For the unknown

[Rinka]

'Stay close and keep up?'
Did he seriously just tell her that after he had burned her foot and forced her to drain nearly all her magic to summon a beast that was only powerful enough to make him take on a more powerful form in order to slay it? Granted it had worn him out, but still.

Okay, so she could handle the magic drain, but walking on a burn was slowing her down. She truly did try to keep up, the gears were turning in her head once again and she was thinking that perhaps this was a tremendous opportunity for her.

If she could get on this man's good side there was a chance that he might be willing to help her with more difficult tasks such as acquiring a dragons egg, or Phoenix feather. Yes she could summon the beasts, but they wouldn't just give her such precious items. With his power she could only imagine what sort of rare ingredients they could get, what sort of spell she could conjure. Oh yes.. she wanted this.

"I do indeed..." That was probably as much of an answer as he was going to get about her home without finding it himself. Her door was open to strangers, yes, but not to those who would find it entertaining to burn to the ground when he's bored. It wasn't like she needed to ask about where he lived since they were headed there, though she was surprised he actually lived in or near town as well.

[kazen]

Kazen seems slightly surprised at her answer but decides it shouldn't be surprising at all since she was in the other town. He also noticed she was lagging behind, at first he thought she was just tired, but then noticed she was slightly limping and decided something was wrong with her foot, so he slowed down some so she could keep up easier. Nodding in response, he casually looks up at the sky as they walk.

"So, I take it you know magic if you summoned a dragon? Where did you learn it?"

Glances around as they pass some vendors, wondering if he should stop and get more food since he would be having this "guest" for a while.

[Rinka]

Eyeing him warily, Rin wasn't exatly sure what to think when he slowed down. Truth be told she had half-expected him to call her out for lagging behind more and try commanding her to go faster. He didn't seem the thoughtful type, so perhaps it was more likely he simply wanted to keep a close eye on her to prevent any escape.

"Indeed I do. The basics I learned from my mother. The 'summonin' was merely an invatation though, that dragon couldda chosen not to answer. Like most of my magic I be self-taught from books an scrolls." It wasn't often Rin had the change to speak of her mother. In fact wasn't even often she was in town. Did they clean that street since the last time she was here?

Shaking her head, Rin followed the man's gaze around at the vendors, curious as to what he would want and if he just took what he wanted or not. She would ask, but for the time being she'd let him ask what he wished.

[kazen]

Kazen listens to her answer, not surprised she learned her magic from a family member. After a few more steps he stops and looks around at the stalls then to her.

"Hey, I'm going to stop and get food, is there anything you want for when we get to my place?"

Thinking about it, he needed to do some shopping anyways, he was starting to run low on supplies either way so two birds with one stone.

[Rinka]

Rinka blinks at the offer, not having come to expect this from him either. It was just so... so... normal? After what happened to her, seeing his desplay of power and a bit of rage, it was hard to link that word to him in any way. At least it was a good thing he went shopping like any normal person.

Eyeing around the town, it seemed well stocked with a variety of things. He did ask for her input.

"That depends on what you already have. Fish? Steak? Seasonings? Mayhap a bit of bread, onions, tomatoes celantro, salt, lemons?" She could indeed go on if he let her by asking if there was anything else- serious or joking. For now though she stopped to see his reaction to her suggestions.

[kazen]

Kazen had expected her to only say one or two things and was slightly thrown off by her answering over half a dozen items. Looking around, he spots a stall that sells fish and points to it.

"How about fish for now and get to the rest later?"

He then looks around and spots several other stalls with things he needed and proceeded to get everything before heading back for the gate.

[Rinka]

Nodding, Rinka picks out quite the large fish, execting him to pay for his new 'pet'. She could get use to this if she hadn't a home elsewhere. "Alright, but I hope you have more than this back at your home, eating fish plain is simply no good"

To an extent, even Rin would admit that she's rather... picky, with her meals. Like her summinings, they had to live up to her expectations or they were indeed 'no good'.

Wandering the town to different stalls with him still made her nervous though. She fidgetted often, trying to balancing out her weight even with the burn. It was a huge relief when they started heading toward a gate, there were too many people closing in on her for her to stay calm much longer.

