Chapter 4: Practice

Rosie, and Annabella, had taken me to the large emporium in town, and insisted that I was fitted with at least two new outfits, which was then upped to three when they informed Franklin of what had transpired. And once placed in front of a real mirror, I understood why they felt clothes were a high priority.

I was wearing the same clothes as when I died, only they were worse for wear. The once gray band t-shirt was full of bullet holes, and blood. My black cargo shorts had bullet holes, darker patches where blood still stained them, and everything was burned around the edges. My feet dirty from holes burned into my boots. I hadn't thought to worry about them before now. My priorities elsewhere. But they were hanging on by threads.

While most would consider the clothes sold here too old fashioned for them, I had always liked the idea of a mix of different eras in an outfit. Being a country girl at heart though, I preferred pants over skirts, especially when it comes to freedom of movement during hunts. A skirt can get caught on things in a fight far more easily than pants. But here where getting caught isn't a problem, and I'm more than capable of simply ripping the offending fabric if it gets caught.

In the end we settled on the three outfits with black skirts just below the knees, three pretty buttoned blouses that had vertical pleats in the front to fit my large chest, and a pair of lovely boots to replace my tattered ones.

Though I knew I had to make a trip to a modern store, as soon as I got some money to purchase some underwear, and leggings to go under the skirts. I've never been a fan of tights, and that's all the emporium had.

After picking out the style of clothes, they took my measurements for them, and took me to a bathroom in the back of the store so I could bathe. I learned later, that it was part of Rosie's personal apartment that was attached to the store.

Annabella had brought a set of my new clothes for me while I was washing, and by the time I was back downstairs sitting on the clean butchers table, I looked like a brand new demon. The royal blue top, and black skirt doing wonders with my new light gray, almost white complexion, my hands looking as though they have natural gloves as my gray skin darkens to black at my fingers. I had thought it was soot before, but after taking off my old boots and bathing, my feet were the same color.

And that brings us to now.

Sitting in the middle of the table with my legs crossed, my hands on each knee, I breathe deeply, trying to focus on the feeling I had when I used my ice magic. Slowly feeling the temperature fall lower and lower, my breath frosting as I breathe, I can feel the water vibrating in the air, gathering close to me and forming a single ice shard as I try to focus all my energy in one place. After a couple of tries, I get the hang of it, and open my eyes to a large ice ball floating in front of me.

I grin. This is going to be quite interesting.

***

5 hours into my little training session, Annabella comes downstairs, wearing a heavy shaw. She had been downstairs an hour into my training and had informed me she had half a shift at the emporium where she works, and to help myself to anything in the house while she was out.

"Hey, bitch! Tell this whore to open the goddamned doors! I've almost died of the cold twenty times already!" The raccoon demon shouts. He had woken up around 2 hours ago, and hadn't shut up since. I had taken to using him as a practice dummy at first, seeing how low I could make the temperature before he froze. Getting the answer had been pretty entertaining, freezing and thawing him several times until I got bored of getting the same reaction.

"Do you want to go back to being an ice cube?" I glare at the annoying thing. "If you didn't have a use, or if you out weight your usefulness with bullshit. I'll just end you, and go get another more quiet guinea pig."

"For how long has he been like that?" Annabella looks at me.

"Eh? Two? No more than three hours tops, I guess?" I toss out absent mindedly, focused making the ice form more and more intricate shapes.

"Have you not moved from down here the four hours I was at the emporium?" She asks in a scolding tone.

My attention breaks from the ice as it snaps to her, the ice falling to the floor and shattering. "Uh... Maybe? Why?"

"Why? You have not eaten anything, and you ask WHY?!" Annabella looks miffed. "Aunt Rosie made a special trip to the butchers on the edge of town, to specially request non-sinners meat for you. And you do not even take a break to eat."

"I'm sorry." I scratch the back of my head. "Not that it's an excuse, but it's a long standing bad habit to ignore everything when I get too into something, or go all day and forget to eat unless I have someone else to cook for." I jump down off the table, my boots crushing the shattered ice further. "Let me cook something for everyone to make it up to you, Tinkerbell. I'll see what you have in the kitchen." I motion to go upstairs with her.

Her voice softens. "You do not have to cook for me, it would mean cooking two different meals."

"Quite untrue, it would simply mean cooking the protein separately. It would still be the same meal. I did it all the time when I was alive." I reassure her. "I was quite sickly often, and it took a lot of changes to my diet to make life more manageable." I gave her a sad smile.

Annabella looked thoughtful for a moment as we walked upstairs and into the kitchen. "That must have been hard."

I pause from my spot in front of the refrigerator. "You unfortunately get used to having to make accommodations for yourself when you have as many medical issues as I did. But yes, I guess it was hard." I look through the fridge and pull out the necessary ingredients for a stir fry, making sure to separate the types of meat, slicing it thin, and putting baking soda on it to velvet it while I prepared the vegetables. Once the vegetables are evenly sliced, and separated by cooking time, I dig around for ingredients to make a decent sauce. Finding some orange juice in the fridge, and some honey, and brown sugar in the cabinet, I decide on a homemade teriyaki sauce I had made a dozen times when I was alive.

"Would you like rice, or pasta with the stir fry, Tinkerbell?" I look over at her to see her watching me intensely. "What?"

"You are very efficient in the kitchen, and you did not flinch from the sinners meat." She responds, her elbows resting on the counter where she is sat across from me, and her small face resting in her hands.

