"Ah, Idyll! Welcome back," greeted Krygino to the large monster he saw silhouetted through the street-facing window as she entered with her head tucked down to fit through the door. "The lunch rush is just about to start. Could you help out in the kitchen below?" Before she answered she looked over her shoulder. The turn exposed Cter behind her. "Oh? Cter? You're here too?"

Timidly, Cter waved back to the short monster polishing a mug behind the bar counter. She wasn't exactly comfortable with it now that she stepped inside the tavern. It was here, upstairs here, that she met Kry. Also upstairs here was where Krygino suggested that she should try her sleeve at Jarasevo castle. Cter didn't know if Krygino knew about Kry's opinion of her, but with the way he eagerly waved for her and Idyll to come over to the wooden counter spotted with faded rings and stains Cter had her guesses.

"How about you cook up your first meal for your human friend, Idyll?" Krygino suggested with a smile and a gentle turn of his long ears. He held out a rather large, folded apron that could double as his bed-sheet on shaky arms that were thankfully relieved by Idyll picking it up by its collar.

"Better that I make the rookie mistakes with my roomhuman rather than any real customer?" she teased back as she dived her muzzle through the neck-hole. Her smile had Krygino's ears drop for a moment before they stood up again. "You won't be too biased, okay?" she sent over to her human friend seating herself where the faded stains were the most sparse within her arms' reach. "If I make it wrong, let me know."

Cter didn't quite pick up what Idyll meant by that exactly neither by her ears or by her aura. Was Idyll joking or being genuine? It straddled the line too much for Cter to be sure, so she just smiled back without saying anything.

Luckily it seemed to be enough of an answer to Idyll who disappeared down a rather tight hatch for her size into the steamy kitchen in the basement. She was greeted by some other monster there, but Cter couldn't see what kind it was through the steam.

"Anything to drink with your meal?" offered Krygino while still not revealing if he knew or not about Cter's castle visit.

Although castle incident might have been better worded for what happened.

"Some wine? Ale?" he enticed with a suggesting shrug. "Golden Flower tea perhaps?"

It had been a while since Cter had Golden Flower tea, which was a bit odd since she was in the land where it originated. City, even. Looking at the different mugs around though none really stood out as being suitable for tea to Cter. Only wooden mugs more suitable to ale and the occasional metal goblet for wine were arranged on the wall behind Krygino. It could've been Cter's curiosity that decided for tea over water, to which Krygino nodded and lifted off a wooden mug from its hook. With some knocks on the hatch he handed the mug down along with Cter's request for her beverage.

"Should just be a couple of minutes, human," he informed with a friendly nod. It wasn't enough to obscure the wrinkle his nose had though, as well as the subtle doubt that flashed in his aura when the smell from below hit him. "So how are you finding Jarasevo?" he distracted with a hand motioning out the street-facing window. The river of monsters outside was beginning to thicken a bit. "Idyll told me yesterday that the two of you are renting an apartment in the outskirts of the Old District. Not really a human apartment, no?"

It wasn't, but it was close enough that Cter didn't feel uncomfortable in it. She still needed a moment to realize where she was in the morning, but it would fade in time as she got more and more used to it. "We're roommates," Cter stated. Just stated. She didn't really have anything more to add to it. "And we're friends." Except that.

"Good, good." Krygino couldn't stop his eyes from glancing down at Cter's sleeve. "So you're settling in?" The way he said it was more that he asked past Cter instead of at her. He was building up for something. Cter couldn't confront him about it though since she wasn't sure to exactly what he was building. Her first guess was Romrom. "How about your magic?"

Could still have been about Romrom even after that.

Cter made another show of her ice magic dancing around her sleeve and into her balled fist which she opened up to reveal an ice cube with snowflakes frozen inside. It was her thing now, it seemed. Or at least a little something to quickly show what she could do? Her calling card, perhaps? She'd have to give it a bit more flair if she was to have it serve as her calling card though. Maybe give it a color gradient?

"Impressive," said Krygino with not enough emotion behind it to actually mean it. It was confirmation that he wanted to feel Romrom again since Cter formed the cube of ice with her aura retreated. The cube would melt in ten minutes or so because of that, but it was worth it to get confirmation about Krygino's intent. Cter could understand his aura better with that in mind.

Hell, what if she tried to lead Krygino by the nose via the use of Romrom's aura? Hint at it to get free meals in the coming future?

Cter decided against it as it would most likely have Romrom's aura react with Krygino's and make more of her young days memories less hazy to Cter. Horrible thought.

Just horrible…

"I take it you managed to get a foot in at the castle then?" The tavern owner held the cube at opposite corners towards the sun shining in from the window facing the lakes, with the flakes casting moving fractals on his face as he slowly let it spin. "I know Queen Toriel would be intrigued by these cubes you can conjure, Cter."

