Fic - Redstone and Potions
Saturday, December 7th, 2013 01:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mewbladexxx posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
mindcrackloveWas ficcing around in a chat, came up with this five pager. After a bit of revision... This is the one that you guys see. :3
Mew smirked as she tapped the small hand-sized jar of the volatile red dust. "This'll do perfectly Etho," she murmured, tossing several golden ingots over the counter. "Thanks for the service!" She shook the jar lightly, much to Etho's alarm.
"Careful with that!" Etho snapped, a bit harsher than he intended. However, redstone was not something to goof around with. "If you're not careful, you could seriously injure yourself." He narrowed his single eye in emphasis. "And I hope you remember not to splash water on it, or handle it when your hands are wet."
Mew waved her hand at him distractedly, entranced by the jar in her other hand. "Ah, I know Etho," she called over her shoulder as she left his potion building. "It'll be fine!"
Etho watched her go, a feeling of dread in his gut. "I hope so," he mumbled, turning back to his potions. As he sifted through his ingredients, he gasped. No, he thought. I... I couldn't have, could I? Nonetheless, he dashed out of his building, looking around frantically. "Mew!" He shouted. "Wait!"
However, she was already nowhere to be found.
~*~
Squid yawned, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. "Are you almost done?" she complained. She looked at her blueprints again, double checking them. "Mew?" she called again, irate.
"I'm almost done," Mew huffed. "Here." She chucked a potion at Squid's head. "Fast one!"
Squid barely caught it in time, glaring at her partner. "Sheesh," she mumbled, before downing the heartening purple liquid. "That's some strong stuff," she spluttered, slamming down the glass, before continuing her rant.
"And what if I'd missed, hm?" Squid said, licking her lips. As much as she hated to admit, Mew did brew a good strength potion. "What if the glass'd broke?"
Mew snorted. "It's just a potion, relax," she drawled. "It would have dried before long. Besides, I'm handling the redstone, not you." She rubbed her hands on a dry towel, reaching over to hold them over the heat of the fire for a few seconds.
"... The redstone?" Mew prompted Squid. Wordlessly, Squid handed her the jar. Mew turned the jar over in her hands briskly, before unscrewing the cap. They walked over to the portal room, carefully stepping around the lava falls, their diamond boots clicking on the heated stone floor.
"Alright, what goes where again?" Mew tossed the jar from hand to hand, looking at Squid expectantly.
Squid checked her blueprints again. "Well, we'll have to connect all the pistons to the central button over there... Oh, as well as wire up the door, and the lamps to a randomizer. So, you'll want to start with the pistons..."
Mew nodded, hopping up to the ceiling with a few blocks of dirt. She unscrewed the cap from the jar, reaching her hand in. She withdrew a handful of just, careful not to let any slip through her fingers. Precariously, she balanced the jar on her tower of dirt, pulling up a fold of her t-shirt to cover her nose and mouth.
Squid watched as Mew wiggled into a pre-made hole in the ceiling. It was only a few seconds until she reappeared, laying the rest of the redstone track within the wall to the button, before sealing it up. She grinned at Squid, scaling her dirt tower again to reach the jar.
Nearly half the jar was depleted by the time Mew finished hooking up all the pistons in the ceiling to the button. She pressed it experimentally, grinning when all of the pistons extended, cutting off the lava flow. "Perfect!" She said joyfully. "Now all that's left is the door, which'll be easy... And the lamps." She sighed. "Which won't be so easy..."
She dipped her hand into the jar once more, a strange thought striking her. The grains were a bit gritter than she remembered, yet very silky smooth, more dangerous than the biggest bundle of TNT imaginable. She pushed the thought away, and withdrew another handful.
Squid watched as Mew lay a simple straight track from the door to the button. It was fairly simple - dig up the floor a bit, lay the track, replace the floor. Mew put her trusty pick away, mentally reminding herself to repair it before it broke.
"You set the randomizer beforehand, right?" Mew asked Squid. Squid nodded distractedly, turning her blueprint scroll over.
"I did, and it should be right..." Squid said, trailing off. She tapped the wall next to her. "Hook up the lamps, and then bring the trail over here. I'll show you where to connect it."
Mew groaned, thinking of the tight spaces she'd have to go through to connect all the lamps. "... Say, you don't have any Soul Sand, do you?" she said, turning to Squid. Squid, in the process of rolling up her scroll, furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.
