Dusma Village

It was not until he reached the edge of town that Raul dared to come to a complete stop and swing around to see if anyone have pursued him. Judging the area to be clear, Raul sighed in relief and crouched down to catch his breath and recover from his flight.

"Must be nice to have someone like that" Raul pondered aloud, a peculiar yet bad habit of his. He had never really had a girlfriend, yet alone a lover. There was a girl that he was interested in once, but she left his village long ago in search of wealth and fame. Raul had always wondered if Alira ever found what it was she sought. Shaking such thoughts away, Raul stood up as his breathing normalized again. It was time he entered town. Although people of his race had unusually fast healing abilities, if the bones were not set correctly than there was a chance he would lose full mobility of his fingers in his broken hand. "Even villages like this should have something like a healer..... or at least someone who can use more than one hand to treat themselves". With that justification Raul steeled his nerve and walked along the dirt path that led into the heart of the small village.

The argument hadn't reached a satisfying conclusion, but Caine could tell it was the best he was going to get. She knew he was keeping something from her, though he hadn't really dared to hope she wouldn't notice. Whether she knew of it was of little importance. She wasn't going to find out what it was. He shook his head, to himself rather than in response. Whatever.

"Fine. Let's go." He answered curtly, and led the way. The walk wasn't too long, and he did not speak, listening and looking out for others. He was by no means a social person, and he certainly didn't want some stupid human to turn up at the wrong moment. He didn't want strangers - more strangers, he amended irritably - involved in this. It was between him and Fiona. He wouldn't even get this David involved it he could help it. Fiona hadn't replied to his earlier question, but he was confident that he was right and she hadn't told the flirt to back off, or better still, used stronger terms. He pushed the thought from his mind forcefully, knowing that if he dwelt too long on the subject he would get angry again.

They reached their home, a small, modest cottage. Caine wasn't one for luxuries, so the furnishings were minimal, especially as they hadn't been here long, though Fiona had added her own touch. It was poky, and he couldn't stand up straight on the second floor, but it was clean and functional. Living room, kitchen, dining room downstairs, a pair of bedrooms and the bathroom upstairs. There was no garden, but who needed one when the forest was at your back door? They were placed on the very outskirts of Dusma. He'd figured they'd need their privacy, not wanting any undue attention from any hostile villagers, and certainly not wanting neighbours interrupting their frequent fights, playful or otherwise.

Stepping inside, he went to the kitchen to unpack their groceries, leaving Fiona to do as she wished and pretending to ignore her, though in reality he was listening out for her movements. Maybe she would calm down, or maybe she would just sulk for hours. She couldn't exactly do any worse than she already had. No, he relented with an inward sigh. She could do a lot worse. That was the problem.

Caine

Caine finished putting away the groceries in grudging silence, constantly watching the bedroom door from the corner of his eye. He wished Fiona would come out already. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to her, but the tense atmosphere was becoming unbearable and it had to be broken somehow. Just not by him... no. He wanted to let her do it, let her cave and come out. His back stiffened with resolve. Yes, she would do it.
About an hour passed without signs of the door even budging. Impatient and frustrated, Caine started chopping up some vegetables for a stew. He aggressively hacked at them, putting the cut pieces into a pot of boiling water. He was an awful cook - he knew that. But he didn't care; that's what she would get for making him wait. If she so much as complained about the food...
Caine heaved a sigh as he paced. Still no Fiona. The stew was done and getting cold. He finally sat down at the table and ate in brewing silence. He wouldn't call her, check on her, or ask if she was hungry. He was that stubborn.
Wanting to coax her out, Caine emptied the remaining stew into a bowl and then noisily knocked the heavy pot onto the floor. The bang was quite loud. That should lure her out, he thought. Surely, she would say something first. She had to.

Becoming increasing hungry by the minute with the sounds of Caine cooking and eating, Fiona walked down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Not once did she even glance at Caine, flipping her hair over to one side to create a temporary "barrier" of some sorts as she walked towards the bowl of stew at the corner. She looked at it warily. Caine's cooking wasn't exactly up-to-par. Tasting one spoonful, she immediately grabbed spices from the cabinet, doctoring the flavorless soup up until it tasted phenomenal. She then brought the soup and sat down at the table acroos from Caine, not speaking and not looking up. The tension in the room was palpable. 'If this is going to improve in the slightest, Caine will have to be the one to break the silence,' she thought stubbornly. Her resolve may have been breaking a little bit, but she was way too stubborn to be broken this easily.