Chapter 30: Let’s get this over with.
Her eyes flicked from his face down to the bowl. The growling stopped, replaced by another loud rumble from her stomach. The tense line of her shoulders relaxed, just a little. She was still crouched like an animal, but the fear in her eyes was now mixed with a deep, obvious hunger.
He smiled a little at the sight. " Hehehe, looks like I was dead right.."
" I-i an not dead. Just right hehehe" Adrian rephrased his words when he realised he’d made an unintentional pun.
Slowly, he brought the bowl closer. She watched his every move, wary but curious. When he was close enough, she didn’t wait for an invitation. Her hand darted out and she took the bowl from him, her movents were quick and almost startled him but he simply smiled at it, not bothered at all since his worries as to whether she liked it or not where unfounded.
She didn’t even use the spoon. She just brought the bowl to her lips and started eating, fast and ssy, like she was afraid he would take it away from her if she was a second slower.
Adrian just watched, as she gulped it down. In about ten seconds, the bowl was empty. She lowered it, a bit of broth on her chin, and looked at him. Her expression had completely changed. The wild fear was gone, replaced by sothing that looked almost... embarrassed. She looked from the empty bowl to his face and then down at the floor, like a scolded puppy.
" You ate my portion too..."
Adrian blinked, the portion he got in that bowl was more than enough for two and yet....
Adrian simply shook his head lightly and let out a soft sigh.
"Well, you were hungry, there’s no need to feel guilty." He said with a smile, for so reason, Adrian felt more happier than upset, he didn’t know whether he was happy with the fact that she ate the al instead of him, or because she was the first supernatural he’d t so far that was so easy to deal with.
" Good thing I was thinking ahead." He stood up from the bed, he couldn’t bla her since he recalled how frenzied she had been back then, all in all he should instead be happy that she hadn’t done sothing unfounded instead.
"Co on. There’s more in the kitchen." Adrian walked towards the door and turned back to glance at her, only when he expressed his intention through gestures, did she follow.
He lit an oil lamp this ti and led the way back into kitchen, the wooden floor cold under his feet. She followed him, but not like a person. She moved quietly on all fours, her head low, sniffing at the floor as she went. It was the strangest thing he’d ever seen.
He took another bowl from the shelf and scooped more food from the pot. "Here," he said, showing her. "You hold your bowl out, and I’ll put the food in it. See?" He demonstrated with his own empty bowl.
She watched him intently, her head tilted. After a mont, she cautiously held out her empty bowl with both hands. He carefully ladled a good portion into it.
She brought the bowl close to her face, sniffing at the steam rising from the al. Her nose wrinkled, then she carefully licked the surface. Her eyes widened slightly. She looked at him, then back at the bowl, and this ti, she took a proper bite. A slow, cautious chew, then another, faster one. A look of pure, simple pleasure spread across her face. She liked it.
A small, tired smile touched Adrian’s lips. For the first ti in forever, he hadn’t died after eting a supernatural woman. But with the way she ate, his finances might be in danger instead of him.
He watched her eat, the way she held the bowl close to her face, so focused on the simple act of eating was a bit funny but he knew laughing would be disrespectful so he didn’t.
She was quiet now, the wild aura she gave off after waking up was gone for now which was great, and in it’s place was a more better calm contentnt.
’ Co to think of it, she doesn’t have a na does she... I an she can’t seem to speak or understand what I’m trying to say.’
He knew he couldn’t just keep calling her ’the girl’ in his head. That as well wasn’t proper.
"Hey," he said softly. She looked up from her empty bowl, her blue eyes eting his. " I’m not sure if you can understand everything I say but I was thinking of giving you a na so that we can better converse with each other in the future."
"I can’t just keep calling you ’hey.’ You need a na." Adrian said before trying his best to explain what he ant with his gestures.
As soon as he stopped moving, her whole face changed. A deep blush spread across her cheeks, turning them a faint pink in the dim light. She looked down, suddenly shy, she sat on her rear, burying her face in-between her knees, fidgeting with the edge of the fur coat she was still wrapped in. She seed almost... reluctant. It was a weird reaction, like naming her was sothing really intimate or important.
Adrian was confused. "What’s wrong? Don’t you want a na?"
She didn’t look up, but she gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of her head, then a hesitant nod, all while her face stayed heated. It was clear she had feelings about it, but no way to explain them.
’ I guess that’s her way of saying yes.’ Adrian thought to himself, it was odd but he had no qelms about another’s behaviour since he himself was bizarre in a sense.
"Okay, well... how about... Grey?" he suggested, looking at her unique hair. "I know it’s a bit lazy of to just pick that but I couldn’t help it since your hair is so unique." Adrian gestured with his hands, smiling and spreading them outwards after pointing at her hair.
She peeked up at him through her ssy bangs, her blush slowly fading but a rare light smile erged on her lips. After a mont, she gave a small, definite nod.
