Disclaimer: I do not own DanMachi or any of Omori's original characters, nor do I make any profit off of my writing.
"You– you.. gah! You saucy, little man! Get back here!"
Now, Bell could confidently say he'd heard a lot of Aiz's more colorful words in the past few weeks, it was simply a given when they had quickly become close friends. She needed somebody to vent to and her (apparent) favorite flavor of venting was in her own accent. Thus, the pool of people who she could go to was relatively small.
Even still, he could confidently say he'd never heard the girl call him, or anyone for that matter, saucy before. What the hell did that even mean?
Even the minotaur he was fighting seemed taken aback by it!
No, really. He'd only just started walking back toward the fight after asking Aiz to hang back, the bull had begun an advance of its own. Yet as soon as those words tore from the girl's lips, they both halted.
Now, the swordswoman had two pairs of equally confused red eyes staring back at her. Beauty and Beast alike.
"Aiz, I don't think you understand what 'saucy' means to most people."
Aiz flushed. She hated when that happens. "It matters not! Get back here!"
Bell turned to glance back at the minotaur, only to pause when the monster gave him a gruff shake of the head. Turning back toward his.. girlfriend? He didn't know what to call her. Turning back toward Aiz, he jabbed a thumb toward the large figure. "Boss says 'no.' Sorry, Aiz."
"Bell!"
He ignored her.
What followed was probably an incredibly inspiring and heroic show that under different circumstances Aiz would have loved to witness. She, however, missed it. On the bright side, the few gathered members of the Loki familia got to hear one of the longest speeches likely to ever fall from the young girl's lips. It was bold. It was impassioned. Just about every word was slammed with enough vitriol to start a war.
"Foolish, foolish boy! I hath told him to stop taking these foolish risks! Doest the knave listen? Nay. Thou runs and runs into danger again and again and again. Wherefore doth thee keep doing this? Art thou unsatisfied? Hm?"
With her friend preoccupied with a fight for his life, Aiz's mouth had no reason to stop.
"Ist this thy newest thing? Hm? Doth thee believe thee need to do this to satisfy thy pride? To assert thy masculinity? Art thou that weak of the heart? Ist thy penis truly so small?"
Tiona balked before whirling around to her sister who seemed equally miffed by the display. The younger Amazonian twin pointed a finger at the pacing swordswoman, mouthing out a quick 'did she just say penis?' to her sister. Tione raised a singular brow as if to say 'that is what you're worried about?'
Finn, meanwhile, was trying his damnedest to not erupt into an uncharacteristic fit of laughter as Riveria scowled over at him.
"Hie up and beat the beast so I may has't a whirl at thee myself! Bell, foolish, foolish, Cranel. I wilt show thee what thou shouldst fear! I save thee from a minotaur and how dost thee repay me? By running headlong into the dungeon! Alone! Without thy armor! I watch over you, what does thee do? Collapse from mind down! Alone! I stay with thee, give thee my lap to rest thy head, what is thy answer? Nigh murdered by thy supporter! I watch thy back, rush down to save thee at thy advisor's first word. Where art thou? Foolishly fighting another minotaur! Wherefore Bell Cranel? Whither wouldst thou do this? Doth thou wish to perish? To leaveth me?"
Aiz growled as her hands clenching the hilt of her rapier even tighter. A roar tore through the cavern, echoing off the stone walls and down the endless labyrinth of tunnels. The furious girl's eyes naturally found themselves locked on the shape of the boy cartwheeling out of the monster's range. The red minotaur charged forward almost as soon as the boy separated, closing the distance rapidly. The single-bladed greatsword already set high in the air to come thundering down upon her paramour's head.
How lovely.
Bell dodged into the charge, his knife lashing out across its flank as he spun around to the monster's back. Naturally, Aiz never had any doubts about the boy's skill, she trained him to be the best he could be, and oh who was she kidding? She was so nervous! How could this boy be so foolish? Did he not realize this was horrible to watch for her?
Yet, despite it all, she couldn't stomach looking away. Her hands shook at her side, her body tense and ready to lunge should it be needed. It wouldn't be, but she didn't know that. Not yet. Finn stepped up beside her, sparing a curious glance her way before refocusing on the fight. "What was his name, again?"
Tiona, the ever-helpful Amazoness, popped her head around Aiz's shoulder with a chipper expression. "Bell, foolish, foolish, Cranel!"
Aiz nodded, her eyes resolutely trained on the boy's back as he traded blows with the monster. "Aye. Bell, foolish, foolish, Cranel."
