The Devil's Dice

Tea From The Kettle

"...I'm fucking glad you don't because you'd make the same face your grandfather is making. The face of fucking PITY! We don't want pity, we never have. We wanted a family, to provide, to protect, to be accepted and the only place that seems to offer us that was at the side of the Devil." Cala's snakes were hissing due to their owner's discomfort.

"Grandfather? Elder Kettle just raised us, he isn't our grandfather." Mugman points out.

"You feed them bullshit, huh, Kets?" Cala asks looking towards the man, before realizing what she said. "Ah, Kets I-" She decides not to finish.

"I know, it was time to tell them. They're old enough to know. I have just been postponing the inevitable. Boys, let's go home. I'll see you around Calabear." The older man jokes receiving the light chuckle from the woman.

POV

The walk back from the casino was a quiet one. Cuphead's stomps letting his rage and frustration known. Mugman quietly steps behind the other two. He has questions, but with his brother as angry as he is, he doesn't want to press the Elder Kettle any further. 

"At least tonight feels good. It's warm but breezy, my favorite weather." Mugman tries to strike conversation to ease the tension ridden walk, but he only got a huff from Cuphead and a hum from Elder Kettle. "It was worth a shot, I guess." Mugman mumbles to himself. Seeing the light of the house brings a feeling of apprehension and impatience to the younger boy. He feels dread because he has to stay in a confined space with the thick air that already surrounding him, but uneasiness about finding out the truth about everything. Despite what his older brother thinks, Mugman is just as frustrated about these latest events, but he is better collected than Cuphead is.

After a few more minutes of silent walking with only the sounds of tiny bugs flying past and the waves hitting the cliff side, the trio make it back to the house. Once inside, Elder Kettle silently leads the boys to his room. 

Ms. Teapot left a note on the door about going to a friend's house. Once they enter the room, Elder Kettle goes into his closet and presses a button. What's heard next is a small click and the older man reaches into a secret compartment, grabbing a medium-sized box.

"I had planned to wait until you boy's 20th birthday before telling you, but I guess you two are close enough to that age, anyway." He takes a pause and a deep breath, then closes his eyes and continues. "I had a wife long ago. Her name was Wanda. She was the finest piece of glass around, the most loving, and a heart as big and bright as she was. After we got married, she became pregnant with a little girl and after much debate, we named her Whinney Wineglass Kettle. She was the most beautiful thing I've laid my eyes on that wasn't Wanda, but as soon as I took my eyes off Wanda to admire to beautiful thing we created. Wanda left this world for greater things." The older man had tears in his eyes as he tried to continue. Mugman is heartbroken by this tale, understanding that in order for them to be his grandchildren, his daughter must be their mother. While that added more questions, it answers one that Mugman always had. 

Why do you care for us?

"What does that have to do with us?" Cuphead, unfazed by the sob story, interjects.

The room is silent in disbelief. Mugman looks at his older brother in complete disbelief.

"Do you have no decorum?" Mugman says in disbelief.

"What do house decorations have to do with I said?" Cuphead rolls his eyes as he questions.

"IT MEANS FUCKING MANNERS! WHY WOULD YOU ASK THAT? ARE YOU HEARTLESS?" Mugman loses his temper with the older boy. How could he say such an insensitive thing when it is so obvious that their grandfather is in pain by telling them this?