The Stray

2-31: A Jarful of Hunger

After Lassi, meeting with healer Kefir was almost boring.

"Like I said, you shouldn't bother looking for my medical mirror." The slime smiled apologetically. "I haven't used it in years, now. You should really look into the medicine."

"Sure thing, Kef."

As for Lassi, the last stop on their list...

"I'm missing an old Kallitone Model H." She shrugged.

"A what, now?" Timothy shook away the water from his third handwashing. This time, he'd learned his lesson, and immediately formed his best force gloves. V was just finishing scrubbing her boots ("There's no way that's in the rules." "It's my lab.")

"A spellburner." V explained as she scrubbed her hands (again.) "You use it to heat up flasks and stuff."

"Used to, anyway." The slime chuckled dryly. Timothy liked her less and less every second. "Damn thing's been bad for years. It takes an hour to heat a coffee pot."

"Y're telling me you drink in the lab after all that?" The witch said flatly.

"Of course not." She rolled her eyes. "We kept it in the kitchen. Anyway, I'm more annoyed about the missing cutlery. Forks, knives, spoons. Resin, not silver," she added before Timothy could ask. "Not valuable. Just annoying that some idiot lost them."

"And the... jar lids?" V raised an eyebrow. "That's your stuff."

The slime scowled. "Yeah, I don't lose things." At Timothy's dubious look, she doubled down. "I just don't, wolf."

"...Right." Timothy filed that away for later. It helped that V shot him a 'it ain't worth it' kinda look. Tsk. "What say we look at the stuff, huh?"

"Hm." She looked them both over doubtfully. "Ground rules, then. Don't open the jar, ever. It's not leaving this room. Let it break and I break your knees." She looked directly at V when she said that, and the dragon chuckled sheepishly. Timothy's hackles rose. "And don't taint the sample with any spells. Are we clear?"

Timothy was all about diplomacy: sometimes being scary, sometimes playing scared, and so on. But harm a witch's steading, and she had to respond— as Granny would say, it's bad business not to stand on business. "Ain't no call t' be rude." He said quietly, leveling a glare at the slime.

Somehow, despite not having a nose, the slime looked down her nose at him. "In my lab, I am queen of queens. Cope or leave." Timothy glared at Lassi, now positive he disliked her.

Just as he was about to retort, though, V's heavy hand landed on his shoulder. "Lassi, come on. Mat asked us here to help you, remember? We're here doin' just that, instead of fixing the million other problems we've all got. Her tone was casual but firm. "Let's just play nice, huh?"

To Timothy's surprise, the slime's expression softened. "...I'm told my social skills need work."

"Hey, it's been a shit week. Listen, sooner Timothy gets a look at that sample, sooner we're lab safe and outta your membrane, arright?"

"...Yes, sentry. Witch." Lassi glanced towards a crate plastered with real familiar hazard symbols, and the fingerlings she had watching it backed off. "It's in the crate, wrapped in an old apron. Careful, now."

"We will be. I promise." V nudged Timothy.

"...We'll respect your domain." The wolf grumbled. "No funny business, no risks." The slime nodded slow. Finally, she returned to her work. Timothy woulda breathed a sigh of relief, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

As the pair walked over to the crate, V spoke to Timothy. "Listen, I appreciate you tryna stand up for me, but that's just Lassi being Lassi."

"Still no call to be rude to ya." The wolf shook his head. "I didn't take that from my eight-leg cousins, and I sure as heck ain't takin' it from Ma'am Snoot back there."