#cocobusi

weee i did it! this was very much out of my comfort zone, but i feel like i'm getting somewhere !

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Lalapril Day 6: Bite

While Cocobusi may have failed to channel the same prowess as his aether rich brothers, he would excel best with another skill set perfect for warming the heart and filling plentiful empty stomachs.

There goes the Wol of all Cosmos again!

Writing Prompt: Third-rate Word Count: 917 ---> masterlist

“Coffee?”

“As black as night.”

“Aye. You and me both then.”

Rare was the opportunity that Pipin Tarupin and Cocobuki Lolobuki were able to meet up like this, where their schedules aligned and thus did they have a moment’s breath to catch up with one another. They were both workaholics, you see. Engrossed and dedicated to their role and to that of bettering Ul’dah as a whole. Just as they had when they first met… and just as they continue to do so even now.

“Glad was I to have you and yours at my backside when we first set out for Garlemald.” Pipin finished brewing their bitter cups of coffee, setting them down on a small table in the corner of his office. They had decidedly chosen Pipin’s private office for their little get-together. There were no listening ears in these thick walls and countless a time Pipin invited individuals for meetings much like this one. Both of them were men who valued their privacy… they were safe speak freely as much as they’d like.

“Do we not always answer your call?” Cocobuki hummed in response, gladly accepting his cup and sipping gingerly of the steamed drink. Even alone as they were, his dark hood remained and cast shadows over his one glaring red eye. “There is no others I trust more in this rotted city than those of my own… and a certain someone of the Steel Heart.”

Cocobuki cast an amused glance Pipin’s way, to which the older of the two shrugged and took to his seat. “Progress is slow but steady as I weed out the remnants of those dark days. Change is coming… and it is with your help that I’ve been able to make some headway in the places I am unable to reach.”

“Still. I did not ask you here to bemoan politics and the like.” Pipin sipped deeply from his cup. The kick he would need to make it through the rest of the day. “How are things with your brothers since returning? Or rather… the youngest of your lot.”

The one who was never allowed to come along on their dangerous ventures. The one who was never allowed to brandish a wand nor staff to try their hand at the self-same magicks their elder brothers could convey. Else their body would break apart with so low an aetheric capacity. What many whispered to be the inferior of all six brothers in the halls belonging to the mages.

That didn’t bother Cocobuki. In fact, a softhearted smile graced the guildmaster’s lips. “There is hope yet in my youngest sibling’s eyes. Though he’ll never follow the magical arts like his other brothers, he excels in many other areas that we do not. He’s come to finally accept where his talents truly lie.”

There was a fondness in that sole eye of his. That, regardless of his youngest brother’s failings, they were brothers all the same. And he’d support Cocobusi no matter the path he took—so long as he dare not tread that of thaumaturgy.

“Cocobusi has always been gifted in his alchemical creations. His contributions have greatly benefited the guild with elixirs and the like to give our mages a boost.” Cocobuki leaned back in his chair and breathed a content sigh after another sip of coffee. “Though of late, it would seem he’s dabbled in the art of culinary confections. And I must admit… he’s picked up on it incredibly well.”

“Must be nice, having someone you can depend on for grand cuisine meals at one’s beck and call.” Pipin swirled the little bit of coffee left in his cup.

Cocobuki let out a sinister laugh. He knew exactly whom his friend was alluding to. “You’re no better! Neither you nor my little cousin have a gift for it, that much is true. But at least she isn’t nearly as much a calamity in the kitchen compared to when you try your hand. Twelve forbid she lets you!”

“She’s getting better.” Pipin huffed with a roll of the eyes. Though Cocobuki did have the right of it—anything Pipin ever touched before a cookfire would come out charred and burnt through all seven layers of hell one wagered.

“And at the very least… she managed to overcome that which stunted her growth into the magical arts. She never gave up. Your cousin managed to claim back her power by her own merit.” A pause as Pipin wondered aloud. “It does make one ponder if Cocobusi might still have a chance one day.”

Cocobuki calmed his laughter once more, waving a dismissive hand. “Her situation was entirely different. She had the capacity for it. But something was blocking her aetheric channels. The moment whatever it was that was holding her back all those years had disappeared, of course she’d be able to wield magicks much like any other thaumaturge.” And so lucky was she that she did not incapacitate herself or worse before that point.

“So then there truly is no hope for Busi then…”

“And he has made peace with that.” Cocobuki set his cup aside then. Resting his elbows atop the table and leaning into the palm of his hands.

“But enough about my brothers and family. Word on the street is…”