V5 Incline 40: Test-Taker Larishazza

I dance along the path to the kitchen, leaving patches of magical water that refuse to allow him any grip. He will not have his way to get back into that bedroom of his, no, no, no! He's slipping entirely under my control, and I hold him through a spin as we arrive at the kitchen. Surrounded by all the others who are looking on at who I've brought.

"Hello!" I cheerfully greet, waving wildly at the quiet people who are barely a distance away from us. This whole two others greet me in their own, silent ways, and my grip stays firmly in my friend's hands. All so I can't lose track of my breakfast partner and so that he'll never lose me!

"Lars, why are you...?" my just so ever *slightly* older sister asks, and she gets up and walks on over. A feint, chilly mist to her behaviour as she crosses the kitchen. It must already be clear to my friend, but we couldn't be any more different if we tried!

My sister's hair is short and above the shoulders, tomboyish where mine is beautifully girly and lady-like. Her hair has hints of frost to it, pale streaks that sometimes, maybetimes clump together like she's streaked dye through her hair. And although she's not cold, her body is nearly always doing something cold so she can practise that damn frost magic of hers. A consequence of her hanging out with our resident pillow-man...!

Who is not here at all at breakfast? How utterly disappointing...

"Why am I what?" I ask back cautiously, shaking my head as I get my attention back on my sister. One of her hands approaches, snaking up around my paranoid frame. But I slow down, her finger pointing at my new friend, and I turn to look at him.

My mouth opens to speak, and the crack of her fingers touches the base of my neck-

"HE-EEEEE-HEEEEE!" I screech, leaping into the air as she giggles away at her actions.

I snap around and face her as she keeps a finger close to her lips, a knowing smile on her lips. How... How could she!? To use ice magic on me! Me! Her precious, sweet little sister! How could she at all do that!?

Another harsh shiver goes through me, and I snuggle up into the stolen blanket even more, desperate for any warmth I can manage. It's the kind of cold that lingers, like those miserable snow-belts we had to travel through on our way to this school. It won't go away! Go away, cold, go away! Away! Away! Away!

"Nyyyyeghhhhh!" I whine, bouncing about as I try to dance the feeling of goosebumps and chill away.

"Put some clothes on, Lars," my sister says so fun-ruiningly firm. I turn her way, pouting at her for many different reasons as the last of the cold finally leaves me alone.

"Indeed, harlot," the extremely dressed man, Quinshuu, comments as he takes another swill from his glass of raw milk. I blegh at the sight of his preferred, unpasteurised drink and make another noise as my sister sits down, her finger up and cocked. She gives it a kiss and blows the chilly mist away as a scowl overtakes my frown.

"It's a good thing my sister is here, otherwise you'd boil alive like a lobster!" I retort back to Quinshuu as I let go of my new friend. I dance on over to the layers-thick man and tease away with the blanket. Pestering and bothering him with how touched he is by my lack of clothes.

"It would be even better if you wore clothes," he icks, getting up to finish his traditionally and oppressively northern meal elsewhere. Still, I sniff eagerly at the lingering trails of Mogolawalic nomad food. A true delight I'd be happy to enjoy if our resident pillow-man were actually here to join us for breakfast.

"Omb's busy." Tiya answers, seeing my dashing eyes and an 'o' forms on my lips. My attention settles down on who is still here, me, my *slightly* older sister and my new friend. All three of us in the kitchen for breakfast, treats and more...!

A new friend who seems to be quite uncomfortable with my sister's presence. It can't be because of the cold, her personality is quite warm, halo-kissed as I am and smoothed out so beautifully in the deserts of our homeland of Ibenorocco. He's just... Scared. Worried... And I can't have my friend feeling like that!

I skip on over to my friend, coming in close for a whisper as the blanket parts over my angled stance, "Don't worry, she won't stick her hands on you!"