Finn hummed, seemingly accepting the familiarity at face value and not inquiring further. He knew it would come back and bite him in the ass when Loki learned 'her' Aiz was becoming close friends with an unknown boy. But truthfully, he didn't give a damn. He was just counting himself lucky that Aiz had actually been listening to instructions and taking breaks.
Then again, the same may not be true from this point on. He felt the girl was going to be distracted on their coming expedition to the deep floors. Judging by the way she was looking at the minotaur, he pitied the monsters that would attempt to stand in her way.
"Firebolt!"
"Is that– ?"
"No chant?"
Aiz's breath caught in her throat as she watched the two combatants separate. Bell's baselard had already been shattered into tiny metal fragments, but he traded it in for the minotaur's greatsword after a quick exchange. Bell quickly found himself once again veiled in blood as he tore away at the beast's stomach, gory lines crisscrossing across its abdomen as he followed each swipe with another.
Now, he held the sword that was nearly his rival in size. The blade swept outward to his side, trailing behind him as he matched the bull's charge.
The disbelieving and resigned whispers of her companions as she watched on, the tenseness in her hands finally dissipating as she allowed herself to relax.
"He shalt be fine."
And he was.
The greatsword shattered into pieces against an obsidian horn but Bell was already prepared for that. Pivoting around the outstretched arm that loomed overhead, Bell sheathed his dagger deep into one of his previous cuts eliciting a sickening squelch as the black blade dug deeper and deeper, cutting more and more flesh as it sunk.
A raging inferno built up with the beast as the rookie adventurer continuously cast his magic, pouring every last minuscule amount of mind into the tempest. The monster's chest contorted more and more with each consecutive blast, the incinerating hellfire in its stomach tearing away at its insides. Red-hot flames erupted from its snout as Bell pushed on.
Then, just as a quiet settled over the cavern and the beast redirected its attention to the boy beneath it.
"FIREBOLT!"
A wave of heat rippled out toward the onlookers, bathing them in just a fraction of the inferno that shot up, up, up towards the ceiling, scorching rock and root alike. The once softly glowing blues and greens of the crystals overhead now entirely black as soot covered every inch of them.
A thud echoed through the cavern, not one of the occupants moving an inch as the corpse of the monster fell down at the feet of somebody who should never have been able to even hopeof vanquishing it.
A white cloud exploded outwards, fairy-like dust tinkling as it spread out through the air like dust after a bomb. It rained down on the boy, sinking deep into his skin as empowering him. Excelia.The very basis of the blessing of the gods and the strength of the adventurers.
Aiz wasted no time closing the gap between her and the younger man, her earlier wonderment at the spectacle already having run adry as her earlier rage returned with a vengeance. "Thou foolish knave!" She jabbed a finger into his chest, prodding the bare skin that refused to acknowledge. "Has't thee no sense of preservation? Dost thee take joy in mine worry? Hm? Shouldst I have left thee to– "
" Uh.. Aiz?"
"What!?" She snapped.
Tione, blessedly, understood that Aiz meant nothing by it (she thinks at least) and gave her a tight smile. "I don't think he can hear you."
Aiz, unfortunately, did not take that the right way.
The boy thinketh he can ignore me? I shalt showeth you the errors of thy ways!
Aiz took Bell by the shoulders and glared murderously into his eyes, or.. where his eyes would have looked back at her had they been open.
Oh. Tione means..
She winced as she released her grip on her friend's shoulders, only to reach out and catch him as he teetered and collapsed. She held him close to herself, his head tucked deep into her chest. It would have been mortifying if she hadn't been wearing her breastplate, perhaps even more so if her companions could hear her inner questioning if it would be reasonable to take said armor off. For Bell's comfort, of course. No hidden motive here.
Little Aiz performed an innocent-looking whistle deep within the confines of Aiz's mind even as she gave the older girl a discrete thumbs up. Aiz couldn't really understand why the girl felt the need to be secretive, it wasn't like anybody else could see her.
Never one to let a grudge go, Aiz glared harshly at the pallum supporter in Riveria's arms before gathering Bell in her own. She adjusted him around so that his head rested peacefully on her shoulder. She tiled her own face to the side, intentionally laying her cheek against his forehead and smiling into his white locks. Without thinking, she turned her face even further and placed a tender kiss on his forehead, simply happy to see him alive and well.