"... No. Uhm..." She blinked, shrugging. "We don't have any, unless you want me to dig up our Netherwart farm...?
Mew shook her head. "I'll just have to be extra careful then," she chuckled. "Alright, this should be enough to connect all the lights..."
~*~
Squid yawned, leaning against the wall. She was a bit sleepy, and Mew was taking a while. She was just nodding off, when she heard Mew yell in pain, jolting forwards in shock. "Mew!" Squid shouted, as Mew poked through the floor, pulling herself up. "What happened?!"
Mew hung her head, growling. "Freaking lava hidden in the ground," she snarled, lifting her head to show Squid a fast fading red burn on her cheek. "A lava ember jumped out at me," she continued, shaking her head. "Anyways, I'm done." She huffed, exiting the room through the wall, sealing it up behind her. She smirked, turning to Squid, who was briskly rolling up her blueprint.
As Squid sorted through her stash chest, Mew walked into the brewing room. Squid paused hearing the rattling of bottles and shrugged a second later, trying to decide where to put her scroll.
She promptly froze as she heard the crashing of bottles, as well as a sharp yelp. Her eyes widened, and she rushed to the alchemy room, pausing outside the door. Something was wrong with this picture though...
Cautiously, Squid looked through the door. Mew was standing at her desk, frozen as the pale purple of a regular Strength potion dripped over her right arm and hand. The jar of redstone had also spilled, cascading and coating her surely wet hand in flecks of the red dust. Squid frowned. "Mew?" She said, walking into the room slowly. "Mew, what...?
Mew shook out of her stupor, looking at her hand carefully. It was covered with the red flecks of redstone dust, as wet as it could be with potion, yet... Her hand was still unburned.
Mew looked at Squid quizzically, who could only stare. "Didn't you buy this from Etho?" she said faintly, shocked at the reaction, or lack thereof. Mew nodded, dipping her hand in the nearest cauldron of water. The redstone floated off, leaving only the faintest hint of pink.
"... I'm going insane," Mew said at last. "I think I'm going to sleep. Good night, Squid." She brushed past Squid, heading for her bedroom.
Squid frowned, watching Mew leave. "... I guess I'll sleep too," she said to herself. "Uh... GOODNIGHT!" She shouted, voice echoing off the stone walls of their cave. She smiled as she heard a responding 'Goodnight!' call from Nannyn and Curly, who were working on a 'secret project' deeper in the caves.
~*~
Etho rushed through the Nether Hub again, gulping down his third Speed potion of the night. "Why do they hide their base entrance," he groaned to himself, double checking the different hubs and all their signs.
"They don't even leave a sign..." Etho paused as something caught his eye. He pulled out his pick, carelessly destroying the surrounding netherrack with a smooth swipe. "So this is how they hide their base," he mused, speeding down the tunnel. "Subtle, but effective is one if rushing." He berated himself - he had fallen for their trap so easily. A mistake he couldn't afford to make.
Etho stepped through the Nether Portal at the end of the bland tunnel, blinking as he was met by lights that flashed on the second he took a step forward. He took a moment to admire the glowing lights against the cold stone brick and warm oak walls, before the retracting of a piston far above his head had him on his guard.
He stepped back as lava cascaded from the ceiling. Frowning, he was forced to continuously move as lava poured from the ceiling at random intervals and at random spaces. Finally, he found an area where lava seemed to never pour, and stayed there, as he thought of his current situation.
Dangerous, but no cause for alarm. Amateur redstone - he had already figured out the mechanics of it. A good attempt, but half rated.
However, what was cause for alarm was that the room didn't look like it had any obvious openings, and his time was running short. He smirked beneath his mask - he could find the way out of this room in less than two minutes.
Easily avoiding the lava falls, he tapped on the walls, listening for an echo that meant empty space behind it. He found it quickly, the room wasn't big, and admittedly, the girls were a bit predictable. With a mental apology, he knocked out the wall, walking out into a spacy cave. It was rather bland to the eye, but second look around spoke of practicality rather than looks.
He walked past the farm animals, curiosity overtaking him for the moment. Although he knew he shouldn't, he stepped into what seemed to be their storage area.
He paused as he heard the dripping of liquid. He followed the sound, and hissed as he saw the sight before his eyes.
Broken glass glinted up at him from the floor. He carefully avoided the mess of spilled liquid and redstone on the floor, noting the slightly purple and reddish tint the water in the cauldron had to it. He didn't dare touch it, but made a mental note to get rid of it as soon as possible.
