Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8
Chapter 44: The Pepperoni Connection
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
Sona was adjusting in the castle at our home in Skald Island on Valinor as she was happy to be in her bed in which she was holding onto her dolls. It had been six days after our excursion to Baratheon as our newest ward was checking up on everything here in the castle. She never saw anything like it before as she looked out the window to see the various ships coming and going in the Skalvarg Archipelago. With her dolls in her little purse, she didn't want to leave them as she wandered all over the place in which she noticed Dirk and Gyatso coming. She also saw me coming with Zia and Zoran as they were dressed in birthday outfits in which they turned three today. It had been ages since she went to a birthday party as she wanted to be in the group, for she was part of the family after all.
"Hey, Sona," said Dirk as he spotted her. "It looks like that we're going to have our cake and ice cream with Zia and Zoran and they sure love to make a mess out of themselves."
"Do they have a superhero cake?" she asked.
"Reiko made a good cake with chocolate while Sam went in and made a sponge cake," said Gyatso.
"Uncle Dean loves pie," said Zoran as he was wanting to get into his birthday cake.
"You can get into it after you and your sister blow the candles out," I said.
"I never tried sponge cake before," said Sona.
"You gotta try it," said Dirk. "Although Reiko makes them sometimes, Sam also makes them because of the fact that there are raisins and dried cranberries put into them."
"Children! To the dining hall!"
We went towards the dining area as we saw the rest of my family sitting at the table. The sight of the birthday cake and the sponge cake were a feast for the eyes as we later noticed some pies that were baked earlier. By the time Drusus showed up, he was bringing in a banoffee pie and an apple crisp in which there was more dessert for the party. With Zia and Zoran sitting in their seats, they were given some cupcakes with pink and blue icing on them with some candles lit. We were all celebrating their birthday as they were the second set of twins who now turned three.
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Zia and Zoran! Happy Birthday to you!"
The twins blew out their candles as they took them off of the cupcakes just in time to eat them. With the birthday cake cut and distributed each slice one at a time. Even Sona got a slice of cake as she tasted it very well in which she even got an extra piece from Kanna. Both sisters were reunited as they also noticed Carly wanting to be in the group. Still, we had our family moments in which we were enjoying the greater things in life I was also enjoying what was there as I was mainly tending to the third set of twins, who ended up getting messy from eating too much cake. Even though the youngest set were not out in the open due to them being babies, they didn't have their teeth in yet as they still had a long way to go before they turned a year old.
"Where are the other babies?" asked Sona.
"They're in the nursery," said Reiko as she got a piece of cake.
"I only seen them once, but I hope that they're okay."
"They'll be fine, said Jill as she was getting a piece of banoffee pie. "The little ones already know when to eat and when to go to bed."
"I know, but I wish that they would be here with us more..."
"Kazuko and Giles need their sleep," said Carly. "They mostly take a lot out of Mr. Sam."
Kanna stares at Carly as she shushed her just to keep everything about my little ones under wraps for now. Still, Sona was confused about what was going on, but when she found me to be fatigued from what I was going through, she couldn't let me do all the work as she was fondly staring at the dolls that she had with her. When she noticed Gyatso coming towards her, he was curious about the dolls she had as they were dressed in superhero clothing instead of frilly dresses, for he knew what they were due to their appearance.
"Nice dolls," he said.
"My mommy gave them to me. They are known as Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl," said Sona. "I like them the best because they are my favorites."
"I have a Superman action figure."
"You have the same toys like me, but smaller."
"You should at least come with us to school. We go there every day and have the weekends off. It's also a first when it comes to you being Kanna's little sister. Don't forget, family doesn't end with blood. We're also there for Sam and Reiko's other kids in which the oldest set of twins have a knack for trouble."
