A "man" of letters (OTA)

[iamhumanity]

That he now had bookshelves and a chair that sat next to a fireplace in which to read was a marvel. At first, the creature had crouched in his room long after the workmen had left, not daring to touch. It was only late that night when he'd lit the fire, sat in the chair, moving it to place it just right. He hadn't slept; it felt too decadent, too

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[cantoutstubborn]

With the sound of the door opening, Cat looked up and smiled at who her new customer was. "Hi."

[cantoutstubborn]

Cat smiled softly making a mental note that he'd probably like softer music. Soothing. "Okay those to start with but now that I know how your tastes run, I can recommend music for another time."

[iamhumanity]

The recommendations would be most welcome. The creature nodded, eyes still on Catherine's face. "Wh-what else is it th-that I n-n-need?"

[cantoutstubborn]

"That should be it for now." Catherine picked up the CDs. "Don't overwhelm yourself. When you're ready for more, you can come by again." She smiled over her shoulder at him.

[iamhumanity]

"'And in her looks, which from that time infused / sweetness into my heart,'" sighed the creature, following a few steps behind. With Catherine, he felt weak, yet not unsafe. It was an entirely new sensation.

[cantoutstubborn]

"That's beautiful." She tried to place where she'd heard it before but couldn't. "Is that something you read?"

[iamhumanity]

"Milton," he said, his face flushing. "Paradise Lost."

[cantoutstubborn]

"Oh. It's been a while since I've read that. How did you like it?" She was genuinely curious as to his take on that tale.

[iamhumanity]

"I... found it to b-be t-t-telling of hu-humanity," the creature answered. "Satan is the m-most r-relateable, don't you th-think?"

[cantoutstubborn]

Rather than say not really, Cat turned the question on him, as she hoped to get the Creature to say why he related to Satan.

"He's certainly charming." She agreed. "What is it about him that makes him relateable to you?"

[iamhumanity]

"Because he is the victim of a hateful maker. One who cares only for other things, not for h-him," answered the creature.

[cantoutstubborn]

Catherine went to touch him but paused, "is it alright if I touch you in comfort?" She knew that he had let her touch him but an unexpected touch, might bring an automatic learned response from abuse and cause more harm than good.

[iamhumanity]

Swallowing hard, the creature nodded, the movement jerky. Her hand, he knew, would be soft.

[cantoutstubborn]

Catherine reached out and gently put her hand on his forearm. "You know that the fault with not liking you or blaming you for your existence is Victor's fault. Not yours. You are a product of how he made you feel about yourself."

[iamhumanity]

"Wh-why would he m-make me, only to c-c-c-cast me away?" asked the creature, hurt flooding his voice.

[cantoutstubborn]

"I'm sorry. I wish I had an answer to that but the fault lies in him, not in you." Catherine assured him. "Abandoned kids have been asking themselves that for a long time."