Familiar's Calling - The Bond
Chapter 15 - Breakfast and Small Talk

The next morning Jinx woke to replace Krista absent from the bed. He looked up and around, panicking for a moment and afraid for her safety, only to see her looking out the window that faced the street.

Don’t do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack, he half-scolded her, sitting up and back on his haunches, blinking at her with concern in his brilliant green eyes.

Krista looked around in alarm at his sudden voice in her head and then visibly relaxed when she saw him sitting up on the bed, looking at her.

“You looked so cute sleeping there, I didn’t have the heart to wake you,” she explained before giving a brief glance out of the window. “Besides I didn’t leave the room and even if I had, I’m sure we are perfectly safe in the manor,” she reasoned.

He yawned so wide that even his molars were visible. Still, a note or something would be nice, you know. He pouted slightly as he said this, once he had finished yawning, his whiskers drooping slightly.

Krista grinned, sprinted across the room and jumped on her knees on to the bed, startling him by scooping him up in one swift movement, and tipping him onto his back in her arms.

Whoa! he exclaimed, his eyes growing wide in alarm as he went flying through the air. As she settled him down securely in her arms on his back, cradling him, and began scratching his stomach, he eyed her much like a kitten would his mother. What are you doing, Krista? he asked her lazily, enjoying the attention perhaps a little bit too much.

Krista giggled before flipping him back over onto all four paws on the bed and scratching near the base of his tail, causing him to purr deeper and arch his back end in the air reflexively. He shook his head to clear it and spun around.

No, stop. Enough, he choked out.

Krista laughed and sat down on the bed next to him. “Why? You know you enjoy it.” She smirked slyly at him.

I… you... I... no... he stuttered, still standing on the bed facing her, his tail in the air and all fluffy in his agitation. Sitting back down on the bed with a soft thump, he pouted. It’s unbecoming of a familiar to be so ... emotional.

Krista laughed and rolled her eyes. “Since when have we ever been typical anything, let alone worried about proper behaviour? I mean, I just found out Chase is my brother, for Merlin’s sake.” She stroked his back slowly as she spoke. “I mean, I don’t know about you, but to me at least, you are more like my family than just my familiar.”

Jinx tilted his head looking up at her and thinking, digesting, what she was saying. Then he stood up and walked across her lap. I suppose you’re right. Shall we go see if Chase and Sylas are up? I’m starving!

Krista giggled and stood up after he had moved off of her lap. “You’re always hungry! But yes, I agree. Let’s go see if they’re up.” With that, she moved across the room swiftly, Jinx trotting along behind at her heels, and after holding her hand on the doorknob for a moment she stepped back, grinning.

What are you - he began, before she put a finger to her lips shushing him, he fell silent. He watched as she made a twist in mid-air, like she was turning the door handle, the door suddenly creaked open. As the door creaked open Chase tumbled into the room, sprawling forwards on his hands and knees, giving a loud yelp of surprise.

“Why, good morning,” he said from the floor, before pushing himself back to his feet in one swift movement.

Krista crossed her arms in mock annoyance. “Spying on me already, dear brother?” she teased him.

“Never, darling little sister,” he replied, emphasizing the word ’little’ and reaching over to complete the effect by patting her on the head. This only made her squint and glare at him with a trace of a sneer at the head pat. He teased her by mimicking her expression in an exaggerated way.

“I am not little,” she replied through gritted teeth. “Hmph!” She turned her nose up into the air and away from him.

Chase ran his hands nervously through his hair for a moment. “So do you want to go get breakfast or not?” he asked her, smiling slyly.

Krista snapped her head around, wide-eyed. “Food? Breakfast? Yes, please!” she exclaimed excitedly, just barely refraining from actually bouncing up and down.

Jinx snickered privately at her, Now who’s always hungry?

Krista shot him a look. “I mean, Jinx is positively starving,” she added, drawing out the last word and smirking down at the him.

He transformed back into a human and glared at her. “I didn’t say I was starving. Just that I was hungry.” He pursed his lips together in annoyance.

“Your behaviour said differently, my formerly furry friend,” she replied with a smirk.

