Teenage Sorcerers: Prophecy Foretold

Chapter 10: New Home

Rana (Male)

Appearance: A 5'10 24 year old humanoid frog with short dark brunette hair. His skin is completely sage green with little hunter green dots up his arms and around his neck. His eyes are curly ovals with pure black pupils and lemon yellow irises. His hands are still frog hands, just larger. He wears a burgundy overcoat and a burnt sienna brown button up long sleeved shirt with a matching tie. He wears an iron gray suit pants and black dress shoes.

Personality: Is extremely friendly to anyone he meets, becoming friends with almost everyone in the town. Despite some of the townsfolk not wanting to be associated with him due to his appearance, he continues to be optimistic and treat everyone with kindness and respect. He's extremely defensive of people he cares about, especially of Lucius. He still struggles to understand certain concepts of human life, but he's slowly getting better.

"Hey there, kids! Looks like you all came here just in time for the reopening!" the man smiled widely, now stepping into the light. The group stared in shock at the man, who appeared to be a humanoid frog. The frog man moved behind the counter and put on an apron that was hanging up by the side of the kitchen doorway. "I don't think I've ever seen you all around here before, are you new residents here? Oh, or maybe you're travelers? I love when travelers from different parts come to pay us a visit, especially when they decide to stop by my cafe!" the frogman cheered before quickly gathering himself. "Sorry, I'm just so excited whenever I get to meet new people! Anyway, what can I get for you all today?" The groups didn't say a word for a few seconds until Josephine spoke up. "Are you...a frog?" she asked, her voice hitching a bit. "Oh yes, I forgot to thoroughly explain that part, so many people get scared by that!" the frog man chuckled before leaning against the counter a bit. "I'm a humanoid frog, I don't know how it happened exactly, but it did! I do know that it happened four years ago and now I live a human life! Or at least I try to...there's still things I'm learning and getting used to, but that's just how it is!" the frog man shrugged as he grabbed some supplies from the top cabinets that were by the window. "My name is Rana, by the way! Sorry, I should've started off with that!" Rana chuckled and set all his supplies down on the counter. "The Spicy Sanctuary is my cafe, just in case it wasn't clear! My cafe is the only one in this town, with its own special twist to go along with it!" Rana held up a small bottle with mint green liquid inside. "This right here is my secret ingredient! Don't freak out, but this neutralized snake venom! I know it sounds crazy, but this actually gives all of my products the little spice kick they need! It's not overpowering, but not nonexistent. All you need is a drop in anything you request, whether it's your drink or your pastry treat, and it'll give it the kick you're looking for!" Rana smiled as he picked one of the baked goods from the case display. "This cinnamon bun has a drop of neutralized venom mixed in with its frosting. You can give it a try, it's on the house!" Rana offered the cinnamon bun to the groups, waiting for one of them to take it. Everyone was too nervous to take it after hearing about the snake venom, one of them eventually stepping forward and taking the cinnamon bun. "Fine, I'll try it out." Sabbi spoke up as she held the bun. "Yeah, you're not eating that." Lulu lowered Sabbi's hand when she was about to take a bite. "I think I am..." Sabbi glared at Lulu as she tried to take a bite of the cinnamon bun, only for him to lower her hand again. The two kept going back and forth, their groups and Rana watching it happen for a few seconds. "Does...this always happen?" Rana asked Chaz, who was the closest to him. "No, this is the first time they're doing this..." Chaz looked up at Rana before hearing the commotion between Lulu and Sabbi grow louder. "Let me try it! Why do you care what I eat?!" Sabbi raised her voice as she managed to pull Lulu away from the cinnamon bun. "There's snake venom in it! The last thing we need right now is to be down a person! You're already in bad enough condition with your wounds!" Lulu scolded her as he tried to get the bun away from her. "A-Actually, the snake venom is neutralized, remember? And with it being mixed with other ingredients, it covers the venom up even more, but still lets the flavor come out! And you're able to have up to five drops of venom per week, it's the safest amount for consumption!" Rana