(M) Veronica, I noticed you were building something out back. What is it this time?
(V) Shade and I were watching a video and a random ad popped up. Usually we would have skipped it, but it was a fifteen minute ad on making ice cream on a cold table.
(K) That sounds counterintuitive. But also, why? We don't need to have something like that.
(V) Why not Kitsuno? Gives us all something to play around with.
(K) Okay, but what are we going to do with all the ice cream that's going to be made? I may like a nice cone every now and then, but I'm not having it every single day.
(M) Not to mention that we need the supplies to make said ice cream. I mean, I'm sure Shade can find a way to supply that, but even I think this is a bit much.
(V) Shade said that what we don't eat, we can sell to the neighbors who want some. I'm more curious on how well this will turn out. I've not messed with this much insulation before.
(K) How cold do you two plan on making it?
(V) Shade's working on that part right now. She's using her magic to create ice cores to keep the internal temperatures to around negative twenty celsius.
(K) Do we even have the tools to make ice cream?
(V) I'll work on that next. I'll get in contact with Onn about making the blades, scoops, and metal plates. I'm sure he'll like some samples in exchange for the materials.
(K) With how his business is booming, I'm surprised you managed to get ahold of him. It's been busy for him lately.
(V) We're not that big of a rush. Besides, he said that when the buying period calms down, he'll come over to discuss details more on what we need.
..............
(M) I swear our neighbor is losing it. He's mowing his yard. Again.
(V) Didn't he mow it five days ago?
(M) He did. And the yard isn't even that tall right now. Barely four inches tall and he's chomping it down.
(K) Rain is due to come in a few days. That might be why... if not for the fact that it hasn't rained in over nine days.
(M) Exactly! Nothing has grown to the point in saying, "Hey, this is too tall! I need to cut this down before it grows way out of hand." Like calm the fuck down already. It's just a yard of regular grass. It's not growing rapidly and there isn't that big a deal of weeds growing in it either.
(V) If we were still living in the old neighborhood with the HOA, then that would be understandable.
(K) But, since we don't... this guy is just psychosomatic about keeping a very preen and keen yard appearance.
(M) And the thing is, his yard is massive. Do you know how much fuel his is wasting?
(V) How big is his yard again?
(M) According to the measurements I took the last time I went snooping around at night, over two hundred and seventeen feet of land.
(V) That's around five acres... and he's mowing all that!?
(M) By himself.
(K) Does he have anyone else to help?
(M) I wondered that myself as he does have a family with him, but even his own kids says that this is getting ridiculous with how much fuel is being wasted. You would think he would get the idea that maybe he shouldn't have so big a yard if they don't use all of it.
(K) And last I checked, nobody around here has livestock. Except for the fishpond a few houses over.
(M) Yeah. I don't know how much longer this can keep on going. He's wasting I don't know how much money for nothing. And while this isn't any of our business, it's just so stupid why he keeps doing it.
(K) Some people are just like that I'm afraid. Not much we can do about it besides wait it out or flat out ignore it.
.............
(M) On the topic of kids--
(K) Oh for gods sake Melissa, not this again.
(M) What? You're married to Liam. I'm sure you two are getting it on real well.
(K) You are such a whore. Just because I tied the knot with Liam doesn't mean I jump on him like you do to my sister.
(M) Kit, I love you and all as a sister and you know this. I'm just genuinely curious on the idea of you having kids of your own.
(V) Melissa, don't you and Shade have plenty? Didn't you receive a wedding invite a few years ago?
(M) I did and that was the time both of us went on a little vacation. We were gone a lot longer than we thought due to some of the mishaps that happened over there.
(V) You told me it was because of a dragon going on a slight rampage, correct?
(K) Shade told me about this too. Something about a spoiled princess getting out of control with power and accidentally using an artifact that transformed her into a huge dragon.
(M) Bingo. And we took it personally too since she attacked our family over there.
(V) Knowing Shade well enough, she retaliated immediately didn't she?
(M) Oh big time. The moment she found out our sweet little boy was in the hospital for getting injured from the attack, she immediately took off where the dragon flew off to. You would not believe the carnage she caused on her way to the dragons makeshift lair.
(K) After what happened to me several years ago, I can already see it.
(M) .....right. Sorry to bring that up.
(K) It's all good Mel. We all know how that happened and things are good now.
(M) Yeah.
(V) So... did Shade go feral for this or just angry protective mother?
(M) A little bit of both. Angry feral during some parts of the fight, but she tried to be a bit more reasonable with the dragon.
(K) My sister being reasonable? That's a first in quite a while.
(M) I did say she tried to be, never said she fully did.
(K) Valid. Though, were you able to assist her during this?
(M) I wanted to during the fight, but both of them were getting super heated and aggressive. There was no way I was able to get near them without having to worry about getting turned into a mousepad. The only thing I could do was search around the lair for anything useful. Be it treasure, magical artifacts she stole, or the people she kidnapped.
(V) She kidnapped people?
(M) Yeah. The artifact, which was a gemstone that pulsed with the blood of a dragon inside it, screwed with the princess a bit. Because of her greed, it amplified it by twenty times and she started kidnapping people for either collection, or a suitable mate. They said it was hard to tell because she was losing the ability to speak english after a while of being held hostage.
(V) How long were they being kept captive?
(M) Two weeks by the time we had gotten there. One managed to get out but just to get supplies from outside as they could only keep the princess distracted for so long before she would notice something was missing. Afterwords when I managed to get the out of the building, that was where on of the walls came crashing down close to us as we made our way down towards the bridge. Shade had gotten fed up with the princess and ended up kicking her, quite literally, with enough force to finally knock her down enough for her to surrender.
(K) What happened to her after that? Shade told me she had to forcibly remove all traces of magic inside her body from the artifact.
(M) With the help of our gifted children who studied magic over there, the princess was returned to normal and imprisoned for her bad behavior. The last message I got from Gale was that he and the others have recovered quite nicely from the attack and most of the damages have been settled with.
(V) And what about the princess?
(M) Still imprisoned. After her little tyrannical rampage, Gale decreed that she was to be held prisoner until further notice and to be stripped of her title as a princess. Until then she's just another ordinary girl.
(V) At least things worked out in the end and everyone is safe.
(K) Do you and Shade plan on heading over there again?
(M) We do. Just haven't had any idea when to schedule a visit. Even though we don't have much going on, it's been difficult trying to find real time to get over there. What with border security and all that fun stuff.
(K) It's both amazing and scary on how much has changed in so little time. That trip was two years ago.
(M) And two years it has been. Not gonna lie though, Fairly certain we have plenty of grandkids due to some of our kids being local prostitutes. Doesn't help that those two take it as a competition...
(K) And yet you still want Liam to put a bun in my oven. Care to explain why!?
(M) I thought you would look cute and give me a reason to throw you a baby shower?
........
(K) That... is the most reasonably wholesome thing I have heard from you.
(M) So is that a yes?
(K) NO!
(V) I wonder how long til you start asking me...
