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

His words would've been effective had her story really been completely true, but since it wasn't, it had the opposite effect. She did have her whole life ahead of her even if it was bound to be short with Tarhuinn. That's why she had started all of this: to live longer. Will's words only motivated her more to get him to travel to the pixies. Once the deal was made, Tarhuinn and she could move on. Tarhuinn most likely wouldn't just walk out of the area without causing trouble, but she would convince him one way or another to let it go for the time being.

Perhaps, she would've had a much longer life had she never listened to Tarhuinn's calls and remained in her room, but she would've been locked away for it all. Could one really call that living? To her, this was the better alternative. Even more so was it because, in the beginning, she might've not had this opportunity had Tarhuinn not been willing.

Looking to the mage before her, (f/n) nodded her head but continued to wear her saddened expression. "Thank you. I'll think on it." He responded with a warm smile before his attention returned to the cooking fish.

Getting up, he grabbed two bowls and spoons before he came back to the table. Soon enough, the soup was served. She thanked him for the meal, glad that it wasn't some questionable meat. (F/n) wrapped her hands around the bowl at first to warm them up even more. When she took her first bite, she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips. It tasted delicious. The eighteen year old found herself gobbling down the meal only to have a chuckle reach her ears.

Glancing out of the corners of her eyes, she noted Will quite amused. "I must say that I should've searched for you out in those woods if you like my cooking that much. It's a nice change from the complaints of my sister and her friends. Not to mention your difference in eating techniques."

Heat invaded her cheeks a little bit. She hadn't meant to be so obvious, but it really did taste amazing. Part of it might be, though, that she hadn't had a warm meal in several days. There were was the bread, but it didn't compare to this. "Sorry, all the running made me hungrier than I realized." (F/n) glanced down to the bowl, still embarrassed, and ate with her spoon more delicately.

"There's no reason to hold yourself back. Like I said, it's a welcome change. All of them would typically eat with a doubtful look on their faces and slowly as though they could make something better out of the resources around here. They were rather ungrateful."

Giving him a side glance, she analyzed his face as though she were seriously debating his words. She pressed her lips together before she looked back to the soup. In the next instant, she went back to her old eating style. Another chuckle hit her ears, but she took it as approval. So far, she seemed to only be on his good side unless everything he did he adjusted to his victim's personality.

Over the course of the meal, which was short-lived for her, she went back to asking various questions of him. They weren't anything serious since she wished to keep the conversation on less sensitive topics. Despite the simplicity of the questions, any information could be turned against him in one way or another. There was just the issue of whether he was answering them truthfully or not. She had tried to discern what information wasn't falsified, but it ended up bringing no success.

From the various questions, she learned things like his favorite color, food, season and activities. He happened to like the color green, but, on occasion, it would switch to blue. For food, he preferred meat, though; he didn't specify the type. His favorite season was winter since it made preserving foods easier. Will mentioned that he doesn't have to use as much magic, which leaves him a little more energy for the day. As for activities, he preferred cooking and fishing.

Everything pointed to his hidden nature. The color green not so much, but she had a suspicion that he had said blue because she was wearing a blue dress. For the meat, it was most definitely human flesh, and preserving it was important. He couldn't let his house smell like rotting corpses. Concerning his activities, cooking was obvious enough, but fishing could also mean fishing for women. Or maybe, he also did like the regular sort of fishing.

"Maybe, you could show me how to fish, then. It might be a good skill for me when I decide to leave your hospitality."

Instead of answering her immediately, he began to laugh. At first, she thought the reason was because he had no intention of letting her leave until she remembered the bathing incident. "Bluebell, I think that you know how to fish well enough."

She puffed out her cheeks. Her arms crossed over her chest before she looked away from him. "You deserved every fish thrown at you. I probably should've thrown ten more at you. That would've kept you from looking for a long time."

Laughing some more, he agreed. "It surely would've, but do you honestly want to learn how to fish? It can be quite boring at times. There's a lot in this area, but many of them aren't as willing to be caught as the clinglob. Even then, clinglobs only like to attach themselves to smooth surfaces."

"Yes, it might not be fun all the time, but it's a useful skill. I need to learn how to provide for myself if the situation asks for it. I'm not going to find a nearby cabin with a compassionate mage every time life brings its troubles."

An arrogant smirk touched his lips. "No, I suppose that you won't. I'm quite a host." He placed his knuckles on his hips and puffed out his chest. "This pose says it all." A laugh did escape her lips. Whether it was genuine or not, she couldn't tell. Not being able to determine its nature worried her some, but she couldn't let that cloud her expression.

Dropping his stance, he wore a more caring countenance. "Of course if you ever find yourself in trouble again, you're more than welcome to come back here. My home will always be open to you, Bluebell." He stood up and grabbed both of their empty bowls. Will stood in front of her for a little longer than expected.

Inspecting his gaze, it almost seemed like he wished to kiss her, but he refrained and turned around. Thankful, she mentally sighed before her eyes followed his movement. "And, I appreciate that. I don't know where I'll go after this, so it's nice to know that I'll have a place to return to. Your sister and her friends wouldn't mind, though?"

He placed the dishes in the dish bucket. The sound of the wooden bowls hitting each other resonated throughout the room. There was a long pause, which was odd. Will had talked about them before with no trouble. Now, it was as though she had said something that had greatly offended him. "I apologize if I said something that I shouldn't have."

"No, you're fine. I was just remembering something." He picked up the bucket and walked by her. Will rested his left hand on her left shoulder. "There are some books in my room's desk. They're in the upper right hand drawer. You can grab them and entertain yourself for the day. I'm going to go wash these and do some work outside. We can go fishing tomorrow." With that, he headed out and closed the door behind him.

Whatever he just remembered, it might do her well to find out what it was. Despite all the smiles and warm gestures he made towards her, that beast always seemed to be lurking nearby since it had first made its appearance. Before he had left, however, it was gone. Maybe, he was faking it. To her, though, genuine grief had filled his gaze. It was as though the brightness in his green eyes had vanished completely. Then and there, the madness had entirely left him.

(F/n) needed to discover what caused such a reaction. In that memory, she might find his true weakness. It might be terrible of her to exploit something like that, but she was dealing with a man who had taken advantage of multiple women. He had ended who knew how many lives and continued the practice with a monstrous grin. Will was only asking for something like this to happen to him.

The male's talk of his sister did raise suspicion. She was beginning to think that he may very well have or had one. This sister might be the key to solving the time puzzle before her. Getting up and going into the next room over, she was tempted to explore his belongings, but she didn't know if he had spelled them in some way. If she touched certain ones, he might very well know of it. So, she refrained from curiosity.

There was a way to discover this male's secrets by merely talking to him. She was sure of it. Already, she had gotten quite far in less than a single day. If she continued on this path, her reward would come shortly.

Opening the drawer that he had mentioned, she found two books inside. One was a book of children's tales. The other was a guide on what was edible in the wilderness, which would prove quite useful. Still, she picked up both and closed the drawer. It might do her well to switch between the two so that her mind could have a break from reading over a guidebook. (F/n) seated herself on the bed and lay back against the headboard. She set the books down, took off her boots, placed them in the same fashion as last night and pulled the covers over herself to keep warm before she opened the guidebook and began to read.