Chapter 14: Argentum & Aurum
My cell phone is evil… I just noticed that the stupid spell check has been changing all my "Barely's" into "Barley's"… I'm gonna have to go back and change all that…
Well I'm happy to note that I got four reviews for my last chapter this time and I must say that is quite the improvement for me who's only been uploading for a few months. Especially since I'm busy and don't update too often. So I'd like to send a short thank you to my anonymous reviewer Swimqueen for telling me to hurry and helping me get my butt back into gear and writing this chapter.
Disclaimer: Still don't own the Powerpuffs but I can always dream… cause seriously, if I did they would have a second season where they are all grew up into kick ass teenagers. (Randomly starts dancing to TMNT theme song)
•••000•••
'Glad to see you held back this time.'
"Well I wouldn't want to accidentally kill them."
'Your first steps towards subtlety, there IS hope for you after all!' Volnus made a mock squealing sound of glee before Buttercup swatted at her.
The scaly familiar promptly bit down on her partners finger drawing a yep from the raven. Yanking her hand away, Buttercup shook it out to rid herself of the mild pain. Only Volnus could wound her without even trying. 'Stupid bat.'
A chorus of quiet moans drew her attention back to the situation at hand. Emerald orbs lazily scanned over the area until she found her targets. Waltzing over many unconscious bodies, Buttercup stopped at the foot of one of the larger Elves.
"Argentum, get your fat ass up. I know your awake." Buttercup called out evenly, kicking the man hard enough for him to feel but light enough that it wouldn't hurt him. "Argentum…don't make me mad."
…
Cautiously, the man partially opened a deep emerald eye, glancing around before allowing both to open completely. Mid-length black hair covered his forehead, streaks of silver highlighting the dark locks.
"Hey, Ventus." Eyes landing on Buttercup, his mouth pulled back into a broad grin, ivory white teeth glowing faintly against his dark tan skin. "How ye doin… I'm still alive righ'?"
"Nah, I'm a newly appoin'ed Valkyrie 'ere ta take ya ta the afterlife." Smirking mischievously, Buttercup offered her hand to him as he sat up.
He eyed her apprehensively for a moment, deep green orbs sparkling with ill-concealed amusement. Grin cracking into a contagious smile, he tossed his head back howling in laughter as he clasped her wrist. "If ye were a Valkyrie lass, I'd follow ye anywhere."
"I'm sure you would ya perv." Buttercup couldn't help but laugh along as she helped him to his feet. "Now what kinda trouble did ya get into this time?"
"Trouble?" Argentum widened his eyes in a way that, were it on anyone besides the burly man, would have looked innocent. "Ventus, you would accuse me of trouble?"
"Don't even try those puppy dog eyes on me, makes you look like a troll." Buttercup stated blandly, turning around she walked over to another Elf. "Aurum, get up before someone starts drawing on your face."
"Aah, groun's noh very comfor'ble anyway." the Elf murmured in a heavily accented voice before he rolled onto his back. Sitting up, Aurum propped himself on his elbows, brushing a lock of gold streaked black hair from his face. "Argentum, ye ass, look ah wha' ya caused." he grumbled, gesturing to all the damage.
"Me? You star'ed it ya o'ergrown wood gnome." Argentum argued back.
"Wood gnome? Tha's rich comin' from the guy thah looks like a trolls behin'."
"Oh, shut up you two. Ya both look like bride's of Grendel anyway." Buttercup snapped over the arguing Elves, shutting them both up effectively. "Now if you don't mind. Role call! Anyone not dead, hands up!" She shouted loudly, voice easily echoing throughout the area.
Another chorus of groans sounded as most all of the scattered Elves raised a calloused hand or in one case a hooked stump.
'Heads up. Angry jotunn at eight o clock.'
"Ok… I'm gonna very calmly ask, WHAT THE HEL IS GOING ON HERE?" turning around, Buttercup once again came face to chest with a very angry redhead.
Huffing lightly in irritation, Buttercup redirected her attention higher. It was pretty annoying for her, whom had grown up most of her life being the tallest, to have to look up at someone.
If she were a normal person, Buttercup might have flinched when she locked eyes with the furious teen. Eyes blazing a deep bloody red, Brick towered a good foot over her, glaring in anger and more than a little confusion. She had to hand it to him, fire jotunn's could really look intimidating when they wanted to. But she wasn't a normal person, this stuck up Muspell brat didn't intimidate her in the slightest.
"Ey, easy guy, no need ta geh worked up again." Aurum chuckled, stepping in between the two before Buttercup could blow up at Brick.
"Yah, were all frien's ere." Argentum tossed a beefy arm over Aurum's shoulder for emphasis. "Who wouhn't love a couple a wood gnomes an trolls?"