He made his way out of their storage room, following the glowstone on the walls. He knew from past conversations with Squid that Nannyn was quite the builder, and although she was no Bdubs, he had to admit, she had an eye for beauty with function, something Bdubs occasionally lacked.
He sighed in relief as he came across what had to be some sort of gathering room for the separate bedrooms. Thankfully, the rooms were labeled. It wouldn't do to simply walk into the wrong room, now would it? He made his way up the stairs in Mew's room, assessing it at a glance, as was his habit. The room was plain, too plain for his taste. But Mew tended to keep her projects relatively plain, so he couldn't blame her.
He was making his way up a second set of stairs, when he heard the gurgling of water being drained, then refilled. He threw caution to the wind, barely pausing to knock on the door frame before proceeding to enter Mew's bedroom. She half gasped, half yelped, an odd noise. "Etho!" She hissed, and angry infliction to her voice. "What are you doing here so late at night, in my bedroom, no less!"
She bit her lip as Etho approached, until he was only standing a foot or so away. "Which hand did you burn?" he said, holding out a gloved hand. "Let me see it." Mew looked at him suspiciously, but a meaningful eyebrow arch caused her to sigh, holding out her right hand without complaint.
He inspected her hand. Her skin tone was a natural tan, a healthy enough color. However, her fingers were a paling white, and she winced as he pinched the back of her hand. His grip slackened as she pulled her hand back, glaring at him.
"Not to be rude, but what's the deal?" Mew demanded, backing a step. She nursed her tingling hand, scowling at Etho.
"I gave you the wrong kind of redstone earlier," Etho admitted, making another beckoning motion. "The redstone I sold you earlier was meant for specifically for potions. It has a different property than the redstone most people mine out of the ground." Without another word, he simply reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along.
"... There are two different types of redstone?" Mew said, puzzled, as Etho pulled her over to the sink. He turned on the faucet, stopping the drain so that the porcelain bowl would fill up. "I didn't know that."
"As well as you should, there was no reason that you should have known. I sell you all the redstone that you use in potions. As long as I didn't mess up, you had no need to worry." He dropped a few pieces of Netherwart into the filled sink, dipping his left hand into the water, swishing it around to help the Netherwart dissolve. "You're lucky," he stated, pulling his hand out and motioning for her to dip her hand it.
"How so?" Mew asked, lowering her hand into the solution. She sighed as the burning sensation in her fingertips slowly receded, replaced by a pleasantly numb feeling. She made to pull her hand out, but Etho shook his head. She kept her hand in, frowning as she listened to Etho.
"Had I not realized the mistake I made, eventually, the redstone would have seeped into your muscle tissue, burning you internally. The damage done would have been almost irreparable. Most likely, you would have suffered extreme pain in your right hand. You would no longer have control over that hand - the nerves mostly likely would have burned until they were useless."
Etho shook his head, sighing. "In some ways, redstone meant for potions is even more dangerous than the normal redstone." Mew stared at him with wide eyes as he took a more lighthearted turn. Etho smiled under his mask, turning to leave. "Just leave your hand in the solution until the numb feeling goes away. Your hand should be fine then. And now, you know. Just be more careful, alright?"
Mew nodded numbly, as Etho grinned, waved and left. Hardly any time had passed at all, until he was back, speaking his piece quickly.
"oh, and could you tell Squid to meet me in front of the Town Hall tomorrow? I'd like to talk to her. Thanks," he chuckled, whistling softly as he walked away.
~*~
BONUS!
"Okay, this is what we're going to do!"
"... That's a dumb plan."
"... You come up with a better one."
"..."
"That's what I thought. Now, move out, girls!"
"You don't have to be so dramatic about it...?
"Oh hush."
~*~
Etho shivered at the chilly weather as he stepped outside Ethocorp. He stretched, feeling bones crack and muscles stretch pleasantly. He was about to cross the bridge, to possibly go and check the sales in the Doc Shop, when he heard the rustling of leaves.
Instantly, he spun around to catch a punch aimed at his temple, quickly sweeping the girl's - Curly, his subconsciousness told him, - feet from under her, sending her crashing to the stone road with a painful yelp. In the same instance, he ducked, letting an arrow whiz above his head, barely catching the tips of his hair.
He pulled out his own bow as the girl on the end of the bridge - Lemmy, - faltered with an arrow. He nocked, drew, and shot in a single fluid movement, letting the arrow fly into her shoulder, dropping her like a boulder.
