Chapter 12 Kitchen Crashers
Haku and Zabuza decided to go eat some lunch, Haku hoped that he could at least convince Zabuza to get another examination. During the ride to the cafeteria Gaia looked at Zabuza as if trying to see if he was still sick until disappearing. Back in the cafeteria, the scout team were all wearing shirts and hats for a college called Cretalia University, Joran had a lunch bag from them, but instead of eating they were all examining a salad. "Hey it's the new guys" Derrick waved and the rest greeted each other.
"What are those purple plants in the salad?" Haku asked. They looked like flower petals, hidden in the bottom and throughout were similar dry petals, so small most wouldn't notice. Derrick sniffed the salad cautiously as if he were checking if some meat had spoiled then retched almost dropping it "Wolf's bane" Willow caught the container and put it down, sealing the lid. "I guess this is how Cretalia is keeping their school closed to the public, mixing this in the food and claiming that new students can't handle local delicacies." Joran said.
"Cretalia is full of self-made aliens, rich people's families who evolved after being shot into space. Their bodies evolved to nullify most plant based poisons." Flores explained realizing why. She left to go to processing and bagged half of the salad in a plastic bag saying she would give the bag to Nikki. Haku acted as if he left something in the Citadel to warn her. Wolf's bane was highly poisonous and even if she couldn't die most people did painfully within six hours. He could see Flores moving above him in the teleporter's space between rooms. "Flores stop! That plant's poisonous!"
"I know! Natural Studies Specialist" she shouted back pointing to herself. By time he made it there Flores was gone. Haku knocked ferociously on the door and when he warned Nikki, his voice was so fast even he had difficulty discerning what he said.
"It's ok, you have time I'll explain." She was holding the bag and wearing rubber gloves, rings jutting under the surface. Haku nodded, if only to catch his breath he'd stay. They went to a new room that looked like a pale blue and white kitchen with a TV on the wall. It looked friendly, almost vintage inspired but off, Haku noted as he looked around while he sat at a kitchen island. Upon further examination there were skulls, pentacles, and other equipment like a pestle and mortar, a handmade broom with a large red bow around it and several thick dark volumes. Haku was almost worried he'd met the witch form Hansel and Gretel. "It's for magic. Can I interest you in tea, something to take back for lunch?" She said as she examined the contents in her refrigerator, putting the bag away.
"Are you a witch?" Haku was shocked but only slightly, fractured bits were tied together somehow. She stopped looking at him, materialized in seat across from him and nodded, pink coated full lips in a subtle smile. Now he had to know. "What are the scout team members? Is anyone here human?"
"Gaia, you, Zabuza, some others and Dr. Bhesaj, I'm a bit of a grey area. As for the scout team, Derrick's a werewolf, Flores vampire, Willow water nymph, and Joran's a gnome." She counted each on her fingers wobbling her hand to show her shaky classification. "Wolf's bane's a pretty common spell ingredient." Haku nodded, tried to remember he was working with people from different realities. "Can you use your magic to help Zabuza I don't know what this Cain parasite is capable of." Having no time to read the pamphlet.
"Yeah, have been since we met. He isn't healed it'll make him kill his comrades." Haku's eyes widened, this was something more like that other swordsman who fought and drank with Zabuza, Kisame. "What do we need to do?" he asked. When the last words left his mouth a giant water dragon emerged from the moat, before impact another black dragon used its fiery breath to evaporate it. Haku and Nikki hid behind the kitchen island to decide what to do next. "Waiting was great advice Bhesaj." Nikki thought, turning the volume down on her communicator and sent a pre-made text. Haku leaned over to see and she turned it to him, it said. "Code Para-C Med backup in Citadel of Shadows ASAP."