A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.



After she had hurriedly gotten out of the water, she dressed herself, partially wet undergarments and all, and headed inside for a bit of warmth. Hearing her footsteps, Will looked to her once more while he bore an entertained grin on his lips. She pursed her lips in response before she went inside. (F/n) noted that he had scanned over her dress rather slowly and obviously. If she had worn the undergarments that he had picked out, she imagined that his stare would've been longer.



That was another trait that she missed about Tarhuinn: his sense of decency. Whenever she would take a bath, he would look away and not turn around until she told him that she was ready. With the tenlite incident, he had kept his gaze forward, not looking at her exposed self. A frown worked its way on her lips before she took a seat at the table. Hearing the door open behind her, she returned it to her somewhat childish expression of contracted lips and raised nose.



A hand rested on top of her head before she felt her wet hair be ruffled a little. Instantly, she pulled away from him and tried to fix the damage, but more knots had already formed. Glaring at him in a non-threatening manner, she was about to speak before he voiced, "It's good to see that you're more relaxed today. I'd rather not have a lovely girl worried sick under my roof."



"Oh, so you like having other girls in that state here?" she questioned as she crossed her arms across her chest and acted like she had said the most clever thing in the world.



"Of course not," he replied, placing his right hand over his heart. He wore a hurt expression, though clearly fake, before he added, "I always make sure that a woman becomes satisfied if she enters my home."



"So, you've had other women stop by, then? Sounds like you're a popular man." She placed her chin in the palm of her right hand to get more comfortable. "Perhaps, I should take my leave so that I don't interrupt any future encounters of yours."



Laughing, he placed the two clinglobs on the preparation counter at the back of the room. He grabbed a knife and started to go to work on breakfast. "Oh, have I made you jealous already? If you're husband is still alive, he would be quite mad to hear that. Still, I'm flattered."



Rolling her eyes, she wished to remark about Tarhuinn. The mage before her had no idea what beast lay in wait for the two of them. "I'm not jealous. I barely know you. All I've learned so far is that you're a confident mage and a pervert. You have some compassion for letting me stay here, but that gets overshadowed by the other two. Honestly, I'm just worried about your sister. You must get some scolding from her if you frequent women so much."



"You certainly know how to deflate a man's hopes, Bluebell," he sighed out before staring back at her. He set down the knife and made his way over. She tensed as she watched him like a hawk. Will stopped a few feet length from her. His right hand rested on his hip while his other hand covered part of his face. "Still, you have no idea the agony that my sister puts me through. The other women that come here are her friends, and when she brings them over, it's so exhausting."



He moved back from her before he collapsed onto his chair. Both his hands went to his face as he leaned forward. His fingers combed back until his golden blonde locks became somewhat disorderly. "Her friends demand so much when they come for a visit. It's hard to satisfy their appetite."



Despite his explanation to get around the truth of the matter, she felt that his lies were still built upon that truth. When she looked at it from that angle, it was hard to keep the heat away from her cheeks out of pure embarrassment. If she ever heard Tarhuinn say such things, she would probably die from the blood rushing to her face.



"For breakfast, lunch and dinner, they all command me to give them the best that I have. It drives a man to the brink of insanity to have such ordering women around."



She almost yelled at him to be quiet until she heard the second statement. Will had already gone down the path of insanity, but he knew how to control it. That's what made the man before her so terrifying. At any moment, he could let it loose and let it take over before pulling it back with exceptional skill. Or, that seemed to be the case. How else would he be able to deceive so many women? Still, this wasn't the most disconcerting part. Did he truly have a sister or sisters for that matter? If so, where were they? Were they even still alive for that matter?



"You'd think that they wouldn't mind delicious courses of fish for each meal. I live by a lake. What do they expect of me?"



The harmless finish to his otherwise potentially debauched remarks was almost like being hit by a massive wave that would sometimes crash against a cliff side. She was thankful, though, that it drained any possible heat from her cheeks. (F/n) could recompose herself. Unfortunately, the male before her wasn't so kind to let the opportunity before him slip away.



"For one so innocent, your mind certainly does travel to interesting places."



Like rain suddenly pouring down, the heat came back at full force. Tightening her hands around the skirt of her dress, she huffed and looked away. "You're the one who said it in such a questioning tone."



Chuckling loudly, he got up from his seat and went behind hers. Without any warning, he pushed the chair and her forward only to receive a yelp of surprise from her. He positioned her directly in front of the fireplace before he went to work on getting it started. Once it was, he rested both hands on his hips while a smirk graced his face. "Why don't I show how delicious I can make a meal? I really did mean it about cooking for them. They really had such high expectancies. Perhaps, you'll be more pleased."



If it weren't for how he was standing, she might have taken him seriously, but she had a feeling that his words still had a dual meaning to them. There was that worrying gleam in his eyes again, but it vanished as he made his way back over to the fish.



"Warm yourself by the fire while I prepare our meal. You need to dry off, or you'll become ill in this weather. Granted, I could always dry you off myself." He peered over his left shoulder with a playful smirk and winked.



"I'm perfectly fine by the fire," she remarked, sending a warning look his way. He shrugged as though she was missing out on some extravagant offer, but her attention turned back to the fire before her. At first, she had thought that he was going to toss her right in. Will probably could've if he had truly desired to. It didn't help that he had a well built upper body. The muscles in his arms were rather noticeable with his short sleeved tan shirt on.



"Are we really going to eat those fish, though?" she asked, wondering how something that gross looking could ever taste delicious. Then again, the male before her ate humans, so who knew what quelled his hunger when he didn't have a ready supply of that. Of course, he might have some stashed away in a secret location in the cabin, but there was no odd smell about the place. At least, her nose couldn't detect any.



"Yes, it tastes just like octopus if you've ever sampled any of that."



Having never tried octopus or seeing one for that matter, (f/n) was left with only her doubts about the disgusting looking fish. It honestly looked like someone had coughed up enough bile until it turned into a moldable glob. Once he was finished preparing the food, he walked by with an empty pot and headed outside to most likely retrieve some water from the lake.



"Couldn't you just use magic to fill the pot with water?"



"I could, but it does me well to learn how to live without using my magic all the time. Not everyone across the lands is fond of mages," he called back before he continued on his way to the lake.



Such a statement was true enough. There were such individuals back in her village. Granted, no harm ever came to the mages that went through Watergrove, but it was clear that some wished to administer it to them. Right now, she desired to attack the mage she was with, but the deal with the pixies held her back. There was also the realistic truth that she couldn't take on a mage by brute force alone. Instead, she had to perform a dance of deception until she had him captivated and willing to do her bidding.



Her expressions changed to one of curiosity when he came back inside. The door was shut again, but it did help to block out the cold. Regardless, he placed the fish into the pot along with some herbs and seasoning before he set it on the hook above the fire. Will pulled his chair up next to hers afterwards, leaning his arms over the back.



"Will since you're allowing me to stay here for a bit, can you tell me a little bit more about yourself? For example, what drew you to come and live all the way out here? Not many come out this way unless they wish to take advantage of the abundant supply of wood. Besides, it'll make me feel better about staying here."



"Is that so? Well, I do aim to please. In that case, I suppose that I can relieve your curiosity and boost your trust of me. I came out here several months ago and found this abandoned cabin. I fixed it up and decided to call it home. As for why that is, it's because I couldn't tolerate things back in the villages and towns. It was just too crowded for my liking. I like the freedom and quiet that this place provides."