He breathed lightly, as his instincts shouted at him. Half of Team Munchkin, he thought, mind racing. Only two? Usually they operate as a group- He didn't get any time to continue the thought as he dropped his bow and drew his sword, leaping backwards just in time to avoid his cheek being sliced open by a shimmering diamond blade. Mew this time. As she tried to engage him again, he blocked easily, letting her sword slide harmlessly off his, knocking her on the head lightly. She groaned, and collapsed, like Curly and Lemmy.
I'm missing one. Nannyn, where could she be? He got his answer when an arrow ripped through the leaves atop the bridge. His gaze slid to the river bank, where she was standing with her infamous bow, Annie. He dropped to the ground to avoid the next shot, grabbing his own bow from the ground.
"Stand down!" Etho roared, raising his voice suddenly. He didn't do it often, but the sheer volume combined with the threat of an arrow suddenly appearing in her skull was enough for Nan to raise her hands in defeat. "Get up here, and give me the bow."
He waited until Nannyn was standing in front of him, reluctantly setting Annie down on the ground, until he spoke again. By then, Mew and Curly had crept around them to help Lemmy off the ground, standing around Nannyn with looks ranging from surly, to sheepish and ashamed.
"So, what's with the surprise ambush?" he questioned, looking at the girls of Team Munchkin. "Also..." he counted them again, ticking off names in his head mentally. "Where is Squid?"
Nannyn chuckled, rubbing her head with a small smile. "This is about her, actually."
Etho frowned. "Is she sick or hurt?"
Mew shook her head hastily. "Kind of, but that's not the point. Y'see, Christmas is coming up, and she's been complaining how she hasn't seen you in a bit..."
Lemmy broke in. "So Nan and Mew thought it was a good idea to kidnap you and stick you under our tree." She blinked innocently as Mew and Nan glared at her, nursing her sore shoulder.
Etho stared at her, then at Curly. Curly simply shrugged, and he switched his gaze to Nannyn and Mew. He sighed mentally as he realized they were dead serious.
"Really now girls," he said impatiently. "I have things to do today... Tell Squid I said sorry, I'll try to check up on her later." He brushed past them, ignoring the heartbroken look on Lemmy's face, the angry on on Mew's face, hardly caring about how furious Nannyn looked, or how disappointed Curly was.
~*~
Squid yawned, coughing slightly. She blinked as Nannyn darted into her room, words spilling from her mouth like a waterfall, hardly making any sense at all. Finally, Nannyn stopped, grinning at Squid as she offered an aspirin and a cup of water.
"Feeling better?" Nannyn sat on the bedside, watching Squid.
"A bit," Squid replied hoarsely. "It sucks... Being sick on Christmas." She smiled at Nan as the other girl patted her on the head.
"Well, hurry and get decent, Lemmy and Mew are already jumping at the bit to open presents. Curly won't let 'em until you get up." Nannyn chuckled, before hurrying out of Squid's room.
Squid pulled a sweater over her head, hopping into some jeans, quickly combing her hair as she walked out of her bedroom. Nan, Curly, Mew, and Lemmy were already gathered around the Christmas tree, grinning at Squid. She grew slightly suspicious, but brushed it off.
"Squid, how about you open your presents first? After invalids, I say!" Squid glared at Mew, but quickly laughed, after Curly nudged Mew in the ribs.
"There's over on this side, it's for you," Lemmy supplied helpfully, gesturing. Squid walked over to stand next to Lemmy, eyeing the large box wrapped in red and green wrapping paper. She tore into it, quickly ripping the tape away. She yelped in pleasant surprise, as she grinned at the contents.
"Etho!" She squealed, as Etho stood up, stepping out of the box. The rest of Team Munchkin snickered, then awwwed as Squid embraced Etho happily. "Oh, you guys are awesome!"
Etho side, patting Squid on the head. "They tried to ambush and kidnap me," he said cheerfully. "It didn't quite work out as intended... But they got their wanted results."
Mew, Lemmy, Curly, and Nannyn stared at each other before nodding. "Yeah, let's go with that," they chimed in unison. "Sounds good."
Mew smirked as she tapped the small hand-sized jar of the volatile red dust. "This'll do perfectly Etho," she murmured, tossing several golden ingots over the counter. "Thanks for the service!" She shook the jar lightly, much to Etho's alarm.
