I have a little update concerning Esther, and it's kinda important. For those of you who just recently started reading, do not worry about it. Esther's design was originally blue with green details, but the green colors didn't sit well with me, so I changed her green details to a pale yellow. Again, it's a pretty small note, but I just wanted to point that out.

Chapter 6 - Cinnamon Rolls

Elora froze in place, as the unbelievable scene played out before her. The faun merely wanted to take a walk through Summer Forest in hopes of checking on Esther, but she hadn't expected her or Ripto and his monsters to be outside of the castle. And she certainly hadn't expected to see the said evil sorcerer swimming in the lakes on the castle grounds, with Esther of all people.

Given how Ripto made his hatred for dragons painfully obvious, Elora was stunned to find him treating her with respect and—having fun? Not only that, but they soon got out of the water and started dancing together. That was what took Elora by surprise the most.

What could Esther possibly be doing that would turn Ripto soft? Was she distracting him so that he could be defeated? Elora hoped for the best, and knew she couldn't stand around with valuable information like this. She needed to tell Spyro and the others.

She just hoped Esther will be able to fend for herself long enough for them to come up with a plan.

Ripto couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. His head had been racking with the events of earlier today, and worst of all—he couldn't get Esther off of his mind. It didn't help that he finally knew her name, and now he felt the burning and courteous need to actually call her that.

Whenever Ripto's mind was racing, he preferred to be alone, and he didn't care how, but he had to hang upside-down. He told Crush and Gulp that he wanted to be alone to think, and he retreated to his room and hung his head off of the side of his bed. Hanging upside-down in some way had always helped Ripto calm down and think, but he eventually realized he needed a voice of reason; a third party without a bias decision—for the right price.

A knock at the door brought Ripto out of his sleep-like trance, and he quickly jumped off of the bed and straightened himself up. He asked his two doting henchmen to request an audience with a certain greedy bear, and it was more than likely that he was finally here.

Opening the door, Ripto confirmed his theory when he found Moneybags standing out in the hall, holding his large bag of precious gems close like always.

"What took you so long?" Ripto snarled and stepped out into the hall.

"My apologies. I had to help a certain purple dragon on my way here," Moneybags explained with a smirk, "What is it you needed?"

"How could you possibly be helping that evil fire breather?"

"I'm a mercenary, it's what I do. My opinion on my patrons matters not, especially when they pay the right price. Speaking of which, when are you planning on paying me for helping you with your other dragon problem, Ripto?"

"I said I'd pay you when you were successful with getting her to help me. Or do you need a reminder?" Ripto once again tried to seem intimidating by pointing his scepter directly at Moneybags, but the latter remained calm.

"Fear not, I have a great memory."

"Then what's your plan this time? Your last one didn't work."

"Technically, you didn't even get a chance to ask her for dinner since she ran away. You obviously forgot about the date after the whole ordeal."

Ripto was about to protest, but his head pounded with another migraine; he grunted and clutched his forehead tightly in attempt to ease the pain, but to no avail. Moneybags was quick to notice this.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Ugh…it's a stupid headache. I've had it ever since I…rescued Esther in Colossus."

Moneybags' eyes widened in surprise, "You mean, you took a beating for a dragon?"

Ripto clenched his teeth in aggravation, "I took a beating for a servant. She's nothing more, so don't get any ideas. And I thought you said your opinion didn't matter."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I don't have one. I just tend to judge in silence."

"Judge all you want for now, fat bear. If your plan fails again, I'm taking your gems and shoving them where the sun doesn't shine."

Ever since he first started affiliating with Ripto, Moneybags finally felt the slightest twinge of fear. His threat may have been crude, but it involved the loss of his precious gems either way. Moneybags wouldn't stand for that.

"I believe you. But are you willing to trust me again?"

"That depends."

"Fair enough. Instead of a dinner date like I originally planned, maybe you should start with something simpler."

Ripto began a search for Esther for the umpteenth time, but was eventually distracted by a horrible smell emitting from the kitchen. It smelled like something was burning, so Ripto ran as fast as he could to see if it was a fire.

He came to a skidding halt in the doorway, but saw no fire; although, the room was still filled with black smoke. And then, Ripto's worst fears were realized when he heard Esther's frantic coughs coming from somewhere in the ebony cloud.

Ripto acted fast and whipped his scepter from one side to another, conjuring up a breeze powerful enough to blow the smoke back. He quickly found Esther by the oven, which was wide open and the source of the smoke. Just as Esther leaned into the oven with oven mitts on her paws, Ripto suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hall where the air was clearer.

"What happened?!" Ripto snapped as his eyes rapidly flicked over Esther for any injuries, but luckily didn't find any.