My words don't seem to have much of an effect on him, and I hear it again, Tiya's footsteps. I spot her, animal in the lights, and I weave away, a noisy song to my lips. I create a fine, expansive distance and spin to my next stop. Vaulting kitchen counters and chairs to keep my graceful tact all intact.

However, despite my agility, my finesse and my skill... My *slightly* older sister is truly relentless. She keeps missing me but keeps trying to do it, she keeps trying to put those freezing fingers on me. She jabs away and I keep avoiding her, circling the kitchen once and then twice and then stopping on a third as I hide behind my new friend.

His frame is so big and intimidating that my sister eases up, unable to reach around with one or either arms. Not even both let her get around and trap me! And! To my heart's delight, my new friend intervenes on my behalf, and he moves her away with a gentle push and tug.

Yet, despite how easily he did it, something continues to tremble his bones. He looks to his hands and then back to my sister as the pair of us cock our brows. She goes off, returning to her simple meal of pancake breads and fragrant dips. Her eyes settle on my friend as she idly munches, and she cleans her mouth enough to speak...

"So, who's this?" she asks, and I rise to meet the challenge, only to hitch on my ignorance and bafflement, and I...

"Uh... I... I d-don't know..." I sheepishly mutter as I had, at no point, ever asked for his name. I don't even know the name of my new friend, and I look back at him as I step away and in front...

I stare him down, trying so desperately to scrap together something.

"Low-Tide...?" I squeak, and my sister huffs a sparkling, freezer mist my way. Noises escape me, and I make some distance again as the magic gives a brief, expanding area chase.

"Well, ask then. And, Lari? Remember to actually introduce yourself properly in future." my sister huffs again, her magic focusing into her glass of water as she traces her finger deep in the glass. A pale, shallow water blue of what I have going about the water, mixing with it like something other than water itself. All until she's plucking cubes of ice from the glass to smooth them out so she can just put them back in. Her hand snatches the condensated glass, and she drinks it all up, a refreshed sigh snapping right out of her.

"I did! I introduced myself fully as Larishazza Sl'Ayiysab!" I complain, putting a hand to my chest, just above my breasts, and I push the hand down. Spreading the fingers as far as they can go as I lean into my head-forward attitude.

Tiya's hand smacks the table as she shakes her head about, "Introductions need both parties or people to introduce themselves! Like this!"

"H-Hey...!" I whine, my voice hidden among her stern, louder tune.

Tiya rises, hands smacking the table again, "Hello, I am Tiyanat Sl'Ayiysab, sister of Moron Sl'Ayiysab, who are you?"

A pout settles into my lips, and it just keeps growing and growing. I point a finger up and shoot some water at her. Water she freezes with a raised palm. The palm flutters and it powders up, exploding across the kitchen like snowy shrapnel... Way, way before it even gets to her...

"Hey! No fair!" I complain, an echo of what she's been doing to me shivering across me again.

The powder continues to fall, and the quiet only grows. My sister's eyes go off towards my new friend, and the quiet settles. I turn towards him as not even his funny mouth things dare to make any noise. We look each other in the eye, and he turns to Tiya, caution all over his face, however alien it might physically be.

"Nin..." he mumbles, an adorable nervousness overtaking him as a loud click comes out like a hiccup of some kind. My cheeks rise on the thick biceps of my smile, going rosy with effort.

"See? That's how you do it, Lars." my sister smugly goes, ruining the moment as my attention snaps over to her. I maintain a hard stare on her as she goes back to her meal, and I huff. I go around the kitchen, snaking about and snatching the belt she has for her short shorts and tying my blanket robe up with it. Though, my top half still flops right on out as the lack of sleeves forces me to blossom. But, it's worth all the risks as now I can make me and Nin something to eat!

"Is there anything in particular you want...? Hey! Get back here!" I begin to say, only to notice his absence, and my sister points the way of clicks and footfalls. I give chase, skipping on over to him, and I drag him back the way he came, right back into the kitchen. His backend finds a stool, and I leave him there with a firm-eyed, teasing threat as I look around the kitchen for everything I need.