She'd be giving him absolute hell later on, don't mistake her actions, but he was asleep, so she allowed herself to relax and simply take him in.
Aiz walked over to Riveria's side, pointedly ignoring all of her companions' dumbfounded looks. Riveria seemed to have softened somewhat from her earlier scowls, her emerald eyes watching her surrogate daughter embrace the boy with uncharacteristic affection. Originally, she'd just been worried about Aiz's secret getting out. It wouldn't be hard for the two adventurers they were trying to save to mention something about the Kenki talking with a weird, unheard-of accent. Their patron deities would hear of it first and it wouldn't be long before somebody connected the dots.
It wasn't like the gods hadn't been paying attention to the world a thousand years ago. They would know the accent well enough to figure it all out.
Even with their position as one of the strongest familias in Orario, status alone would not stave off the questions for long. Inquiry would lead to answers and answers would lead to far more questions. Questions about how Aiz came to be in their time. Questions about who she was beforehand. Questions about her parents.
Riveria would not subject the girl to that, not when she knew what pain it would bring.
So, she had been concerned when Aiz broke off into one of her more colorful rants. The high elf was more than okay with Aiz telling the truth to the other executives in the familia, she trusted them to keep it secret. But these people were unknown variables.
Riveria found her gaze subconsciously drifting to the boy lovingly cradled in Aiz's arms.
'Also, I has't a date. I knoweth not what to wear.'
Perhaps not completely unknown. Could this boy have been the reason for Aiz's recent change in demeanor?
…
Aiz brushed Bell's hair from his eyes as she deposited him on a bed at the hospital in the base of Babel. She knew it was drawing unnecessary attention to herself but for once she couldn't find it in herself to care. It was a bit of an odd feeling; she had never enjoyed being looked at as much as she was. Yet she almost found herself wanting to be seen with Bell around, of having her image tied with his.
She took a step back as the healers bustled about, peeling away the shirt that had been cut to ribbons. She absolutely did not blush at the sight. She was a good girl. She most certainly wasn't staring.
"Aiz, stop licking your lips."
"Hmmph."
Riveria was just mistaken. She wasn't doing that either.
She had more important things to worry about now anyway, namely, how to make sure Bell doesn't get himself killed while she's on the expedition. Of course, the easiest way to do so would be to make sure he has no chance of entering the dungeon and doing something foolish. But how?
Her chin was cupped between her thumb and index finger; soft, accented, and unfiltered thoughts flying from her mouth as she walked along in Riveria's shadow. What could she do to make sure the boy didn't do something stupid again? He seemed to have a knack for it.
Had it been any other person she brought up, or even if she had just liked Bell as much as she did (and she did), Aiz probably would have been content to just drop him off and go on her merry way. And maybe she would have to if he hadn't been such a sweetheart to her these past few weeks. So, when Riveria asked: "Aiz? Are you ready to head back down?" She just couldn't bring herself to say yes. Not yet at least.
She let out a discontented hum as Riveria stopped in front of her, turning around and regarding her with a curious expression. Aiz found her eyes wandering the space around, momentarily glancing out the exit of the tower and into the plaza that surrounded it. A flash of movement betwixt the trees caught her eye and Aiz was off with a gust of wind.
Ten minutes later, a smiling Aiz walked back into the base looking entirely non-plussed from her sudden departure.
Riveria raised an eyebrow as the girl passed her by without so much as a second glance, shouldering her way into the clinic and to Bell's side. He was still asleep and probably would remain as so for a while longer. Lili gave the Sword princess a curious glance from where she laid in her bed as Aiz walked to Bell's side, depositing her newly acquired kitten onto the boy's chest.
She raised one finger into the air and actively suppressed her desire to speak normally as she prepared to delegate the kitten's job to her. "Now, Garbanzo Bean, you have a very important job to do while mama's gone, okay?"
"Mew."
"The boy you are sitting on, his name is Bell."
"Mewmew."
"He is a very foolish boy."
"Mew."
"Yes, now I am trusting you to watch over him, little one. Make sure he doesn't do anything that would get him hurt, okay?"
"Mew mew mew."
"I understand your hesitance, it has taken a lot out of me to keep him safe too, but I have full faith in you. Will you at least try for mama?"
The kitten gave the closest to a nod a kitten could as she reared back and placed her forepaws on Aiz's stomach. "Mew!" As a reward, the swordswoman used a single finger to scratch the bottom of Garbanzo Bean's jaw, eliciting a soft purr of contentment from the ball of fur.
