[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She could tell he wasn't in the tent - there was far too much room, for one thing, and she couldn't hear him breathing - but she checked just in case before she secured the tent closed and began to change into her day clothes. She knew he didn't understand her need to change for the night, but it was an old habit that she couldn't shake and she could never get to sleep if she didn't.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As she dressed, Zora turned her mind to more exciting things - things she hoped to find inside the ruins that day. She had been very careful not to touch anything more than the doors, lest she be lost in a vision at an inopportune moment, but she trusted Alistair enough to guard her while she worked and she was looking forward to learning more about the Cathedral and it's past.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She emerged from the tent with a smile on her face, which turned into a smirk when she realised why the tent had been empty. Alistair sat against the wall with his arms folded, snoring quietly. She could see the tension in his arms and had no doubt he would wake when he heard her, so she paused a moment to look at him.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair heard the tent open, but allowed himself to rest just a little longer while his client made breakfast. As a general rule, he did the things that required brute force - heavy lifting, carrying weight, hunting and defense - and she did the more domestic duties, such as preparing meals.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He heard the metal clanging of the kettle being filled with water from a waterskin, and opened one watchful eye. She had complained once, about having to do all the 'domestic chores' as she put them, but had found out very quickly that she would rather do them herself than have to deal with his way of doing things.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora sighed, and pulled out two tin mugs from her pack. The tea she was making would be bitter, but they had gotten used to it since being on the road - they had found a bunch of magrubs in the sugar at the beginning of the trek, and though Alistair had tried to use it as an excuse for her to turn back she had refused, arguing that she wasn't soft enough to be put off by some bitter tea.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair bent his head to each side, hearing the crunching noises as he felt his neck muscles release themselves. He nodded at her as she handed him his mug of tea - small though it looked in his huge hands compared to hers  - and placed it on the rock beside him as he stood to stretch thoroughly. He had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and there were knots and kinks that needed seeing to.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora watched silently as Alistair went through his morning routine. She claimed to have gotten used to it but couldn't help but flinch with each pop and snap as he twisted each limb in ways she couldn't help but wince at. For being so large and muscled, she was forced to admit that he was unnervingly flexible and it made her wonder at his limits sometimes. She had no doubt all those snapping noises hurt, yet the only expression he displayed was a slight sneer.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

They didn't talk much in the mornings, she thought to herself as she rubbed the pan with the greased cloth and placed it on the fire he had kept burning through the night. She knew he didn't get a lot of sleep, so she wasn't overly concerned about their lack of communication, but it was strange how he only seemed to talk to her to discuss necessities or sneer at something that needed to be addressed.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As she pushed some sausages about in the pan, she thought about how they would need to see if there were any edible plants in the nearby area, or perhaps they could hunt. Their provisions were of the preserved nature, and would keep them going as long as they could find water nearby, but fresh meat and vegetation was always a useful addition - it would mean less strict rationing, for one thing, and she snickered to herself at the thought that her companion was always grumpy because he was hungry.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair grunted to himself as he sat back down on the large piece of fallen wall he had been using as a chair the night before. He heard Zora's quiet snicker and narrowed his eyes at her, as he took a sip from the tea that had cooled slightly while he was stretching. He could well guess what she was thinking, though even he had to admit that food was a problem for him - being so large meant that normal portions just didn't do their job.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As they ate their meagre breakfast, Zora raised her head to look at him, watching as he took small bites and chewed thoroughly. She frowned, only now realising that her careless snickers may not have been so far off the mark.

"Are you - do we need to see about getting more food? I provisioned for two but I hadn't taken into account the possible differences between our needs. Should we reassess our rations, or maybe take today to check the surrounding area for supplies?"

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair scowled, and picked up his mug to delay having to respond, taking a mouthful before allowing the liquid to trickle down his throat slowly.

When his mouth was empty, he placed the mug on the ground beside him and looked back up at her.

"If it's that much of a problem, I will sort myself out. You just worry about getting what you want from this place so we can get the hell out of here and get back to town."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Yeah, because your life there is so much better. Living on the street, scrounging for food, and drinking every coin you scrounge away to ignore it all - what a life, I can definitely see why you want to go back so bad."

She regretted the words the moment they were out of her mouth, but not as much as she did when she saw his face - it had gone completely blank, save for the blazing fury she could see in his eyes.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair went completely still, hands clasping the plate and mug so tightly he felt his knuckles pop and knew without looking that they had gone completely white. He knew that she was right, to some degree, but that she could be so flippant about it only served to anger him further. He could feel the vein in his temple throbbing, but the only thing he could think about at that moment was the fact that she didn't look even the slightest bit scared - only remorseful.