stonecrandall Episode Two Hundred and Thirty-Two: Donuts
Episode Two Hundred and Thirty-Two: Donuts
Lord Bennit opened his mouth, but nothing came out.Indigo chirped twice.
“We were wondering if Indigo could go on a visit with us,” Lady Twilight said as she dished out food to Indigo and herself, while Lord Bennit took care of his own plate. “We have a potential clan member with a young one that we want to invite to join us.”
Immediately, I thought of Sapphire.
Lady Twilight hadn’t spoken to Lord Bennit about how she had been visiting the little one, and teaching her as well.
“That’s fine with me,” I said looking at Indigo. “I figure you won’t be gone too long.”
Indigo chirped again, cocking her head to one side. “Short visit, right?”
Lady Twilight nodded.
Lord Bennit let out a huff. “I don’t know why I’m going, to be honest, but any chance to see Indigo makes it worth it.”
“Miss you too, Grandpa.” Indigo smiled as she took a bite of her eggs.
Her words caused everything about Lord Bennit to relax, from his shoulders all the way down to his hands. Whatever changed was a good thing.
I added bacon to both the Cat’s plate and mine, along with some eggs. Then a donut each.
“What are those?” asked Lord Bennit, motioning to the donuts.
“A sweet pastry, with some frosting.” I set one on his plate, along with one on Indigo’s. “They’re good. Give it a taste, but don’t feel like you need to finish it.”
Lady Twilight waved one away.
Indigo took a small bite of the donut first and shivered in pleasure. Hers had some powdered sugar on it that wafted in the air a little.
Lady Twilight opened her mouth to say something to Lord Bennit. “The donuts are like…”
Lord Bennit took a massive bite, taking nearly half of the frosting covered donut.
“... Nevermind…” she muttered, trying not to laugh.
I ate a few pieces of bacon as I watched him drink some tea to wash the sweetness down. “Not a fan of sweets?” I asked, reading his expression.
“Not that sweet…” he mumbled as he coughed, clearly embarrassed.
Indigo took another couple of small bites out of her donut and ate her eggs faster than normal. She wanted to spend time with the rest of her family, but she didn’t like leaving the shop.
That was something we needed to figure out. It ranked right up there with the Cat’s problem. Plus, I wanted to see the Clan’s lands.
I added it to my mental list of things to do, then something else came to mind. “Indigo, are you caught up with your school work?”
Her eyes went wide, then she nodded. “Weeks ahead. I finished a few classes.”
“School work?” asked Lord Bennit under his breath, with a curious glance.
Lady Twilight smiled brightly. “Lady Sable found a schooling system from her world that Indigo uses to learn all about human history. It’s specialized, but the music and art classes cross over quite well, throughout most civilized worlds The math is taught in a weird fashion, but Indigo loves it.”
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“Not math, classes…” added Indigo.
“Yes, you love your classes.” Lady Twilight nodded at me. “You went above and beyond with that.”
“I figured she’d have fun, between listening to stories from your clan, and the books she’s been reading. The school is just something a little more structured, so she can explore the various broad strokes of topics out there beyond her natural favorites.”
“Good choice,” said Lord Bennit, after taking a couple pieces of bacon for his plate. “It can be hard to keep the little ones learning fast enough to not get into trouble.”
Indigo didn’t get into much trouble at all, but I wasn’t going to say that. Instead, I focused on my bacon and eggs, leaving my donut for last.
It didn’t take long for everyone to finish up, and I set my donut aside.
The Cat padded closer to my elbow, his presence a comfort as Indigo leaped up to Lord Bennit’s shoulder.
“Don’t be gone too long,” I said with a grin, as we all stood around the island.
“We won’t,” said Lady Twilight, her eyes sparkling. “I think Indigo here will make a good friend, and the Clan will welcome another member.”
Lord Bennit’s attention stayed on Indigo, who was rattling on about something from one of her classes.
Then they were off, heading out the door and leaving the Cat and I alone. Indigo’s painting hung on the fridge, like I said it would once she finished. She’d added a small blob with wings coming off of it, along with a red box with a coffee mug next to it with a smile on it.
“Ah, look,” I said with a soft smile. “She added herself and Betty to her painting.”
The Cat paused and glanced at it before nodding. “She will return.”
“I know,” I said, pulling him into my arms. “Plus, this way we don’t need to worry about her while we’re working, but I miss her when she's gone.”
“We’ll keep busy,” he said, as he snuggled under my chin.
I picked up my mug and headed to the front. “We will, plus it’s better that we don’t spill the beans that Lady Twilight already knows the potential clan member, as well as Indigo.”
The Cat chuckled. “Dragon politics are a mystery, though Lady Twilight could run the clan with her eyes closed.”
“Well duh, she just doesn’t want the responsibility, she’d rather teach Indigo.” I shook my head as I set him down, along with my mug. “Plus, it's good for Lord Bennit to stay busy.”
The Cat studied my face. “What do you mean?”
“Lord Bennit needs to lead the clan, it is part of him. Without that, he would be lost. She knows that.”
The Cat shook his head. “How do you know that?”
I shrugged. “I just do.”
The better question was, how did the Cat not notice that? Still, he knew all sorts of things that I didn’t.
“So, what's the plan for today?” I asked, sitting on my stool. I wrapped both hands around my mug and took a sip. My plate with the donut appeared on the counter. “Thanks, Betty.”
“I don’t know,” muttered the Cat, as he sat down staring at the door. “The book won’t let me turn any pages.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
“I hope the cursed fates give me some hint, though the dragons’ visit might have thrown things off,” he added, still staring at the door.
“What about you Betty, any ideas?” I asked, hoping that something came to mind.
The shop sat in the default non-magical bookstore configuration. Lots of books, but all of it appeared pretty normal. Like when we had deliveries. No children’s section meant no Molly.
The shop trembled.
The Cat went taught, his eyes darting all over the shop.
I laid a hand on the counter. “What’s up, honey?”
Something had bothered the shop, but it wasn’t like she spoke to me about it. More impressions and emotions than anything else.
Again the counter trembled, but nothing else happened. No warmth or emotional pulse.
The Cat’s hair stood out in all directions.
I pushed a wave of golden magic out and over the shop. The trembling stopped and everything settled into place. The golden magic soaked into the floorboards and pressed against the door.
Just as quickly as it vanished, the shop shifted. Bookshelves rearranged themselves and the massive table in the center of the room shook as the books changed and stacks piled high.
Then everything stopped.
“Well, Betty knows what’s up…” I said quietly.
The Cat’s eyes were wide, and he suddenly jumped off the counter and raced up the stairs. “This can’t be happening again!”