The next morning Primrose woke up to a monstrous face staring down on her. Without thinking she kicked upwards hard. The mask flew off, and Malik fell to his knees, clutching his face.
"Malik! Are you alright?" she asked getting on her knees and grabbing his face.
"I thought it would be funny," he groaned then laughed," and it was."
Primrose snorted," You are too much." she said fondly.
Just then, the door flew open, and Ashe jumped in and saw Primrose cradling Malik's face in her hands." Oops, Am I interrupting something." they said with a devilish smile.
Primrose jumped up," Nope. We're not doing anything!" she yelped.
Malik glared at Ashe, but he stood up too," What do you want?"
"Time for breakfast. We're having oatmeal. "Ashe said, walking out the wagon.
Breakfast was a communal affair. Rana personally served each bowl from a large cauldron. The oatmeal smelled delicious, accented with nutmeg and cinnamon, but it was hard for Primrose to line up for food when it felt like everyone was staring at her and Malik.
Rana noticed and slowly filled up a bowl and gave it to Primrose," People who stare deserve the looks they get in return," she said in warning at the people surrounding them. Everyone looked away, a few seemed legitimately ashamed, but others just kept staring from the corner of their eyes. Primrose felt better, though, and sat down at the nearest clear spot she could find. Malik had to wait in line, but she wasn't alone long. A young girl sat next to her and stared at her intensely," Are you one of Malik's lovers?" she asked with a sneer.
Primrose gritted her teeth but quickly decided that this child wasn't worth getting angry about, "I am Malik's friend, not his lover." she said sharply, then started eating her breakfast.
The girl snorted," That's a bad lie," she laughed," no one's with Malik unless they get it on with him."
Suddenly two hands grabbed and twisted her ears," What was that, Ella? "Malik said with a sadistic smirk," I leave for a little bit, and you turned into a giant brat."
The girl, Ella, squirmed wildly," No, no, no wait, I was just kidding Malik. It was just a little joke."
"Didn't sound that funny from where I was standing," Malik said; his tone was casual, but his hands relentlessly twisted her ears back and forth, turning them red," but maybe I just didn't understand the joke. Maybe I'll go asks your sister if she thinks it's funny."
Ella visibly paled," Nope. I'm sorry I was wrong. Please forgive me great and amazing Malik." she said.
Malik released her and sent her on her way," Now get away from Prim." he said, setting himself next to her. Ella huffed and ran off.
"So why does that child hate you so much," Primrose asked," Secret love child?"
Malik chocked on a spoon full of oatmeal," God no! I would never be that irresponsible." he coughed out then he looked a bit ashamed," I was acquainted with her older sister for a while, a long, long time ago. We were good friends. Everyone thought we should be more, so we stopped being together. Ella is convinced I used her sister for my sick perversions and never forgave me."
"Ah, that makes sense," Primrose said.
"What that's it, no defense for me. Ella really hurt me with her cruel words. My tender heart shattered." he said, whimpering sadly.
"If the words of a child hurt you so much, then you need to toughen up that tender heart of yours," she said, stabbing a finger into his chest.
Malik groaned like she struck him then noticed her nearly full bowl," Hey, what's this? Not eating Rana's famous cooking that is practically a sin," he said, scandalized, then grabbed her spoon, filled it up, and held it to her face," Come on, eat up."
Primrose stared at the spoon," You must be joking." she said, grabbing the spoon from him and eating with gusto.
"Meanie!" Malik teased before setting into his own bowl.
After breakfast, Rana, Ashe, and Aadril spoke to the assembly," Good morning, everyone. We're currently on schedule for our journey. I want to thank everyone for working so hard together to make this journey go smoothly. We literally could not have gone this far without the work that everyone here does, so let's keep it up so that one day everyone will know of our tropes name." Rana said, and there was applause.
"Well enough of the fluff," Ashe said, pushing Rana aside and taking center stage," Let's get into the nitty gritty. Group A is in charge of meal prep and gathering today. This forest is rich in mushrooms, so focus on that, there's also a large patch of rosehips coming up so were going to need you guys to start on a batch of rosehip syrup. As for group B you guys have really been slacking on shoe repair, I will expecting all the female dance shoes to be in proper working order before our next show. Also, costume design is on hold till further notice. Start focusing on mending and putting the finishing touches on the costumes you've already made."
