[M] You Are Not Alone {1x1 AgroShadow, Larynx}

"Arianna." She replied smoothly. Pride was in a name. Or so she had been taught anyway. She could feel her self assurance slowly coming back as the time between a new discovery and an old world stretched. If this was what it took to understand what was going on, then she should resolve herself to working with perhaps some not so savory situations or people. Maybe she should look at it as new business research. Perhaps even, some new weird and crazy new open and untapped demographic that they could create something for? That could open up a whole new department even.

"I..."Pausing she looked him over, more aware of his shortcomings now than before. The holes appeared larger, numerous, shoes that looked a size too big and stitches and glue peeling apart.Long hair too long and in dire need of a trim to bring out his jawline and bring the focus back to those eyes... "Do not laugh at me." She snapped, quickly pulling out of that path. "Let us table this for now . You need a shower and I need rest. We'll discuss it in the morning."

Adjusting the blanket across her chest to hold closed with one arm, she pointedly strode across the room to lock all the doors with a soft click of finality. Raising an eyebrow at him, she pointed down the dark hall. "You'll find what you need in the bathroom. Good night. I'm an early riser." She sought the comfort of her bedroom and slumber.



{So shitty, so sorry >.<}

Mason woke with a start, the room swathed in darkness. Taking a breath, it took a moment to remember the day before and just where he was. In a house, with a cat shifter. Arianna. That was her name. Sighing, he dragged his hands over his face, slightly surprised he felt the smoothness of skin and not the facial hair that was there before. He wove his fingers through his hair as well, he had given that a trim while he was at it as well. Luckily he had been trimming his own hair for a few years and it was easy to avoid doing a hack job and make it look at least a little presentable. Sitting up, he glanced around the room, his eyes adjusting a little better to the dark. Cool air brushed across his bare chest once the blanket fell away. During the process of cleaning up of himself, he had left his clothes on the floor in the bathroom, not having any desire to put the dirty old rags back on. Save for his boxers. While he wouldn’t have minded the freedom, he would have rather not been caught by the owner of the house clad in nothing but his birthday suit.

He pulled himself off the couch, stretching his arms over his head as he went. While it wasn’t the most glorious place to sleep, sleeping on the couch was a step up from the hard ground he was so used to. He wandered into the kitchen, noting the little numbers on the microwave as he went. A little after 5 am, later than he usually like to wake up, but not bad. Rummaging around a bit, he found a glass and pulled it out before filling it with water from the sink. He leaned himself against the counter, taking small drinks from the glass. Mason couldn’t help but wonder what she considered to be ‘early riser’ like she had said before they parted ways. Everyone was different and he figured this might be the case. He wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted from him. His teaching skills were rudimentary at best, so it was going to be rather interesting just to see how this would go. And besides, she was a feline shifter. Part of him had no problem with that but there would always be the part that told him not to trust cats. Shifty creatures they were.

The laptop shut with a click that seemed louder than normal this time. She had woke as usual, 5:30 am, to the soft rumble of the natural alarm clock she had built in over the years, and the start of soft morning light filtering in through the curtains. The only thing she could remember from her dreams was prowling about the city as a small, sleek black cat. Weaving in and out of shadows like they were a second home and feeling alive watching the night's activities through new eyes and heightened senses. It had not been the first time the memory had come up while she worked on her analytics. Over the course of the half hour she had been working, her performance had suffered tremendously as her subconscious tried to pull her away and enticed with the feelings from the dream and her memories of the previous day.

