Sitting up from his makeshift bed on the floor, Vasili stretched and felt a satisfying crack in his upper back and neck, the consequences of his actions.
'That's going to need some work,' he thought as he loosened up his shoulders and upper back.
Looking over the tidied room and noticing that his "servant" was missing, likely at work already, made him want to start his morning routine.
Standing up, he collected his bedding and put on a YouTube video. Checking the time, it read, '8:23?' He mused to himself, realizing that he had once again beaten his alarm clock.
With a large yawn, he began to fold the sheets and towels into a neat stack, taking only a few moments to open up YouTube and start playing the latest Good Mythical Morning video, something he usually did on the weekends, or when he had extra time in the morning.
After he was done, he sat the stack on the spare chair. Remembering to grab his phone, he opened the door, finding the hallway deserted but he couldn't miss the tantalizing scent in the air. The Dragon within him stirred, equally drawn to the aroma.
Bacon.
In perfect harmony, Vasili and the Dragon followed the scent trail. After a wrong turn and some helpful clanging from the kitchen, he set his course and zeroed in on the prize.
He was getting closer.
Coming to a pair of swinging doors, he knew this was the place. Peaking inside, he saw a handful of eyes instantly turn to him, including Sebastian's.
"Ah! Mr. Onassis, Sir! Welcome to the kitchen. The Young Master isn't up yet, but feel free to eat whatever you like." Sebastian greeted him, addressing him differently yet again.
Vasili was confused, thinking, 'Is he fucking with me? Or is he just a morning person?' Shrugging it off, Vasili entered the kitchen. Nodding at the butler who then began to command his kitchen as if it were a grand battle.
He looked around the room, eventually catching the eyes of a young woman staring at him. She had lovely purple hair and bright lavender irises, something Vasili could recognize as extremely unique, even within the supernatural world.
As he walked through the kitchen, he noticed she was the one in charge of frying the bacon.
Nearly shedding a tear in happiness, Vasili asked, "Could I have a plate of bacon, please?" His request, however, doubled as the Dragon grumbled, "Make that two..."
The young woman stared at him, well aware of his actions from the previous night. She nodded slightly, her voice shaky as she replied, "Y-yes, Sir!" before returning her focus to the sizzling bacon on the grill.
Vasili inhaled deeply, reveling in the savory aroma that wafted through the air. He just needed to be patient for a little longer, and he would be in bacon heaven.
While he was waiting, he figured he would try to get the crick out of his back. Taking a second to check the surface temperature of a nearby stove, deeming it safe, he bent downwards.
After several attempts, he pushed a bit harder, and finally, his upper back cracked with a satisfying pop.
'That's what I get for sleeping on the floor,' he mused to himself.
As he continued to stretch and relax, a frantic voice called out, "Sir?!?! SIR!!" Startled, Vasili looked over at the girl cooking his bacon, wondering if his breakfast was ready. To his surprise, she was frantically trying to pull his hand away from the stove, pleading, "Sir! PLEASE!"
He felt her grip but realized she couldn't budge him an inch, confused, he moved his arm and asked, "What's wrong?"
She was calming down when she saw Vasili check his hands, seeing red skin and blisters appear all over them.
He tilted his head in confusion- his hands felt fine, and then he realized it was the amulet.
Trying to calm down the panicking girl, he waved away any concerns, "Ah, don't worry, my hands are fine! I have this amulet thing. It makes me appear human, but I guess it can also mimic injuries that my "body" would have sustained too."
Taking a few minutes to reassure the girl that he was perfectly fine and that his hands only appeared damaged due to the amulet's illusion, Vasili turned his attention back to her station when the unmistakable scent of smoke filled the air.
The girl noticed the change in Vasili's expression, and without hesitation, she sprang into action, quickly removing the charred bacon from the heat source like a professional.
Alas, the bacon didn't make it...
The young lady turned to face Vasili, her eyes meeting his, anticipating his anger. He reached out and grabbed a piece of the burnt bacon, tasting it. To his surprise, and the Dragon's 'I-told-you-so', it wasn't all that bad.
"I'd prefer if you didn't burn the next batch, but I can work with this," Vasili said as he squeezed past her to reach the tray of charred bacon.
She watched in amazement as he seriously contemplated whether he liked the scorched bacon or not, and then Vasili shrugged as he continued to devour the tray.
At that moment, Sebastian arrived at her station and began to scold her, "Ms. Grace, where, pray tell, is the bacon?!"
She was about to explain what had happened when Sebastian sighed and threw down his mittens in frustration. "Do you have any idea what it takes to handle a Saturday breakfast crowd in THIS establishment? Hmm? Any idea at all?" He continued, "I know you are new, but you claimed to have experience with bacon. I trusted you to handle it."
Feeling a sense of responsibility for the situation, Vasili couldn't help but interject, "Actually, Sebastian, that was my bad."
The butler turned his intense gaze towards Vasili- his wrath diverted by the state of Vasili's hands.
"Oh my dear boy, what happened?!" Sebastian rushed over to examine Vasili's hands as he explained, "Well, I leaned against a stove that I thought was cold."
Sebastian nodded in understanding and took a few seconds to reset the amulet, which he tucked back into Vasili's shirt for safekeeping.
Vasili just watched as the butler tapped on the gaudy piece of jewelry, then smiled as his hands returned to 'normal.'
Vasili gave the girl a thumbs up as he continued devouring the bacon until Cassie came to find him, driven by rumors of a ravenous Dragon that had wiped out the kitchen's entire bacon supply.
With her hands on her hips, Cassie looked at him with feigned disappointment and asked, "What are you doing?" Her tone was stern, prompting Vasili to look up from his bacon-induced stupor.
"Resting," he replied nonchalantly, rubbing his comically protruding belly.
As Vasili glanced around, he noticed that the kitchen appeared different from how he remembered it. One moment he was eating bacon, and the next, he was still eating bacon. Then, he had decided it was a brilliant idea to plop down next to the bacon station for easy access.
But after that, he drew a blank.
Shaking his head to clear his confusion, he suddenly shouted, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"
Cassie couldn't help but chuckle at his greasy state. "You 'ate' a pig," she answered with a mischievous grin.
He blinked in confusion, "What?"
Cassie nodded, elaborating, "You ate the entire two-week supply of bacon, which amounts to about 250 pounds here."
Vasili slumped. He was going to be covered in pimples.