Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 42: brought to you by creepy old men

"That makes me feel a little better, although I don't see how worrying about Winston is overreacting." She ate her second helping of rice and vegetables and wondered if Winston was going to bring her meat.

"Your guardian is the strongest tetra-mark in the City of Beasts besides Curtis; nobody is going to try killing him unless it's a large crowd of them, and even then, we would have heard something." He shook his head and stirred more vegetables with egg.

"I know you're probably right... I'm just worried."

"I can go look again, if you like." Dusting his knees, he walked to Theo. "Check the fish baskets and feed the shortbirds. I'll be back shortly."

Theo nodded and both beastmen left.

Neara wanted to enjoy this brief pause, but couldn't. She'd forgotten to tell Shay about Orson, and now that she was pregnant, she wanted to race over there right now. Worry over Winston tangled her stomach. "Ok, so I know I like Orson, maybe even love him, but what about Winston? He's nice enough, he's cute enough, but I don't know... ugh. This must be what Shay felt like, agonizing over two guys. And I used my drug-orgy juju to get almost..." she shuddered, "onto the next thought... "

Theo walked in with a bulging bag of fish. "Would you like some of these to cook?" He held up three of the largest fish. When she nodded, he placed them carefully next to her and left to feed the not-chickens.

"Wait they..." Theo hadn't quite learned how to clean them yet. Oh well. She could do that. She walked outside and, after finding her knife, began fileting the fish. She'd thought about asking Orson to make new clothes, but he was working on something for himself at the moment and she didn't want to intrude.

"Hello female," an unfortunately familiar voice called, "I see you are tearing fish!"

"Hello Tony." She suppressed a grimace, although she couldn't quite stop the corners of her mouth from turning down. He'd been relentless in the brief moments when he found her alone.

"I brought you some honey today." He held a large stone bowl of it in his huge hands. "I gathered it yesterday."

"I wouldn't be comfortable accepting such a generous gift." Same as she always said.

"Shouldn't the giver determine that and not the receiver?" He grinned. "Why do you not like my gifts?"

"Shouldn't you be leaving?" Another unfortunate voice sent chills down her spine.

Tony's eyes widened as he looked behind her back and he dropped the stone bowl in his hurry to get away.

"Bears are cowards." Shuu knelt next to her and picked up the bowl. With a look of disgust, he tossed it into the river. "I brought you more fruit."

"I'm not interested." Neara stiffly washed the fish and kept her hand on her knife.

"In the fruit or in me?" He had the audacity to sound wounded!

"You almost... "

"I know we didn't leave on the right foot. I've waited an appropriate amount of time after my apology to resume courting you." He laid a large package next to her feet. "I included shells from the sea; I've heard females enjoy them."

"Not a big fan of the ocean." Neara squinted against the current and tried to discern his face in the water. It wasn't movie water and it didn't reflect anything behind her, or even her own face.

"Surely you can't still be mad after a month?" When she didn't answer, he continued, "Neara, I love you. I value your company above that of any other female. When the Ape King gave his permission for me to court you, I knew I would follow you anywhere." He knelt beside her and took her chin in his hand, meeting her eyes with a soft smile. "Reject me if you like, send me away for a year, but don't forbid me from seeing those wonderful eyes, or those thin lips..."