[21th of Fall] Among Cats & Mice (Aria)

[Mathieu]

Tshhht. She had quite the eyes and the wits, hum? Seeing such details in a mere and simple movement of his hand. He did well not test his luck sparing against her, it would have likely ended in a bloodshed. He flexed his hand once again - no need to conceal it now that she knew - just to examine the damage. No critical injury, that much was easy to know. Only slight pain now. Fully operational. Good. For Mathieu didn't know how to read her smile, and was still dead ready to his weapons in case all went wrong. That thought quickly escaped his mind as Aria's cape fell on the ground, leaving him quite confused and slightly frowning - this situation was completely new to him and more than a little awkward. He did take a step backward since he knew not what to do next, as if to give the young lady some personal space. "My name is Aria, and you are safe from me" Ah, so it came down to presentation now. Glad he made it to that point without spilling any blood. Really, he wished someone would have taught him how a Kelvic's mind worked - he was completely at loss here. The only thing he seemed to have learned there was that a naked Kelvic was a dangerous one. She did look more civilized with some clothes on though her feral, piercing gaze lingered still as a remnant of wilderness in her. And now that he could look at her without the risk of getting his face clawed into a gory mess, he realized she looked really young for her stature - almost reaching 6' tall, yet only recently did she seem to step into womanhood. Name's Mathieu. I'm more commonly known as the Reaper, he said while pointing at the great scythe which was obviously poking out of his back. Nice to meet you, he added as a common form of courtesy.

[Aria]

Aria smiled to herself when she realized how uncomfortable Mathieu was when she had no clothes on. Aria had been conditioned not to worry about whether she was clothed or not, she couldn't morph unless she was naked anyway. She took the opportunity to inventory him. He stood about an inch taller than her, at about 6'0" and appeared to have a decent build. If he had any experience fighting large animals, he might have been a formidable opponent. Aria picked her cloak up off the ground and dusted it off. Her stomach growled briefly, and she realized how hungry she was. "I need some food." She said as she started walking off, expecting Mathieu to follow."Where are you from Mathieu?"

[Mathieu]

Mathieu's eyebrow raised slightly at the sound of Aria's hungry stomach, he surely hoped she hadn't targeted him for feeding purposes. Did human flesh even taste good anyway? Bah, that thought he kept to himself, no need debating on this with a half panther half human he would surely end up learning things he didn't want to know. Ain't we all, he answered offhandedly with his usual even tone. For he knew very well how going on empty stomached felt like, he had experienced it more than several times already - an artist life had never been an easy one. Anyhow, he was planning to head to the market or Wind Reach market-equivalent before his fateful meeting with Aria, so as well keep with the plan. He followed Aria without more questions, adapting himself with her behavior. Comes from nowhere and goes nowhere. I travel the world to perform Fire Weaving. You? he asked without much curiosity in his voice. The lack of feelings in his voice wasn't on purpose - he was really interested in knowing who this Kelvic was, where she came from - pretty much everything about her. It was his first real opportunity to converse with a member of such race, for when he saw them it was always as slaves of some noble lords or rich merchants, forbidden to speak (if they were even there during the show, sometimes they only went by to serve food or drinks). And although he hated slavery to the highest point - even though his interlocutors always explained that they were treated with care and respect whenever he brought up the subject - there was very little he could do about it. Culture, so it was said. And Mathieu couldn't afford to let the big fishes go, he needed money to keep going with his current way of life.

[Aria]

Aria walked with Mathieu through the cavernous hallways on their way up to the surface, keeping a causal conversation going."I was born here in Wind Reach about two years ago, we Kelvics age fast, and are usually owned, but my master ,along with my parents, was brutally murdered by an enemy of his." A pained expression flashed briefly across her face as she remembered the events of that day. She quickly regained composure. "I've been trying to find somebody to serve since then" She could've smacked herself or showing weakness. She had worked long and hard to get to the level of composure she was at now. She would have to be more careful.

[Mathieu]

Two years ago? That seemed completely surreal. He guessed she wouldn't live long either. Poor thing. Mathieu shook his head slowly - how did he ever come to pity her? That was an utter lack of respect, from now on he would try to avoid such thoughts. My master ,along with my parents, was brutally murdered by an enemy of his. Ah. So. That apparently ticked a nerve in Mathieu, who stopped at once. Cleaning to be done here as well. Found the culprit yet? he asked in a dead cold tone, as if fresh from the graveyard. Aware of his behavior, he took a long breath and resumed walking. Some things weren't to be discussed here - it didn't bring good memories. Not to her, nor to him. And surely not for the same reasons. Never mind. Looking for a master? What for? he went on with his casual even-tempered voice, like nothing ever happened. It struck him odd that anyone would ever look for someone to serve, throwing his freedom away for... What for? That was the question. Was there anything worth personal freedom? Even life itself wasn't up to that. Ah well, at least that was his own personal opinion.

