Thorns

[Varthakh]

1st Cylus 717

With all his shopping done, Fridgar made his way back to the city gates. Slinging the bag over his front, he checked over all the ingredients once more - it looked like he'd remembered everything, but how could he be sure? He looked thoughtlessly into the bag as he walked, not watching where he was going in the slightest. A store to his right caught his eye - the front window was frosted over, but behind all that, he could see quite clearly something he'd been meaning to buy for Rey'na for some time. Flowers, beyond the window were rows of flowers. He approached with widened eyes and looked through the window, cupping his hands to get a better view of the place. These were probably the last flowers to come for some time, what with the lack of sunlight and deathly cold. That settled it, he had to buy Rey'na flowers this trial, now or not until next season. Without hesitating, he walked into the flower shop.

***

Finally, Rey's cottage came into view. With the bouquet of winter roses in hand and the bag of ingredients on his back, he stepped up to the front door and raised his hand to knock before stopping himself. 'Come on dude, you can do better than that! Give them to her romantically.' He pondered for a moment before lowering his hand. How would he go about that? He could assume the form he was in when they first met, the horse? Or perhaps her favourite form - the wolf? 'She *does* like her puppies, dude.' He nodded at himself in agreement. With a quick glance about his surroundings, Fridgar walked about the corner of the cabin and undressed. By Ilaren was it cold, he was shivering within trills. he folded up his clothes and put them in his bag and gently laid the bouquet of winter roses on the ground. He kept is bag on as he focused his being on the wolf totem, it was likely big enough to fit on the wolf.

His mediation came so much swifter than previous times, taking only half the time to be ready - he thought it curious. He reached for the totem around his neck and only managed to touch it with his index and middle fingers before the transformation initiated - twice as fast as before? He didn't scream either, despite the agony that filled his body and senses he remained strong. After what felt like 3 bits, he'd completely transformed.

Fridgar rolled his shoulders, his bag and totem necklace still intact and in their places. He'd transformed way too fast and he hadn't even unleashed. Perhaps he was just getting better at becoming? The thought forced a smile from his wolf lips before he picked up the bouquet of winter roses with his mouth and padded through the deep snow to Rey's front door. He sat and watched, as if expecting something to happen before he realised he had to knock first. 'Crap. How do you knock as a wolf, you dummy? This was a terrible Idea!' he carefully put the roses down in the snow at his side before stepping up the door and scraping at it with his paws, whimpering in a way that he'd previously used to tease her when they first met. He then barked loud and stepped back, picking up the bouquet of flowers and wagging his tail excitedly into the snow behind him.

The thorns of the roses pricked his tongue slightly as he wagged, forcing a yelp from the back of his throat. He even dropped the flowers for a split trill before scrambling to pick them up, preferably before Rey arrived. Once she opened the door, if she opened the door. Fridgar would let himself in and run circles around the room briefly before approaching Rey and putting the flowers down at her feet, gently.

► Show Spoiler

Deducted 5GN 9SN from ledger for:

• Grocery Shopping: (Fridgar has no idea what half of this stuff is)
  • Bean Sprouts 3cn
  • Ginger 10cn
  • Beet 2cn
  • Green Beans 4cn
  • Bell Pepper 6cn
  • Collard Greens 3cn
  • Broccoli 7cn
  • Kale 6cn
  • Brussels Sprouts 4cn
  • Spinach 5cn
  • Cabbage 6cn
  • Horseradish 3cn
  • Carrot 5cn
  • Leeks 2cn
  • Cauliflower 2cn
  • Lemongrass 8cn
  • Zucchini 4cn
  • Lettuce 2cn
  • Celery 8cn
  • Winter Rose(12) 5gn

[Rey'na]

Rey sat at the table, her vial of Scarf Rot in front of her. Beside it rest her dagger and a set of five throwing knives. She hadn't used them all for a fair while, as sad as it was - but recently she had little reason to. Cylus was coming, firstly, which would make her job a lot more difficult than it should be. Just to make it even harder, she now had a housemate - and she adored him. She spent more time admiring him than she cared to admit, though he would never know.
After a few trills, her mind wandered back to Fridgar. He was strong, and protective too. It was like for little reason at all he came in to her life, and now she couldn't imagine him not being there. She just wished he was home more. She put it down to how much like an animal he was, but he rarely stayed home for long periods of time. When he did, though, she loved it. He was the first that she'd just sat down and talked to.

