a year ago, I quote rt the bottom one as I began to brainstorm abt ruby's relationship with people she prays to never be seen again, (it's inevitable, ruby, they'll come n get you)
i navigated my lens from different perceptions abt her: a childhood friend, a family member, and someone who thought she had a potential...
and the result came to one simple conclusion: she was seen weak.
Witches r known to be independent, resilient, and intelligent, but they're lacking empathy...
Ruby, who seemed to be protective and caring over a mermaid was considered weak.
She reduced her potion making skills to accommodate Tinkle's needs, she traded half of her powerful fire magic for a transportation spell, she sacrificed the life she had before, for something these three viewed insignificant.
"Playing house", "emotional support pet", "unending escapism"
then they started to connect this abnormal behavior of hers to her mother's, telling her that trying to act like Vilisca, would lead to her demise.
did i go too far????too far. i had to pause whole thing😭 it was so overwhelming and i felt kind of guilty....
days, months, a year...
then after gathering some courage, i wanted to give this a try again, went here and there never perfect at first, so i looked back n read some older stuff..
stumbled on this...
ruby's whole life changed when she decided to save timkle in the very last minute before the poisoning happened... desperately calling her name by the small shore where they met once and continously...
i asked myself why would she do that? why would she go such length for a mermaid she met so randomly? what benefits could she get?
looking back, ruby was raised by a witch who saw kindness in everything, who changed her father into someone more empathetic and touchy feely... when they were gone, she then was raised in a demanding environment
a cervene must be intelligent, strong, and always aims for the first place, ruby flawlessly achieved all that, she was admired and stuff, things she easily gained from her family status and integrity, praises n achievements here and there...
that environment she grew in stole away her joyful side and ruby strides for nothing but higher achievements
until well she met tinkle...
that creature was so carefree, clueless, and didn't know a thing, but ruby saw her reflection in those wide oceanic eyes and that's when her diminished persona began to crack,
it felt like she was looking into the child version of herself in those eyes.
the whole story is actually ruby's journey in embracing her inner child she had tossed away long ago
so when the poisoning occured, what ruby didn't realize when she was saving tinkle, is, in that very moment she was also saving a part of herself ruby never wanted to lose again...
so what those three didn't know, what they thought ruby's clingy behavior was just her form of escapism..
is actually so much more than that ...
Tinkle was a part of Ruby that she can't let go...
ruby was not getting weak, she was getting stronger.
A widely known potion of transformation, sourced by the witches, was objectively used to bind any creature against their will to make the drinker do tasks that will benefit the binder.
But, it was the only known potion of transformation, and might result in nasty aftereffects for Tinkle, which Ruby strongly tried to prevent.
Ruby had to personally reduce and make alteration to the ingredients, it wasn't an easy journey for a young witch like her to tamper with the said potion's ingredients.
Unfortunately, both of them were not able to fly too far from Alstroemeria, a continent of magic where witches thrive.
Ruby's attempt of burrowing their disguise foiled when Tinkle accidentally transformed back to her mermaid form midst town hall, alerting the local witch residents, for as far as they knew, mermaid kin had gone extinct due to poisoning.
The act of 'smuggling' a mermaid dragged Ruby into a trial. In this phase, The Courtroom of Witches occurred.
There, Ruby found both of her hands cuffed with a pair of strong metal binders, preventing her from casting any magic. Presented low before the judging eyes of the elders, answering their questions reluctantly.
The judges were about to spare her, relocating Ruby back to her hometown where her foster family had been alerted, giving Ruby another chance to pursue her education since she was still young to make reckless decisions.
Ruby thought to herself, her attempt to seek freedom was pointless, and there was no other choice but to comply with their jurisdiction.
"What about Tinkle?" the question flew before she could even stop herself.
The judges exchanged glances, they did not hesitate to tell her their own plan, but rather confused with how attached Ruby was to the mermaid they had taken custody at that moment.
And so the words of their plan reached Ruby, and a flicker of protectiveness sparked within, something she never had for herself.
A heated argument between Ruby and the elders heated up throughout the courtroom, everyone was stubborn. No one wanted to lower their voice.
