Images: I'm pretty happy that I finally finished the "cover" art. I dunno why I did it. If Simply Love was a book, this is what you would find. Give it a glance and tell me what you think. (It's in my bio, as usual.) Raist came out so cute.
AN: Yes! This fic has been up for a month now (give or take a few days)!
Dalamar Nightson- I swoon at your praise! XD Hehe, I love drawing Dalamar… he's so fun! I have so many sketches of him… -Shakes fist at Life- I hope it gets better for ya. ;-;
Ahn-Li Steffraini- Yes, I was beginning to realize that as I wrote the story. Bupu and Raistlin would make a nice couple. It's fairly easy for me to come up with situations with the two without feeling uncomfortable. (While still keeping them partially IC, of course…-.-U ) The things that Raistlin and Bupu share in common and their differences make a perfect plot…. Now if only I can write it… Thanks for reading, I'll do my best!
Eeyore- I don't expect anyone to know about the Toaster, lol. Believe it or not, it was based on my old broken toaster. O.o; That 'spring goes up, spring goes down' bit… I use to do that before I threw it out. :P
Chapter 6 "Bubble Baths and Magical Robes"
"But love is many things, none of them logical."
-William Goldman, The Princess Bride (Book Version)
"You're just making this more difficult than it already is!" said Dalamar as he dragged Bupu into the washroom. He locked the door and slid onto the floor, exhausted.
After three hours of chasing the terrified gully dwarf non stop around the tower, Dalamar had cornered her in the kitchen and placed a binding spell on her. He had no idea what happened to Raistlin. His master took part in the chase for the first few minutes. Not even he was able to bring Bupu her senses. Dalamar guessed that Raistlin had taken to his bed.
The gully dwarf struggled with her magical bonds. Dalamar snapped his fingers and the wrap tightened.
"Raistlin isn't here," the elf hissed, "So are you going to be a good little dwarf or should I make you into one?"
Bupu squealed, but nodded. The bonds fell apart. She sat still. Dalamar got up and pulled on a hanging string that poured out water into the bath. As warmed water filled the tub, Dalamar turned to Bupu. Oh gods, what was he suppose to say?
"Have you ever taken a bath before? A bath like this?"
Of course Bupu shook her head no. Dalamar rolled his eyes to the heavens and prayed for mercy. None came.
"This is your new best friend," he said, handing Bupu a bar of sweet smelling soap, "When you get wet, rub yourself with this. It makes… bubbles… to… clean.. you." He plunged on, "And this is for your hair. You put some in your hand and-" he gestured helplessly, "-you wash your hair with it."
Bupu raised a brow, but did not question the dark elf. Some people were just too silly. Bubbles? To clean? She didn't completely understand the concept, but if it pleased Raistlin…
The bath was filled and Dalamar pulled the string again to stop the flow of water.
"Alright, you can jump in-"
And that's what Bupu did... Or was going to. Dalamar pulled her back.
"No! Stop. Take off your clothes firs-"
He bit off his tongue and made a mad dash for the door, "GAHH! No! NOT in FRONT of ME!" Unfortunately his eyes were closed and this resulted running headlong into a wall.
Dalamar opened his eyes for the tiniest second to locate the door. The elf pried off the lock, opened it, went out, then slammed it shut. He sank to his knees and leaned his back against the door. There was a muffled cough. Dalamar looked up to find Raistlin staring at him. The golden eyed mage was a bit pale.
"I take it things went well?" he whispered.
Dalamar froze, "No- It wasn't like that… Ew. I mean, that was… just vile." He shuddered.
Raistlin relaxed. Both of them could hear water splashing.
"Oh, alright," said Raistlin, heading back up the stairs, "I was just checking to see if you caught her. I already have a room prepared for her. It's the second one to the left of yours. Good night."
"Yes, Shalafi. Good night."
Dalamar watched as his master left. He placed his head in his hands. By the gods, he was tired.
"AHH! SOAP!"
Dalamar groaned. He should've expected this. "You're not suppose to get it in your eyes. Dunk your head into the water and open them to get rid of the sting," he called out.
"!Why you not tell me before?"
"Because I forgot that your mental capabilities and assumptions are less than what most of us have."
There was no answer. Dalamar sighed and rested his head against the wooden door. A few seconds past. The elf smiled. It was finally quiet. No splashes or wails from-
"Oh bloody Abyss!" He cried, getting up, "Put your head up, Bupu, put your head up! The soap is gone! Your eyes are fine now! Get out of the water! Get up and breath DAMMIT."
He banged on the door. She didn't drown herself. She's not dead. She wasn't floating in the tub like a dead fish. RAISTLIN WAS GOING TO KILL HIM.
