[13+] Taezan & the Mice [Kim Taehyung] Christmas 2022

December 15th

"And then I just twist it?" Taezan asked, still unsure whether this was the right way of using this 'can opener'. It didn't feel like he was doing it right; balancing the tool while pressing the sharp end down on the ring pattern. "You sure?"

"Yes, yes! I'm sure." Kaya insisted for the third time, her voice sounding both eager and impatient. "You just go on and twist it. Yes, like that - around, around, and around again." She demonstrated with her paws. "Like this."

"Well, if you're sure." Taking a deep breath, Tarzan tightened his grip on the metal wings, and pressed down as instructed. It didn't work at first, but as he put his back into it, the metal finally admitted defeat, and the sharp edge went through the lid with a 'cack'.

"And now - twist."

Doing as he was told, he twisted, and as he did, the tool 'chugga-chuggaed'; opening the can a little bit at a time.

"What's in it?" Kaya called out from below. "Does it seem edible?"

"Ehm. It's brown?" Glancing down into the can, all he saw was a big mush of something brown. "And there are lumps in it?"

"So possibly bad?" Mumbling to herself, Kaya seemed to be in thought. "Or maybe... It could be some kind of strew..."

"A stew?" Jumping down from the can, Taezan went over to another of the unmarked cans. "Should I open this too?"

Kaya shook her head. "No, it's best not to. They only stay preserved when they're sealed."

"Ah. Okay." Taezan nodded, looking around him at all the cans. There really were a lot of them. If all of them were food, there had to be more than enough to feed them for weeks. "How come Mosu didn't mention these?" He pondered. "Is there anything wrong with it, you think?"

"He probably doesn't even know what they are." She snorted. "It's not like the mice can even open them."

"But... How did you know about it?"

"Oh, e-ehm, I..." Suddenly stuttering, Kaya seemed flustered, her eyes avoiding him. "Oh, it's... Just something I heard... When gathering once."

Kaya had been gathering? He thought she was a seamstress? And it didn't seem like the mice had more than one job?

Taezan was about to ask her, but as he opened his mouth, it went dry.

Colors.

In front of him, Kaya stood, her body enveloped in a yellow light; it was moving, pulsating around her.

It was mesmerizing, and Taezan could not tear his eyes from it.

But it wasn't just the color. No. It was something more as well.

"You're lying." He said, surprising himself with the certain knowledge.

"What?" Kaya denied. "I'm not."

"You are." Taezan repeated. "You're yellow."

"No, I'm-" She insisted. "Wait, I'm what you said?"

"Yellow. It means you're lying." He had no idea how he knew - or even why he saw what he saw, but the truth lay there in front of him - clear as the day: Kaya was lying.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure." Taezan admitted. He had no idea. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and he had never heard anyone on BTZ talk about anything similar either. "Could it be my powers?" He wondered, scared to hope, as he knew it could lead to him getting disappointed yet again.

"Powers?" Interest peaked in Kaya's eyes. "Did you just say 'powers'?"

"Yeah, I thought they might never awaken, but-" His hand flew to cover his mouth, but he knew it was already too late.

He had told her. He had exposed himself.

This was bad. Very bad.

"You're something magical, aren't you?" Kaya pressed on, and for some reason, she didn't seem too faced by his secret identity. "Are you a fairy or something?"

"A fairy? No, I'm not, I'm a-" Holding his tongue, he narrowed his eyes at her. Something wasn't right. "Wait, how do you know? Are you a fairy?"

"Me?" Letting out a chuckle, Kaya shook her head. "No, I'm just a mouse. Are you blind or something?"

Yellow.

Again.

She was lying.

"You're not." Taezan blinked. Confused. She wasn't a mouse? But she looked like one? She looked just like the others. Were none of them mice? "You're not a mouse?"

"I am-" She started, but then pressed her lips together, clearly conflicted. A few seconds passed, her eyes drilling into him, until she finally let out a long sigh. "Fine. Okay. Fine. I'm not a mouse, okay? I'm not."

"You're not? But you look like one?"

"I was cursed, okay?" She threw her arm to the side. "I'm human - was human, but then this old witch cursed me - turned me into-" She motioned down her furry body. "This."