Egg On My Face

The hustle and bustle of the market creates a surprisingly pleasant ambiance. It was almost pleasant enough to cool Ibuki's current temper. The basket she'd brought with her was filled with everything she needed — everything except for eggs. How was she to the perfect pudding without eggs? Of course, there were plenty available, but none of them had been up to her standards. She couldn't just toss any old eggs in and call it a day. Not for the perfect pudding crafted by Fiore's princess herself.

"Trash...more trash...these aren't even suitable for imperfect pudding..."

She struts about dismissing possible candidates at a glance. It wasn't like she was hoping to come across a dragon egg, but a woman of her standing had to be selective lest she appear lacking in taste. Never mind the fact that she'd never done her own grocery shopping. If she felt the need to play around in the kitchen, the palace's pantry would provide all she needed. If for whatever reason she couldn't find something, it certainly wasn't her job to restock it.

"Ah, so that's where my prize was hiding~"

Her pace picks up as she makes her way over to a stand with a sign that reads Golden Goose Eggs in front of it. The eggs themselves weren't golden and there was no way she could verify which, if any, had been lain by geese. However, they did all seem to be well above the size of a mere chicken egg. Regardless of their true nature, Ibuki is certain that she senses their quality. After a few seconds of close inspection, her mind is settled.

"Yes, these will do nicely. I'll take them all."

"E-Excuse me, ma'am but I'm not sure if I heard you right. You want my whole stock?"

"I don't like repeating myself, but that is what I said. Whatever the price, I assure you that I can afford it, so have them delivered to Hob's House by the end of the day. Don't take my lenience as a reason to delay. Get to it."

"Certainly! That'll be-"

"Ahem! What about me?"

Ibuki's eyes drift to her side where a young stands, forcing a smile. The girl was none other than Mory Pose, leader of the reformed Chrysalis, and she'd been in the middle of some shopping of her own when a woman appeared to snatch away the last item on her list. All she wanted was a couple of these eggs to fix up a reward for her guildmates, but if things went on as they were, then she wouldn't even get one.

The princess looks her up and down with a blank expression before focusing again on the vendor.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something, child?"

"Well, I was here and first, and I was hoping to buy some eggs as well. I'm sure you don't really need all of them, miss."

"I do not need to explain myself to the likes of you. Besides, I'm sure your parents won't mind if you have to get a substitute."

"I only need one or two."

"That's your problem now isn't it?"

The pair glare daggers at each other and the vendor nervously watches as a tangible pressure starts to build around them. In truth, Ibuki didn't need quite so many eggs, and she could certainly spare some, but she wanted them. There was no reason she could think of to forfeit a single one. Mory, though not nearly as gluttonous, was of the same mind. She had a fondness for their richness and wasn't willing to accept any replacement. Not for this woman, at least.

"You're right. Since I was here first, I'd like to pay and take my order."

Mory offers a handful of Jewels to the vendor. Not only had she been there first, but she'd been fishing in her skirt pocket for the money to pay when the princess arrived. Any reasonable person would assume the eggs that she was in the middle of purchasing would not be a part of Ibuki's excuse to flaunt her wealth. However, that doesn't stop her from taking two rolls of Jewels out. It was a matter of principle at this point.

"I'll give you double for the batch. Including the brat's portion."

"You can't be serious! Shouldn't you be watching you're figure or something?"

"Triple if you never sell to her again!"

"Don't listen to her! This cow probably doesn't even have the money for that!"

The time between the words leaving Mory's mouth and Ibuki's primed hand appearing in front of her is too short to react to. A finger cloaked in spatial energy launches off of her thumb and into the girl's forehead, launching Mory a good foot and sending her to the ground as she hisses and clutches at the point of impact. Ibuki smirks and flips her hair as she turns back to the vendor. No brat was going to get away with insulting her figure and her purse.

"That should teach you some manners. Now, where were we?"

"Ah! You were offering to pay triple the price."

"How cruel...sob...I just wanted to make something...sob...for my friends...sob"

Both Ibuki and the vendor look uncomfortable as they glance at the fallen Mory, having expected her to give up and leave or...not do whatever this was. Ibuki was rather certain that she hadn't hit her that hard and that even if she had, the girl looked too old to be crying over it. They had to be fake tears, but they were still convincing ones. The vendor seemed more concerned with finalizing the extremely generous deal that had landed in his lap.

"You can't care that much."

"I promised I'd treat them...but now...they're going to leave me...sob"

"You little...sigh. Don't misinterpret this. You got what you deserved and I couldn't care less about these friends of yours. I just happen to think you're cute is all. For a brat, anyway."

"I-I'm not sure I'm following. Do you still intend to pay triple?"

Ibuki side-eyes Mory who looks at her expectantly. With a huff, she puts one of the rolls away. This brat was a citizen of Fiore and there was probably something about fairness and order that meant she shouldn't have her banned from an egg stand. There was no way she felt bad. Certainly not.

"I've decided that I'll be paying the normal price. Oh, and you may set aside however many it is she wants. I'll pay for them as well."

"...I see."

"I knew you'd do the right thing, miss."

Mory dries her tears and stands, perfectly fine. Well, there is an odd butterfly resting on her forehead and Ibuki can sense that it's some kind of magic, but she can't bring herself to push the issue further. Although the vendor is incapable of hiding his dismay at the loss of possible profit, the following exchange is nothing extraordinary. Mory does take more eggs than she'd originally intended to buy. The princess didn't stop her and she wasn't going to pass up on a 100% discount.

It's only when they part and Ibuki is making her way back to Hob's House that her mind starts to wander to rumors she'd heard of a powerful mage who controlled butterflies. Yet, she was certain the woman she was thinking of wasn't some little girl. Perhaps she had a daughter? Or perhaps the stranger rumors she heard had some merit to them. Regardless, the person she'd just dealt with was certainly nothing more than a brat even if she had been something.

Meanwhile, Mory wonders how much she can convince her new piggy bank to buy for her. After all, a generous sponsor would make putting Chrysalis back together much simpler. Of course, she did have to wonder what kind of person was buying so many eggs. The blue hair and...other aspects did seem familiar, but she couldn't quite place the face for some reason...