"Careful with that!" Etho snapped, a bit harsher than he intended. However, redstone was not something to goof around with. "If you're not careful, you could seriously injure yourself." He narrowed his single eye in emphasis. "And I hope you remember not to splash water on it, or handle it when your hands are wet."
Mew waved her hand at him distractedly, entranced by the jar in her other hand. "Ah, I know Etho," she called over her shoulder as she left his potion building. "It'll be fine!"
Etho watched her go, a feeling of dread in his gut. "I hope so," he mumbled, turning back to his potions. As he sifted through his ingredients, he gasped. No, he thought. I... I couldn't have, could I? Nonetheless, he dashed out of his building, looking around frantically. "Mew!" He shouted. "Wait!"
However, she was already nowhere to be found.
~*~
Squid yawned, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. "Are you almost done?" she complained. She looked at her blueprints again, double checking them. "Mew?" she called again, irate.
"I'm almost done," Mew huffed. "Here." She chucked a potion at Squid's head. "Fast one!"
Squid barely caught it in time, glaring at her partner. "Sheesh," she mumbled, before downing the heartening purple liquid. "That's some strong stuff," she spluttered, slamming down the glass, before continuing her rant.
"And what if I'd missed, hm?" Squid said, licking her lips. As much as she hated to admit, Mew did brew a good strength potion. "What if the glass'd broke?"
Mew snorted. "It's just a potion, relax," she drawled. "It would have dried before long. Besides, I'm handling the redstone, not you." She rubbed her hands on a dry towel, reaching over to hold them over the heat of the fire for a few seconds.
"... The redstone?" Mew prompted Squid. Wordlessly, Squid handed her the jar. Mew turned the jar over in her hands briskly, before unscrewing the cap. They walked over to the portal room, carefully stepping around the lava falls, their diamond boots clicking on the heated stone floor.
"Alright, what goes where again?" Mew tossed the jar from hand to hand, looking at Squid expectantly.
Squid checked her blueprints again. "Well, we'll have to connect all the pistons to the central button over there... Oh, as well as wire up the door, and the lamps to a randomizer. So, you'll want to start with the pistons..."
Mew nodded, hopping up to the ceiling with a few blocks of dirt. She unscrewed the cap from the jar, reaching her hand in. She withdrew a handful of just, careful not to let any slip through her fingers. Precariously, she balanced the jar on her tower of dirt, pulling up a fold of her t-shirt to cover her nose and mouth.
Squid watched as Mew wiggled into a pre-made hole in the ceiling. It was only a few seconds until she reappeared, laying the rest of the redstone track within the wall to the button, before sealing it up. She grinned at Squid, scaling her dirt tower again to reach the jar.
Nearly half the jar was depleted by the time Mew finished hooking up all the pistons in the ceiling to the button. She pressed it experimentally, grinning when all of the pistons extended, cutting off the lava flow. "Perfect!" She said joyfully. "Now all that's left is the door, which'll be easy... And the lamps." She sighed. "Which won't be so easy..."
She dipped her hand into the jar once more, a strange thought striking her. The grains were a bit gritter than she remembered, yet very silky smooth, more dangerous than the biggest bundle of TNT imaginable. She pushed the thought away, and withdrew another handful.
Squid watched as Mew lay a simple straight track from the door to the button. It was fairly simple - dig up the floor a bit, lay the track, replace the floor. Mew put her trusty pick away, mentally reminding herself to repair it before it broke.
"You set the randomizer beforehand, right?" Mew asked Squid. Squid nodded distractedly, turning her blueprint scroll over.
"I did, and it should be right..." Squid said, trailing off. She tapped the wall next to her. "Hook up the lamps, and then bring the trail over here. I'll show you where to connect it."
Mew groaned, thinking of the tight spaces she'd have to go through to connect all the lamps. "... Say, you don't have any Soul Sand, do you?" she said, turning to Squid. Squid, in the process of rolling up her scroll, furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.
"... No. Uhm..." She blinked, shrugging. "We don't have any, unless you want me to dig up our Netherwart farm...?
Mew shook her head. "I'll just have to be extra careful then," she chuckled. "Alright, this should be enough to connect all the lights..."
~*~
Squid yawned, leaning against the wall. She was a bit sleepy, and Mew was taking a while. She was just nodding off, when she heard Mew yell in pain, jolting forwards in shock. "Mew!" Squid shouted, as Mew poked through the floor, pulling herself up. "What happened?!"