"Shuh up ya o'ergrown Dwarf, ah ain't no wood gnome." Aurum grunted, smacking Argentum's arm away.
"Who ya callen' a dwarf, ya dwarf? I'm taller en you." Argentum grumbled back indignantly.
"An I'm still older."
"No yer noh! I'm older!"
"Ugh. Here we go again." Buttercup shook her head, sighing in exasperation. Stepping around the arguing Elves, Buttercup faced the angry redhead again.
"Long story short, these two idiots are brothers, twins to be exact. The shorter one with the gold hair is Aurum." ("I'm noh short!" "Yes ya are!") ignoring the grumbling pair, she forged on. "Argentum is the one with the silver hair, he's also the younger of the two." ("Eh, I'm tha older one!" "No, ask mum, I'm older.") "They both own the bar over there and can never agree with each other."
"That still docent explain why we-" Brick gestured to himself, Blossom, and Buttercup. "were fighting them." here he gestured at the rest of the Elves that were slowly getting up. "The Hel was the point?"
"If there's one thing you'll learn about Dark Elves, it's that we like to fight." Buttercup stated bluntly. "The easiest way to get through to us is through your fists. These two nimrods probably couldn't agree on something again so, of course, they got into a fight."
"Still not explaining our part in this." Brick grumbled, obviously still angry but noticeably less now that Blossom was glued to his side again.
Grinning smugly, Buttercup snickered. He really wasn't fooling anyone. "If ya haven't noticed they get a little carried away and I'm here to play referee. Whenever things get too out of control I settle it."
"Settle? We just beat them up."
"Exactly."
"How does that settle anything?"
"Well their not fighting anymore."
"Then what are they doing now? Having a tea party?" Brick questioned sarcastically, waving a hand towards the loudly arguing Elves as they began to shove one another. A second later Aurum had Argentum in a head lock.
"Oi! Break it up you two! Did we not just settle this?" Buttercup snapped, grabbing the two by their collars she lifted them both into the air. The two large men yelped, momentarily startled as she dropped them, a good two feet, on either side of her.
Upon landing they both spring back to their feet, gaping in horror as they finally noticed the ruined building. With a simultaneous shout of "MY BAR!" they dashed off towards it, stepping on a few Elves along the way.
"Weird…" Blossom mumbled, finally speaking again. Still looking lost to the world, the smaller redhead stared after the two men as they scurried about assessing the damage.
Buttercup couldn't help the slight twitch in her lip as Blossom, looking like an innocent two year old, sent a wide eyed glance at the taller redhead. Brick on the other hand looked ready to panic, as if he were afraid she would fall apart at any moment.
"Hey, you wanna go take a look?" Before Buttercup even realized what she said the words had already escaped her mouth.
A pair of furious red and curious pink orbs landed on her then. Blossom turned back to Brick for a moment, eyes wide and innocent as if asking him for permission.
Grumbling something too low for the raven to hear, Brick's shoulders slumped in defeat. Blossom, in turn, grabbed his hand and promptly dragged him over to Buttercup's side, pink orbs sparkling with a childish excitement.
"Shouldn't she have gotten everything back under control by now?" Buttercup questioned aloud, wondering why Blossom was still acting stupid.
Buttercup wasn't in denial or anything, she'd admit to loosing control on occasions and would start acting stupidly but she was always fine after a few minutes. Blossom on the other hand had been like this for a while now. Even someone with horrible control over their familiars should have been fine by now, she wasn't a kid anymore. The only reason she would still be acting like this is if…
"She can't help it, Blossom's only had Stiria for three, four days at the most." Brick grunted unhappily, confirming Buttercups suspicions.
'How old IS she?' Volnus squawked.
"What? Four days? How old is she?" Buttercup echoed, surprised emerald orbs glanced up at Bricks crimson ones. Most people had their familiars by the time they were fourteen, this girl couldn't be that young.
"Blossom had a few…issues before." Bricks voice dropped, obviously unwilling to divulge further information on the subject. "She only summoned Stiria the day before we left to come here."
'Well, that explains things, I just hope she's not like you.' Volnus hissed. 'Hopefully she'll be back to normal in a few hours instead of days.'
Normally she would have argued a little, but Buttercup decided she just didn't care. Let the stuck up prick keep his little secrets, it wasn't any of her business.
Brushing him off, she picked her way over to the bar, Blossom close behind her, Brick trailing no more than two feet from the girl at all times.
•••***•••
"No! Blossom don't drink that!"
"But its strawberry!"
"Ah, come on lad, let the lass have some, jus a lil won hurt."