The previous day. She swung her laptop out of her lap and hastily pulled on her robe. 'Holy shit. How could I have forgotten?' This was supposed to be the start of some half assed agreement between her and...Mason. A...shifter. She had to keep remembering that it was not just part of a dream, but all real, and very much happening still. She caught her reflection in the mirror as she thought to herself, and paused. Quickly, she ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It couldn't hurt to keep the upper hand at least with appearance here. She had been truthful when she'd told the man he held all the power. For all she knew he was lying and was ready to kill and eat her little cat form the moment he could. She hadn't been ignorant to the hollowness in his eyes, or the gauntness to his cheeks and frame that came only from hunger. She soothed the...entity...on the thought of being snatched up as a snack. 'Oh.' Still felt incredibly foreign, but much more comfortable than she it would. Taking a last look at herself in the mirror, a soft sigh escaped her. It was now rather than later. Making sure her robe was closed up well enough, she stepped through her door, the hall, and into the living room.

"I did not realize you were such an early riser, too." A touch of surprise colored her words as she made her way into the kitchen and noticed he was also only clad in a faded pair of boxers. Looking away, she fixed herself a cold breakfast of cereal. She gestured half-heartedly towards the general cabinet and fridge space. She couldn't not be at least hospitable to him while he was here. Perhaps it would stop him from snapping at her with those big teeth later. Watching him eat out of the corner of her eye, she ignored the way the man ate with a hungered gusto but trying to be polite. Cleaning up after herself, she leaned against the counter across and away from him. "I want to know if we are rare...How am I not part of...Are there groups or clans of shifters?" The word felt awkward being used in a real context instead of the fantasy novels she read so eagerly as a teenager. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. "Perhaps we should draw up some sort of contract of what we expect from this. I am no stranger to paying for quality however, I want expectations and intentions to be clear. To avoid any...misunderstandings." Before she could stop herself she looked away. She moved from the counter to a drawer in a nearby desk set against the living room wall when she realized it. She returned with paper and pen. And waited.....for...the real life mundane things business required so unlike her fantasy novels.

He jumped slightly when he heard her voice. Lost in his own thoughts he had not even noticed she had came out of her room. ’Oh... yeah. It’s cooler in the mornings, makes it easier to move around.’ He watched her move around the kitchen with ease, pulling things out of cabinets almost mechanically as if this was her normal morning routine. He didn’t miss how she skirted around him, however. He gladly accepted her offer for the food, never turning down a free meal. Once he was satisfied with the amount he consumed, he placed his bowl on the counter next to him as his eyes trailed the female. Her next question caught him off guard, and almost caused him to laugh. But he refrained, knowing that this was all new information to her. His eyes filled with mirth as he responded. ’There’s a lot more of us around then you realize. I mean, we are people after all. So everyone is different. Some like to group up, others, like me, prefer to be on our own,’ he shrugged as he continued, ’So really its all up to how you feel about it all. Some shifters think we are better than those that can’t shift, thinking we somehow have the gifts of the gods. I’d steer clear of them. They aren’t the most friendly of people. Interesting though. Eventually you’ll hone in on other shifters through a sort of sense like sight or smell, and you’ll realize how many are around. Granted it took me a couple years to get there, there’s a chance you’ll pick it up sooner.’

At the mention of a contract, he tilted his head slightly in confusion. Watching her gather the supplies to write one up, he couldn’t help but judge slightly. She was so official about this. Had she ever just done things with a firm handshake and hopes that one would follow through on all this? Let alone, what is it she could offer in this so called deal she wanted? There was no doubt she had money. Just the taste of living this woman had was higher end than anything he would have ever seen. But living like he had had never bothered him before so he couldn’t see his way of living change just by helping her. ’Misunderstandings?’ What sort of thing where she thinking could cause problems? Sighing, he pulled himself up to sit on the counter, figuring that they would be here for a little while as they hammered out the details to what exactly she wanted from this sudden acquaintance that had been made between the both of them. ’Alright. So you want to learn things, and I’m willing to teach what I know. What other things do you want to cover?’ He might as well amuse her with this. He couldn’t see it doing much good, but if she wanted to cover her ass so much in something she had no idea what was involved, then so be it. He hoped she understood, at least, there was going to be injuries, probably to both of them, and there was going to be frustrations through the whole ordeal. Just from what he gathered from her, she was meticulous, he was both. Failures never bothered him. While he felt she was going to have a hard time accepting things if they went south. Glancing around the place a thought popped up. ‘If we are gonna work on things that require shifting, I’d much rather not be in such a confined area. Should things get rowdy, I’d hate to have some of these fancy things broken. I’ve got a cabin, it’s up in some mountains. Secluded, but a good area. If you’ve got a better place in mind, I’m all ears.’