Chase laughed at this banter. “You are definitely my sister. You two sound just like Sy and I,” he remarked. “However, I too, am hungry, so what do you say we stop the chatter and head on down to the kitchens and rustle something up?”

Both of them nodded, so Chase spun on his heel to lead the way out of the room and down the stairs.

*

Several dizzying turns, a couple more staircases later and the trio walked into the dimly lit basement kitchen. Sylas was already sitting at the low, rough wooden table - a cup of what appeared to be coffee cradled in his hands. Geoffrey was stationed at the entrance to the room standing stock still. As Jinx passed him, he couldn’t help but think that he had never seen anyone stand so stiffly.

As the three of them entered Sylas looked up, obvious exhaustion in his eyes, and spoke to Chase. “Well, that took you long enough,” he remarked stiffly, adjusting his hand on the coffee cup to raise it to his lips and take a sip.

Chase scowled. “They were having a private conversation. I couldn’t exactly just barge in on them to tell them to come down for breakfast, now could I?” he replied stiffly.

Sylas sighed turning to a newspaper sitting in front of him and picked it up. “We have a long day ahead of us, and I would like to get a head start on it,” he explained.

Chase shrugged his narrow shoulders. “We will get there when we get there. It’s not like he is expecting us, or anything.”

Sylas rolled his eyes once again as he took another long draught from his coffee. “Have you not learned by now? His Eminence the Dozhan is always expecting people. He has the gift of prophecy and foresight. You know this quite well, Tecyu.”

Chase made a face as Sylas called him ‘young one’ in the ancient tongue yet again, but refrained from commenting on it and instead turned to his newly found younger sister. “So, what would you two like for breakfast this fine morning?” he asked, gesturing to the small basement windows through which they could just see the morning sunlight streaming in.

Krista, who had been casting her eyes around the spacious kitchen so unlike the one back at home, turned her head back to Chase. “Umm… What do you have?” she enquired, her head tilted familiarly to the side. Chase chuckled. “Whatever you want Geoffrey can make,” he replied, gesturing at the guardian, who made no movement of recognition of his name or skillset.

Krista stared at Geoffrey for a moment thinking of what she wanted before turning back to Chase. “Okay. How about banana and cream cheese stuffed french toast?” she asked politely, eyes flickering over to Geoffrey, and a hungry look in her eyes.

Chase chuckled. “Anything else? Something to drink, perhaps? Syrup?”

Krista extended her upper lip over her lower. “Orange juice and some chocolate syrup?” she asked hesitatingly, biting her lower lip again.

Before she could say another word, Geoffrey nodded. “Yes, Miss Krista,” he said crisply, bowing slightly before adding, “And would Masters Jinx and Chase require anything?”

Jinx was slightly taken aback once again at being addressed as ‘Master’ but hid his shock by stating, “I could go for some simple sunny-side-up eggs and crisp bacon with orange juice as well, please.”

Chase ‘ummed’ and ‘aahed’ for a moment before settling on his choice. “I think I will have strawberry waffles with strawberry syrup and whipped cream. Coffee for me, though.”

Geoffrey bowed deeply to the three of them. “It will be done as you wish,” he replied before moving off to open what Jinx had been sure was a cupboard, but turned out to be a refrigerator, and began pulling items out.

Chase moved to sit down across from Sylas, pulling an empty coffee mug to him and pouring himself a steaming cup, to which he added a large amount of cream and sugar before stirring it. Jinx and Krista watched Geoffrey’s back as he began mixing french toast batter in a bowl with vigor, before moving to sit opposite each other at the low table as well.

Soon Geoffrey appeared at Jinx’s side with all the suddenness of magick so abruptly it make him start slightly, carrying two tall, narrow glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice which he set down upon the table before going back to the vast range where he currently had bacon frying and spitting all over.

The bacon sizzled in the pan in the background and Krista sipped her juice watching the guardian cooking, obviously mesmerized. Chase took a sip of his very sweet and almost white coffee and addressed Jinx. “So you really have no idea who your families were, or are?”

Jinx took a small sip of his own orange juice, shaking his head. “Nope. I’m not sure many familiars do. We’re taken so young to be trained.” Here he glanced sideways at Sylas, as if expecting him to confirm this.

