Sins of The Innocent
Source: https://twitter.com/Tertowo/status/1444251685497413635
Diary 3---Entry 21
To Infinity
BZZZZ
BZZZZ
BZZZZ
BZZZZ
I stretch my hand out over to my nightstand, slamming the desk to stop the alarm. Goddddd…it’s sooo bright…my eyes barely open, the light from the window stopping me from checking the current time. I wiggle in place, body reluctant to move but Krono will be returning soon and we’re gonna have a lot to talk about. I reach across the bed and my arm lands on a foreign object. I leap up in terror at whatever I felt and scream.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”
“GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK! WHAT IS IT? WHERE’S THE FIRE?”
“K-Kronii! NO! THERE’S NOT A FIRE!”
“Oh ok.” She lays back down and pulls the blanket over her body…Th-that…was quick! Oh she’s sleeping here tonight…Or she already slept here tonight and she’s sleeping now in which case we slept in the same bed and uhh…How about I just get some breakfast started while she’s catching a few more zzz’s. Yeah good idea.
I sneak out of bed, trying to make as little motion as possible across it so it doesn’t disturb Kronii. The door was left open…Neither of us typically leave our doors open. Well I’m sure we had felt comfortable enough to…I look back at her resting face. Gorgeous. Yeah, we are comfortable enough to now. I’m gonna give her the best damn breakfast she’s ever had!
I walk down the staircase and enter the foyer, turning left to the living room and then head into the kitchen. Let’s see what we have in the fridge. Feels like it’s been forever since I’ve looked inside this thing. Eggs, milk, juice, butter, ham, bacon, potatoes, cheese, chicken breast…hmm you know what…Oh! Spinach wraps…I bet I could make a mean breakfast burrito for her. I pull the eggs, bacon, and potatoes out of the fridge and grab a skillet and spatula to get the cooking started. I turn the stove on and set the skillet down. Now how should I portion this out. If we both get one burrito then…four slices of bacon should be good. Two for her two for me. Yeah and a bunch of sliced up potatoes and an egg should fill this out perfectly.
I think the skillet has warmed up enough, so I set the bacon into the skillet. The sound of sizzling slowly starts up, that’s a good sound. I grab a potato…now where’s that potato cutter. I know we have one. Every time you need something it vanishes…such is the laws of the universe. Oh the bacon! I rush back to the stove and flip all the slices. That was close…Ok…potato cutter, I need you to come out now and be our breakfast before the bacon finishes…Should’ve grabbed that precut stuff they sell in bags…
After a couple of minutes of searching, I finally found it in the back of one of our cupboards. Good! I flip the bacon over again, starting to get that cooked look, I’ll have to be quick. I ran back over to the other side of the kitchen and grab a knife. I peel the skin from the potato as fast as I can and then run it under water to get the excess starch off. The bacon should be just about done so I pull out a plate from another cupboard and set it on the counter. A quick flip to make sure they’re done…and they look good. Better get these things off before they start to burn…I lift them away from the skillet and shake them a little, to get whatever oil they created off of them. Setting them onto the plate I grab the potato and press the cutter down on it. There we go, lots of nice little potato cubes that’ll cook quick and easy.
Starting with the bacon always makes everything easier because you can reuse the oil at all parts of cooking. Admittedly it’s not the healthiest but…it’s good to be resourceful. Can’t always cook with olive oil out in the wild! Dropping the potatoes in, they sizzle just like the bacon did. I crack the window to the right of the stove open. And I walk over to the back door, opening that up too. Although the air is already ripe with the smell of food but, it’d be nice to get in some of that morning air. Let’s give the potatoes a couple of minutes before flipping. Oh some coffee might be good! Yeahhhhh coffee! Oh but Kronii might not want it…let’s see if we have some tea. I remember making some before the pizza came. Her personal supply right… Even without sugar, it was pretty sweet. I can feel my face get hot. Blushing over tea…this is where I am now huh? This is my life…and I’ll do everything I can to protect it.
I go back to the potatoes and flip them, starting to brown, looks good. A few more minutes and they’ll be ready to go. Tea…should get some water…Kettle…where’s the kettle…sink? No. With the other dishes…which cabinet? Cups? I pull the cabinet door open and stare at all the glasses. Hmm…ah above them. All the way…up top…barely…reach…got it! Get this going…ah the potatoes. I turn my attention back to them, flipping them all over as best I can. A minute at best, just enough time to get the tea ready. Let’s see…a little salt and pepper…a bit on the top. There it is. I pick the skillet up and turn it a little bit towards me, pushing the potatoes up with the spatula. I tip them over the top and onto the plate with the bacon, yeah that’s good. No excess oil here. After getting them out of the skillet as best I can, it’s finally time to get the eggs! Taking two out of the carton, I crack them one by one on a flat surface and let them drop into the last remnants of the oil. These’ll cook quickly since the skillet is already so hot. Maybe 30 or so seconds on each side. Flipped and now…to pull the wraps out of their uh…plastic wrap. Good now let’s check back on the eggs.
