Jaeden sat calmly before the fire, his face a little more illuminated now, a rough beard could be seen growing out over his face. Simple things he did to cope with the dropping temperatures as the seasons changed. He slowly reached out, pulling one of the large trout that had been cooking over the fire and inspecting it as he gave a slow inhale with his nose. “Seems to be missing something, “ was the first words out of Jaeden’s mouth after inviting Satu to eat and regain her strength. Many others may have been apt to inquire further over Satu’s plights, over her struggles, in some vain attempt to relate or sympathize. Fact was, is that Jaeden knew she didn’t need any of that right now.
He had seen the emotion on her face, where once before, many years ago, he saw reservation and a timid disposition. A woman who would blush over the simple emotions of lust that Jaeden often had within him and stumble over her words after divining his past encounters with the fairer sex. Satu had broken out of her shell, but in a way Jaeden knew was likely forced. She was a razor’s edge set at the throat, and any slight nudge in the wrong direction would find blood spilled. Jaeden reached over to the side, pulling free a small, tin case and popped off the lid. Right now, Jaeden felt that Satu, more than anything, needed a sense of normalcy. That she needed to feel unthreatened. “There any particular seasoning you prefer on your fish?” Jaeden then asked looking to Satu as he placed the tin along the ground between them.
His fingers began flipping through small paper packets, each one putting a hint of fragrance into the air that tickled Satu’s nose. “I have chives, thyme, tarragon, oregano, rosemary and sage.” Jaeden explained as he checked the other fish cooking now. “I wanted to get some lemon seeds, but couldn’t find any of the trees during the late spring that I could collect some from during my travels.”