"Gah!" Grappa and Jellisha had been fairly busy in their shared room when Serilda's motherly voice had summoned them down below. Jellisha had been busy sipping on a milk carton and reading the newest issue of the graphic novel she was a fan of that included robots, lone, war and just about anything with robots. In Grappa's lap would have been a stack of large, blank documents with a series of hastily scribbled designs of upcoming parts and machines that had been in the back of their mind for quite some time now. They were drafts, about to be submitted for approval or review to be considered if such an idea was doable in the eyes of the EC. A lot of their ideas were about as doable as building a gunship in the sky and calling it a home base, but every so often a cheap yet effective idea would make it through the cracks. It had been mainly on account of their little spending spree a few short months prior, when the two of them had single handedly managed to spend a little more than what it typically cost the Rune Knights to have their facilities and stock them for at least half a year. This little act had almost gotten them kicked out of the field and their positions had it not been for the intervention of Seri and Mythal once again. Although they got to not be fired basically, the punishment that had befallen them more than made up for it. Grounded for a solid month, with their only time outside of the room being for work purposes. It was enough to drive the girls insane! Ever since, they had taken good care not to end up on the wrong side of the review board. Be it keeping an eye on their fellow members, cutting costs out to make up for their little mistake and pay off what their debt was sooner, or if the two would just simply help out more around the house some. Their efforts must have gardenered the attention of their parents, as both girls would immediately stop what they were doing and begin the descent down the staircase.
"Coming!"
They shouted back down in unison. Their feet rushed to be the first one whose touched the ground floor first as they typically did when in a rush. Jellisha's strategy involved staying on the outside before coming closer during the end and utilizing the speed gained to close the gap while Grappa's was a far more simple "be faster than your opponent" stance. This time, Jellisha would be the first one down, after managing to stick her toes out just enough to hit the floor milliseconds before her sister had done. She had mastered this move that it could be performed without making Grappa trip and fall down a few stairs before. The first few times that had happened, the proceeding five minutes or so would be to quell the stream of her sister's tears with any apologies being said. The twins would look up at their mother, eyes full of intrigue as they had always been. Thankfully, Serilda would offer them praise on their accomplishments this far and talk about how much responsibilities they had managed to balance effortlessly. And all it took was the threat of being made prisoner in their own house to do so! The two looked at one another with confused but relieved eyes before their vision swerved back towards their mother and father who looked down upon them with a loving stare. "Yeah. We worked super hard for you guys!" Grappa said proudly, sticking her chest out triumphantly as if she were modeling for the Sorcerer's Magazine article "Best Exceed to Copy a Human's Appearance". Jellisha was a tad bit more relaxed than her sibling but was still interested in that increase of responsibilities that Serilda had talked about. "An...increase? What are we getting now? Do we get to fly one of the airships now? Or do we get access to the explosives with actual firepower?"
"But we already get to work with explosives."
"But not the big ones..." Jellisha complained but catching her little slip as she smiled nervously at their parents. "N-Not that there's anything wrong with not doing that. Hehe..."
Instead of a super rare weapon, or the ability to cast a worm hole, or even teaching them some of her void magic, Serilda motioned for the two to follow her into a portal after summoning it just in front of her with the briefest of efforts. The swirling lavender colored tear in reality as visually appealing to the two as it had always been. The white haired mother went in before her two little purple furred gooselings as it had become a fully fledged family outing. It felt just like that time Seri and them had went on their first mission together! So maybe that was the reward?
The hole deposited the four of them inside of a store filled with the brim with animals. Birds of all colors, canines of all sizes, even cats?...Wouldn't that be some kind of weird reverse slavery? The twins gazed around the cleanly lit environment in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "Where are we?" Grappa asked, tilting her head to the side as would have likely darted off in a random direction before the act of their mother putting a hand on their shoulders and explaining just what they were here for.
