Chapter 63 Easy to Bribe
The majority of their time went into mixing the ingredients, and pausing for work and actual food.
Baking-wise, they had enough ovens, not to mention they were large enough to do each batch at once.
But then, they needed that amount with how many people lived in the compound and just in his house.
Even if they all didn’t eat with them for every meal, or any meal, baked goods always drew them in.
They had, of course, already cut out and set aside a small slice of lemon meringue, while hiding the rest of the pies in the back of one of the large fridges, so they could taunt the Fate a bit.
“You know, I didn’t believe you at first, but the man sure is slow as molasses when it comes to shopping,” Ender said with a laugh as he set the last meat pie on the cooling rack with the others.
The smell was making his mouth water a bit. He was so eating part of one…or possibly all of one, as soon as it wouldn’t burn his mouth.
Killian hummed, “I mean, yes he's slow, but he has good taste. As in, he tends to buy things people would actually wear.”
That was a plus, he supposed. Not that it would exactly benefit him much.
Ender wasn’t particularly hard to shop for.
He was a simple man who wore simple things, and would usually go for comfort over fashion.
Aside from his jeans, boots, and hats, the clothes he bought tended to come in packs.
Killian, he noticed, was not much for simple, based on the often flamboyant clothing he wore.
He pursed his lips. “That’s good to know, but I have to say, it’s great to know that it’s best I never step foot into a store with him, or I risk having to find a spot to hide his body.”
“Yeah, I’ve made that mistake more times than I’d like to admit. And it’s not fun when you aren’t in the mood to spend all day walking,” Killian snickered. “Let’s just say, I’ve left his ass alone in a few shopping centers before.”
“I’m sure you have. Toddles has to be about to explode, if he hasn’t already.” He paused, smirking as his ears picked up a door slamming and the sound of arguing in the distance. “Ohh, looks like they are no longer missing in action!”
“No, no, and no! There is zero explanation for it taking that FUCKING long for you to pick out shit! NONE! ZIP! ZERO!!” Soren angrily roared. His brother’s accent was out, and his words were clear, even though the two hadn’t made it to the kitchen yet.
“I mean, I got everything and more. It will all be used, so I’m failing to see the problem,” Cyrus drawled. The man’s voice was more muffled as he wasn’t screaming.
“Ahh, yes, as that one bag is just what we fucking needed!” the Harpy sneered, as he practically slammed the double swinging kitchen doors open and walked in. The Cryptid’s arms were loaded with brown shopping bags, making him wonder why they hadn’t just brought a cart.
“It’s all necessary,” Cyrus snickered as he walked in behind Soren, the Fate carrying just as much.
The two must have removed their disguises before they came in, as they looked like themselves.
Soren’s hair, however, was simmering slightly and producing a trail of smoke, as if giving out a warning to stay away, while the man’s eyes flickered with flames.
There were also feathers peeking out from beneath the collar of his sweater.
The Harpy was clearly on the edge of transforming and fighting it.
Cyrus looked happy as can be, and Ender couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate the way the man’s white sweater hugged his muscles, not to mention how it looked against his tawny bronze skin.
“You break my doors and you will be replacing them, Toddles,” Ender warned, before cheekily teasing, “Ain’t you two a sight for sore eyes. Thought we’d lost y’all for good.”
Soren let out an angry chirp, a small burst of fire coming from his mouth and hair, before he deposited all of the bags he was carrying onto the floor and stormed back out of the kitchen without another word.
The Fate watched the man go, before saying with a shit-eating smile that flashed his sharp canines, “Wonder what his problem was?”
“I see you had fun,” Killian giggled.
“Mm,” the man hummed, before taking a deep breath in. “Damn, it smells good in here. Baking?” Cyrus asked, while carefully setting all of his bags down aside from one.
“We have been pretty much all day,” Ender mused.
“Well, I have something for you, Ender.” Cyrus moved to the counter.
His brow rose at that. “For me?”
Ender’s eyes widened slightly when one by one the Fate pulled out and unwrapped six small white chicken figurines wearing rainboots of different colors. The chickens formed a rainbow as Cyrus lined them up on the island.
“Saw them and thought you’d like them.”
“Cute,” Killian laughed.
Ender glanced from the Fate’s smiling face, back down at the chickens. As he stared, his stomach oddly fluttered in a way he wasn’t sure he liked, or cared to examine, but…
“Uhh, I can return them if you don’t like them?” Cyrus said hesitantly, when he had stayed quiet for too damn long.
“No, they are mine,” Ender huffed, as his gaze flicked back up.
The Fate blinked, clearly confused. “So, you…like them?”
He hesitated for a moment and then spun around, going straight to the fridge he knew held the lemon meringue pies.
Instead of taking out the single slice they’d prepared, he shifted things around and grabbed one of the full pies, setting it on the counter in front of Cyrus, after grabbing a fork from the drawer.
The Fate’s gaze seemed to zero in on the pie, the man’s eyes practically sparkling as he saw it. Ender laughed in disbelief when, without a single word, Cyrus grabbed it and the fork and scurried out of the kitchen, as if he feared they’d take it away or he’d have to share.
“He is going to eat that whole damn thing.” Killian sighed, before eyeing him in disgust. “You are way too easy to bribe.”
“More of a trade than a bribe,” Ender defended, as he went to the knickknack shelf and started to move things around. He may need to get a bigger one. He wasn’t sure if he could make enough room to fit the six figurines in a row, and they had to fit that way…
“Mmhmm,” the Siren hummed, clearly judging him.
“I traded a pie for some chickens. But I’m thinking I could have gotten more. I figure he’d likely trade either of us for it, if I go off the look I just saw in his eyes.”
“Read him in an instant, I see,” Killian giggled. “He’d get us back afterwards at least.”
“I’m sure he would.”
He frowned as he eyed the rows. Get a new shelf or…should he just remove the non-chicken things and add them to other cases in his house? It was mostly chickens now anyway…
Mmm choices…ugh.