[kazen]

As they walk, Kazen notices Rin fidgeting once and a while, but decides not to say anything. They leave the gate and go a decent ways down the road before turning off and heading into a nearby woods. After walking for a while, Kazen decides that they should stop and rest.

"Let's stop for a little while, regain some of our strength."

He walks over to a nearby tree and sits next to it, leaning against it and looking around the area.

[Rinka]

Feeling the soft forest floor beneath her padded feet at least put Rin more at ease. She was more at home surrounded by wood, dirt, and the sounds of the forest. What she was also grateful for was the rest after they had walked for some time. "Gladly"

Getting up into a tree wasn't as easy without one of her feet, but she managed, feeling safer up high. Laying down on the first branch she could reach, Rin pulled up her foot to examine.

It appeared that the fire had burned away the padded skin on the bottom of her feet, making it quite an ugly shade of pink and highly sensitive like any normal foot. It would take a few days for it to toughen back up.. but she would just have to stay off it as much as possible. Even with the possibility of the rawness getting an infection from the forest floor, she absolutely refused to wear any sort of awkward... foot clothing, or bandage it. Besides...
It made her walk funny.

[kazen]

Kazen watches her climb the tree and examine her foot, making a mental note to look at that later. Sighing, he half fell asleep for a little while so she could rest. After a while he gets up and calls to her that they're leaving. After a few minutes of silent walking, Kazen decides to start another conversation.

"So, Rin, I'm guessing you don't go to town much, you live out in some forest like this don't you?"

[Rinka]

It was rather interesting that the man should be so confident in his power that he dozed just for a few minuets with her around. This was good for her, something she could take advantage of later, but for now she stayed up in her tree, taking what little rest she could before they were up and moving once more.

The silence didn't feel awkward to her, being use to not having anyone around to converse with. In reality it actually felt awkward talking to him, answering questions.

"I do not. I merely go there for things I can't be findin' on the ground, or in trees. I am glad that you seem to find your home here as well despite your... hobbies.."

[kazen]

Kazen looks at her, clearly offended by her comment.

"Hey, you try finding something entertaining to do that won't get you attacked by an army of militia when you are half demon."

Thinking back, Kazen decides that the least he could do was let a few people escape his attacks, instead of just killing everyone outright. He shrugs and makes a little flame in his hand which  he makes do little "tricks" in his hand.

[Rinka]

Did he look... offended? Was this truly the man that she had fought? Who had burned a town to the ground? There was just so much about him that seemed opposite to the fiery caster in that charred land.

Noting him only being half demon, perhaps the split personality did make some sense. Not a lot, but some. In her rituals Rin had called upon and dealt with many demons and evil spirits alike, no half-demons though. "Though I be no a demon, I find many ways to keep myself entertained on lonely days or nights with no passerby. Take care of garden, or study new spell to learn." She pauses for a second, "And, if I be in the mood, I play trick on towns people with spirits"

Once the man brought out the flame, it drew Rin's attention, making her eyes follow the light through its tricks. She had long gotten over her fear of fire, needing the source of heat to keep warm and cook over, but she never thought it should be played with like some toy. So she watched it carefully, just waiting for it to leap out and try devouring something.

[kazen]

Kazen notices her staring at the flame, and he smirks and decides to put on a little show. He slowly makes the flame bigger and gives it s shape, forming a little fire dragon in his hand which he makes fly around, then breath a little flame, all the while careful not to set anything on fire, then extinguishes it.

Chuckling, he glances at Rin as they walk. "Sure, that is fun once and a while, but the same trick over and over can get old fast, don't you think?"

[Rinka]

Even though Rin keeps her eyes on the flame and anywhere it 'flies' and breathes more fire, she's no where near entertained. Just the opposite in fact. The hair at the back of her neck stands on edge and a barely audible growl vibrates low in her throat.

Once it's put out, only then does she return her attention to the man, raising an eyebrow at his laughter.

"It can indeed, but the same trick is not played, you would be surprised by the different things spirits come up with. Occasionally I even summon a lesser demon, perhaps I even summoned you at one point." She doubted she had ever managed to summon him. She wasn't even sure she had ever summoned a half-demon, though some did look questionably human.

[kazen]

Kazen just shakes his head at her comment. "I've never been summoned, and I never plan to be, listening to someone else's orders just seems dull, I'm surprised you agreed to follow mine."