The elder witches planned to use Tinkle for their research into ocean magic, and Ruby insisted that Tinkle was too young to participate in their experiments.
And when Ruby's patience reached its limit, she flew into a rage, and in an instant, the courtroom exploded, Ruby's uncontrolled fire magic engulfing the entire place in flames.
As the courtroom filled with panic, Ruby seized the opportunity to find Tinkle and rescue her again, leading the little mermaid as far away from the witches' civilization as possible. No one shall ever find them again. Ever.
Ruby approached the mermaid, and surprisingly, the mermaid did not escape when Ruby’s steps brought her close to the mermaid. The mermaid, with no survival instinct at all, gasped and splashed to get closer to the witch, and asked if she had seen her brother everywhere, sadly, the purple haired witch replied with a simple “No”.
The mermaid later introduced herself as Tinkle, telling the quiet witch that her brother had gone missing and nobody back at the merchildren house knew his whereabouts. Tinkle, who seemed to not remember anything the last time she saw him, also frustrated with the situation, whined and said she wished she could transform into a two-legged creature so that she would be able to look for her brother on the land.
Ruby listened, she did not exactly say much about the situation, but her gaze was locked to the mermaid, in everything that she had been seen colorless and dull, this mermaid was bright and blue like the sea itself, a stark contrast to her life.
Tinkle asked Ruby’s purpose to be here, outside the “wall” (there was a wall that separate the beach and the witches civilization, presumably built due to the war) admitting that it was her first time to see a witch this close, she smiled and complimented the witch, saying that she’s the prettiest witch she’d ever seen.
Intrigued by Tinkle’s carefree attitude, Ruby dared herself to speak, answering the questions Tinkle had for her. For once, Ruby felt easy to answer simple questions without fearing consequences of being pressured.
To Ruby's own surprise, she stayed and exchanged words with the mermaid comfortably, and thus became their perpetual occurrence; a secret meeting between a witch and a mermaid by the shore.
Their small meet ups carried on as more days passed and eventually became a daily occurrence for both of them to sneak out to meet each other again and again.
To Ruby, Tinkle was a fresh change of a face in her dull life, it felt nice to let loose around someone who had no ulterior motives in their deceiving politeness. To Tinkle who just experienced loss of an older sibling model, Ruby was like a cool and kind big sister who'd listen and answer her queries.
Ruby would bring something like sweets for Tinkle to try, and Tinkle would give the witch a souvenir from the sea like seashells, pearls, or even treasures. Each day, they got closer, a promise between them was always made to meet again every time the sun was setting down, ending their small meet up.
Ramuan transformasi yang dikenal luas, yang bersumber dari para penyihir, secara objektif digunakan untuk mengikat makhluk apapun agar korbannya patuh untuk melakukan sesuatu yang akan menguntungkan si pemberi ramuan tersebut.
Namun, itu adalah satu-satunya ramuan transformasi yang diketahui, dan mungkin mengakibatkan efek samping yang buruk bagi Tinkle, dan Ruby ingin mencegah itu untuknya.
Ruby harus mengurangi dan mengubah bahan-bahannya, bukan percobaan yang mudah bagi penyihir muda seperti dia untuk mengutak-atik bahan ramuan yang sudah lama itu.
Sayangnya, keduanya tidak dapat terbang terlalu jauh dari Alstroemeria, benua sihir tempat para penyihir berkembang pesat.
Upaya Ruby untuk menyembunyikan penyamaran mereka gagal ketika Tinkle secara tidak sengaja berubah kembali ke wujud putri duyungnya di tengah balai kota, membuat para penyihir setempat waspada, karena yang sudah mereka ketahui, kaum duyung telah punah karena keracunan.
Tindakan 'penyelundupan' ini menyeret Ruby ke pengadilan. Pada fase inilah, Pengadilan Para Penyihir terjadi.
Di sana, Ruby mendapati kedua tangannya terborgol dengan pengikat logam yang kuat, mencegahnya mengeluarkan sihir apa pun. Ia tertunduk di hadapan tatapan para tetua penyihir sebagai juri, Ruby menjawab setiap pertanyaan mereka dengan enggan.