Of course, a pet! How could they have been so stupid! Their eyes were alit with the possibilities of handling something on their very own! Not only that, but they each got one! "Whoa, we each get one?!" Jellisha said in awe. "Cool! I wanna get something awesome!" Of course, they were given a bit of a limit. Just the pet itself, the accessories and essentials and a toy or so. It was something to help get them on their way. On the order of their silver haired commander, the ever doting mother the twins had come to know her of, they were sent off in search of whatever pets that took their interest. The two pairs of small uniform boots would hit the floor as the two rounded a corner with eyes peering at all the animals in cages. There was excitement, but also some amount of confusion. Is this what humans did with the animals that didn't have enough intelligence? Could they have been in a pet store before being brought to the Rune Knights? It certainly was possibility after all.
All existential crises aside, the girls would begin their long romp through the store in search of a pet for the two of them. Their first stop was the standard and well honored tradition of what it meant to get a pet: dogs and cats. Both were a fairly short lived venture, as the two weren't exactly the most trusting of animals of the canine variety. Call it instincts. They could never really go into their exceed forms either since training a pup like that was something close to becoming a chew toy for an overactive dog. Cats were pretty self explanatory. The two looked incredibly uncomfortable to even be in a room with the same creature type. They didn't even speak the same language despite being cats as well. Just...cats shaped as humans. Going deeper and deeper didn't help things at all, as the girls would stumble across the next selection of animals here. There were little ferrets and hamsters running amok in their containers which took the girl's interest for a while. The small beings tussled around with one another while a few off in the back would be entertained by running around in one of those wheels for whatever the reason. It was a sort of weird feeling for the two. Capturing an animal like this and forcing it into such a limited kind of space almost felt bad in a sort of way. It was hard to explain in full but the idea just didn't sit well with them.
"There's snakes." Grappa said while looking over towards the glass contains of those reptiles. Jellisha shook her head and would pull her sister away. "We don't do snakes. I don't want anything larger than us and I'm sure as hell not pulling you out of a snake's stomach after he eats you." The two were seated in the middle of an aisle, perplexed as to what animal they would choose to make to adopt as a pet here. Their parents were likely waiting for their selection but without a clue as to which, the two did feel that the pressure was on them to pick something out. "We gotta pick something out at least..." Grappa looked back at her sister while moving her head forward a little to not have it get caught in the thin opening of the shelves here. Jellisha would pout while listening out of Seri and Mythal in the hopes they wouldn't be searching around for the girls and be too caught up in whatever parents talked about. Weather? Sports? Missions? Jellisha sprung up to her feet as did Grappa as a bit of commotion from the next aisle over would catch the attention of the two smaller shoppers. A pair of store employees would be surrounded be broken glass while a third was covering a hole with his hand in order to prevent any more water to escape from the cracked glass. "That's the fourth tank this week! These damn things keep breaking every container we put them in." the blonde haired one said, his long hair in a ponytail which came to rest at his midback in that style that the two found enjoyment in. Their eyes shot over towards the tank in question, where two medium sized animals would be sunbathing on a rock.
They were a strange kind of creature, one the twins had not encountered just yet in their time on this world. Most obviously a reptile based on their scales but at this size? And that strange pink coloration taking up most of their body? They could have been mistaken for overgrown worms had it not been for the eyes, limbs and tail. One of the other employees huffed and would have retrieved a broom in the time it took for Grappa and Jellisha to observe the animals for themselves. This employee was the shortest of the two with shaggy, brown hair and glasses that slid down his nose almost constantly fighting against him. "I don't even know why the boss is selling these anyway. Dracolotls don't even sell that well now that their environment's gone to shit. Feel bad for these guys, being the last of their group. No wonder they get bored." Jellisha turned to her sister and was greeted by that face she knew all too well.
"Jellisha!"
"I know."
"They're so cute! And there's two, just like us! This is perfect!"
"Yeah...So I guess this is our choice, huh?"