Aaaand done! Get those onto the plate…put a little salt and pepper over the potatoes…yeah this is good. Now the wraps…Tongs…tongs…oh in the drawer here. Just sit them over the heat for a few seconds…good…flip…Perfect. I grab a second plate and set it down next to the food. I place the first wrap down and start heating the second one up. Cool both are done now let me…get a spoon. I grab a couple of bacon slices and rip them up, spreading them across the wrap. Now the potatoes. I push some of the potatoes down into the wrap and finally, the egg. I do the same to the second and begin to wrap them up to make the burrito. This’ll be great! I’m sure Kronii will appreciate having something to eat after everything she went through...
I stare into the living room and spot Kronii yawning and taking a seat at the couch. Oh she’s already up! That’s a bit surprising…But I’ll be able to get her meal to her quicker so…I grab a cup and pour the tea in, this’ll be great. Just a bit of time to sit down, catch up, relax…at least until Krono returns at least. Did he say what time? I can’t remember. Well when he shows he shows. I pick up the plate with the breakfast burritos and Kronii’s tea and take them into the living room.
“Hey Kronii. How’d you sleep? Feel ok?” Kronii lets out another might yawn and stretches her body out like a cat.
“Heyyyyy…Still a bit tired but those breakfast smells traveled all the way up to my room and pulled me…oh wait…that wasn’t my room!” I set breakfast down on the coffee table in front of the T.V. and hand Kronii her cup of tea.
“LEAF JUICE! HOT AND FRESH TO ORDER!” I smile at her as she grips the cup.
“Aha…AHAHAHAHAHA! MUMEI!” Kronii’s burst of laughter confuses me. What the?
“Uh what’s up Kronii? What’s so funny?” I stare at her bewildered. Did…is there something on my face?
“This is cold Mumei! Did you not heat the water up?” My heart drops. How the heck did I forget? What the heck Mumei! You dummy!!!! I pinch myself on the cheek. Unfortunately this isn’t a dream.
“Oh it’s fine, I’ll heat it up quicker than you can blink.” Kronii winks at me and snaps her fingers. Next thing I know she’s sipping from the cup. I can see the steam radiating from it. Power over time is a pretty nifty thing.
“What got you in the cooking mood?” Kronii sets the cup down and grabs the burrito. I hope she likes it…
“Oh you know. You had such a…day…yesterday. I wanted to treat you a little. Nothing like a homemade meal to make you feel at…home.” That was so dumb why did I say that oh my god she’s gonna think I’m such a dork ugh why did I
“Oh nice! Thanks Mumei.” She takes a bite and smiles. “Oh this is surprisingly good! I might need another!” Kronii takes another bite then sets it back down. That smile creeps back across her face. God she’s pretty…and she liked it. I’m glad…that’s good. We turn the T.V. on for some noise and get to eating breakfast.
“Did you want any more salt or pepper?”
“Nah this is pretty good. Not too much but the taste is there. I like it. Really!”
ding dong
“Ah…”
“Right, our guest… I’ll go”
“No I’ll get it Kronii. You finish up.” Mumei nods at Kronii and smiles. Skipping to the door Kronii stares at her, almost bewildered at her friend who so suddenly jumped at the opportunity. Kronii keeps her head down, hoping to get the discussion going without have to look at his face to much. Despite everything that’s happened over the past couple of days, she still didn’t really like the guy.
“Kroniiiii. Our guests are here. Well just the uh…ahem, Gura and Krono.” Gura nonchalantly waves at Kronii and takes a seat at the table. Krono enters after her and shoots a backhanded peace sign at Kronii. The silence makes everyone in the room anxious. Mumei jumps past the boundary to make the two guests feel welcomed.
“Would either of you like something to eat or drink?” Mumei reaches into one of the cabinets and pulls out some tea as well as some coffee.
“Oooo I want something really sweet! I’ve been having that craving lately!” Gura rings out in a bright and cheerful voice. It was had only been a single night since she last revealed herself and her intentions and yet she was already happy to have joined the squad.
“Something really sweet for the misses…ok and for you good sir?” Mumei turns to Krono and he laughs under his breath. He reaches into his coat and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. Opening it up he pulls one out and places it in his mouth. Kronii stares with murderous intent at him and he laughs again, significantly quieter.
“Ah…a coffee. Black. Nothing special for me.” Kronii gets up and rips the cigarette out of his mouth.
“I don’t want that disgusting smell in my house. Go do it somewhere else, somewhere later, someway without me nearby.” Tosses it back at him she scoffs and goes back to her seat, returning to her breakfast. Krono stares back fascinated. Perhaps taken by surprise that Kronii took the initiative to stop him. Or maybe he just couldn’t help being treated so harshly.
Mumei returns with a couple of carefully crafted drinks, an incredibly frilly looked iced drink for Gura, which sparks a few notes of envy within Kronii, and a plain black coffee for Krono. Kronii’s eyes travel over to Mumei, the hints of melancholy tell Mumei everything she needs to know. Returning to making a magical and mysterious drink, Krono begins to speak up.
