Dienza was in a better mood after his shower and changing into a clean pair of shorts, having
managed to blissfully forget the implications of what his mother said. He stepped into the kitchen
and found Spiika helping Nereen with getting a trio of steaks and a pot of mixed diced vegetables
cooking on the stove. The smell was amazing, meaning that there must have been some spices left
around here after all.
     'You were... in there for a while.' Spiika said as he stepped up to the counter. 'You okay?'
     'I'm fine.' Dienza raised his arms above his head in a relaxing stretch. 'Whoever gets the third
shower tonight is probably gonna end up with a cold one.'
     'Wonderful.' Nereen rolled her eyes. 'I guess that will be me.'
     'It should be okay if you leave the water heater to top back up for a while.' Spiika offered. 'I'll just
wait until right before I go to bed.'
     'Are you sure?' Nereen asked. 'I mean, I wouldn't mind too much. It wouldn't be the first time,
living with Mister squeaky clean here.'
     'You're just jealous.' Dienza retorted before heading to the pantry. 'Where's your little friend? He
get away from you again?'
     'No, he's still here.' Nereen answered, pulling her hair aside and revealing the micen prone and
curled up at the base of her left ear. Teo had fallen asleep, or shaken himself unconscious in fear.
     'So what exactly is your plan with him?' Dienza asked, opening the pantry and turning to look
inside. The plate Nereen had left was still there. 'And why is this still here?' He pulled it out and set it
in the sink as he waited for his mother's answer.
     'Nostalgia.' Nereen told him, flipping the steaks in the pan and turning the heat on the stove
down slightly. 'I told you, he reminds me of a pet I used to have.'
     'Did the pet live in your hair too?' Spiika asked, amused.
     'Usually.' Nereen giggled. 'He used to pull on my hair when he wanted to go one direction, and
then I'd go the other way to tease him. But this one just keeps trying to hide, and run away if I stand
too close to something he can jump to. It's funny.'
     'He doesn't seem interested in jumping to the stove.' Spiika grinned. She searched a few of the
wall cabinets until Nereen pointed to one specifically. Spiika nodded and opened it, taking out three
plates and setting them along the counter. After this she arranged cutlery and carried the plates to
the table one after another once Nereen had deposited a steak and a pile of assorted vegetables to
each one.
     As they sat to eat, Nereen removed Teo from her hair and set him on the table a short distance
from her plate. At the sight of the food he almost rushed forward to grab some until Nereen blocked
his path with her fork and shook her head at him. The micen looked around, seeing similar mounds
of food on the plates of Spiika and Dienza but so far he seemed to favour his chances with Nereen
more than them. Or perhaps he was simply more afraid of the two leonas that had expressed
interest in eating him over the one that didn't.
     After a minute Nereen dropped a pea and a carrot cube to him. It took a few moments, but Teo
eventually realized that he was actually being fed directly. He seized the food pieces and took
several quick mouthfuls before realizing that Nereen was still staring at him.
     'U-umm. Thank you.' He shivered before lowering his gaze and continuing to eat, albeit far more
slowly.
     Once dinner was over, the three sat with full bellies and satisfied smiles. Teo had taken to sitting
near the edge of the table close to Nereen, a position that placed him as far from Spiika and Dienza
as possible.
     'He's still holding onto his fear.' Spiika grinned. 'How long does it take to earn a micen's trust?'
     'Sometimes weeks.' Nereen replied. 'But sometimes you don't need to.' Her lip curled into a smile
more sly than Dienza was used to seeing from his mother.
     'What does that mean?' He asked.
     'Means he's been staring at the pantry most of the night.' Nereen explained. 'Nervously trying to
make sure of something. If I was to venture a guess, I'd say the colony he came from is somewhere
behind or underneath it.' Teo flinched and stared back at her with a horrified look, taken by surprise
and unwillingly confirming her guess.
     'Sweet.' Dienza laughed. 'Who wants dessert?'
     'Me!' Spiika answered, almost in a singing voice as she followed Dienza over to the pantry. Teo
watched in frantic terror as Dienza opened both pantry doors as wide as they would go and
examined each shelf. He looked back at Nereen with frantic hope, but the leona woman just
scratched the micen behind his ears with a finger and smiled.
     'No!' Teo pushed her finger aside and dropped to his knees pleadingly. 'Stop them, please! There
are children in there.'
     Nereen seemed to respond to this a little more compassionately than before, but still took a few
moments before actually standing.
     'Found them!' Dienza called gleefully, before his tone seemed to shift. 'Wow... They're a bunch of
kids. Seriously. Fifteen, and there's like three adults.' He had lifted the bottom shelf in the pantry,
revealing the colony that had been built just beneath it between the kickboards.
     'In that case, they're off limits.' Nereen called, gesturing for him to replace the bottom shelf and
leave them alone. 'If there are only a few adults left, then they'll stay to look after the little ones.
You caught a few lately right? They'll have a hard enough time as it is.'
