Chapter 2: Soup Time
(Theran Razorblade)
“Mmmm, nice warm soup.”
Theran was enjoying the soup he made for him and Haze, taking in it’s delouse sent. Theran had made use of the hole in the back room of the shop. It was a very good place to set up a campfire. With the hole in the roof it allowed enough air into the room for the fire to burn bright and make a bubble of warmth to keep the cold of the raging winds outside. Theran floated his bowl of soup in front of him, took a spoon full of it and stuffed it in his mouth. Flavour and warmth fill his mouth, enjoying it even more as the warm soup went down his throat and into his stomach. Theran let out a long soothing breath as he found a sense of peace from the sound of the wind to the crack of the campfire.
Peace.
That peace was short lived when the sound of sneezing broke Theran from his happy place. He opened his eyes and looked at Haze who was sitting on the other side of the fire, wrapped in her brown blanket so only her head and tale could be seen. She also hadn’t touched her soup. Her bowl was on the ground in front of her, still steaming. The spoon was in the grasp of her green magic and she just levitated it a few centimetres from her face. Haze just looked at the soup filled spoon, her eye lids half closed.
“You should eat that while it’s still hot.” Theran insisted with a wave of his spoon.
“I don’t like soup.” Haze complained with a pout.
“And I don’t like bananas, but I eat them anyway. Now stop belly acing and eat it. It will help with your cold.”
“But it’s all mushy and slimy.” She continued to moan.
“So are those bandit’s insides and do you see me complaining?” Theran countered with a shrug and sarcastic expression.
Haze just lazily roll her eyes and floated the spoon up to her mouth. She took one sniff and sneezed, sending the contents of the spoon into the fire and it dissolved in seconds with a loud hiss.
“Oops.” Haze mumbled.
It was Theran’s turn to roll his eyes so he got up, went over to Haze and sat down beside her. He took hold of her spoon and bowl with his magic. He then hovered it in front of her, scooped out a spoon full and floated it over to Haze’s mouth. Haze scrunched her nose up and started to bend away from the spoon. Theran gave her a “Are you kidding me?” Sort of look and then decided he was going to eat it. Theran sipped the soup out of the spoon and made a long “mmmmm” sound as he did. He looked down and saw the shocked look on her face.
“Oh, this is some good soup. Shame you diny want any.” Theran took another spoon full and before it could even touch his lips Haze started moaning loudly. “I thought you didny want any?” Theran mused.
“I’m starving.” Haze moaned.
“Then eat the fucking soup.” Theran insisted.
“Don’t you have any other food in that bag?” Haze also insisted.
Theran felt his rage start to boil. “Look here you little shit, you have a cold and I made the thing that’s going to help with that, so unless you want to suffer you’ll eat the sodding soup.”
“Ok!” Haze looked at Theran awkwardly. “Sheesh you don’t have to be so mean.”
Theran sighed and tried one last time to get through to her. “Look…how do you know you hate it if you don’t try it?”
Haze opened her mouth to say something and stopped. “Well…um…”
“Look just try it.” Theran insisted with the spoon.
Slowly and unwillingly, Haze scrunched her eyes shut and opened her mouth. Theran suck the spoon in her mouth and for a second she looked as if she was going to spit it out. But then her face brightened and a high pitched “Mmmmmm.” Sound came with it.
Theran half smiled at the adorable sound and continued to feed her the soup. After a minute Theran asked. “So, tell me why those bandit assholes were after you?”
Haze wiped her mouth with her hoof and just shrugged. “I dun know.”
“If there’s one thing I know about bandits is they diny do things for no reason.” He pointed the spoon at Haze, waving it a bit as he did. “So what did you do to piss them off?”
Haze rubbed her hooves together and looked at the floor, now and again glancing up at him. “Um…I may…have…borrowed some of there…food.”
“You mean you stole from them?” Theran corrected.
Haze looked up at him now, a hint of anger in her big green eyes. “Hey its not like I had much of a chose, I was starving. And!” She pointed at Theran with her hole ridden hoof. “It doesn’t count if its bandits!” Her blanket fell off her shoulders down to her hips and she crossed her arms, looking away from Theran with a pouty expression.
Theran just half smiled and gave her a pat on the back. “Ha ha, I like your style kid.”
Haze tilted her head sideways so one of her eyes was looking at him. She gave him a happy yet sad smile.
Theran couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little filly. She was so young yet intelligent.
“Why are you helping me?” Haze asked Theran.
Theran was a little taken aback by the question and confused why it bothered her. “What, are you saying you dinny want my help?”
“NOO!” Haze shifted herself around a bit so she was fully looking at him, a hint of desperation and loneliness in her wide eyes. “Its just everypony I’ve met has been mean to me and tried to hurt me cause I look like this.” She stretched her arms out, showing her point. “But you’re different, you haven’t tried to hurt me, you don’t even seem bothered. Why?"
Theran felt a ping of sadness for her, she didn’t, couldn’t understand why someone would be kind to her. “It doesny matter to me what you are, its who you are that counts. And besides, me and you aren’t so different.”
“How!?” Haze yelled.
“Take a long hard look at me. Do I look normal?”
Indeed Theran looked more like a wolf than a pony. His eyes glowed in the dark, pointy sharp koninis stuck out of his lips, his ears ended in fine tips and his red mane looked more like fur than hair.
Haze didn’t speak for a full two minutes before saying. “At least you don’t look like me.”
“You’re a bloody changeling, you can look like anypony you want.” He then pointed at himself. “I’m stuck like this, I can’t change so stop pitying yourself.”
Haze’s mouth hung open slightly with her right eyebrow up. “What’s a…changeling?”
Theran was surprised. “You don’t know?”
Haze shook her head. “Uh uh nope. Can you tell me?”
Theran scratched his head with his hoof. “Um…well…it’s a…thing that can…change into…other things??????”
Haze clapped her hooves together and gave him a bored expression. “Well done, you just used two things two describe my being. Sounded like you really thought about that one.”
Theran gave her a stern look. “Witty little spit fuck aren’t you.”
“And you’re rude.” Haze countered, sticking her tong out at him.
Theran chuckled at that. “Come on finish ya soup.”
Haze licked her lips and finished off what was left in the bowl. With a cute burp and adorable yon, Haze wrapped herself up in her blanket again and snuggled up to Theran.
“Oh no.” Theran stated, pushing her away. “No snuggling, you sleep here on this side of the fire and I’ll sleep there on that side.” Theran went over to his bedroll, lay down and used his magic to pull his covers over him. He still had his armour on but he didn’t care about that. He lay his head down on his pillow and closed his eyes. Two seconds later and he felt a small body press up beside him and he opened his eyes again. He looked over and saw Haze curled up next to him. She was out like a light.
Theran softly snorted to himself and lay his head back down. He felt his eyelids getting heavy and not too long he drifted off into a deep sleep.