Sona was happy to be in a tight-knit family like mine as we were all there enjoying everything that came in front of us. Still, we had our ups and downs, but we were thriving for a lot of reasons, for it was everything that we had in our favor…
The next day, the children were on their way home from school as they were elated that Sona was in their ranks. With her head held high, my newest ward was confident as she was armed with a few library books in her backpack. When she made her way to the path of the castle, she was stopped by some of the older children who lived in the farmlands of this island in which they were tormenting her for no reason. She was scared to death as she didn't have any of the other girls with her, for she didn't want to be put through the ringer especially after her first day. When she tried to get away, one of the children pushed her down into the fresh snow as one of her dolls fell out of her bookbag. When she picked up doll, she brushed the snow off of it as she put back into her bookbag in which she spotted one of her tormentors in front of her in which he was older and dressed in Norse clothing. She was scared to fight back as she was also trying to protect the doll that she saved, for it was more than just a simple toy.
"So, the little Draazaling still plays with little dolls," said the tormentor as he snatched the doll from her hands. "I bet that you won't like it if I tweak your toy around a bit."
"Give it back!" cried Sona as she was desperate to get back her doll.
"Or do what? It's a shame that your guardian happens to be a cripple who lost his luster. Maybe…" The boy is ready to break the doll as he was smiling with glee. "I'll make her just like him, a useless cripple!"
"Back off!" yelled Carly as she rushed to Sona's aid. "You know better than to bully someone littler than you are!"
"So, the little Neko-Chan decides to defend the little Draazaling!" The boy throws the doll into the fresh snow as he is ready to step on it until a snowball gets thrown at him. "Who threw that?!"
Carly and Sona noticed Dirk and Gyatso hiding in the distance as they were on top of a hill. When Sona rescued her doll the second time, she hugged it as she put it back into her bookbag the moment she spotted her tormentor's mother coming to retrieve her son just in time to go home. The woman was dressed in heavy Norse clothing as she was mainly defending the boy and those who tormented Sona in which the poor latter ended up getting chastised for trying to defend herself, for some of the Norsefolk who lived on Skald Island always tended to be backwards sometimes.
"Nice girls shouldn't be angry with boys," she said to Sona.
"He tried to break my Batgirl doll!" she cried.
"And you provoked him by bringing your toy to school. Apologize at once! For the record, all young girls should be wed to a wealthy husband, not become like those loose women who live in the Tsubaki District. All girls should be proper and be nice to boys, not act defiant like a whore! I say to you again, apologize now!"
"You heard my mother," said the boy as he was smiling with a smirk.
"What's going on here?"
I rushed to Sona's aid as I was desperate to protect her. Even though I wasn't in fine fettle in the weather, I also had to brave the cold as I had to protect my newest ward from humiliation. Even Carly was ready to help her as she didn't want her to be bullied by the boy who nearly crushed her doll. It wasn't long until Sona's tormentor was getting angry as he was ready to vent his anger towards her until I stood in front of him along with his mother.
"That little tart won't do her proper duties, My Lord," the mother said as she pointed at Sona. "She wouldn't even apologize to my son!"
"She's not in the wrong here," I said as I defended her.
"She should behave properly to boys if she wants to bag a wealthy husband."
"For the record, she's too young for it and as for what I heard about her being 'nice' to rude boys while one of them tried to break her doll? She's not a loose woman and you shouldn't be using foul language in front of a minor. If I were you, I suggest that you teach your boy proper manners instead of allowing him to do as he pleases. Boys like that are prone to violence and your son should utilize better skills other than to torment those beneath him, is that clear to you?"
Sona's tormentor and his mother didn't say another word as they stormed off. I later comforted my newest ward as Carly wanted to throw a snowball at the boy, but was forbidden at the last minute when I intervened. It wasn't long until Dirk and Gyatso showed up as they were there to protect Sona in which they refused to let her fall prey to "rude boys" who didn't respect girls.
"It seems that the typical 'knights in shining armor' had a hand into throwing snowballs," I said.
"Ingmar was being a bully," said Dirk.