"Oh?" I give her a small laugh. "Why would a killer fear handling sinners meat? I partook in the blood of some of my hunts when I got carried away, so who knows, maybe my tastes have changed since death and I'd like it." I gave her a grin that was a little less sane.

She gives me a giggle. "If you do happen to have a change in taste, you could simply move in as my personal chef." She says snagging a raw piece of sinners meat I had in a scrap pile without baking soda, and popping it in her mouth with a wink.

"I have those put aside for broth, Hun." I laugh. "I am going to put two pots on to make broth as we eat, they can be dealt with before bed, and then I have fresh broth for tomorrow's meals."

"I thought you left snacks for me..." Annabella deadpans.

I snort. "I would have left you better pieces for snacks."

"Rice sounds nice." She mumbles with a light blush.

"Rice, it is then. Do you want to invite Rosie, and Franklin? Or do you want to take them leftovers? This will only take thirty to forty minutes." I ask, moving to rinse the rice.

"I will go extend an invitation, it will be up to them to attend." She gets up and walks away.

"Very well. I'll see you soon." I say to her retreating form.

***

I was adding the sauce to the vegetable mixtures when they all walked through the door. "Five minutes, and it will be ready to plate, Tinkerbell. Did you stay to help close?"

"Yes, it was faster with an extra set of hands." Annabella pops up next to me, her shorter form a good half a foot shorter than me. Closer to the height I had been when I was alive. My new demonic form was a little over 6 feet tall, not counting the large fox ears that sat twitching on my head. "This smells divine." She leans over and brushes up against my arm when I wasn't expecting it.

I jump lightly, jerking away from her a little, goosebumps breaking out over my arms. She looks startled by my reaction. "Sorry, I didn't mean to... I don't really like being touched... It's usually more tolerable if I'm warned beforehand, or if I initiate the contact." I stumble over my words.

"Anna dear, I think it would be a good idea to give your new friend some space. Why not take this time to set the table." Rosie speaks up from her spot in the doorway.

"O-okay." Annabella quickly sets about the task eventually leaving Rosie and I, alone in the kitchen.

Rosie sits on a stool at the island, and gives me a knowing look. "You've burned yourself, sweetie." She points to my wrist.

I look down, the inside of my wrist is turning colors already, the burn clearly from hitting it against one of the hot pans in my haste to distance myself from Annabella. "It'll heal, it's only a first for this body. Things like this happened quite often when I was alive and less durable." I brush it off. I hadn't even noticed the pain until she pointed it out. Far too used to dealing with pain when I was alive, this much was simply an annoyance more than really painful.

"I won't ask why your reaction is so strong, dear. But I will say that old Rosie, is always here if you need someone to lend an ear. Sinners drop down here with all kinds of pasts, and all the pain that comes with them, dearie."

I turn off the stove. "Thank you, I appreciate it. You all have been nothing but kind to me, which considering the place we are in, is quite surprising." I plate the food, separating my plate. "Now, I do believe it's time to eat." I give her a tired smile and motion towards the door. "I'll bring it out, you can go sit down."

I am quick to bring everyone their plates, going back and grabbing drinks as well. I grab wine for everyone, and grab water for myself out of habit more than anything else. Sitting down next to Annabella.

"Do you not like the red wine I brought?" Franklin was quick to ask.

"I've never really liked the taste of alcohol, and unfortunately when I was alive, it would either made my medical issues worse, or interfere with my medications. So I chose not to participate, even in social drinking." I inform. "I'm more of a tea or coffee drinker, though I always had to way my options when choosing to indulge in coffee. If I had too much, or didn't use enough coconut milk, my stomach would hurt for days."

"That sounds awful!" Annabella says. Rosie nodding with her.

"It's amazing what you can get used to if given no other choice." My response was dry. "But, yeah. Definitely not fun."

They let the subject drop, and tried the food. Their eyes lighting up as it hit their tongues.

"Wow!"

"It is divine!"

"You've done very well."

"It would have been a bit better if I hadn't substituted a couple of things, and had korean chili flakes or paste." I mutter. "But it's not bad. I'll have to treat you all again with the best ingredients next time I make it." I look up at them to see looks of disbelief. "What?"

"Were you a chef up top, dear?" Rosie asks.

"Ah, no. Nothing like that. It's more a hobby. I liked to cook dishes from around the world, and normally as long as I had a recipe as a ruff guide, I didn't have to worry about the outcome." I scratch my neck.

"Then why are you putting this meal down? You did what you could with what you had available to you, and it's delicious." Rosie's reply felt like a mom's gentle reminder to be kind to yourself.

I give her a small laugh. "You sound like my mom." I smile.

"That's not a bad thing, I hope?"

"No. She did what she could, with what she had been given." The emotional prods that came with my mother's words at times were borderline abuse. But her mother was always abusive, mentally and physically to her, so she always made an effort to apologize anytime she toed the line. And as we cut out her side of the family her mentality improved more and more.

Our dinner was pleasant after that, the conversation flowing freely, and at the end of the night after Rosie and Franklin took their leave, I apologized to Annabella, again for my reaction in the kitchen. Explaining that it wasn't her that necessarily caused the reaction, but memories that my body and heart have a hard time letting go of. She then went to bed. She had shown me to the guest room earlier today, but I had never been one to sleep much, especially in a new place. So I went back to the kitchen and dealt with the broth that I had simmering, placing containers of it in the fridge on different shelves. I washed the dishes, then made my way downstairs to practice my ice magic.