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

[Mathieu]

How he liked his meat? What kind of question was that? Still looking at the blazing fire, Mathieu blinked not once but twice. He liked his meat with beans or potatoes. A good bowl of soup and a piece of crunchy fresh bread on the side. A good glass of wine with it. Perhaps even a little piece of that delicacy named cake that some nobles sometimes offered after his show. And he highly doubted that was the meaning of her question. ... Not... raw... he simply said, not really understanding the question. He forced himself away from the fire to avoid looking too much of a loner. It wouldn't be appropriate to do that when he was being offered dinner - although in a way this meal could be considered as a repayment for the earlier aggression. ... So... How do you find a master? he asked almost aimlessly while leaning on a sidewall of the small room. This was merely an attempt to strike a conversation, he didn't think much beyond that. Though looking for a master was the last thing he imagined anyone to do, even if it were in the genes. Usually masters would look for slaves, not the opposite way around.

[Aria]

Not raw? How do you interpret a response like that? Aria simply decided that she would cook it medium rare. If he didn't like it, he wouldn't eat. Not raw eh? I can do that.She said as she took her cut off the spit. "As for how do you 'look for' a master, it's the same as looking for a job. I really just want to find someone with similar goals as myself and help them to accomplish them." She continued slowly turning Mathiue's steak. After a spell during which she sat silent, she pulled his large cut off the spit, and tossed it at him. "Medium rare, eat it or go hungry." She said with a smile. and she proceeded to wolf down her own piece. The steak must've weighed at least three pounds, yet she managed to finish off the entire thing. She leaned against a wall and belched. "Goodness, that was good."

[Mathieu]

Medium rare? That didn't mean anything. Maybe it was some sort of Kelvic equivalent of cuisine dish which he supposed to rely primarily on meat. Mathieu wasn't going to be picky about the food though, for although he wasn't used to eat much - long trips with few supplies tend to do that to you - he did need a good meal from time to time. He tried eating his steak without looking like a savage for the first few minutes (which was quite a feat since he was fighting against the juicy meat barehanded), then threw up all concept of etiquette and went on with devouring the rest as well as he could. After all, Aria didn't seem to care as she almost gulped down her own meal faster than he figured out where to start with his. It had been quite a battle to finish off the entire chunk of goat meat. The Kelvic had given him far fewer than she indulged herself with, but her weight exceeded his seven times when in animal form - and he was pretty sure his steak wasn't seven times smaller than hers. It was quite a bizarre sight, a young-looking seemingly human girl stuffing herself with this huge quantity of red meat. He almost wondered where all of that went and wouldn't even have been surprised if she looked pregnant every time she took a meal. Thanks for the meal, he said after a few moment of highly needed digestion. Is there any way I can repay you? he asked simply. Debts were simply better not left alone in a dusty corner. Else, you would never know when they would come out and drag you down.

[Aria]

Aria stood , wrapping her cloak around her as she watched Mathieu slowly finish his steak. When he was done, he asked a curious question.

Is there any way I can repay you?

Repay her? She knew he was probably being noble, but debts were such a foriegn concept. She was merely being nice to a hungry traveler.

I require nothing. Said Aria rather apathetically.

Aria stepped out into the cavern and leaned against the rocky wall just outside of the crack that led to her little cave. She knew what was happening now. She was starting to feel a sense of loyalty to this random traveler. She hadn't expected to find someone to follow so soon. She would have to play it off as if she merely wanted to travel with him. He seemed to view the Kelvic longing for a master as border line slavery, and was sure he wouldn't stand for it if she came out and told him why she wanted to hang around.

