Work Text:
The colourful contents swayed within their glasses as they were placed before Sil. He had, yet again, agreed to be the guinea pig for another one of his daughter’s creations, this time donning the role of being her official taste tester. Giving the glasses one last scan, he turned to look at Nilonii, who bore an expectant expression upon her face.
“Would you mind re-explaining what these are?”
Nilonii’s expectancy turned to excitement. “Of course! So, I call these Concentrated Fructose Solutions. They’re fruit flavoured syrups that you dilute with water to give it a little character, since its flavour is rather lacking for some.” She reached down to pick up one of the glasses, which contained a dull yellow liquid, and held it out for him to take. “But enough talking, more drinking!”
He huffed, giving her a smile and a nod. Impatient, as usual. But this time, as he brought the glass to his lips, he couldn’t help but notice the mischievous glint in her eyes, and how she clasped her hands together as he took a sip. He had realised all too late as the taste of lemon exploded in his mouth, sending a shockwave through his body as he recoiled at its overpowering sourness. His scrunched up face only returned to normal once he had swallowed the drink, and the leftover tang threatened to crack his composure again. Hoping that he had caused no offence by his reaction, he turned his attention to Nilonii, who by this point was practically bursting at the seams.
“This one is… flavourful, child.”
She then broke out in a hearty laughter, grasping her knees as her body shook from it. He should have known that she would pull a trick on him; she was like clockwork in that regard. But as she straightened herself back up, giggling the last dregs of her laughter and pulling him into an apologetic hug, he couldn’t bring himself to scold her. A disapproving look would have to do this time, just as it had numerous times before.
Nilonii stepped away from Sil, and sheepishly smiled as she was greeted by his stern expression. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it! I added too much of the solution on purpose,” she started, scratching her head, “I’m too talented to make something that tastes that awful.”
“I forgive you. I seem to keep forgetting that it’s in your nature to do such things.” he cocked an eyebrow at her before turning back to the remaining glasses. “I assume these contain the correct dilution ratio?”
“Mhm! Hopefully they’ll wash away the lemon.”
The next two drinks were much more palatable, and thankfully removed the sour aftertaste from his mouth. The first was a vibrant red that was flavoured with apple and comberry; the sweetness of the apple paired perfectly with the familiar bitterness of the comberry, creating a tart beverage that was perfect for the hotter months. The other drink was dark burgundy in colour, and he wasn’t surprised when the flavour of red grapes met his taste buds. It had a soft sweetness to it that wasn’t overpowering, and he wondered just how many attempts it had taken her to get the flavour to her liking - she was a connoisseur when it came to grapes, after all.
“So, were they flavourful enough for you?” Nilonii asked, smirking at him from over his shoulder.
Sil finished the rest of the grape drink before placing the glass back down. “Plenty flavourful, dear. I might require a batch of these solutions once you’ve produced more, they’re quite pleasant.”
“Of course they are, I made them.” She placed her hands on her hips, lifting her chin proudly. A moment later she lowered her head, her expression softening as she looked at him. “Thank you, dad.”
She moved towards his workstation and picked up the glasses, making sure not to spill any of the tainted lemon drink on his workstation. It had already caused him enough pain for one day; a spillage on his projects was the last thing he needed, but it did give her an idea. “Oh, I’ll get another lemon one for you to try! I promise it won’t make you shrivel up this time.”
Sil chuckled. “That would be nice.”
bonus sil lemon face drawn by my friend Maddi (thescrolls-haveforetold on tumblr) who also helped me with the fancy cordial name!! <3