’ I guess she likes It, Grey it is then.’
It was settled.
"Alright, Grey. Let’s get you back to bed. It’s still the middle of the night." He stood and offered her his hand. She looked at it for a second, then carefully placed her own in his, it looked like she was a fast learner which Adrian felt relieved to see.
’ Well I’ll be damned...’ Adrian’s blinked a bit.
Her grip was surprisingly strong but it wasn’t unbearable for him either, he glanced at her, noticing she was staring at him with her wide beautiful blue eyes.
Adrian sighed inwardly, he knew telling her to ease her grip might end up turning into a misunderstanding, he didn’t want her to think that she was hurting him, after all, her grip was strong yes, but the feeling of her pale milky soft skin against his was quite soothing in a way.
He didn’t say anything in the end. He simply led her back to his small room and gently tucked her under the blankets.
"Get so sleep." He said and she nodded, pulling the sheets towards her.
Instead of joining her, he dragged the small, rickety wooden stool from the corner over to the bedside table. He turned up the fla on the oil lamp, casting a warm, flickering pool of light. Sitting down with a tired sigh, he pulled out the small, leather-bound jotter Mr. Miller had given him. The cover was worn and soft.
’ Mr Miller gave this so I’m sure it’s important... God knows how much i want to sleep right now but...’ Adrian’s voice trailed off when he recalled all the things the doctor had done earlier today.
anwhile, Under the covers, Grey was tense. Her face was heating up again, and she was lying perfectly still, her back to him. She seed to be holding her breath, her whole body rigid with a strange, nervous expectation, as if she thought he might get into bed and... well...
After a few minutes of feeling no movent from behind her, her curiosity got the better of her. She cautiously cracked one eye open and turned her head just a little. She saw him sitting on the stool, his back to her, hunched over the little book. Her confused eyes blinked a few tis. She relaxed, the strange tension lting away, and just watched the back of his head, her expression unreadable.
****
Adrian on the other hand, was lost in the book. The pages were filled with Mr. Miller’s tight, precise handwriting and rough sketches. He was so focused he didn’t hear the soft rustle of blankets. The first thing he knew, a weight settled gently against his back. He blinked and turned his head to find Grey there. She had gotten out of bed and was now leaning against him, her chin practically on his shoulder, staring intently at the open page.
Her head was tilted, her long grey hair brushing his arm, and she looked completely baffled by the squiggly drawings.
"Not much of an artist, is he?" Adrian joked, following her gaze to a particularly ssy sketch that looked like a bunch of tangled lines. "I can’t even tell what that’s supposed to be."
’ W-wait a minute, is that?’
But then his own breath hitched in his throat when the fla in the lamp rose a little, increasing his vision.
Adrian quickly turned up the lamp without hesitation, His eyes, now adjusted, saw past the ssy lines. The drawing showed a humanoid figure with a wild, snake-like mane and a long serpentine lower half with two hands ending with sharp claws.
’ It’s her... I an, it looks like her but why and how does the doctor know of her?"
His blood ran cold. It wasn’t a perfect picture, but it was close enough. It resembled her for sure. There was no mistaking it. The first monster-girl he’d encountered, The one who had killed him. Was featured in the jotter, or perhaps another?
His heart started pounding nevertheless, not from fear but his own growing curiosity. He focused, his eyes flying to the description written neatly below the sketch.
Species: Gorgon (Lesser). The book said.
Natural Habitat: forests.
Note: Avoids direct sunlight for extended periods. Tends to go into hibernation during winter, they possess extrely large appetites but can go months without eating.
Warning: Highly apprehensive towards humans, will only be close to a human when kidnapping them for mating reasons.
...
He read on, his fingers trembling slightly. The entry listed everything. Their incredible speed, their territorial nature, their paralyzing shriek that could freeze a man in place for a few, vital seconds. It described their features, their size, their weaknesses.
Vulnerable to cold. Skin is tough but can be pierced by a well-placed strike to the throat or eyes.
They possessed Extre regeneration abilities, but severe trauma to the head or heart is usually fatal.
He skimd a few more pages, his mind reeling. There were entries for other things. Wendigo. Goblin. Vampire. Each one had descriptions, habits, weaknesses and so on.
It was at that mont that Adrian realised that this wasn’t just a doctor’s journal. It was a survival guide. A bestiary for those supernatural creatures the doctor had been talking about. It definitely didn’t contain every single one of them that hid in the dark corners of the world but at least it held a few.
He read for what felt like over an hour, completely absorbed, the horror of his own experiences now given nas and descriptions. The pressing pressure on his back never left. Finally, the words started to blur together signaling his exhaustion. Moreover, He realized the weight against his back was heavier than before.
He glanced over his shoulder only t
o see that Grey was fast asleep, her head lolling against his shoulder blade, her breathing deep and even. She had fallen asleep leaning on him.
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