Out for Lunch

408 WORDS ▪ @suika ▪ HEY, LISTEN!

sharp voice slashed through the racket. Zam aimed a puzzled glance at the source. “Me?” She asked, pointing at herself. Questions filled her otherwise vacant mind. Who was this? Where did she come from? Dropped down from a tree? Why had she been up in a tree? And so forth.

However, no question could survive inside a Majin’s head for long. They quickly vanished to make room for more thoughts. The query was met with a bright grin. “I’m on an adventure~!” Her gleaming eyes soon focused on the fleeing lunch again. Almost... Had it...

When the path suddenly got blocked, the chaotic creature found that her brakes weren’t quite up to snuff. She ran face first into the wall of muscle and- Boing~ A surprisingly soft impact sent her stumbling backwards. “Oof...!” Sitting up, she lifted her curious stare upwards. “Bouncy...” She decided with an absent-minded mutter.

Meanwhile, the exhausted Ferocisaurus limped only a little further, before flopping against a tree with a resounding thud. Wheezing weakly, it struggled to catch its breath. Clearly not used to getting chased...

Zam cocked her head curiously at the interrogation. “Strange...?” With a quick bounce, she got back onto her feet. “Zam is not strange!” Despite the denial, her peculiar power continued to gleefully defy logic. It flipped and flopped, twisting like an endless, rambling lie. Who could salvage the truth from that kind of nonsense?

Hands on her hips, the pink girl puffed her chest proudly. “Zam is a Majin, is what Zam is!” She pointed in a seemingly random direction. “I’m from Noudel Village. That way.” ...Except that any seasoned traveler knew there was only miles upon miles of wild, untamed forest ‘that way’.

Sauntering closer, the curious creature studied the traveler closely. She let out a pondering hum. Her golden gaze took in the clothing, the hair, the figure. Likewise, the pale tentacles poking from her head wiggled to measure what eyes couldn’t see.

After a brief pause, the girl raised a hand. “Hey, listen!” Reaching for the tall woman, she opened her mouth to unleash a veritable torrent of questions. “What’s your name, Boobie Lady? Where did you come from? Did you drop from a tree? Are you a ninja? Why do you have an eyepatch? Are you a pirate? Ooh, are you a ninja-pirate? Are you hungry too? Want some dino meat?” Her reaching hand wanted to punctuate each question with an insistent pat.

350 WORDS ▪ @suika ▪ DID YOU SAY

uch like a withering plant receiving rain, the chaotic creature’s curiosity was slowly being sated one answer at a time. “Suika. Sssuuuika.” She rolled the name over her tongue. Soon enough, her expression brightened. “Suika! Nice to meet ‘cha~!” She chimed cheerfully. It was better than ‘Boobie Lady’, she decided. Rolled off the tongue nicer.

While the new friend explained where she came from, the little Majin listened eagerly. So there was a South City too. She wanted to see it someday. Another destination on her grand adventure. Between the answers, a single word slipped through her notice. A small seed settled in the back of her mind.

Zam’s sour disappointment was obvious, as Suika vehemently denied being a ninja. “Aw...” The bitter dismay only grew, when the pirate part was rejected too. Twice even. “Awww...” Her shoulders sagged and posture deflated like a leaky balloon. In her mind, the big lady still kiiinda looked like a ninja. Or a samurai, like the ones she had seen on TV.

The magical creature cocked her head at the scar. “Lost it...? Why don’t you just make a new one...?” The puzzled mutter was more idle pondering than an actual suggestion. She vaguely remembered that some people were bad with making new body parts.

Luckily, the mention of food always cheered up the hopeless glutton. “Yup, yup~!” She nodded excitedly. The mention of cruelty, however, was met with a shocked gasp. “But he started it!” She aimed an accusing point at the struggling beast. “That big meanie tried to eat me first. Gramps said I can eat anything that tries to eat me first, so...” And then the seed of realization finally bloomed behind those golden eyes.

Zam blinked. “...Wait, did you say you flew?” Her gaze started positively twinkling at the prospect. “You can FLY???” Having grown up in a tiny village, surrounded by regular humans, she had never even considered the possibility. To her, flying had always been fairy tale stuff, like aliens and moon rabbits. ...Never mind the fact that she was pretty much a fairy tale creature herself.

408 WORDS ▪ @suika ▪ ZIP SWISH SNIKT

he golden gaze sparkled, as if it was full of tiny stars. Honestly, any complicated concepts, like cybernetics and ki, flew right over the little Majin’s head. All she knew was that her new friend was strong, had a cool eyepatch and could fly. Fidgeting with excitement, she simply couldn’t sit still.