"What you want?" Came a wet reply. Dalamar felt the sudden urge to run into another wall.
"You didn't get any water up your nose, did you?"
"You stupid. I hold breath. Me all done now. You can come in."
Dalamar sighed thankfully and opened the door.
It was hard to miss the fact that there was a giant pile of white foamy bubbles in front of him. A pair of grayish brown eyes stared up at him. Dalamar backed away and closed the door.
"It's called rinsing, Bupu." He said gratefully… since it could have been worse, "You need to get the bubbles off. Just pull the string and rinse." Wearily, he sat back down.
A few moments later, water seeped out from underneath the door, soaking the dark elf and his spiffy black suit.
Raistlin made his way up to his room. He was tired. Never had he ran around tower like that… The exercise turned his legs into jelly. The mage felt himself smiling. He stopped and carefully rearrange his features into the dark scowl that he was usually wearing. How odd.
When the initial shock of overhearing Dalamar say 'take off your clothes' to Bupu was over, Raistlin had quickly gave an excuse to his apprentice to leave. It was too hilarious. He was afraid that he couldn't hold it in.
Raistlin entered his room and chuckled. It was just so funny. He laughed. Bupu and Dalamar.
Why would he even think of something like that?
Did he care?
Should he care?
Morning came without any further incidents. Actually, no, I lied. A lot of small minor things happened, but it would take too long for me to describe them all. The plot would not progress. I can blab about how many mice scampered about, the number of water droplets that fell, and how many oxygen molecules turned into carbon dioxide or how peacefully Bupu slept or the time when Raistlin woke up twice during the night to go to the bathroom and to get a glass of water. Dalamar would probably be the main point since he was the only one actually doing something besides sleeping.
For example, before going to bed, Dalamar cleaned his room and managed to get rid of Bupu's… 'enchanting'… scent. I can go on and on and on about that, but what would it amount to? Probably a few nasty reviews on how I wasted a whole chapter with meaningless scenes. It's not even adequate character development. However, Dalamar did end up with a very tidy room and four hours of sleep loss.
Which was why he wasn't at breakfast.
…Because of losing four hours of sleep, not because of his clean room.
Although that could be a possibility.
I'm not really sure.
But that's not the point.
The point is…
…RAISTLIN AND BUPU WERE ALONE TOGETHER.
But were they aware of that? No. They weren't. Not in that kind of sense.
Bupu was only capable of at least one emotion at a given time. She was currently feeling very overwhelmed. The fey gully dwarf was clean and groomed to the point of where no gully dwarf has ever imagined (or thought of) before. The mere feeling of cleanliness was a chilling experience for Bupu.
Some might say that she actually felt dirty by being clean, if you know what I mean.
Not only that, but there was this… tower. It was luxurious. No holes in the walls, spotless carpets, no mud… nothing was familiar except for Raistlin. But even the mage had changed. Bupu could not figure it out. She didn't like this 'change'. It probably was the black robes he wore. That must be it.
Would the black affect her too? Bupu looked at her newly acquired robes. They were the same material as Raistlin's. The dark elf was pretty firm about changing into something besides her old clothes.
The dark elf. Dalamar. Bupu didn't hate him, so that meant she liked him. He was funny and amusing. Raistlin had a brother, if memory served her right. Cara-something. Dalamar was probably his replacement. Another brother. Her thoughts did not dwell on this subject for long though.
She munched noisily on an apple, chomping down the core and all. Raistlin was still eating quietly at his own pace. His racking cough decided to kick in during the early portion of breakfast. He was unable to consume anything for several minutes. Lucky for him, Bupu had her dead lizard with her. Raistlin was currently wearing it around his neck.
"If you want, you may look out the window while you wait. The view is…" Raistlin searched around for the right word, "very nice." He did a nonchalant shrug. "The city of Palanthas is worth seeing, I suppose."
Bupu shook her head and took hold of his flowing sleeve, halting the mage's action of getting his spoon into his mouth. The spoon wavered but did not spill its contents. Raistlin smiled slightly.
"I'm not going anywhere. I just need time to finish my breakfast," he said, not mentioning that Bupu had been shoveling her food into her mouth at one hundred-plus miles per hour. It also felt uncomfortable to have somebody watch over you as you ate. Try it sometime.
"Go on," he said with a touch of impatience when Bupu did not move. It was like talking to Caramon all over again.
The gully dwarf let go, looking hurt. She got up from her chair. With an unsure backwards glance at Raistlin, she scuttled off towards the huge window. However, Bupu did not look out. She looked at him with a worried gaze.
Stop acting like Caramon!