Garbanzo Bean was, inarguably, the cutest thing Aiz had even laid her eyes on. The only thing that could ever come close is a sleeping Bell.
Aiz just so happened to be lucky enough to be able to see them both at once.
With her job clearly laid out for her, Bean plodded over toward Bell's head, slowing slipping down his shoulder before curling up into a ball in the space next to his next. Her tail remained stretched out, lying protectively over the boy's neck as she yawned and tucker her face even further into his skin.
Nodding to herself, Aiz turned her attention to the gaping pallum girl one bed over. "I know not why Bell forgave you, but if anything happens to him, I will be coming for your head."
With her mission complete, Aiz turned on a heel and marched out of the clinic, only pausing briefly to look at Bell with an unreasonably fond expression. He looked really cute with Garbanzo at his side.
She would be able to rest much easier in the dungeon knowing Bell had his own guard watching over him in her place.
…
Bell opened his eyes with a groan, half expecting to find himself staring up at the ceiling of Babel's clinic again. Except, he wasn't there at all. The place he was entirely unfamiliar to himself.
The position he was in though, was entirely familiar.
Wrapped up in bandages. What's new.
The area just behind his eyes throbbed as he glanced around, doing his best to not move his head. He looked like he was in a tent, he just couldn't figure out the reason wh.. oh. Oh.. no.
His eyes flicked down and he cared very little for the way the pain flared even more because fuuuucck.
A pair of golden eyes glared down at him from his side. He knows he complained a lot about Aiz's habit to knock him out intentionally just so she could put his head in her lap and pet him. He loved the sensation, he really did, but he feared for his brain with how often she did it.
Also, she could literally just ask and he would have been fine with it.
But even then, even if they were surrounded by the entire population of Orario and they all watched her give him a lap pillow, he would take it right now. Anything was better than this.
Of knowing he had been passed out and Aiz sat there without giving him one.
How had he ended up here?
He wouldn't have thought it possible to piss the girl off enough for her to refuse to give lap pillows altogether. Usually, if he did anger her, it was the other way around. Aiz would be adamant about him staying down so she could calm himself with an unhealthy amount of cuddling. Which means that he did something so awful that she was now punishing herself because she was so furious.
But what?
Aiz let out a hum that sounded closer to a growl as her eyes turned up to his, for once her golden irises not containing the warmth they usually did when she gazed at him. Now, they were simply cold.
"Your companions are alright."
No accent?
Bell frowned, his head tilting to the side before it was stopped by Aiz's hand on his cheek. He shut his eyes at the touch, happy for the briefest amount he could get, but she quickly pulled away. "Do not move unless you need to. Finn would like to speak with you when you are up for it."
"I'm up for it, I'm up for it."
Her eyes flickered about his face, searching for any hint of a lie, unfortunately, she found none. Of course, that was more her fault than anything. Had she asked 'are you alright?' or 'are you in pain?' there would have been no way for him to get by.
He was by all means 'up for it.'
'It' just so happened to cause him immense amounts of pain. Beggars can't be choosers though.
"Hm."
Without another word, Aiz stood and exited the tent; Bell scrambling to follow after her with nary a glance back at his companions.
Bell walked dutifully beside his friend, occasionally glancing out the corner of his eyes to check her face.
She was still very much pissed which did not bode well for him. He wished he could fix it, but he honestly had no idea why she was so angry. Why was she angry? Was it something he did? Was it even something he should ask her about? He considered the girl his best friend (a feat rather easy to accomplish considering how few people he truly knew) and would have spoken to her if he was ever upset about something.
Did Aiz feel the same way towards him? He didn't know. Perhaps it would be best to just keep his mouth shut and–
"Aiz?"
– neat. He was already speaking.
"Hm."
"Did I.. did I do something wrong?"
For a brief moment, she paused, her eyes flickering over to him and her stern expression softening just a degree before it was over. She nodded. "Aye. A great many things."
Bell's heart sunk in his chest as he looked away, not letting the girl see the tears gathering in his eyes. So it was his fault. But what did he do wrong? He hadn't seen her in almost two weeks so it had to be something from before then.
Was she still upset with him for not accepting her help against the minotaur? She had seemed okay before then and from what little he picked up on during his fight she was more than okay with speaking without her fake accent. Her rant was kind of soothing in its own messed up way, like if Aiz was well enough to rant then everything would be okay.
Exhibit A: She is no longer ranting.
