A not so secret, secret

Joyous laugher, warm welcomes, and an overall peaceful atmosphere permeated the table of which Lilo was now sitting at.

He had never seen so many genuine smiles in one place. Every other moment in his life that involved laughter were people trying to sweet talk him and take advantage of his assets.

This group of rambunctious shepherds, seemed to have pure hearts of simple interests; curious to hear what Lilo had to share.

He briefly recounted what transpired on his irregular day of classes, with both Wonka and Jawbi interjecting to add witty remarks, enlivening the story and adding extravagant details to play it up.

Lilo was apprehensive at first, afraid to speak out of turn or that what he said wouldn't be captivating enough; but people at this table seemed to have a genuine interest in him... and it felt gratifying.

His reminiscence of his mother and wife resurfaced in the midst of the great time that he was having; reminding him why he was working so hard to get back to his old world and to fix what he had lost.

Lemon remained mostly reserved during the entire meal, but Lilo figured that was nothing out of ordinary. She was usually this quite. It wasn't until recenetly that they had enough banter for him to know she had so much to say.

There was still unresolved tension between them; even though Lilo was not sure the cause or reason for it, he knew he needed to make an effort to get to the bottom of it.

He also had an inkling of a sense not to do that here in front of her friends. He would have to address this elsewhere at another time.

"Wow so some silly old form of combat taught to you by crazy monks really had that kind of impact? That is so incredible Lilo! You should teach Lemon those kicks, she's really into that sort of thing." Pepper's refreshing voice brought Lilo's wandering thoughts back into their conversation.

He blinked for a few seconds, astonished at how convenient what she was suggesting was; but before he could happily oblige, Lemon spoke up to shut it down.

"I'm good with the kicks I already know. I don't need his help." She said with a bitter tone.

Her cold remark ruined the vibes and made for an awkward moment of silence. Lilo cleared his throat to break the awkwardness.

"Your kicks and fighting style were very impressive. Where did you learn that?" Lilo asked politely, diverting the conversation to hopefully a better avenue.

"Oh, mom used to dance like that. She never really taught me much but she seemed to invest it into Lemon a lot. Not sure when the kicks were thrown into the mix but her stance and style are certainly heavily inspired by-" Pepper's comment was cut short by Lemon's loud and abrupt cough; paired with a disdainful glare.

'Ooof, her mom, her kicks, and anything to do with helping her. Steer clear from those topics... got it. Jeez kids are so hard to please.'

"Hey, I'm not so bad." Soda self righteously proclaimed.

Lilo rolled his eyes mentally and thought hard on what to change the subject to next.

Jawbi yawned, insinuating that he was ready to leave the table, but Lilo had a few burning questions of his own, aside from Lemon's rollercoaster of issues.

"Hey, ummm is it okay if I ask about you guys?" Lilo turned to Wonka, who seemed the most level headed of the group.

"Sure buddy, ask away." Wonka gave a reassuring wink, letting Lilo know any and all questions are safe.

"What makes you guys so special?" He lowered his tone so that no one could overhear his next statement. "I've seen Jawbi's and Pepper's powers."

"Jawbi can harden his skin and Pepper can freeze objects with her weapon right? You guys use the cursed candy's abilities! Isn't that highly forbidden? How do you get away with it?"

A proud grin washed over Wonka's face, and Jawbi put his muscular arm around Lilo's shoulder bringing him in closer for Wonka to whisper.

"It is forbidden, and if the Timbers find out, they would surely execute us. BUT." Wonka's smirk grew as another charming wink escaped his eye lids.

"I'm a special guy, that can provide special things. The fiend of this spire NEED me, and they can't dispose of what I choose to create."

"One thing that cannot be denied, no matter in what societal rule you adhere to, are results. And mine... oh boy are mine incredible."

Wonka's self flattery somehow made everyone at the table swell with pride as well.

Pepper put her revolver on the table. Lilo never got a chance to study it up close. All he knew was that it was a mysterious weapon that froze any and all of Lemon's oppositions; and that she never missed.

There were six chambers, each loaded with foggy spear mints. The fog was icy mist that emanated out of the chilling cursed candy, and it froze the metal surrounding the barrel.

The wooden handle allowed for a less slippery grip, and the striking hammer of the pistol was red hot, glowing as if being perpetually heated.

Intricate engravings of snow flakes were on the wooden handle and it was painted a starking contrast of white and green.

It was simply mesmerizing to look at, even with its chilling lethality.

Jawbi put down his fist on the table with a loud thud. It changed into a plethora of colorful hues in an instant and made a cracking noise as layers of hardened magical cursed candy grew over top of his skin.

Lilo gasped in awe and looked up at Jawbi with a raised brow as if to ask: 'can I touch it?'

Jawbi grinned and nodded, prompting Lilo to immediately feel the intriguing texture.

It was smooth and incredibly durable. How was he able to crack through it earlier?

Surely that silly goofy kick coming from such a small frame as himself was not enough to make a dent on such a magical item such as Jawbi's.

Lilo looked up at Wonka from the two items that he had just had the pleasure of analyzing and raised a questioning brow.

"I have harnessed the powers of the cursed fruit, without having to consume them. They are utilities, and thus separate from its user."

Wonka's prideful grin swelled even larger and another charming wink was given to Lilo; almost like a tic that the mad genius had for whenever he thought highly of himself... which was quite often now that Lilo had an opportunity to get to know him.

"If the Timbers knew that basic commoners of their spires were capable of wielding such power... all hell would break lose."