"And his mother defended him instead of teaching him a proper lesson on having respect to those in front of him…"
"It's because his mommy's being a ninnymuggins!" yelled Carly as she defended Sona.
"No, it's 'cause his mommy's being a total Karen towards people who don't fit her worldview," said Dirk defensively. "Ingmar had no right to bully Sona just because she loves reading books and playing with those dolls she has."
"Most of us never fit the worldview of people who don't understand us," said Gyatso. "It's how it is, I guess…"
"We should get going," I said. "Besides, Kanna and Jill have already made it home and are expecting us."
And so, I lead the way as the children were walking with me. When we were on our way to the castle, we felt the trail become a small sinkhole as I was protecting the children with my raw power just in time to break the fall. What we didn't expect was that we were in an underground shelter as it was long buried for centuries in which we saw the bricks and mortar keeping the rest of it together. With the children getting up unharmed, I took the full brunt of it as lifted myself up with the cane in my hand. What we also didn't expect was that Drusus was there as he was worried about what happened above the surface in which he ended up sinking like the rest of us, for he never expected the farmland on Skald Island to be hazardous until now.
"Um, I can explain everything," he said.
"Are you alright, Mister?" asked Sona.
"Looks like you spotted a landmine in which your measures to disarm it proved to be on the sinking side," I said as I examined the debris with a stick wedged in the trigger mechanism. "That backwards dud caused more than us falling into a sinkhole. We're in an underground shelter that was made in the Skalvarg Archipelago's heydays."
"This looks a little off," said Gyatso as he noticed Enochian writing on the walls.
"Wait…" said Drusus as he saw the writing in which he was starting to feel dizzy due to his status as being a prophet of the Lord. "'To make the bread for pepperoni rolls, you need one stick butter, melted; one cup of milk, one packet yeast mixture?' Looks like whoever wrote in Enochian must've loved to make anything out of pepperoni."
It wasn't long until I noticed a skeleton on the ground as it was a Draaza one due to its comb in its skull. I never saw anything like it before as the skeleton was busy writing in Enochian before he died all those years ago. Still, I had to shield the children from seeing the skeleton as they shouldn't be seeing what was there, for whoever lived here had a knack for writing recipes in Enochian just for crafting things out of pepperoni.
"It's a dead person!" cried Sona as she hid herself in my coat.
"If we make it back to the surface, we should at least salt and burn the corpse first," said Dirk.
"And we're in luck," said Gyatso as he spotted a few canisters of salt in a partially empty cabinet.
"Poor Draaza," said Carly sadly. "It's not fair that he died here…"
"It's the common aspect of death, fusspot," I said. "The corpse was a Draaza, but he or she lived here in this shelter till the end."
It wasn't long until Drusus gathered up the corpse's skeletal remains as he put them towards a rectangular altar in which it was ready to be burned for the spirit to leave for the Grey Havens. With a few twigs and a small vial of lighter fluid, Dirk and Gyatso carefully salted the remains as a match was lit the moment the corpse was set ablaze. I was saddened by the corpse's passing as I also had a reason to say goodbye to it, for I also had to pay my respects for the fallen as well.
"Andezhka nir zhrigielur dahur, togrizhev amue zdol," I said in the Draaza language.
"It's a shame that we didn't bring any marshmallows," said Drusus.
"We can't defile the dead, even if it meant by roasting marshmallows on the flames of a corpse."
"At least the dead can rest peacefully," said Gyatso.
CH-CH!
The sound of a shotgun being pumped broke our funerary procession as I turned around and saw a Draaza was in the patron stage standing behind me. When he later noticed Drusus and the children there, he put away his shotgun as he was staring at me in which he knew of my presence very well, for I had a reputation for getting into trouble in the first place.
"I know that face, but you have a jeweled sigil on your forehead with long silver hair and not running around without a soul, which I prayed hard to put back into the body," he said.
"If you're talking about my past self, he's been dead for centuries," I said.
