[Introduction] A horrid turn of events

[regency_twihard]

The coach ride to Bath proves utterly imperilous, with no great calamity than a stop at an inn -- its taproom sadly lacking in sinisterly scarred ruffians or raddled wenches with sharp tongues, much less a kitchen with a fat, surly chef cuffing the kitchen boys. Once they resume their journey, they nearly turn back to the inn, when Mrs. Allen

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[misborncat]

A little farther in the forest is a cottage and just outside is a young man smoking some meat while roasting a hare on a spit. He tends to cook outside, feeling that inside is more The Merlin's domain, but it has the side effect of allowing the tasty smells to carry far and wide.

Asato is bundled up a bit, with a hat that he's cut holes in for his ears and a scarf around his neck. His sword isn't too far away and over all he might give one the impression of some kind of hermit way out in the forest.

[regency_twihard]

Aredhel likely has warned Catherine about going deep into the woods, but she's ventured further in, following the well-worn paths there, and imagining that Robin Hood and his merry men might be camped somewhere about. Thus, when she smells the woodsmoke and the scent of cooking, she quickens her pace, wondering if her fancies might come true.

On reaching the cottage and spying what appears to be a young man by the fire, she pauses, watching him curiously for a long moment. Then she steps closer, leaning in carefully to get a better look at him. "Excuse me, are you the keeper ofvthe forest?" she asks.

That's when she notices his ears and her jaw drops in surprise.

[misborncat]

"No," Asato says simply. "I'm Asato. I live here. Who are you?" His ears flick forward a bit as his tail swings slightly behind him.

[regency_twihard]

"I'm Catherine Morland, from Fullerton," she says, dropping a curtsy. Which is when she notices the peculiar man's tail. "Are you... are you a cat?" This is mind-boggling: it's certainly not a costume, as the tail appears to be moving by itself.

[misborncat]

More strange names and places he hasn't heard of. "Yes, I'm a cat. We are called Ribika. Are you new here?"

[regency_twihard]

"Oh, yes, I only just arrived here," she says. "I was having a horrid dream while I was riding with some friends to Bath, and I somehow ended up in this place instead of finding a way out of the forest about which I was dreaming. Are you a huntsman here?" She's already imagining Asato as the last of his kind, exiled to a strange forest and finding shelter with some kindly hermit who lives in the cottage.

[misborncat]

Well, in a way she's actually fairly close. He's not the last of his kind, but he is the only one here and he was more or less exiled from his home...

"I suppose I am. In a way." He glances at his food cooking. "Are you hungry?"

[regency_twihard]

"I am a little," she says, peering at the hare cooking on the fire. It's how she imagines smugglers and other rascals must cook their meals: not the most tidy, but rather romantic in its own way. "I've been walking through the grounds for most of the day."

[misborncat]

He nods to the fire. "Come sit then. I have enough to share." He's even found some wild onions and berries to offer.

[regency_twihard]

She approaches the fire, and if there is a stump or a rock to sit on, she perches herself on it. "You're very kind and generous, Mister Asato," she says, holding her hands out toward the fire to warm them. "So do you live here in the forest alone, or are there others here?"

[misborncat]

"No," he says, moving to turn the hare a bit and to pull out another plate for his guest. "I live out here with others. Merlin and I share this house, and a man named Tristan lives out here somewhere as well."

[regency_twihard]

Her eyebrows rise and her jaw drops. "Merlin? You mean, Merlin the magician? The great wizard?" Maybe this place is some antechamber to Camelot. Perhaps Arthur the King is buried here, perhaps the Grail will descend here...

[misborncat]

Asato blinks. "I don't know. I suppose so? He has magic." He didn't know Merlin was famous or anything.

[regency_twihard]

"He is famous in my country," she says. "Stories are told of his talents and his deeds."

[misborncat]

"Oh... Well, I'm sure you'll meet him and you can ask him if he's the same." Since Asato can't think of any reason why someone famous would want to be around him.

He moves to cut some of the meat from the hare and adds a few roasted onions and half of a potato. Placing it all on a plate, he holds it out to her. "Here."

[regency_twihard]

She accepts the plate gratefully. "Thank you, Master Asato, it smells delicious!" She almost starts to look for a knife and fork, but realizes she's not likely to find either. So she delicately picks up a bit of meat in her fingers and bites into it, chewing it carefully.