Watching him so casually pull himself up onto the counter, she bit her lip. Would it be unnecessarily bitchy to ask him to keep his dusty ass off her granite counters? That shit was expensive and she liked surfaces free of being able to make out whose cheeks had sat there just from the imprints. Looking away, she tapped the paper with her pen, more to steady herself than anything else. Was it unnecessary to do this? Probably. But he was a stranger and she had never felt comfortable going into something without knowing what, at least, to expect in part. It was incredibly easy to walk into a boardroom and have everything needed at her disposal to wow them into a partnership, or new product, even new investments with their clutched-to-their-chest dollars. She had never been wrong in delivering an effective and often lucrative product in a long time. The man before her though was more than just a product, and she was not naive in thinking of covering her ass before things came to it. Perhaps, she had jumped the gun on it, but she still distrusted him.

Ignoring the question of misunderstandings was easy, but she looked up in slight surprise at the mention of broken things and a "cabin in the woods". Glancing around the room, she realized that there was truth in it. She would hate to have to replace her paintings and sculptures, a few of which being her own creation, hanging off walls or displayed prominently on pedestals and platforms, or shelves meant to be viewed and admired gently rather than be threatened in the wake of...whatever it was that this shifting training would entail. If he was suggesting it, there must be a reasonable expectation of things going south or at least definitely unkind to precious art. There was also the ideal of being far enough away from the public to avoid notice. There was also the not so quiet nature her shifting presented, especially if every time was going to be like the first. A shiver shook down her spine. "I do not... that does not sound appealing but I will defer to your judgement." The pen moved swiftly across the no longer blank paper. A paragraph of prefacing information having been hashed out as he was speaking. "I think we have an element there in agreeing to defer to the more experienced party's judgement. However, I think what is more important is to first agree upon what we expect." Inhaling softly, she continued. "I expect to be not only competent but, exceeding in my ability to exist as a...shifter in all areas a shifter should." Good it was easier the second time there. "I...expect to be able to live with this as normally as possible." Feeling the slight hitch in her voice, she looked up and was surprised to be met with steady one. Blue eyes that held some sense of strength there, despite the weariness. Rather than look away this time, she held his with her own hazel ones. If she followed the line of his jaw...he was handsome if she let herself continue this train of thought. "I shall take responsibility for payment of travel, operational, and materials costs within reasonable argument that they part of learning what this shit is all about." She could feel herself staring at him, eyes not leaving his. She just hoped that all those boardroom sessions had schooled her face, as they should have. "This is not to be abused...This agreement is not to go beyond that of a platonic state." She continued, finally breaking eye contact to write this out. Yet, she knew that was not the entire reason she broke away from his gaze. It felt like forever ago, yet still stung more than she wanted to.

"Is there anything you would like added? I can type this up with a few additions and ready to be signed. I do not expect either of us to miss out on what claws and teeth can do to each other, either." Fingers moved the pen in a feigned slowed pace. She told herself that as anxious as she was, that had never held her back before. This was no time to start.

{That ending is shitty but oh well}

This. This was why he never dealt with people. ‘I will defer to your judgement.’ What the hell was that all about? Good lord, this woman was gonna give him a run for his money. He should have expected this from a woman named Arianna. Strange names made for strange people. Mason kept listening to her spiel, but there was that word again, defer. Glad to know that she would at least consider his options, but that didn’t mean she would follow through. She had a strong personality, and he felt that she probably got most of what she wanted with that personality. After all, she seemed proud of her surroundings so that was enough to tell him she worked hard for all of this. However, he was proud of his life too. It took him awhile to get where he was, but it worked for him. When she met his gaze, he held it. He would not be the first to back down from this, deciding an agreement or not, he knew a challenge. He didn’t miss the hitch in her voice as she spoke. He could tell he made her uncomfortable. She was thrust into the shifter part of the world and he knew more about it then she did. He figured it wasn’t often that someone beat her out in knowledge and experience in her line of work. This was going to make for an interesting ‘platonic state’ of relationship.