Yeah well Monster Mage Kry needed to be impressed before her and that wasn't really the case. "Thanks," Cter still said.

Albeit with the same tone Krygino used to compliment her magic.

It brought a rather flat silence between the two which only ended when Idyll appeared from the hatch with a tray containing a bowl Seven Sowls and a large mug of Golden Flower tea balancing next to it. Krygino took it from Idyll's one hand into both of his and moved it over to Cter. "Without shell," the blue monster joked and laughed as she went down into the kitchen again.

Cter didn't remember there being any egg in the stew she had the previous time. Was Idyll giving it her own spin to it, was that it?

Already?

"I'm not sure about her usage of spruce sap either," muttered Krygino in response to Cter's furrow. It mirrored the wrinkle on his nose, albeit more pale and skinny as they appeared on Cter's forehead. "It is a more seasonal equivalent to honey though which I didn't think about before."

The fact that he's apparently letting Cter be the final word whether to hire Idyll or not went against his otherwise stern, and almost scolding, mutter. As if he'd already decided in his soul that he wanted to hire the lizard monster but needed the excuse of someone else that agreed for him to at least give it the illusion that he was giving it actual thought and consideration.

Cter was familiar with that feeling.

She wasn't familiar with the way Idyll's Seven Sowls settled in her mouth though. It was different from the first one she had. Not as oily a feeling in her mouth, but at the same time not drier. She could feel the spruce aroma circulate into her nose as she exhaled. It certainly gave the stew a different taste to it on top of the change in texture.

Cter wasn't sure if she actually liked it, to be honest, and it wasn't because of the taste. It just felt...less lively. Not as much love put into it perhaps? Idyll did say that her magic wasn't that good with cooking, and perhaps this was what she meant?

There was no way in the world that she was gonna actually voice those complaints to Krygino. At the end of the day, or the month actually, Idyll and Cter had to pay rent, and this was a stable income for Idyll. Cter still had to find something for herself, and while she was starting to begin to figure out maybe something perhaps, it would take a while before it was enough for her to feel safe about it.

So Cter swallowed the same way she did with Idyll's first cooking. Through a smile that she held strong to look genuine with great effort. Good thing she had practice before.

"Verdict?" came hastily from Krygino having folded his arms to look more serious. He had already one leg extended to move and congratulate Idyll on getting the job so Cter went ahead and relieved him of that hidden and uncomfortable bend of his knee.

"I like it," said Cter while making it visible in her aura that she was telling the truth. She did. She liked the idea that she had the last word in whether Idyll was to be hired or not. The Seven Sowls needed some improvement, sure, but then Krygino should've been a bit more specific in his question.

A pretend and carefree shrug lifted the tavern owner's small shoulders and long ears. "Guess I'll inform her then," he said despite having made his mind up before. "You enjoy the rest of your meal as thanks, human."

That Cter lifted her mug to and took a swig. Immediately the soothing swirl of sweet and sour began dancing in her mouth back and forth across her tongue. It spread throughout her body like a warm hug, bringing with it calm and serenity that had her disappearing inside herself for a moment. Just the sensation of the wondrous taste being shared from her mouth down her throat and into her body's center.

She thought herself feeling her aura open up like a flower's petals.

Dang…

Cter really missed Golden Flower tea warming her from inside like it'd done back in her village during winter. The memory had her sleeve magically caress her soul the same way Romrom did with her warm, large wings across Cter's back to warm up from that side while the lively hearth helped from the front.

And the Golden Flower tea from within...

Just drinking it was enough for Cter to completely zone out and lose herself away from the lunch rush that began around her. Streaks of monster voices and shadows passed by her as she just sat content with her meal. Various-sized tremors shook the surface of the tea as the differently large monsters sat themselves on the seats and tables around her. Creaking of equally varying discomfort and slight fear rung out as the first floor became full and the upstairs floor began to fill.

As well as distracting Cter from the roof above her bending down slightly, the Golden Flower tea in her mouth gave a pleasant acidity to the spruce taste, giving an almost sour-cream presence of fresh in her mouth. She made a note of informing her friend of it.

As well as that lingering pair of eyes that observed her from behind. It was picking at her exposed neck due to her hood being down. No use putting it on to try and hide though. Whoever it was watching her had already begun to touch at her aura. Tapping at it, almost, like a finger on her shoulder.

No...wait…

That was just a finger on her shoulder.

"Greetings, human."

It was when Cter turned her head around that the smell of tar hit her. She craned her head back in reflex, but the green monster didn't take offense to the gesture. He only chuckled lightly ,"I'm guaranteed a table for myself," and scratched away a loose dot of tar on his cheek. "Silver lining, ey?"