Excitement only grew, when the warrior took flight. Zam bounced in place, trying to mimic what she was seeing. All of her senses greedily drank in the new information. The whooshing wind, the flaring aura, the tingle of familiarity in her soul... More seeds were sown in the depths of her malleable mind.

The curious girl nodded eagerly at the short and simple command. “Okay~! And I’m gonna watch too!” Her stare followed every motion closely. In a single slash, the lunch was secured. It earned overflowing flailing and cheering. “Awesome~! You were like zip swish snikt!” Just like the superheroes on TV.

If there was one thing Zam loved more than superheroes though, it had to be food. Her favorite meal was whichever came next. In this case... “Yaaay lunch~!” Like an obedient child, she tagged along. “Okaaay~” She was used to helping gramps with chores. It was probably the most useful lesson the old man had managed to instill in the chaotic creature...

Along the way, the little Majin zigzagged from tree to tree. Each time, she performed an odd little ritual. First, she pressed her ear against the bark. Then, her playful fists rapped a simple tune against the rough surface. And each time, she would shake her head with a pondering mutter.

The first few attempts were on some small, crooked trees that were still standing. No good, evidently. “Hm, too fresh.” Then she hurried over to a fallen trunk covered in mushrooms. Not this one either. “Hm hm, too rotten...” Finally, she came across a huge log bathing in sunshine. As she knocked on it, her expression immediately brightened. “Ooh, just right~!”

Without wasting a beat, the weird creature stretched her arms around the log. Her rubbery muscles bulged with supernatural power and... “Hup!” The hefty trunk rose with startling ease. Hoisting it above her head like an ant carrying a stick, she hurried after the traveler. “Gramps taught me that firewood needs to be dead and dry, or it won’t burn so good.” For seasoned campers, it was common sense, sure, but for the airheaded Majin, it was great wisdom.

400 WORDS ▪ @suika ▪ SQUISHY

s the warrior presented her accurate guesses, the little Majin chimed excitedly. “Bingo! Gramps was a great hunter before he became the best mayor. He always took me along on hunting trips.” A wistful sigh accompanied her sweet smile. She honestly missed those times. Gramps with his bow, her with her fists... Taking down big, angry beasts... It was amazing~!

Just like instructed, the obedient girl dropped the wood on the flattened ground. She stopped to stare at the swordswoman working her craft. “‘Kayyy~” Her distracted acknowledgement drifted lazily across the air, suggesting that she wasn’t entirely listening.

Rather, the impressionable youth was mesmerized by the cool adult doing cool adult things. “Swish swoosh...” She mumbled beneath her breath. Gramps had never allowed her near blades, axes or even knives. He said they weren’t safe, especially not in her hands...

When asked about the village folks, Zam returned to reality and shook her head. “Mmmnope~! All the folks back home are squishy humans.” There was a pause. A beat. “...Oh! Not squishy and pink like me.” To punctuate her point, she clamped her head between her palms and squashed it like she was kneading dough. As soon as she let go, her rubbery body snapped back to shape.

Wading into the water, the chatty creature continued her prattling. “I mean squishy like... weak! Even people who are bigger than me are suuuper weak.” Water splashed, as her swift hands went to work. “Gramps says it's ‘cuz I’m special. He always tells me I gotta be careful, ‘cuz ‘there’s terrible power slumbering’ in me.” The ominous phrase came with the tone and cadence borrowed from someone much older.

Within moments, the short girl was cradling a veritable pile of slick stones. She waddled back, paying no mind to ones that fell from her haul. “But I don’t get it! Power is awesome~! How can it be terrible...? And how does power sleep anyway...?” She dumped the pile next to the firewood and started building a circle.

Clearly the Majin had done this sort of thing before. She built a crude sort of firepit, substituting enthusiasm for skill. Between the motions, she kept chattering. “Hey, what’s South City like? Do they have cows and goats too?” She glanced up from work, flashing a bright grin. “I wanna go see it someday~” Maybe, if she asked nicely, Miss Suika would show her around?

507 WORDS ▪ @suika ▪ STINKY

am’s attention was stolen by a wiggling motion. In the heat of excitement, she hadn’t noticed it until now. “Tail...” She stated the obvious with a mesmerized mutter. Her hand reached caaarefully for the furry appendage, wanting to just touch it. Bap. Was it real? Really real? Maaaybe just one more touch to make sure. ...Bap bap.