He listened quietly to the rest of her agreements. When she finished, he paused for a moment before replying. ’How long do you think it’s going to take to learn all these new things about you? Let alone how long do you want to learn things from me? This is a skill where you keep learning for years to come. There’s always new things people like us are figuring out about our abilities. I’m willing to teach you just the basics, if that’s what you want...’ He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he continued, ’But I have a feeling we’re gonna need more than the basics for you. The way you shift, it’s not what I’m used to seeing. It’s gonna take some trial and error, and possibly some extra help. I’m willing to give you all I know about these things, but I have to know that you’re not going to use this information to gain anything but your own knowledge and the skills will only be yours to use.’ He didn’t get the impression that she would use these sort of things against his kind, but it was always a worry of his. He watched her continue to write down what was conversed between the two of them. Never had he dealt with someone so formal and persistent as this one.

Sighing he slid down off the counter, grabbing his bowl from breakfast in the process. He finished cleaning up his mess then leaned back against the counter. ’Is there anything else you might have wanted covered?’ unless she wanted his blood type and birthday, he couldn’t imagine there would be much more that needed to be said about this ‘platonic state’ as she put it.

Listening to him ask of her expectations took her by surprise. She had not expected him to return with such a response. He had not exactly struck her as the type to really care about the details of things, especially of something like a contract. It was...good. She did not have much patience for individuals who dismissed things lightly. As she watched him though, she felt an earnestness there behind his words as he continued. Apparently this type of thing must happen more often than she would have thought if it was his first real input into the contract. "I...don't know." She began, softly, hesitantly. It was not easy to think very long term about something five minutes ago she had thought only existed in fairy tales. All she knew fro certain was what she had already said. "I told you I want to be competent. Enough to manage this and go about my life as normally as possible. I think that would be your call to make more than mine at this point. I am not going to ignore my own abilities when they develop but the point is still true." She could feel irritation start to color her words. She rubbed her throat absently, soothing the rawness she felt there she could only attribute to having snapped back and forth between feline and human structure. "However long it takes." She said finally, after giving it some thought and failing to remove all of the color from her words.
"I...will not use it against...shifters."

"What about your blood type?" She asked quickly, looking up to meet the man's eyes once more. A smile creeped at the edge of her lips. If he was going to be an ass about it, maybe she could at least get some entertainment out of it. Especially if he was going to be this way for the entirety of their...agreement. Without waiting for a response, she rose to her feet and set the notebook down at her desk. Turning to face him, she took him in again. This time trying to tell herself to look at him as more a partner than some stray. There was still the gaunt, tall man. Neglect shone in all the places she knew to look and that came easily. Harder to see was the way he stood up straight, no hint of a slouch, which she had often seen in tall men even in her own circle with the best suits at their disposal. "When do you want to get this started? When do you want to leave?" The words left her mouth before she could stop them. Now that they were spoken out loud she couldn't see anything holding them back. Work could be dealt with. She was the goddamn head of the department. Vacation days were nonexistent to her any other day of the year.


:TIME SKIP:

The road ahead of her was empty and stretched seemingly endless miles further into the distance, curving lightly towards their destination.This would not be the farthest she had traveled by far but perhaps one of the most important ones. And one of the most awkward, though that was not unexpected. Glancing to the passenger beside her, she didn't know why she did every so often expecting someone else to be there. There was no way around it. She would have to grit her teeth and get herself through it. IF she continued to let herself think of this whole endeavor as a chore instead of something like an in development phase she'd turn this car around and drop him off at the next gas station. That probably would not phase him int eh slightest though. In the minimal time they'd spent together, she had the feeling he was just fine finding his way from situations just like that or worse, and for better or worse that was a skill that served him very well. That was admirable regardless of where you were in life and was not always present in everyone. Shaking her head to herself she told herself to relax. So far all was well and going according to contract, nobody had died, the tank was full and they were headed in the right direction.