He sighs and keeps walking, glancing around from time to time like he's looking for something.

[Rinka]

"Obeyin the order's also come with its own rewards. If ya choose to accept ya get whatever your summoner has offered ya. Like the dragon had taken some of my blood and dagger. Although I suppose ya must also pick your battles.." The idea to attempt to summon him was pretty tempting, Rin wondered if it could even work with the right runes... and his name.

It wasn't too long before she noticed his gaze wandering. She looked around as well, searching for something out of the ordinary. "We be lost?"

[kazen]

Kazen seems to snap out of something as she talks and shakes his head.

"No, we aren't lost, just checking some of my wards I have set up around here, seeing if any need to be replaced."

Kazen points ahead of them. "We're almost there." He then speeds up some as they get nearer, casually pushing aside brush as they near his home.

[Rinka]

He was seeming a bit spacey now.
It hadn't been long since their fight had ended, but already Rin was begining to see this man as more of a person than a mindless creature bent on chaos.

"I see..." Looking closer she tried to pick out the wards. Perhaps she could try messing with them, make some improvements, add on. It was her life's study to make the best of such things, and had the urge to experiment again.

Looking on as he sped up, Rinka did her best to keep up, feeling a bit stronger but still needing a cat nap. "How exciting."

[kazen]

After a while, Kazen pushes aside a bush and grins. "We're here." He walks to the center of the clearing to a stone sticking out of the ground. Other then the stone, the only other notable thing about the clearing was a few charred patches of grass.

Smiling, Kazen placed his hand on the stone, muttering something under his breath. A rune then appeared on the top of the stone and it rose up, creating a portal above the stone.

Glancing back at Rin, Kazen motions for her to follow him as he steps through the portal.

[Rinka]

It was fairly empty, some of ground had even been burnt away; possibly by a certain someone. As Rin came closer, the next thing she noticed was that he seemed almost... excited, to be showing her his home. In a way, it didn't exectly surprise her, she didn't think he had many visitors or guests.

Thoughts of some sort of creepy haunted house crossed her mind, or perhaps a large, empty house, with a big chandelier. Either broken, creepy, or expensive was what she expected.

Whatever it was like, she was soon standing before the portal looking in. He had already stepped through, this could be her chance to escape. She could just turn around right now and have nothing more to do with him...

Sighing, Rin stepped through the portal after the man.

[kazen]

Stepping out of the portal, Kazen looks around at his home with a smile.

 It wasn't anything fancy, a big main room, with a few smaller ones that branched off of it, with the average furniture, a couch and a few chairs with a fireplace and a few tables. It had one big window by one wall, but other then that it looked relatively plain.

Walking in, Kazen jumps onto the couch, stretching and quickly relaxing into it. He opens one eye as Rin steps through the portal and grins at her. "Welcome, make yourself at home. I don't get many visitors, so sorry if it isn't anything grand, but it's home for me."

[Rinka]

Nothing but surprises seemed to come her way. Even if the place was plain to him, it was new and different to her. Automatically she wanted to look around and explore, taking the time to go look into every corner.

Her place didn't have windows, or 'fancy' furniture at all. She had never actually been in a house with these things, even the fireplace peeked her interest, it looked quite warm and comfortable to sleep in. The couch would have been the ideal place for her to curl up and nap on, but instead she settled for exploring the side rooms instead since he quickly took control of it, going to find the kitchen to put things away. Perhaps if she found a bedroom she could lay down there for awhile.

"You be havin' a very nice home. I think it quite grand."

[kazen]

After watching Rin explore for a little, Kazen follows her into the kitchen.

"Thanks, it's nothing special, what's yours like?"

He watches her putting things away for a minute before also asking, "Do you want anything to eat? I know that walk may not have been easy for you since your foot was hurt."

[Rinka]

Keeping out the fish out, Rin raided his cabinets for whatever spices she could get out of them, flinching if she has to reach up for anything. "My home? It be much simpler than what ya be havin' here. Have One big room on bottom, my smaller room on top where I sleep in bed." A bad of straw, maybe, but it was extremely warm and kept out the cold in winter, "Not be havin' no fancy kitchen, glass, or couch to jump on."

