Pathfinder

7- charred meat

When he walked in it was as if some of the warmth from the room had suddenly been sucked out. She tried not to stare, but it was hard. The way the blood had smeared and streaked down his naked body made him look like some sort of nightmarish ghoul. Then there was something almost lethargic about the way his eyes swam around the room, taking in the entirety of its state, with an unreadable expression. 

Eventually, they got fixated by the fire, and for a while, he just stood there. Until suddenly, without as much as a word he turned and once again left.  

She only realized she'd been practically holding her breath the entire time when he was well out of sight. Luckily for her though, it didn't seem like he'd realized it either. She took a sharp exhale and leaned back against the bed. She really needed to get a grip around herself. Not that she'd ever been good at hiding how she felt, but frankly her's and her sister's lives had rarely ever hinged on it. She'd just needed to be tough and resourceful, which was easy enough when you grew up on the fringes of society. As much as she missed it compared to now, the past had never been idyllic. She'd been through things; this wasn't the first time she was afraid, but nothing in her life had ever had her this afraid.

When he once again returned he was carrying something. It turned out to be the dismembered leg of what might have once been a deer. He dropped it, rather unceremoniously, into the fire, in the process scattering some embers across the floor, before he slumped down and made himself comfortable, opposite of where she sat. It took Kirsha a moment to realize exactly what he was doing, but when she did she was at a lack of words. The kelpie was cooking his meat...or at least making an attempt. She could already sense the horrible singed smell of burned fur filling the room. Not that it meant she was about to in any way comment on his cooking prowess. If he wanted burned fur and charred meat so be it, none of her business. 

Still, she couldn't quite help her staring and she realized too late she must have looked rather brazen when a hoarse voice asked her "What are you looking at?" 

His tone was just as unreadable as his face, making it hard to guess how best to reply. To be fair, what do you even say to a dangerous fae when they catch you staring like that? In the end, though she figured she just didn't have the energy to slither her way out of this one, so might as well say it as it is. "Something strange." 

now it was his turn to pause for a moment. "...Something strange?"

She took another sip of water, giving herself a little moment, before further admitting  "...I...Suppose I never imagined one of your ilk cooking their food." 

He shrugged. "It's been a long time since I've had cooked meat."

"How long?"

He looked up at the ceiling. "Years, I suppose..."

"Ever since the wards were put up?" Not to say she hadn't realized by now that save for the last one most had likely just been an attempt at misdirection.

He nodded, then turned his attention to her. "You're awfully curious all of a sudden."

Kirsha's time to shrug. "I'm not allowed to be?" To be fair though he was right. She was asking an awful lot of questions for someone scared half out of their wits. 

He scratched his nose, smearing some blood on top of an already dryer layer. "Suppose you are. Say, what's your name witch?"

She wondered if she should tell him. Names could hold a great deal of power if willingly given out to the wrong people. She figured though, kelpies weren't exactly known for casting curses, and she would be traveling with the beast for the foreseeable future, so might as well not go by witch. Especially if she'd ever find herself with him amongst people. "Kirsha."

He nodded, and simply replied with "Ross."

In all honesty, a part of Kirsha was a bit surprised the kelpie even had a name. It felt good to posses it though. Made her feel less like a sheep bargaining with a wolf and more like a person talking to... what some times could almost be mistaken for another person. Now granted, this didn't mean she was letting her guard down. She vividly remembered the events from earlier in the day and there was still an undeniable tension hanging over the room...For crying out loud, the beast was sitting there naked and smeared in blood while picking on mostly raw meat.  Not exactly a trust-evoking image. Amidst all of this though, the exchange of names was a little victory, and feeling victorious, well it had almost become a foreign feeling as of late.

At some point, she began eating her bread again, while he kept picking at his meat. They didn't really say anything more to each other. Just sat like this well into the night, in complete silence, only interrupted by the pleasant crackling of a small flame and the occasional forest animal far off in the distance. Until somehow, against all odds and reason, Kirsha managed to fall into an almost peaceful asleep.