"Is this about the minotaur because I am so s– "
She cut him off. "We're here." Before he even had time to recover, she was already pushing her way through the flap of the command tent, her eyes not once darting back to see if he would follow.
After a moment to gather himself and force an unhurt expression across his face, Bell followed after her.
The inside of the command tent was large, far larger than it had any right to be. Like honestly this thing was bigger than the basement he and his goddess lived in! And for what? He could see a few chests tucked along the outside rim and a few racks with armaments, but certainly nothing to warrant this much space. And the carpets, don't even get him started on those. Why does somebody need carpets in the dungeon? Is that not just unnecessary weight?
To make matters worse, the rest of the tent was just open space. A singular crate sat atop an elevated carpet in the center (which he could only assume was just another crate) and that was it.
For the sake of the gods, the four people already present inside took up more space than anything else!
Bell, of course, had heard tales of the three people before him.
Finn 'Braver' Diemne. The light to the pallum race.
Gareth 'Algram' Landrock. The veritable shield of the Loki familia.
Riveria 'Nine Hells' Ljos Alf. The elven princess.
They were known across the continent for their feats of strength and Bell couldn't help but feel a little awed to be in their presence. They were about the closest one could get to a hero in the modern age, especially after the decimation of the Zeus and Hera familias.
"So," Finn smirked from atop his crate, "your first trip into the middle floors and you get all the way down to the eighteenth floor, quite the feat, ne?"
Bell blinked. How did they– ? He glanced over at Aiz who was apparently taking the time to count the threads in the carpet. Finding no help in his friend, not that he expected any, Bell gave a weak chuckle and nodded, his hand instinctively reaching up to paw at the back of his head. "Yes, I suppose you could say I got lucky." He bowed his head low to the ground. "I'm.. I'm really grateful to you for saving us!"
The captain of the Loki familia scoffed at the notion, "you should thank Aiz, she was the one pleading with us for your safety." A lie, of course. They never would have left a fellow adventurer to die could they help it. Aiz's scandalized look was more than enough to make it worth it, though. Anything to watch the girl squirm.
The effect was nearly immediate with Bell spinning on his knees to bow toward his friend instead. His face was pressed into the floor as he ran through a slew of 'thank yous' so he could not see the reddening of Aiz's cheeks as she glanced away, but Finn sure could. His smile grew as the sixteen-year-old girl began to nervously play with the hem of her dress, fully out of her depth with how to react to such heartfelt praise. She couldn't even maintain he earlier anger at the sight of it.
Riveria nudged the captain in the rib, giving him a look. He rolled his eyes.
"I was able to guess the situation by your condition and when we last saw you, but your confirmation does help."
Bell pulled his head off the ground and glanced over his shoulder with a tilt of the head (Aiz had to hold herself back from squealing). "When you last see me? When was that?"
Gareth gave a hearty laugh, "even I feel as if ah've seen't and ah wasn't even th'r! They'r talkin' about y'r fight with th' minotaur!"
Bell blinked. I had no idea they were there! He turned and gave Aiz a wide-eyed look which she pointedly ignored. "Uhh..yeah, that.. happened?" What the hell was he supposed to say? Aiz wasn't helping in the slightest and he was talking to some of the strongest people in the city! And they talked about him? What?
"Relax, Cranel-san. We're welcoming you and your companions as a guest in our camp, you don't need to be so worried. We– err, rather I would like to ask some questions though, if you don't mind."
Bell shrugged; he could answer some questions.
"I suspect you are no longer level one?"
" Uhh.. no. My first level up was completed two days after the fight with the minotaur."
Finn hummed, his eyes scanning the boy before him critically. Okay, perhaps it wasn't true that he wanted to ask the questions for his own amusement. Bell Cranel was an enigma. From what little Aiz had shared about him while she stewed in her rage, he was a brand-new adventurer, one who she had to save just a month earlier from the same monster he just killed. A story that Bete backed up. Even with the training Finn expected Aiz gave him, it shouldn't be enough to make up for the stats needed to fight a minotaur.
Much less what Riveria claims she saw on his back.
His rate of growth was unfounded and his strength unrealistic. To suggest it was possible to surpass the limits of the blessing of the gods was heretical at best, yet the living proof sat before him now. A boy, no older than fourteen, sitting on the eighteenth floor, a place many adventurers could never even dream of seeing, just under two months after coming to the city.
"So, what happened after your fight?"
Bell supposed there was no harm in telling them, they were Aiz's familia after all and he trusted her.