Para hakim tetua akan mengampuni Ruby, memulangkan Ruby kembali ke kampung halamannya di mana keluarga angkatnya telah diberitahu, memberi Ruby kesempatan lain untuk melanjutkan pendidikannya karena ia masih terlalu muda untuk membuat keputusan yang terlalu gegabah.
Ruby berpikir dalam hati, usahanya untuk mencari kebebasan memang sia-sia, dan tidak ada pilihan lain selain mematuhi perintah mereka.
"Bagaimana dengan Tinkle?" pertanyaan itu terlontar begitu saja sebelum Ruby sempat menahan diri.
Para tetua bertukar pandang, namun mereka tak ragu memberitahu rencana mereka terhadap gadis duyung itu, sedikit kebingungan dengan betapa terikatnya Ruby pada putri duyung teman seperjalanannya.
Saat rencana kejam mereka sampai ke telinga Ruby, secercah rasa protektif muncul dalam dirinya, sesuatu yang tak pernah ia miliki untuk dirinya sendiri.
Argumentasi sengit antar Ruby dan tetua memanas di seluruh ruangan pengadilan, semuanya keras kepala. Tidak ada yang mau mengalah. Tetua penyihir ingin menggunakan Tinkle untuk keperluan riset mereka terhadap magis lautan, dan Ruby bersikeras kalau Tinkle masih terlalu kecil untuk mengikuti percobaan-percobaan mereka.
Dan saat kesabaran Ruby sudah mencapai ambang batas, ia murka dan dalam sekejap, ruang pengadilan meledak dan sihir api Ruby yang tidak terkontrol menyelimuti seluruh tempat dengan api sihir.
Dalam panik banyak penyihir, Ruby mengambil kesempatan untuk mencari Tinkle dan menyelamatkannya lagi, membawa duyung kecil kabur sejauh mungkin dari peradaban para penyihir. Agar tidak ada yang dapat menemukkan mereka lagi. Selamanya.
Ruby mendekati putri duyung, dan yang mengejutkan, si putri duyung kecil tidak kabur ketika Ruby mendekat. Putri duyung mendekati si penyihir tanpa sedikitpun merasa takut, lalu bertanya jikalau Ruby melihat saudaranya di suatu tempat. Sayangnya, penyihir berambut ungu itu menjawab dengan singkat, "Tidak."
duyung kecil itu kemudian memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai Tinkle, memberi tahu penyihir pendiam itu bahwa saudaranya telah hilang dan tak seorang pun di bawah laut tahu keberadaannya. Tinkle, yang tampaknya tidak ingat apa pun saat terakhir kali melihat saudara laki-lakinya, juga frustrasi dengan situasi tersebut, merengek dan berharap bisa berubah menjadi makhluk berkaki dua agar ia bisa mencari saudaranya di daratan.
Ruby mendengarkan dengan seksama, sendirinya tak banyak bicara, tetapi tatapannya terpaku pada si duyung kecil. Dalam persepsi Ruby yang sudah terbiasa dengan warna muram dalam hidupnya, Tinkle memancarkan warna cerah dan biru seperti laut itu sendiri, sangat kontras dengan kehidupan yang dimiliki Ruby.
Tinkle menanyakan tujuan Ruby berada di sini, di luar "tembok" (ada tembok yang memisahkan pantai dan peradaban para penyihir, mungkin dibangun pascaperang). Tinkle mengakui bahwa ini pertama kalinya ia melihat penyihir sedekat ini, kemudian tersenyum dan memuji penyihir itu, mengatakan bahwa Ruby adalah penyihir tercantik yang pernah dilihatnya.
Tertarik dengan sikap Tinkle yang riang, Ruby memberanikan diri untuk bicara, menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang diajukan Tinkle. Untuk pertama kalinya, Ruby merasa mudah menjawab pertanyaan sederhana tanpa takut akan apa yang akan menimpanya,
Yang mengejutkan untuk Ruby sendiri, ia tetap tinggal dan berbincang bersama putri duyung itu dengan nyaman.
Demikianlah hari itu menjadi sejarah mereka; sebuah pertemuan rahasia antara seorang penyihir dan putri duyung kecil di tepi pantai.