"From what I gathered, I was in stasis until I woke up in the time of the Dark Awakening when Valinor was encased in darkness nine hundred years ago, I also ended up in space, but I never forgot the humiliation and remorse of your past self, Sam."
"And he ended up screwing things up as always back in the Elder Days…"
"When I first met him, he acted cold and aloof and even bragging about trying to have hippy sex while his brother was attacked by faeries. That was when I prayed heavily to the Matriarch just to have his soul returned to him at any cost. When I met up with him again, he was remorseful and guilty in which he was desperate to fix his mistakes, only to save my sorry rump from the Cultivator's slaves due to them being possessed by Khan worms."
"Whoever you are, you should be careful with that shotgun, especially when there are children present."
"Apologies… My name is Yorvanar Orezedor, or perhaps known as Patriarch Yorvanar to be exact."
I bore no grudge to our new guest as he was seeing me with the children in my care. Even though we were in an underground shelter, we had to wait it out as we noticed the fresh snow coming from above the surface. With the cold air coming in, our only saving grace was to warm ourselves to the corpse who was salted and burned so we wouldn't freeze to death. As for Yorvanar, he was elderly, despite the fact that he looked more like a man in his fifties, as he had a turquoise comb and blue eyes while wearing a Draaza robe with an Elven cloak that was found and unused. What he didn't expect from me was that I was glowing with my long silver hair shining like starlight in a dark place in which I had to keep the children warm after falling into the sinkhole earlier.
"It's too cold here," said Sona as she curled up in my coat.
"I know…," I said.
"I hope that Kanna finds me… She's very worried about me right now… I hope that she finds all of us here…"
"We should find someplace safer than being in a freezer," said Drusus as he got up.
"You should be careful where you find things," said Yorvanar as he led the way to a further hallway that was completely dark with the rest of us following him. "This underground place was sturdy until it was showing its age. All my years hiding in the shadows, I never expected one of my people to die here even after writing those recipes in Enochian on the walls. Still, this shelter is connected to my late friend who ended up hiding here till her death and that was in the battle between the Oranges and the Blues."
"The Norsefolk had a way with building underground shelters just like Elves, but we never expected to be here until now," I said.
And so, we continued to follow Yorvanar as we entered into a clearing in the shelter. What we didn't expect was that a Draaza ship was embedded in the walls in which it was old and out of commission, but functional when it came to the technology that was in it. When I walked towards the ship, I saw the name, Adam West, printed on the side in bold letters. With Drusus and the children coming into the ship, they noticed it to be devoid of life, but intact as it was buried beneath the surface of Skald Island. It was a find for the ages as we all had a place to stay until we were rescued, for we were also tired from what happened earlier.
"I never saw anything like it before," said Gyatso as he noticed the cargo area being empty.
"Most of the people who were in stasis have woke up, but they ended up all over this planet in which they even married some of the people here," said Yorvanar.
"This place is like the derelict Draaza ship that was embedded near the volcano in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina," said Dirk. "I know the framework of it 'cause we lived in one for six months."
It wasn't long until I found a pocket-rom disc as I picked it up to examine it. When I saw a computer terminal, I went towards it as I inserted the disc into the drive in which I saw a hologram of the Draaza corpse that was burned earlier, for it was a woman who was wanting to keep her recipes in secret.
"Okay…," she said on screen. "I know that it's not my business, but I would rather write my recipes in Enochian than the Draaza language. Why? It's 'cause the people who live in the Skalvarg Archipelago write in runes in which the Blues won't stop until they subjugate Valinor to extremist Christian rule. I just wish that the Oranges would trounce the bastards 'cause I would rather have this planet safe to practice any religion, not to abuse it to their own whims and desires. I heard Patriarch Yorvanar talk about those wacky televangelists and their efforts to "have people close to God" in which he believes them to be in pact with Lilith and her posse. If those 'religious' people practiced what they preached, they would've followed Jesus' example, bar none, in which the guy tended to the sick, healed the blind, and accepted everyone equally. As for the recipes that I'm writing on the wall, I hope that they have a better use than what I have now… Therefore, the Blues won't get a chance to terminate what I learned in the time of the Red Plague where most of the world was on lockdown and neither will they try to hurt my family. I just wish that Daddy and the rest of my children would leave this place. The Blues already murdered my husband while he served with the Oranges."
