"... Oops."
"A-A shame th-they didn't l-let you k-keep the r-reward... Y-You d-didn't destroy THAT m-much of the v-venue..."
"Trust me, seeing the look on Spinda's face was better than any new frying pan could be. It's also a small price to pay for them not adding the destruction costs to my already massive debt." Beast says as we carried back some of his supplies back to his kitchen. Pikachu decided she had enough excitement for one day and went back to her room when we returned to the guild.
As we step into the mess hall, we pass by a familiar guildmate, Cyndaquil. The degenerate eyes both of us up as we pass by, and I do my best to try and ignore him. Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain on my behind, almost making me drop the crate of eggs I'm holding! The pain makes me tear up, and I turn around to see Cyndaquil's smug face.
"You must be right out of a fairy tale, because you look like Humpty with that dumpy." Cyndaquil attempts to say suavely. I hear Beast sigh next to me as he continues walking to the kitchen, clearly wanting nothing to do with this. I decide to follow his lead and turn back around, only for Cyndaquil to run in front of me. "Hey, sorry if I made you angry, but I couldn't resist such an eggcellent ass."
"Y-Your p-puns aren't what th-they're cracked u-up to be."
"Really? I think they're rather eggceptional, just like you."
"Y-You've barely p-pierced the shell of g-good egg p-puns."
"I'd like to pierce your shell and see that ass of yours sunny-side up."
"Y-You're so unoriginal y-you just poached m-my pun."
"Come on, I scrambled it a little with my own ideas, just like how I'd like to scramble that ass."
"You're n-not going to g-get me over-easy."
"I think I'm hard-boiled enough for you to fall for me."
"You aren't as d-devilishly clever as you th-think you are."
"Yeah... Well... Uh... I think you're eggtremely cute!"
"Y-you're too soft-boiled f-for me."
"Well... Er... I could settle for being your eggs-boyfrien-"
The atrocity Cyndaquil was just about to commit against the world of egg puns gets thankfully interrupted by Beast slamming a frying pan into the back of his head, knocking him out cold.
"E-Eggcel-AHEM, E-Excellent h-hit, C-Chef Winchester."
Beast inspects the pan in his hand. "Looks like it did not dent, good. This pan is worth more than that freak is. Come on, Togetic." I nod, and finally continue my way back to the kitchen. Once inside, I place the eggs back where they belong in food storage, and I start to leave the kitchen before Beast calls out to me.
"Hey, over here!" Beast beckons me over to the kitchen table, and I see he has a bottle of wine in his hand, which I recognize as Mareep Merlot. "I was saving this for a celebration, and I think we've earned it." Beast slides two glasses onto the table and starts pouring wine into them.
(Drinking!? But... I'm not old enough to drink, at least back where I lived in the human world! But... Surely it's okay here, right? And it would be rude of me to turn down Beast's offer...) "... T-Thanks..." I float over to the table and take a seat, and Beast slides the glass over to me.
"Shame we lack any real wine glasses. Cheers." Beast says as he raises his glass.
I grab my own and raise it as well. "Ch-Cheers...."
Beast smiles and takes a sip. "I should probably say thank you for helping me win, even if they revoked my reward because of what I did."
I stare at the dark-red colored wine in my glass. "D-Don't f-feel bad... M-Metronome's gotten m-me into s-some trouble b-before as well..."
"Yeah, I should try and get better about not triggering it by accident, though." Beast takes another sip. "... Y'know, it was kind of nice to have a rookie in the kitchen again."
I swish the wine in my glass, still unsure if I should drink it or not. "... I-It was n-nice having s-someone t-teach me h-how to c-cook... E-Even if i-it was s-something so s-simple."
"If you want to learn anything more complex, I would be happy to teach you. As long as you brought me some better ingredients than the stuff I have to work with here." Beast finishes his glass, and pours himself some more wine. "And I wouldn't mind seeing any human recipes you happen to know."
(Ugh, this is going to get awkward if I don't drink... Here goes!) I take a tiny sip of the wine, and a dry, but sweet taste fills my mouth, and as I swallow it down, my entire body begins to feel oddly warm. The wine tastes like a various mix of different berries, with the taste of Cheri Berries being the most prominent. As I sip a bit more, my mind feels more relaxed, and I find myself talking without even thinking. "I'd be happy to learn more from you, you're such a wonderful chef! I never cooked much back in the human world, but I think I know a few things that you might find interesting."
Beast is momentarily taken aback by my sudden ease of speaking, but then just takes another sip of his wine. "Your praise is too kind, but it is nice to hear, especially since most of the guildmembers here just shout at me for not making food fast enough, or they say things like my food is "goyslop"."
I let out a giggle. "Sheep like them wouldn't be able to even appreciate your finest meals! hic You shouldn't let stuff like that get to you..." I let out a another hiccup as the world around me starts to blur. "... Urm... Beast...?"
"Hmm? Something wrong, Togetic?"
"... Hanging out with you like this... hic and you teaching me stuff... I... hic... wish I had... hiccup someone... like you... hic when I was back in the human... world..."
The world fades out around me as I fall backward, and the last thing I hear is Beast yelling my name before everything disappears.