Pertemuan kecil mereka terus berlanjut seiring berlalunya waktu, dan akhirnya menjadi kegiatan sehari-hari bagi mereka berdua untuk menyelinap bertemu lagi dan lagi.
Bagi Ruby, Tinkle adalah wajah baru dalam hidupnya yang membosankan; rasanya menyenangkan bisa tenang di dekat seseorang yang tidak memiliki motif tersembunyi dalam senyuman dan tindakan mereka yang menipu.
Dan bagi Tinkle yang baru saja kehilangan kakaknya, Ruby seperti kakak perempuan yang tenang dan baik hati yang mau mendengarkan dan menjawab semua pertanyaannya.
Ruby akan membawakan sesuatu seperti permen untuk Tinkle, dan Tinkle akan memberi penyihir itu hadiah dari laut seperti kerang, mutiara, atau bahkan harta karun. Setiap hari, mereka semakin dekat, dan keduanya selalu membuat janji untuk bertemu lagi kala matahari terbenam, mengakhiri pertemuan singkat mereka.
and with a quick snip, the bandage went loose and Ruby immediately took the end of it and wrapped the remaining over Tinkle's tail,
She took a glance at Tinkle, checking on her, "how do you feel?"
The mermaid gave a short nod in response, she pulled her tail close to her chest and folded her arms over,
Ruby nodded in return, changing her focus to collect the remaining residue after she patched up the wound.
The room was almost quiet, the only sound that was heard during late night quietness was from Ruby's rustling hands on the first aid equipment, contrasting the unexpected scenario that happened minutes ago.
Tinkle shifted in her position, she heaved and began in a murmur,
"I don't... I don't like it", her gaze trailed off somewhere as her body remained crouched, leaning against the bed.
Ruby paused when she listened Tinkle's quiet murmur, her brows furrowing in concern,
"What...what is it?" she asked, another worried look painted her face,
"The bandage? is it too tight?"
Tinkle returned with a reluctant shake of her head, she paused for a moment before confessing, "when... when the others touch my tail"
Ruby's eyes grew wide, her breathing hitched.
Tinkle let out a weary sigh, with her gaze locked on the bandage wrapped around the end of her tail, "when someone touched my tail... that is not Ruby, they never asked my permission like you did...I don't like it, Ruby, it felt wrong... I don't understand why"
Ruby's heart sank, a lump caught her throat, her mind was in conflict, searching a way to elaborate the situation for Tinkle who seemed to upset.
Not aware of Ruby's internal struggle, Tinkle slumped further, burying her face completely into her folded arms as she added with a whisper, "...I always ended up getting hurt, too... and when I get hurt, Ruby would get upset and then-"
Ruby pulled Tinkle close into her arms abruptly before Tinkle could finish her words. She could feel her breathing ragged, tears began to welled up on her eyes.
Ruby opened her mouth, trying to sound firm, yet failed because her words came out in a stammer,
"I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry that you felt that way, that you feel uncomfortable, I should... I should've...this is...."
This is all myfault. Her mind screamed, yet, she couldn't bring herself to form a word even further.
Her voice strained, Ruby didn't know what to do, didn't even know what to say next, her tears were already falling over Tinkle's shoulder, she failed at being tough, all she could do was pulling Tinkle closer into her trembling hug,
yet a warm embrace suddenly enveloped her body, followed with a gentle rub on her back to soothe away her upsetting confusion, then a whisper, "don't cry, Ruby, it was not your fault, I didn't mean to make you sad. I just wanted to tell you that, it has been nagging me a lot"
that was it, the floodgates were bursting out in a loud, muffled cry as Ruby buried her face into the shoulder that kept her warm and close. Promising herself to never let the arms that were embracing her so sincerely, feeling the uncertainty of being touched without her permission ever again.
Shortly after the bell rang, the teacher stepped outside the classroom, and immediately, the students cheered.
They scattered around, talking to their friends, the classroom was full of exciting murmurs.
Tinkle remained seated, she observed her surrounding in confusion, everyone seemed to be pumped up about this, 'field trip' the teacher just announced earlier.
