Disclaimer: Sunao Yoshida created Trinity Blood.

Yet another RCO centered chapter.

Jelly

"Where is Dietrich with my cranberry jelly?"

Kampfer couldn't agree more with the question his leader had asked; Dietrich had been gone for over an hour. Surely fetching Cain his beloved jelly wasn't too difficult, was it? The Magician decided that he had to go settle things himself before the Crusnik began taking his anger out on innocent recruits again...

...ok, so that wasn't such a good excuse, as Kampfer fully enjoyed watching all the bloodshed and carnage. But Dietrich was his protégé, and Cain would not be so forgiving to him if said underling were to ignore his demands. Even if Kampfer was the secret behind Cain's "spiffy" new body.

As he walked down the hallway, the Magician couldn't help thinking that if he were truly goodhearted, and put more effort into it, he could give Cain a fixed body and call it a belated Christmas present. However, he was lazy, and he was smart enough to realize that once his leader had gotten what he so desired, Kampfer was as good as dead.

And a true member of the RCO always looked after himself before anyone else.

Kampfer wandered around the small village, hidden behind a trench coat and wide-brimmed hat. As luck would have it, he quickly found the young Puppet Master standing in line at one of the shops selling the cranberry jelly.

"What in the seven hells is taking you so long?" He muttered in the boy's ear, causing the brown-haired youth to turn his attention to the raven-haired man.

"I'm waiting in line to go buy this." He answered, matter-of-factly.

"For an hour?" Kampfer hissed. Dietrich smirked.

"You do know how Master Cain likes a certain brand of cranberry jelly? His brand was all out, so I had to go take out a little kid so I could steal his jelly."

Kampfer shook his head, hardly believing what he was hearing. "You mean to tell me that you can kill a little kid, but you can't even cut to the front of the line?"

"Well..." Dietrich trailed off, "I didn't kill the kid. I just made him wet himself and run off screaming. But I can't cut to the front of the line right now."

The Magician growled under his breath, grabbing Dietrich's hand and pulling him all the way to the front of the line. Several people complained loudly, the most obvious one being a little old grandmother at the front of the line.

"Excuse me, young men, but you're being very rude--"

"Go take your fiber, old lady!" Kampfer snapped. He turned back to where Dietrich was waiting patiently, and was hit in the back of the head by something hard. He turned around in time to get a cane right in the nose. Stars swam in his eyes and blood gushed from his broken nose. Dietrich took the time to retreat to the back of the line again.

"I'll teach you, young man!"

The cane rained down on him continuously, the old lady stronger that one would expect. If Kampfer hadn't been in so much pain, he would have guessed that she was a descendent of an enhanced soldier.

Kampfer had resumed his spot next to Dietrich. One eye was swelling shut, and the other one was turning a horrible shade of blue. Dried blood was smeared along the front of his face and coat.

"Why did you not help me, Puppeteer?" He growled.

Dietrich flashed him another grin. "I have to look after Master Cain's precious jelly."

He used excuses like a pro. Kampfer would have to remember that when he was maiming him later.

"It is about time!" Cain huffed and grabbed the jar of jelly from Dietrich, looking over at the Magician. "What happened to him?"

"Just the usual angry holiday grandparent shopper." The brown-haired boy remarked, wincing as he caught sight of Kampfer's eyes glinting angrily. Cain stood by, eating his cranberry jelly while watching Dietrich get dragged away by a rabid Kampfer.

"This is good cranberry jelly. Not as good as Lilith's, but it will do."