It wasn't long until I noticed several men breaking into the shelter. On screen, I saw someone in a gas mask as he drew out a knife and killed the woman who was trying hard to protect her recipes. I never saw anything like it before as I noticed the masked figure removing the mask in which it was a Half-Elf who was part of the Blues at the time. I never saw him before, but he also had a scar on his face as he later left the screen the moment the hologram faded. It wasn't long I noticed a journal near the terminal. Picking it up, I saw the writing in Enochian as I translated it due to the fact that it was mainly laden with Depression-Era recipes, including the one that called for pepperoni rolls. Still, the Draaza woman was crafty into writing her recipes in Enochian in a way that would prevent those who would steal her secrets, only to end up dead at the hands of the Half-Elf who wanted an extremist Christian world over the many freedoms that Valinor's populace had. It wasn't long until I saw another hologram appear as it was the Half-Elf who killed the Draaza woman earlier, for he was giving a grandiose speech in his so-called "victory."
"Hear me, people of Valinor!" he said. "Your ways and means of thriving here have gotten stale! The old regime will meet its end once we bring it closer to the Terran God and all His wonders! Once we overthrow Emperor Esteban, we will bring this planet to the teachings of the Old Testament and to the teachings of the ones who followed in the extremist doctrine that the Terran God's people. The people will follow perfection, not the teachings of the Terran God's bastard Son who died for the sins of humanoidkind on the cross! Anyone who opposes us, especially the Oranges, will be crushed!"
I saw the hologram vanish as I heard that voice earlier. As for the Half-Elf who delivered that speech on the recording, I now knew what he was as he was a threat to everyone in the Ashizoka System, not just on Valinor itself. Still, I had to protect everyone as I would end up going against my ways and means to keep me grounded from field work, for I also knew what my newest adversary became after this recording. Even though the children were occupied with exploring the ship, I was worried for their safety as I later noticed a woman who looked more like a Draaza entering here as she was here in the Adam West after doing some grocery shopping. The woman herself was dressed in a black tunic as it was far different from any Draaza clothing I saw, but she had grey skin with a silver comb as she had blue eyes just like Yorvanar's, for she was very much related to him in comparison.
"We've come a long way here, but it seems that Mom's corpse has been laid to rest," she said as she set her bags down. "It's been fifteen years since Grandpa and I left our surroundings, but we also had to steer clear of the war in the surface by the time we got back here."
"You're not like any Draaza I've ever seen before," I said.
"I may look like one, but I'm no Draaza. I'm known as a Va'Kirhi, which is a sister race to the Draaza, but there isn't much left of us due to the Red Inquisition's rampant crackdown on our overall people."
"I know what they're capable of and I've seen their barbarism towards them in the Spillway on Shiganshina."
"Kivrana," said Yorvanar as he was surprised to see her. "We were about to give your late mother her last rites, but it was too little too late when her corpse was salted and burned."
The woman, known as Kivrana, picked up the journal as she was looking at it with fervent devotion. She was happy that it didn't go to the wrong hands as she was looking for a recipe that suited her best while living here in the shelter. Staring at the ingredients, she was adamant into making what was there as she was no stranger to hardship. It wasn't long until Drusus noticed her as he was starting to blush out of embarrassment, for he never saw anyone like her until now.
"I miss having those and that was what Mom made," she said.
"Your mom made the pepperoni rolls?" asked Drusus.
"Mom had a knack for pepperoni when she married Dad."
"You guys must've grown up on pepperoni."