She glanced over her shoulder where her friends, Tori and Ruvel, had already talked about the plans ahead, not wanting to be left out, Tinkle finally approached them and tugged on Tori's sleeves to get her attention,
"What is everyone being excited about?" she asked,
Tori and Ruvel paused on their chatter, they exchanged a short glance before returning to their curious mermaid friend,
"The school is having a field trip" Tori began, and a nod followed from Ruvel, "It's an event where you go to another place and stay there with everyone else from the school"
"Yes, we're going to visit lots of historical temple to learn, like a museum, then stay for two nights in reserved villas next to a beach, play games with others and do so many memorable things"
The more they told Tinkle, the more wide her eyes had grown, her mouth left agape as she finally gasped, "that sounds so fun!"
"You definitely should come along, Tink!" Ruvel gave her a wink, "Tori and I will keep you safe"
Tinkle nodded, her enthusiasm finally matched with the rest, "of course! I would never miss an opportunity like this!"
The three of them soon immersed in a long conversation to help Tinkle catching up with the inquiries they should prepare for the trip.
As the following next days, the trio and literally all the students kept talking about the upcoming event, some saw it as an opportunity to pull mischievous pranks, and others thought it might be a good chance to confess their feelings to their loved ones.
Tinkle, with a built up excitement, could not help herself but kept asking Tori and Ruvel a barrage of questions regarding to the trip, and telling them a piece of her mind about what she was going to do during the trip later, and sometimes, Tori and Ruvel would also suggest her some other fun activities.
The day before the awaited moment had arrived, the three of them, were listing their preparations over the desk,
"And lastly..." Tori stopped, squinting her eyes to get a better look on the paper, "legally signed paper of our parents' approval to participate in the trip?"
"Got it" Ruvel replied, however, this time, Tinkle did not repeat after him, she tilted her head and asked,
"What's that?"
"It's the paper the class rep had given us, it is needed to be signed, in your case, you should have Ruby signed it for you? That paper needs to be collected tomorrow"
"Oh!" Tinkle inhaled in surprise, "I forgot to do that..., I'll have Ruby sign the paper tonight! Then I will be good to go!"
or so, Tinkle would have thought...
"No"
Ruby declared firmly, lowering the paper from her sight as she watched how quick Tinkle's smile turned into a frown of disbelief,
"What?! But, it's... it's a trip! an opportunity to create memories with friends!" Tinkle immediately retorted, her brows furrowing.
Ruby finally placed down the paper over the table, pointing at a certain passage, "It says 'beach' right here" she emphasized, and surely, Tinkle would catch up quick to her implication.
"Tori and Ruvel had said they will keep me sa-"
Ruby had to cut that one short with a sudden raised palm, she crossed her arms later and glared back at Tinkle,
"They have proven themselves many times that they're doing terrible job at keeping you safe"
Tinkle shook her head in disagreement, "No, they don't! it's just... just few times! those were just accidents-"
Tinkle had to pause herself on that one, knowing that her credibility on her own claim was weak as she remembered on how many times she had accidentally returned to her mermaid form at school, it's only a perpetual luck that whenever it occurred, nobody else was paying full attention, or both Tori and Ruvel were just really quick to hide herself from viewing eyes.
And Ruby knew, Tinkle had no other backups on that.
"But," Tinkle argued again, trying to at least find a reason for Ruby to agree, "I have already prepared everything through the week! I promise I won't go near the water! I'll just... stand really far from the beach!"
"Tinkle, I will be not signing nor approving this school trip no matter what" Ruby stated, her tone was final and she will be no longer receiving any other complaints.
"You are staying home tomorrow, end of discussion"
at the final decree, Tinkle felt the excitement she had been built throughout the week, shattered into nothingness, her shoulders went slump as she remained there, speechless.
Seeing Tinkle's change of expression, made Ruby caved in slightly, but she had to remind herself to stay composed and firm, this was a serious matter. Tinkle cannot go too far away from her sight, not when she will get close to the open water, no.
