[M] The Cat and the Assassin

Brianna

Throwing her head back in laughter, Brianna eased herself off Zae's lap and stretched her limbs before kicking her discarded top into the air with a swift, yet deliberate, kick. Catching it in her hand, the feline brushed her tail across his chest, winking. "Well, I happen to find your height alluring. It's almost like you're a tree, and I have a strong urge to climb you."

A pause.

"Like, literally climb you. It's a cat thing." Her cheeks flushed pink, though only for a moment as she busied her hands with her shirt before pausing once again. Zae had mentioned a tub. A tub meant a bath. And she hadn't had a good, proper soak in a tub in ages. Bathing in streams and rivers was one thing, but a soak in a tub meant hot water. A soak in a tub meant she could finally pamper herself with some scented oils and fancy soaps that she'd been saving...

Gods, yes, please, she thought.

She gave a shrug and tossed her shirt aside onto a chair. "You know, a bath sounds nice. I'll happily warm you up in if it means I get to take a nice soak." His other words had sunk in, too. He'd admitted to not letting anyone close. It must have been a lonely life, something she knew all too well. Walking back over to Zaeren, she smiled and said, "Well, I think I've made it clear I wouldn't mind getting closer to you. Daunting size or not, there's something about you I like. Maybe it's the fact that you could probably break me in half with your pinky finger and you've been nothing but gentle and kind, but I feel safe with you. I like it, and I'm not too keen on letting that feeling slip away.

"Maybe it's selfish of me to want to end my loneliness, but I kinda feel like you don't really want to be alone either." She circled around him, coiling her tail around his body, and rubbing her own against his, before pulling away.

"We can start over dinner. If you get the meat, I can handle the rest. I have potatoes and vegetables in my bag. Sound fair to you?" A smile lit up her face as she sat down on the bed, leaning back on her hands as she watched the man curiously, eyes gleaming.

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"Yeah zat sounds fair," he teased as he got up and brushed his trousers off. He knew she had a point. Both in their own way was lonely, but never never would admit or acknowledge it as such. He was a bit too wary to try after all this time and he had no social skills. It was really hard for him to actually be able to talk to people for a long period of time. He walked over to her and smiled staring down at her. His arms crossed across his chest. His eyes amused, but something else was there too.

After a second he spoke, "I vill gater our food in ze needs of meats. Do not vorry on zat. You just go ahead and start cooking ze oter tings. I vill be back soon." He walked to the door and glanced back at her when he was at the door. His hand on the door knob as his eyes looked upon her. "I tink you already technically tried to climb me."

And with that he left. He left her with that comment and went to hunt.

Brianna

Why that cheeky, arrogant bastard!

"I did not!" Brianna shouted after Zaeren as he departed into the rain. She wasn't sure if he'd heard her or not, but her cheeks felt warm regardless. "I'll show him climbing," she muttered to herself. "Ooooh, when he gets back I'll climb him like a tree, I will!" Sliding off the bed and walking over to her pack, Brianna mumbled to herself, thinking of all the different ways she'd get him back for that comment. If Zaeren had wanted Brianna to think about him, he'd gotten his wish.

She opened her leather pack, and looked inside. For such a small pack, there was a lot inside, many things seeming too heavy to be worth carrying around at all. She'd gotten the bag enchanted by a mage in exchange for some of her furs. A charm of infinite holding for some furs? Deal! And she'd never regretted it since. She lifted the pack and took a seat next to the fireplace, and before long the feline had a pleasant fire burning.

Pot resting overhead and heating up, she began to deftly peel and chop a few onions, her mind still on Zaeren as she lost herself to the rhythm of chopping and slicing. A smile lit up her face.

For barely knowing the man, you certainly seem eager to spread your legs for him, Danae commented, voice sounding clearly in Brianna's mind.

I think she deserves a little positive attention from him, came another deeper, more masculine voice. His voice was deep and soft as he continued, He seems to genuinely care for her well being, at the very least.

You know, Kazae, aren't you usually the one who's all concerned? It's unlike you to encourage her frivolity.