Mew hung her head, growling. "Freaking lava hidden in the ground," she snarled, lifting her head to show Squid a fast fading red burn on her cheek. "A lava ember jumped out at me," she continued, shaking her head. "Anyways, I'm done." She huffed, exiting the room through the wall, sealing it up behind her. She smirked, turning to Squid, who was briskly rolling up her blueprint.
As Squid sorted through her stash chest, Mew walked into the brewing room. Squid paused hearing the rattling of bottles and shrugged a second later, trying to decide where to put her scroll.
She promptly froze as she heard the crashing of bottles, as well as a sharp yelp. Her eyes widened, and she rushed to the alchemy room, pausing outside the door. Something was wrong with this picture though...
Cautiously, Squid looked through the door. Mew was standing at her desk, frozen as the pale purple of a regular Strength potion dripped over her right arm and hand. The jar of redstone had also spilled, cascading and coating her surely wet hand in flecks of the red dust. Squid frowned. "Mew?" She said, walking into the room slowly. "Mew, what...?
Mew shook out of her stupor, looking at her hand carefully. It was covered with the red flecks of redstone dust, as wet as it could be with potion, yet... Her hand was still unburned.
Mew looked at Squid quizzically, who could only stare. "Didn't you buy this from Etho?" she said faintly, shocked at the reaction, or lack thereof. Mew nodded, dipping her hand in the nearest cauldron of water. The redstone floated off, leaving only the faintest hint of pink.
"... I'm going insane," Mew said at last. "I think I'm going to sleep. Good night, Squid." She brushed past Squid, heading for her bedroom.
Squid frowned, watching Mew leave. "... I guess I'll sleep too," she said to herself. "Uh... GOODNIGHT!" She shouted, voice echoing off the stone walls of their cave. She smiled as she heard a responding 'Goodnight!' call from Nannyn and Curly, who were working on a 'secret project' deeper in the caves.
~*~
Etho rushed through the Nether Hub again, gulping down his third Speed potion of the night. "Why do they hide their base entrance," he groaned to himself, double checking the different hubs and all their signs.
"They don't even leave a sign..." Etho paused as something caught his eye. He pulled out his pick, carelessly destroying the surrounding netherrack with a smooth swipe. "So this is how they hide their base," he mused, speeding down the tunnel. "Subtle, but effective is one if rushing." He berated himself - he had fallen for their trap so easily. A mistake he couldn't afford to make.
Etho stepped through the Nether Portal at the end of the bland tunnel, blinking as he was met by lights that flashed on the second he took a step forward. He took a moment to admire the glowing lights against the cold stone brick and warm oak walls, before the retracting of a piston far above his head had him on his guard.
He stepped back as lava cascaded from the ceiling. Frowning, he was forced to continuously move as lava poured from the ceiling at random intervals and at random spaces. Finally, he found an area where lava seemed to never pour, and stayed there, as he thought of his current situation.
Dangerous, but no cause for alarm. Amateur redstone - he had already figured out the mechanics of it. A good attempt, but half rated.
However, what was cause for alarm was that the room didn't look like it had any obvious openings, and his time was running short. He smirked beneath his mask - he could find the way out of this room in less than two minutes.
Easily avoiding the lava falls, he tapped on the walls, listening for an echo that meant empty space behind it. He found it quickly, the room wasn't big, and admittedly, the girls were a bit predictable. With a mental apology, he knocked out the wall, walking out into a spacy cave. It was rather bland to the eye, but second look around spoke of practicality rather than looks.
He walked past the farm animals, curiosity overtaking him for the moment. Although he knew he shouldn't, he stepped into what seemed to be their storage area.
He paused as he heard the dripping of liquid. He followed the sound, and hissed as he saw the sight before his eyes.
Broken glass glinted up at him from the floor. He carefully avoided the mess of spilled liquid and redstone on the floor, noting the slightly purple and reddish tint the water in the cauldron had to it. He didn't dare touch it, but made a mental note to get rid of it as soon as possible.
He made his way out of their storage room, following the glowstone on the walls. He knew from past conversations with Squid that Nannyn was quite the builder, and although she was no Bdubs, he had to admit, she had an eye for beauty with function, something Bdubs occasionally lacked.
He sighed in relief as he came across what had to be some sort of gathering room for the separate bedrooms. Thankfully, the rooms were labeled. It wouldn't do to simply walk into the wrong room, now would it? He made his way up the stairs in Mew's room, assessing it at a glance, as was his habit. The room was plain, too plain for his taste. But Mew tended to keep her projects relatively plain, so he couldn't blame her.