Ruby inhaled deeply, ready to elaborate why she was refusing Tinkle's request,
"Tinkle, this is for your own good, I swear-"
But, Tinkle was already fuming with anger and disappointment. She refused to listen on Ruby's part. Her lips formed a pout and she rose from her seat, stomping her ways to her room as she yelled,
"whatever! whatever! I don't care! I hate everything! I hate Ruby!"
and the door was slammed shut with a click, a clear hint that Tinkle did not want to see Ruby for a while.
Tinkle threw herself into the bed, burying her face into the pillow and started to sob.
And she won't be seeing Tori and Ruvel tomorrow...
Ruvel pointed on her back, and Tinkle took a glance to her left side, finding her one twin tail had already loose, the strands cascaded over her shoulder.
"Oh no….", her fingers began to collect her loose strands, holding them as she spun around to find her other missing pearl hair band.
With her eyes searching the floor, Tinkle bent her body down slightly, hoping her lost pearl band there somewhere,
"Where is it …??.. did it slip off my hair when I ran through the corridor…?"
No result in her effort, Tinkle finally lifted herself up to meet Ruvel again in the eyes, whining,
"What do I do?…"
Ruvel hummed as he thought of a solution, "Well, I can make a ponytail for you with the remaining band, if that's okay?"
Letting go of her grip, Tinkle took the pearl band off her remained twin tail. She took steps toward Ruvel and handed him the only pearl band left, then nodding to his idea.
Ruvel drew out a confident smile, "Now turn around"
Tinkle obliged right away, she turned around, giving Ruvel a direct access to her loose, wavy hair that spread out on her back.
"Stay still"
Tinkle relished the feeling of her hair being combed carefully with Ruvel's fingers, letting him do the work.
Ruvel gathered the strands in one pull of his hand, and slid the band off his other wrist, spreading it wide with his fingers-
snap!!
there was a quick snap and then the sound of tiny pearls pattered all over the floor, scattering and rolling to different directions.
Ruvel and Tinkle could only exchange quiet glances at each other.
---
Tori stepped into the classroom, her gaze landed on two of her friends right away, especially Tinkle's frustrated face with both of her hands pulling down her loose hair, and Ruvel kneeling down and collecting something off the floor.
Tori approached the two, "what's the matter?"
"Tinkle lost her pearly bands and I snapped the last one when trying to fix her hair" Ruvel chimed in before Tinkle could, and Tinkle just gave out a whiny nod to Tori, confirming the situation.
A huff escaped Tori, she shook her head and quipped, "I told you not to race by the corridors... "
She returned to her chair, and grabbed something inside her backpack, "I have spare hairbands but they're not pearls like yours"
"It's okay" Tinkle replied with a small smile, "I just don't want to feel sweaty during later lessons! The sun is burning today"
"Well, that settled it then", Tori turned her attention back to Ruvel, "Can you make a twin tail for her?"
"I sure do" he boasted in return, taking the bands off Tori's hand.
Moments later, Tinkle got her usual style back with newly yellow puffy bands keeping her hair remained the way she likes it.
"There," Ruvel wiped off fake sweats off his forhead and nodded proudly of his work, watching Tinkle being lost in awe with his hairdo work well done.
"Well?" Tori waited a response,
"They're gripping my hair a little bit tight," Tinkle commented, swirling around to feel more of her hair swish in the air, "but I'm fine with that"
Ruvel and Tori both exchanged a satisfied glance, smiles painted over their faces like a couple of relieved parents.
"Phew," Tori huffed, delving her hand into the pocket and grabbed her own hair band, starting to make her usual ponytail, "you're right, it's really burning today"
Only then, Tinkle noticed the similarity of Tori's hair band, she gasped and said, "We got the same hair bands!"
"Oh? Right... I mean, I bought a bulk of them in case I lose mine"
"That means we're matching, right?!"
"Well, it's just hair bands..." Tori trailed off, she didn't really want to make a big deal out of this, but the excitement Tinkle had delivered with her usual big smile and sparkly eyes, made Tori's lips tugged into a small smile of defeat, "...I guess we are matching now, well, you better not lose them too, okay?"
"I promise!"
As Tinkle declared her small promise, deep in her heart, she made a vow to treasure those hair bands forever.
Bell had rang. Students were everywhere around the school building. It was recess time.
