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Season 6
Hiccup squeezed Fishlegs on the shoulder. “You’re in charge while we are gone. But we’ll just be on the other side of the island if anything goes wrong.” He leaned to the side to look squarely at Ruffnut. “Please behave yourselves.”
“Will do, Boss! I wouldn’t dream of interrupting your romantic retreat.” Ruffnut winked at Astrid, who was already mounted on Stormfly, a picnic basket and tent tied behind the saddle. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Ugh” Astrid rolled her eyes, but gave Ruffnut a small smile.
Ruffnut waved enthusiastically at Hiccup and Astrid as they flew off. She might like to give the two a hard time, but she was genuinely happy for them. Not that she would ever admit it.
“Arfff dey gon?” Tuffnut’s muffled voice came from the clubhouse doorway.
Ruff turned to see her brother holding a half empty pan of sweetcakes, mouth full.
“Tuff, you muttonhead, those were to share!” She snatched the pan away from her brother.
Fishlegs looked at them. “What was to share?”
“Dragonnip sweet cakes! It took me all morning to make those!” Ruff clutched the pan possessively.
“Hiccup doesn’t like it when you two use the dragonnip.” Fishlegs admonished. “It diminishes your response time should there be a crisis.”
“Which, obviously, is why I made this pan of sweetcakes for when he and Astrid would be gone.”
Snotlout and Hookfang landed with a thump. Snot jumped down eagerly. “Sweetcakes?” he peered into the pan, plucked a square, and popped it in his mouth.
“Snot, no, those have dragonnip in them.” Fish’s response time needed improvement.
“Oh great, I was wondering how we were going to entertain ourselves tonight.” Snot grabbed another one before Ruff could pull the pan away.
“Hey, don’t eat them all. Tuff already ate half the pan.” She pointed at her brother, who was now laying on the deck, staring at the sky, and stroking Chicken.
“Ruffnut, you promised Hiccup that you would behave.” Frustration in Fishlegs’s furrowed brow.
“And we are going to behave. No pranks, no explosions, no damage. We’re just going to enjoy these sweetcakes and the beautiful evening.” Ruffnut popped a sweetcake in her own mouth before the boys could eat them all.
“Don’t worry, Fish. Snot just patrolled and everything is all clear, right?” She pointed at Snot and Hookie.
Snot nodded, eyeing the pan to see if he could dart in for another one. “Nothing for miles.”
“Good. And Hiccup wouldn’t be off enjoying ‘special time’ with Astrid if he felt we were in danger of being attacked.” She gestured in the direction the two had flown. Snot made a gagging motion behind her.
“I suppose you’re right.” Fishlegs nodded slowly, one finger on his chin.
“Here.” She held out a small piece to Fish. “Have just a little bit and it’s very relaxing. Like meditation. You don’t have to get incapacitated like Tuff.” She shook her head at her ridiculously high brother.
“Oookay” Fish accepted the bite. “I suppose it would be useful to know how dragonnip affects humans for research purposes.”
“That’s the spirit, Fish.” Snot slapped him on the back.
It didn’t take long for a cloud of calm to settle over Ruffnut, a pleasant relaxation of every muscle. She sat on the deck and started to undo her braids. She almost never undid her hair, but she was suddenly taken by a desire to brush it out. The strands were so soft between her fingers.
“It really is a lovely evening. Have you ever noticed how many colors are in a sunset?” Fishlegs gazed out over the ocean, looking as if he had just finished a two hour meditation session.
Ruff followed his gaze. It really was a beautiful sunset. Oranges and yellows and reds layered at the horizon melted into blues and purples in the wispy clouds. She sighed in contentment.
“Have you ever noticed all the dragon hunters look alike?” Snot asked interrupting her reverie.
“What do you mean?” Ruff kept slowly combing her fingers through her hair. The sensation was mesmerizing. Even the little pulls as she hit a knot felt intriguing.
“I mean they all wear the same outfit and mask. They all have the same build.” Snot frowned in concentration. “Are they all related or something?”
“Portraying the enemy as one dimensionally evil and faceless simplifies the moral conflict for the young target audience. And the generic character model saves on animation costs.” Tuff broke in.
“What?” Ruff, Snot, and Fish said together.
Tuff just laid on the deck, watching the stars come out and petting Chicken.