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Finally, after the long fought war and after tidying up a bit, they could vanish from the surface and take a small breather....and especially recover from the battle scars and exhaustion… At least, that was what Delora had imagined.... but with Parfait’s ever bleeding heart, there was no rest conceivable...
After recovering enough to stand up again on her own two feet, the Lucis’ bearer suggested opening a Tavern to help out those in need to break their curse. Indeed, though the war was over, the world was still plagued by the fairytale curses and Parfait couldn’t simply let them be on their own.
After purchasing a place with Delora’s help to open up said Tavern, the fairy skipped inside their new place, way too chipper to consider her frail constitution after the big fight, letting Delora fuss over her. Waltz strolled leisurely after them and looked around curiously. .
“So, how are we going to manage this place?” asked the young man cursed to the size of a young boy.
“Well, it was all Parfait’s idea, though she will surely need a hand to work this out. Most of the paperwork has been completed already and I stocked up the bare necessities for now until we decide what we are actually going to put on the menu.” explained his fellow witch friend.
“Oh, I know what we can put on the menu! Please wait a minute!” quipped up the Lucis bearer all excited and hurried to the kitchen, nearly tripping on the way over there.
“Look out Parfait! You are still recovering!” Delora sighed worriedly after the fairy.
“Don’t worry! I can do this. Sit back and wait for me, please…” The witch was no match for her partner’s fairy puppy eyes and only sighed, joining on one of the wooden benches her fellow snickering witch. One glance silenced the young boy.
They heard a lot of noises coming from the kitchen, mostly clattering but also sometimes some banging, making them wonder what the curious fairy was preparing for them.
After some time passed, a beaten up looking fairy came out of the kitchen again… with two very nicely presented hot chocolate, whipped cream and cherry on top.
“I still remember the hot chocolate you prepared for me, when I was feeling depressed about having to face Hildyr… It really made me feel warm and supported. I would like for our patrons to feel the same welcoming warmth in our Tavern.” Parfait explained a bit bashfully, hiding her face behind the tray, after having put the two hot chocolates on the table.
Both witches were stunned and Delora especially so. She felt all fuzzy knowing how her hot chocolate had helped out her fairy friend back then to the point where she absolutely wanted to put it on the menu.
All moved, she took the long spoon on the side and plunged it in the hot chocolate to spoon up the beverage with a hefty amount of whipped cream. With a smile, she directed the spoon past her lips on her delicate tongue and felt like an electrical shock going through her.
It was…
DISGUSTING...
However, not wanting to hurt Parfait’s feelings, she held back on her comment, biting on her lower lip, trying to find some softer words to get across… the inappropriateness of the beverage… if you really could call it a beverage….
Next to her, Waltz had not said anything yet…. but they could let this go through… they couldn’t let it be put on the menu....or at least not like this....
“Parfait… did you at least taste it beforehand?” The witch carefully weighed each word at the expectation she could read in the fairy’s eyes.
“No? I didn't want to destroy the nice presentation…” Parfait didn’t really know what Delora was getting at and looked at her with innocent cluelessness.
“Here give it a taste.” Parfait gulped nervously, wondering if something was wrong, but also nervous about sharing the same spoon as her partner. A light blush colored her cheeks at that thought. Opening up her mouth, she also closed her eyes to not die from mortification at the romantic gesture.
Delora found her bashfulness adoring, but didn’t have much time to enjoy the act as Parfait’s face turned blue when the spoon touched her taste buds. The fairy’s eyes shot open at the awful taste that landed on her tongue and had to hold back a sound of complete and utter disgust.
“Oh my, but I followed the recipe, exactly the way you told me last time!” She couldn't explain how it turned out this...nasty…
“You probably mixed up the sugar and salt… and probably the cacao and coffee powder…” It was surprising that the fairy was such a kitchen hazard, though she was a very skillful potion brewer… though mixing up herbs wouldn’t help out with differencing those ingredients...
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t want you to drink up something as distasteful as this…” The Lucis’ bearer was at a loss of words, completely devastated.
Delora sighed exasperatedly but couldn’t really get mad at her. The fairy had done her best after all and it was obvious she had been doing it for her witch friends’ sake.
Standing up to join her friend, Delora put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly. “If you want, I can show you all the steps of how to prepare it… and we can put labels on the food products.”
Parfait only nodded silently at the suggestion and followed her witch friend to the kitchen, leaving Waltz dumbfounded and still taste-shocked behind.
However, arriving at the kitchen, the witch halted unexpectedly, doing a double take at the scene that presented itself before her.
“Parfait! What in Lucis' and Tenebrarum's world happened in here?” Shrieked the witch outrageously at the chaos that reigned in the kitchen...only to prepare some simple hot chocolate....
And this, this was the exact reason Delora had banned Parfait from the kitchen.