FHC B3 Chapter 15: Tea Time Chat

Cursed, wretched, twisted roots.

Strangle, constrict, deny the blood.

I hunt, I must. Shackles that tie, bindings that dig deeper than fur and flesh.

I’ll escape the hearth. It was never home.

I sat up and licked my lips. They were dry. There was a taste on my tongue, coppery, but more–like it was mixed with rotten pistachio.

As I worked my spit and loosened my tongue, Freki poked his nose into my side. I rubbed his head and observed the surroundings.

Haven Five was peaceful and empty of anyone else other than Freki and me. I was half expecting Grim to show up and scare me.

At least he’s leaving me alone. I’ll see him soon enough.

After cleaning myself and enjoying the relaxing morning while I could, I eventually fixed my gear in place and recalled Freki into my shadow.

Once I pushed past the magical door and entered the Whisper tunnels, I envisioned the mess hall and started running. I exited not too far away and could already smell the soup of the day.

When I entered the mess hall, it was empty. Weirdly so. I expected someone, probably an older Grimm, to be sitting in one of the back corners.

Volto was still here, and he grunted my way as I pulled up a chair.

“Morning. Little empty, isn’t it?” I asked.

He poured soup into a deep-dish and set it aside to flip some meat. “You're early.”

I am?

It didn’t feel early.

The bulky man dropped a mountain of a meal onto my table and I sped through it while nursing my drink. It was rather nice being able to eat without eyes watching you. An opportunity I rarely had and could appreciate.

Not that I’d get many more mornings like the current one.

I finished up and washed my dishes before waving goodbye.

The next stop was Astra, and to wait for Alice.

As I turned the corner of a side tunnel, I stopped as a cloaked figure exited from one of the rooms.

He held up his hand and looked me in the eyes, a scowl forming across his face.

“Cain,” Proltus stated.

I titled my head and examined his body posture. He looked relaxed, and his hands were away from any weapon.

“What do you want? I’m pretty sure Alice made it clear when she tossed you.”

His eye twitched, but he kept his hands up.

“Just a suggestion. And maybe a warning.”

“You threatening me?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Like I said, it’s a suggestion.”

Uhuh.

“Go on.”

He slowly lowered his hands. “Three days. The Prime’s trial. Whether or not we start the initiation ritual again.”

“And how do you know about that?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

I growled. “Who?”

He glared, but I held my ground till he crossed his arms. His fists were balled, yet his shoulders were relaxed. There wasn’t anger in his eyes like I expected; instead, he stared directly into mine with a weird calm.

“Voldeg.”

I recognized the name and the face, the Grimm being the screaming man who was arguing with Garret.

“And what’s the suggestion?”

“Simple,” he replied. “Don’t lose.”

That’s it?

“Really? That’s all you wanted to tell me?”

Proltus nodded and backed up, lowering his arms as he reached a bend in the tunnel.

“We need the numbers. Don’t lose,” he repeated.

I watched him reach the corner and he bared his teeth before disappearing from sight. As he left, I waited till the sounds of his footfalls were far enough away before I peeked around the bend.

He was already out of sight so I straightened and continued toward the Archive.

All three interactions with the guy had ended in him scurrying off like a rat. And it wasn’t like I planned on losing.

I knew the peaceful morning was lasting too long. At least I didn’t have to fight him.

Freki poked his snout from beneath me and I gave it a gentle boop.

“Next time, go for the toes. Just like you did with Garret,” I joked.

Freki returned to being out of sight and I continued to Astra’s abode.

—---

Luckily, she was inside and answered the door before I could open it. She welcomed me with a stack of scrolls in her arms and I helped carry some to the appropriate shelf before we moved to the tables in the back.

“Morning to you, Cain. You’re up rather early,” she greeted.

I sat down and shook my head. “Apparently. I went to bed around midnight. Maybe my body didn’t want sleep today.”

“Did you raise your constitution pretty high lately?”

I nodded.

“There you go. Your body takes some time to adjust to the new stats. Especially once you hit a certain threshold.”

It made sense.

“I don’t recall having any issues before, though.”

She pulled out a teaset and poured me a cup before sat down. Her dress billowed out and she sank into the chair while clutching her own cup of steaming tea.

“I wish I could tell you exactly how it works, but each Grimm tends to be different. What is the threshold for you might be different for others. If you’re tired later, you’ll know if your body has acquired enough rest.”

“And if it hasn’t?” I asked between sips.

“Then you learn to brew your own cradle tea. One of the few things strong enough to get through our resistance.”

We talked about a few other things and I finished my cup. She moved to pour me another, but I shook my head and reached into my pocket.

The apple-smelling necklace dangled down and I placed it on the table before sliding it over.

“Can you take a look at this? Do you see anything wrong with it?”

Astra set the teapot aside and picked up the necklace. She sniffed and her eyes widened.

“Apples? That’s interesting.”

“Detect anything magical on it?”

“Magical?” she muttered. “Where did you get this?”

Gut said crazy old witch, but instead, I shrugged.

“From in town. Never seen a crystal that smells like apples before.”

“I haven’t either.”

For a time, she examined the crystal and even brought out a pair of instruments from a nearby shelf. She held it up to the light and even wrapped her chains around it before eventually returning it to the table.

“Beyond the pleasant smell, no, I don’t detect anything.”

“Shame, would have been a cool trinket,” I said as I put the necklace on and tucked it underneath my shirt. “Beyond that, have you heard anything?”

Astra looked confused, but she wiped her mouth and folded her hands in front of her, gently but firmly gripping the saucer plate.

“Heard what? Has something happened?”

So she hasn’t found out yet. Alright.

“Yes, actually. There was a meeting and Grim showed up.”

The smile on her face faded away and she leaned forward. “What meeting?”

“Some secret meeting, middle of the woods. There was some arguing going on over a spell circle. Anyway. Grim showed up and he lit the circle and declared that there’ll be a decision made.”

“And?”

“Whether or not we create more Grimms for the harvest.”

“What?!”

“And that it’ll be decided by a fight. He called it a trial.”

She slammed her hands onto the table and knocked over a scroll that unfurled against the floor. Glowing red ink caught the light but I turned and watched Astra’s chains slowly snake upward.

“That… Of all the things he could do, this is by far the dumbest.” She slammed the table again and stood up. “That’s it. I’m going to find him. This can’t be allowed!”

As the chains tightened around her body, her eyes flashed neon yellow and she fixed her dress. She ignored me even as I stood up and marched for the door. But before she could open it, it opened itself with Alice entering the room.

She took in the situation and glanced my way before crossing her arms. “Astra?”

“Please move out of the way. I’m off to see the Prime.”

Alice didn’t move.

“Alice…” Astra growled.

“No.”

“And why not?”

The younger Grimm crossed her arms. “Because it doesn’t matter.”