"I-I'm sorry! I was trying to make some cinnamon rolls, but…" Esther began to explain, but then a blush crept across her face, "…I've never cooked before."

"Why would you try to cook by yourself if you've never done it before?"

"Well, I—I wanted to make you something nice for going swimming with me, and for letting me try to teach you to dance."

Ripto's face softened for a moment, but he shook his head and his scowl returned, "You could've gotten hurt, or worse!"

Esther gasped and her blush darkened, "You were worried about me again."

"No, I would've been happy to see you get killed," Ripto sighed sarcastically, "Yes, I was worried!"

"Oh, Ripto. I'm really sorry for scaring you," Esther stated gently while taking one of Ripto's hands in her own to reassure him. Ripto blushed at that and quickly removed his hand, and cleared his throat while stepping back into the kitchen, which was now clear of smoke.

"All this just to make cinnamon rolls?" he questioned in disbelief when he saw black soot smeared on nearly every surface.

"Yeah…sorry," Esther apologized sheepishly.

"It's fine. And if you want—I could help you." Ripto ad turned his back towards Esther, in hopes of hiding the doubtful expression on his face. He mostly expected her to question why, but she instead ran up to him and smiled brightly.

"That would be wonderful!" Esther cheered and practically jumped in place, but then a look of confusion struck her, "Wait, how do you know how to cook, let alone make cinnamon rolls?"

"My mother taught me," Ripto simply replied while taking off his cape, rolling up his sleeves, and washed his hands.

Esther's eyes widened, "Your…mother?"

"Of course. Everyone has one."

As Ripto nonchalantly pulled up a chair to reach the counter and began pulling out baking utensils, Esther blinked in surprise. She wondered if Ripto might have come from a terrible family, or if he just became the tyrant he is by himself. There was only one way to find out.

"Ripto?" Esther piped up.

"What?" Ripto inquired.

"If you don't mind me asking, what, um—what was your mother like?"

Esther expected Ripto to freeze at her question, as he recalled terrible memories of his family. But instead, he just kept retrieving ingredients.

"Oh, she was the sweetest Riptoc alive," Ripto replied with a pleasant sigh.

"Riptoc?"

"Yes, that's what my mother and I are. And yes, I know my name and my species' name sound painfully alike. My parents weren't the best at coming up with names."

"I didn't know that. And you said your mother taught you how to cook?"

"She sure did. She told me that my elite sense of smell could be used as an advantage, and she was right—she was always right."

Esther couldn't help but notice the slightest twinge of sorrow in his tone at that last part, so she thought it might be best to ask about something else.

"And what about your father?"

That got the response out of the Ripto that Esther was expecting; he dropped a wooden spoon on the floor, and he stood as still as stone.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked without your consent. If it's too touchy for you to discuss, I completely understand."

"I-It's fine…he…he wasn't bad or anything, he just…he's kind of the reason that I'm…the way I am," Ripto struggled to explain, and he kept his back turned to Esther the whole time.

There was a long and awkward pause for a few moments, but Ripto eventually broke it by clearing his throat, "Right, that's enough story time!"

"I'm still really sorry for bringing it up."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, it's annoying. Now, if you want to make decent cinnamon rolls, you're gonna have to listen to everything I say."

Esther did everything she was told, even though Ripto had done most of the work. But he amazed her nonetheless, especially since he made a batch of batter from scratch. Eventually, there was a tray of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, and they were now working on the frosting.

"Wow, those look delicious. You really can bake—better than me, at least," Esther giggled sheepishly.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Ripto asked boastfully while mixing the frosting, to which Esther rolled her eyes.

She then noticed some batter left in the other mixing bowl, "Hey, what should we do with this extra batter?"

"You can have it, for all I care."

"Cool, thanks!"

Esther licked her lips as she grabbed a spoon, and brought a spoonful of batter up to her mouth. Just as she expected, the batter tasted delicious. Ripto kept surprising her more and more.

"Do you want any, Ripto?" Esther asked while awkwardly walking on her hind legs, so that she could carry the bowl over to Ripto. But she tripped on her tail and face-planted, even throwing the spoon across the room.

Ripto turned to tell her no, but the spoon cut him off when it landed flat on his nose. It stuck to his face due to the thick batter, and his eye twitched as he stared at his nose in annoyance.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!" Esther exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet and picked up the bowl. She waited for Ripto to explode in anger, but he merely climbed down from his chair, his eyes staring into oblivion and the spoon still stuck to his nose, and slowly approached the dragoness.

When he finally reached her, he removed the spoon without another word and dug it into the bowl. Esther was completely befuddled, especially when Ripto brought a claw up to the spoon to draw it back. Without warning, he let go and the batter was catapulted onto Esther's face.

Esther was still quiet, but then a huge grin stretched across Ripto's lips as he leaned forward.

