Chapter Text
Sui is a special slime.
Sui knows Sui is a special slime because Master says so.
Master is so amazing!
Sui is a slime, so Sui only knows what Sui knows.
But Master knows, much, much more than Sui does!
That is why Sui listens to Master.
But Sui also listens to other humans.
Humans that are not Master.
Humans tend to make a lot of noise.
Much more noise than Sui does.
Sui does not know why.
But Sui listens.
Humans breathe and sneeze and cough and laugh and cry and shout and whistle and also talk.
Master likes to talk a lot, and Sui likes to listen to him.
Master Sounds are good sounds.
They sound of “Food” – then Sui eats!
They sound of “Shower” – then Sui and Master play with water!
They sound of “Dangerous” – then Sui and Uncle Fel go and fight!
Sui likes eating and playing with water with Master and fighting.
But Master only talks a lot when it is Master and Sui or Master and Sui and Uncle Fel.
When other Humans are there, Master talks much less.
Master’s chest usually becomes noisier.
Like it does when Master says “dangerous”, but without the fighting.
(Master makes all sort of non-talking noises without using his mouth.
Noises from Master’s chest, Master’s stomach, Master’s back, Master’s bones – much more noises than a slime makes.
Master is so amazing!)
And Sui listens.
Today Master is carrying Sui through the market. Master wants to buy some vegetables to make another tasty meal. Master knows how to make so many good meals! Uncle Fel went to hunt some new tasty meat. Sui wanted to go too, but Uncle Fel told Sui that Sui should keep an eye on Master.
“Listen, Sui,” Uncle Fel says, and Sui listens.
“Humans are weak and troublesome. Keep Mukouda safe from them until I’m back.”
‘Mukouda’ is how Uncle Fel calls Master.
Sui knows that.
“Understood!” Sui acknowledges.
And listens.
Humans talk about many, many things in the market.
Some of the things Sui understands.
Some Sui does not.
Sui hears a Human crying.
“I can’t believe it!” The crying Human says. “I can’t believe he ran off and left me for that – that hussy!”
Sui’s attention perks up.
Another Human – one that is not crying – makes a Human-tongue sound in response.
“Men!” The second Human says. “Untrustworthy lot, the whole bunch of them!”
“He told me he wanted to marry me,” the crying Human keeps crying. “That I was his first. He promised. And now –”
“There, there, Anabel,” another not-crying Human voice joins in. “A guy like that would never settle down and get married. You’re better off without him.”
“It’s a rare man nowadays that doesn’t run after every new tail that comes into town,” the other not-crying Human adds. “They keep chasing after every new shining thing that comes their way!”
Sui tries peeking out of the bag, only to find Master looking down at him with his teeth showing and his lips drawn up.
This means Master is feeling good.
Which is good.
“Sui-chan! Did you have a good nap?” Master asks.
“Yes!” Sui responds.
“I got us some great-looking leaks and cabbages,” Master says, displaying the vegetables to Sui.
“Yay!” Sui cheers, since Master is so talented!
These were probably the best vegetables in the market!
Probably the best vegetables that were!
“Let’s head back?” Master asks, and Sui agrees, because Master knows best what to do.
Sui is a special slime.
Sui remembers.
Crying means Humans are not feeling good.
Sui had to learn that, because Sui’s Master is a Human.
Sui needs to make sure Master feels good.
Because if Master is not feeling good – Master is feeling bad.
And that is bad.
So Sui listens to many, many crying Humans, as Sui is carried around in Master’s bag.
Humans cry about many things.
Many things are not very important.
But Sui keeps hearing one thing over and over and over.
A thing that keeps Humans crying.
Sui is a special slime.
So Sui listens.
Sui remembers.
And Sui thinks.
“Uncle Fel,” Sui says, after they went pew-pew on a bunch of large flying hippogriffs, “Uncle Fel should marriage Master.”
Uncle Fel makes a weird sound, before tripping and falling on his face.