reassured Lulu as he tried to settle the situation down. "Fine...but don't come crying to me when you're feeling like shit later on!" Lulu sighed, giving Sabbi the chance to finally try the bun. Almost immediately after she took a bite, the spice kicked in. "Oh wow, this is great!" Sabbi smiled up at Rana as she continued to eat. "I'm so glad you like it! So, are you guys travelers or something like that? You all don't have similar clothes to the rest of the townsfolk..." he asked as he examined the teens outfits. "I guess you could say we're travelers..." Lulu shrugged just as Sabbi finished her bun. "I see...and I take it you all are here just for a small visit?" "No, we're actually planning to stay overnight!" Josephine spoke up loudly as she made her way next to Lulu, causing him to jump a bit. "I see...unfortunately there's no establishments here for you to stay overnight, do you have any friends or family that live here for you to stay with?" Rana asked as he left from behind the counter and went towards the front door, making sure it was now fully open instead of halfway. "No, but it's okay, we'll just find a clean alleyway or something for us to stay in." Andre spoke up, getting a disgusted look by Kennethn. "Ew, we can't sleep in an alleyway! That's disgusting!" He gagged and protested to the idea. "I'm the only one naming any ideas right now, what the hell are you coming up with?!" Andre scoffed and turned away. "Guys, it's fine, we'll just keep looking for a better place to stay until Lucius comes back to get us!" Sabbi tempered the tension down. "Hang on, did you say Lucius?" Rana quickly looked over at Sabbi, his interest peaking. "Yeah, why? Do you know him?" "Are you kidding? Who doesn't know him?! He's one of the highest ranked sorcerers in this town! If not, number one!" Rana exclaimed as he finished getting everything in front of the cafe set up. "Really? He's that well known here?" Lulu looked over at Rana, who was excited at just the mention of Lucius. "Of course he is! Not only that, but he's also my best friend! He's actually the one to find me after I turned to a humanoid frog!" Rana smiled as he quickly ushered the teens to the tables, having them each take a seat. "Tell me, how do you all know about Lucius? Is he famous enough to reach across other towns now?" Rana asked, grabbing one of the chairs and bringing it in front of all the tables, sitting down and waiting for anyone to reply. "Well...we can't really say..." Malik finally spoke up, resting his hands on the table. Rana tilted his head in confusion before slowly putting the pieces together. "Wait...are you all from the human realm?" he asked abruptly. The groups froze and stared at him for a split second, debating whether or not they should tell him. "Yeah, we are..." Kennethn sighed, twiddling his thumbs a bit. "Wait...that means the realm warp machine worked! Who are the chosen ones out of you guys?!" Rana smiled widely. The Midnight Crusaders quickly raised their hands, causing Rana to be taken aback. "Woah, there's five chosen ones? I didn't think there would be that many..." Rana scratched the back of his neck a bit. "But regardless, I'm so glad you guys are the ones to restore the Crystal Calamity! Lucius would tell me all about the realm warp machine to find you guys and train you once you all grouped together!" "Wait, you know about the realm warp?" Lulu quickly asked as he sat up in his chair. "Yup! I even helped with a few things on it! And I take it that it's working pretty well since you all are here!" Rana clasped his hands together. "It was, but now it's broken and we're stuck here..." Malik sighed as he leaned back a bit. Rana thought for a moment before getting an idea. "I know! How about you all stay with me until Lucius gets the realm warp machine repaired! We don't know how long it'll take for Lucius to figure out something is wrong with it and fix it, so it's best for you all to have a comfortable place to reside for a while!" Rana stood up from his chair and quickly set it aside so he could go get his house keys. "A-Are you sure? I mean, you don't even know us, is it really alright for us to stay with you?" Kennethn asked as he and the others watched Rana go over to the front door and motioned for the groups to follow him. "Of course it is! You can stay for as long as you like, any friend of Lucius is a friend of mine!" Rana quickly ushered the groups out of the door and placed a sign on the door window reading 'On Break, Be Back Soon!'