"You both know I can hear you, right?" Brianna said, rolling her eyes as she added the vegetables into the now steaming pot. The room began to smell of aromatics as she stirred them about with a wooden spoon. "Who I spread my egs for is none of your concern. Either of you. Besides," she paused to fish out some potatoes, which she scrubbed and began to deftly peel with a sharp blade, "If it's something I want to do, let me. He's not like those human men who think they own me, or who do whatever they want with my body without my consent."

You can't say that, Danae snapped. What affects you affects us, you know that!

"Only to a certain degree, and you did jack shit for me when those men held me down." Brianna's voice was cold and hard as she tossed a peel into the fire.

Kazae was quick to step in, dampening Danae's growing fury with his gentle words. There's only so much we can do to protect you without your direct involvement. The three of us haven't reached that point in our...relationship...where the two of us can act on only your thoughts.

"Of course," said Brianna, groaning. "It can't ever be easy, can it?" She plunged her knife into the potatoes, dicing them into good sized cubes before setting them aside to tend to what was already in the pot. The onions were clear, it was now time to add garlic. With a flick of the wrist, she tossed the minced cloves in and stirred. "Look, I know this is all new to us, but information like that is helpful, yeah? I need you guys to trust me with that information. We're a team, and it's important for us to be on the same page."

Like how you're going with that man to kill a dragon?

"It's his job! Besides, he's lonely, I'm lonely, and I get to help kill a dragon. I like Zae. There's something about him I can't put my finger on, but he makes me feel safe. I want to be a little selfish and stay with him." Brianna felt her cheeks blushing as her thoughts drifted elsewhere; as she wondered what his hands would feel like on her body...

Ugh! No! Don't think about that!

What's wrong, Danae, can't handle a little daydreaming?

It's not--I don't trust him!

Brianna laughed as she pulled out a small bottle of wine from her bag. She emptied about half of it into the pot, which began to sizzle and steam intensely. Stirring the contents for a moment before letting it reduce, the woman added the potatoes and then some broth. With the addition of some more herbs, pepper, and some chunks of rock salt, she left it to simmer over the fire, busying her hands with flour and bread dough. The daggers, Danae and Kazae, quieted down as she worked, and soon the only sounds in the cabin were those of the rhythmic kneading of dough, the bubbling of stew, and the faint sounds of Brianna humming to herself. She set the dough on a buttered stone, and then set that next to the fire.

Gradually the cabin began to smell of aromatics and herbs, with the yeasty notes of baking bread wafting through the air; homey, warm, and inviting. Brianna fished two ceramic bowls out of her pack. They were black in color, with delicate white flowers carried over the surface by green, delicate swirling vines. She set them on the table, placing spoons next to them, and smiled. The place looked like a home. Like someone actually lived there.

With nothing else to do but wait for Zaeren to return, Brianna fell back onto the bed and sprawled out, purring contentedly.

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Zaeren had left in the rain to go find some prey. He could sense them hiding. Everything was hiding. The rain... was here. It was dripping and dropping. Falling from leaves, branches, and running along the bark. It was getting colder as the rain beat upon the heat.

He walked through the forest calmly as he could. He just wanted to find something for her. He couldn't hear much past the rain. The silence was deafening. They seemed to know the storm was just starting and a predator walked about. He shifted into an alternate form and shook himself. He could feel the rain clinging to his fur as his body became more streamline and he found himself as a kitsune.

Walking around he tried to pick up a scent. It was all fading fast as the rain washed away all signs of life. He listened with his ears and found sound more suitable in this form. His ears were shaped better to catch sound. He smiled as he heard the sound of pitter patter. It wasn't the sound of rain, Not exactly. Close enough though. It sounded like that, but it was a bit heaver more like ... a thump thud sound. It was growing. He looked to the side and saw two rabbits darting in the rain. He smirked and shifted again and with one leap, and bound he had them. His massive talons entrapping them as he carefully moved his claws and broke their necks. and smiled. His dragonic eyes watching them. These forms were useful at least. Once he was sure he had killed both, he shifted back to his human form and looked around.