Cter couldn't bring herself to agree with it.

"Say though," said the green monster. "Now that I ran into you here, could I ask for some help with your magic?" He turned around and pointed to a rather encompassing stain on his back which covered more than half of his shirt. "Fell down from the bottom of a roof when I was packing up to move to another house," he explained rather forlorn. "Had it been any other day I'd probably be lost in tears knowing that I'd have to clean it off. However," he smiled at Cter as he turned, "you said you'd come back today so what most it did was scaring me and giving me a bit of a scrape on my forehead as I fell down from the impact."

The mage looked around in the tavern which had become populated with monsters, some rotating out and being replaced with new ones through the front door just a table away from her. Idyll must have been working quite hard to serve all of these customers. On her first day too.

Guess both of them had pretty rough first days at work…

Cter will do the dishes when she gets back. With her ice magic it was easy to just freeze the stains and pluck them off.

Or really, it was icy to just freeze the stains and pluck them off.

"Hehehe," Cter chuckled to herself.

Why she did the green monster had no clue. "Eh..." he let fall from his opened mouth. "It did hurt even if I'm not making a mountain out of it. Castle Hill though. Or something..."

With her sleeved hand balled on her lips Cter cleared her throat with a couple of coughs. She then refreshed it with some more Golden Flower tea before she spoke. "Where should we do it?"

The question made a nearby snake monster's eyebrow raise before sinking quickly down as the pique in its aura had both the green monster and Cter shoot angry eyes at her. She returned to conversation to try and shake off the suspicion.

"I'd rather get it off sooner rather than later. Not off my shirt though." The green monster plucked at his collar with the claw on his thumb. "It's already ruined as you can see. If you could just get it off the fur on my back I'd be appreciative." He sat down on the stool next to Cter with his back facing her. "You think you can do that?"

Yes, she thought she could. She'd already done it once, after all. Should just be a repeat of the day before but on a wider area. Cter placed her hand on the green monster's back and focused in on the difference between his aura and the tar. Like how she did before she had her magic run along the surface of the tar, freezing it solid and snapping off the strands of fur as they came into contact with her ice.

Easy!

Although…

And again maybe she shouldn't had done that in view of all the customers at her friend's workplace. If she'd done it later when she helped the green monster with the rest of his evening tar stains it wouldn't have caused such a tumult.

The curiosity that swelled within her soul as she remembered that inverse magical feeling from when she froze the tar off the green monster's arm became too much for her in that moment though, and she halted her magic halfway down the tar stain. It had the green monster turning around to ask if something was wrong. His shirt crinkled from the cold Cter had made during his concerned movement. "Why did you stop?"

Her magic had brought with it a bit of an audience that again slowed down their eating like they did the previous time she ate at Krygino's tavern.

"It's that human mage from the day before yesterday," was heard an excited whisper from somewhere among the tables. "I remember the robe and their ice magic." From the corner of Cter's eye she caught Krygino nodding thankfully to her. She'd slowed down the lunch rush for a moment with her magic which he was thankful for. Idyll thanked her later for it too.

However, that was not the reason Cter paused her magic. It was not the reason she let her aura wander more freely outside her and her soul. That feeling she had. It gnawed at her thoughts as she closed her eyes hard while trying to remember if she was taught this feeling during her studies. From the outside it must've looked like she was in pain, but no monster was offering to help.

To begin with her aura didn't show any hurt in it, and secondly, how could they help a human? They didn't know any human medicine. There was healing magic, sure, but for a monster to heal a human it was needed some incredible effort on the monster's part.

"Use your magic on the tar, please," Cter finally asked the green monster. "I need...I need to test something out." She replaced her sleeved hand on the wet tar stain as she waited for the green monster's aura to flourish with his magic.

He was skeptical though, even with the lack of threatening intent from Cter's aura. From his anger the first time they met it was understandable that he didn't really see human magic in the brightest of light before Cter helped him, and that came bubbling back up into his aura. Cter could feel his back shivering not from her cold but from his inner debating. It had to be his choice though. It had to be his own intent and will to summon his magic.

Otherwise a Cooperative Connection couldn't be formed.

"If you say so," the green monster acknowledged after another pause between him and the human mage. While he was no stranger to monsters watching him work and use his magic, the stage inside the tavern was a bit different than his usual one. Here the monsters were sitting and not going anywhere, and while the number of eyes that glanced over to him were fewer as compared to the amount passing him by in the streets, they weighed more on him.

The way he awkwardly tried to reach around himself didn't really help either. Fumbling first over his shoulders then pointing his elbows back and almost hitting Cter in the face, then angling his elbows outwards and poking at her half-empty mug.

