spoiling balthazar

Meridian awoke one day to find a strange beast had taken residence in his closet. With swirling ribbons and an affinity for nesting among his runed clothing, Balthazar the Ribbow had become a quick part of his day to day life. He quickly contacted a master of imps, Hutch, and learned the basics of care. If a wise beast like Balthazar had decided to make it’s home with him, Meridian was not one to turn down that sort of gift. However, Hutch only supplied the basics of care. How to keep a imp satisfied, and how to keep it sustained. Meridian, having grown fast attached to this little thing, wanted to know how to make it happy. Just as he found true joy in his arcane studies, he wanted to figure out how to make his Ribbow find that true joy. In his research, he came across tale of a bun named Quince who specialized in this very thing.

Carrying Balthazar in his arms, he entered the store aptly labeled ‘Pedigree Pets’. Even if Balthazar was a more common Ribbow, she was pedigree in his heart. The bell over the door jingled, and the doll at the counter greeted him with a warm smile.

“Howdy!” she says. “Welcome to Pedigree Pets! I’m Quince, what can I do for you?”

“I come here seeking guidance on a most important matter,” Meridian holds Balthazar aloft, and she flutters her ribbons at the attention. “I wish to know your ways of showing imps exactly their worth in ways more than just attention. Are you able to assist me on this quest? I have the carats to solicit this service of dire importance, of course.”

“Oh, now aren’t you cute,” Quince says, and it’s a bit unclear whether she’s talking about Meridian or Balthazar. “I’d absolutely be willin’ to show you a bit of what I know. We’re gonna have to head back into the back, and we can work together to find out exactly what your little Ribbow wants. What’s their name?”

“Her name is Balthazar, and she is an extremely dear familiar to me,” Meridian says. “I believe her effect on my runic symbols is second to none, and she seemed summoned by the strips of runed fabric I keep in my closet. If you’ve encountered an imp with arcane inclinations before, that may be something to keep in mind for her.”

“Well, that’s good to know. Nice to meet you, Balthazar, and you…?”

“Oh! My deepest apologies for leaving out my own introduction. I am Meridian, arcanist and future savior of our realm.”

“Good to meet you too then, Meridian,” Quince has a bemused smile on her face at the proclamation, but she doesn’t seem like she’s going to challenge it. “Alright, come on back here. Let’s find the good stuff for your little Balthazar.”

“Indeed,” Meridian says with dire importance coloring his voice. He holds Balthazar to his chest, hugging her with both arms. She squeaks happily as they enter a back room utterly packed to the brim with various treats, food and candy. Meridian is similarly impressed. “This storeroom… you truly must be an utter master in your craft and skill to produce this many variations of food.”

“Aw, shucks. Yeah, I’d say I’m pretty darn good at it,” Quince says as she pulls out an itty-bitty plate and an itty-bitty serving knife. “I’ve been doin’ it for a good long while.”

“Even the utensils are perfected…” Meridian mumbles.

“So here’s what we’re going to do!” Quince declares as she sets all of the kitchenware down on the table. “Every imp has a different palate of food they enjoy. Of course, every single one of them loves sugar. But it’s that extra kick that can be exactly what you need. Salty,  spicy, sour or savory. If we can determine what little Balthazar likes, you can take that knowledge and use it to give her the kinda treats she likes the best. Some people say that just feeding them dango is treat enough, but I just can’t agree.”

“It does seem like they are trying to apply a general rune to a specific rune situation by saying dango works for the large amount of imps in Burrowgatory…” Meridian muses, applying his own perspective.

“Yeah, sure, exactly! So, if you know what flavor profile your imp enjoys, it’ll be a step up from dango no matter what. I’ll grab the first few dishes, and as Balthazar eats we can try to discern which she enjoys best.”

Meridian nods and sets Balthazar on top of the table in front of the plate. Quince rummages through her cabinets and comes back out with what looks like extravagantly made chocolate covered pretzels. “These are sweets with that hint of salt that really cuts through. It’s a decadent taste that I tend to see only a few imps enjoy.”

Balthazar takes a singular bite of the pretzel in front of her, curious. It makes a loud crunch, and she sits there chewing for a few moments, and then hops back down to sit in Meridian’s lap.

“Seems like that’s not the one,” Quince says with a nod. “Not surprised. To be honest, the imps always tend to enjoy just pure sweet at first, with not a lot of care to the intricate unless they have a very advanced palate. I like to try those first, just in case.”

“Makes sense,” Meridian says with a nod. He gives Balthazar a few short pats and puts her back on the table. “Pull yourself onwards towards victory Balthazar, the next one may be the treat to end all treats.”

Quince takes the dish away and presents the next. It seems to be some sort of spicy-sweet dish with chamoy integrated into it. Balthazar gives it a singular sniff and then backs off, huddling once again into Meridian’s arms. 

“Ah, she may be taking after her master there,” Meridian says with a short bark of a laugh. “I find myself bested by most sorts of spice if I have not put in the time to practice and defeat it.”

“Of course, of course. You should try workin’ on that one though, it ain’t all that spicy.”

“Perhaps I shall.”

Quince retrieved another dish, a mound of lemon tart with a heap of frosting. When it was set down on the table, Balthazar perked up in Meridian’s arms. He places her down on the table, and she rushes over to it. Within seconds, she’s plunged her entire little face into it. 

“Oh, there we go darling!” Quince says, putting a hand on her hip as she watches the greedy little Ribbow begin to devour the entirety of the lemon tart. “It seems your girl here likes sour and sweet. Something with a little bit of bite, but not too much.”

“Ah… lemon sweets and pastries. Very interesting…” Meridian muses, watching Balthazar snuffle around on the plate. She’s clearly enjoying herself greatly. “Those are not all that difficult to get, if they make her happy. She does seem quite fond of the frosting in addition.”

“Well, you can’t really go too wrong with sweet, like I said,” she says as she busies herself putting the other plates away. “Now, you’re gonna use what you learned here today to spoil your girl rotten?”

“No familiar of mine could ever be corrupted by indulging in their splendid vices!” Meridian proclaims. “But yes, I will be using this information to enhance the joy she feels within her life!”

“Then you know what, this is on the house,” Quince decides. She picks up a cookbook, glancing at the lemon tart recipe. “Maybe I can find a way to get a bit more frosting in this one…”

Meridian nods and looks over at Balthazar. At this point, the plate is near clean. The only frosting and tart left are strewn across the Ribbow’s body. Meridian reaches over to clean bits of it off, and Balthazar happily leans into what she assumes is affection. 

“Here, darling,” Quince approaches with a napkin in one hand and a plate in the other. “Let me clean her up. While I do that, here’s another lemon tart. Just so you can know what exactly she likes, you eat one too.”

“I appreciate your advice, wise Quince,” Meridian says. Looking at how happy Balthazar is as she gets pampered and he eats a lemon tart, he’s very glad he decided to seek further council when it comes to spoiling his imp.