"I'm very skilled at fighting with food, too," he breathed threateningly.

"Oh, it is on," Esther chuckled darkly when she got the idea, and then reached into the bowl to grab a handful of batter before throwing it at Ripto.

The said wizard merely stepped aside, his grin still plastered on his face, and easily dodged the projectile.

He cackled as he grabbed his scepter, "My turn."

His scepter glowed as three globs of batter were lifted out of the bowl with a purple aura surrounding them. Esther was able to dodge two of the globs, but didn't see the last one behind her, and it splattered against the back of her head.

"Oh, no you didn't! That's cheating!" Esther laughed.

"You thought I would play fair?" Ripto questioned matter-of-factly.

"Fine. If you won't play fair, neither will I!"

Esther then held the bowl above her head and dumped the rest of the batter all over herself, and she lunged at Ripto with a devious grin. Ripto hadn't seen that coming, and barely had time to react when Esther landed on top of him, knocking him onto the floor and smearing him in batter.

"Now who's not playing fair?!" Ripto burst out laughing, as he tried to stand but the floor was too slippery with batter.

"What goes around, comes around! And either way, I win!" Esther giggled while holding Ripto down, neither of them noticing the position they were in at first.

It wasn't until their laughter began to die down that they realized how close they were to each other, so they both blushed and avoided eye contact. Esther was the first to move and climb off, and held out a paw to help Ripto up. Ripto didn't hesitate to take her paw, and quickly pulled himself onto his feet.

He then brought a hand to his mouth, and cleared his throat loudly, "Well, that was…"

"A lot of fun. And here, I thought you were still a big stick in the mud," Esther chuckled softly.

"Me? A boring stick in the mud? I'm hurt that you would even insinuate such a thing, Esther," Ripto stated dramatically, even placing a hand against his forehead like a damsel in distress. Esther couldn't help but burst out in another fit of giggles.

Just then, the room echoed with a loud ding, indicating that the cinnamon rolls were done.

"That was fast," Esther added in surprise.

"You know what they say: Time flies during a food fight," Ripto pointed out while grabbing an oven mitt.

"That's not exactly what they say, but I believe you."

Ripto scoffed and opened the door, and the room was immediately flooded with a blissful and sugary aroma. Esther and Ripto both took a deep breath in, and exhaled with a long sigh of content. Ripto then grabbed the hot tray, and carefully pulled it out and set it on top of the stove.

"For someone who burned everything on her first try, you did pretty good this time," Ripto complimented.

"What do you mean? You did most of the work," Esther protested with a shrug.

"Be that as it may, you still get some credit."

Esther scoffed, "Gee, thanks. Anyway, what do we do until they're cold enough to frost?"

Ripto suddenly remembered the whole reason he was looking for Esther earlier, and realized this was the perfect moment to ask her without it being as awkward, had he asked her earlier.

"Why don't we take a little stroll?" Ripto suggested.

"Just you and me?" Esther asked and blinked in surprise, to which Ripto simply nodded. She might have believed them going on a walk with Crush and Gulp accompanying them, but just the two of them? She wasn't sure if whether or not he was trying to get closer to her, but she didn't want to be rude.

"I'd like that," she answered with a smile, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Ripto responded with a confident smirk, but was secretly overjoyed inside. And then he remembered something else, "But we should probably clean up first."

"You're that's what you saw?" Spyro asked Elora in shock. Spyro had recently returned to Summer Forest after collecting the last talisman from an outlying world, and Elora was waiting for him outside of the castle to tell him what she saw. But what she had to say was quite unbelievable; even Hunter and the Professor had a hard time believing her, and they knew her better than anyone.

"I'm positive. If Esther's plan is to distract Ripto, we need to act fast," Elora explained firmly.

"I say we take out his monsters first," Hunter pointed out.

"I'm with Hunter. We'll pick 'em off, one by one," Spyro snarled.

"Yes, taking them on one at a time would increase our chances of success," the Professor added after crunching some numbers, "Crush seems like the weakest opponent. I suggest going after him first."

"I'll take your word for it, Professor. I'll see you guys after I've finished kicking some club-wielding butt!" Spyro shouted and took to the sky, heading towards the castle as quickly as his wings would carry him.

"The portal to the next home world leads to Autumn Plains. Let's be on our way, so that we can meet Spyro there," the Professor informed, and he and Hunter were the first to run off in search of a portal.

Elora was hesitant at first, as she took one glance back at the castle. She prayed that she knew what Esther was doing. She could tell that Esther and Spyro were very close, and she couldn't stand to see him devastated if something bad were to happen to her. Elora silently wished Esther luck, and then followed the others.

Where could Ripto be taking Esther? Any ideas?

Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!