Merchant ships? Pffff! KITCHEN raiding is where it's at! [closed]

[50starhero]

Characters: Alfred and Komachi
Content: Alfred and Komachi grab a bite to eat while the others are off doing their raiding thing.
Setting: The kitchen of the 4423
Time: During the raid
Warnings: ...Alfred being a poor role model?. Oh, and slow-log.

Comments

[komachibi]

Alfred's exuberance was somewhat infectious, and Komachi fairly bounced into the kitchen behind him. They'd been working hard, right? They definitely deserved something to eat.

"Uhmmm...chocolate! And cheese sandwiches with pickles in! And the dried fruit in the jars on the top shelf that I can't reach by myself!" Hey, having an adult companion on a kitchen raid could prove itself useful, right?

"What do you like? And if I'm a Junior Champion of Justice, what should I be calling you? Are you a Big Champion of Justice?"

[50starhero]

“Hm, we like pretty much the same things, I guess. I’m surprised! I’d thought that our tastes would be a little different because, you know, taste matures as you grow older and stuff,” Alfred said with two bars of chocolate already in one hand as he reached up for three jars of dried fruit. Let’s see, peaches… pears… and… ah, yes, strawberries!

“As for what to call me, Big Champion of Justice is good, but the proper term is HERO! Once a Junior Champion of Justice reaches a certain age, they become a Hero. -Here, take these chocolate bars over to the table, okay?-Now! I’m sure you’re wondering WHEN exactly this “certain age” comes about! But that’s the tricky part!”

[komachibi]

"Some things are just nice!" Komachi pointed out, reasonably. After all, how could anyone not like chocolate, she wondered. That wouldn't be maturing, it would just be silly.

She took the chocolate bars from Alfred, watching him getting down the jars as she put them down on the table. "Okay, Hero! I get it! So, I get to be a Hero when I'm bigger, too? When?"

[50starhero]

Alfred set down the jars. What was next again? Oh, right. The sandwiches. He went to get everything the two of them would need to make their sandwiches as he continued talking. “Yep! But I can’t tell you when! It’s sort of like a secret. When it happens, you’ll know. Getting there won’t be easy, but when you finally do, you’ll know!”

There. Everything they’d need (as well as a few things that they probably wouldn't) to make their sandwiches. He dumped it all down on the tabletop with a grin. Growing Champions needed their nutrition, after all!

[komachibi]

Komachi picked at the corner of the wrapper on on of the chocolate bars, fairly sure it would be rude to start eating before Alfred finished collecting food.

As he joined her at the table, she immediately opened the packet, breaking off a square and nibbling on it as she digested his response. "Is it really a secret, or do you not know when? When did you?"'

Alfred seemed to have an unshakable self-confidence, and everything he said sounded as if he completely believed it...but in itself that rather reminded her of Gorobei, who she was quite aware was prone to making up stories. So she was going to keep prodding Alfred with questions until she was sure he wasn't messing with her.

[50starhero]

Chocolate seemed like a good place to start. He ripped off the wrapper and took a big bite. Chocolate was good for you. The sugar gave him a rush and pushed the gears in his head to move a little bit faster. He liked that.

"Hahaha, OK, you caught me! I don't know when, but that's why it makes you Heroic! Because you'll be the one to decide when!" he said happily.

Strangly enough, it wasn't uncommon for Alfred to make things up. Not about this though. This was important. Truth, love, justice, freedom.

"For me, it was the day I decided to leave Ivona, I think." Alfred left it at that. Komachi was still pretty young. He wasn't entirly sure how much she knew about this whole Ivona/Vohemar conflict stuff, so it was better just to keep it simple.

[komachibi]

Perching on a chair, Komachi carried on with her chocolate, holding it up near to her mouth and nibbling like a squirrel.

So, you decided, but when it happened you'd know? This was kind of confusing, Komachi thought privately, but she nodded anyway. She supposed she'd understand it once she was old enough to be a Hero. Maybe that was part of it, that all the confusing grown-up things would start to make sense.