Then came a whimper at the door, along with what sounded like paws. A puppy? She stood up and walked towards it hesitantly. It didn't sound like it would be dangerous animal, but she had no idea what a dangerous animal would sound like - so she might be wrong. Her eyes fell back to her dagger, pondering if she should grab it. After a few trills, she decided to just open the door.
Sure enough, a wolf bound in. Normally, she would consider that a dangerous animal - but she recognized this wolf. He leaped around for a short while, before placing some flowers at her feet. She knelt down beside him and looked to the flowers, then back to him. Her hand brushed over his fur, smiling deeply.
"What are these?" she asked, then shook her head. "My bad, I'm sorry. Transform back when you can, then we can talk."

[Varthakh]

Fridgar stared up at her beautiful blue eyes for a few trills before planting his behind on the floor. She knelt beside him and pet through his fur, wearing her pretty smile. While he normally hated being touched by skin while transformed, he'd grown to accept Rey’na’s attention, perhaps even enjoy it? As farfetched as it would have sounded to a Fridgar of the past, he really did. He stood up and leaned forward a little, putting his snout to her face as to mimic an actual canine and sniffed in short, rapid bursts of succession. His eyes widened with surprise suddenly - his sense of smell had changed with his form. Had he learned that ability that Eric had told him about? Echoing? Curious, he sniffed Rey'na some more, there was a strange smell about her, one he hadn't smelt before. Following the scent, his eyes were cast to the vial on the table. He tilted his head, some sort of poison Rey had bought? It mattered not, her business was her own.

His nose returned to Rey'na, she smelled nice. He'd almost completely forgotten about what she'd said. With a joyous bark, Fridgar took a step back from the lovely Rey'na and sat, then slid his necklace to the floor with the aid of gravity. With a dozen or so trills of meditating his being, he was ready to transform once again. He put his paw to the bead that held his essence with intent before curling back his lips and shutting his with pain - initiating the transformation. While he'd normally be howling with pain when transforming from a wolf, he managed to keep it all under control. Three bits of gruesome transformation later, he was a Lothar, sitting on the floor of Rey'nas house completely naked.

The first thing he noticed when being a Lothar again was the taste in his mouth. He felt around the inside of his mouth with his tongue, had his saliva not changed with his transformation? That hadn't happened in arcs however, he swallowed to wash away the strange taste in his mouth, no change. The roof of his mouth, his gums, his teeth and cheeks, even his tongue - it all tasted so bizarre. He gripped the Fridgar totem with intent to try and initiate another transformation - but nothing happened. He opened and closes his mouth a few times clicking his tongue, this taste he couldn't shake off.

He looked to Rey'na suddenly, light in his eyes. With a smile, he picked the bouquet up from the floor and extended his hand to Rey'na. He opened his mouth full of confidence as though he was trying to say something, but no words followed. He shut his mouth suddenly and opened his eyes wide, a bright red in his cheeks before filling his entire face with burning hot humiliation 'Crap, what do you say? You didn't plan for this!? You idiot! God dammit!!!!'. He gulped, his hands shaking for the trills that he spoke "I- ...I uh-" his lip trembled. "I got you some flowers." he spoke, blushing furiously. While he would have loved to tell her about how beautiful she was, how she knocked the air from his lungs by saying his name alone, how he saw her in everything he did from taking walks to fighting; He didn't know any words big enough, nor how to put them into sentences. That and he'd only just managed to say one sentence before nearly choking himself out.

If she didn't take the flowers from him, he'd put them on the table before standing up straight and clearing his throat. "I also got you some groceries on my way home from work. If you still want to learn to cook that is... I'd love to try more of it." he spoke with sincere smile, still blushing rather heavily before taking off his only item of clothing, his bag. He put it to the floor and took out his clothes before handing her the bag full of groceries. There and then, he dressed himself before realising and speaking aloud "Crap!" and slamming his palm into his forehead. "I forgot to buy meat! I can go out and buy some really quick if you'd like? Or just find a rabbit again..." he offered before walking to the door in a hurry and grasping the handle, looking to her for approval or dismissal for a trill.

