Flan, Bon Appetit! [Private | Masha]

Yuvon didn’t forget things.

He was incapable of forgetting anything he experienced in life. His Memory-Make Magic prevented him from forgetting even the slightest details, much to both his favor and chagrin. Some delicious events were savored for eternity, and other… less favorable events would always haunt his mind at night. It was part of his ephemeral life as a mage, and it was a part of himself that he had acclimated to long ago. No matter what traumas he would experience in life, as long as he kept his head high and marched forward, he would grow stronger than that trauma. He would grow stronger than time itself, one day, that much was certain for him. His ambition was unyielding… but so was his vibe.

And his vibe was that of a young lad just wanting to relax and read a good book on the couch in the guild hall when other members were away. If you ever needed his help, you could find him either reading or straight up snoring his worries away on that couch… but responsibility was ultimate. And what symbolized responsibility in its textbook form?

Having a kid, of course.

Masha, the oddly attractive mem- oh wait, she was a succubus… but surely, her beauty was all her, right? It would sound like an insult to a fellow member of the esteemed Silver Pack to say that merely her succubus heritage contributed to her olympian beauty- but then again, how could it truly be proven? If anything, merely speculating over it was a bad manner… he silently apologized to the redhead sorceress with both hands clapped in front of him.

Damn, now he felt bad… he should try to make her a gift or something. Maybe a flan- yes, flan! And she had an adorable, little wolf pup with her too – Giovanni, arguably the youngest member of a guild ever in the history of guilds. Flan was safe and soft enough for the toddler to try… but it had to be a good flan. No, the best flan!

That was it! Genius! Yuvon did possess a recipe that he borrowed from his aunt before leaving Minstrel! All he had to do was to hit the kitchen up and… and…

As he stayed on the couch with no intention of moving, he realized something grave. Apocrypha usually had the most organized structure and collection of documents, but the recipe on flan was on the far ends of his head. He had trouble thinking back to it… so he had to physically enter Apocrypha and fetch the recipe by hand. Ohhhhh, that was going to be a journey – Apocrypha was the manifestation of his mind and self, a library of his subconscious design, and he hadn’t visited the place in a while.

“Hmmmhh… surely, I can conjure back the recipe just like thi- n-no, too far back in my memory, huh? How come I can’t fetch it back up immediately? Apocrypha must be in grave need of an overhaul… the Seekers also need a makeover, too, they keep scaring my precious guildmates! How come they even look like sentient octopi to begin with? It’s rather peculiar that they’d decide to take that form, I didn’t even give the command… and I remember that very clearly. A lot must change…”

Slowly but surely, he just began monologuing about the possible updates he desired to commit on the pocket dimension in his brain known as Apocrypha. Claiming the couch like that, he possibly looked a little… off – especially wearing that Cthulhu-inspired mask. Deep inside, however, he was a gentle soul… but a few workers easily left him alone there, simply deciding to ignore his presence on their way out of the guild hall.

WC: 624

Childish giggling echoed down the hallway of Silver Wolf headquarters. A near naked toddler sized being darted through the hallways. A diaper hung precariously around the tyke's waist. Water streamed from the boy and left several puddles on the floor. He paused, stifling his giggles with his hand in the middle of a doorway. A voice called out. "Giovanni? Where are you, you rascal? Mama is looking for you!" The boy squealed, darting away again. The clicking of shoes could clearly be heard ringing out behind him.

Masha had bathed Giovanni, grateful to finally have a place to do so. She'd set him down for a moment to drain the tub. Turning around, the redhead had been beholden to an empty bathroom. For a few moments she panicked. They hadn't been in HQ that long and the months before hadn't been any kind of safe. Masha still forgot they were in safety sometimes. Then her sharp hearing had picked up a peculiar sound. High pitched laughter like that an excited child would make. Masha's smile had been wide as she began tracking down her mischievous child.

Giovanni got distracted when he saw the couch. More specifically, he got distracted by the figure sitting there. Clambering up with some difficulty, the tyke reached for Yuvon's tentacles. His stubby fingers couldn't quite reach as he steadied himself against Yuvon's shoulder. Straining, Giovanni reached. The tips of his fingers tangled in the tentacles before his foot slipped off the couch. The tyke seemed unworried as he tumbled toward the floor. Masha arrived in time to see the terrifying scene. "Giovanni!" She cried out, her hands up as if to catch him. Her magic reacted to her plea.

Masha shot across the room. Her hands slid under her baby's body, snuggling him to safety in an instant. Giovanni seemed to realize his brush with 'death'. He cried out, burrowing his face into his mother's bosom. The redhead knelt in front of Yuvon, clutching her terrified 'toddler'. It looked like there would be a different kind of terror in this new home. Ones born of a curious toddler and the endless playground of danger he now found himself in.

WC: 365
Total: 989

… What the-

There was a child running around close by! For a brief moment, Yuvon was alerted of that voice that he hadn’t recognized in this interval of milliseconds, bewildered that the voice of an infant would reach their halls without warning. It jolted his face up as he turned his masked gaze towards the hallway… then he remembered Masha’s child, Giovanni. Dummy… why would he ever forget such a thing?!