[Mathieu]

Require nothing? By the gods, this was the most annoying answer he could ever hope to get. It didn't mean anything. Mathieu watched Aria walk away from the little room - or rather crawl away. His mind was boiling with thoughts now - what, why, when, where? Nothing here made any sense. A moment ago he was facing death in its most realistic animal form and now he just shared a plate with her. He shook his shook his head slowly and took a deep breath - trying to make sense where there was none wouldn't help in any way. He realized his thoughts were stuck in the same pattern since a good hour or so now, always wondering what Aria was up to, always on the edge as if nervously awaiting the final sparing which he didn't even desired. What was wrong with him? Why was his hand aching for the cold wooden touch of his scythe's rod? Her story most likely. Not unlike so many others in such unforgiving world. A drop in the ocean, that would slip by unnoticed by the eyes of many if not all. Mathieu gave out a silent sigh. He did cross the line already. Once, twice, numbers were not the odds here. He would cross it again if needed. But only if needed. Yes, only if needed.

[Aria]

Aria slipped back into the crevasse, her cold, sarcastic demeanor not quite restored yet. "Did you enjoy your meat?" She asked politley. Why did she have to act in such utter contrast with her usual personality? She supposed that it would come with time. And there would be time. She would not let Mathieu come to the same sticky end as her last master. She was. after all, a lot bigger now. She leaned back against the wall. She still felt quite full, and her stomach was, in fact, a little distended from its normally flat shape. "Are you okay? you seem a little tense."

[Mathieu]

What. Seriously. What. Mathieu's composedness was totally thrown off as his eyes went wide with surprise. What was wrong with that girl? Schizophrenia? Seconds went by as he stood staring at her without blinking. Then seconds became minutes. When he finally regained some measure of sense and realized he had been glaring quite rudely at his host, he led his gaze to the side of the cavern and cleared his voice as a hopeless attempt to lift off the awkwardness of the situation. Uh... Yea, yea! Yea it was good. Thank you for... Yea, he muttered clumsily. He took a slow breath to settle down his cardiac rhythm pulling his cowl back a bit almost as if somewhat embarrassed and turned back to Aria. Come on, in what bog had he stepped into? What was he going to say? He was used to the crowd, the lively rooms full of people chatting, not striking a lone conversation with someone. It was going to be hard. Yea, so... How do you live here? Do you have a work or something? he forced himself to ask.

[Aria]

Wow. He was stammering. I guess I caught him off guard. thought Aria to herself. She needed to adopt her cynical manner, but she didn't know if she could at this point. His heart was pounding... she could hear it... but why? He stood and stared for several minutes in silence, and then his heart rate began to slow to normal. He led with a question rather than an answer. Yea, so... How do you live here? Do you have a work or something? That's all he could come up with? Goodness, he really did need some help. She was still slightly confused as to how she managed to meet he bondmate in a cave. "I have a small room in the commons, I just don't stay there often. I keep most of my personal stuff there. I prefer the cave. As for work, I hunt. Sell most of my kills to the kitchens, eat the rest myself. Kelvics eat alot, if you hadn't noticed. The phasing may seem effortless, but it takes alot of energy to transform."

[Mathieu]

Oh come on. What was he going to talk about? She was just like every commoner he met before, tranquilly living their daily routine. Be it farmers, hunters, sheepherders... He couldn't even fake being interested in talking about such things. Not that he was really interested in oral exchange in the first place anyway, Mathieu was more someone who liked to watch how events unfolded, not listen how people told them. He tried hard thinking about a courteous way to excuse himself but found none, and finally opted for the most direct solution. He nodded to Aria's answer to show that he had been listening to her, then stood up. ... Well, thanks for the meal. I will be going now, he simply said, adjusting his cowl over his head. He gave a slight bow to Aria as he passed by, and crawled out of the cave.

[Aria]

Matthieu appeared to think for a moment, then he nodded yo Aria, almost as if to acknowledge that she had been speaking. He stood, bowed to her, and stepped out of the cavern. Aria sat for a while, listening to his footsteps fading. Why had he just walked away? She couldn't make sense of it. After a long time, she stepped out of her little crawl space and morphed into the massive beast form she almost favored. She picked up what was left of the goat carcass and bounded of to the underground forest to dispose of it in a corner somewhere.