Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tam smiles and holds him close. "Do ye like?" he asks wiping the cubs tears and picking him up. He carries him back inside and asks him where he wants to have it hung up.

Tam nods and finds a hammer and nail, conveniently left behind. He hangs the portrait and then suggests they cobble together some dinner as neither of them have eaten at all that day.

As they go back into the main room, Kero gets his first real glimpse at the workmanship the villagers have put into their abode. The cabinets and counter top literally glow with a greenish honeyed cast. It is an odd but soothing tone and if he hadn't known better, he would have thought them ancient, but well loved. But none of it had been there the night before.

I wanted us settled in first. Then we'll begin. So I'd say in a day or two we'll start off with seeing just how much ye do know. And I've learned that the temple here gives history and math lessons on a sliding scale... which means I'll probably have to sing at their sunrise service, knowing Lathander and his priests... I'm not going to get out of that one. But I'd rather have ye learn somethings from others as well as from me. Ok?"

Tam hands him a bowl of stew and ladles one up for himself. Then he sits down next to the cat and begins to dig in. The room is quiet, except for the occasional pop and sizzle of the fire. It is homey and comforting, not at all like the inn. But although they had both gotten used to the hustle and bustle of inn life, Tam wouldn't trade this tiny circle of peace solitude for the queens crown jewels.

Tam finishes his stew, sits the bowl on the floor and begins to rub the cat's ears. Then he remembers something. He gets up and turning about sits the cat on the chair, telling him he'll be right back. He goes up to his room and returns with a well used brush. Then he picks the cat up once more, sits down and begins to groom him, while humming a soft lilting tune.

Tam laughs and snatches it back. "Aw come on... ye know ye need it. Look at ye. Ye've been shedding up a storm all over me shirt."

Tam finishes the task without drawing it out, although he would have loved to have just sat there and groomed the cat as he had done when he was a kitten. He cleans the brush, throws the fur on the fire, regardless of the smell, then puts the brush on a shelf. "If ye don't want me doing it, then do it yerself. Bathing may get ye clean, but it doesn't remove the loose fur and ye know this. Iffin I've told ye once, I've told ye a hundred times. Ye need to keep yerself groomed."

He opens a window to let in some fresh air and stretches as he inhales the night breeze. "I'm going out to buy bedding tomorrow. Probably won't find what I need unless someone else in town has a thing for over sized beds like me, but I can at least order something to be made. Is there anything ye need?"

But Tam seems to know how he feels. "Kero, iffin ye'd do it more often, ye'd get used to it, seriously ye will. I'm going to bed. Make sure ye lock up before ye go to sleep, ok? Good night."

SIghing, wishing he could have handled that better, Tam climbs up to his room and with a tiny bit ove magic light a candle on the nightstand. The room, never large seemed even smaller now, containing only his bed, a wardrobe and night stand. Under the bed are several smaller drawers, in which Tam had decided to keep those things he does not want toe cat to get into. He closes the door, undresses and taking his cloak as a coverlet, curls up in the bed, sinking into its embracing warmth with a contented sigh.