Things were going as well as they could all things considered. If she were honest with herself, the drive had given her time to realize that she was excited about trying out her new abilities. As painful as it was, and the soft keen of the feline entity reminder her, there was an allure. To allow a full immersion in what was so new but felt like it could so familiar yet so thrilling at the same time. This cabin was sounding better and better the more she let her thoughts wander down its unknown paths in the woods. "How much longer to the cabin?" She asked, breaking the silence they had been sitting in, looking to what the GPS displayed.

The last couple hours seemed to blur together. Mainly it was more him watching her gather her things to get ready for the trip to his cabin, as he already had everything on him. Settling into his seat in the vehicle was another matter. Mason was not used to sitting for long periods of time, and this was going to be a long ride. Knowing the general area of his cabin, he was able to give her side streets, but he was unsure just where it located on a map. However, he couldn't help but feel giddy about returning to his home in the mountains. He had gotten a late start on getting there this year, and it left him here. Summer months for him were spent high in altitude, avoiding the worst of the heat in the middle months. Late fall usually brought him back down, as the game in the area all migrate away. If there was a way he could figure out how to store meat longer without electricity, he would never show his face in the cities again. Living in solitude was his dream, but he had yet a way to accomplish that. And now here he was bringing a total stranger into his home. Glancing over at her, she seemed at ease driving for such a time, something he would never be accustom to. Driving was a skill that he never really practiced much. Sure he knew how to do it, but it made him uncomfortable that he was not every good at it.

'Hmm?' Realizing she had said something, he blinked and looked at her. 'Oh, um, maybe another hour or so...? The landscape looks familiar but I'm always on foot, hiking in. There's a dirt road, maybe 5 or 6 miles up that goes northwest, take that and we'll go as far as we can. If we are lucky it'll be clear all the way there, I don't think there were any major avalanches this last winter that would have knocked stuff down.' Rubbing the back of his neck in a relaxing manner, he realized his shoulders and lower back were feeling tight for having staying in a stationary position for so long. He hoped it wouldn't be more than what he had said. Even if he hadn't been stiff, this ride was still awkward on a personal level. There was nothing to talk about between the two of them. He couldn't even remember the last time he had to start a conversation with someone he didn't know. What was a decent question to ask in this situation? What was your childhood like? Yeah, that's a real good one. Letting a sigh out through his nose slowly, he figured silence was better than painful conversations. He propped his head on his hand, his forehead resting against the glass of the window. His eyes lazily followed trees as they passed, growing thicker the further drifted into the mountain. The road grew more less like a road and more like a game trail, his head jostling with every bump the tires hit. One hit just right and his head swung back and came forward to smack the glass with a little thud. 'Shit.' Rubbing the now red mark on his forehead, he turned his head back to the window, hoping that what just happened quickly faded from her attention. Just as he was gonna lean back in the seat, he spotted something outside against a tree. 'Hold on, stop the car!' Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Mason was already outside the door, heading toward what he had spotted.