Sylas nodded his assent. “It is rare for a familiar to have such knowledge, yes. Some do, but usually for a specific reason.”

Chase’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “What do you mean, for a specific reason?”

Sylas finished his coffee and set his empty mug back down as behind him Geoffrey enthusiastically cracked eggs into a pan. “I mean, as a familiar you agree and accept that once you are matched it is for life. The bond is meant to be closer than the one to the family to which you were born,” he paused as Geoffrey brought over Jinx’s bacon and eggs and set it in front of him before returning to the stove and beginning to start making the waffles and french toast. “To know your birth family, such as it is, would be to potentially divide your loyalties and weaken the bond to the witch to whom you are matched with,” he explained.

After pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee he continued, “So only when such revelations will only strengthen a bond will they be revealed.”

Krista tore her gaze away from where Geoffrey was currently stuffing her french toast and Chase’s waffle was merrily cooking in the waffle iron, and looked at Jinx, then at Sylas. “How... lonely,” she reflected, a small frown on her face.

Sylas gave her one of his very rare smiles in an attempt to reassure her. “I assure you, I am perfectly content, even happy, with my connection to Chase. As well as his newly found connection to you. Do not take that connection lightly. It would not have revealed itself unless it was meant to strengthen your own bond.”

He sipped at his coffee again as Geoffrey brought over a plate piled high with Chase’s preferred strawberry waffles. It was an impressive sight. The whipped cream sitting central on the top of the stack, wobbling slightly at Geoffrey’s movements, and several fresh cut strawberries lining the plate. Krista was so taken aback by Chase’s breakfast, she didn’t even notice as Geoffrey set her stuffed banana and cream cheese french toast down in front of her.

As the smell of the bananas and fried toast wafted up at her she turned her head and stared in amazement at her own plate. A perfectly cut piece of french toast sat in the middle of her plate, stuffed full of bananas and cream cheese which spilled out lightly onto the plate. It was also lightly dusted with icing sugar with a slice of banana perched on top. Geoffrey sat a small jug of strawberry and chocolate syrup down within reach of his human charges and retreated to the range, starting to clean the cooking dishes.

Chase quickly scooped his strawberry syrup up, hooking one finger through the handle, and drizzled it all over his waffles before digging in. Krista plucked the banana from the top and popped it into her mouth, eyes widening at the freshness of it. She then pulled her own jug of chocolate syrup towards her and poured it all over her french toast before picking up her fork and following her brother’s example.

Jinx picked up his own fork and dug into his eggs and bacon with enthusiasm that matched Krista’s.

The group ate silently as Sylas looked on, forks and knives occasionally scraping across the plate as they cut this or that. After about twenty minutes, Chase and Krista were just scraping the last of their syrup up with the last bite of their breakfast. Finally they set their forks down in unison and sighed contentedly.

“That was delicious!” Krista exclaimed in glee, before looking over to where Geoffrey had resumed his vigil at the door. “Thank you so much, Geoffrey!”

“Yes, top notch as always, Geoffrey. Thank you,” Chase added.

Geoffrey simply nodded and replied. “I live to serve, Master Chase, Miss Krista.” He bowed his head in respect.

“So are we ready to head out?” Sylas asked, a note of anxiety in his voice that Chase picked up on.

“Why so anxious to leave, Sy?” he asked curiously.

“I just want to get an early start to the day, Chase. We have much to discuss with his Eminence, the Dozhan, and I do not feel we should waste time,” he replied sternly. “So, are you three ready to go?” he repeated.

Chase was taken back by his response. “Erm… yeah. Just let us go change then.”

Sylas nodded. “Well, be quick about it,” he replied and with that, he stood, pushed his chair out from the table and strode quickly out of the kitchen.

Chase, Krista and Jinx watched him leave before Chase remarked as he stood himself, “Whoa, what’s gotten his tail in a bunch today?” He turned to Krista and Jinx, leaning with his fingertips on the table before shaking his head. “Anyways shall we return to our rooms and change, so as not to keep old cranky-butt waiting?” He chuckled at these words briefly before assuming an appropriately serious face.

Krista nodded as she got to her feet; Jinx hurriedly following suit. “Yes, let’s do that - and quickly. Sylas seems really anxious to get going.”