“Stupid Vie, wasting my whole day,” She muttered to herself.
She cleaned herself thoroughly of the smell of ash, and took time to pick out a cute dress and gloves. At least it was dinner time. Lili was very hungry.
She walked into the dining hall to see Liszt showing off a beautiful new summer dress. It was light and airy, but with practical seam reinforcement. Cute, and responsible as always. Lili would have wanted for more frills, but Liszt had her own style and wore it well.
“Ooh is that new? It looks gorgeous on you!” Lilith cooed.
“Thanks!” Liszt replied with a twirl. “I’ve been trying out some of the patterns in the archive. It’s super comfy, and check it out!” She beamed at her sister proudly. “I designed the pockets myself!”
“Ooh yeah!” Lili gushed, running her hand along the trim and seams of the dress, proudly admiring her sister’s handiwork. “Old world terrans fail to understand a modern woman’s need for carrying capacity.”
“Mhmm!” Liszt reveled in the attention to her craft. She gestured at the small of her back. “Check this one out!” She showed a hidden fold in the pattern revealing throwing knives.
“That’s soooo cool!” Lilith squealed.
Asmo entered the room with a yawn, slumping into his usual seat. “Mum’s out tonight?” He asked.
“Yeah,” Nyx replied.
“Cool.” Asmo agreed, before shifting the subject back to Liszt. “Anyway, hey are those new pockets?”
Before Liszt could respond, the door from the kitchen swung open with a loud thunk. Vie entered the room with the food cart, showing off several beautifully plated dishes.
“So, Vie did the cooking tonight?” Asmo asked without making eye contact.
“Someone had to,” Vie responded, talking over Liszt.
“Great,” Asmo said, fighting desperately to fight the urge to roll his eyes, and with defeat in his voice sighed. “Alright, fair. It’s not like anyone appreciates it when I cook anyway.”
Lili looked at the food and it sat in a sort of uncanny valley. It was beautifully crafted, but somehow intrinsically wrong, almost eldritch. It sat as though an extraterrestrial had looked at our food and tried to approximate it, throwing concepts like savory, sweet, and bitter out the window. It sat as a monument, terran sensibilities being alien to the artist who drafted this macabre procession.
“This is… different,” She whispered, deeply unsettled.
“Different is… good, right?” Asmo asked, trying to defend Vie’s creativity.
But as Asmodeus looked down at the food and ran through his mental rolodex of recipes, he couldn’t place quite where all of this split off from the source material.
Asmo tried to look reassuring through his pained silhouette. He sniffed the meal and couldn’t hide his reflexive expression, one that closely resembled being shanked in the liver.
Lili visibly shuddered as he gave her a shaky thumbs up.
“The aroma is… complex?” He said painidly, forcing a smile.
“Okay fine,” Lili groaned. “I guess I’ll give it a try.” She gagged immediately. The food was red hot, spicy beyond imagination. It wasn’t horrible, as much as it was terrifying and bitter.
Asmo shakingly took a bite, and all the color drained from his skin as he gagged, fighting to keep the food down. “…man, you can really taste the fear in the meat. It wanted so badly to live. And cursed you till its last breath.”
He took another bite and his face sank deeper. “It just tastes like betrayal. Betrayal and pure unbridled rage. All it wanted was love, and you killed it in cold blood.”
Liszt skipped the main course and filled her plate with salad greens. “So as I was saying, I set the stitching to-“
Lili tried to slate the frustration in herself, but the adrenaline in the food didn’t help. She’d done her best to be nice all day, keeping to herself and trying to stay out of trouble. But Vie just had to keep ruining her day. Lili spat the food into a napkin. “This tastes weird, I’ll pass tonight.”
Liszt dropped her fork. “Oh no,” She grimaced.
Lili shoved herself back and bolted upwards, brushing her lap off. “Gross. It’s gross, you’re gross. I’m going to bed.”
Vie slammed her fist down.“Oh no you don’t, I worked too hard on this for you to just skulk away!”
“I’m not skulking!” Lili bellowed back. “I don’t want your garbage cooking, I’m going to bed!”
“You’re so selfish,” Vie screamed, fighting back tears. “I did all of this for you, why can’t you be more grateful?!”