"You're from Ivona? Whereabouts? What was it like? Why did you leave? Did you not like it there?"

[50starhero]

S- So many questions! Attention and interest where a lot like sunlight and water. They made Alfred’s smile grow wider. “I was only raised there. The people who adopted me where visiting Vohemar and took me back with them to Bellcius… It’s an okay place…! Sort of boring though. I mean, there’s always something going on, but there are too many rules to actually enjoy any of it! Everyone’s so uptight! A Hero’s gotta be free to be a Hero! That’s why I left,” he said. It wasn’t a lie, precisely. It just wasn’t the whole truth. Why he left was a little complicated. Thinking about complicated stuff was a waste of time, mostly. His smile shrunk slightly.

“Say, what about you? Why’d you decide to join the 4423?” he asked as he reached for the jar of dried peaches. Alfred had to admit, he probably wouldn’t have had the guts to be a powder monkey when he was Komachi’s age. The kid had guts.

i r teh slows

[komachibi]

A lot of people didn't seem to like the barrages of questions Komachi found herself asking sometimes. That Alfred didn't seem to mind at all sent him flying up Komachi's list of 'awesome people'.

She nodded. "Yeah. Too many rules is really boring. That's why I'm never going back to Kanna, sis has too many rules!"

She ducked her head at his question, nibbling on her chocolate for a few seconds before answering. "Didn't 'sactly mean to."
Komachi contemplated leaving it at that, but Alfred had told her way more about him, so that wouldn't be fair. "I'm here 'cause Gorobei is, and I lost Kikunoji, or I'd be with him."
She surprised herself with the realization that she wasn't actually sure anymore if, given the choice, she would leave the 4423 for him if they found Kikuchiyo again. Which they would, she was sure. She had to believe that.

so m i..... -_-;

[50starhero]

Kikunoji? Okay, Alfred was curious now. Whoever this guy was, he must be really cool if Komachi would want to hang out with him. The blond closed his spectacle framed eyes as he popped a dried peach into him mouth; he chewed thoughtfully for a moment. Hm, how do you lose a person? There were lots a ways, sure. Maybe Komachi lost this Kikunoji guy in an avalanche, or perhaps, while they were off exploring a rugged Badlands underbrush, a giant monster bird dived down and grasped the poor man between its sharp talons. It scooped Kikunoji away, off into the sunset, and Komachi has neither seen nor heard from him since. Yeah, that's what must have happened!

Damn, it. Somebody ought to make a radio drama about this kid!

"So that's why you're here, huh? You're trying to save this Kikunoji guy!" It all made perfect sense now!

"Don't worry, champ! I know you'll triumph! I'll even help you!" Alfred said as he gave Komachi a quick thumbs up.

[komachibi]

Komachi smiled, returning Alfred's thumbs-up. "Great! I'm not...exactly trying to save him, I don't know where he is. I'm trying to find him."

If she'd known the train of ideas flowing through Alfred's brain, she'd have immediately elaborated more, but as she was unaware that he was coming up with hypotheses even more far-fetched than the true story, she didn't know if he'd believe her.

As it was, she dug a handful of dried strawberries out of the jar, and chewed her way through them before finally concluding that, if Alfred was going to help her look, she ought to tell him..."I think he might have got kidnapped by the spiders."

[50starhero]

"Spiders? This is worse than I had expected," Alfred said. If it had been birds... Well, birds are majestic creatures, even the monster ones. They could be reasoned with. Spiders, on the other hand...

"So, don't leave me hanging, champ! What kind of spiders are we talking about here? How big are they? What sorta' powers do they have?"

[komachibi]

Well, Alfred did at least seem to be taking her seriously.

"Mm...about so big," she answered, holding her hands - a dried strawberry in one and a square of chocolate in the other - about a foot apart. "They bit, and took all the metal things if you didn't hang onto them."

Which explained the 'they took Kikunoji' theory perfectly...if Komachi had thought to mention the essential detail that he was made of metal.