[Rey'na]

After breaking away from petting him, she waited as he transformed. While he was doing it, she sat at the table and focused on her vial, occasionally glancing back to see how the transformation was coming. She needed to use poison more, branch out a little, but she didn't know where to start. It frustrated her, how complex it was. Not as simple as her mother had made it out to be, that much was certain.
Once Fridgar had transformed, Rey stood up to meet him. She looked down at the flowers he held out to her and smiled. Why was he shaking and blushing? Maybe he had a fever, constantly going from a furry wolf to a nude man would probably have some side effects, she thought. Should she offer him something to keep him warm? If he was overheating, maybe that wasn't best. For the time being she chose to ignore it.
"Flowers?" she asked, taking them from him. She put them to her nose and smelt them, to see if they had a scent. She then smiled, pleased. "Thank you Fridgar, you shouldn't have. These will make the house look much more homely."

Before she could move to put the flowers away, Fridgar continued. He bought her food to cook as well? Was she really that good at cooking? She took the bag from him and looked in it, admiring the ingredients. There was so much for her to try in here. She smiled gently at the thought of it. Maybe she should learn to cook incredibly well, to make him meals all the time. If it made him happy, it would be worth learning - and it could be a new career path for her alongside assassin work. She needed the money.
"Meat would be nice, but only if it's no hassle. I would happily pay for it" she said. She then stopped and thought. "Maybe something general to cook with, too. Pots, knives to cut the food. But I insist you tell me the price of those, alright? You can't pay for everything you know, I do earn a wage."

Once Fridgar had gone, Rey opened the bag and looked inside. Curiosity overwhelmed her as she put some of the food to her nose. It's smell was divine. Then she started forging links. Some smelt as if they might work together, whereas others clashed. She drew her dagger as she placed the Zucchini on the table in her kitchen. Perhaps if she sliced in in to thin strips, like she'd seen done a few times before, it would taste nicer? Eating a Zucchini whole wouldn't be fun, nor would cooking it.
Rey made a start on slicing the Zucchini, paying attention to technique. She didn't want to cut herself with the dagger, so made sure to keep her hand as far from the blade as possible when slashing down while still holding the food appropriately. It was hard and tough to do, Rey knew she ought to work on some new techniques. Once sliced, she lit the fire and started work on the carrot. Again, finely sliced might work. This time, however, she thought she would experiment and make it a bit thicker. She cut the carrots into slices that were a lot wider and thicker, before placing both on the fire.

[Varthakh]

Rey'na didn't seem to get the message as she took the flowers, he breathed a sigh of relief. One way to describe it was that he wasn't ready to confess his feelings, not yet anyway. For the first time in a while, he was scared. Scared of rejection, scared of humiliation, scared that she didn't feel the same. Scared of a lot of things and they all surrounded Rey'na. Could it be that he feared the small woman? No, that was just silly. His feelings for her were intense, but not of fear. Well, maybe a little bit of fear, she'd proven to be scary when she wanted to.

Fridgar nodded. "Well, that's no fair. You're cooking, why should you have to pay for the ingredients too?" He spoke in regards to the meat. "The pots and stuff though, I'd pay for them no problem. But I'd be happy to compromise and meet halfway?" Did he allow her to pay for the half or did he lie about the price? Nah, he was totally going to lie - though she might have caught him out, he wasn't a very good liar. He could just say that he stole them... Hell, maybe he should seal them! He smiled, opening the door and walking out.
Having grabbed just about every utensil he recognised, Fridgar was on his way back home. He had pots, pans, bigger pots, bigger pans, a bunch of knives - all the good stuff. The jingled as he walked, clanking against each other rhythmically with each step. The meat would stay fresh in this weather, certainly. He'd purchased all the groceries from the same store, the utensils were purchased elsewhere though. The meat too, that was from the butchers. He just hoped Rey'na liked the tools he'd got her. Once he'd arrived at the door - a problem arose. He had no free hands, the utensils were stacked on top of each other in a fashion that would have sent them all to the floor if he shifted his grip in the slightest.

"REY!!! CAN YOU OPEN THE DOOR!?" he called out, seeing no other option. Dropping the stuff was not an option. "REEE-! Oh, I got them pots and stuff!" He spoke, cut off from his shouting with the click of the door opening - he couldn't actually see anything past all of the pots and pans he'd bought, but assumed that Rey had opened the door. Taking the leap of faith, he stepped forward and passed the door frame into the cabin. He walked to where he thought the table was and placed the goods gently in their stacked formation, then quickly disassembled the stack and evened out the goods, presenting them to Rey'na with pride. "There was a sale on, we caught them at a good time." He explained. "Half was... 20 gold nel..." he spoke, looking away from her. He couldn't look at her and lie.