“I’m selfish? Mom and I had plans this morning and you took forever in the kitchen. You spent all day on it, and it still turned out rubbish.” She clenched her fists tightly, her nails cutting into the palm of her hands. She smelt the scent of fresh blood. Of vindication. She licked the palms of her hands and closed the wounds in the old way. Her thaumaturgy took the forefront, as she took in the fear and rage of her meal, however small. She felt it resonate in her blood.
Lili cracked her neck loudly with both hands, leaving bloody handprints on her chin and neck.
Lili turned, glaring at her sister. “But whatever. You already ruined the rest of my day, why stop now?” She cocked her head back at Vie and straightened her posture aggressively.
“You want to do this here? FINE!” Vie flared up the air around her. Sparking static and drawing wind into the dining hall, stoking the oxygen in the room. The decorative plants began to enlarge, and several pots chipped and cracked in the wake of this influx of potent magic. “You’re one to talk! I’ve never once seen you cook dinner!”
Liszt pushed her chair back and took to her feet. The room quieted as she spoke. “Look, I don’t care WHY you’re bickering, but you need to cut this nonsense out. Both of you need to apologize right now.”
“She-” Lili started.
“You’ve always been such an ungrateful brat. It’s your fault Basil never wants to be home,” Vie spat, talking over her.
“MY FAULT!?!” Lili retorted bitterly. “All you ever do is pick fights and say rude things to Basil!”
She felt her fangs fighting to bear their full glory as she tried to fight her instincts. “Basil comes home and all you do is stress her out and bother her about her work. She’s supposed to come home and relax with us! And all you want to do is make her work, work, work! You posh nitwit! Oh how I want to…”
“I’d rather be posh than an uncivilized rat like you!” Vie replied coldly. “Unable to see the bigger picture. We’re adults. We don’t have time for silly things like playtime.”
Lili growled at her, her fangs extending. She felt her nose bleed. Her heart raced.
“What a joke,” Vie chuckled. “You still can’t control that pathetic little temper.”
“You’re really going to do this on Mama Pim’s birthday?” Liszt asked, bitterly.
Lilith caught her breath and pulled back the bloodlust a bit. She glared at Vie. “She started it.” Lili growled.
“This is ridiculous,” Liszt sighed, exhausted. “This is such a waste of everyone’s time and you should both be embarrassed at your behavior. If you want to kill each other, I'll just go ahead and start digging the graves I guess.”
Liszt stood up and brushed down her dress. She grabbed her plate and turned away.
Liszt spoke without looking back. “I’ll bring my dishes down later. I know where this is going, and I don’t want your fighting to ruin this dress.”
“Shame on you for doing this on mom’s birthday. What would she say if she was here today?”
And with that Liszt trudged off, dejected.
Asmo grimaced. “Oh great, here we go again.” He resisted the urge to pull out his hair as he ran his hand up his face and through it. “1…2…-”
“See what you did! You made Liszt sad!” Lili shrieked.
“There we go,” Asmo said with a sigh. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of pre-war cigarettes and put one to his lip. He didn’t bother lighting it. It was just an old habit he’d picked up from Pim.
“Oh don’t give me that. If you hadn’t made a fuss and just ate like a normal person, nobody’s feelings would have gotten hurt,” Vie spat.
Asmo pantomimed taking a deep drag from the cigarette and offered the bread basket to Nyx, who snatched a roll without looking away from the fight.
“At least someone’s enjoying the theatrics” he muttered with a sigh, eating around the bitter entree.
“At least I’m trying to make food,” Vie sneered with a haughty glare. “The last time we let you into the rashers you freaked out and ate half the flock in a frenzy, and then puked all over the foyer and passed out.”
“NOW LISTEN HERE YOU-” Lili bolted across the room to Vie in the blink of an eye.
“ME WHAT?” Vie snarled back.
Asmo slipped the cigarette back in the pack, and returned his antique smokes to their usual spot in his jacket pocket. He stood up and grabbed his plate. He glanced around to make sure that Vie was preoccupied before dumping the contents onto Nyx’s plate.
“Thanks,” She replied without looking up at him.
“Hey, don’t waste food right?” He stuffed a roll into his mouth before palming a couple of fistfulls of bread and jamming them into his pockets.