After some smooth talking with the employees and getting all the required things that they would need for their newfound pets, the twins would take stock of their situation as Seri and Mythal would speak regarding payment of supplies and such. Jellisha was reading a guide for the animals given to them which outlined all their important facts and handling information. Grappa stood beside with her an excitable and we'll meant grin on her face. "Huh. It says here that dracolotls can grow up to 2 feet when fully grown despite the meager shaped height they start out as." Grappa turned her head down at the encased lizards and then back at her sister while picking out two colored leashes; a green one and a red one. They also selected a pair of bowls, a tank to put the things in, some nice rocks, and collars. It was a little more exotic than the two had been hoping for, but the twins left the shop as happy as an Exceed with a ball of yarn...plus two new additions to the family.
"Coming!"
They shouted back down in unison. Their feet rushed to be the first one whose touched the ground floor first as they typically did when in a rush. Jellisha's strategy involved staying on the outside before coming closer during the end and utilizing the speed gained to close the gap while Grappa's was a far more simple "be faster than your opponent" stance. This time, Jellisha would be the first one down, after managing to stick her toes out just enough to hit the floor milliseconds before her sister had done. She had mastered this move that it could be performed without making Grappa trip and fall down a few stairs before. The first few times that had happened, the proceeding five minutes or so would be to quell the stream of her sister's tears with any apologies being said. The twins would look up at their mother, eyes full of intrigue as they had always been. Thankfully, Serilda would offer them praise on their accomplishments this far and talk about how much responsibilities they had managed to balance effortlessly. And all it took was the threat of being made prisoner in their own house to do so! The two looked at one another with confused but relieved eyes before their vision swerved back towards their mother and father who looked down upon them with a loving stare. "Yeah. We worked super hard for you guys!" Grappa said proudly, sticking her chest out triumphantly as if she were modeling for the Sorcerer's Magazine article "Best Exceed to Copy a Human's Appearance". Jellisha was a tad bit more relaxed than her sibling but was still interested in that increase of responsibilities that Serilda had talked about. "An...increase? What are we getting now? Do we get to fly one of the airships now? Or do we get access to the explosives with actual firepower?"
"But we already get to work with explosives."
"But not the big ones..." Jellisha complained but catching her little slip as she smiled nervously at their parents. "N-Not that there's anything wrong with not doing that. Hehe..."
Instead of a super rare weapon, or the ability to cast a worm hole, or even teaching them some of her void magic, Serilda motioned for the two to follow her into a portal after summoning it just in front of her with the briefest of efforts. The swirling lavender colored tear in reality as visually appealing to the two as it had always been. The white haired mother went in before her two little purple furred gooselings as it had become a fully fledged family outing. It felt just like that time Seri and them had went on their first mission together! So maybe that was the reward?
The hole deposited the four of them inside of a store filled with the brim with animals. Birds of all colors, canines of all sizes, even cats?...Wouldn't that be some kind of weird reverse slavery? The twins gazed around the cleanly lit environment in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "Where are we?" Grappa asked, tilting her head to the side as would have likely darted off in a random direction before the act of their mother putting a hand on their shoulders and explaining just what they were here for.
Of course, a pet! How could they have been so stupid! Their eyes were alit with the possibilities of handling something on their very own! Not only that, but they each got one! "Whoa, we each get one?!" Jellisha said in awe. "Cool! I wanna get something awesome!" Of course, they were given a bit of a limit. Just the pet itself, the accessories and essentials and a toy or so. It was something to help get them on their way. On the order of their silver haired commander, the ever doting mother the twins had come to know her of, they were sent off in search of whatever pets that took their interest. The two pairs of small uniform boots would hit the floor as the two rounded a corner with eyes peering at all the animals in cages. There was excitement, but also some amount of confusion. Is this what humans did with the animals that didn't have enough intelligence? Could they have been in a pet store before being brought to the Rune Knights? It certainly was possibility after all.
