Episode 13: Food Fight II

Upon entrance, Mosor was permitted inside once the guards identified her. She'd have to sit outside on a bench before other guards came back with her little cousins in tow, who would probably be so... different and warped.

No, it wasn't like Owlis wasn't taking good care of them. It was little worse than being grounded. Only eight days. After all, they weren't actually being tortured, or jailed for months.

Still, Mosor missed them, despite them being gone for only one day. She'd open the door that morning, expecting to wake them up, only to remember they hadn't just disappeared.

What worried her more wasn't how they felt about being imprisoned, but what feelings led them to this. Many normal children ended up on darker paths.

Ahmond and Baynana came out of the building, Whyrl being their escort.

"Here you are, ma'am," Whyrl said. "I made sure to keep them real occupied - told them a few stories you all might want to hear."

Mosor glared at him. She'd never been one to dislike a person without good reason, or based on superstition, but Whyrl just made her mad. Perhaps it had to do with the whoopings, or perhaps it had to do with the fact he seemed heartless, almost as if he enjoyed his job.

"Let's go," Mosor said, as Ahmond and Baynana followed her.

Ahmond was first to break the silence, and she said, "Mosor, I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad at you," Mosor assured her, despite her tone having an edge. "I'm mad at... I'm mad at Owlis right now."

Baynana shushed her. "What if she hears us, and what if she gets us into more trouble?"

Mosor said, "I hope she heard us. She deserves to hear anything that comes from my mouth, since she's the reason we were in this mess."

Ahmond muttered, "Yeah, if she was in her office, there wouldn't be a situation, and you wouldn't have to break us out."

"Wasn't it more Jazmyn's fault?" Baynana asked.

"Yeah, that's the problem with kings and queens and empresses," Mosor said. "They have the pedigree but they don't have the brains to run."

The three stayed closed together during the walk, undivided and instead united by a common anger at Owlis, at Jazmyn, even and perhaps especially at Whyrl.

Life was getting harder.

"So he was telling you tales?" Mosor asked.

Ahmond mentioned how his tale went, and said, "So basically, the other darker qualities are supposed to be outside the kingdom walls. But they're taking a chance with Baynana."

"Well at least they're doing one thing right," Mosor said. "Maybe she can keep them contained if they start returning to the book."

"Isn't it kinda dangerous?" Baynana said. "We can still check books out from the library. You think she'd keep it majorly locked up."

Mosor's eyes widened. "What if her plan is for the qualities to spread, and that's what's going on?"

The three shuddered.

***

"Did you make anything for the food fight?" Vanos asked Mosor after closing.

Mosor just finished wiping the counters. "No, sorry, I've just been pretty preoccupied with things. I promise I'll make something next food fight, I swear."

"You haven't had your head in the game for the past couple days," Vanos said. "I hate to say this, but you need to pull yourself together-"

"-I'm fine."

"Okay," Vanos said.

Mosor wondered why Vanos couldn't be a bit more sensitive and tactful about these matters. Instead, he tried to just shrug everything off, and didn't bother to listen to anyone's feelings or emotions or ask how their day was.

"I'll be the judge," Mosor said, suddenly.

Ahmond said, "Um, I'm always the judge. Or, at least, the announcer."

Mosor said, "Go and whip some kind of new dish up, quick as you can. I'm just, not in the mood to try right now."

Vanos and Ahmond went to the back. She overheard some talking, perhaps with Kyofi and Mynt and Baynana. Right now, Mosor felt exhausted. If only she could sleep and not work, or take a few days off.

An idea came to her when she thought about Paynut and Honay.

A few minutes later, out came the participants with their four dishes. How this food fight would work was Mosor and Baynana would rank each dish, and say which three should go onwards for a battle royale. The winner of that got their item on the menu. Unless it was deemed a failure on arrival, that addition would be staying up on the board.

This was their second ever food fight. Most of it was done with almost expired materials, food that would never be eaten.

"My dish is a mix of peanut butter and vanilla," Ahmond said, as she presented a milkshake.

"I've never heard of that fusion before," Baynana said, as she sipped on the drink. "Pretty good, I'd give it about four point six stars."

Ahmond raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Who ranks on point six?"

Mosor took a sip, but really only a sip, to let the flavors hit her tongue. She really just wanted to sleep right now, and get the day over with. Her cousins coming back didn't add back to her drive the way it should have.

"It's okay, I guess," Mosor said.

Ahmond took the dish back, before Mynt came out. "I made something that fits my name. This is a mint and chocolate chip flavored milkshake, and along with that I present a pumpkin spice doughnut, as I believe desserts are best served as meals."

Mynt was pretentious. Mosor would have said no one could eat all that much dessert in the first place, but as she chewed on the doughnut, she realized how it countered the sweetness of the beverage.

"Not good, wouldn't recommend," Mosor said.

"I think it's fine," Baynana said. "Maybe 3.9."

Next, Vanos had the idea of a ginger flavored shake, with some whipped cream. Mosor drank it, didn't enjoy it as much as she could have. Baynana's rating was a bit of a shock at only 3.2.

Finally, Kyofi came out with a plate of gelatin.

"Uh, how did you make that?" Mosor asked. "We don't have gelatin."

Kyofi shrugged.

Both girls ate, and Mosor said, "Simple, but it works. I'll recommend this."

"I don't get the idea, and it's not extravagant enough. It's really bad, you should go back," Baynana said.

"You have no filter for your little mouth, now do you?" Kyofi asked Baynana.

Both judges conferred, as the four assembled.

Baynana said, "Ahmond goes onward, as does Kyofi, and Mynt. Sorry, Vanos."

Vanos frowned and said, "Okay, I guess we have enough ginger based items on the menu."

"Same rules as always," Mosor said. "Just, go for it."

Ahmond began the match by running at Kyofi, but Kyofi grabbed Ahmond, and threw her down into a tub of strawberry ice cream. Ahmond slipped around as she tried getting up, when Mynt hopped onto Kyofi's back.

Mosor felt a bit more excited by this part. She planned to sign the family up for the Fall Festival, and watching them mess around, watching them fight... Gave her hope they would win.

Kyofi backed up against a wall, squashed Mynt with her immense weight.

Ahmond powered herself up with the power of Dependability and increased her strength enough she could pick Kyofi up. Even Mosor's gasped, before Ahmond slammed Kyofi down into a tub.

Kyofi got back up easily, but still said, "Impressive strength, kid."

Mynt bucked Kyofi in the face with her back feet, before bucking her own little sister Ahmond. After all, between the two wolf coyotes, no love was lost with family.

Maybe Mosor should have been part of the battle royale.

Mynt jumped onto Kyofi, and Ahmond followed suit, trying to make sure she stayed down for a full ten. After ten seconds, Kyofi was out.

But at nine, Kyofi burst back up, while Mynt was busy tracking down Ahmond. Kyofi grabbed Mynt's waist, and lifted her up in a suplex, before smashing her on the floor on the back of her neck.

Mosor wagged her tail, and darted around as she saw them fight. Something about this filled her with adrenaline, and she realized she had figured out the team event they should have played.

Mynt stayed down, and Kyofi suplexed Ahmond as well.

At the ten, Mosor said, "Kyofi... You should join my team for the Fall Festival!"

"That's great, but I'm focused on the whole menu thing right now," Kyofi said, until Mosor grabbed her cheeks.

Mosor said, "Kyofi, we're going to be fighting in the tournament."