Pancakes

"Tashi, do you have everything packed for tonight?" Neya asked her husband, knowing full well he was known to procrastinate. Her shoulder-length black hair was tied into a tight bun at the back of her head, and she was wearing tight black pants that hugged her legs snuggly, while her black shirt barely covered her midriff. 

Neya Suki, despite already being dressed for their contract in a few hours, had been spending the morning preparing her children for their departure. Tashi Suki, on the other hand, was still in bed relaxing; he relished the feeling of his mattress and blankets when he knew it was going to be a while before he could be as comfortable again. 

"I'll get it done in a moment," he called out to her from the bedroom, his voice overly groggy from pretending to sleep for so long. Neya rolled her eyes in utter annoyance; she knew if she were to lay around as he did, the children would be skipping breakfast instead of Tashi stepping up. She loved Tashi with every inch of her soul, but his lack of preparation always made her anxious. They had an important mission in only a matter of hours, and he had nothing ready for himself; it was as if he expected her to pack for him. 

Tashi and Neya had accepted a contract that involved clearing out a large group of rotted wolves that were hindering the adventurer's guild from fulfilling a contract requested by The Castle of Discovery. What the scientists needed was beyond what either of them cared about, but they knew it was crucial considering the Castle themselves was requesting an immediate clear from high-ranking members; quick and easy. 

The duo was part of the fighter's guild and were some of the highest leveled adventurers in Koro. Not only were both level 67, but they were both born with the magika stat, making them even fiercer being able to control things others could only dream about. The couple had grown up together in the city of Koro; attending the same schools, going to the same guild, and opting to be on a team before they ultimately fell in love with one another. 

Neya's weapon of choice was dual handed folding fans, which, combined with her magika, offered additional benefits. Her fans were exquisite. They sported a deep indigo gradient base color, representing the poison it could inflict onto another so long as her magika allowed, equaling to bonus potential of 100 damage per second in addition to the base attack of them; but they only had a 1 in 5 chance of applying the effect. In addition to her poison, with every rotted human kill she made using her fans, it created 1 small serpent scale on both of her weapons; Neya had 50 scales, with each scale representing healing points per second for the duration of the poison. The poison of a snake is only dangerous to those that don't possess it. 

Neya flipped the pancakes she had been cooking for her son and daughter, hoping they weren't burnt. She was always away so she never had the opportunity to level her cooking, but it was just high enough to sustain. The wet side of the pancakes sizzled upon contact with the scorching pan, and the done side was more than the light golden brown she was always told it had to be. "Of course," she whispered to herself with a defeated smile as she stood with her back turned to her children waiting patiently at the table, her head slouched down. 

"It smells so yummy!" her daughter exclaimed in her squeaky, little voice. "I love mommy's pancakes!" Neya turned from the stove, holding tears in as the greatest feeling of accomplishment rushed over her; the words of someone who just learned to use the toilet properly meant more to her than anything nice that had been said to her recently. 

"Thank you, Gairma," she replied, turning back towards the stove, her smile still painted on her face, but with a new backstory. Her daughter on the other hand, carried on with her day, unaware of how powerful she already was. 

"You like them? But they're always burnt," Gino huffed, his arms crossed as he slouched in his chair. Gino had just turned 18 and was in the process of graduating school, while Gairma was only 5, and just beginning it. He had short, slightly spiky brown hair like his father, Tashi, and had brown eyes like his mother and younger sister. Unlike the cheeriness his sister offered, he was more pessimistic, and Neya often blamed herself for it. 

Gairma and Gino's parents were away for weeks straight more times than they were at home, leaving a guild-assigned nanny in charge of them, often being considered the one that had raised them. However, because the nanny was of no relation, and was often switched many times due to the guild's needs, Gino didn't have a solid foundation to be raised; he ended up with the vision of someone who couldn't see the good in anything. 

"Mommy's pancakes are the best!" Gairma snapped at her older brother, ready to defend her despite being an ant in comparison to her much older, and much taller sibling; let alone stronger. Luckily, because Neya and Tashi had realized the damage they had caused their son, they took a cut to the number of contracts they took on, thus reducing their income. They saw it as a win even though there were times they felt as if they wouldn't be able to provide. 

Tashi soon emerged from his room after hearing Gairma begin to shout, rubbing his eyes as he dragged his feet to the kitchen. He gave his wife a kiss on her cheek before peering around her to inspect what she was making. "Looks good, dear," he told her, before kissing her again and making his way over to the table to join his children. He sat down without a word to them and poured himself a glass of orange juice from a pitcher in the middle of the table, chugging it almost immediately. "What's all this shouting going on?" he asked his children after quenching his thirst. Gino, without moving anything but his shoulders, shrugged lazily. 

"Gino said mommy's pancakes are bad!" Gairma said, her voice still raised as she faced her father while pointing to her brother. "But they're so delicious!" She raised her hands in utter confusion. 

Tashi took another sip, "they're the best pancakes I've ever had in my life." 

Neya turned the stove off before plating the morning feast for her family; Pancakes, sausage, and a piece of toast with apple jelly. Gairma rushed from the table to her mother's side, not with intention to ask if Neya needed help, but to demand it. Not wanting to disappoint, Neya humored her by allowing her to carry her own plate to the table, while Neya served her son and husband. 

"Aren't you going to eat?" Tashi asked, noticing his wife joined them without a plate for herself. 

"I already ate; was snacking while I was cooking," she admitted with a reassuring smile. Tashi knew better. He got up from the table and grabbed another plate and extra utensils before placing the empty one in front of her. He then split the food she had already portioned out for him and gave her the other half of it. 

"I'm still extremely stuffed from my midnight snack I had last night," he placed his hand on his stomach, "I couldn't help myself, but I also couldn't pass up your cooking." She looked at him quizzically, one eyebrow raised slightly, as she began to take dainty bites from her food. She knew her cooking was gross, but it was good enough to pass as edible. By the time Neya and Tashi and gotten halfway through their meal, Gairma was already finished, and Gino had only taken a few bites, if any. 

"I'm still hungry," the small, innocent child pleaded as she looked at everyone's plates that still had food on them, a slight hint of jealousy filling her miniature body. 

"You can have mine, it's burnt," Gino quickly offered, monotone as always. 

"No," Tashi butted in as he watched Gino begin to scoot his plate over to her. "You can have mine, Gairma, I'm full and I've got some packing I need to get done." He then glared over at his son, "by the time I'm done packing you better have that food gone," he warned, "you need to eat to gain strength." 

Gino rolled his eyes at his father, "I have no intention of following in yours or mom's footsteps." He stood up, angerly, "and it's torture eating foods that are supposed to taste good, but they're always awful!" He darted to his bedroom, slamming his door with a loud bang, vibrating the floor softly. Tashi and Neya remained quiet, ignoring his behavior, as they shifted their focus to the upcoming tasks.