Chapter Text
Nothing happened. The earring gleamed at him with a smug shine to it as it remained the same as it always was. Besides the animus magic, that is.
Turtle…!
He growled at it, trying to remember a few details of what Turtle did to double his fish to share with Qibli and Moon the other day. Cod wasn’t the best use of a magical object, but at least it was tasty.
A key word..?
Or…phrase?
Qibli twirled the earring around the bowl for a moment. Which one was it? A phrase, or a word? Turtle was very specific with his enchantments. It sort of irritated him in that annoying way, like a cat trying and failing to catch a mouse over and over again.
Maybe I should try the phrase first.
”Double the stuff?” He tried, “Make yourself two?”
“Uhm…Double yourself?”
He was starting to run out of ideas fast. Qibli yelled out in frustration. This bowl was his greatest enemy yet. More evil than Darkstalker, probably. How was he going to stop this ancient evil when he couldn’t even use an animus touched object right? Peril poked her head into the room and peered at him with a curiously wide eyed expression. She leaned down and snickered at him.
”Are you yelling at that bowl?” She asked.
“Yes, because it’s the stupidest bowl in Pyrrhia!”
Her eyes lit up.
”Let me try! YOUR SHAPE IS IMPRACTICAL TO EAT FROM! YOU PROBABLY HAVE FOOD STAINS BETWEEN THOSE CRACKS BECAUSE OF HOW IMPRACTICAL YOU ARE!” Peril shouted, getting awfully close to the bowl.
Qibli moved it out of her reach. It clicked. Turtle was getting on his nerves about animus enchanted things nowadays. He should’ve specified showing the names of the dragons that held skyfire. It could’ve saved him a lot of trouble.
If this works…
“Twice as much!” He said excitedly. He bent over the bowl and stared at it with crazed curiosity. The bowl didn’t do anything. It looked very smug, in all of its varnished woody-ness.
“What are you trying to do anyway?” She asked.
“Turtle has this bowl that doubles things put inside of it.” He explained.
“…Oh?” She mumbled in boredom.
“This bowl is being very stubborn right now—and awfully smug too!” He grumbled, tipping the bowl on the side of its foot. It wobbled back down with a little clop of the wood.
“Do you want me to set it on fire? That’ll get it to listen!”
“…Please don’t. That won’t make the bowl less smug.” He said.
“But it would be funny…!” She retorted, inching her claws toward the bowl.
“PERIL!” Qibli reached down and grabbed the bowl, hugging it and his earring tightly in his claws.
She frowned at him. “You’re no fun.”
Qibli tried the ‘twice as much’ phrase again, but it still didn’t work.
“Maybe you should try asking it nicely? Turtle is big on the kindness stuff.” She remarked, flicking her tail into the wall as she walked away.
I have to say, Peril is really great at ideas when she wants to be.
“Twice as much…please?”
The bowl made a popping noise, and out came two identical earrings. They had the same scuff marks and dents as his original. He grabbed the original (or at least the one that didn’t pop into existence) and cheered in triumph. Peril poked her head back into the room, amused.
“What was that? Oh hey, you’ve got matching earrings now. Spares in case you lose it?” She asked, looming over him like a deadly tree canopy. She was very warm. It reminded him of the desert, somewhat.
“Hey, Peril, can you wear this for me?” He asked. It was a stupid question—of course not. But he had to at least try.
She shrugged. “Probably not. That thing will melt as soon as it touches me.”
“Please?”
“You’re really weird.” She commented, plucking the earring from his claws. It promptly melted before she could even open the clasp. It sizzled on the cold stone. It was now a small blob of gold.
“Never mind…” He muttered. Qibli quickly remade the earring. Winter needed one of these. Then Moon, than Kinkajou if she woke up. Everyone needed them.
Thorn needed one. And Ostrich…and Six-Claws. Even ditzy Blaze. Qibli needed to make Turtle’s simple enchantment count.