Kat stretched trying to wake herself up. Her right wing bent at what should be an uncomfortable angle but she felt no stiffness. *You know, I do wish these beds were a bit larger. Especially because I think I'll need to sleep in them once more.*
Shaking her head Kat headed out the door to go grab some breakfast of some kind. As she stepped out of the door she saw a very tired Grace do the same.
The elf was in the basic white robes provided and they hung loosely around her frame. Her hair was extremely messy and was just left to hang freely. Grace's ears drooped low, which Kat found odd considering they never really seemed to move.
As Grace heard the door opening beside her, she looked up, bleary eyes with bags underneath then. As soon as she locked eyes with Kat though Grace jerked back as if someone had shot her.
Kat tilted her head "What?"
Grace struggled to form words and just gestured generally in the direction of Kat instead.
Kat tilted her head further to the side indicating her further confusion.
Grace gestured more frantically at Kat and had an exasperated look in her eyes. *Sorry Grace this just isn't translating.*
Flapping her wings and leaning even further sideways Kat let her body follow as she tilted her head and the rest of her body around.
Grace growled at Kat "Lynn is right your powers are dumb"
Kat tried to fly upside down at this and found that while she could do it, it was actually rather painful on her wings and it took a lot of energy. It was worth it for the gag though as her hair hung down, though her kimono seemed capable of supporting itself and stayed up around her knees.
"What about my powers? I mean sure I'm using them for a joke but I don't see how that surprised you at the start" said Kat
Grace rubbed her eyes. Looked away and then back to confirm she was actually awake before asking, "Well, how can you be so cheery in the morning? And how did you manage to dry your hair so fast?"
"I haven't showered yet what are you talking about?" replied Kat
Grace looked like she'd been stabbed "Did you just get up?" she asked as though she'd just asked if she was about to die and already knew the answer.
"Uh… for some reason I feel like it would be kinder not to answer you" said Kat
Grace fell forward at this. Kat's tail snaked around and held the elf in place. Kat flipped herself back around and then grasped Grace with her hands. "Grace, Grace? You with me?" said Kat
"End me" said Grace
"Excuse me could you repeat that?" asked Kat
"End me please" said Grace putting more pressure into her forward leaning.
Further reinforcing her hold on Grace and adding her tail into the mix "Now now Grace, surely it isn't that bad"
Grace just gave Kat a tired look. Not willing to put up with this sort of attitude Kat firmly wrapped her tail around Grace and lead her to the kitchen. Once again, the Timmy's were set up already. Somehow, they'd gotten ahold of chef's hats and Kat chose to simply accept this fact.
"What can I get you for breakfast Grace?" asked Kat
"Suffering" said the elf.
"Timmy's can you point me to the suffering?" asked Kat, and to her surprise they all turned around and pointed to the poison section of the dishes.
Confused Kat walked over and read the plaque on the first one and then nodded assuming it made sense. The dish was called "The walk of suffering" and was a salad with a leafy green as the bass and a number of strange purple fruits carved to look like trees with sprinklings of a red berry to look like a path.
"Is this really want you want? It's poisonous you know" asked Kat
Grace did not look pleased at Kat and the Timmy's antics. "Ah, just give me some elder root tea and be done with it" said Grace
"Timmy's elder root tea?" asked Kat. They pointed Kat towards the chilled ingredients shelf. Following there directions she found a plate with a number of mugs on it all filled with tea.
The plaque just read elder root tea and to Kat's disappointment had no button next to it. Wrapping her tail carefully around her uncooperative elf Kat took two cups, one for each of them.
Eventually she dragged Grace back to the lounge room and set her down carefully. Grace nodded and took a sip of tea. Kat nearly thought her mind was playing tricks on her when she saw what happened next.
Before her eyes Grace's hair straightened itself out. The bag under her eyes disappeared. Her ears stopped drooping and a small smile had crept onto her face.
Kat let her mouth hang wide. "What… what on Earth just happened?"
"Elder root tea happened" said Grace
Kat looked at this magical liquid and took a tentative sip… she wasn't impressed. *It just tastes like normal green tea?* "Um… I think I need more clarification"
"Well elder root tea has minor restorative properties, especially potent for fatigue and the effects are almost three times as potent in elves" said Grace "It's one of our most essential exports. So many elves are addicted to the stuff despite it not actually having any addictive properties. Just the ability to help with fatigue in such a major way is very highly treasured"
Kat looked at the tea and back at Grace "Should I be drinking this then? Kind of a waste isn't it?"
Grace shook her head "Not at all. Well, you see, we grow a near endless amount in the elven lands, as well as anywhere outside of them that we can manage it. Elder root isn't a particularly fickle plant and there is no way we'd settle for anything less then an infinite supply"
"So it's like coffee or something?" asked Kat
Grace looked like Kat had just offered to stab her mother. "How could you even compare such a vastly inferior drink that merely masks the signs of fatigue instead of truly restoring them?"
"Ahh���" Kat didn't really know how to respond to that. She'd never really been a coffee drinker herself and the effects seemed to really closely align with what Grace was explaining… though if it worked on Earth Kat could only guess it was in fact worse
"So what exactly are you planning to do today?" asked Kat redirecting the conversation with all the social grace of a charging elephant.
Grace smiled at Kat's choice and responded "I'm not sure. Sitting on this couch is very tempting. It isn't often I can take such a total break from everything. Sure we have days off adventuring, but real relaxation is rare"
Kat nodded but didn't really understand "Perhaps you can give me some tips on how to use my fans?"
Grace's expression became unreadable. It was a strange mix of joy and annoyance and Kat didn't know what to make of it. "Well, Kat, honestly, as much as I'd love to, and I do sincerely mean that, I also fear that I'd ruin your foundation. The first lesson of any combat art is extremely important and I just don't know enough about fans. Bows? Sure always, Daggers? Easy, swords even I could do… but not fans"
"That's fine" said Kat reassuring the elf "Should I perhaps practice by myself?"
The elf practically jumped at Kat before pulling herself back into her seat and returning to a serene expression "If you do something so stupid, I will strangle you myself. You need a teacher Kat, and if you even think about practicing your fans and I find out I will do horrible things"
"Horrible things?" asked Kat
"Horrible things" Grace nodded
"Horrible things' Kat also nodded.
"Well, now that that's established" said Kat "I'm going to get myself some real food. You want anything?"
Grace shook her head and Kat walked off. Entering the kitchen the 'walk of suffering' tempted her greatly but she did what she hoped was the wiser thing and headed away from it.
"Timmy's got a spare plate?" asked Kat
The Timmy's looked up from whatever they were doing and pointed behind Kat. Turning around she found the wall was actually covered in plates of varying size. *How did I not notice that.* Grabbing one of the wall, Kat saw that a new plate had appeared when she took the first off.
Shrugging Kat went around and grabbed various nice-looking berries from around the isles. *I only want a light breakfast after all.* Once her plate was half filled with berries she headed back out to greet the not so tired elf.
Kat sat down quietly and ate her breakfast in silence with Grace.. She may have tried to sneak a few berries into the elf's mouth as she was yawning. But she never succeeded and she was never caught, so nobody can say it's true