All existential crises aside, the girls would begin their long romp through the store in search of a pet for the two of them. Their first stop was the standard and well honored tradition of what it meant to get a pet: dogs and cats. Both were a fairly short lived venture, as the two weren't exactly the most trusting of animals of the canine variety. Call it instincts. They could never really go into their exceed forms either since training a pup like that was something close to becoming a chew toy for an overactive dog. Cats were pretty self explanatory. The two looked incredibly uncomfortable to even be in a room with the same creature type. They didn't even speak the same language despite being cats as well. Just...cats shaped as humans. Going deeper and deeper didn't help things at all, as the girls would stumble across the next selection of animals here. There were little ferrets and hamsters running amok in their containers which took the girl's interest for a while. The small beings tussled around with one another while a few off in the back would be entertained by running around in one of those wheels for whatever the reason. It was a sort of weird feeling for the two. Capturing an animal like this and forcing it into such a limited kind of space almost felt bad in a sort of way. It was hard to explain in full but the idea just didn't sit well with them.
"There's snakes." Grappa said while looking over towards the glass contains of those reptiles. Jellisha shook her head and would pull her sister away. "We don't do snakes. I don't want anything larger than us and I'm sure as hell not pulling you out of a snake's stomach after he eats you." The two were seated in the middle of an aisle, perplexed as to what animal they would choose to make to adopt as a pet here. Their parents were likely waiting for their selection but without a clue as to which, the two did feel that the pressure was on them to pick something out. "We gotta pick something out at least..." Grappa looked back at her sister while moving her head forward a little to not have it get caught in the thin opening of the shelves here. Jellisha would pout while listening out of Seri and Mythal in the hopes they wouldn't be searching around for the girls and be too caught up in whatever parents talked about. Weather? Sports? Missions? Jellisha sprung up to her feet as did Grappa as a bit of commotion from the next aisle over would catch the attention of the two smaller shoppers. A pair of store employees would be surrounded be broken glass while a third was covering a hole with his hand in order to prevent any more water to escape from the cracked glass. "That's the fourth tank this week! These damn things keep breaking every container we put them in." the blonde haired one said, his long hair in a ponytail which came to rest at his midback in that style that the two found enjoyment in. Their eyes shot over towards the tank in question, where two medium sized animals would be sunbathing on a rock.
They were a strange kind of creature, one the twins had not encountered just yet in their time on this world. Most obviously a reptile based on their scales but at this size? And that strange pink coloration taking up most of their body? They could have been mistaken for overgrown worms had it not been for the eyes, limbs and tail. One of the other employees huffed and would have retrieved a broom in the time it took for Grappa and Jellisha to observe the animals for themselves. This employee was the shortest of the two with shaggy, brown hair and glasses that slid down his nose almost constantly fighting against him. "I don't even know why the boss is selling these anyway. Dracolotls don't even sell that well now that their environment's gone to shit. Feel bad for these guys, being the last of their group. No wonder they get bored." Jellisha turned to her sister and was greeted by that face she knew all too well.
"Jellisha!"
"I know."
"They're so cute! And there's two, just like us! This is perfect!"
"Yeah...So I guess this is our choice, huh?"
After some smooth talking with the employees and getting all the required things that they would need for their newfound pets, the twins would take stock of their situation as Seri and Mythal would speak regarding payment of supplies and such. Jellisha was reading a guide for the animals given to them which outlined all their important facts and handling information. Grappa stood beside with her an excitable and we'll meant grin on her face. "Huh. It says here that dracolotls can grow up to 2 feet when fully grown despite the meager shaped height they start out as." Grappa turned her head down at the encased lizards and then back at her sister while picking out two colored leashes; a green one and a red one. They also selected a pair of bowls, a tank to put the things in, some nice rocks, and collars. It was a little more exotic than the two had been hoping for, but the twins left the shop as happy as an Exceed with a ball of yarn...plus two new additions to the family.