He was making his way up a second set of stairs, when he heard the gurgling of water being drained, then refilled. He threw caution to the wind, barely pausing to knock on the door frame before proceeding to enter Mew's bedroom. She half gasped, half yelped, an odd noise. "Etho!" She hissed, and angry infliction to her voice. "What are you doing here so late at night, in my bedroom, no less!"
She bit her lip as Etho approached, until he was only standing a foot or so away. "Which hand did you burn?" he said, holding out a gloved hand. "Let me see it." Mew looked at him suspiciously, but a meaningful eyebrow arch caused her to sigh, holding out her right hand without complaint.
He inspected her hand. Her skin tone was a natural tan, a healthy enough color. However, her fingers were a paling white, and she winced as he pinched the back of her hand. His grip slackened as she pulled her hand back, glaring at him.
"Not to be rude, but what's the deal?" Mew demanded, backing a step. She nursed her tingling hand, scowling at Etho.
"I gave you the wrong kind of redstone earlier," Etho admitted, making another beckoning motion. "The redstone I sold you earlier was meant for specifically for potions. It has a different property than the redstone most people mine out of the ground." Without another word, he simply reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along.
"... There are two different types of redstone?" Mew said, puzzled, as Etho pulled her over to the sink. He turned on the faucet, stopping the drain so that the porcelain bowl would fill up. "I didn't know that."
"As well as you should, there was no reason that you should have known. I sell you all the redstone that you use in potions. As long as I didn't mess up, you had no need to worry." He dropped a few pieces of Netherwart into the filled sink, dipping his left hand into the water, swishing it around to help the Netherwart dissolve. "You're lucky," he stated, pulling his hand out and motioning for her to dip her hand it.
"How so?" Mew asked, lowering her hand into the solution. She sighed as the burning sensation in her fingertips slowly receded, replaced by a pleasantly numb feeling. She made to pull her hand out, but Etho shook his head. She kept her hand in, frowning as she listened to Etho.
"Had I not realized the mistake I made, eventually, the redstone would have seeped into your muscle tissue, burning you internally. The damage done would have been almost irreparable. Most likely, you would have suffered extreme pain in your right hand. You would no longer have control over that hand - the nerves mostly likely would have burned until they were useless."
Etho shook his head, sighing. "In some ways, redstone meant for potions is even more dangerous than the normal redstone." Mew stared at him with wide eyes as he took a more lighthearted turn. Etho smiled under his mask, turning to leave. "Just leave your hand in the solution until the numb feeling goes away. Your hand should be fine then. And now, you know. Just be more careful, alright?"
Mew nodded numbly, as Etho grinned, waved and left. Hardly any time had passed at all, until he was back, speaking his piece quickly.
"oh, and could you tell Squid to meet me in front of the Town Hall tomorrow? I'd like to talk to her. Thanks," he chuckled, whistling softly as he walked away.
~*~
BONUS!
"Okay, this is what we're going to do!"
"... That's a dumb plan."
"... You come up with a better one."
"..."
"That's what I thought. Now, move out, girls!"
"You don't have to be so dramatic about it...?
"Oh hush."
~*~
Etho shivered at the chilly weather as he stepped outside Ethocorp. He stretched, feeling bones crack and muscles stretch pleasantly. He was about to cross the bridge, to possibly go and check the sales in the Doc Shop, when he heard the rustling of leaves.
Instantly, he spun around to catch a punch aimed at his temple, quickly sweeping the girl's - Curly, his subconsciousness told him, - feet from under her, sending her crashing to the stone road with a painful yelp. In the same instance, he ducked, letting an arrow whiz above his head, barely catching the tips of his hair.
He pulled out his own bow as the girl on the end of the bridge - Lemmy, - faltered with an arrow. He nocked, drew, and shot in a single fluid movement, letting the arrow fly into her shoulder, dropping her like a boulder.
He breathed lightly, as his instincts shouted at him. Half of Team Munchkin, he thought, mind racing. Only two? Usually they operate as a group- He didn't get any time to continue the thought as he dropped his bow and drew his sword, leaping backwards just in time to avoid his cheek being sliced open by a shimmering diamond blade. Mew this time. As she tried to engage him again, he blocked easily, letting her sword slide harmlessly off his, knocking her on the head lightly. She groaned, and collapsed, like Curly and Lemmy.