There were some voices of discontent, but Ashe silenced them with a wave of their hand," I understand that it's stifling your creative process, but we need those costumes up to par, and you've all been slacking on that end. When you all finish your work, I'll be willing to listen to your complaints. Group C will in charge of animal care; Saddleanna is about to give birth, so keep on the lookout. And Group D is on maintenance duty. Reed and Sora's wagon wheel is coming loose, the straps on Oxie are frayed to the extreme, and some of the tent poles are rusted out and need to be replaced or recycled. As always, Ginny will be taking care of the children, and Marvis will be in the medical tent in case of emergencies. I will be supervising, so I want to see you all working hard."
With that, Ashe steps aside. Aadril did not move from where he was standing," As you all have noticed Malik's home and brought a friend. Her name is Primrose, and they will be traveling with us for the next 13 days. She will be treated the same as any other member of the trope. Malik will take his place back with the performers while his traveling companion will assist with group A. If anyone takes issue with that, please step forward now."
No one stepped forward, and Rana closed the morning meeting.
A woman stepped forward to Primrose," Hi, I'm Elise, and I'm in charge of Group A. We need to head out now if you're ready." she said. It was evident that Elise was Ella's older sister, as she looked like an adult version of Ella. The same chestnut skin and carrot red hair, but while they shared this combo, they handled them entirely differently. Ella's hair was wild and frizzy, and her skin was discolored from being in the sun. Elise had a mature beauty, her hair was smoothed into a long braid, and her skin was clear pale and looked as soothed as silk.
For some reason, Primrose felt a prick envy in her heart. She quickly buried it her chest and held out her hand," It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Primrose. Please look out for me." she said.
Elise widens then she laughed and took Primrose's hand and pulled her along," Well, I'm sure you'll adapt quickly. Also, can I just say I love your name? Primroses are my favorite flowers." she said, pointing out her ceramic pin that was pinned proudly to her dress.
"Oh, that's a common cowslip Primula Veris," Primrose said excitedly," they used to grow all over the barracks when I was a child."
"Barracks?" Elise asked
"Oh, you might not know this, but I was a-" With such chatter, they walked off into the forest.
Malik watched them leave in disbelief then ran over to Ashe," What were you thinking putting her with Elise!" he snarled. He wanted to yell but didn't want to make a scene
"Distance makes the heart go fonder, and a good dose of jealousy won't hurt anything," Ashe said nonchalantly picking a piece of lint off their blouse.
Malik hadn't thought about it like that, and a slow smile spread across his face, "You're a genius, Ashe!" he said, giving them a slap on their shoulder.
Ashe puffed out their chest, "Well, I've always been that." they said pridefully.
While they were congratulating themselves on their well-laid plans, the girls were busy foraging in the woods. Thanks to Primrose's fast and agile fingers, Group A had finished faster than expected and were finishing up well before noon. Elise had spent the whole morning regaling her with tales from Malik's dark past
"So then Malik ate these weird mushrooms we found in the woods, took all his clothes off and pissed on all the costumes The costume designers were so mad they had him wash each one by hand, it took over a week," Elise told an enraptured Primrose.
"That's crazy, were the mushrooms poisonous," Primrose gasped.
"No, they were hallucinogenic. They alter your brain and make you act crazy. Rana keeps a bundle of dried ones in her caravans and occasionally makes this punch that will have you talking to God herself." Elise explained.
"Well, I think I prefer mushrooms like this," Primrose said, pulling out some white buttons from her basket and making Elise laugh.
Elise looked up at the sun for a minute then stood up," Okay, everyone, time to go."
Everyone got up and started walking back to camp. Elise and Primrose were walking side by side. One of the group members shouted at them," Hey girls bonding over tales of Malik's cock."
Primrose turned bright red and couldn't talk, but Elise just rolled her eyes," I would tell tales of yours, but it would be too short."
The rest of the group laughed and the man sunk back in embarrassment.
Elise looked back at Primrose, who was looking at the ground, her ears still pink.
Elise put her arm around her," Isn't it so annoying when guys try to overcompensate by being pricks."
Primrose's shoulders loosened up, and she smiled up at her.
When the group returned, Primrose saw Malik warming up with some of the other trope members.
She waved at him, and he waved back, but then another member slapped his back with a long piece of bark, "Focus!" he shouted then quickly turned his attention back to the other dancers. Primrose put her hand to her sword and was about to run up when Elise stopped her," It's okay. That's the trainer Heinrich, he's strict, but he gets perfect results."
Primrose backed down," Yeah, sorry, I guess it was just instinctual." she laughed and kept following the crowd. Because her back was turned, she didn't see the strange look flint across Elise's face. She looked back and forth between her and Malik and something unreadable ran though her eyes.