     '...Fine.' Dienza sighed. He replaced the shelf and stood. 'I guess the last one I caught was a treat
enough.' He walked slowly back over to the table and sat, drumming his fingers on the table in a
rapid and repetitive rhythm before his gaze came to rest on Teo and he smiled.
     'Do you have any idea how many orphans you created?' Teo glared back at him with contempt
clear on his face. 'My own mate... My sister. Her mate... I have sons, daughters... Nephews, nieces
who might never see their parents again. Does none of that mean anything to you, you... monster?!'
     Dienza just glared back silently, before standing and slamming his hand down on the table barely
an inch from where Teo stood. 'I can honestly say I don't.'
     The exchange was halted as Nereen returned to the table and scooped Teo back into her hand.
She looked down at him and shook her head scoldingly. 'Talk to a leona like that again and you're
going to get yourself killed.' She turned to Dienza, shaking her head at him too before pointing to the
living room. Dienza shrugged and left, walking to his bedroom instead before heading to the living
room with his guitar before jumping onto the couch and starting to play.
     'That was dramatic.' Spiika remarked. She had stayed beside the pantry the whole time. 'I'll clear
the table if you like?'
     'Thank you Spiika.' Nereen nodded. 'Could you put all the scraps onto one plate and leave it on
the top shelf? I'm going to have a shower, I won't be long.'
     'Sure.' The younger woman nodded. 'What about him?' She looked at Teo, once more curled up
in Nereen's grip.
     'Oh, can I trust you to hold him?' Nereen held him out. 'Don't eat him, unless of course he mouths
off again or tries to run away.'
     'Of course.' Spiika grinned. 'I'll keep him in line!' She held out her palm. Nereen brought Teo close
to her lips, whispering something before dropping him gently into Spiika's palm and leaving the
kitchen. Spiika did as she was asked, leaving Teo on top of her own head where he gripped tight to
her spiked hair as she left the food scraps where Nereen had told her. The micen was much calmer
now. Maybe out of fear, maybe out of realizing that Nereen at least did not have the same hunger
for his kind as the younger leonas did...

     The night went on to the sound of rapidly shredded guitar riffs and drum beats. Nereen put
together a dessert made from chocolate and ice cream. Dienza's mood had improved vastly since
he'd been playing guitar all night, and Spiika likewise had taken to singing along to add to the high
spirits. Nereen sat and listened with mixed expressions, while Teo sat compliant on top of her head.
     Eventually, Dienza's fingers throbbed with effort and his instrument hung loosely by its strap. He
dropped to his knees and laid himself down on the floor. 'I think I'm just gonna sleep here tonight.'
     Spiika slunk low to the floor and crept up beside him. 'Can I sleep on your side of the bed then? It
looks more comfy.'
     'No!' He retorted with a laugh. 'Keep to your own side!' He took a playful swipe at her, which she
returned by biting his hand. Dienza threw his guitar to the floor beside him and wrapped bot harms
around her tightly.
     'Mmmmh.' She moaned happily and relaxed on his chest. 'I'll just sleep here instead.' Her cheeks
nuzzled into his bare chest, causing them both to tremble slightly.
     'I think I might go to bed...' Nereen interrupted. 'Don't forget you both have work tomorrow.
Have a good night.' Dienza watched as she disappeared still carrying Teo, but thought better than to
ask any more questions.

     Another hour went past before either of them spoke. Dienza started to run his finger down her
back slowly before running it back up and down again. She stirred slowly, lifting her head to meet his
gaze with her own.
     'So how do you feel?' He asked softly.
     'What do you mean?' She returned. 'Feel about what?'
     'You've gone... three days now without a nip?' He said. 'Before that it was two. And then... two
again. So how are you doing?'
     '...Better.' She replied, sighing and dropping her head back onto his chest. 'I won't lie... I want
some. But I think being here has made it easier to cope.'
     'We should go to bed.' Dienza said. 'And I'm glad you're doing better.' He left it at that for now,
he would wait for another time to take this further. She may be doing well right now with him, but
he did not feel that it was at all healthy for her to depend on him for such things. He made to stir,
but she didn't move. After a little nudge, he realized she had fallen asleep on the spot.
     Smiling to himself, he carefully worked his way into a sitting position, lifting her with him before
standing and carrying her like an oversized infant to his bed. He returned to the kitchen shortly
afterwards, pouring himself a glass of water quietly and sitting at the table for a few minutes to drink
it. The sounds of those tiny footsteps rattled through the pantry the whole time.
     Another half hour passed before he finally stood and made his way back to the bedroom. Spiika
was sprawled on her belly with one arm reaching across to the opposite side of the bed. He sat and
carefully lifted her arm, sliding beside her and lying down before setting her arm down on his
shoulder. She reacted by pulling herself close to him immediately. Her arm wrapped tight around
him and her face buried into his chest once more.
     As he wrapped his own arm around her warm soft midsection, he found himself dearly hoping for
this all to work out.