The strange taste in his mouth lingered still, he only noticed it as he inhaled the scent of cooking vegetables. Though that too had changed - perhaps Rey was just cooking the vegetables weirdly? It was entirely possible. He couldn't put his claw on it, but things felt different somehow, oh well. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it, for now, he would get ready to have a nice meal prepared and shared by the lovely Rey'na.

► Show Spoiler

Deducted 186 GN from ledger for:
Small Frying Pan 2 gn
Small Cooking Pot 3 gn
Small Soup Pot 2 gn
Small Cauldron 8 gn
Flask (Small) 5 gn
Small Cast Iron Pan 4 gn
Flask (Large) 10 gn
Small Cast Iron Pan 4 gn
Small Baking Dish 3 gn
Small Glass Dish 3 gn
Small Clay Pot 3 gn
Small Copper Pot 5 gn
Small Cast Iron Pot 6 gn
Large Frying Pan 4 gn
Large Cooking Pot 6 gn
Large Soup Pot 4 gn
Large Cauldron 20 gn
Large Cast Iron Pan 10 gn
Large Baking Dish 9 gn
Large Glass Dish 7 gn
Large Clay Pot 7 gn
Large Copper Pot 11 gn
Large Cast Iron Pot 15 gn
Chalice 2 gn
Horn Cup 1 gn
Horn Plate 1 gn
Horn Bowl 2 gn
Horn Tray 2 gn
Woven Bowls 3 gn
Tankard 3 gn
Goblet 2 gn
Wine Glass 1 gn
Pint Glass 8 sn
Pilsner Glass 5 sn
Seidel 1 gn
Brandy Sniffer 5 sn
Chimney Glass 1 gn
Cup 5 sn

Boning Knife 4 sn
Carving Knife 1 gn
Bread Knife 8 sn
Steak Knife 1 sn
Paring Knife 7 cn
Cheese Knife 5 cn
Butter Knife 4 cn
Dessert Knife 6 cn
Fish Knife 8 cn
Dinner Knife 1 sn

2lbs of prime steak (cattle): 8gn

Have fun adding all that to the item list, Rey

[Rey'na]

Rey sighed, but knew that she couldn't get an argument going with Fridgar. Like most people she'd ever met, he wasn't often willing to compromise. Some would argue it romantic, and Rey could see why. He was making sacrifices for her, out of his own wage. Rey, however, just felt incredibly guilty. She would amuse him for a while, however.
"Fine, half. That's all I'll settle for though" she replied. Once Fridgar had gone, Rey continued her cooking. She kept glancing back to the food she'd already put on the fire as she looked at all the ingredients. She looked to the broccoli with intent - but confusion. How did she go about cooking this? It didn't seem right to just put it on the fire. She wanted to cook the whole thing, not just one side. She wanted to do the same with the carrots, now she thought about it. She'd have to wait for Fridgar, if she wanted to cook the broccoli - she had an idea.

Eventually, she heard Fridgar's cry. He had the pots? Perfect. Without realizing it, her eyes filled with excitement. She jogged over to the door, gicing a quick glance to the carrots and Zuchinni. She'd want to take those off the fire soon. For now, however, Rey ran to the door and opened it. Her eyes looked to the tower with fascination.
She watched quietly as Fridgar took the tower apart, showing her everything individually. She was overwhelmed. Knives, glasses, pots and pans littered the table. She had no idea what each of them did in particular, she'd have to learn, but as of right now it was beautiful to see. She wished she could do something to pay him back with more than money.
"Twenty?" she questioned with disbelief. Perhaps, she thought, there was a reason it was hard to believe. She frowned, wanting to complain. Instead, however, she hugged Fridgar. She placed her head gently on his chest, taking in his heartbeat as it rhythmically pounded in her ear. As guilty as she felt for taking his money, she just wanted him to be happy.

