Reborn from Ashes: Some Like it Hot

Some Like it Hot

Regarding her friendship with Dust, Kalyn liked to consider herself the more responsible of the two. However, even she would agree that this time Gianni had taken it a step too far.

“Hasn’t the guy learned a thing?” she huffed as she plucked a Blomb Chilli from the bush in Ivydale Glen. “You’d think after the number of words people have had with him that he’d stop using kids to do his dirty work.”

“He hasn’t changed since Corbin was a kid apparently,” Dust shrugged, examining the chilli closely. They wouldn’t need more than one — he wasn’t so cruel as to completely overdo this. “If this thing doesn’t teach him a lesson, nothing else will.”

Dust was known throughout Aurora to always lend a hand to those who needed it, and unfortunately Gianni, known to be the resident snob, had taken advantage of this. He’d sent Dust out to do his laundry in Ivydale Glen at least twice (Dust and Ginger had let the first time slip, the second time had resulted in Dust nearly getting electrocuted by Florns when he was eleven and that time Ginger had recommended the poison ivy treatment — she’d refused to treat Gianni’s resulting swells for a day and half) and this time, he’d had Dust clean his house, wash and hang out his laundry and then tend to his garden! Without letting him go home for lunch!

Ginger was having words with the man as the kids spoke, but Dust was not letting the old miser go with just a telling off. Nor was he going for the poison ivy again. No, this time, it was go hard or go home. He’d tracked down the spiciest ingredient in all Falana: the Blomb Chilli. It was said that just a nibble of the thing would make it feel like a Blomb had exploded inside your mouth, so Dust knew that he didn’t need more than one.

“I cannot wait to see the look on Gianni’s face when he gets a taste of this thing,” Dust snickered.

“You sure one’s going to be enough?” Kalyn frowned. “Are these things really as spicy as people say?”

“Well, I’m not going to risk outright killing the guy — no one deserves that,” Dust pointed out. “And Mom apparently tried using one of these in her curry when I was a baby. According to Oneida, she lost her sense of taste for a week.”

Ouch. Well, Kalyn could agree that Gianni deserved that at the very least.

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Gianni’s screams of agony could be hear from the other side of Aurora come evening the next day. The man had then gone running through the village, shrieking that his mouth was on fire and gasping for water. Dust was out training with Corbin at the time and couldn’t hide a snicker as Gianni raced past without a second glance, heading straight for the infirmary.

“Dust,” Corbin began once the chaos died down. “Why is Mr Gianni screaming fire?”

“Why should I know?” Dust smirked. Corbin smirked back — honestly, he wasn’t even cross.

“Because he’s treated you the same way he used to treat me as a kid and this guy…” He indicated the statue of Sen-Mithrarin with his thumb. “…got back at him for me by sticking poison ivy in his laundry, which, if I remember correctly, you also did?”

“Mom’s idea,” Dust shrugged. Corbin chuckled when the boy didn’t add a ‘not mine’ at the end of that statement.

“Come on, let’s finish up,” he laughed. “En garde!”

By the time Dust had gotten home, Gianni was still whimpering in the patient’s chair as Ginger handed him a remedy. Before Dust had a chance to speak, the man stormed out the door, not giving the boy so much of an acknowledgement of his existence.

“Uh…hi, Mom?” Dust offered as a greeting. “Busy afternoon?”

“I told him that ‘getting children to act as his personal servants’ clearly isn’t agreeing with him, as always,” Ginger remarked, folding her arms and eyeing her son suspiciously. “What did you do?”

“What makes you think I had anything to do with it?” Dust asked, still unable to keep the smirk from his face. Ginger’s face didn’t change.

“Dust Augustus Arnath, what did you do?”

And there went the full name…

“He deserved it…” Dust mumbled, rubbing his arm sheepishly. Ginger raised an eyebrow.

“Blomb Chilli, huh?” she noted. “And how much exactly did you sneak into his food?”

“Like, a pinch!” Dust protested. Ginger held out her hand expectantly. Dejectedly, Dust trudged to the back windowsill and fished the rest of the small chilli from where he’d thrown it out. Ginger examined it — satisfied that Dust had told the truth in that he’d only used a small amount, she threw it out the window again and sighed, pinching her brow together.

“What am I to do with you, Scamp?” she muttered.

“Sorry,” Dust mumbled. Ginger heaved a small exasperated sigh and walked over, ruffling her son’s hair fondly.

“Leave Gianni to me next time, okay?” she suggested. “Although I think you’ve made your views quite clear on the matter.” Dust nodded and again couldn’t quite stop the smirk crossing his face. “As punishment for your actions,” Ginger continued, although even Dust could tell that there was a playful tone in her voice. “You are to tend to the herb garden and then clean up my supply cabinet. Dinner shan't be ready until you are done.”

“Whatever you say, Mom,” Dust replied in a mock drooling tone, earning another hair-ruffle from his mother as the two shared a small laugh.

“Between you, me and these four walls,” Ginger laughed. “…nice one, Scamp.”

It took Dust the rest of the afternoon to finish his ‘punishment’ (he’d made sure to look like he was suffering even a tiny bit when Gianni came by to scowl), but come dinner time, he was sure that his mother had given him a slightly bigger portion than usual…and it was his favourite meal: her curry, followed by his favourite dessert, ice cream wrapped in sticky rice paste.

Needless to say, Gianni never asked Dust to do his chores for him anymore.