Snack Time

Staring at the single, large chunk of red meat on the plate, which was starting to make Alesha's mouth water, she gulped. Just who was this man, to have raw meat in his dorm? And what kind of animal was so large that a pound of its meat could be cut off in a single chunk like this?

"Um, thanks," Alesha said, accepting the plate. After a moment, she asked, "Do you have a fork and knife I could use?"

Delilah looked disappointed about something. "Aw, yer the kind that likesta eat all civil-like?"

Then, a light kindling in her eyes, she seized Flynn's shoulders and whispered too loudly for Alesha to miss, "Flynn, how 'bout you just tell 'er no?"

Flynn laughed, materializing a fork and knife in his hand and proffering it to his hungry guest. "Aw, Lily, you know I couldn't do that! Look at her blushing like that, can't have you forcing your desires to see her bestial side just yet."

Alesha had been very grateful to receive the utensils, but the "just yet" and a mischievous spark in the boy's eyes made her feel a little uneasy. She had a feeling he was up to something. 

Well, whatever. She had utensils now and that was enough for her. Besides, with the meat now in front of her, she had an inkling that if she didn't start cutting up and eating it as soon as possible, Delilah might just get her wish after all. She could already feel her teeth growing uncomfortable in her mouth. The smell coming from the meat (though less prominent because it was chilled) was enough to make her even more hungry than she already was.

[Hehehe,] the System chuckled, barely audible in the back of Alesha's mind. She paid it no heed.

She took a seat on the carpet underneath the coffee table, ignoring the expensive seating in favor of being able to put the plate on a hard surface so that she could effectively cut the hunk of meat she'd been given. It was a little tricky but she managed.

Meanwhile, Delilah and Flynn stood by, watching silently. It didn't take long for this to make Alesha uncomfortable, and after some light teasing, Flynn grabbed some snacks and drinks to share with Delilah and they joined her in the living room. He ate chips and dark chocolate. Delilah declined the chocolate and stuck to the chips.

As they ate and chatted, Alesha grew curious about something. Though she was somewhat in denial, she understood the necessity of understanding the intricacies of what it meant to be a "Carnivorous Human," and (unfortunately) it was probably better to get a good handle on it while in another world instead of around her family. Here, if she got sick from eating "normal" food, she wouldn't have to explain herself. But back home? They might take her to get tested for poison, or maybe allergies, and she would have no way to escape that. She shuddered to think what might happen if she caught the Alliance's attention during those tests.

[Host's wisdom has grown,] the System remarked, leaving an unwanted commentary on her innermost thoughts, as usual. She felt bare underneath its constant watch. 

The conversation had lapsed, leaving Alesha with an opening. "Hey," she ventured, seizing the opportunity to distract herself from thinking about the System. "So back where I'm from, I haven't really tried what you're eating. Can I?"

Delilah paused with a chip halfway into her mouth. Pulling it out with a twinkle in her eye, she lunged across the coffee table, pulled Alesha's mouth open, and stuffed the chip into it, all before Alesha could react. Delilah then shut Alesha's mouth for her and returned to her seat.

Alesha didn't know how to react. She could taste the seasoning on the chip -- it wasn't to her liking, but it was palatable at least, so she chewed and swallowed. "Can I ask why you fed me the chip you were about to eat?"

Delilah leaned forward with fire in her eyes, smiling wickedly. "We never told ya what those were, but you knew they're chips. Either the translating magic turned what you said into what it's called, or you already knew what they were. Tell me, lil' demoness!"

Ah, crap. Caught in her lie already? She hadn't even made a complicated lie! "Uh, um, must have been the translating magic! Cool, those are called chips! Didn't know that! Haha… haha…"

At that, the curvaceous, white-haired student leaned back and put her arms behind her head, an extremely self-satisfied expression on her face. "Nah, you knew. I'm good at seein' truth n' lies, ya see?"

Flynn shook his head and laughed. "Yeah, sorry Lady Demoness, Lily here is way too insightful to be deceived by someone with such an honest heart as yours. Your attempt was kind of adorable, though. Anyway, how about this? I'll give you some of my chocolate as a consolation prize."

Alesha accepted the chocolate without complaint. It wasn't wrapped, just a bare, long bar with rounded indentations every inch or so. Biting into it, she found it was a fairly dark chocolate, probably somewhere between 60 and 70 percent cacao. Her eyes widened in shock at how delicious it was. Ever since she'd experienced the delectable taste of raw meat from the "Carnivorous Constitution" reward, she'd quietly wondered if anything else would ever taste the same again. More specifically, she'd wondered if desserts could taste delicious to her in the same way that they once had. 

This proved that they could.

As she held the chocolate in her mouth, now determined to savor it, the creamy, rich taste of the chocolate melted across her tongue. A chunk of salt dissolved in her saliva, sending a wave of flavor through her mouth. She took another bite and the delicious flavors repeated. They blended together in a dance of sweet and salty, all under the watchful eye of the cacao's natural bitterness. Tears of joy started to leak unnoticed from her eyes.

Flynn, for his part, took notice of her tears. As the demoness in front of him smiled, eyes closed, and took another bite from the chocolate bar he'd shared, he felt an unfamiliar feeling rising in his chest. He leaned forward, staring speechless at her, taking note of her brown curls, the sparse freckles on her face, the alien clothing she wore. When her eyes opened and flicked towards him briefly before closing again for another bite, his breath caught in his throat.

He knew it. This was the most intriguing demon he'd ever met. Perhaps she wasn't literally the most beautiful, but those eyes… he had a feeling he would never forget them. So he determined that while they were around, he would do everything in his power to see those eyes again.