. Rana happily led the groups through town and towards a slightly more narrow pathway beside a meat market. Once they all turned the corner of the meat market, the narrow pathway could be seen leading towards a small neighborhood of semi large houses, each in various colors and built of different materials such as wooden planks or bricks. The groups admired the houses as they continued to follow Rana down the pathway, which was slowly getting wider the farther down they went. They eventually stopped at a decently large wooden house, sitting by a small lake that was behind it and the other houses surrounding it. "This is my house! Come in, come in!" Rana unlocked the front door and led the teens inside. The interior was impeccable, the rustic atmosphere of the home felt comforting. They were all now standing in the living room, which had a large cobblestone fireplace and a circular white rug laying in front of it. On the rug was a rocking chair with a small coffee table that had a small stack of books on top of it and a pair of reading glasses. Rana quickly went to the fireplace and placed one of the logs of wood by the front door into the firebox. "It's best to start up the fire now, it'll start getting cold outside soon." Rana picked up a box of matches that was placed on the wooden border of the fireplace and lit one of the matches, throwing it into the logs of wood inside. "How about I make some food for you all? You must be hungry after all this hassle." Rana offered the teens as he looked through a large cooler placed in an open kitchen area. "You don't have to do all of this for us, this is too much..." Bryan looked over at Rana, who pulled out a whole chicken that was wrapped in parchment paper. "Trust me, it's perfectly fine! You all just go rest by the fireplace and I'll let you all know when the food is ready!" Rana reassured Bryan, setting the wrapped chicken onto the countertop. The teens made their way to the fireplace, Josephine immediately grabbing the rocking chair, rocking back and forth on it aggressively. "Josephine, stop doing that, you're going to break the chair!" Bora stopped the chair moving by grabbing the back of it. "Stop being a bitch! Let me have fun!" Josephine scoffed as she tried to push Bora's hands off of the chair. The two girls kept going back and forth before Lulu approached them. "Guys, stop fighting, we're in someones house and you keep making a scene!" Lulu raised his voice as he pulled them apart. Bora and Josephine quickly stopped arguing and kept to themselves. "If anything, I think you should get off the chair, Josephine." Lulu turned over to her, immediately causing her to get peeved. "What?! Why?!" "Because I said so. And besides, Sabbi should sit there, she's still recovering from her wounds." "She's fine, look at her!" Josephine points over to Sabbi, who was already sitting on the rug with her group. "Sorry, but I'm the one in charge of our group, so I say what goes." Lulu gave her a stern look, making her groan and get up from the chair. "Alright, c'mon Sab-" Lulu went to look over at Sabbi, only to see her now gone. "What the hell? Where did she go?" Lulu turned to the Midnight Crusaders, only to see Andre and Bryan left on the rug. "Where the hell is the rest of your group?!" "Over there." Andre nudged over to the large window pane that was placed a few feet by the front door with Sabbi, Chaz, and Kennethn staring at something outside. "What are you guys doing..?" Lulu went over to them, peaking through the little space left on the window. Rain drops could be seen gently hitting against the window and sprinkling the ground outside. "You guys came over here to look at the rain..?" Lulu pulled away from the window and tilted his head. "Yeah, it just happened so suddenly." Chaz shrugged as she followed Kennethn and Sabbi back to the rug. "Wait, it's raining now?" Rana looked over at the window and panicked a bit. "Oh no, I have to get back to the cafe before it gets worse! I already placed the chicken in the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes, please make sure to take it out when the timer goes off! I'll be back soon!" Rana quickly put on his overcoat and rushed out the door. "Not only is he letting complete strangers live in his house, but he's also leaving them alone for probably the next hour or so..." Bryan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean, we aren't any better since we agreed to live with him and he's still a stranger to us. And besides, he did say he would let us stay here because we knew Lucius." Andre shrugged as he got up and went into the kitchen. "That shouldn't be enough of a reason to let a bunch of strangers live with you!" Bryan spoke as he followed