I'm missing one. Nannyn, where could she be? He got his answer when an arrow ripped through the leaves atop the bridge. His gaze slid to the river bank, where she was standing with her infamous bow, Annie. He dropped to the ground to avoid the next shot, grabbing his own bow from the ground.
"Stand down!" Etho roared, raising his voice suddenly. He didn't do it often, but the sheer volume combined with the threat of an arrow suddenly appearing in her skull was enough for Nan to raise her hands in defeat. "Get up here, and give me the bow."
He waited until Nannyn was standing in front of him, reluctantly setting Annie down on the ground, until he spoke again. By then, Mew and Curly had crept around them to help Lemmy off the ground, standing around Nannyn with looks ranging from surly, to sheepish and ashamed.
"So, what's with the surprise ambush?" he questioned, looking at the girls of Team Munchkin. "Also..." he counted them again, ticking off names in his head mentally. "Where is Squid?"
Nannyn chuckled, rubbing her head with a small smile. "This is about her, actually."
Etho frowned. "Is she sick or hurt?"
Mew shook her head hastily. "Kind of, but that's not the point. Y'see, Christmas is coming up, and she's been complaining how she hasn't seen you in a bit..."
Lemmy broke in. "So Nan and Mew thought it was a good idea to kidnap you and stick you under our tree." She blinked innocently as Mew and Nan glared at her, nursing her sore shoulder.
Etho stared at her, then at Curly. Curly simply shrugged, and he switched his gaze to Nannyn and Mew. He sighed mentally as he realized they were dead serious.
"Really now girls," he said impatiently. "I have things to do today... Tell Squid I said sorry, I'll try to check up on her later." He brushed past them, ignoring the heartbroken look on Lemmy's face, the angry on on Mew's face, hardly caring about how furious Nannyn looked, or how disappointed Curly was.
~*~
Squid yawned, coughing slightly. She blinked as Nannyn darted into her room, words spilling from her mouth like a waterfall, hardly making any sense at all. Finally, Nannyn stopped, grinning at Squid as she offered an aspirin and a cup of water.
"Feeling better?" Nannyn sat on the bedside, watching Squid.
"A bit," Squid replied hoarsely. "It sucks... Being sick on Christmas." She smiled at Nan as the other girl patted her on the head.
"Well, hurry and get decent, Lemmy and Mew are already jumping at the bit to open presents. Curly won't let 'em until you get up." Nannyn chuckled, before hurrying out of Squid's room.
Squid pulled a sweater over her head, hopping into some jeans, quickly combing her hair as she walked out of her bedroom. Nan, Curly, Mew, and Lemmy were already gathered around the Christmas tree, grinning at Squid. She grew slightly suspicious, but brushed it off.
"Squid, how about you open your presents first? After invalids, I say!" Squid glared at Mew, but quickly laughed, after Curly nudged Mew in the ribs.
"There's over on this side, it's for you," Lemmy supplied helpfully, gesturing. Squid walked over to stand next to Lemmy, eyeing the large box wrapped in red and green wrapping paper. She tore into it, quickly ripping the tape away. She yelped in pleasant surprise, as she grinned at the contents.
"Etho!" She squealed, as Etho stood up, stepping out of the box. The rest of Team Munchkin snickered, then awwwed as Squid embraced Etho happily. "Oh, you guys are awesome!"
Etho side, patting Squid on the head. "They tried to ambush and kidnap me," he said cheerfully. "It didn't quite work out as intended... But they got their wanted results."
Mew, Lemmy, Curly, and Nannyn stared at each other before nodding. "Yeah, let's go with that," they chimed in unison. "Sounds good."
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Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 02:58 am (UTC)lfndjwvbgurqb[ouehbruikml,ewfgtwfk,w.s'q[wlouv,.wx/qzq]\x.nrtbngbteknbgen'ibten'pibteenbwi
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I CAN'T EVEN. AGH. <333
ALL THE HAPPINESS. ALL OF IT. <3 <3 <3 <3
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Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 03:21 am (UTC)I am speechless!!
-Beca
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Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 05:54 am (UTC)And, um...Team Munchkin? ...What an interesting team name...
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Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 08:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Saturday, December 14th, 2013 01:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, December 8th, 2013 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, December 9th, 2013 03:07 am (UTC)That was great.
So good.
So. GOooddDdd.
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Date: Tuesday, December 10th, 2013 02:10 pm (UTC)