"Well, I woke up in the clinic with a cat. Not really sure how that happened but it did. My supporter said her name was 'Garbanzo Bean' and that she just stumbled in and– "
"She what!?"
Bell jumped, not expecting Aiz to suddenly shriek out at all. The girl was practically foaming at the mouth as she stalked toward the kneeling boy and just about every instinct in his body screamed at him to run. Get the hell out of there and never look back. Bell, naturally, did none of that. Instead, he merely swallowed his nerves and leaned back more and more as Aiz approached.
Realization dawned on him. This, this was why Aiz was angry. He had the survival instincts of a worm thinking itself a caterpillar and trying to fly.
A finger jabbed into his chest, "what didst thy wench say?"
Alright, how does this whole anger thing work because he was losing track.
Level one; unangry Aiz. If she trusts you enough, she will speak with her accent, typically exhibits reserved demeanor while in public.
Level two; angry Aiz. If she is angry enough, she won't care who is around in the slightest and rant for hours if you'd let her.
Level three; pissed Aiz. If one is to anger her even further past the bounds of the previous stage, Aiz will stop using her accent altogether. Thus far, this stage has only been achieved by one man, Bell, foolish, foolish, Cranel.
Level four; 'proud mama' Aiz. Right back to accent again. He really had no clue what the hell was happening anymore, and he certainly would not call Lili 'his' wench. Nor would he call her a wench at all, it sounded like an insult, didn't it? Lili was nice enough.
Seemingly unenthused by Bell's lack of an answer, Aiz grabbed him by the ear, her eyes narrowing as she stared into his. "Thou shalt listen and listen closely, Bell Cranel. 'Garbanzo Bean' is mine daughter, she wast given an important mission to protect thee. Am I understood?"
He squeaked what could maybe be taken for an affirmation, Aiz at least took it as one as she nodded. "Now, where ist mine daughter?"
"I didn't take her with me!? This is the dungeon!"
"It is her job to protect thee, she accepted the risks!"
"She's a kitten!"
"She knew what was required of her! She wouldst never shirk her duty! What didst thou do to her?"
Bell squeaked once again as the grip on his ear tightened. "I didn't do anything, I promise! She would just try to follow me out of the house in the morning and nothing I would do would convince her to stay behind. So, I kind of just.. warmed some milk and waited 'til she fell asleep?"
Aiz released her hold on him with an enraged grunt and stalked away, her mouth already moving at a mile a minute as she paced back and forth.
Does this count as a new level of anger for her or have we regressed some now? Bell wasn't certain and honestly? He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to find out. It felt like they were going to reach rapture if they kept going like this. Aiz's rage just keeps building with every interaction, and he doesn't know what to do.
He rubbed at his ear as his eyes traced the girl's movement across the tent. He supposed this was enough reason for it to be so large. Did they simply account for Aiz's pacing? He wouldn't put it past them.
"Aiz, I– "
Mistake.
Her golden eyes found him once again and he couldn't help but feel incredibly small under her gaze. Why was nobody helping him right now?
Riveria seemed entirely nonplussed by the whole affair, which he could understand. She was the closest thing to a mother Aiz had, he didn't know what happened to her actual mother, but he knew she wasn't around anymore. The high elf was probably used to her ranting by now.
Finn looked thoroughly amused, as if this was one of the most entertaining things he'd ever seen. Bell probably would have been inclined to agree if he wasn't on the receiving end. The notion of a girl furiously laying into a boy because he made a kitten take a nap so it would stay at home was–
"Mew."
"Well, I'll be damned. Hello, you must be Bean!"
Bean ignored the guffaws of the dwarven man as well as his introduction as she marched into the tent. Well, 'marched' may not be the best word, Bell would say it was best described as a 'stalk.' And just who was her prey?
Ah.
She pounced.
Him.
Garbanzo Bean, true to her word to her mother, wasted no time following her charge into the dungeon when she noticed he was gone. She had to agree, the boy was foolish. Would one leave home without their weapons? No? Then why leave without their bodyguard? Foolish.
The kitten batted at the boy's face, scoring critical hits across his nose, lips, and ears. Apparently, in the short time the kit knew her mother, she had picked up a few habits of her own.
"Mew mew mew! Mew mew! Mewmew, mew m'w mew mew! Mew! Mew mew!"
Aiz couldn't be prouder.
Author Notes:
Garbanzo Bean is actually a real stray cat my friends found last week. As of today, she's officially been adopted by them.
