Corny

I tossed him the bag of corn snacks he asked for. He looked over it and then tossed it back to me.

"I don't like these."

I looked at the bag and then back at him.

"What on earth are you talking about? You eat these all the time!"

He shook his head.

"I eat Queen's Corn Pops! These are Doctor Zappy's Corn Nuts. They're totally different!"

I shook my head.

"They're made by the same parent company, same shape, same ingredients, just the name is different!"

"They don't taste the same, that's all!"

Placebo effect, I guess it was.

Deal Working

The Devil rubbed its horns in frustration as the woman who had summoned it continued to rattle off what they wanted.

"... and the ability to read minds, and to be able to create money and such at will, and I will have to be immortal, obviously-"

The Devil stomped its foot, an earthquake occurring on the other side of the planet.

"The entire point of this transaction is for me to get your soul when you die. Why in would I give you that?"

She smiled and created a barrier.

"Good, you CAN give me that."

She began to work.

Lured Trap

I took out the last trap using the body of the last hellbeast I killed, and then opened the chest, looking over the treasure inside.

"I'll be taking that!"

I turned around to see the old man from the tavern who'd told me about the treasure.

"Finally one of you fools was strong enough and managed to clear out everything. Now you die."

I shook my head.

"If you needed to find someone powerful enough to get here, how do you expect to defeat them?"

"Because I poisoned your beer."

I grunted, and tried to get off a spell, unsuccessfully.

Post Fight

What was supposed to be a quiet night in had devolved into an argument, then a fight, then a screaming match, and then...

Well to be honest, I wasn't sure what it was by that point. All I knew was that the relationship was probably done for, so I began to ask the questions that I'd always wondered about. She didn't answer, at first, but then she began to tell me, out of a desire to just not have to think.

She then asked me questions, and I answered honestly, and we learnt about each other.

Still broke up though.

Visual Aide

The Prince's Aide had set up two paintings on stands, and used them as visual aids.

"So, here are your majesty's two options for a bride, assuming the Blue Strait remains uncrossable.

Princess Sun Child of the Golden Empire is an excellent choice, as the heir to the Jade Throne she is very powerful. But you will be in a subservient role there.

Queen Salonte gives power straight away, and as she is quite old, her death would potentially place Master in control of the Hondlands."

"Can't I see paintings of them rather than maps?

"How would that matter, Master?"

Even-Handed

He sat there, smoking his pipe, before speaking softly.

"The Empire says that they are the good guys, keeping the peace and protecting the common people, while the Rebels say that they are the good guys, fighting for freedom and an end of tyranny. Every move is either a necessary operation or oppression, criminal acts or guerrilla warfare."

"And of course the truth is somewhere in the middle, yes?"

The old man looked at him.

"What? No, don't be ridiculous, the Rebels are clearly right!"

"But, a balance of views-"

"And the Empire is obviously wrong, there, totally fairly even-handed."

Non-Drabble: Absence

Hiya. So, yeah, I'm currently under the weather with Covid. Thus, I'll be non-posting for a bit while I recover.

Drabbles will return as soon as possible.