"What was that for?!"
Grant asked angrily while rubbing his face.
"The f**k didn't you use that instead of making me carry your s**t!"
Wanda yelled angrily while screaming inside.
"Oh, that!"
Grant said in realization.
"Oh, sorry. I forgot."
Grant said while cringing in shame.
"You forgot!?"
'Why are you doing this!'
'I don't know!'
She yelled at herself internally.
"Yeah... I did."
He said in a small voice.
"What! Why! How! How could you forget about something so important!"
Wanda said as her hands clenched empty air.
'WHY ARE WE YELLING AT THE ONE HALF-DECENT NOBLE IN THE ENTIRE TOWN!?'
She asked herself as she neared a mental breakdown from a conflicting mix of anger and fear.
'We've gone too far! Even if we backtrack, we're screwed! We have to stand our ground!"
Grant started talking in his shrunken position.
"I was... kind of... afraid... you'd blow up at me again."
He gave a nervous smile as he finished.
"How does that affect your memory! !?"
"Well..."
Grant rubbed his hands.
"Mortal terror does have a way of drawing someone's attention."
He gave a helpless shrug towards Wanda.
"I wasn't that scary!"
She defended.
"You turned into a house, madam."
He pointed out, regaining his usual humor.
"A living house that was very angry and wanted to eat me."
"What about the blackmail!?"
She asked, her anger lessening.
"What blackmail?"
Grant asked in genuine confusion.
Wanda started waving her arms like a madwoman, failing to articulate exactly what she wanted to express with them.
"The, the, the thing! With the coupon! And the patriarch! You were going to wreck my shop!"
"What? No, I don't work like that."
Grant said frowning at the implication.
"I mean some of the others do, but not me. Not in my town at least. But I can definitely see how that wo-"
"The patriarch!"
Wanda interrupted, not wanting him to change the subject.
"I was just telling you the reason why I was prioritizing it. I didn't mean to give you a panic attack because of it."
"The coupon?"
"I was just trying to take advantage of a deal. I would've just left if you said no."
Wanda scrambled for anything she could use.
"Y-y-you trashed my shop!"
She pointed at Grant.
"I fixed that!"
Grant righteously defended.
"And your dog surprised me! I didn't mean to throw him across the room. Have you ever stopped to consider how your dog would look to the average customer?"
"It's freaking terrifying!"
Wanda struggled to say anything else but only came up with a bunch of sputtering noises.
*bubuspidachuyouybispithiski-
This went on for several seconds before she gave an annoyed groan and sat down.
She noticed the glances of the interested crowd nearby and covered her face with her petals.
'Wait... Aren't we the only plant person in town or something? Wouldn't they be able to tell where we are by asking?'
Wanda asked her self mentally.
'Just... Just shut up... Let me have this.'
Wanda said to her thoughts.
Seeing this, Grant sighed.
'Not again.'
He looked around and his eye caught on the pile of stuff they bought.
Giving another sigh, he quietly packed all of it into his bag with ease.
He slowly walked over and sat on the other end of the bench. Grant started to rummage within his bag and pulled out the platter from before along with one for himself.
It was a long bench so Grant placed the platters in the space between them.
Reaching into his bag, again, he pulled out a drink to go with his food and set it aside.
Grant reached into his clothing and pulled out a large crystal pendant. It was a beautiful translucent blue that was was held together by thin strips of metal and impossibly tiny hinges. Somehow, it managed to look like a single piece with engraving.
He held the crystal by the part where the chain connected and twisted the bottom.
The piece unfolded in four different areas simultaneously. It moved slowly as if enjoying the spectacle of unveiling a treasure.
And, indeed, it was a treasure. Any passerby lucky enough to glance in their direction was struck with awe.
Magic
A glowing orb of mana floated within the hollow crevice, leaking mana like a tranquil stream.
Grant gathered this energy within his hand and formed the matrix with a keen eye. For even the most rudimentary spell deserved the best in his eyes.
'What's that smell?'
Wanda wondered as a breeze tickled her nose.
She turned her head and froze at what she saw.
Grant was enjoying the most delicious looking burger she'd ever seen in her life. It even had a side order of seasoned fries!
But the thing that drew her intention was the slowly rotating spell that b******d was using to blow the scent toward her.
"Oh, hi there! I didn't notice you."
He said in a smug voice that definitely meant he noticed her.
"This is just the most delicious thing I've ever had."
He said lifting it to his mouth. The juices dripping from the titular beetle staining his gloves
"I can't wait to take a bite."
He said, directly before taking a bite. She could see the quality of every delicious layer.
Wanda's stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten lunch.
"Oh. Oh! This is good."
*Food ***n noises.
*More food ***n noises.
Suddenly he put his platter down and raised the one he offered her earlier.
"You don't still want yours, do you?"
She snatched the platter out of his hands and said.
"Gimmie that!"
She started plowing straight into the dish as fast as possible while trying to savor every bite. Only pausing to chug from her cup.
*Ahhhh.
'Amazing'
She only paused for a moment before diving back in.
"You sure you don't want to slow down?"
Grant asked jokingly.
"Sh- a fu- u-"
She said with a full mouth and punctuated it with an obscene gesture.
"Chu oh meh a wot moe an dis buh!"
"Yeah, don't worry. I'll make sure to compensate you properly when this is all over."
She let out a guttural noise and just kept chugging
'Well... That went well.'
Grant thought as he put away the pendant and went back to eating his meal.