USED TO BEING GONE | Imperia

[Shininglight]

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Shining heard a small growl. Not from another creature- it came from inside his body. A small paint tagged alongside that growl. The feline felt hungry. He had forgotten to eat today, unfortunately. Food hadn't even crossed his mind- his mind was always getting distracted, always focused on something else. But his body's need to satisfy the hunger soon managed to make its desire clear. Shining sighed as he tore his gaze away from the indoor bed of flowers, rose to his sore paws and started walking.

One small problem: Shining didn't hunt. A certain part of his mentality on the world instructed him not to track down feral prey, even something like a vole or a mouse. He could still eat meat and such, but the act of killing animals whatsoever... wasn't in him. He had resorted to foraging fruits and whatnot in the wild. Unfortunately, he tended to look quite weak, with his muscles not getting proper nutrients a lot of the time. Back home this wasn't an issue; plenty of others hunted and cooked for his supply of meat. But recently, traveling alone for a whole season left him pretty thin.

But being thin was better than killing.

The feline wandered outside. Summer was still a good time for finding berries and nuts, although spring would have been ideal. Fall and winter would be the problematic seasons for him. Shining intended on going to the Canopy, but... he stopped, after walking the earthy meadow path. A small cottage could be seen nearby, the lights on. The winged male started half-walking, half-limping towards it. Someone lived there. Maybe they would have food? Shining came to the door, raising a paw slowly to knock three times.

And then he waited.

[member=598]imperia[/member]

[imperia]

[align=center][div style="width: 51%; text-align: justify; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: georgia;"]Within the comfortable confines of the tiny, stone cottage resides the lovely Miss Imperia. The wooden door, painted a playful blue, is propped open to allow free movement from inside to the cute little garden out front and back. Simple glass windows are opened as well, sheer curtains the shade of lavender flowing gently in the night breeze. A warm, savory scent drifts along with the wind. It originates from quaint little building, accompanied by the melodious sound of someone singing. It is soft, as if murmured beneath the breath as Imperia moves about her space. A narrow column of smoke rises from the chimney, confirming to the world that cooking is going on inside.

Roasted pheasant and rabbit stew to be precise. And a lot more than one wolf can eat on her own. Truth be told, Imperia does not eat all that often. But she loves to cook, and she knows plenty of residents who are not fond of consuming raw meat. So she explores her culinary skill in her free time in hopes of proving enough meals to please her pickier friends. Of course, she is willing to share with anyone who comes knocking. Sharing is the best part.

Shininglight really need not knock on the door. Imperia is so busy hustling from place to place that she would have noticed him eventually as he stood outside the open door. "Oh, bonsoir," she greets, momentarily started by the unexpected knocking. Well, it is not so much unexpected as she is timid and jumpy. Argent eyes narrow to discern the person's figure from the darkness, and her expression softens upon recognizing Shininglight. They have not spoken much, but she recognizes him from the Halo tryouts. "Can I help you with anything, Monsieur?" The girl asks with a warm smile as she hangs up the ladle she was using to stir the stew on the mantle of the fireplace.

[Shininglight]

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Even in his slow, confused state of mind, Shining still executed an air of courtesy. It was practically second-nature to him at this point, from years of being nice and kind to others. Announcing his presence at an open door was better than just blindly walking in, and risk startling whoever may be inside. He listened to someone bustling about inside, coming into view to answer the knocks. A familiar wolf that Shining had seen before, at some point. Her name escaped him. But it did for most people in the Ascendants- too many to keep track of. Always someone new.

The feline's gaze met Imperia's as she spoke, inquiring for the purpose of his visitation. At this point, Shining almost forgot why he was even about in the first place. The quaint cottage had distracted him. But his journey's meaning was soon reminded, as the smell of cooking food floated through the air. He sniffed the air, the knowledge of food sending another wave of rumblings through his stomach. Slightly painful. Shining walked inside while Imperia was busy putting away a ladle.