"Yah, IF it was 'jus a lil' but it's NOT! She already had THREE mugs, and she's tripping over her own two feet!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes, yes you are!"
"But it tastes sooooo good!"
'Aww geez, you gotta see this.' Volnus gave a raspy laugh, wriggling in mirth.
"That's what you said earlier." Buttercup grumbled, tanking another glass of apple tasting something or other. She wasn't quite sure what it was anymore.
'But its funny this time.'
"You said that earlier too and I got an eye full of Argentum's ass after Blossom knocked him over."
'Just look.'
Turning around, Buttercup smirked. It was a little funny, if for no other reason than that Brick was having a hard time. Apparently he had tried to take Blossom's drink away, the smaller girl was having none of that though.
They looked like a couple of siblings playing keep away. Blossom stretching and jumping for the mug in Bricks hand as he held it high over their heads. The other hand firmly on her head, keeping her from jumping high enough to reach it.
It didn't exactly help that she was only his shoulder height but that didn't seem to deter the girl. Placing a hand on his shoulder Blossom jumped, using him as leverage to force herself higher, finger tips whacking the mug off balance.
"Shit!" Brick cursed, flailing around in an attempt to not spill anything. Moments later Blossom knocked him off balance, the two toppling over the barstool. "Ouch…gak!"
Buttercup really did laugh then as the mug landed on his head with a wet 'slop', drenching him in it's pink frothy liquid. A some of the other Elves joined in, a few chuckling, others outright laughing as the angry Muspell boy fumed, steaming himself dry.
"Sorry Brick…" Blossom mumbled stifling a giggle, not looking very apologetic.
Brick angrily snatched the mug off his head and chucked it at Argentum's head, effectively cutting off his laughter. Startled, the stubby man flopped back over his chair, falling to the floor beside them, his mug flying off into the crowds of Elves.
'Woohoo, here we go again!' Volnus squeaked, wriggling happily as the mug landed on a stalky man who angrily threw it and his own in another direction. Before long there were mugs flying all over the room, ale and other drinks spraying over every surface. 'I love this place.'
"I thin' is abou' time ye goh them out o' here Ventus." Aurum's deep voice voice called.
"Aww, but were just getting started." Buttercup chuckled, grinning at the new round of playful fights as silver and gold teamed up on opposite sides of the bar.
"Aye, buh is ob'vious tha the lil lass o'er there isn' doin so well." Gesturing to Blossom, Aurum shook his head a bit. "She still don know wah she's doin an the lads a lil too o'er protec'ive for his own good. He looks rea'ey ta explode."
"Between you and me, I think he's always like that." Buttercup stated, eyeing the boy who seemed to give off the aura of an angry mother hen who's chick was just caught. "Besides, what am I supposed to do about them?"
"Well ye ha'v been takin care o' em since the o'er day."
"Ahh, spoil sport." Buttercup grumbled, getting up and walking over to the others. "Come on hot head, were getting out of here."
"Well it's about time." Holding Blossom close to keep anything from hitting her, Brick followed Buttercup as she made her way to the door, pushing aside the random Elf in their path.
"Bye guys!" Blossom shouted, waving her hands enthusiastically before Brick could get her through the door. "I'll come back soon!"
Both Buttercup and Volnus chuckled as a few muffled 'Bye lass' and 'See ya pinky's echoed through the now closed bar door. Brick mumbling obscenities and something that sounded like 'not if I can help it' under his breath.
'Well today was eventful.' Volnus chirped. 'Think we can keep em?'
"What?"
'Those two, well maybe not the boy but the girl is pretty funny to be around.'
"Yah sure, why not. Well follow them wherever it is their going." Buttercup mumbled sarcastically.
'Ok. When ya gonna start packin?'
"You realize I was being sarcastic right?"
'You realize I'm sick of living in a cave right?'
"Touché… I'll think about it."
•••000•••
Man… I've really gotta stop being lazy… I'm such a procrastinator it's pathetic. I think I just need new inspiration. Well anyways I'll try to update sooner. I won't guarantee anything but I'll try. And before anyone asks, I have no clue what this chapter was about, I think I'm just a little too addicted to the 'Fairy Tail' manga by Hiro Mashima.
On a side note. Holly cow. Never judge people that make arts and crafts. I never thought it would be so that hard to make a simple stuffed animal. Boy was I wrong, I spent all of yesterday and all I got was the top of it's head finished. It isn't even close to being finished and I'm already going crazy over that stupid needle and thread. First the string won't go on then you end up stabbing yourself by accident and when you finally think it's over you realize you sewed up the wrong end...so depressing. But I don't want to give up!
Thanks for reading, please leave a review! ^_^