"Mom literally craved pepperoni in which it can be made with anything: pepperoni pizza, pepperoni dip, pepperoni chips, pepperoni in a blanket, pepperoni bread, pepperoni mac and cheese, pepperoni twists, pepperoni pockets, pepperoni everything! She even knew how to make it from scratch in which she used the ingredients to make it. If only he didn't kill her when she refused to give up on her recipes to everyone..."
"Who's he?"
"His name was Bertram Blackthorne. He was a Half-Elf who was so enticed in theology that he eventually joined in the war between the Oranges and the Blues, which lasted up to twenty-five years. The former Emperor of Valinor, who was from the Trujillo Clan at the time, tolerated what was there, but he also wasn't too keen with Bertram and his thirst for religious dominance. Valinor may be known for anyone to live and worship freely as they wished, but Bertram wanted to overthrow the Emperor and make the planet into a Christian one using the ideals of the preachers who thrived in their 'churches' while they siphoned from the needy."
"And all the Jim Bakkers and Jimmy Swaggarts of the galaxy wouldn't shed crocodile tears in the vacuum of space to see how Evangelical Christianity came towards the extremist route away from the teachings of their God and His Son," said Yorvanar sadly. "The last preacher I came across was causing havoc to everyone on Earth in the Elder Days and his name was Buddy Boyett. He was a crafty bastard who grifted off the downtrodden during the Angel Expulsion, but he was never seen again after that."
"It seems that you bear a grudge against religion," I said.
"I don't bear a grudge to any religion, Sam. I only bear a grudge against those who abuse it."
It wasn't long until Kivrana stood in front of me as she bowed in reverence. I was mainly used to it as I also began to bear a grudge against those who continue to abuse religion to grift as they pleased just to spit in the faces of the downtrodden. This wasn't the first time or the last when religion was abused to no end as I also didn't want to fall under the same ladder as what was out there. I knew how most religions accepted the teachings of tolerance, but for those who abuse it will grift or cause harm in its name will never be welcome once I began this golden age. Still, I tolerated people revering my presence, but I was also ready to help as I noticed the bags of groceries that Kivrana brought with her. When I looked at my pocketwatch, I noticed the time to be five in the afternoon and just in time for dinner in which there was a much better idea to keep our minds off of the bad news for today, for there was enough for tomorrow anyway...
Reiko was busy tending to the younger children as they were content in the nursery. Even though it was late, she was also worried about the other wards as she noticed Kanna sitting in the rocking chair next to the bassinet that Kazuko and Giles were sleeping in. She was worried about Sona as she wanted to go after her, but Reiko wouldn't let her as she had hope that I was with her, for it was the most so far.
"I should've been with her instead of coming home earlier," she said.
"There's no further danger, Kanna," said Reiko as she was helping with the other children.
"If only Ingmar and his friends hadn't bullied her… I just wish that I would've protected Sona…"
"I sent Dirk and Gyatso to look after her, for they also know good manners when it comes to helping those who are in distress. I also wanted them to retrieve Carly as well but—"
It wasn't long until Jill burst into the nursery as she was worried about what would happen next. She was just as worried as Kanna as she also wanted to let everyone know, for there was something a little off around the castle.
"You must find Aora and Ghimru!" she cried as she fell to her knees.
"Not them, too?!" cried Kanna.
"They were around, but they went into the basement and didn't come back!" Jill feels a wetness between her legs as she noticed the black blood stain the back of her clothes. "I'm so sorry about this!"
"It's okay," said Reiko as she comforted Jill. "Go to the bathroom, clean yourself, wear a fempad, and get some rest. I'll find Aora and Ghimru and I'll give them a proper scolding when I find them."
"Thank you, but I feel embarrassed to be bleeding all of a sudden… I feel awful when I ended up starting my time of the month just now..."