Asmo stretched out his shoulders, and pounded his fist down on the table loudly. He did such in the usual manner of attention seeking that he’d been conditioned to by his surroundings.
“ANYWAY!” He bellowed, making sure he had interrupted the fighting. “So yeah, what Liszt said. You’re sisters, you shouldn’t fight! …All that stuff.” They two looked at him, then back at each other and shrugged before resuming their argument.
He shrugged before walking off. “Something about peace and love and all that.” Asmo shoved the dinner roll back into his mouth and flashed a peace sign on the way out.
He paused and banged his fist down again. “OH! ONE MORE THING!” The room turned to look at him once more. “I’m not cleaning this up by the way. So have fun trashing the dining hall.” Lili and Vie gestured in affirmation.
“Okay cool, night,” He muttered, sauntering off.
Nyx, having polished off her and Asmo’s dinners, proceeded to snatch Lili’s still heaving plate, chowing down on it as well.
Vie stomped, knowing that she wasn’t making any headway in the argument. She’d lost most of her intended audience. But she’d come too far to back down now. “I don’t care if you’re mad at me!” She cried out, teary eyed. “But you’re not the one who had to kill a joy bunny. You are NOT skipping dinner just because you’re jealous.”
The air in the room thickened, the windows clattered open. “That animal died for you. You owe it that much,” Vie hissed.
Nyx looked up at her sisters and frowned. Oh boy, actual anger. She tried to cut in, “You know, I think I’m-“
“The only one who is insulting a dead animal is you, with your shite cooking!” Lili spat back at her.
“Okay, well… What about-” Nyx said with a hand raised.
“You’re such a child!” Vie growled back
Nyx knew she wasn’t getting through to them. With a sigh and a shrug, she hopped off of her seat. “Okay, good talk. See you two later.” Nyx waved her hand and her plate levitated behind her.
“Did you see tha-” Lili asked, distractedly pointing out the psionics. She looked back at Vie and realized that her sister was in another world. “Ooooooh.”
“See what? See that your poor attitude makes everyone want to leave.” Vie spat.
“Oh honey…” Lili replied, cringing. “I might be self absorbed, but even I can’t take all the blame. You wanna try seriously looking in a mirror right now? You’re being kinda dramatic.”
“There you go again, can’t even take responsibility for your own faults. Would you stop wasting my time and grow up already.”
Lili’s face crinkled. Vie wasn’t in the mood for reason, and Lili was very hungry, and very tired of dramatics. “You always talk down to me! I’m not a child! Look at the mirror for once, you wicked witch!”
Vie staggered back. Physically heaving at the insult. “What did you call me?” Vie smashed her glass onto the tile floor. “I’m NOT a witch. Don’t you compare me to that monster!”
“Ooh,” Lilith purred. She licked her lips. “I hit a nerve there. Why don’t I sit around and wait for a house to fall on you?”
Lili cackled as the wind blew through her hair and dress. The night air invigorated her. “Does that make me Dorothy? I’m not a big fan of your shoes. But I can take them from you. Witch.”
“Take it back. Take it back or else,” Vie snarled, the wind and fire sprites whipping around her.
“Oh look. You called your familiars,” Lili chuckled. She’d gotten Vie to lose control. As far as Lili was concerned, she’d won the argument. “I call it like I see it. It’s not my fault you’re a rotten cook.”
“I’ll cook you if you don’t learn your place.” Vie’s eyes went wild, her teeth clenched.
Vie’s pupils were completely dilated. The air in the room was dry and cracking under the hot air and anger. “I talk to you like a child because you act like one! Now sit down and finish your meal before I MAKE YOU finish it.”
“Oh yeah?” Lili asked wryly, her chest puffed out and her fangs drawn. She felt her talons harden and click as she rolled her fingers. She shook herself out and smiled. “Just you try you b-“
A crash reverberated through the sanctum, and the sound of havoc outside rang out.
Their rage shifted to shock and fear. They glanced at each other and then at the strange noises. For the first time in a very long time, there was something uninvited in their home.
“Pause?” Vie asked worriedly, snuffing out her fairy fire instinctively.
“Pause,” Lili agreed.
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