Before the curious creature could blurt out a rather rude question, the wise warrior deftly regained her attention. She blinked at the touch. The life lesson drifted into her ears and settled comfortably inside her malleable mind. It fit snugly between the lessons on farming and fighting. She cared about gramps... And Miss Suika too! She would never want to hurt them.

Soon, Zam’s eyes brightened and smile widened. “Ooh, that makes sense!” She nodded eagerly. Tractors needed fuel and a key to awaken. So! It made sense that her power would also need those two things. Fuel was probably energy, like with all her blasty stuff, but... She quietly wondered what kind of key she needed... Thankfully not for long, though. “He hee~ You’re super smart!” Her expression was positively twinkling with newfound new wisdom. ...Eh, that was probably just a trick of the light.

When the warrior pulled out a pipe, the young Majin’s tiny nose wrinkled. “Bleh, stinky pipe... Gramps smokes too...” She pressed a finger against her nose and pushed it. With a rubbery pop, it vanished into her face, leaving behind a smooth surface. Regaining her smile, she let out a happy sigh. Much better.

Sitting by Suika’s side, Zam snuggled closer to listen. “Yup, I’ve seen them on TV~” She confirmed her vague understanding. Come to think of it, much of her knowledge of the world came from the magic box. Gramps always told her not to believe everything she saw, for some reason. Why would anyone go on TV to lie though?

Enthralled by the tale, the young adventurer listened keenly. That twinkle in her eyes was back. Still just a trick of the light, right? Right. “Beaches... And an Amusement Park...? I’ve never been to either one.” With every detail she devoured, her hunger to visit only grew. Cities sounded even more amazing than what she had seen on TV. Usually, they just got blown up by bad guys...

Zam sprung upright with jubilant glee, when Miss Suika agreed to take her along. “Yaaaaaay~!” For her, visiting home and gramps to ask for permission was a bonus rather than a condition. “Sure~! Gramps loves to meet travelers~” Her expression dampened ever so slightly, with a helping of awkward fidgeting. “Buuut... He, uh... Likes to talk. A lot. And he gets suuuper grumpy if you fall asleep in the middle of it.” It was just a fair warning, clearly born from experience.

The mere mention of food caused the little glutton to bounce with joy again. “Ooh, gramps always cooks stuff medium rare, so that’s what I like too~!” Her mouth was watering at the mere thought. Drool dripped like a miniature waterfall.

425 WORDS ▪ @suika ▪ TINGLE

f there was one thing the small destroyer loved almost as much as sweets and chaos, it had to be attention. Acknowledgement. The wordless warmth from a cool adult. She basked in the headpats like a cat in the sun. A sunny smile warmed her features. The messy mop of rubbery strands mimicking hair seemed to come to life, gently caressing the hand in turn. It was a rare case of the head patting back.

Honestly, there were many things Zam didn’t understand about Miss Suika... Curiosity was always sparking new questions inside her mind. She still wondered about the tail, for one. About the secret of flying too. Or why Gramps should be younger. And a zillion other little things. ...Buuut right now, none of those questions mattered. There was only the soothing presence, the friendly warmth, the scent of food...

...Oh, food!

The hungry, hungry Majin snatched the skewered meat faster than one could say- “Thanks~!” She tore into the jumbo-sized treat like a living garbage disposal. Munching and crunching... Oops, there went a chunk of the stick. She didn’t seem to notice. Nor care. Bits and pieces of meat scattered around her, only to be scooped up by a flailing tongue just before they could hit the ground. No escape.

Zam paused mid-bite and glanced up from her meal. “Mmh, founhf fheaf! I’hh helf faffy youf fhuff~” She mumbled something unintelligible through meat-stuffed cheeks. “Yuf, meal~!” She declared. Well, no obstruction could muffle the sheer excitement at least.

Fortunately for the company present, the little glutton managed to squeeze down the mouthful. Despite her size, she somehow hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew. “Pheeew...” Her tongue whipped around her face to lick up even the greasy crumbs. “Yummy~! Just like how gramps cooks it!” Clearly the meal had earned a full five stars.

With the worst hunger sated, the Majin settled for eating a little slower. At least now she could chat between bites. “Noudel Village is not far from here. We can follow the tingle.” The pale tentacles peeked from the top of her hair, as if sniffing the air, before retreating again. “Yup yup, still there. Gramps is squishy, but he still has a bigger tingle than most people, you know.” Another peculiar comment blurted out without any self-awareness.

And speaking of peculiar comments...

Zam’s gaze wandered off to the sky, where clouds drifted and birds raced. She cocked her head with a wistful sigh. “I wonder if I’ll remember how to fly too... Hm, I hope so~!”