"You're not the only one who bleeds," said Kanna. "I ended up bleeding in which the boys forbade me from going anywhere while I rested and that was when we ended up on Tenebrae at the time. They also got scolded by Reiko for not doing as they were told earlier until they tended to me. I know how it feels and it's scary to be a girl…"
"There's nothing to be scared of," said Reiko. "Us girls are capable of anything and I also happen to be a mother. Don't worry about everything else. I'll handle it, for I'm just a simple Woman of Letters after all. I may be not be a hunter, but I also care for my family in which I'll stop at nothing to go and protect them. Family never ends with blood, it starts anew with those who lost their footing, only to get back on their feet again."
It wasn't long until Reiko helped Jill to her feet as she led her out of the nursery. Still, she had a job to do as she also had to find Aora and Ghimru the moment she led Jill into the bathroom. Even though she was aware of Jill's time of the month, she also made sure that she had enough fempads for a while as she gave her some much needed privacy. What she didn't expect was that she saw Aora and Ghimru running towards her as they were covered in dirt. Both of them were brimming with curiosity as they were glad to get back to the castle, for they also needed a bath as well.
"Both of you have a little explaining to do," said Reiko as she was staring at them.
"We found a tunnel in the basement!" yelled Aora.
"A tunnel?"
"It also leads to a spaceship below!" yelled Ghimru.
"A spaceship?"
"Daddy and the other kids are in there! They even found some people who are ready to make pepperoni rolls, pepperoni pizza, pepperoni mac and cheese—"
"—I'll go and find Daddy. When I get back, I suggest that the two of you get cleaned up or else you won't get any dessert after dinner."
Both Aora and Ghimru agreed as they waited patiently for Jill to get out of the bathroom in which they also had to have a bath. As for Reiko, however, she was ready to find out where the hole was as she left to where the basement was. There was a surprise in store as she saw a hole in the wall in which she entered into a dark tunnel. It was strange that an underground shelter was built under the castle as she later noticed a light that came from a clearing. What she found was that there was the Draaza spaceship known as the Adam West that was fused into the shelter as she noticed Dirk and Gyatso using a portable oven that was made from bricks with some charcoal burning under it. The smell of a pizza cooking filled the clearing as it was also made for a dinner fit for a bunker dweller, for there would be so much more cooking in store.
"You had me worried!" yelled Reiko as she wasn't having it.
"Sorry, we fell here in the shelter while trying to get home," I said as I came out of the Adam West.
"Aora and Ghimru explored this tunnel and ended up getting dirty."
"You should see the people who own this ship," said Dirk. "They've been making pepperoni rolls in the mess hall of the ship."
"'People?'"
"I'll explain everything," I said.
It wasn't long until Reiko followed me into the Adam West as we noticed Carly and Sona going into the mess hall in which we saw Drusus helping with the occupants of the ship. Both Yorvanar and Kivrana were keeping an eye on the dough that was kneaded for pepperoni rolls as it rose in size after sitting at room temperature for thirty minutes. With the pepperoni in a bowl and the cutting board dusted with flour, it was time to get to work as Reiko never saw anything like it before. She also remembered all those times she cooked in a kitchen in the derelict ship we stayed in on Shiganshina as she was fond of cooking for whatever I brought back from hunting in the woods that were in the Dabb Mountains, for there were memories that were formed during that exile in mind.
"This place is like the ship we stayed in on Shiganshina," she said as she saw everyone helping in the mess hall making pepperoni rolls. "I remembered something like this before because that was where Sammy and the rest of our family stayed in after being exiled by Darbus Toller for six months. Oh, I missed those days when I cooked for everyone while Sammy was away keeping us fed. Those memories were happier when we faced hardship, but we thrived together as a family in the greatest of times..."
"You must be Lady Reiko," said Yorvanar as he was busy putting in the ingredients into the pepperoni rolls. "It's been said that you live up to your reputation as the goddess who destroyed Behemoth in Gale Canyon on Alecrast. You also had a hand into doing away with a religious tyrant on Baratheon in which some of the planet's population worship you as the one who liberated it in order to restore the Castellano Family back to power."