On the corner of class 11-B, there were Tori, Ruvel, and Tinkle, having their seats facing one table in the middle. There were three different lunchboxes placed there, on top of the single desk.
They sat and were full of anticipation, ready to reveal what had they brought to the scheduled lunch during the break.
The day before today, the three of them made a deal to bring lunch and plan to eat together by the next day's classroom break, Ruvel's idea.
"Ready?" He announced, hands holding the lid of his own lunchbox.
Tinkle nodded passionately, her energy matched with him and like a child. she had the same exact pose and stance as Ruvel, mimicking him.
Meanwhile, Tori could only heaved with a sour smile etched on her face, contemplating about her presentation soon as she didn't get the chance to prepare fancy stuff, "I didn't make much at all-"
"No worries," Ruvel meddled in casually, "that's why we're holding this lunch time together, we'll share! Ok, now on count one... two...three!"
When the lids were opened, various fragrant aromas wafted up their noses with the dishes displayed on the table,
A small portion of rice with a sprinkle of dried seaweed and a large amount of octopus shaped sausages filled Tinkle's lunchbox. On the smaller space of the box, there were three pieces of apple slice that resembled the shape of a rabbit, complete with their long ears.
"Ruby made the apple rabbits for us, she said one of them is poisoned" she giggled, but then leaning forward to whisper her friends a surprising revelation, "it was a joke, she did not poison anything"
Tori snorted, "That's even more concerning"
Ruvel could only gave a stiff nod, nervousness crept up his spine before it faded shortly, he cleared his throat before throwing a comment, "Good for her to cut some apples for us"
Inside Tori's lunchbox, there were three pieces of medium sized ham sandwiches with extra cheese and six chocolate biscuits on the side.
Their faces hovered over the simple look of Tori's lunch, "I told you I did not make much" she shrugged, leaning back on her chair and crossed her legs,
"Don't worry Tori, they look delicious too!" Tinkle chimed with an encouraging smile, "It's not like we are feeding everyone in the classroom. I would say your portion is enough for us three!"
"Tinkle is right," Ruvel confirmed, "we need a balanced meal, yours definitely meeting up the criteria of a 'decent meal'"
"Alright, alright nutrition expert, let's see what you bring to the table"
And lastly, for what's inside Ruvel's lunchbox is a good portion of fried noodle, topped with dried herbs and other seasonings with few rolled deep fried katsu on the side.
"Oooh, another Ruvel's family specialty" Tinkle landed her first comment, she could not tear her gaze away from the golden rolled katsu in his lunchbox, the perfectness of its color and shape drooled her a fantasy of taking a bite on one of those.
She placed her trade in an instant, "I will trade three octopuses for one of your juicy katsu!"
"You can have two if you add the not-poisoned rabbit apple slice in your offer"
"Deal!"
Tori could only watch the two swapping their food. Short chuckle drew out from her before she began to take a bite on one of her sandwiches. Before she knew it, a piece of octopus and a large katsu roll landed in her lunchbox.
Lifting her gaze, she met their wide smiles on their faces at once, and they nodded in union before setting their seats, announcing their pray before eating.
"You guys don't wanna trade with me?" she asked,
"Well... there's an upcoming math test so..."
Tori had to hold back a smile when she watched them silently exchanging glances for a moment before they took another piece of their food and swung them into her lunchbox.
They did not say a word afterwards, but their intentions were clear.
A bribe, they were bribing her. Tori couldn't hold back her snort this time when Tinkle and Ruvel gave her their pleading looks understood their intentions.
"Don't worry," she chuckled, taking the remaining sandwiches from her box and placed each into theirs, "tutoring you both has always been my responsibility as a good friend, now, let's eat. Okay?"
The smiles returned and the three happily eat their lunch together.
Fajar sudah menerpa hamparan padang rumput di benua Alstroemeria. Suara burung mencicit, menyapa terbit sang mentari yang cahayanya menerpa lorong pendek rumah kecil di sudut desa para penyihir.
Sembari menguap, gadis kecil dengan telinga sirip biru itu menggosok kelopak matanya, masih setengah bangun, ia mencari seseorang yang menghilang dari sisi kasur kala ia terjaga barusan.
