Salon and Spa

Shuule pranced up to Set, jumping up to peck him on the cheek. "Thank you" she breathed. "Again."

Set hadn't stopped grinning since Shuule had undressed in front of him, to be clear, but he still was elated, yet another emotion he didn't think he would feel in his lifetime. But he still couldn't help but poke at her. The moment wasn't perfect, yet.

"Wait here."

He left the cave, a bit precarious with his legs, and though it took him a little longer for the same reason, he returned momentarily with a wooden vase full of water. Shuule tilted her head in question, and Set put the pitcher down, then sat down cross legged and patted the ground in front of him.

"Sit."

Shuule did as directed, sitting in front of him with her back to him. Set cupped his wide hand into the vase of water, bringing the water up over her head. Instructing her to tilt her head back with a touch to her chin with his opposite hand, he started to wash her hair of the sweat and worry of the day.

"Do you really want to try to stay here for the winter?" Set asked, breaking the calm silence.

"Yes," Shuule answered immediately. She then added, in argument, "Would The City even accept you? - I think they should - I'm saying it's their fault, not yours," she stammered, afraid she just offended him.

"Mmm. Yes." Set nodded though Shuule couldn't see it. "You'll have my mark by then and they'll let me in if they know I'm mated."

Shuule wanted to argue that she didn't think that was a sure bet, but she held her tongue. He hadn't been wrong yet, and he clearly had more lived experience than her. He had also mentioned just today that the City leaves him alone, so there might be some familiarity there. She gave one of her small, signature huffs, annoyed that her mate's species wasn't going to get her out of the issue of moving.

Once her hair was clean - by their standards - Set used his long fingers to comb through it. He also could bare sharper claw like fingernails, though they weren't razor sharp like those of beasts who had clawed paws.

"I barely have to leave if I have food stored, though. I can have dried meat and honey and the stream will be full again and I'll just stay a fox, nobody will know!" Shuule insisted.

Set smiled grimly, while he went to work tightly braiding her hair, a long braid on either side of her head, finishing them with a tie made from his own plucked strands. It was so bittersweet that she wanted to stay monogamous, and secluded. But he also knew her desire was an instinct of fear. Fear of the unknown, lack of acceptance, rejection - things he had all dealt with on his own as well.

"We'll see. We have time. We aren't that far from The City limits."

Shuule sat in silence, disagreeing with his conviction. She was frustrated, but determined that she would get her way in the end and it wasn't worth throwing a fit about just yet. Simmering in her own thoughts, she was taken by surprise when Set pulled her into a hug from behind, planting a kiss on one of her ears.

"Let's prepare a real meal tomorrow. Teach me to cook. You can't keep eating mice and berries. What would do you miss from home?"

The girl's eyes grew wide at the thought of cooked food. Thinking back to her childhood, she also realized they didn't ever have extravagant meals. Every now and then the men would work together to hunt down something large, like a wild boar or a deer, and they would feast, but what she was most used to was....

"Shortwinged Bird. I know how to cook it, it's not hard. I just wish we had some salt. I lost my jar when my horse ran off."

It was true, salt was something she had been worried about for the winter as well, but she wasn't going to give Set anymore reasons to move into the city. Shuule had a theory that her salt consumption was closer to a males because she could eat raw meat, or keep herself in her beast form all winter and that may make her needs less, but besides that, salt was simply a craving. Not living within a society meant she would need to see if she could forego it entirely and live on natural salts in her food, or the two of them would have to figure out how to trade for it, or go to the ocean and figure it out from there.

Set considered this. "Mm. I wanted to catch everything myself, but if you ... don't mind," he cringed, realizing he had honestly not been able to treat her like a female at all, again letting her down, "If you help catch the birds, I can go find your salt."

Shuule sprang up, dark eyes glinting. "Of course I'll go catch them! Set, I'm a fox. Catching birds is my favorite thing."

He stared back blankly at her enthusiasm, taken off guard. Admittedly there was not a lot in the Legacies about fox in general. But instead of being appalled that she was asked to hunt for her own dinner and prepare it, she was bouncing, ready to go get the birds now rather than later. Shortwing birds were much like chickens, bountiful, fast but not particularly good fliers. She was already ready for tomorrow, waiting to practice her favorite sport.