A Cup of Cocoa and a Dead Boar (1)

It was already night, and Viviane was still nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Sam was still brooding over the fact that she needed to share a room with Vivian.e

"I don't understand why you are brooding so much?" Lynn said to Sam.

The three of them were seated in the living room and trying to bond over a cup of hot cocoa. The latter was Tyson's idea. He remembers that his family always shared a cup of hot cocoa in the evenings.

"Don't you understand, Lynn? She can make ice appear from nowhere!"

"Then you've got yourself a free air conditioner, don't you? I wouldn't mind that," Tyson said trying to lighten the mood.

They had passed the rest of the afternoon cleaning the zombies' mess from outside while making small talks every few hours.

"Also, do you mind explaining more in detail about this whole magical girl thing we got here?"

"Like I said in the afternoon, Sam. I'm not a magical girl."

"Fine, I'm calling you a mahou shoujo!"

"Call me mahou shoujo or whatever any other thing you like, but don't you dare to call me magical girl ever again, Sam, or I'm calling you minion."

Lynn did not know that mahou shoujo was Japanese for magical girl. Tyson had understood the reference, but Sam glared at him, so he would not tell Lynn that she was still calling him a magical girl, just that in another language.

"Fine, Mahou Shoujo Lynn!" Sam giggled with Tyson.

Lynn was suspecting that the word had another meaning, but he would not kill Sam's good mood. It was hard for the minion to smile, nonetheless laugh.

"So, Sam and Tyson. What I told you guys, about the brush it's what I know. I've just summoned a cannon fodder once, and that's it," Lynn said as he stared at his now empty cup of cocoa.

"Why didn't you transform when the zombie was about to bite you, mate? You know you could have died right there if Viviane had not come to our rescue?" Tyson asked.

Lynn knew Tyson was not asking him that with any evil intentions, but he still felt the sting with the question. It was as if everyone could defend themselves, minus him.

"I… I don't really know. I got scared. I don't know how the brush works exactly, so it didn't pass through my mind on using it. Also… I feared spooking you guys. Since transforming into another person and summoning a cannon fodder is not something you see every day."

Sam's aggressive demeanor calmed down, and she put one of her small hands in Lynn's shoulder, "You are seriously dumb! We've seen zombies! Are you saying that zombies are a daily occurrence? You shouldn't have felt ashamed or scared of that. You should feel ashamed though of always screaming like a girl and being on the verge of pissing your pants."

"Sam… if you are trying to make Lynn feel better or make someone feel better you shouldn't be insulting them at the same time," Tyson said.

Sam quickly removed her hand and sat back at the floor next to Tyson who was in the loveseat, "I wasn't trying to make him feel better. I was just being what did you call it? Friendly? Also, stating the obvious."

Lynn knew Sam was trying to make him feel better, but that it also embarrassed her being "friendly". "Fine, Sam. Thank you for trying to be friendly. And I will try not to be on the verge of pissing my pants again?"

The three of them erupted into laughter.

"Hey, guys, stop laughing at me! This is all your fault, Tyson! That's why I don't enjoy being friendly," Sam pouted and crossed her arms.

Tyson threw himself on the floor and gave a big bear hug to Sam, "Come here, Sammie! It's okay being friendly! You don't need to always be frowning. It will lead to premature aging!"

Tyson's comment made them laugh again just as Viviane returned.

"I see that the three of you, kids, have bonded," Viviane said as she dropped in the kitchen more foraged food and even a dead boar.

"Viviane, is that a boar?" Sam stood up to see what was in the kitchen counter better.

"Dead boar… but yes… it was a boar," Viviane said as if it was something normal.

"That's sick! How did you killed it?" Tyson put his knees in the loveseat and turned around to face Viviane as he asked. In almost every aspect Tyson seemed like a kid if you could oversee his height.

"Do you really want to know?" Viviane raised an eyebrow and smirked.

This sent shivers down Tyson's spine. "You know what… let's better keep it a secret!"

Lynn stood up and went to the kitchen where Viviane was, "So, it's clear you know this place. When did you visited here, Viviane? Also, you still haven't told us what's your relationship with my grandfather yet. Don't think I've forgotten about that."

Viviane just walked past Lynn to the kitchen sink to wash her hands, "Kid, if you've got that much guts to fight zombies then your grandfather wouldn't need to worry about you."

"Wait…" Sam interrupted, "are you saying that Merlin knew about this whole mess?"

"Not exactly. If I've got to tell you everything from the start, shouldn't we at least discuss it with a full stomach?" Viviane smiled, "Now, Lynn, be useful, and hand me a good knife to skin the boar. You, kids, don't look like you've ever skinned a wild animal before."

Tyson looked at Sam to see if she had done it, and Sam shook her head. Normally when you went camping, you bring your food. No one ever went looking for a wild animal to kill and skin it.

"Um… I can cook it, Viviane. After you've skinned it," Sam offered.

"Oh! I also want to help! I've never cooked before. Can I help, Sam?" Tyson asked excitedly.

"Ugh… fine, I will let you do something that won't lead to you burning down the entire cabin."

Lynn felt sort of left out again, but this time instead of retreating, he tried to integrate himself into the conversation, and asked Viviane, "Hey, Viviane, can you teach me how you skin the boar?"

Viviane then gave him a warm smile, "Fine, but don't end up throwing up in the food if you consider it too bloody."