Jogging over to the spot, a boyish grin spread across his face with what he observed. It was one of his little markers, showing him the edge of where his property was. Just a small board, nailed to a tree, with a design carved into it and painted. The paint was fading, but it was still a blue that stood out against the tree it was attached to. He looked over his shoulder while pointing to a spot and shouted at the woman still in the car. 'Swing your car between those two trees over there and park it! We're here!' With that, he disappeared through the woods, going toward what they had been searching for. Once he broke through the treeline, his eyes were met by a welcome site. There in the middle of a little meadow, was a small but sturdy cabin. The front was welcoming with a small walk around porch that housed a couple chairs. Mason went up the porch, pulling a key from a little notch in the outside wall, he popped open the door. His nose was hit with a musty scent of dust and stale air. The inside was small, but livable. In the corner there was a wood stove to provide cooking and heat when it got cooler, a small table with two chairs were set up next to it. Sweeping to the right of that was a doorway into a room that housed a cot where Mason slept and small chest for belongings and just to the right of that room was yet another room that housed a cot, however it was covered in few things Mason used regularly including a couple rifles and hides from his previous summer. He would have to clean the room for Arianna, but that could wait till a little later. Satisfied that things were still where they were supposed to be, he popped his head back out the front door. 'It's small, but it'll work for what we need. There's an outhouse around back a few yards away from here when you need it. And if you're willing to take a walk about a mile east of here, there are a few hot springs you can find for bathing and swimming... Hopefully you'll enjoy it here while you have to be here.' He gave a small smile at her, hoping she would enjoy it here as much as he did. There were many things to do to set up the place, but for now, he went and helped pull her things out of the car.

There was no time to react before he practically vaulted out of the car and nearly trampled through the brush on his path to some random tree. Putting the car fully in park, she followed him to observe his examination of what appeared to be a well worn, handmade sign stapled into the bark of a pine. Trying to look closer herself, she could see how it would be easily missed if you didn't know what to look for. Well worn was a fond description. It had obviously seen many seasons of nature, rendering the dark design nearly faded away apart from the center, and deeper gouges collected and held the paint. Oh. Apparently this was not good enough of a parking spot, she huffed to herself as his muffled shouts reached her ears. She picked two random trees standing close but apart enough for car to slide through. That vague wave did not qualify as actual directions. It did make sense to keep the car out of sight if he wanted to keep this place from being discovered, however well meaning the finders might be. Especially, she supposed if they were definitely not well meaning. She took a few moments to look around and at least get an idea of what the area looked like. If they were meant to be here for an extended stay she wanted to be familiar with at least the general area to find it again if need be.

That observation was interrupted when she realized that no sound but the chatter and calls of birds filled the air. Turning back int he direction of the sign, she was surprised to see that she was alone. In some god-forsaken random patch of forest, with no real idea of what was around but the last convenience stop thirty miles from them. How fucking cliche to be a victim in the woods with some random man she had just met. It was not difficult to push her legs into a semi-confident walk forward in the direction she had last seen him saunter off into, finding herself pushing aside some long branches as she went. "Oh." The breath of surprise left her lips before she could stop it. It was...the cabin. Literally standing just behind the treeline from the sign, perfectly blocked from at least one direction and as she took a quick sweep around it, looked like from most other angles as well. It was not as small a building as she thought it would be. It was likely all the years of refusing camping trips or summer camp offers since fifth grade had kept her ignorant of anything but massive "vacation cabins" and one room log houses from Westerns and history books.

The head that popped through the door made her jump out of her skin. She eyed him as he explained the cabin and all of its glamour. Immediately her hope of something decent were dashed. The smile that pulled at his lips caught her eye though. He was....excited. It was clear that he loved this place, was excited to be back even if it were not an immaculate two storied "authentic" cabin with a lake view. Dark eyebrows rose as the man proceeded to jump down from the front steps, breeze past her, and presumably toward the car.