"Cook?" he looked towards the source of the smell: a pot of stew in the kitchen. Whatever was in it seemed to entice Shining. "Hungry... Need to eat. Need to rest... Survive... Share?" His speech was still slow and fragmented, but at least simple and understandable. Shining let his gaze wander while he waited for a response.

[imperia]

[align=center][div style="width: 51%; text-align: justify; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: georgia;"]Sometimes Imperia wonders what happened to cause Shininglight's fragmented manner of speech. From what she can gather, her fellow cleric is almost perfectly coherent. A head injury, perhaps? Or something more internal? More traumatic? Whatever the cause, it is none of her business. While the gentle canine will never hesitate to lend an ear or a shoulder when needed, she does not actively shove her nose into other people's business. People will come to her if they need her. Otherwise, Peri will continue on with her life; always monitoring but never intervening unless completely necessary. Granted, she does make some exceptions when it comes to health. She tries her best to respect people's decisions not to seek out a cleric or a halo when they fall ill, but if it becomes dire, she will force them to take a medication. Not only for their sake, but the sake of everyone else who could be infected.

She continues about her work, though an ear remains twisted in Shining's direction as she bustles about. So he's hungry, huh? Well, this will not be the first time a starving mouth has come to her for assistance. It's just his luck that Peri is cooking with the intent to feed many. "I think I can spare a bowl or two," she says with a smile. "There is plenty to go around." And lucky for Shining, he gets it fresh and hot rather than the warmed version that everyone else will receive. She is kind, not a miracle-worker.

"Can't bear to kill in order to eat, huh?" asks the girl as she serves up the male a steaming bowl of stew. For a moment, silver eyes observe his wings with guarded curiosity before it returns to meet his oddly colored gaze. From her tone, it is clear that Peri does not expect and answer. She is used to providing for Washington and Carolina who are also unable to consume raw meat. "Not sure if I introduced myself yet or not, but my name is Imperia. It's a pleasure to have you--it can get lonely out here sometimes." The lovely she-wolf takes a seat at the table, having already put the pots over low, dying fires in order to keep them warm until the morrow.

[Shininglight]

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Shining always had an issue of opening up to others. Painful memories, haunting events of the past were all repressed and confined to his own mind. A dangerous game to play, for his mind was also plagued with never-ending reminders. He had been able to repress them not long ago, kept himself distracted and at ease. Peaceful. Now, they toyed with him even now, in Imperia's lovely little abode. Everything from gentle, subtle whispers to loud screams that took him by surprise, making him wince. Most of the time, it was an imitation of his own voice talking him down. [glow=black,2,300]You're at fault, you're to blame. No escape, constantly running. Disappointment, failure, let-down.[/glow]

He remained still as Imperia moved about, muttering silently. The promise of a bowl of food reached his ears, and Shining felt a bit happier in that instant. Then he heard her inquiry, unprompted and out of the blue. A lucky guess, a psychic insight. It caught him by surprise, and his ears fell a little flat. But he did bless her with a reply, oddly enough. "Won't do it... Won't take another life..." Shining muttered, eyes falling to the ground for a moment. "Not worth it... Rather starve..." His stomach growled again, and he looked up to see Imperia settling at the table, the stew ready to eat. Shine couldn't wait any longer; he took his own seat and dug right in.

Barely a single moment was spared for pause. Shining practically devoured the entire thing. Must have actually been starving. He looked up occasionally, taking in the wolf's words. The tom had seen her about, hadn't he? This was their first real interaction together, though. "'m Shining..." he said through a mouthful of stew, taking a second to swallow. "Lonely... Know too well. Most of life, alone. Couldn't... get close to others. Had to stay away."

He took another few moments to schlurp up some more stew, eyes casting glances around the cottage. It was a rustic little place, the kind that Shine had envisioned to live in. It reminded him of an old home. "Cozy, warm. I like it. Once lived in treehouse. Very tall trees- redwoods. Couldn't see stars. Had to go to ocean. Many nights there. I like stars. Connect to them. Beautiful."