close behind Andre. Sabbi watched her two friends bickering amongst themselves before turning her attention back out the window. As Sabbi continued to watch the rain fall down, Kennethn and Chaz decided to converse with some of the members of Lulu's group. "So," Kennethn started as he stood beside Malik. "Do you guys have a name for your group?" "Not that I'm aware of..." Malik thought for a moment. "We never bothered with a name for ourselves, not like we would have anything to agree as a group on, so it's best for us to remain nameless." "I see..." Kennethn looked down at his feet, trying to find another topic to talk about. While he was doing this, Andre opened the oven and took a peak at the chicken. "The chicken is pretty small...I don't think it'll feed all ten of us..." Andre pointed out as he closed the oven. "Everything is too small for you! Let me see the chicken!" Chaz called out and went into the open kitchen, checking on the chicken. "Hang on, you're actually right for once." Chaz left the chicken alone and leaned against the counters. "But we can't do anything about it. All Rana put out was the chick-ANDRE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Bryan exclaimed as he turned to Andre, who had his head in the cooler. "I'm trying to find something else we can make with the chicken!" Andre pulled his head out and held up a couple of small items. "It looks like all he has left in here are chunks of ice and weirdly packaged ice cream..." Andre examined the packaged ice cream for a few seconds before Bryan snatched the items out of his hands and placed them back into the cooler. "Stop going through Rana's food! He only took out the chicken so the only thing we're going to eat is the chicken! We should be grateful that he's even giving us free room and board in the first place!" Bryan scolded Andre as he quickly closed the cooler shut. "But the chicken isn't going to fill us up! We need more than that!" Andre scolded back, trying to open the cooler back up, but Bryan would quickly stop him whenever he would touch the lid. As the boys would keep opening and closing the cooler, Chaz tried to intervene by attempting to pull Andre away from the cooler, but he was too heavy for her to move. "I have an idea!" Sabbi called out as she turned away from the window. "How about we go out to pick up some more items for dinner! We can even consider it to be like a thank you gift for Rana!" "And how are we supposed to buy the stuff we want to get? We don't have any money." Lulu folded his arms at Sabbi and squinted his eyes a bit. "I have money!" Kennethn sprung up and pulled out his wallet, showing the bills he had in there. "This realm doesn't take that kind of money, remember?" Sabbi gently closed Kennethn's wallet and had him put it back in his pocket. "Oh yeah..." he sighed and sat on the rug. "But from what Lucius said about the currency here, I don't think it'll be too hard to find and collect some! I remember it was things like rose buds and coffee beans, so it should be easy! We'll go to the shops first to see which items we'll need to collect and we'll find the items we need for currency!" Sabbi smiled, getting a few nods of approval from her peers. "Then that settles it! I'll go out and find the items for us!" Sabbi proclaimed as she took a large umbrella that was propped up next to the front door and was about to leave before she felt a hand gently grab her shoulder. "Hold up, I'm coming with you." Lulu spoke as he moved next to Sabbi. "Huh? Why? I'm fine going on my own." "You're still injured, so you're going to need help. Besides, you might want some company." Lulu reached over and opened the front door, the rain already appearing to have gotten worse. Sabbi thought for a moment, feeling like she had a conversation like this with Lulu before. "Wait, let's split the groups!" Bryan suggested. "How about Malik, Kennethn, and I come with you two! Everyone else, stay here and prepare the chicken!" Everyone seemed on board with the idea and agreed as they all temporarily parted ways. Sabbi opened the umbrella and had Malik be the one to hold it since he was the tallest, being able to have the umbrella cover everyone better. As the small group started to walk down the pathway of the neighborhood and towards the town square, they admired the rain pouring down, despite it slowly going down harder as the minutes went by. The raindrops pitter pattering against the pathway was the only noise to be heard, overpowering any other outside noises. The small group bunched together underneath the umbrella, entering town square with their goal in mind.