Chapter 22

Liters of What?

(Remember to read Chapter 21 before you read this one)

She blubbered a hiccupped 'thank you' before gratefully toweling off her face and blowing her nose with the soft cloth.

"Keep it," said Bunny gently when she made to give it back.

Good thing too, because her eyes started spilling tears immediately after he spoke.

"I guess what I mean to say is, it´s your business-" sniff sniff "-and we had no right to-" hiccup! "-to corner you like that," she whimpered, looking away.

The corner of his lips twitched.

"No harm done, Tooth. Just forget about it."

They both sighed in unison before he stiffly checked his watch again.

"Will you come to the next meeting? I think the guys want to apologize too," she ventured as she wiped under her eyes again.

He pushed his watch back into its pocket and rubbed the bridge of his nose, jostling his glasses slightly.

"Like I said before, I´m not going to be able to make it for a while. . ."

"Yes, you´re very. . . busy, as always," whispered Tooth. "But I know the others would feel a lot better if you came; Jack especially. . . But North also seemed to be in a funk after what happened. I think he was the most-" she looked at Bunny "-shocked of all of us."

He looked away and cleared his throat.

"You´re welcome to tell them to forget about it. As far as I´m concerned, it´s over and done with. There´s no need to mention it ever again."

Tooth smiled sadly.

"Then sure, I´ll tell them for you. Is there anything else?"

Bunny shook his head.

"No, I don´t think so. Thank you Tooth."

She pursed her lips as he reached for her hand.

"For what it´s worth, I think you should talk about it," she breathed quietly.

He froze and his hand went rigid in midair.

"It doesn't have to be now, but someday, you should talk about it."

She could see his jaw clenching again, (his poor teeth!) but did her best to pretend otherwise.

"I´m happy to listen, whenever you´re ready," she said as she placed her hand in his.

He lifted it mechanically to his lips, but didn´t grip her fingers the way he usually did. He also pulled his own hand away promptly afterwards.

"Goodbye, Tooth," he mumbled as he turned away and pounded the earth with his foot.

He paused just before jumping in the tunnel.

"Drink some water now, before you get dehydrated," he ordered quickly. And then he disappeared.

Tooth took a deep breath and rubbed her face with the handkerchief again before turning back to look at the Pot.

"Well, at least now he knows how we feel," she said to herself.

She took one more deep breath before getting ready to fly back to Chaun´s office.

That´s a silver lining, she thought. Chaun is always a chatterbox. He´ll help me to cheer up.

And with that, she fluttered her wings, sparing one last sad glance at the purple hyacinth that was perched proudly in Bunny´s place.

. . . . .

"I can´t believe this! You´ve been nagging me to introduce you to him for centuries!"

"I know," sputtered Chaun, holding up his bagel in defense, "but I didn´t think he´s be so strict! Honestly, he´s not an easy one to warm up to."

Tooth giggled. "Is that why you wanted me in the office? You were tired of facing him by yourself?"

"Yes, that´s exactly why! And I´m not too proud to admit it," he said after swallowing a sip of lemonade.

"He´s a great guy, once you get to know him."

"I hope so. I´m going to be working with him regularly for the next while and I´d rather deal with a sentient being than a giant, soul-stealing rabbit."

Tooth whacked him hard in the shoulder, spreading crumbs from her own bagel everywhere.

"Don´t be such a gossip-goose! He´s the Easter Bunny. He´s allowed to have his quirks."

Chaun hummed in response as he chewed.

"Besides," she added, "You seemed pretty happy with how the negotiations turned out, so it couldn´t have been that bad."

Chaun shrugged as he swallowed.

"Well yes, I am pretty excited about that. Half a millennia of prodding has finally paid off, even if it´s not as much product as I´d hoped for."

"What exactly are you trading with him? I know it´s a whole liter, but of what?"

Patrick looked at her carefully before taking another sip of lemonade.

"Well, he is powerfully magical, and as far as I´ve been able to research, he´s one of a kind. . ."

". . .So?"

He adjusted his position a little.

". . . Well, so his blood has a lot of magical potential. I´ve even talked to a chap who was able to regrow his amputated arm back after drinking a potion with the stuff. It´s the single most requested item here at the Pot, and I´ve had to get it second hand in drops, until now."

Tooth was speechless for a good four seconds.

"You mean he´s going to give you his blood?"

Patrick smiled apologetically.

"Yes, I´m afraid. He´s not the only one, though. Many of the more unique spirits on earth trade their blood too. Nails, hair, saliva. . . feathers. . ." Patrick said the last part with a raised eyebrow and a glance in her direction.

Tooth rolled her eyes and let out a sigh of mock exasperation.

"No Chaun, I am not going to sell any of my feathers to you-" a smile tugged at her lips as she sent her best glare in his direction— "but I´m flattered by your persistence."

He let out an exaggerated sigh and resisted a smile.

"It was worth a shot. Anyway, they´ve all got their uses, and the more unique ones-" he gestured to her colorful plumage "can fetch a very pretty price, especially if they´re as powerful as his blood is."

He took another sip of lemonade.

"I´m still quite giddy about all of it!" he said. "He´s single-handedly started the spring season for as long as I remember! Who knows what kinds of potions are going to pop up once his blood is on the general market, even if I can get only one liter from him for now!"

Tooth sipped her glass of water thoughtfully for a few seconds, her eyes slightly narrowed as they stared at nothing.

"What are you thinking, my dear? I´ve not upset you, have I?" asked Chaun carefully as he watched her.

The fairy shook her head and patted him on the shoulder. "No, I´m not upset. I´m just a little worried about him is all. I guess he is a doctor. . . He would know if his body couldn´t handle that, right?" she asked.

Chaun smiled and nodded his head. "Don´t worry, Toothiana. Many of my vendors give up to four liters in a year, sometimes more. My deal with him is for a very small amount compared to most others, unfortunately—and he´s not even including the plasma! I know he´s been selling it for a while, seeing as I´ve been able to get small vials of it here and there through the centuries. He´ll be fine my dear, I´m sure of it."

Tooth considered this, wrinkling her nose slightly. "You know, as I´m thinking about it more, it sounds kind of grotesque."

Chaun chuckled. "I can see why you would think that."

She shrugged and let out a small giggle.

"But then again I pay children for their teeth, so who am I to judge?!"

They both laughed at that, dissipating any discomfort.

"Now, I know I´m a fool for asking. . . but would you like some dessert, my dear?"

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I´ll reply to any answers from the last chapter and this one in my next update. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts from this!

What do you think?

What do you think about Chaun now?

How do you think this business deal is going to affect Bunny?

If you were Tooth, how would you react to the information?

Have you ever had to sell something dear to you?