Hara:
Despite the town being under siege it was still oddly lively in a way. People were still going about their business, running shops, and selling food. Some were packing a few things up here and there in preparation, but none seemed all that worried… Then again… After witnessing Siya's power for myself I couldn't blame them…
"Four Bison steaks please," Vive said, handing a few coins to the merchant who quickly gave them their food and refused their money. "Come on, this one is on the house, and I wrapped some up for that other girl too. Heard she's been having a rough go of it." He suddenly turned to me. "And who's the young lass you two are dragging around now?"
"She's our prisoner." Rune cheered, raising a hand and jumping slightly in the air, all the while holding onto my hand.
The shop owner just chuckled. "Is she now? Well, she looks hungry." He turned over to me and handed me a kabob of several meatballs covered in a sweet-smelling sauce. "Here you go little miss, be sure to keep these girls out of trouble will you?"
"I-I really am a prisoner though…"
He sighed. "Of course you are. But growing kids still need to eat."
I couldn't explain why but I was too embarrassed to say thank you… All I could do was bow and quickly try to catch up to the others before they left me behind… I doubt he believed me… Honestly… I wasn't even sure if I was a prisoner anymore… But… I didn't want to escape. I mean, I was still shackled… Surely he could see that… None of it made any sense…
Vive looked back at me as I caught up, somehow reading my mind. "Yeah. He's a bit weird… Every now and then he will come by the orphans on the streets and spend a whole day just grilling food for them… I'm sure the nobles pay him to do it or at least give him the meat. He always says the same thing too, about how kids need to eat… Honestly, I would have starved without him… It's a funny coincidence that he's also Rune's favorite."
Instead of chewing the meat Rune was sucking on it, sinking her teeth in and not letting go when she quickly shook her head before finally tearing a chunk off. "No way, Siya is my favorite." She said firmly, almost scowling.
"I meant favorite… stall guy? And wait till you finish chewing to talk or you might choke again."
'I should be thinking about escaping right now… So why… Am I just following them around?'
"Are you going to eat that?" Rune asked, drooling over my kabob after already finishing all of her steaks.
'When did she eat all that food? Where did it go? Did she just turn it all into manna? Is that even possible?
Vive pinched her cheek. "Don't stare at other people's food, it will just make you want it more."
Her tail started to wag behind her softly. "I do. I want it, what's wrong with that?" She pouted, talking through her pinched cheek before Vive finally let go.
'I'm there prisoner… They could just take it from me if they wanted…' I slowly took a bite, chills flooding through my whole body from how good it was. The meat was soft from being ground and the sauce was tangy and sweet, almost making me cry… I hadn't thought about it, but it was the first time I hadn't had rations in several years…
I looked back down at Rune who was now drooling on the ground, looking at it with even wider eyes.
'There were three meatballs…' "You can both have one… If you want…"
I wasn't sure what I was expecting… Honestly, a part of me was even worried they might say no despite appearances, as crazy as that sounds. From the way Rune was staring at it,t I thought she would jump at it right away, but that didn't happen either. "Di-did you not want it after all?"
Rune continued to drool, staring intently without moving. "I'm waiting for Vive to take hers first. If I go first I'll want both of them, but then I'd feel bad."
I turned to Vive who was looking to the side with a candy pink blush filling her ashen white cheeks. "I Get Rune… But… How did you know I wanted to try it too?" She mumbled.
"I-I didn't… That's why I asked."
Her eyes suddenly widened for a second. "Right I almost forgot, here, sorry, this one was yours. I can't believe I never gave you your food."
'My food?'
I took the wrapped steak in one hand as she reached up onto her toes and pulled off one of the meatballs before backing away just in time for Rune to nearly tackle me, biting down so hard the kabob stick broke, making me startled… And a little concerned to be honest. Suddenly I heard her whimper and unable to use my words, nudged Vive and showed her the kabob stick knocking her out of whatever strange daze she had fallen into.
"Rune! Open your mouth!" She whimpered again, moving the food around a bit first before doing so. "You're so gross sometimes, geeze…" She grumbled, pulling the broken stick out and throwing it on the ground.
"Sorry… It was totally worth it though."
"Except you could have still eaten it without the pain if you just controlled yourself a bit more…"
She closed her eyes and tilted her head. "The meat was too soft… But it tastes good and kinda sweet. I've never tasted that sauce before."
'That's just how I feel… Although… I prefer softer meat…' "I'm glad you liked it." I smiled faintly, still a little worried that she tried to eat a pointy stick. "Did you like it too?" I asked slowly, turning back to Vive.
She slowly swallowed. "Bitter…" She grumbled… "But I liked the texture."
'Bitter? What?'
"Vive, Vive! Can we go to the candy store? The meat guy gave you the money back right?"
She moved a strand of hair behind her long ears. "Yeah sure we can do that. But no hard candy or you might hurt a tooth again…"
'Vive is definitely the one in charge… But sometimes it's hard to tell who is really looking out for who.'
When we walked In got chills again… Sure there were candy stores in the empire too, but only for nobles… I wouldn't dare walk into one… "Hey girls, back again so soon?"
Vive sighed. "Yeah… Let's continue where we left off."
She pulled out a large selection of candies, one of every type, and sat down with Vive after giving Rune several other kinds in exchange for the small coins.
While they were busy I just silently watched as Vive went through each type of candy, but said that each and every one tasted bitter, one after another… 'does… ANYTHING makes sense here?'
"Do you want some too?" Rune asked, handing me a small chocolate ball that was cool to the touch. To say it was even sweeter than the meat would be an understatement. It almost made me completely forget about what I wanted to ask.
"Is something wrong with her?"
Rune shook her head. "She's… Well. Siya said she turned into a demon and she saved her and turned her back. But ever since then, everything she eats is so bitter it's hard to eat, at first she gagged every time she tried to eat anything… She says it's getting better… But I think she's just getting used to it…"
'That's so sad… I never got candy as a little girl… But I was still able to enjoy food when it tasted good…'