It wasn't long until Carly and Sona rushed towards Reiko as they hugged her warmly. She eventually hugged them back as they were safe and sound in which she also saw me hugging her with such love that I have. We were a family, for it never ends with blood as this was the best thing that we asked for. It wasn't long until we saw the pepperoni rolls being put into the oven as we were waiting patiently for them to cook. That also gave Kivrana time enough to put the rest of the pepperoni up for another day until she noticed Aora and Ghimru appearing out of nowhere the moment they smelled what was cooking, for they wanted to be a part of the group when it came to a familial gathering.
"You two still get into trouble, don't you?" said Reiko as she saw Aora and Ghimru waiting by the oven. "We also have dinner in the castle, too."
"But Jill and Kanna stayed behind with our siblings," said Aora.
"And the two of you shouldn't be wandering off while worrying Mommy too much," I said.
"That's right!" yelled Carly as she was scolding the oldest twins. "You can't be wandering off like that!"
"They get it, fusspot. Still, they also have a lot of curiosity just like me. I was like that when I was their age, but they will also learn to have a lot of adventure instead of being secluded in a frozen wasteland."
"'Frozen wasteland?'" said Kivrana out of curiosity. "You must've endured a lot, Sam."
"He's more than just a simple Man of Letters," said Reiko as she smiled. "He's also my Sammy."
Reiko made it clear as she was happy to see me among everyone in this pepperoni excursion. Still, there was so much to do as there was also my convalescence to consider, for it still stood, no matter what got thrown at us…
Kanna was busy playing with the younger children in the nursery as they were mainly getting their toys out until dinner. Still, she was starting to worry as she saw Jill in fresh clothes after what happened to her earlier. When she noticed her still cramping from her time of the month, she wasted no time as she allowed her to sit in the rocking chair before all of us got back. What she didn't expect was that there was Dirk and Gyatso coming with a thin square box as they were wanting the rest of our family to have their fill of dinner, for it was the best of all.
"What's with the square box?" asked Jill as she was not doing too well.
"We just made a pizza," said Gyatso as he opened it up.
"It's mainly a pepperoni one, but we'll manage," said Kanna.
"We better get the younger kids and go to the sitting room," said Dirk cautiously as he saw Kazuko and Giles still sleeping in their bassinet. "I take it that you fed them, didn't you?"
"Reiko kept some milk in the freezer for feedings," said Jill. "Thankfully, we had it thawed to feed the smaller ones."
"And I had to go on diaper duty," said Kanna.
"Sam and the others will be here shortly," said Gyatso. "We even got some new friends down in the basement."
It wasn't long until Dirk led everyone out of the nursery as the youngest ones were still sleeping. By the time they got to the sitting room, they were ready to eat the pizza that was there as Gyatso opened up the square box it was in. The pizza itself was mainly a large one as it had plenty of slices for the other children to eat. Bite after bite, the children ate at the pizza until it was all gone in which it was also very filling to be exact, for Dirk and Gyatso learned from what was there in front of them.
"That hit the spot," said Kanna as she finished her slice of pizza.
"I want more peppy roni!" yelled Zoran as he saw the square box empty.
"That was all we made," said Gyatso. "You should check out the Adam West downstairs. It's embedded in the basement, but it's also like the ship I was on before I went into stasis."
"Adam who?" asked Jill out of curiosity.
"The ship's name is Adam West in which it's named after the guy who played Batman in that old t.v. show that got a little too campy."
"Wait! Have you found Sona?" asked Kanna.
"She's alright, Kanna." I said as I had her with me.
Kanna was elated that Sona was safe as she even had her bookbag with her dolls in it. What she didn't expect was that her little sister stashed some pepperoni rolls in a handkerchief in which she gave them to her. Even though all's well that ends well, we kept all the bad things at bay as we also had to worry about them tomorrow. I didn't mind it as I also kept up on my furlough, for I didn't let too much get the better of me right now…
To be continued...