~~

Bags hit the cabin floor with a soft thud. Instantly puffs of dust wafted up from the floorboards and swung her into a fit of coughs. "How- long has it been since you- had a maid clean up in here?!"She gasped between coughs, narrowing her eyes and turning to look at him. Waving her hand through the air to try and clear it, she moved away to the kitchen. Hesitantly she opened a cabinet, not sure if she would find actual kitchenware or something handmade. Downing a full glass of water, she rubbed her throat as she leaned against the counter to look around at this place. It was not falling apart, but definitely had a certain air of being maintained with perhaps not the best upkeep, but enough to keep the walls sealed and thankfully no piles of dead bugs or random dead forest creatures. Apart from being dusty, it looked...comfortable enough. Even quite cozy if she let herself remember her time spent at one summer camp. Despite no cooling, it was comfortably cool. The air inside was a little musty, and maybe even a little nose-wrinkling. Throw the windows open and she imagined that it would air out and be much better. Traveling along the walls, she spotted two rooms holding cots, one with gear laid carefully out onto it. The metal and wood caught the later afternoon sun and gave off a well cared for gleam, despite being as dusty as the rest of the place, but she looked away. His personal things were her personal things, regardless of if they'd just met. She was not sure of how to proceed now that they had sort of moved in.

She had not realized that they would be doing this arrangement in what was obviously a home to him. The excitement to be back here took on a new understanding. No wonder he had acted how he had to show her this. Light eyes came to rest on the man who had brought them here. "It's been a while since you've been back here hasn't it?" She asked softly, eyes rising to meet his own.

Mason could see the rise of dust as the bags hit the ground. At the mention of a maid, however, a look of bewilderment was plastered on his face as he watched her move toward the kitchen for a large glass of water. Before he could help it, a loud laugh burst from him. ‘You’re in for an awakening up here. This is a self serve cabin, you want some thing, grab it. You need to clean something, you do it yourself.’ He may have been a male who didn’t mind a dirty area now and again, but he took pride in his little abode. It had taken him years to get the cabin the way he wanted. Everything in the kitchen wasn’t all pretty to look at, but it was functional, metal and glass tended to be the best option for dishes and kitchen equipment, lasting the longest. He had plenty of blankets and all the things needed for living comfortably, not fashionably as he could imagine she was used to. Grinning at her, he moved into the spare bedroom and pulled his hunting equipment out. It consisted of two rifles, a shot gun, and a compound bow and some arrows. ‘I suggest you get used to learning how to use and take care of one or more of these as well, if you don’t wanna starve up here either. But that’s for another time,’ He gave her a wink, before continuing, ’As for right now let’s get thing settled and a little less dusty.’ He went into his room and carefully set his things down on his bed. Glancing down at his old shirt and sad looking pants, he quickly grabbed better fitting and more visually appealing clothes and switched out of the old stuff. Already he felt better and more at home. With that, he took his old clothes and opened the front door of the cabin and tossed them into the fire pit laying a few feet from the front porch. It would work as great kindling for later when he lit a fire, after all, there was no need to keep them now.

Once he finished cleaning out his objects from the spare room, he picked up her bags and set them gently on the floor at the foot of the cot. Coming back out of the room, he caught her soft question. His eyes met hers as he answered. ‘It’s been a little more than a year I think. I got injured before winter and knew I wouldn’t be able to survive up here with it. So, I dragged my ass back to the awful cities so I could get some medical care and get better. I was on my way back here when you so graciously brought me to your wonderfully air conditioned house.’ He wandered over to a small cabinet that was as nearly as tall as he was. Popping it open, he pulled out a broom that had a dust pan attached to it. Leaning it against the wall, he moved to open the window. Once unlocked, his muscles strained to open it after it had lain dormant for so long. With a grunt, the window finally gave away and popped open, letting a light breeze flow through and stir up some more dust laying around the place. He moved to the opposite end of the cabin and proceeded to open two more windows so the breeze blew though cleanly, taking some of the dust and musty smell with it. Turning back to the female, he leaned his hips against the window ledge, looking at her. ‘I know it’s not much, but I’ll do everything I can to make your stay here the best I can.’ A soft smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he admired her standing there. It was the first time he looked at her, actually looked. She was attractive, her long dark hair offset with lighter blue eyes. Shaking his head slightly, he grabbed some rags and the broom off the wall and heals both out to her. ‘So what’s your pick, sweeping or wiping down surfaces?’ He flashed white teeth in a smile as mirth dance in his eyes.