A/N: Little one-shot with a very small, short plot, pretty much a plot bunny I had while listening to I Am One of Them, by Aly& AJ. I don't know how it popped into my head…
Rake sorrowfully picked up one of his vegetables that didn't escape the bugs. It was as though the small cucumber had been his best friend, and now the friend was gone.
"Why don't I react this way when Pepper make soup with them?"
"Perhaps because you are playing favorites." A whimsical voice said from behind him. Rake whipped around, ashamed that he had been caught speaking to himself, and saw that Jester was sitting comfortably on top of an upturned bucket.
"J-Jester, I didn't see you there," stuttered Rake.
"Well, you were looking the other way." Jester replied.
"What did you mean, 'I'm playing favorites?' Was I really talking to myself?"
"Yes, indeed you were, but never fear, it wasn't much. Also, when I said that you are playing favorites, I mean that you are playing favorites amongst who kills your vegetables."
"What-"
"But of course, there are many ways to kill cucumbers, whether it's Pepper or those nasty little insects that seem to be everywhere." Jester paused, looking at Rake, and then the cucumber that he held. "It seems that you are more partial to Pepper." He murmured under his breath.
Rake blushed, and replied "So what if I am? At least Pepper does something good with my vegetables. The insects just eat them."
"Brilliant comeback!" Jester said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Did I mention that Pepper is coming your way just now?"
Rake looked horrified, and slowly turned to face Pepper.
"Hello Rake, I over heard your conversation with Jester, is something wrong?"
Rake froze up, and could only stammer "N-no Pepper, nothing."
She gazed up at him a little longer, and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, I will try harder." came her voice from his chest.
"What?" Rake answered, "What did you do?"
"I cook terribly!"
He was confused for a second, then said "No you don't! You're one of the best cooks in all of Kippernia! I was speaking to Jester of my vegetables, some of them were eaten by insects last night. We didn't discuss you at-" but he was silenced as Pepper stood on her toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
"You lie. I heard most of your conversation. And it was about me." Rake was still speechless, and couldn't think of anything but how large her brown eyes were. "Rake! Rake, are you listening to me?"
"Whaa?" Rake said as he sank to the ground.
"Oh goodness, Jester," she called, "Can you get a bowl of hot soup from the kitchen?"
"Of course Pepper. Anything for a lovesick friend." Jester said as he ran down the steps into the kitchen.
"Rake? Are you all right?" Pepper asked carefully.
"I- I've never been better!" Rake replied, turning his head to look up at her. He took her hand in his, and their eyes lingered on the other's.
Of course, this happy moment couldn't last. Exactly when Jester was coming up the stairs, Jane was racing down them. Their collision roused Rake and Pepper from their trance, and they looked up.
Pepper pulled Rake up and met with Smithy as he raced into the gardens, and the three of them went to the kitchen entrance, to the sounds of Jane yelling at Jester, and Jester apologizing, trying to locate both bowl and spoon. There was a thud, and more yelling. Dragon stuck his head in around them, and looked over their shoulders at the situation.
The sight that met them was most ridiculous. Jane and Jester were tangled up on the stairs, with Jester's floppy hat on Jane's head, and her hands red from the hot soup, a most fearsome look upon her face. Jester was sitting on top of her stomach, hurriedly getting up, but falling again as his foot caught on the upside-down bowl.
Finally, with the help of Pepper, Rake, and Smithy (and none from Dragon, who was giving advice, but was rather amused by his shortlife friend's plight), Jane and Jester were finally standing, the spoon and bowl found, and the hat on the right head.
Being close to supper time anyways, Pepper served them all the remaining soup, and sat down close to Rake. Jane observed this, and bluntly addressed it.
"Pepper, can Rake still breathe? You are practically on top of him!" Pepper blushed and started to scoot away, but Rake intervened.
"No, it's alright, I am not suffocating quite yet." He put an arm around Pepper, and she rested her head on his shoulder, smiling quietly to herself.
Jane, Jester, and Smithy all exchanged an amused look.
"Well, I wouldn't want anyone that close to me, we dragons love open spaced to breathe and fly. Fewer diseases are spread, and more food to go around. Only you crazy shortlives would want to snuggle up to each other and smoke swap." Dragon said. "Say, Jane, remember that time when we all thought that you and Gunther-" But by this point Jane had chucked a rock angrily in his direction, and was scowling at her soup.
"Jane and, um, Jester!" Dragon retorted, thinking of the one name that he knew would hit her nerve. "Sitting in a tree, K, I, S, something, um, 5, 9, 3!" He took off flying as Jane leapt out of her seat and began to chase the "big green maggot".
Smithy tried to cough to cover his laugh, but was unsuccessful. Jester merely glared at him and tried to focus on his soup, a blush creeping up his ears and neck.
Pepper sighed happily at the prospect of more romance in the castle, and at the thought of Rake and her own future, hopefully closely entwined.