The trees around him were knocked over, some snapped. He hadn't noticed as much. He was too busy trying to get food for them. He could feel a bit of soreness in his limbs where he had rammed into a rather large tree in his leap. He stretched and grabbed them. One was small, and the other fat and juicy, but in a stew it'd be enough for both of them. Picking them up he carried them back to his home. He took a bit longer to get back as he tried to loosen up the muscles he had harmed a bit as he opened the door. Water dripping down his body, his hair plastered to his head, and his clothes tight. He looked in the room.

"I'm back vit rabbits. I hope you knov hov to cook tem," he said as he walked in, shutting the door as he went into the kitchen and begin to skin them. He was going to help as much as he could.

Brianna

She was on her feet the moment the door opened, trotting over to him in the kitchen and swiftly taking the rabbits from his hands. "Let me handle that. It'd kinda what I do for a living," she said, giving Zaeren a toothy, wry smile as she rubbed her body against his. "Go sit by the fire and warm up. The rain smells cold."

Brianna used her hip to nudge the man towards the fireplace, busying her hands with the two rabbits he'd brought back. Their necks had been snapped, and their pelts were in excellent condition. She could make fine pelts out of them, and they'd sell well at the market. Plus their meat would go well with the stew... "Zae, be a dear and give the soup a taste, yeah? Could you see if the potatoes are done, too? There's salt and pepper in my bag if it needs more!"

She grabbed some twine, some of her tanning salts, and took both rabbits outside, where she strung them up by their back legs and hung them upside-down. At least under the overhang of the roof, it was dry, but the air was chilly. It had to be done outside, though. Since the rabbits were still whole, they had to be cleaned and gutted. With a swift cut of the knife, she slit their throats, and allowed the blood to drain. When the blood stopped flowing, Brianna moved to the next task, and removed the head and front paws, hurling them far into the woods for scavengers.

Starting with the back legs, she cut around the ankles with her knife, and pulled the skin from flesh. Rabbits were easy creatures to skin. Before long, she had a fine pair of pelts on her hands. She hung these on a nearby rack, where she cleaned the inner part of the hide and salted them generously. Rinsing her hands in the rain, she resume butchering the rabbits.

She removed the front legs and rib meat, first, cleaning them from the bone and getting them into small chunks. Next came removing the organs. Her hands were quick and nimble, and soon she found herself with two hearts, two livers, and discarding the entrails into the woods. All that remained were the muscular back legs, which she removed the flesh from easily, slicing them into chunks of meat in the same size as before.

Left with little more than bones and stubborn meat, the feline throw those into the woods as well. Some scavenger would feast well tonight, it seemed.

Opening the door and carrying her things back inside, the woman sniffed at the air. "Oh, bread's ready to be turned." She went and joined Zaeren by the fireplace, where she turned the bread 'round with clean hands. With that done, she added the light pink cubes of meat into the pot. "It won't be much longer now, I think. Rabbit cooks quick, but in the mean time, I'll cook up the livers," said the kelahati, placing the livers on the edge of a hot stone with a sizzle.

"Now, this might sound weird, but...do you wanna eat a heart with me? It's kind of a tradition." Her cheeks turned pink as she offered up a raw heart to the man, her eyes hungrily darting to the other heart in her hand.

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Zaeren started with the soup first and found it needed a bit more time before trying the potatoes. He walked over to her bag and pulled out the salt and pepper and added just a pinch more of each to the two items he was in charge of. "I'd give tem about five more minutes and tey vill be done," he told her as he watched them and sat down in front of the fire. He could feel the water rolling off his body still, dripping down from his hair. The water was cold and seemed to almost touch his bones with the chill. He shivered slightly before he felt the warmth slowly spread through his skin to his bones, chasing away the coldness of the rain. 

He watched the fire flickering thinking of the girl near him as she cooked. She was very physical and it was endearing. It had been a while since he had had someone so touchy with him. He stole a glance at her as he thought of how she had rubbed against him up on his return and looked back to the fire. He wasn't sure if she was doing it because she seemed to be a cat kelahati. He tried not to think too much on it as he tried to focus on staying warm and allowing the fire to dry him off.

However, he was surprised when she approached him amongst her cooking efforts and asked him that request. "I can eat ze heart vit you if you vould like me to," he said blinking at her. He didn't normally eat hearts, but he would be willing to if she wanted him to do it with her. He had heard of some people doing this before and honestly how bad could it be. He stood up and went to grab the heart from her, and held it up slightly. "I guess bottoms up?"