[Aria]

"Never found the bastard, He skipped town before I could rip his throat out" Aria replied apathetically, slightly suprised at the sudden coldness in Mathieu's usually even, calm voice. Never mind. Looking for a master? What for? So, Mathieu didn't know much about Kelvics. No suprise there, unless you worked with them, you usually didn't. "Kelvics are a magically created race, when my race was made by Markus Kelvic, we were instilled with a sense of loyalty; bred with it. Because of that, who I serve is a part of my identity, a part of my self; without a master, I'm lost." Aria continued, slightly bemused at Mathieu's reactions, though she didn't show it. At length, they came to a small cave, just about big enough to fit Mathieu. Aria crawled in to the small entrance of the cool cave, revealing a small 10' by 10' cavern with a high cieling. In one corner there was a pile of wood, in the center of the cave there was a small fire pit, with a spit set up above it. In the far corner, in the coolest part, there was a recently killed mountain goat carcass. "There's our meal. I hope you can cook" Aria was suprised to find herself smiling again.

[Mathieu]

Bred with a sense of loyalty? So that race was almost fully designed for slavery. Disgusting fellow, that Markus Kelvic. Anyway, nothing could be done about that now, they would have to live with it. People who toy with life thinking they are gods are such lowlife scum. Mathieu took another deep breath to cool his head, he was starting to loose control fairly quickly - and he didn't like that thought one bit, for he could become very violent and dangerous when his mind went wild. He went on without saying much, focusing on clearing his anger away simply by trying to accept how things were. The artist was quite surprised by the small hole in the wall but followed Aria anyway. That home sure was little but somehow cozy, not unlike every night he spent outside sleeping next to his cart on a bed of straw by a dying fire. He did wince at the sight of the dead goat though - he was definitively not a good cook, especially when it came down to meat. He mainly thrived on dried up food during his travels, rock-hard bread with porridge or soup. Being alone never pushed him forward to become of culinary chef and he never hunted for his own food anyway, so roasting a rabbit or stripping a chicken was more than a challenge for him. ... Maybe you would wish to reconsider. I am no cook, and unless you desire a crispy black burnt meat, I do not believe to be able roasting it in any other way, he said with a hint of apprehension in his voice. Either too much or not enough. Last time he tried he got sick for a week. Dangerous task, cooking meat. Perhaps he would try his luck again, but now seemed too early. Plus he wouldn't want to be responsible for food poisoning his host.

[Aria]

Aria laughed to herself. A traveling performer who didn't know how to cook, she never though she'd see the day. She wondered what he survived on. Must be porridge and soup. "Okay then, build a fire." and she began to prepare some meat for them. She pulled out one of her Tamo daggers, and cut a line down the middle of the goats abdomen, throat to pelvis. She cut around the neck and down the legs, Then pulled the pelt off. She cut two Massive steaks off of the legs, and stuck them on a sharp iron rod she had had made for her spit. "There's our dinner, let me know when the fires ready to cook on. For your sake, I'm not going to eat raw." With that said, she continued to cut the edible meat off the goat and set it on a large slab of rock she usually used for this exact purpose. She would sell the meat later. when she had the goat cleaned off, she dragged the rest of the carcass out of her little hidey-hole and left it in the passage way, she would dispose of it later, outside of the city.

[Mathieu]

Mathieu complied without thinking much, that much at least he knew how to do (what kind of Fire Weaver would he be if he couldn't do that?). He didn't pay much attention to what Aria was doing, focusing instead on his task and more specifically letting his mind wander through the licking flames. It was almost something he had to do every night, watching a source of fire born and die. There was nothing to explain, really - no particular reasons, no deep significations or symbolism in that act - it was simply a soothing sight for Mathieu. Letting the flames dance left and right for a few more minutes, he then turned to the Kelvic. Fire's ready, he simply said. What else to say. Mathieu wasn't really the talkative type of person you would just stumble upon in a tavern rambling about his life while drinking a pint of beer leaned over at the counter - he would rather be the silent guy left alone in the corner tranquilly sipping his tea or some other weird drink (milk anyone?). Not that he was some shady character or something, but eh. He had the right to enjoy his drink without being bothered by others' discussions, right?

[Aria]

Aria watched Mathieu finish building the fire after she had cut the meat, and when he had finished put the spit over the fire and turned it slowly for a while. thinking to herself. This guy was rather interesting. He traveled, but couldn't cook; he dressed like the embodiment of death, but preferred to settle disputes with diplomacy, and wouldn't even attack a half ton panther roaring in his face. Circumstances were building to an interesting outcome. "How do you like your meat?" She asked after cooking it for a spell. She personally liked hers pretty rare, and out of courtesy she thought she'd ask Mathieu his preference.