Bery sat up in her bed and felt the warm light feeding in from the window. She looked over the room, remembering where she was. Some time after she'd fallen asleep, Valerie had wrapped her in the blanket. The cat girl looked next to her in the bed, not finding the dragon.
She should have felt relief, but another part of her wished the dragon had fallen asleep next to her. No, no, no, no!
Bery shook her head, and curled her tail around her stomach, latching onto it with her hands. It was something she used to do as a little girl to find her comfort, and it worked wonders in this situation.
"You seem exactly like a love-stricken kitten. I've personally never experienced such things, but through observations of your heart rate…"
Bery smacked her right arm where the implanted device was, yet the only one to feel pain was herself.
"Smacking yourself is ill-advised. Note, that dragon woman is incredibly observant. The specifications of everything so far has been based on your observed preferences."
Bery sighed. "I know she's observant. Maybe that's why I have this strange feeling in my chest when I look at her. I never had someone do so many things for me. No...there was one person."
The cat girl imagined a certain elf in her mind. The image of her flowing green hair was like that of the forest outside of Bery's window.
Bery crawled out of bed and moved over towards the window. The image of the valley was even more gorgeous in the day time. She could see a distant waterfall, flowing down into the river, and colorful birds floated between the trees.
The urge to paint what was before her was real, but instead, she sat down at the desk and flipped open the empty diary.
She grabbed the nearby writing utensil with wide-eyed shock. She'd never seen a pen like it before. This one was small, wooden, and yellow. The cat girl poked the tip with a blank expression, but it didn't do much to her skin. Nor did the pink squishy thing at the end.
"Notice, that is a pencil with an eraser. The user can write and erase what they write at will. It is best to use it against blank pieces of paper. Analysis...It is made of graphite and high quality as well."
Bery once again had no idea what Yuri was talking about, but she understood that she could write and erase things with it. Is this entire castle more advanced than the rest of civilization? Or is it just that town which is behind?
"Y.U.R.I cannot answer those questions without sufficient data. However, a preliminary analysis rates the odds low that anywhere in this world will be more advanced than here. This is due to the existence of myself, for I am an advanced robot capable of processing, using blood as a resource."
I get it...You're incredibly vain. No need to explain anymore.
Bery pressed the graphite tip against the paper and began writing. She detailed everything she remembered from before, including her meeting with Yuri and her experience in the strange metal room.
A voice from behind her startled the cat girl, and Bery quickly closed the book as her ears twitched.
"Good morning, kitten."
Once again, Bery flinched from the nickname. "Can you please stop calling me that?"
The dragon's eyes widened. "You don't like it? I thought pet names would be cute. Hmm...Alright, I will call you Bery then."
Bery couldn't believe her ears. She'd made the request expecting a denial, but the dragon accepted it. For some reason, Bery felt strange. Though, whatever the feeling was, it was drowned out by the sound of her rumbling stomach.
Valerie grinned. "Come on, Bery." She seemed to be testing the name on her tongue before continuing. "Yeah, I like that as well. Allow me to lead you to the dining room for breakfast."
Bery cringed even more at being called by her name for some reason. The cat girl had always hated being called kitten since she was younger. It made her feel weak and vulnerable. It reminded her of the voice of her elders in her tribe calling her useless. A useless little kitten, yet not hearing it now made her feel like she was developing a stomach ache.
She shook her head, focusing on the feeling of her hunger instead. It allowed her to reach out and grasp at Valerie's hand.
The dragon gave her a smile and pulled Bery towards her into a hug. "You still smell delightful like the bubbles of the bath from yesterday."
Fairies danced in Bery's stomach. The warmth spread to her entire body, and her own nose couldn't help sniffing the dragon's shoulder.
A floral scent filled her nostrils, and the cat took several deep whiffs of it. She felt the dragon's hand move smoothly along her back, and Bery felt like her mind would go completely blank.
However, the person who caused the torment relented it. The thumping of Bery's heart slowed gradually.
The dragon simply held her hand and led her out into the hall back the way they came and down a separate flight of stairs.
Bery's eyes widened at the room they entered. It was not nearly as large as she expected. It was a much smaller but well-decorated room with a candle placed on a smaller dining table, providing a nice smell. Light fixtures on the wall made the place bright enough to see while still being slightly dim.
On top of the table, there were two silver domes over expensive plates, and on the sides there were spoons, forks and knives. Two clear glasses held an odd pink liquid.
The dragon led Bery to her seat and sat the cat girl down at the table. She placed her hand over the silver dome and lifted it.
A heavenly smell filled the room, and Bery couldn't believe her eyes. The meal looked better than anything she'd ever seen served at a tavern, and it was presented well. She knew right away that even this would make for a spectacular painting.
Fluffy cockatrice eggs were spread out along one piece of the plate with a red sauce drizzled over them. A piece of brown perfectly seared giant boar steak rested next to that, and the last thing was a green vegetable that Bery couldn't place.
Bery would be the first to admit that she didn't like the green little devils, but everything was so spectacular looking. And the silly grinning dragon next to her marveled at Bery's blank expression.
Valerie walked to the other side of the table and sat across from Bery. She lifted her own silver lid, maintaining her grin.
"You may eat anytime you'd like."
Bery's mouth salivated while staring down at the food. Was it really okay for her to eat so much in one meal? She felt like it was sacrilege. As if she was violating the tenants of some ancient deity. However, there was no such thing in Kanai'n culture. As far as she was aware, the only thing that Kanai would disapprove of would be wasting the food given to her.
"Notice...This dragon woman has become even more dangerous. Establishing a cooking skill to this level is detrimental for her lover to fight off her advances…"
What do you mean?
Bery could swear she heard Yuri sigh in her head.
"Winning over your stomach is very bad! This cannot be allowed to happen if you still plan to escape."
Bery tried to listen to the robotic voice in her head, but the food in front of her called out to her daringly. Each second she waited was another second that the food would get cold.
She could no longer bear it. She grabbed the fork next to her and shoveled the eggs into her mouth. An explosion of ecstasy was delivered onto her tongue. The perfect mix of spices and fluffy eggs invited a party to her taste buds. She couldn't hold back the feline within her.
Bery took more bites and mixed it with the boar steak. The juiciness of the meat coated her mouth, and the tenderness of it was beyond measure. There was no way food could be this good.
She needed something to deny it! She found the source of concern from before. The green and ominous leafy vegetable. She threw it in her mouth to try and drown out the flavor heaven.
Impossible!
There was something unbelievably tantalizing about the leaves she'd put in her mouth. Not only were they not disgusting, they added to the flavor profile of what she'd already eaten. They made her chest tighten and rumble with the sweet purrs of defeat.
Maybe the drink would be able to neutralize such heavenly tastes? She clasped the glass into her hands and lifted it to her mouth, sipping the fruity liquid.
Yet that was even worse. It was as if she was hit by a pungent flavor orgasm if that was even possible.
"Danger, the odds of escape have become even lower. Due to the host's incredible gluttony, escape might be impossible."
The words bounced off Bery's brain. Before she knew it, she finished everything in front of her and sighed in content.