The Quiet

Chapter Three

"Okay, this is your room. Uh, make yourself... yourself at home." Kurt nods as Cybele finished speaking. "There are water bottles...bottles and food in the fridge, there's...there's probably snacks laying around the house...yeah." Cybele smiles softly.

"Thank you, Cybele," Kurt smiles back. Cybele nods.

"I can probably make...make us some lunch, if...if...if that sounds okay? I can make sandwiches, pasta, salad, mostly...mostly anything." Cybele states.

     "That is very kind, I'll have anything that you want," Kurt laughs, smiling down at his feet.

      "Oh, okay, are you okay with a..with a ham sandwich?" Cybele asks. Kurt nods in response, looking back up at the nature mutant. "Okay, I'll let you get...you get comfortable here and...and...and I'll let you know when food is ready." She says, heading out the bedroom, almost in a rushing manner.

     Kurt laughs lightly, putting his back down in a corner. Looking around, Kurt smiles at all the plants that flood the walls. Flowers of every color sprouts from the cracks of the stone walls. The room is dim, yet sunlight beams through the box bay window.

     He glances over at the queen sized bed. A red velvet colored bedding, matching pillows, and dark oak headboard, complimenting the room. He hesitantly walks over and sits on the bed. So soft, he's sinking in it, feeling like he could practically swim in it.

     His smile wasn't small anymore, it's from one ear to the other. He peaks outside the window, spotting a giant and glamorous garden, a forest and a still lake sitting in the background.

     Kurt stares at the beautiful garden, admiring the vegetation. Tilting his head, he spots a cat wandering around the mossy stone paths. The cat jumps into an old and empty plant box and curls itself into a ball.

     He hears a knock at the door. "Yes?"  Kurt asks. Cybele shyly creeks the door open.

     "Lunch is ready in the...in the kitchen, if you...if you want it now." Cybele states. Kurt quickly stands up as he nods walking towards the door. Cybele smiles and walks towards the kitchen, Kurt trailing behind her.

"Do you have a cat?" Kurt asks.

"Technically no, but a lot... a lot of stray cats and dogs, along with...with other animals, wander around the...the outside of the house. Yet, I count the strays as my... as my children. I love them half to death." Cybele ends with a laugh. She reaches for a plate with a sand which and hands it to Kurt.

     "Thank you," Kurt mutters. Cybele nods at him.

     "They can...they can be friendly. Most of them stay around the area of the...of the house and are really sweet, so it's okay if..it's okay if you want to pet them." She states. Kurt nods in response. "Why do you ask?" Cybele asks.

     "Oh, I saw a cat out in the garden." Kurt simply answers. "It seems that everyone likes your garden. I do too. I saw all the flowers from the window." He tells Cybele.

      "Oh, thank you, Kurt," Cybele says taking her plate to the table, signaling for Kurt to do the same. "Would you like...would you like it if I showed you all of the...of the garden after we eat," she states.

      "Yes, please! That's very nice of you." Kurt says a smile remains on his face as he sits down across from Cybele. Cybele giggles as he quickly takes a large bite of his sandwich and she does the same. "Did I do something wrong?" Kurt asks after gulping down his food. Cybele shakes her head, showing her a big smile.

~•~

     "How can you manage such a big garden?" Kurt asks, accent heavy, as he follows Cybele through the garden.

     "I guess I just have a lot...a lot of free time." Cybele laughs lightly. She glances behind her at Kurt, who is frozen in his tracks. He stares at amazement. Cybele walks to stand by his side. A beautiful little fawn wanders down a path towards him.

"I never have seen one so small," Kurt whispers softly. Cybele smiles at him.

      "She looks like...like a newborn, just a...just a couple of weeks old." Cybele states. Kurt looks at her gleefully. "I think she wants to...she wants to socialize." Cybele giggles. She looks back at the little dawn who prances to them, headbutting Cybele in the sheen. "Well shit." She laughs.

     "Are you okay?" Kurt asks, grabbing one of Cybele's arms and lets the fawn pass them.

     "Yeah! I'm fine, I guess I'm...guess I'm just used to it." Cybele laughs rubbing her leg. She looks at Kurt in the eyes. He's worried. "Really, I'm...I'm fine." She adds.

     "Are you sure?" Kurt questions.

     "Yeah! Now come...come on, I want to show...to show you something." Cybele says, taking his three-fingered hand, leading him to a koi pond. "This is the...the center of the garden."

     Kurt's smile slowly returns as he hears Cybele giggle. "How many are there?" He asks, squinting a bit, due too the darker tint of the water.

     "Three! There's...there's three of them." Cybele answers. "Do you...do you want to keep walking...walking through the garden?"

"That will be nice." Kurt nods. Cybele gives him a nod back and looks down the path to her right, smiling a bit.

"There is one...is one of the cats. She's very friendly. Would you like to...like to meet her?" Cybele asks.

"Oh, I don't think she'll like the sight of me," Kurt states, almost immediately, shying his face away from Cybele.

"As I said, she is very sweet. She's not the...she's not the judgemental type." Cybele tells him. She notices him get uncomfortable, quickly taking one of his hands. "I'm sorry. Do you want...do you want to see the....to see the banana trees?" She asks. Kurt looks at his hand being held. He looks up at Cybele at her action of completely changing the subject due to his sudden mood change. He's thankful for that, now comfortable.

"You know, I would like to meet the cat," Kurt states, giving Cybele a sweet smile and sheepish looking eyes.

"Oh, okay! Let's...let's...let's do it then." Cybele says with a sudden burst of energy. Kurt nods as Cybele gently leads him to the cat. He looks how gentle she is. Cybele isn't tugging him, even though her sudden energy is a spur at the moment. No one has been so soft with him before. He likes it.

Cybele approaches the cat slowly, crouching, Kurt doing so too. Cybele, of course, let out another giggle. The cat looks up and strides towards the nature mutant, soon to rub it's head on her leg, purring. Cybele gently scratching it's head.

     Kurt watches as she does so. The cat slowly makes it's way towards Kurt's leg. He stays still, yet it feels like the cat can feel his nervousness and makes it's space. His ear to ear smile returns to Kurt's face, the cat gets closer to him. Crisscrossing his legs, Kurt comes to surprise when the cat curls up in his lap.

     "I think...I think the cat likes you," Cybele states.

"Good," Kurt smiles.

"Yeah, it is."