Brianna

"You've never eaten a heart before!?" Brianna's eye widened. "Well, you're missing out! It's one of the best parts of an animal!"

Zaeren was at least willing to try it, and for that she smiled. "Bottoms up." With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the coin sized organ into her open mouth and chowed down. It was dense muscle, packed with the flavor of the animal. The morsel was a bit chewy, but not in an unpleasant way, and it was gone too soon. Sucking the remnants off her fingers, the feline gave a contented purr. "The livers should be nearly done, too."

She turned the livers over with her fingers, used to the heat of flames and her cooking stones. Hers were the hands of a worker, with callouses from knives and several delicate scars lacing through her dark skin. Even still, her hands were delicate, the skin still soft where there were no callouses. They were her tools, and she cared for them as she would her own knives.

Moments later, she placed the cooked livers onto a small plate, and set those aside with the rolls of finished bread. Sweat beaded up on her collar, and ran down her bear chest as she leaned forward to take a spoonful of the soup. Bringing it to her lips and blowing it cool, she tasted it. The flavor was perfect, delicately earthy with fresh hints of thyme rolling through... Brianna's tail swished lazily behind her in pleasure. "It's ready for the final touch," she said with a grin.

Donning some protective mits, the woman removed the pot from the flames and carried it to the table, where she set it on a cloth mat. Turning on her heels and trotting back to her pack, she bent over and swapped the mits on her hands for a bottle of cool cream. Returning to the table, and stirring the clear soup so it was no longer simmering, she uncorked the bottle of cream and slowly poured it in while stirring. When half the bottle had been added, she stopped, satisfied with her work.

"Zae, can you bring over the plate with the livers and the bread? Dinner's ready."

She ladled soup into each of their bowls, and sat down with a contented sigh. Her skin glistened with sweat from the fire, and for just a moment, Brianna took a break to breathe.

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Zaeren was a bit wary about eating a heart, but he still went through with it. He felt his teeth bite into the heart, and a gush of blood filled his mouth as it stained his lips and dripped down his chin. It tasted very different then what he would've expected. He had been a bit too apprehensive about putting it all into his mouth in one bite. He didn't know what to expect, but he bit a bit off, ate it, and then ate the rest. His face was slightly paler as he tried to comphrend the texture. His mind couldn't help but to think his heart would probably taste similar to other species. 

He grabbed a rag and wet it before cleaning his hand of blood and his lips. He didn't want to keep it there for long. He would probably eat another heart, but first he had to mentally understand what he had done. His diet normally consisted of cooked meat, and maybe raw meat but never in human form and typically in his other forms older instincts took over. It was hard to explain. In this form it felt more raw, new even.

As he pondered his thoughts, she had finished the cooking. He heard her call to him and he grabbed the plate and took it over to her before sitting down and placing it between them. "Tank you for cooking for us," he told he smiling a bit. "So tell me more about you. Vat inspired you to try be a fur trader ven you vere younger? You seem good at it, but ven did it start?" 

It was an honest question. "Vas it because of your hunting life style or?"

A new thing occurred to him... Something that had been bothering him for a while now since their fight eariler. "I vould also like it if you explained your veapons to me... I've never seen anyting like tem. Not unless tey vere possessed by a very dark magic mind you."

Brianna

Brianna's cheeks flushed pink at his compliment. "Well, after my mom died I had to fend for myself most of the time. Hunting became necessary, and the older I got the more I hated seeing the waste of fur from my kills. I was sloppy, and it bothered me. So I learned." She ate a spoonful of soup while she mulled over her next answer, sifting through memories for the answer she sought.

"I did a lot of my learning from tanneries, in exchange for pelts and free labor of course," she chuckled. "I didn't want to strip the fur off for leather, either, so they taught me how to salt tan the hides. The salt is imbued with magic, see? And it's really effective at drawing out the moisture of the pelts quickly! So after a few days and a few reapplications, I had furs."

