A Gift Shared is twice a Blessing - Mat & Ren's Haven

"As I say often - I only care what you think." her using his saying was welcomed. Very welcomed.

"There is a reason why I stick around - don't forget that either."

He opened his mouth to respond, then stopped. Turned his head slightly sideways to look at her askew, trying to puzzle out how she meant that comment. He wore a playful frown on his face.

"Not in a bad way I hope."

He nodded. It had been a strange day, leaving him with strange wants. He looked at his hands for a moment, pursing his lips. "Would you mind actually cooking tonight? I think it might be a remnant from my dream, but I would like to physical devour something."

The smile she gave him was warm and bright. "I'd be happy to. Anything particular you want?"

"Something with fish. A stew or a tuna steak. Something... familiar." which was technically a tall order, as he rarely spoke about the home he so clearly remembered.

"I can do that." From one of the low cupboards she produced a large pot that she filled with cool water. The freezer relinquished a large package of tuna steaks. She dropped the package whole into the pot so they could defrost. As she began to putter about, she turned on the docked i-pod so that soft music could fill the room. A pot of rice was started, as she trimmed the ends off of some white asparagus. Truly she did love cooking,

Was this what most humans sought? What they searched for? A quiet home, someone to tend it with, pets, children - something to bare the label 'family'? Pack. Pack was still the name he would chose, still what he understood. Yet, even in the Animal Kingdom, there was a division of labor. Be it the hunting lioness with the roaring male, or the robins who traded off gathering food. There was a partnership, an exchange.

All these thoughts bounced and roamed within his waterlogged mind, causing him to continue to peer at his hands. His large, powerful hands. The hands that, even now, echoed with the death and destruction they had wrought. The fingertips still felt damp, drenched in the gore and blood he spilled. He closed his eyes, allowing the thoughts to wash over him like a wave.

To the rest of the world, he was stalk still, save for his flesh, which seemed to ripple and change. The harmful thoughts garnered small spines like a blowfish from his head on down, but after a while, after the music, his skin reverted to its natural dark color... not the pale shape of a kindred, but of the boy who had left Cow Harbor so long ago on a quest to find himself. Of the boy who still breathed. The boy who walked this day in sunlight.

Every now and then, her gaze would land on the big Gangrel. She noted the strange look on his face as he tried to make sense of the more human aspects of being together. She set up the asparagus so that she could simply turn it on once the fist was half done. A quick beak from the cooking allowed her to plant a friendly kiss on Mat's cheek.

He closed his eyes to savor the touch, flexing his fingers slowly. Thoughtfully. "... This isn't so bad." The sentiment was beginning to grow on him. Blossom.

"I wonder... I wonder what I would have been like, life would have been like... if someone had cared."