Aru Shah Adventures

Cookbooks - Part 1

A/N:

This takes place after SOD (Song of Death), and in the blank period between the second and third books.

All right belong to Roshani Chokshi!

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Mini stared at the message from Aru, just delivered by the portal. "Sorry, can't meet up. Have some museum stuff to do. Eat some Swedish Fish for me!". The bespeckled girl never wanted to scream at her friend more.

"Museum stuff"? What the heck, Aru!

The Pandavas (and adjacent) had been planning to meet up for a couple of weeks now, as each of them had a schedule full of school, friends, family, and training.

Boo had been surprisingly lenient and let them have the weekend off. Or maybe he was just worried about his feathers shedding.

The four of them had made a plan to meet up at the Night Bazaar, so they could all go shopping and have a look around (questing was very rushed).

Mini wanted to get a closer look at the special reading glasses she had seen on the last family trip. They help you read between the lines better!

Mini sighed and shoved the note into her hoodie pocket. No use moping about it now that Aru already confirmed her absence.

Even though the daughter of lightning wasn't there, two more people were still coming!

Mini was closer to Aiden than Brynne, with whom she had no qualms but couldn't connect as well.

On the other hand, she and Aiden could rant about medical conditions and proper packing techniques for days. Aru wasn't into that.

Brynne was . . . loud. And ambitious. And powerful. And Hungry. Always hungry.

You could see why they don't mix so well.

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Brynne stormed angrily through the supposed Costco, looking for Mini and Aru. Being the oh-so-kind gentleman he was, Aiden canceled their plans with nothing but a note on her pack.

On top of that, he dared to comment on her junk food intake!

"Sorry, I need to help my mom with something. Don't eat too much sugar -Aiden". Seriously Ammana, get a better excuse! Brynne huffed; she could do so much better!

At least a trip with her sisters wasn't the most boring thing in the Otherworld. It could be like a girl's day out!

The daughter of Vayu sighed as she entered the Night Bazaar and felt the tell-tale gust of cool air fanning her face. After the impromptu note, she was running a bit late, so Mini and Aru would probably already be there.

Looking left and right, Brynne finally found Mini close to an empty kiosk next to the market entrance.

As she approached, she could make out the words "Anything that needs to-go, BOXES HERE" plastered on the sign. The large girl shook her head before calling out her friend's name.

Mini's head snapped up with a deer-in-headlights look before pushing up her glasses as Brynne strolled over.

"Hey, Mini. Is Aru here yet?", she questioned scanning the area one more time as if expecting their soul sister to pop out of a brightly colored display.

The bespeckled girl said something in response, but the ever-present chatter of the crowd drowned out her voice. Brynne leaned forward with a hand cupping her ear to indicate not hearing her reply.

Eyebrows furrowed, Mini spoke up once more. "I said she's not coming. She left a note with a lame excuse and didn't even contact me in person".

The other girl let out a breath through clenched teeth and ran a hand through her loose hair. "Same with Aiden. So it's just us for today?"

Mini nodded before fiddling with Dee Dee's compact form and staring at her feet.

"Do you want to mingle with the rest of the crowd? I'm pretty sure that's where all the good sales are.", Brynne inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Mini shook her head violently and argued, "There's a recent virus going around. The virus thrives in enclosed spaces and large crowds. Symptoms are usually that of fever or cold. Yet studies show that when above 60 years, there is a higher chance of -"

"Death?" Brynne asked in a dry voice.

"Well, of course!"

"Then we can stay away from crowds. But where do you suggest we go?

Mini froze before closing her eyes and biting her lip, looking as if trying to remember something. After a minute, she looked up nervously and gazed at Brynne.

"If you don't mind, I have a suggestion."

"Shoot."

"I know one place. Aru and I went there on our first quest together . . ."

A/N:

 . . .Yeah, I really didn't stick to my update schedule.

I still love Aru Shah, I  just sorta lost the drive for writing even after the newest book COG (City of Gold) came out. However, I suddenly got a new story idea that I really wanted to try, so I wanted to put that down as soon as possible. I felt kinda guilty that I hadn't finished this part yet, so I tried to get this done. I will definitely continue this story. The question is when.

~Kitkat