Gale took the bag the woman offered and opened it up after a glance at her warm face. There was no malice there and he smiled in return. A deep inhale told him of the contents of the pouch, warming his nose from the new and familiar scents. "Most appreciated, I assure you, Domina." Gale set the pouch on the lion skin cloak, prompting Yvette to nudge at it with her nose. She sniffed, then turned away disinterested with a sneeze. Her focus was the meat that was making her belly growl more. He bowed over the fire and gestured to put the meat on the fire, on sticks if needed to keep them from burning. The memory of the boar rumbled in his belly as he peered at the meat, the hunger in his eye matching his niece's.
The woman continued on, and the man knew he was dealing with someone shrewd and clever. That made him nervous. He was not the best of thinkers, and his was a moment by moment logic. Gale was best at simple, quiet things like gardening and weaving, but he was better at fighting for his mind was strong in the moment and his body quick. Here, he struggled with trying to lie to the woman, to be clever. He knew he could not win against her, not if she was more clever than him - it was highly likely he could not lie forever. "Ah, no, no," he said absently, forgetting himself as he pulled open the pouch of herbs and pinched out a bit to put on his palm. "Not my first fight, but the first alone against something so strong." He sniffed the herbs, then recoiled at the unfamiliar scents. "The masters were trying to kill me," he added, then flinched at his words. Masters. That was not something he had meant to say. Gale prayed that she would assume the ring masters and not his slave owners. "You say you've seen other cats? What kinds are they?" he said quickly, wondering if he had seen those species before.
Images credited to Jason Pier. Table style inspired by Kitty.
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