Revelations and Endings: Episode 3

Iseta loathed kitchen duty. All responsibilities in the Tower shifted weekly between the various inhabitants, and Iseta routinely dreaded the week every cycle that she would supervise the kitchen. The kitchen, enchanted to the highest degree possible, should have held no terror since supervision was a minimal occupation at best. However, under Iseta's watch, water had burned to crisp, cupcakes had developed malicious will and revolted, carrots had held her hostage, and once - inexplicably - an indifferent almond flan had spilled maple syrup on the floor, trapping Iseta in place, and had spent the day mocking her and shattering her self-esteem. At this point, Iseta knew that her capacity for disaster when forced to cook would never go away. Relax, Iseta, you're just putting water in a pot. What could go wrong?

"Iseta!" rang the ironic call from Dracona's lips that made her spill the water everywhere. Dracona had a reputation for entering raucously, but Iseta couldn't imagine what could possibly drive someone to enter a kitchen so unabashedly.

"Dracona! Why must you always sneak up on people and insist on threatening their mental health by startling them? You know what I'm like in the kitchen - my nerves were already stiffer than a Greco-Roman statue!" As she hissed out the rest of her frustration, Iseta pulled out her ebony wand streaked with radical indigo and cleared the surprise deluge from the floor, and filled the water pot as she had intended to do.

Dracona also had a reputation for stubbornly never admitting fault. "You should have done it with magic in the first place," she retorted, "then you wouldn't have spilled when I came to see you."

"Oh yes, because a wand is MUCH safer than an inanimate pot of water to be holding when surprised. Seriously, any number of calamities can come from a wand - the pot can only spill." And perhaps bash in your skull for being so agitating, Iseta added in her head. "Anyways, what warranted your crisis-level, thought-scattering entrance?"

"While sitting on the lawn, I saw Athelus sneak of discretely. I wanted to know where she went. Something is afoot. Did she tell you where she was going?" Despite the still-agitated retort forming in her mind, Iseta didn't get a chance to answer before a Whimball - Polaris' enchanted form of communication - came and sat between the two. Since neither knew who it was for, they bade it speak simultaneously with glares at each other.

Iseta, please be advised that the tower is in grave danger and I need you to go check the Defenses Room and evaluate our preparedness for battle - should it come to that. Dracona, in case you missed it the first time, the tower is in grave danger. Stop meddling in what others are doing.

"That's it?" Dracona balked. "Athelus runs off on some secret mission, you have to evaluate the Tower's battle status, and what am I supposed to do? Stop meddling. Hmph. there must be some way I can help."

Iseta worked hard not to smirk as she replied. "Sure you can help - watch the kitchen." Iseta tried to make a quick exit but Dracona whipped out her wand and stole the key to the Defense Room from Iseta's pocket. The two ran off, Iseta chasing Dracona and shouting at her, leaving a just-starting-to-boil pot of water on the kitchen stove.