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 Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 2:33 pm
"Feh," Lance said to Riasha dismissively. He didn't need repayment; it was his treat. "Consider it a gift."
He bit into the potato, chewing it slowly as he said, "Try it with butter."
Dahlia sniffed his steak, and she leaned to take a bite out of it. He gently pushed her out of the way. She padded over to Riasha's fries for a nibble, mewing softly.
Lance felt a twinge of guilt, and he cut small peices of his steak for the kitten, who didn't seem to notice. Intent on getting a fry, she poked at one with her tiny paw, then looked Riasha in the eye and meowed almost pathetically.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 2:42 pm
Riasha is more than happy to give the kitten a fry. Usually her people kept dogs, rather than cats, because they were more useful in general, but there was one family who kept cats mostly for pest control. They were happy to give anyone else a kitten that wanted one. Her family didn't keep one, but Riasha had often played with the felines belonging to the other families.
"A gift then," she agrees with Lance. "And I thank you." She bows her head in gratitude. Then she turns her attention to her meal. Slicing into the breaded chicken, the hot aroma of butter and garlic escapes into the air. With an expression of contentment, she smells her food as she waits for it to cool enough to eat.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 2:58 pm
Jòna put the potato down. "Butter? What's butter?" It didn't appeal to her in general. "Your rodent can have mine if you want."
She continued slicing off chunks of meat. It was incredibly chewy. She washed it down with more ale.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 3:11 pm
Lance smiled as Riasha gave Dahlia a fry. She gobbled it down quickly, and she pawed at the human, her eyes big. She licked the girl's face, purring with content.
"Yknow," he said, pushing a plate of butter forward, "butter. It gives it more flavor. Try it."
To Riasha, he said, "You're welcome."
Lance dipped his steak pieces in barbeque sauced and popped a piece in his mouth. Chewing softly, he looked around the cafe, still covered in the cherry plants with flowers.
"I suppose I should take those down," he mumbled to himself.
They did look a little goudy, he thought. The plants were wound tightly around each part of the cafe, around the espresso machine, around the ovens, up the walls and across the ceiling. The cherries were still bright red, and the flowers were still white and fragrant. He wasn't sure he even liked it anymore. He focused on the flowers and changed them to a pale orange. He shifted the cherries into black berries, and he released the ovens and the espresso machine.
He sighed. It still wasn't perfect.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 3:18 pm
"Butter comes from a cow's or goat's milk," Riasha says to Jona. "It brings out the flavor of things, like potatoes, but tastes awful by itself." She gives the kitten another fry and strokes Dahlia behind the ears if she will allow it. Taking a piece of her chicken on her fork, she blows on it gently to cool it. "We have a few goats travelling with us, so we often have butter and fresh milk, but we generally use them sparingly since we don't really have the resources to have a lot of goats with us. It's usually a bit of a treat to have things from cows; they're bigger and don't travel as well, so we only get their food when we trade or stop in a town." She watches for a while as the plants change color and berry type. Ah, the wonders of magic.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 3:51 pm
Jòna made the mistake of scooping up a slab of butter with her knife and licking it off before Riasha's warning. It was greasy and salty and yet otherwise bland. She spat it, shoving it away from herself. Besides, how could one awful tasting food improve on a different tasteless food? She scraped it off her tongue with her fingers while Lance fixed the flowers.
"Enough! I'm not even that hungry," she grumped, pouting in her chair.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 4:30 pm
Dahlia took the fry from Riasha, and rubbed up affectionately against her. Lance watched her curiously.
"She likes you," he said to her.
He pushed his hand to forehead as he considered giving her the cat. They seemed to get along nicely, and he found stray animals all the time. He felt a little off. His head was throbbing for some odd reason.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 4:40 pm
If Jona doesn't finish her food, it's quite likely that Riasha will do so when she's done hers; it's been a while since she had a good meal. She didn't know when she might have to go back. As for the kitten, well, she scoops it up and nuzzles her cheek against Dahlia's warm flank. Obviously she sees it for a pet and not a potential lunch. Or a rat for that matter.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 4:53 pm
"You can keep her if you'd like," Lance said cheerfully. "She seems to love you."
He was being entirely honest; the cat had warmed up to the girl more than it had warmed up to him. Besides, he had a beautiful cat back home who probably wouldn't like Dahlia anyway. He spun his hands around together, and a giant, thick bow formed loosely around the cat's neck. The poor girl probably needed a friend back on her world anyway.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 4:59 pm
Riasha pats the kitten ruefully. "I don't know how well I'd be able to look after her where I'm going," she says. "They would probably just kill her. There's a good chance they're going to be killing me, and I don't think they are the sort of people to take care of a kitten." She shakes her head. "If I go through that door again, I don't know where I will be."
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:15 pm
"I can always charm her," he said quietly. "I can turn her immortal, and she can grow into a huge cat who can protect you."
Lance didn't want to admit it, but he was scared for the girl. She was not unlike some of the enslaved humans who were terrified of the people like him. He worried for her.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:18 pm
Jóna watched the fuss over the rodent. There was no way she would consider taking it back with her. It would last two seconds before getting snapped up by any manner of foul creatures she lived around. Alligators, snakes, orcs, the Grootslang...
She shook her head as she imagined herself getting snapped up by the Grootslang. Fingers touching the necklace Lance had given her, she wondered what she would emerge from the den with. It was tradition. If she made it to his loot room, she would snatch one thing as raced through it to get to the mouth of the cave system.
"Maybe the staff wants it," she piped up, referring to the kitten. "Maybe it can be the cafe mascot."
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:45 pm
Lance shrugged and said, "I want her to go to a good home with someone who will love her. If the staff wants her, that's fine."
He fidgeted with the colors of the plants and berries. He still wasn't sure they were beautiful yet. Red roses faded into pink azaleas, faded into white carnations. There had to be something. He felt a little uneasy with his magic.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:51 pm
"Could you actually change her that way?" Riasha asks in awe. "I don't know if it would be very fair to her though. I mean, there's something soft and sweet about her now. And if she was powerful enough to protect me, how could I control her?" The young woman seems pretty concerned with fairness; one couldn't imagine her owning a slave.
She looks over to Jona. "That's actually a good idea. A lot of people find kittens soothing; and if everyone who comes here isn't expecting to come here, something small and inoffensive like a kitten might help some people with the shock," she suggests. "On the other hand, perhaps they don't want pets where they serve food."
Glancing back at Lance, she says, "White roses are my favorite; we keep a small bush of them so I can have them for my dances."
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 6:00 pm
"Yes. She would be more of a companion than a slave," he said. "She can protect you when you need it, and she can stay little and fluffy until you're in danger."
White roses sounded beautiful, he thought. The flowers blossomed into white roses, and the berries were turning into strawberries. He stretched his arm upwards, grabbed a flower, and presented it to Riasha. The flower grew back instantly.
"Do you think this is better?" He asked her kindly.
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