The blush in his aura worked in Cter's favor though, both with his change-of-stage fright and his arms moving as if they were possessed and tried to detach themselves from him. His emotions were more on display for her, which would prove to be exactly what she needed. "This good?" he inquired while patting the part of the tar Cter hadn't reached yet.

It was.

"Don't melt the tar, just soften it up." It wasn't enough though. "Give it some more."

There…

There it was!

Cter let her magic dissolve between the green monster's fire and the fur on his back. First into liquid that dripped on the fur, and then steam which spread out across the bottom of the shirt. She let her soul extend out with her magic instead of just using it as a catalyst. She felt the drops in the steam that she'd made into snowflakes to begin with. She examined them as if they were frozen in time, prodding the change in the magical state. It felt...different.

Yet still hers.

An itch in her aura. An unsettled strain in her soul that she hadn't had for long enough time to let fade into white noise. It felt a bit like she had her sleeve on her other arm, almost. As if she'd put her left leg in first instead of her right into her trousers in the morning. A change which had the same end result, but which was started differently.

She smiled at the feeling.

At a Reaction-Action, but with monster magic influencing a human one!

Just like how Romrom's soul inside her sleeve operated, but in reverse. It was the green monster prodding at her soul!

She just had to catch it. The feeling of his magic. To let hers be equal to it. To apologize even deeper about her thinking higher of her magic, by making it as much as a monster's as she could! The different warmth it brought to her soul became different. It wasn't a familial warmth like Romrom's magic, but more an abstract one. Like feeling the influence of the sun inside a blackened room. Cter knew where the heat came from, but she couldn't make a claim for it.

"Human?"

The question went past Cter as she delved deeper into her concentration. More and more she moved her magical awareness into the image of that darkened room. The heat made her sweat physically, dripping down audibly against the floorboards with rhythmical taps.

And the entire tavern held its collective breath.

For her aura had disappeared completely inside of her. To monsters she was barely distinguishable from the lifeless stool she sat upon without eyes on her. Whereas just before her aura had been the same as a non-moving gentle breeze that acted the same as the permeating smell of Seven Sowls inside the tavern, with it gone the tavern fell silent as everyone reacted to her disappearance.

Cter's presence was still inside that blackened room. She couldn't look around, she couldn't feel around. It was just her, the essence of her soul, inside that vast darkness and heat. No step she could take, nor question could she ask into it. It was her and only her there.

Only her…

Only...her…

Only her.

Only her!

The green monster's stool slammed into the ground as he jumped off it scared. All around him Cter's aura was sucked into her and her smile hidden inside the shadow her bent-down head cast. A gently drizzle was shaken loose as she scoffed a chuckle.

It was only her inside.

Which meant the heat was of her own making! Not the green monster's!

She had done it!

Her left hand opened up to reveal a gentle flame fluttering weakly in the cross-breeze formed from the kitchen hatch being opened to see what the hell was going on! Idyll's gasp was the only one that was heard among the stunned silence that had drowned the busy tavern. The sound had Cter turning her sweating head towards her friend staring in disbelief. The mage presented her hand and the meek flame that was barely alive in her hand first to Idyll, and then to the green monster who's fur was standing upright.

As neither he or any other of the monsters had the capacity to say something Cter offered the first word to break the ice.

Because she'd done it magically.

On her own.

Like a true human mage.

"This is payment enough for today."

A tear down her cheek carved out a streak on the flaring blossoms, culminating into a thick drop that held onto the contour of her cheekbone before dropping off and landing with a loud sizzle. Cter looked down at her hand to see her flame snuffed out. The steam fading from sight she didn't let escape though, and called upon her familial magic to turn it into a shard that fell back into the palm of her hand.

She'd done it without replacing her own magic.

Added to it, not replaced it.

The shard of ice melted inside her clenched fist that she threw to her heart. The impact knocked loose the pride that was lodged in her throat, and Cter sobbed in happiness.

Unbridled and pure happiness.

Because it meant that she didn't have to read her scroll any longer. It didn't matter any more!

She was a mage!

All she had to do was chase that happiness with some Golden Flower tea and it would've been-

"Excuse me?"

Cter's halted the mug just inched from her lips. The wave of cooled tea reached up the wooden walls to be tasted, but had to retreat as gravity pulled it back. She met the green monster's eyes, only then realizing the amount of tears that had his visage wave and bend as if he was a slime. "Oh, sorry," she said as she put down her mug and dried off her eyes. "I'll continue now." As she put her hands back on the rather-confused monster the rest of the tavern also returned to their previous business with varying success. There were more whispers and glances abound afterwards.

What they were looking at though had changed.

From a human that knew magic.

To a proper human mage!

And a proper human mage would help her customers the best she could!

The tea could wait.

Since she knew how to reheat it!