"Please, leave me alone..." he mutters, trying to leave, and I spin around, my leg gently nudging him in place. I spin more, a strong, welcoming hand going to his back. He can't leave at all, he can't go anywhere at all.

"Not until you have eaten!" I insist, bringing my arms around him and drumming at his bare, shelled-up belly that I just know could do with some filling. I break away, hopping on over to where most of the food in our dorm is kept. Singing away with a lyric-less tune, I go through everything and anything. Always pondering what I might want to have for my morning meal right now, and, for the moment, I'll assume he has similar tastes until another time!

"I'm... I'm not hungry..." he lies, and his stomach calls him out on it. It shakes and grumbles with force greater than the guns of an old battleship from more ancient times.

I go back to him, tapping at his head, "No lying!"

He flinches at my scolding, and I flinch in turn at his reaction... I didn't mean anything bad... I just... My head shakes and I go back to cooking.

"Anything? Anything at all?" I ask him, grabbing up what I can and putting it before him. A whole array of things I know how to cook just fine on my own. Omb not being here really puts a dampener on how good breakfast can get, but, I'm no noble who relied solely on her staff! I know a thing or two myself, I do!

Nin looks at me and then back to the food, one of his fingers slowly and reluctantly rising to the challenge. He pokes away at thin meat slices of varying types, all Jherikra cuts. Then the veg, then the eggs, then the fruits that he is probably well off enough to know goes well with savoury. Yet... His answer basically means that he pretty much wants everything on the table.

It's a precarious situation, all things considered. I was hoping for just enough but not too many things to work with. I'm not good enough at juggling multiple meals, so I was hoping just one meal will do. But, I don't know of any meals that consist of all I have set out.

I turn to my sister for help, but she doesn't seem to have an answer either. Her eyes are my way, so she's clearly thinking. But, at the same time, she could just as well be lost in thought over something else! Oh, Tiya...

"Tiya. Tiya!" I go, getting louder as I give my thought vocal form. She looks at me more properly, an expression on her face that awaits an answer as to why I'm calling.

"Hm?" is all she has to say.

"Any ideas?" I ask, gesturing to all the food. She rises a little, looking at the selection and sitting back down.

"I forget the name of the territory, but why not make them a Full Whatever Breakfast?" she suggests with a shrug and wave of the hand, and that leaves me plenty enough happy. It's a good suggestion, a very good one at that. The meal she just spoke about does indeed involve most of if not all of this depending on the eater. Stretching the definition a little, though, as Jherikra most certainly doesn't have island cuisine.

"Excellent! I shall start cooking immediately, and you can make sure he stays to eat it!" I tell Tiya and I go back to singing my wordless song.

I sing louder as she protests, blocking her out entirely even as I watch her collapse with a sigh. She comes back up, nodding as she goes along with what I've asked of her. Using magic every now and then, I keep the food moist as I cook it on the highest heat I can. All because I'm too lazy to turn the tap knob thing about properly. Still, it keeps all of its flavour rather than burning to a crisp!

It doesn't take long from then on out for my wrist to be spinning about with mechanical speed. A ferocity that lets not one drop of anything spill out as I dash about to get the rest ready. It all keeps building, the steam stealing away what flavour it can, all so the kitchen can smell as it should always do. Divine!

One can smell frying meats, cooking veg and sizzling fruits and all sorts of things! My finger bounces about predictively to where a bubble of fat will burst. Something I keep up until a bit of scolding fat flicks itself at me. Yet, even as I retreat away from the snapping and popping, I don't stop being involved with it all!

And... It's an involvement I keep up to the very end where I present the food to Nin, a hopeful smile on my face!

"Here you go!" I beam, taking up a fork and quickly nabbing some deflating, red-in-colour fruit slice up for my own tongue. A drawn-out squee leaves me, and not because it tastes good. I've burnt my mouth on the juices... Juices that are now being washed all about my mouth, scolding more of it!