"The more I learned, the more animals I could preserve. I sell feathers of exotic birds to hat makers, use other feathers and bones to make my arrows. I cure meat I can't eat and sell it, or use it to bait traps for predators," she said, gesturing over to her leopard-skin pelt. "It keeps me traveling. Keeps me pretty busy, too, but I have to admit, I get lonely. Kelahati have a strong sense of community, and mine is, well...gone." A pang of sadness in her voice spread to her eyes, which misted over. "It's a loss I can feel in here," she put a hand on her bare chest, "but it's hard for me to comprehend at times."

With a shrug, she finished her bowl of stew and used the bread to soak up any remaining bits of broth. Zaeren had been asking a lot of questions, but he was easy to talk to. Being near him eased that sense of loneliness she felt so often. She was actually holding a conversation with someone. Sharing a meal with another person, not just herself! Maybe being on her own for so long had driven her mad, or more likely desperate, but it was a nice feeling. She felt welcome.

She felt at home.

"They're not dark magic, I assure you," Brianna replied shortly, her response a bit more barbed than she intended. Softening, she continued, "It's...hard to explain, really. From what Danae and Kazae have told me, they're me. Physical manifestations of my soul. I'm the only one who can wield these daggers. Even if I don't know what they can do, and even if I don't know them very well yet, I can just...feel that they're a part of me. From the moment I first touched them, I just knew." Gods, it sounded crazy out loud.

Running a hand through her hair, Brianna chuckled nervously. "I'm not crazy, honest. I know it sounds hard to believe, and I don't have all the answers myself, but when I found them the latent magic within me woke up. A-at least that's what Kazae said." She shrugged. "Maybe some day I'll have all the answers, but right now, we're all still getting used to each other."

It was time to turn the tables.

Leaning over the table and pointing at Zaeren with her spoon, she flashed him a toothy, crooked smile and purred, "Now it's your turn, Mr. Mystery. A tit for tat." She gave a wink. "You mentioned being a balance keeper. How'd you come into that business, exactly? And you're certainly not human. Or an elf. I'm curious about you, Zae. I want to know you more."

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"So vait... I get most of tis, but tose blades... if someone vere to destroy tem vat happens to you," he asked her. Would she die? Why were they connected to her soul? Most things like that he knew as dark magic. She said it wasn't though. But then how did they exist? Things like that didn't just appear. It was confusing to him. Something was just not right. He knew better then to ask to hold one of them after their confrontation earlier. It might not go over well with her or with the daggers. Instead he just nodded figuring he'd look into it later. It wouldn't hurt to let it go for now. It wasn't putting anything in danger as far as he could tell. Everything was okay.

He guess it just bothered him because she didn't know either... He had seen so much darkness with his job, small things like this would often worry him.

However her question was hard. "No I'm not human, elf, or any species you vould knov by name. I am different zen most vould knov about. I am vat most people call a Tarsian. Hovere I vould not be offended if you do not knov vat zat is. Most tink ve're just stories for children to keep them from misbehaving, but zat isn't even vat ve do. Ve actually keep the balance," he told her. "The first of my kind appeared during the dark ages. Ve vorked to help bring peace back to Antarsia. Ve like peace. For ze most part, ve do not interfere vit ze matters of a species." This was hard. He wasn't use to explaining this. Most people that dealt with him were leaders and often they had gotten warnings of their behavior and the impact it was having if not from their own kind, then his kind. The tried to stay out of it, but if no one else would step in, they would. They were the last resort.

A sigh.

"Basically vat I do is.... Like the dragon zat killed your family. My job is to kill tose like him. Tose that erase populations and species. Tose that break the natural order of life to vere it has a large impact. Nov to get us to act is hard. Not something easily done. It take a lot, but vhen ve do act, it is under orders of our moter. Ve never act for personal gain or because ve vant to. Tere has to be a reason. Ve are balance keepers and zat is our purpose from birt. It's hard to explain. It is knovledge ve have like a sense... like hov you have a sense of smell, and sight, ve have this extra sense. It allovs us to knov vhere ve are needed. It drives us forvard and right nov it's pushing me to ze dragon trone. I also have intell telling me he has been slovly viping out small populations and civilziations for a vhile nov. Te last messanger I sent to him as a varning vas killed, so nov it is personal for my bloodline and moter. So I Vill go in person to end the tyranny."