“Idiot!” Uncle Fel barks, “Get – get down from there!”
Sui listens, and slides down the tree and towards Uncle Fel.
Uncle Fel is looking down at Sui.
Sui can tell Uncle Fel’s moods through his aura.
Uncle Fel’s aura is clearer to see than Master’s.
It is big.
Sui is looking, and Uncle Fel’s aura is mostly bad.
Even after they went pew-pew together.
“Sui,” Uncle Fel says, “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Master is Human,” Sui responds. “Humans are not slimes. So Master can’t be more Masters than one Master, the same as Sui. And Humans are not Fenrirs like Uncle Fel, that do well on their own because they’re cool and strong.”
Uncle Fel’s aura tingles a bit at this.
Sui continues.
“Master is Human. And Humans can’t make more Masters than one Master, so they have another Human, and then they are two Humans – but one. Marriage.”
“Marriage?” Uncle Fel questions.
“Yes. Humans get marriage to each other. Then they can’t leave.” Sui confirms.
“Humans get married to each other, Sui, not ‘marriage’.” Uncle Fel makes a mouth noise and puffs out a lot of air. “Do you even know what ‘marriage’ is, Sui?” Uncle Fel pokes Sui with a claw.
“Marriage is a contract,” Sui explains. “A stronger contract than a Familiar contract.”
Uncle Fel’s aura ripples immediately. It becomes a different kind of bad. And a lot more of it. His posture shifts, like there is an enemy preparing to attack.
“It means Master can leave. Uncle Fel saw Master first, so Uncle Fel should marriage Master, so Master would not run off with some hussy.”
Uncle Fel doesn’t respond, so Sui adds:
“If Master leaves with a hussy that married him first, Master won’t cook Uncle Fel or Sui any food anymore.”
Uncle Fel’s aura bursts red and flares up like a huge flame.
Sui understands.
Sui does not want that to happen, either.
“That’s not going to happen.” Uncle Fel says.
“Uncle Fel is going to married Master?” Sui asks.
This makes Sui feel good – like the thing that Sui does not want to happen would definitely not happen.
It feels like defeating an enemy without eating them afterwards.
“No,” Uncle Fel answers, and Sui feels himself deflating. “Get on. Don’t mention any of it to Mukouda. Got that?”
Now it feels like the enemy is still there.
And Sui is hungry.
Sui is a special Slime.
Sui can tell this Human, that is talking to his Master, is not like other Humans.
He can tell because Uncle Fel’s aura feels like Uncle Fel is feeling very bad and also feeling of wanting to bite – but there is no enemy to bite anywhere around – just the Human that Master is talking to.
Sui cannot tell anything is different about this Human. The Human looks like other Humans and sounds like other Humans. But Uncle Fel – who usually does not talk with Humans – does, this time.
“Just give us the quest,” Uncle Fel growls at the Human, whose behaviour immediately shifts to that of prey.
Sui is a special Slime, and Sui can spot prey pretty well!
The Human gives them the quest, but Uncle Fel’s aura is still full of biting.
“You didn’t have to be this rude,” Master tells Uncle Fel later, when they’re in the forest.
“Rude?” Uncle Fel asks.
“To that lady, back at the Guild,” Master responds.
“She was taking too long,” Uncle Fel objects. “I was hungry!”
“You’re always hungry.” Master sighs.
Sui listens.
And waits.
Uncle Fel starts talking more.
Not as much as a Human, but more than Uncle Fel usually does.
And talking to other Humans, too.
Sui listens as he barks, growls or snorts at all sorts of people that try talking with Master about all sorts of different Human things.
“Stop flapping your gums!”
“Quit wasting our time!”
“Such a weakling as yourself should keep from boasting in the presence of her betters.”
Master does not like it.
“What’s gotten into you?” Master asks Uncle Fel while chopping onions.
Sui likes onions.
Sui likes onions even better when Master makes them, crunchy or toasty and a lot of times sweet!