I'm trying to put out a fire by sending it to the rest of the village as if fire works like butter on toast!

"Heh..." Nin barely lets out as he watches me jump about at the pain and my sister pins me, her finger going to my hollering mouth. A cool mist sprays into me, too shamefully lacking in mint. Still, it largely negates the pain, and my happiness takes over as I acknowledge Nin's brief, quiet laugh. Whatever pain I've left, his reaction deals with it.

"Well, go on, try it!" I insist to him, dancing closer, all the way to him. I lean up against him, hugging my friend tight with as wide a smile as I can manage as he moves his attention on to the food. Yet, he takes his time. Too long a time at that and I relinquish the hug to come around and look at him.

His face is nothing but paranoid about my endeavour, and it leaves me bothered in the wrong way. So bothered that it makes me take his utensils away from him and scoop up a portion of whatever I can fit and manage. I hop up onto the table, crossing my legs and sitting in front of him, and I feed him. Each time, I take a little bit here and there, all to show him that it's safe, good food.

From crispy and juicy meats that bleed tasty fat into and onto the juices of the fruit and veg and their oily coverings. To the dry, but soft slices of bread and carbs that so easily soak it all up into one yummy package that will fill him up no doubt about it! I even feed him pieces of it all mixed together as filling for these slices of bread. Little bite-sized sandwiches that let him eat and experience it all differently.

And as the plates empties, losing its lustre to the dreams and ideas of a filling breakfast... I clean it thoroughly with those same pieces of bread. Almost making it a pointless affair to clean up the plate properly with water and soap. A filling breakfast, in a once empty stomach.

"Full?" I ask, suckling on the spoon I had previously used to scoop beans onto his plate. But I get no wordy answer from him. Only the rimming of water around his eyes and silent crying. He trembles and shakes, and his head strikes the table as his arms move to protectively cover him.

"What do you want!?" he manages to demand through the tears as more and more of his body moves into that protective posture. One that leaves me worried and my sister uncomfortable. I look her way, and she eyes me cautiously, seemingly too far away to help me just in case. An odd thing, given she's rarely one to get involved to the point it might as well be never.

We're both of strong blood, strong, noble blood... Our magic power is an inherited strength that is quite potent.

A deep breath fills me and I let it out so I can answer Nin's question, "To make sure you have a wonderful day!"

My words bring silence to the room, and I stroke away at his head as his sobbing simmers. Yet, all he does is try and swat them away, actions I manage to avoid for the most part. I keep trying, and he keeps swatting, his actions only getting more aggressive. Angrier.

"No, you don't..." he hisses, gritting his teeth, "You're just going to set me up for... Something... Like the rest of them... You're planning something!"

And, I settle a gentle hand on top of his at the first chance I get. A soft smile places itself on my lips and I slowly stroke my thumb along the back of his hand. Not letting it go at all until those fists of his uncurl themselves. It takes time, but it happens.

"Yes, I do, and I will prove it to you!" I tell him, I insist as heartfelt as I can. He sits back up, his face hardening in a way to make it look like he's uncaring.

"Fine..." he mutters, his stomach rumbling away again as my mouth opens in shock. Another giddy laugh leaving it as I move off of the table with a simple, easy flip.

"So I guess I know the answer to my previous question!" I giggle and tell, moving back to the messy counter to make him even more food. Fruity porridge, dried-out fruit and plain flatbreads this time. Simple, easy, and a means to put lots of sweet stuff out there. I even dip some stringed nuts in honey and syrup and let them cook for a bit in the air.

I look back his way, smiling as some more, thicker honey cooks away in a pan. Almost butter-like in its consistency and texture. The dishes quickly come to life and are done in a flash, and I return to my friend called Nin. I spread it out in front of him, sticking to his side this time so I can make sure he's so fed his mouth just refuses to open anymore!