Dengan suara berat dan masih mengantuk, Tinkle memanggil, “Ruuu….by?”
Suaranya menggema di sepanjang lorong untuk sejenak. kemudian hening, tidak ada jawaban.
Belum ia membuka mulut untuk memanggil penyihir itu untuk kedua kali, dari ruangan di ujung lorong sudah terdengar suara ‘clang!’ yang memberikan jawaban pada Tinkle akan keberadaan sosok yang sedang ia cari.
Ia tahu harus melangkah kemana sekarang.
Tap…tap…tap…
Creaak…
Dengan kedua tangan bergantung pada gagang pintu, Tinkle kecil menemukan Ruby tepat dimana ia berada, di ruangan yang diberi nama “ruangan ramuan ruby”,
“Ruby. lagi apa?” gadis ikan itu melontarkan pertanyaannya.
Ruby membalik lembaran pada buku mantra yang dipinjam dari perpustakaan lokal, ia tidak bergerak dari posisi awal dan bergumam menjawab, “belajar mantra baru”
“Mantra baru?” Tinkle mengulang jawaban dari Ruby, tubuhnya terombang ambil masih mengantuk, dan pintu ruangan itu cukup berat, jadi ia menempelkan pipi pada pintu dan menggunakan tubuhnya untuk menahan pintu tersebut, “buat apa?” Tinkle menambahkan,
“...Kita akan pergi keluar lagi hari ini, bukan? Menemaniku belanja bahan dan kebutuhan lain. Bahaya kalau tiba-tiba kamu jadi duyung ditengah ramai” Ruby berhenti sejenak, ia merenggangkan lengannya, “jadi aku belajar mantra yang bisa membawa kita langsung pulang ke rumah saat keadaan genting”
Ruby memperbaiki posisi tubuhnya yang membungkuk untuk membaca buku mantra tadi, kemudian ia berbalik sedikit untuk melihat Tinkle yang masih setengah mengantuk berada di ambang pintu, “ingin pergi atau tidak?”
“Kalau begitu ayo siap-siap, pakai mantel milikmu”
---
Ruby merapikan mantel yang ia kenakan, berdiri bersampingan dengan Tinkle yang masih terhuyung di depan pintu, Ruby melirik ke arah duyung kecil itu,
"Tinkle..." gadis penyihir itu menghela nafasnya, ia kemudian berbalik dan menekuk lutut, membantu merapikan topi pada mantel Tinkle yang belum menutupi kedua telinga sirip biru duyung itu seluruhnya.
Mata Tinkle tertuju pada Ruby selagi ia membetulkan letak topi mantelnya, "jadi bagaimana mantra baru itu bekerja?"
Menderngar lontaran pertanyaan barusan, Ruby terdiam sejenak, sebelum akhirnya ia tersenyum dan membalas,
"Kita harus berpelukkan dengan sangat erat, lalu aku akan mengucapkan mantra itu dan dalam sekejap, kita akan kembali ke rumah"
"Ooh!, jadi kita tidak perlu repot-repot berjalan pulang? Hanya perlu berpelukan, kan?"
"Mantra ini hanya digunakan dalam keadaan darurat saja, bukan untuk sembarangan dipakai sesuka hati"
"Keadaan darurat?" Tinkle memiringkan kepala sedikit dengan raut wajah bingung, "seperti apa?"
"Banyak hal," ucap Ruby, ia kembali berdiri dan merapikan mantel yang ia kenakan, lalu meraih turun sedikir menggenggam tangan mungil Tinkle, dan bersiap-siap membuka pintu rumah.
"Tapi, aku berharap kita tidak perlu menggunakan mantra itu dalam waktu dekat, jadi tetap berada disampingku, ok?"
tangan mungil Tinkle menggenggam balik Ruby dengan antusias, diiringi anggukan kepala dan senyuman, "ok, Ruby, aku janji ga jalan jauh-jauh dari Ruby"
fureren puni puni & baso ndusel ndusel stickers i made for our discord server. So we can have full octp brainrot power in the brainrot channel. xoxo cc @a-maydays
cherished and loved @a-maydays - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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