Raistlin's mind screamed at the anger and unaccustomed guilt that he thought he had rid of long ago. They were both the same. Simple minded, pathetic, and always worried about him. Getting angry and snapping at them got you the same feeling as kicking a puppy. It was very unbecoming for an evil wizard such as Raistlin.
He wrestled with this mixed emotion and turned away, going back to his food.
Meanwhile Bupu pressed her chubby nose against the cold window glass. Straight down she could see the Shokian Grove. Further off, she saw the city. And what a big city. White walls sparkled in the morning light. It was quite a contrast with the dark atmosphere of the Tower. But between the white walls were tiny alleys. Grubby, dark, and dirty alleys. The kind where things like rats, the occasional dead body, and trash (I mean, food) were found. Maybe sometime later she could go there.
Metal clinked against a glass plate. Apparently Raistlin was finished eating. His flat mirror gaze fell upon Bupu.
The gully dwarf trotted up to him, "You will show me magic?" Raistlin blinked, uncomprehending. Bupu gibbered excitedly, "I know new magic. I will show you." Her face was filled with raw admiration, "But first I want to see you do your magic. I haven't seen in very long time. I know you stronger than before. You wear black robes now. Does black make you stronger?" Bupu gestured to her own clothes. Seeing that Raistlin wore his hood up, she mimicked his style. Flipping the piece of baggy velvet cloth over her head, Bupu looked questioningly at the Archmage.
Raistlin laughed softly.
"In a way, yes, it does," he said, taking a light whispery tone, "but at the same time, no, it does not. Appearences, clothes, or their color. White, red… black. It does not matter in the end. What counts is the content of one's-" He stopped. Bupu was listening, but try as she might, she did not understand. Raistlin sighed and reached over to gently pull off Bupu's hood.
"Giving you the robes was Dalamar's idea. He just wanted to keep everything uniform throughout. The robes are not magical in anyway." Raistlin flashed Bupu a very rare grin. "As cute as you look in them, you are still Bupu." He patted her head fondly.
The gully dwarf floundered in a cloud of pleasure. Cute? Her? Maybe the robes were magical afterall. Or maybe it was the bath. She had to admit, her skin was a shade lighter underneath all that dirt and her hair was actually a mellow wood brown, not the black streaked mass of oblivion she was use to seeing. However, Bupu still had her stout body and plump nose. But… the bath… the robes… she would have to thank Dalamar for all that.
"O-oh, let's go now," she babbled, still blushing about Raisltin's offhanded compliment. She took his sleeve and led him towards the door. "We go into study, yes? Or lab? You will show me your new spells. I really want to see…" she blabbered on.
Raistlin let himself drag along, deftly grabbing his staff as he got up.
But unlike Caramon, she embraces my magic… and has a talent for them in her own way. Raistlin hid his smile.
Just as they were before the door, it was opened by a bedraggled looking Dalamar. Under his arm was the Toaster while his other one was rubbing his sleepy eyes. His mouth was also holding a muffin.
Hastily balancing the muffin on the Toaster, Dalamar swallowed the part he bit off.
"Oh, Shalafi!" He took a step back and bobbed his head limply, "And, um, Miss Bupu." All signs of exhaustion was quickly removed. Dalamar looked at his master with suffocating eagerness. "Sorry about oversleeping. I can skip breakfast so we can summon the dino-saurus1 today. I've been reading over the spells and-"
Raistlin interrupted swiftly, "No, go ahead and break your fast. I apologize Dalamar, but the dino-saurus will have to wait."
The elf was stricken.
"Hi," Bupu said belatedly and waved.
"Why? Am I not ready?" Dalamar ignored her.
"In case you have forgotten, but we have a guest to entertain," said Raistlin, "On top of which, I did not get the time to trace the summoning circle."
"Oh." Dalamar said. He absently toyed with the lever on the Toaster. It sprang back up in a forlorn sort of way.
"But you may study this…" Raistlin sighed. He felt badly for the elf who had looked so forward to this day. A slim book with night blue binding appeared in front of Dalamar. He took it and shifted the Toaster against his hip so he could leaf through the book.
"Fistandantilus' spell book.." Dalamar murmured. He could actually read it now. None of the words appeared unclear.
"Yes, well, you have Bupu to thank for that," Raistlin said, "And now, if you will excuse us…"
Dalamar bowed again, popping the muffin back into his mouth then mumbling, "Yes Shalafi." He went into the dinning room.
"What is that thing?" Raistlin muttered.
Bupu shrugged, "Toaster. I hear you put waffles in it."
"Ah."
End Chapter 6.
1- Dinosaur, really. It looks so much cooler in italics.
Okay, you've read it, now review. :D Please.