The Chained Watcher

Backstory: With the Spite of a Soggy Cat

If this little mortal has managed to make more holes in other parts of the facility, then he might actually have a way to get some petty revenge on the facility's leader. Sating his curiosity about it is just a side benefit.

First things first, he has no idea how wary this mortal will be, and he has no idea how self-sufficient it is. After thinking for a few seconds, he decides to leave some food on the table, though he doesn't make it obvious that it's for the mortal. It's just a couple slices of a large fruit (We're talking pumpkin-sized here) on a plate, and he did eat a few slices before abandoning the plate, to give the impression that he got it for himself.

Next time he goes back to his room, he sees that a slice of the fruit has disappeared without a trace. Good, good. If nothing else, this should mean that this mortal isn't about to starve.

Apart from that one glimpse, he's seen neither hide nor hair of the little mortal, and even its emotions haven't given it away. Quite intriguing, is it not? Somehow, it's managed to evade detection quite thoroughly.

Gradually, he starts 'accidentally' leaving little things lying around in his room. He doesn't actually want a mess, so the food is always on a plate, but he wants to see if he can bait this little mortal out into the open so he can get a better look at it.

It never takes much. Only after a few days does it begin taking the most out-of-the-way scraps of metal, and anything that looks even mildly useful is completely untouched.

Eventually, he does get it to take a tool, and he can't help a sly grin when he sees the missing item. It's nothing much, just a mortal-sized sewing needle, but it means his tactics are working.

After another week, he decides to see if he's managed to lull it into a false sense of security. When he leaves his room, he instead makes himself invisible, going so far as to cover his magic traces with his rock and then returning to his room.

It takes an hour before he hears a quiet shuffling, and he gets his first good look at this mortal. It's small, though that appears to be because of its species rather than its age. Large mouse-like ears lay flat against its head as it warily observes the room, searching for any abnormalities while staying within the safety of its hole.

When it doesn't see anything amiss, it carefully crawls out of the hole, and its ears swivel to listen to the door. Once it's satisfied it can't hear anyone approaching, it takes slow, stealthy steps towards the plate of fruit, sniffing each piece before choosing a single one and drawing back from the plate.

While it eats the fruit, he takes the opportunity to observe it without moving. Definitely some kind of mouse/rodent hybrid, but it doesn't look to be immature. It does, however, appear to have had some difficulty getting enough food, if its skinny frame says anything. Its clothes have definitely seen better days too, but that's not all that surprising.

Waiting for it to venture further from the safety of its tunnels, he takes his time, standing perfectly still while observing its movements. Only once it's crossed half the room does he move, and its ears immediately swivel towards him as its eyes widen in alarm.

It bolts for safety, but his strides have already taken him over to the hole, and he puts his hand in front of the path of escape, letting his invisibility drop. Despite its clear desperation, he can barely sense a whisper of emotion from it, which is interesting. The corner of his mouth quirks up, and it frantically looks for another exit.

He speaks. "It seems you've gotten careless, little mouse." A little magic lets him lift the mortal up into the air, despite its attempts to break free. "Such a thing is rather dangerous, is it not?" Crooking his finger, the magic brings it closer to him, and its breathing grows even more panicked. It hasn't actually said anything yet, sadly.