As Raine left, Flake felt a chill shoot across his skin. The chill was a contradiction, because he knew that his skin was too warm, and that the chill was a sign that he was starting to go numb. Flake responded to Raine with a curt, “Very well,” and rose from his seat. He picked up his spear on the way over to the door, then took the robe off, leaving his somewhat adequate pants the only apparel on his figure, and left the building.

He shuddered at the sudden change in temperature, but quickly tuned out his inner voice as it told him to return to the comforting warmth. [i]I should be more careful, or I might melt,[/i] he thought, grinning at the image as he rummaged through the forest, in search of a small, open area.

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[center][b]Present Day: 1700 hours[/b][/center]

As Flake sat in his chair once more, surrounded by luxurious fabric and hypnotic warmth, he could almost mistake the sounds of movement behind him for the sounds of people at the town market. Fortunately, as Raine’s voice entered his ears, Flake escaped from the grasp of the fire’s hypnotic gaze and shot out of his seat to look her in the eye. As she finished speaking, Flake nodded, maintaining his composure, and responded, “Certainly, but you should probably take a bow. Professional hunters tend to prefer wounding animals before chasing them.”

He then collapsed back into his chair and sighed with a frown of annoyance. [i]I’ll need a good meal after today,[/i] he thought, remembering the feeling of needles at each overstressed muscle, [i]otherwise this might become a trend…[/i]