"If you tell me it's twenty gold, I'll pay it. But if you choose to fess up, now is your chance, alright?" she said quietly, enjoying the moment. She then moved away and smiled, grabbing a pan and a knife as she went over to the fire. She handed Fridgar the pan. "Can you fill this for me please? Thank you" she said, starting to cut the broccoli. She cut it as she'd eaten it, slicing it in to small bits so that it had some resemblance to a tree.
Once she had the pan of water, she would place it over the fire with the broccoli in it. As she waited, she took the now cooked carrots and zucchini off the fire. She noticed, however, that there was a difference between the two. While the carrots were cooked, as far as she could tell, well enough - the zucchini wasn't. It was burnt to near crisp. Why?
After a few trills of thinking, Rey realized. One was thick and cooked decently, the thinner one overcooked. There was less to cook, so keeping it on for the same length of time had ruined it. She frowned, looking at the crisp zucchini.

[Varthakh]

His heart nearly stopped as he entered the house; he'd caught a glimpse of the look of unbridled excitement in her eyes. Had she been excited for his return? He brushed it off, now wasn't the time to dream, it was the time to show Rey'na the goods.

As he sorted through the inventory, he set the cauldron on the floor - there wasn't enough room for it on the table. His heart sank as she spoke - she wasn't buying it. His eyes darted about the room, searching for a change of topic before she embraced him. He looked down to the comparably short woman with confusion. He vividly remembered hugging her at some point once before, though couldn't remember when or where, or even why; he must have been drunk. After a trill, he too wrapped his arms around her and ran his hand through her hair. A certain warmth filled his chest where she rested her head, a warmth that seemed to pull at his throat and prevent even an attempt at speaking. He couldn't help but feel guilty about lying to her, but it was for the best, right?

He sighed, casting his eyes to the floor as she released him "...Half isn't 20 gold nel." he confessed, his voice soft and heavy. "But hear me out, you only have one job and I haven't earned my keep either." he paused, trying to think of a better way to phrase it. "I feel like I'm doing my part helping out where I can. But the total price for the stuff was one-hundred-and-eighty-something gold nel..." He clasped his hands together uncomfortably. "...If you want to pay me back, please do it a little bit at a time. I'm also completely okay with you taking the stuff for free, so don't feel like you have to pay me back." he sighed with relief, a weight off his chest.

"Sure thing." Fridgar took the pan and poured the jug of water into it at an appropriate level and carried it over to Rey'na, taking care not to spill any. Rey'na went to work, cutting up some broccoli then tossed it in the pot and set it to boil. he scratched his chin while she worked, should he offer to help? "Need any help with anything?" he offered, swallowing the strange taste in his mouth.

[Rey'na]

Rey pondered for a moment, unsure of what to say in response to Fridgar. He had a point in that she earned less than him, relying on assassination purely to earn her money. She was good at it, yes, but not that good. She was only just sustaining herself. Fridgar, however, was doing pretty well in comparison. She frowned as she answered.
"Fine, I'll pay back fifty gold nels, alright? Maybe I can pay the rest back another time" she agreed, handing the fifty gold to Fridgar.
As much as she didn't want to settle, she knew he was right, her finance was a little thin - especially with the price of poison. Some day she'd learn how to make it herself, but until then she had to settle for the overpriced poisons she could get from the Black Market.

As Rey looked at the Zucchini that looked like she'd left it out in Saun for the whole season, curiosity got the better of her. Would it still taste good? She went to the door, in case she needed to dispose of it quickly. She then took a small bite out of it. For a few trills she chewed, getting used to the taste - until she was forced to spit it out as the burning charcoal texture overwhelmed her. It tasted like the remnants of a forest fire had been clumped together - she hated fire.
After a few trills of spitting our charcoal-resembling Zucchini, Rey took a step back inside, dropping the rest of the Zucchini in the snow. She looked to Fridgar with disgust, showing that not even he would have liked THIS item of cooking she did. She let out a sigh and walked over to the work station, keeping an eye on the broccoli.
"No, thank you, I'm all good. I can manage I think, it's just confusing how everything needs a different amount of time to cook"
she explained, watching curiously to see if the broccoli was done. She decided they were done, so took the pan and emptied the water out the door.
She then looked inside of it and pondered how to get the broccoli out. With the water gone, the pan would be colder now - she thought.

As Rey went to grab the broccoli she felt a burn on her hand, making her wince in pain. She pulled back instinctively, eyes getting teary from the pain.
"Bastard..."