Although, it was strange to hear the child’s laughter running across the hallway without the voice of his dear mother close by. Subsequently, however, Masha’s recognizable voice did travel across the rooms, calling out for her bratty kid who darted further and further towards… the librarian?

“U-Uhhh… uh-hum, high spirits?” Yuvon greeted the toddler who tried to grab onto the tendrils of his mask with some difficulty, “N-No, no, those are easily bendable, y-you gotta be careful…” Yuvon had no experience dealing with kids that young, for he was raised an only child. Secondly, this was the first time in quite a while that a human being that young engaged in a rather one-sided conversation with him. He felt a bit thrown off by the sheer naivety of the child and didn’t know how to further get the message across.

Luckily, Masha rushed in just as poor Giovanni had tumbled himself down towards the floor. A baby’s head could’ve taken serious damage from that fall, and Yuvon had almost thrown a magic circle up himself… but the illustrious madame was always a step ahead. Befitting of a dutiful mother. “T-There, there, now… you’re safe with your mama now,” Yuvon felt the need to reassure to the sobbing child and even reached a hand out to gentle brush it across Giovanni’s cheek where tears began to trickle down. In all honesty, it felt heavy – Yuvon didn’t want to associate the little shock with himself, but at the same time, he could’ve been a little quicker to grab the child… and those thoughts began to develop guilt in his heart. What a curse.

“How old is he? He’s extremely adventurous for a toddler… maybe he’s got it from his hardworking mother, hmm?”

WC: 362
TWC: 1351

Masha assured herself that Giovanni was alright as the masked man spoke. She smiled up at him once Giovanni cooed happily. "He's six months going on seven months." Despite Giovanni's appearance, the tyke barely had a handful of months to his name. Masha's own unique biology had altered that of her son's. She hoped to eventually unravel the mystery behind her body. Whatever had been done to her seemed shaped around giving birth and producing large quantities of super soldiers. Giovanni had crushed more than one toy she'd handed him to play with.

"What are you doing here, tentacled one?" the redhead asked, getting to her feet. "Do you not have research or some Silver Wolf task to do? I thought everyone here was always busy. Did we disturb your research? I'm sorry, he hasn't had any room to run before. I didn't see the harm in unleashing him. I'll be more careful in the future." Masha smiled again at the masked man. Giovanni wiggled in her arms, attempting to escape once more. She tightened her hold around the struggling tyke. Who knew what trouble he'd get into if Masha didn't keep a careful eye on him?

WC: 197
TWC: 1548

… Six months? Talk about a growth spurt! Yuvon would’ve guessed that small Giovanni was, like, at least 1 whole year old… then again, that would’ve been a correct answer 6 months ahead of time. Still, what a strong body he possessed… he was definitely going to grow up a powerful gentleman. It wasn’t as scary to imagine as one might have thought to begin with; some kids in this world were blessed with magnificent, physical traits, and Giovanni did appear to be a quick grower. Like the wrestlers of old…

Of course, some of it must’ve been explained by Masha’s own physiology. That did… scare the masked librarian, but he chose to keep his mouth shut. That wasn’t a topic to be discussed with child ears nearby, and thankfully, Masha went on ahead with changing the subject. “Hmh? I have been wondering if I should’ve slowed down on reporting down on the guild’s latest findings… I was merely letting the numbers settle inside my head. All numbers and letters must be settled thoroughly – even with my Memory-Make Magic, the total amount of letters and numbers that I’ve memorized… as well as imagery… if they keep swirling around aimlessly in my head, then I get a headache. So I let them settle down, find their grounding again – I usually partake in an uplifting delicacy in the meantime, as well.”

… Oh yeah, the flan.

“… Do you reckon that Giovanni might or might not be able to read soon? Does he grow fast mentally, as well?” Yuvon rose up on his butt and stretched his back before resting his hands on his knees, humming merrily. “If you want to, I can conjure up a kids’ book for him. Ohhhh, the genius he’ll become… hihihihi.” It was no secret that Yuvon felt quite high in spirits today, acting awfully joyous – and more than usual, as well. “… That does remind me; maybe he wants something sweet too? Does the notion of flan entice your sweet tooth, little one?”

WC: 337
TWC: 1885

Masha could understand letting thoughts settle. If only she could get it to happen easily, her life might lose a fair amount of hardship. Still lacking a name of the mysterious guildmate, the redhead smiled warmly at him. [color=hotpink]"I can understand that need, my friend. If you don't mind me asking, what is your name? I'm Masha by the way, I just realized this stinker's hijinks made me lose my manners." Masha would have held out a hand but Giovanni started wailing. The redhead ate the sound before it could grow too loud. Her focus switched instantly from the tentacled mask to her son.

Luckily, Masha had grown a talent for splitting her focus just enough not to lose track of a conversation. She picked it back up once Giovanni calmed down. "A kids book would be amazing. As for his cognitive function, he should be in the top one percent given his mental capacity is about four to five times that of a normal baby's. His capacity to understand is rapid, his speech lags a little but as you can see, he's already understanding enough to run away and climb on things he shouldn't. I can barely feed his brain enough information for it to grow properly." She flushed when she realized she'd begun rambling. "Uh, flan sounds lovely."

WC: 221
TWC: 2106