Rin shrugged, feeling hungry but making him lunch first for him to try. She always demanded her guest eat first out of courtesy and lived for the opinions of her food, which were normally very positive. It was a bit odd though, this was the man that tried to kill her but she felt perfectly fine cooking him lunch? Was he secretly playing her instead of the other way around..? "Ya need not be worryin' 'bout me, I will eat when ready."

Staying in one spot and leaning all her weight to her good foot, Rin was perfectly capable of standing long enough to cook the fish for him. "If ya like though, ya can start the fire to cook this over." She wasn't sure if he had an actual stove or just a fire like herself, but he would know what she meant hopefully.

[kazen]

Kazen shrugs at her request for a fire and walks over to a stove he had set up in a corner of the kitchen. Holding out his hand, he quickly creates a fire in the stove and walks out of the kitchen. He walks over to a locked door, opening it and stepping into his personal room. The bed and table on the opposite wall are nothing fancy, but on one wall is completely filled with many big shelves full of books, and the other side is a small armory, filled with weapons and armor he'd scavenged and restored from places he's raided, more because he liked their designs or they had some enchantment. Quickly scanning the shelves, he picks out a book be had been reading the other day and walks back out into the main room, locking the door behind him and sitting in one of the various chairs and begins reading while he waits for Rin to finish cooking.

[Rinka]

Hm, fire magic. Good for causing chaos and practical kitchen uses, perhaps Sir weakness could make a good housewife. The thought struck a funny cord and she smiled down at the fish, starting to purr as she's entertained by the thought of having a house wife. It did seem as though he lived alone, so maybe he even knew how to cook? She'd have to make a request, and if she could somehow convince him to help clean and get in the habit of it that would be perfect. The purring grew louder at the base of her throat, threatening to over flow and actually cause her to start laughing out loud.

Invading any cubers and cabinets she could, she deboned the fish, cooked it, and cut it up within an hours time, soon returning to the main room with it laying on a plate. Her thoughts wandered away from their entertaining thoughts about a demonic housewife, her purring fading away with them. Returning and finding him in a chair now instead with some book, she wasn't about to let him cause her food to get cold. She came right on over to stand over him and offer the plate.

"Here you are, eat it while it's hot." For most people, this was just a saying and suggestion, from Rinka, it was a demand.

[kazen]

Putting his book down, Kazen looks up at her then at the food. Nodding, he takes the plate and looks at the food for a second.

Kazen thinks "Well, maybe it WAS worth keeping her alive after all if she's gonna do chores for me."

He takes a bite and chews slowly, deciding if he likes it or not before quickly gobbling down the rest. He sighs and chuckles "That was good, do you cook for many people or just yourself?" He stands and takes his plate back into the kitchen and checks if there's more.

[Rinka]

Rinka made her way over to the couch to lay down and watched him take the first bite with an intense look, as if daring the food to taste anything less than delicious. The fact that he quickly devoured the rest was a good enough answer for her. She relaxed back into the couch, grateful for the relief off her foot, but the confirmation he gave when finished was still appreciated.

"Depends. I usually be cookin' for myself, but every now and then someone wanders by my home and spends the night so I get the chance to cook for two." While he got up and went back to the kitchen, Rin took the time to remove all the jewelry covering her, hiding them under the couch out of habit. With that done, she curled up in a tight ball, taking up just a fraction of it now.

[kazen]

Quickly finishing off the fish, leaving some of it for Rinka, Kazen puts away his plate and utensils and walks back into the main room to find Rinka curled up on the couch. Assuming she's asleep, as quietly as he can he walks over to the chair he was in and continues to read his book, glancing at Rinka from time to time to make sure she's still asleep.

After a while of watching Rinka sleep, he notices her jewels she was wearing when she got there were missing. Putting down his book, he does a quick search and finds them under the couch.

Thinking to himself "Well, that's really no place for jewels" he quietly takes them from under the couch, making sure not to wake her. He quickly takes the jewels and his book back to his room, putting the book away and setting the jewels aside, knowing she'll want them back and wishing to examine them later.

Walking back out to the main room, he quietly and carefully sits next to Rinka, curious why this weird cat-woman thing agreed to be his pet. Sure, it was that or die, but he would have thought that she would have at least begged to be set free, trying to offer something in exchange for her life, as many before her had. Instead, she had not hesitated to agree to his terms, which surprised him to this moment. Sighing quietly, he leans back and waits for her to wake up.