“Nothing’s ‘gotten into me’,” Uncle Fel growls, aura suggesting he is not feeling good at all, going wavey-wavey all around.
When Uncle Fel’s aura is like that, Master usually ends up telling him he will not make him any dinner.
(Sui still gets dinner.)
(But Sui likes dinner more if Uncle Fel is also there.)
“You’ve been acting weird,” Master objects. “You growled at everyone who tried to approach us in the last Guild we’ve visited –”
“– I didn’t like the looks on their faces –”
“– and before that, you almost made Falonce –”
“– Who?”
“ – Falonce, the grain merchant with the feathery hat –”
“ – Ah, the one that smelled like a brewery –”
“ – you almost made him piss himself, just for offering us to join him for a cup of tea –”
“ – offering you to join him for a cup of tea –”
“ – and before that, you threatened to rip the arms off the son of the local butcher only for shaking my hand –”
“ – if you’re not prepared to lose an arm, don’t just go around grabbing others.” Uncle Fel huffs.
Sui looks at Master.
Master does not look like he is feeling good.
Master’s aura is not as clear, but now it looks like a bubble underwater.
Thin.
“Are humans so annoying to you?” Master asks.
“Yes!” Uncle Fel almost roars, and storms off.
Master stops chopping the onions.
“Master?” Sui asks.
“Sui-chan,” Master responds, lips pulling upwards, teeth showing. “I’m sorry, did we wake you up? You can go back to nap, okay? I’ll wake you up when dinner’s ready.”
Sui still does not think Master looks like he is feeling good.
Even if his teeth are showing.
“Sui likes Master a whole lot.” Sui says.
Sometimes, Sui says things because –
Sui can’t explain right.
Sui just says these things.
Master makes a weird noise as he pulls at his nose, then puts the knife down, and picks Sui up. He presses Sui close.
Sui likes being close to Master.
Sui does not want Master to leave for some hussy.
But Sui already thought of these things.
Sui thinks, but cannot think of anything other than what Sui already thought of.
So Sui waits.
Later that evening, Uncle Fel does not return.
“You better eat that, Sui-chan,” Master says. “Otherwise it’d get cold.”
Sui eats the food.
It is very very good.
But when Master eats his food, it looks like the food is no good at all.
“Uncle Fel is hunting,” Sui says. “So Master will have meat to cook with.”
Master sighs.
“He does like meat, doesn’t he? At least there’s one thing he likes.”
Master opens a can, and Sui feels himself bubbling.
Cans are very tasty, too.
(That evening, he gets to eat three!)
Uncle Fel returns in the morning with a very big red chicken.
He drags it out and drops it on the front of the stone house Master built.
Master likes stones.
Sui likes stones, too!
“Phoenix meat is very nutritious.” Uncle Fel says. His aura is much better than last night. It looks good and bright. “They are very hard to catch, but I got you one.”
“Good morning to you too, Fel,” Master replies. “I guess you want some Phoenix meat for breakfast?”
Uncle Fel’s aura becomes radiant and light; Sui feels good himself just by being near it.
“Then go ahead,” Master gestures at the dead Pheonix meat. “Knock yourself out.”
Uncle Fel’s aura immediately plummets and sours.
“Aren’t you going to cook it?”
Master huffs, and pulls out food from the air, throwing the plate at Uncle Fel’s feet.
The dish smells delicious.
“You missed dinner last night.”
Uncle Fel is very strong.
Somehow, he manages not to immediately start eating Master’s food.
Sui is not as strong as Uncle Fel.
But –
Sui still does not eat it.
This is not Sui’s food.
And Uncle Fel does not share.
“And the phoenix?”
“We’d see,” Master says, as he picks up the phoenix and put it into the air so it vanishes.
Sui can make stuff disappear too – but Sui can’t make them come back like Master does.
“Sui never ate phoenix meat before!” Sui says.
Sui is sure that Master can make it delicious.
Master always does.