[Flashback] A Pinch of This, A Sprig of That [Nustril]

[Cypress]

Every bite was savored as she ate with him in virtual silence, the only sounds, a smacking lip here and there. She paused the let her food settle, looking over at Nustril, voicing her optimism, as always.

"I am taking this as a sign of good things to come." She wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "There has to be a point where I begin to learn what does and doesn't taste good." On the end of the statement she offered him a look clearing demonstrating that his opinion was neither required nor desired on this particular subject. She returned to eating her venison, enjoying every bite.

When the last bite was gone, she gathered up what was left of the flowering herb and wrapped it carefully in a piece of cloth. With great care she placed it in a small pouch. Her tongue darted from her mouth, wiping any lingering flavor from her lips. "Still hungry?"

[Nustril]

Resisting the urge to comment, he kept his mouth focused on chewing when he noticed the look she shot in his direction. There was no reason to tease her about her cooking when she was doing this good, especially since he was still eating. It would be a downright tragedy if she was to take his plate away from him and confiscate the rest of the venison.

He wanted to say no, so that she wouldn't have to do any more work to feed him. Unfortunately the grumbling of his stomach gave the man away. Both of his hands went to rest on the center of his toga, as he looked down at his tummy and then back up at her. His smile was sheepish as he said, "Apparently I am still hungry."

[Cypress]

A happy smile split her face and she gathered up a large handful of spear-shaped plants. They were bright green, without flowers. She had had good luck in her gatherings of the day, first the sweet tasting 'purple', and now these. This part of the forest was rich with things for her to try. "These, are yellow, with greenish threads running through them, not so pretty as the last, but there were plenty of them." She offered up her findings as she continued to work. Using her knife, she cut off the very ends where they had met the soil then cut their length by half. She gathered them up and placed them on the heated stone, then grasped a wineskin and poured a small amount of the liquid over the plants.

Steam rose from the stone, saturating the air with the sweet smell of the wine. A smile was offered to Nustril as she fluffed up with a little pride in her small accomplishments of the day, but again, the proof was in the taste. The residue from the venison and her new plant still remained on the stone, offering another layer of flavors to to green stalks. When then steam began to dissipate, she slid the pile onto a plate and after grabbing one to taste herself, offered the large pile to Nustril. She tossed the stalk from hand to hand while it cooled, blowing on it until she could hold it pinched between her fingers. She tapped the tip on his plate. "Have at it."

[Nustril]

This was not what he had hoped for at all. Roasted plants, yay. As he watched her cook he licked his lips, saddened at the waste of good wine. His expression showed neither distaste nor excitement. He kept it carefully neutral so that he would not offend her. Of course, there was no reason at all to be excited. Even a blind archer would hit the target every once in awhile, as the venison clearly evidenced.

When she handed him the plate he allowed the plants to cool, since she was bouncing one around on her hands as if it scalded her skin. As her hands stopped playing hot potato with the little green spear he pushed one into his mouth and crunched it up. Smiling through the disgusting taste he swallowed it and began to eat another. His memories brought to mind the idea that this probably mimicked the tastes of charred wood and vinegar. "Scrumptious."

[Cypress]

When her teeth clipped off the end of the spear, the taste was not that of the venison, but it was not horrible. Slightly bitter and bright tasting, even the wine had not subdued it. The 'yellows' were not her favorite, but would be suitable, she thought, in the future.

A look toward Nustril provided her a picture that was incongruent with his word. "Indeed." She rested her hands in her lap and watched him eat. Slowly, the crisp edges of her view faded, leaving a clouded mass. She angled one hand to block the bright glow of the fire as the squinting it caused disrupted the clarity of her view. As she focused past the clouded shape of Nustril, he began to glow a soft gold, the more she released her focus, the brighter that glow became. A soft smile of familiarity appeared on her face.

But then, a strange thing happened. With each consecutive bite, the color pulsed, flashing a sickly brown within the halo of gold. The stain of brown soon bled from Nustril so much so that is overtook the gold, offering none of the aura she was accustomed to.

She heard herself speak, but could only manage one whispered word as she concentrated all her attention. ""Scrumptious?"

[Nustril]

Having no knowledge that his distaste was being read through his aura, the kelvic took another bite. His smile was still there, though faltering slightly under the pain of continuing to lie for her benefit. "Not as good as the venison, but still tasty." A half-truth. The key to any successful lie. With a fierce determination he forced himself to finish the plate without showing how much he hated having to eat the little green spears.

As he set his plate aside he stood and walked over to the wagon, gripping a ladle and climbing aboard. Perhaps a few healthy drinks from their water barrels would clear that horrific taste from his mouth. "Are you alright, you look distracted." Probably because she doesn't like the stuff either, he thought as he drank deeply.

[Cypress]

His aura had changed from clear gold to murky brown in the span of a few bites, When he moved she disengaged, wincing when the blaze of the fire entered her focus. She turned away, watching Nustril drink. She knew his ruse had been for her benefit, but it still left a bad taste in her mouth. After assuring herself that is was not the dinner, she commented.

"And you look like untruth." She watched him with a revealing gaze. "That color does not suit you love." She began to clean her cooking utensils as she waited for his response.

[Nustril]

"And you look like a snoopy Susan. No reason to unearth every harmless white lie a man tells. Those white lies are the bedrock of any solid relationship." He offered her a flippant smile and drank several more ladles full of water. It did bother him when she read his aura, most of the time. There was something intensely private about a man's emotions, and they didn't need to be bleeding out everywhere for any magician to scoop up and examine.

"You did a very good job on the venison, though. We should collect as many of those plants as we can before we have to move on. Then you can find them again the next time we gather supplies."

[Cypress]

Her eyebrow rose, and though the temptation existed to look and see what color his irritation was, she did not. Instead she stood, approaching him as a vision of open serenity. She stood toe to toe for a moment and then climbed onto his lap, straddling him with her eyes focused onto his. She draped her arms over his shoulders and smiled.

"I merely offer myself the same perspective that you consistently have of me." Her words rang of truth, as they always did, and in her eyes there was no hint of any deception. "If you would prefer I that I did this no longer, I will respect your wishes."

[Nustril]

The closer she moved, the higher his eyebrow raised. As she came to rest toe to toe with him it nearly disappeared into his hairline. Climbing into his lap seemed to allay his suspicions. Reaching around her with both hands he cuddled her closer to him and gave her a grudging smile. "You can get these glimpses every now and then. Try to ask for permission though. It still bothers me."

Leaning down to nestle his face in her neck he gave her a small kiss there and nuzzled happily. It was nice to cuddle every now and then. Though cats were unreliable in terms of when they would be willing to cuddle, they were nonetheless very determined hugglers once they got down to business.