Kilnor kept a fraction of his attention on the small female as he ate his food bar, trying not to grimace at the bland, paper like taste. It didn't matter what it tasted like, he told himself, he needed to keep up his strength if he was going to get out of here. And he was going to get out of here, or die trying.

He swallowed the last mouthful, grimacing as the dry lump caught in his throat. He could not wait to eat real food again. With the food bar sitting uncomfortably in his stomach, the next part of his routine was exercise. He stretched himself out onto the floor, feeling every muscle in his body twinge and protest - a cold cell floor did not a restful nights sleep make.

Keeping count in his head, he started his push ups, enjoying the feel of his muscles flexing, the slight burn that reminded him he was alive and planning to stay that way. He was about halfway through his routine, and slightly out of breath, when he felt the female's attention return to him, her eyes leaving a hot trail over his skin. Her attention didn't waver for the rest of his routine. He stood slowly, shaking out his muscles, before opening his own bottle of water. He made eye contact with her as he broke the seal and took a few slow steady sips.

Her cheeks turned red, and he wondered why that was - it was an interesting reaction to have - he couldn't fathom a purpose for the odd colour-changing. If it were supposed to make her look more intimidating, it didn't do a good job. She was too little for that - too fragile, with none of the toned musculature the Miotalan women commonly had. Her pale white skin was equally non-threatening, translucent enough that Kilnor could see the delicate web of her veins in places. Her eyes seemed huge in her face, and her pupils were round and large - making her look cute, like a child's soft toy.

She was shifting on the spot, evidently disinterested by her surroundings.

Get used to it, Kilnor thought with a tinge of bitterness, it's not going to get better any time soon.

He was just about to return to his exercise routine when a sound gurgled through the room. He tilted his head, confused, and noticed as the red beneath Sunny's skin deepened. The sound echoed again, and he recognised it for what it was - a complaining stomach.

Why hasn't the female - Sunny - eaten?

He noticed the food bar lay untouched at her feet, and fought the urge to snarl. Foolish female. Did she not know to take food when it was given? If she was holding out for a higher class of cuisine, she was going to be sorely disappointed. Muscles tensed with irritation, he strode across the room once more, ignoring her flinch.

With once sweeping movement, he picked up the food bar from the floor and deposited it in her hands.

"Eat," he commanded.

Her eyebrows gathered together, soft wrinkles forming in her forehead, before she opened her mouth and a spout of unintelligible gibberish came out.

To quieten her, he placed one finger against her lips, ignoring her flinch at the movement. He was momentarily distracted from his task by the feel of her lips against his finger. They were soft, softer than anything he could remember feeling. He frowned slightly - her temperature seemed cooler than it ought to be. A puff of breath on his finger drew his attention back to her stubborn refusal to eat the food bar, and he pressed the bar further into her hands.

"Eat," he repeated, his voice slightly louder than before.

She took the bar from his hand, but Kilnor had no chance to bask in his victory, as no sooner had she taken the food bar, she dropped it back on the floor, folding her arms defiantly over her rather - he couldn't help but notice - plentiful chest.

"No," she replied.

Kilnor wasn't sure what she'd said, but from her tone and body language, he presumed it was in the negative.

"For Natair's sake, female," he cried, shoving the dropped food bar back at her. "Do you want to starve?"

She recoiled from his loud tone, shying back into her corner, and Kilnor immediately felt guilty for scaring her. She was so small after all, and he was not. He had no doubt he could restrain her if he so chose, and from the wide-eyed panicked look in Sunny's eyes, she knew it too.

He softened his voice, and pushed the food bar back towards her.

"You need to eat, Sunny," he said.

To his delight, she took the proffered food bar and didn't immediately drop it. Instead, using exaggerated movements, she attempted to open it, and Kilnor watched with no small amount of amusement, as the plastic wrapping refused to yield. Understanding her frustration, he reached for her again. She watched him warily, but made no move to withdraw as he took her hand in his, gently spreading her fingers and carefully tracing each fingernail.

It appeared his initial impression of her being delicate was correct - whilst not quite as soft as her lips, her skin was still remarkably smooth beneath his fingers, and each finger was topped with little nails, pale pink and utterly useless. He gave her back her hand and took back the food bar, tearing it open with ease.

She smiled tentatively as she took back the food bar, finally lifting it to her mouth. He watched as the smile was quickly replaced by a frown as she tried to tear a piece off.

Dear Natair, how had her race survived?

Reaching out for her once more, he pushed aside the soft plushness of her lips against his fingers, and held her firmly as she tried to buck away. He ran a finger over her teeth, marvelling at their dullness and ignoring her attempt to bite him. If he had thought her fingernails were useless, it seemed her teeth were even more so.

He let go of her abruptly, taking the food bar from her once more, bringing it to his own mouth. With short, sharp snaps of his teeth, he broke the bar into small pieces, feeding them to her even as she continued to frown. She appeared to be trying to yell at him, Kilnor noted with some amusement, an action he impeded by shoving a piece of the bar in her mouth every time she opened it. Like he'd expected, despite her front teeth being completely inadequate for tearing, the others were acceptable and capable of grinding the pieces of bar.

He didn't stop until the last piece had been swallowed, and only then did he move away. She was still scowling at him.

Ungrateful female, Kilnor thought with a roll of his eyes, before he left her to her corner and returned to his.

A/N: As always, let me know what you think!  If you're enjoying the story, please leave a comment and vote!