The Hand That Feeds

Carefully, Caedes places the bottle aside and rummages into his bag, retrieving two bundles wrapped in cloth. With meticulous care, he unravels them, revealing what the bundles had contained within: Wolfsbane and Psilocybin mushrooms. Both were toxic in their own ways, wolfsbane being the more dangerous one. But the mushroom had a particular use that he was curious to see in action alone with the venom. It was psychedelic. With delicate precision, he begins to handle the plant matter, using only his paws to prepare them for his intended purpose. Once he is satisfied with his result, the brute slowly drops the matter into the bottle of venom, a smirk crossing over his features as he does so. There is no immediate reaction, nothing but flowers, bits of mushroom, and stems falling in and either floating or sinking within the bottle. His emeralds eye the concoction, knowing full well that in time all the ingredients would integrate perfectly and offer him a powerful drug-poison combo.

He listened as she spoke, nodding with every sentence she spoke, occasionally giving her a confident glint of his eyes. “I will answer to the best of my ability. I will be ready.” The brute's voice was calm and reassuring as he tried to ease her worries. He could sense the underlying tension in her voice, but also the unwavering strength that lay beneath her words.

Caedes rose to his feet as Mariah closed the distance between them and kissed his cheek, a wicked smile playing on his lips as he met her gaze. "I wouldn’t mind having your will forced over me." He murmured lowly, his eyes reflecting the depth of his affection and desire for her.