
"Woah, what's this?" Truvius called, carefully picking up one of the textbooks on Káel's bed. "It has beautiful craftsmanship."
The textbook didn't look the least bit alien to Káel, which was a cause for concern on an alien planet. In Truvius's hands was his science textbook. The infernal paper bundle that had landed him here, just as he'd left it on Earth.
Káel grabbed it, flipping through the smooth and vandalized pages before stroking its dented front, where the picture of a dewy leaf had hit the hard face of an unsuspecting chirop. He didn't think a single thing on Earth could make him miss the class, but in his defense he wasn't on it anymore, and missed his terribly painted school more than anything.
Fishing through the stack of supplies, he grabbed his other textbooks, staring at them in nostalgic melancholy.
"Oh," Truvius said, awkwardly watching his friend's drop to sorrow. "Sorry... You must really miss your home."
"It's alright, it's not your fault," Káel replied, gently placing his stack of textbooks to the side. It wasn't even his textbook's fault. After all, he was the one that followed Ray in the first place. "You can look at them if you want."
Truvius's eyes immediately lit up. "Really? Sweet!"
Káel waited until Truvius closed to door to the study room, balancing a mountain of textbooks in his arms as he substituted a wave with a wink. Káel gave the gesture a dead smile, his attention immediately falling on Phantom when the door clicked shut. He grabbed a couple pieces of paper and scribbled down large words with a lonely green marker that had found its way into the hoard. When he finished, he held it up for Phantom to see.
What do we do about the battery?
"Just tell your uncle it's to get back to Earth, he didn't seem too thrilled when he found out you were kidnapped, so he might see it as a good reason."
Káel scribbled down some more words.
Maybe, but what if he doesn't?
Phantom chuckled, the cynical twang drooping Káel's shoulders. "If he doesn't, it'll be easier to get you back home with an ancient portal than to make a piece of technology that's thousands of years out of date."
Káel sighed, grabbing another piece of paper and cut short from his message by the wailing shriek that dragged its nails down the door. His heart leapt into his throat at the noise, gluing his gaze to a presence in the hallway as he sat poised to attack with a soft tip crayola.
In a bewildered daze he slowly got to his feet, frozen to the floor as the scratching stopped. A fluffy white paw shoved itself into the gap under the door, reaching into his room for anything standing nearby.
Relaxation washed over Káel, and his heart gradually fell back to its proper place. With a sigh he cracked the door open, digging a stern frown into his guardian. "I told you to warble first, Sev's gonna kill me if he sees the doors been turned into a scratching post!"
Puff scoffed at his response, mocking his tone with a childishly scornful warble.
"So Mudbrain, mind telling us what you were up to with your little pals? More sad attempts at flying perhaps?" Phantom cooed, receiving a spitting hiss from the drake.
"I'm sure you're nearly a professional loopity looper by now," Káel said, scooping the dragon off the ground and rubbing his head. Puff immediately changed moods, a huge smile parting his teeth as he raked his tongue across Káel's face, forcing him to take it with a disgusted smile.
Phantom snickered, leaning in for an unnecessary whisper. "You asked for it."
Káel ignored the jab, dropping Puff on his pillows and grabbing the blank sheet of paper. He bit his lip as he watched Puff nestle into the pillows, turning the page from the dragon's sight.
Dear Uncle Staz,
First of all, who are you? I'd like to know the identity my self-proclaimed relative. Secondly, no, I wasn't joking. I need one to get back to Earth, and please don't kill my kidnapper yet, I also need him to get back to Earth.
Puff is too much of a coward to bully Jay, in fact, I think it may be the other way around. Also, I may or may not have locked him in my room for half a day, which may have caused his 'sass'. Sorry about that.
Speaking of getting back to Earth, I'll only be here for about 2 ½ months, so I'll need someone to take care of Puff when I leave. I can't take him back to Earth with me, for obvious reasons, and don't worry, he's really friendly, so can you do it?
Anyways, it's been going fine. I don't understand most of my classes, but I have a tutor, of sorts. I wish you well with whatever you're doing, and I'll be back on Earth soon.
~Sincerely Káel (your nephew)
Káel quickly folded up the letter into a thin strip for Jeremiah, but the feline had fallen asleep in a curled up ball at the foot of his bed. Yawning with fatigue, he looked at the time. Eleven. He could just send Jeremiah off tomorrow morning.
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Quality Quip #10:
'If there is a special hell for writers, it would be in the forced contemplation of their own works.'
~ John Dos Passos