“So…I’ve got an idea. About where…the other Kronii went. The uh…evil? Kronii?” He glances at Kronii whose eyebrows are raised curiously. Gura finishes up her drink and begins to lick the insides of the cup. Whatever Mumei made, she was sure to be making a third one very shortly.
“Well just say it? Why are you so casual about this you weirdo?” Kronii, just completely disinterested in the routine Krono seems to put up every time he speaks about something. Kronii’s frown however quickly turns upside down when Mumei brings her an iced delight inside of a cup. Gura holds her empty cup up to Mumei and smiles.
“More?” The kinda hearted woman asks with a smile in return.
“Yes please!” Mumei turns back around and goes back, concocting that third mystical drink.
“Well…then I’ll get straight to the point. The End of Time. That’s the most likely location for her. That city…town…whatever it was that we went to yesterday, doesn’t exist. It’s a big fake. But neither I nor Kronii could tell since…I suppose in part…due to it being extensions of ourselves.” A pause in his words lets him glance over at Kronii, she’s now giving her full attention to the situation at hand.
“Ok the end of time. So what? Do we just like…speed up until we’re there?” Kronii asks slightly annoyed but curiously, nonetheless.
“Aha…No it’s not that easy I’m afraid. You need the “authority” to enter. And I do not possess such authority. Or well, not anymore at least.” Krono picks up his coffee and takes a long drink. The heat of the drink does seem to be stopping him, or maybe some time magic cooled it down.
“And what we learned last night was…well I’m gonna bet that you don’t have the “authority” either so…we’re gonna cheat a bit.” Kronii’s facial expression changes into a more serious one and even Gura stops licking her cup to pay more attention to what Krono is saying.
“In some areas of the universe are…how do I even describe them…” Krono closes his eye and places his right index finger on his forehead, presumably to think.
“Beyond the void. In a very far, lost corner of space. A Wahtcher.” With his eyes still closed, his deep voice echoes throughout the house. Merely speaking the name of the unknown creature sent air as cool as frost and as strong as fire rush up the bodies of those in the room.
“So you’ve seen these guys before?” Mumei says while returning with Kronii’s drink. Kronii shifts her focus elsewhere, rubbing her hands on her arms.
“Well…seen is a bit of a stretch…I’ve only heard rumors…nothing ever definitive.” Gura puts her face back onto the cup, seemingly searching for more sugar to lick. She raises an eyebrow at Kronii and Kronii turns her face awake with drink in hand, much to the disappointment of the fishy girl.
“So what makes you think we can find one? Let alone cooperate with us?”
“Look…I have a hunch, ok? If time works out the way it should…then we’ll find a Wahtcher.”
“And you haven’t even explained what one is Krono! What the hell is a Wahtcher?”
“It’s…ugh…they’re like…cosmic…horrors. But! Not bad ones! They’re…well like the name implies…they watch. They’re like mediums? They maintain the balance.”
“A cosmic horror? You want us to visit an eldritch horror because you have hunch? Are you insane?” Kronii shouts out after finishing her drink. She sets the cup down and stares straight at Krono.
“Hey c’mon. Trust me on this Kronii. This one…should be different. I’ve seen it in the flow.”
“The flow of time?” Gura speaks up, finally done with the cup seemingly lined with enough sugar to keep her occupied for the entire conversation.
“Yeah…this guy kinda likes this particular universe. You guys are sort of…out of balance right? The entire Council is practically useless. No offense.” Laughing awkwardly Krono looks into the living room, perhaps hoping that his comment doesn’t earn him the ire of his current peers.
“He’s right. You council dweebs are nothing like the ones back where I came from. Honestly…our Kronii is a lot more…” Gura’s sentence ends abruptly as the knifes from Kronii’s eyes lay cleanly across her neck. She also awkwardly tries to find something to stare at. Her eyes land on Mumei, who’s carrying an intensely worried look on her face.
“And if it just kills us or drives us insane?” Mumei begins to gather all of the dishes from everybody and sets them into the sink, preparing to wash them.
“It won’t! Mumei, trust me. I wouldn’t endanger you like this. I wouldn’t endanger any of you! This is the only option I came up with after scouring billions of records across time with my partner.” Krono pulls out his phone and points at it, perhaps indicating his data is stored on his phone.
“I could not think of anything more dangerous than this Krono.”
“I…it’s…sigh”
“But I guess you and her are one and the same right?”
“Yeah. Same origin.”
“No wonder I feel safe when hearing your words.”
Krono turns toward her and stares, in slight shock. As if he was a little touched by her words, to feel that she’s worried.
“This…Kronii…you are a lucky woman. You don’t know how nice you have it.” Kronii slams her fist on the table and begins to yell at Krono.
“Oh shut UP! You don’t think I’m not grateful? I love her!” Her declaration of her feelings was perhaps the most surprising thing said in that room. Gura bounces in her seat, laughing and pointing her fingers at Krono. Mumei letting out a light laugh and a gentle smile. The discussion ends there and Krono goes out to his car, preparing for the incoming trip. Everyone goes off on their own, looking for what they might need to take on an inter-dimensional trip through space and time to find something…someone Krono had only heard about.