028 Blind By Love

Kitty sat in the chair nervously while Erebus taking sips of her Winter Night in a casual and relaxing way, as if it was a romantic date and he was just appreciating a good drink. He said he wanted her help, but all he talked about was all kinds of random topic BUT his "urgent problem".

"I probably should go back to work." Kitty took the plate, "Let me know how I can help you, okay?"

"It's okay, the owner is aware of this already. He's fine with you lending me a helping hand." Erebus just gently pressed the plate, hinting her to sit down again.

"What-- when?!" Kitty suddenly felt like she just stepped in another trap.

"Well, it's only right that I asked for permission before I ask for your help, right? I won't want to get you into trouble." The sly fox didn't seem at all sorry, but as if his asking the owner for her time before he even talked to her was a matter of course.

Kitty squinted her eyes at him and yelled at herself in her mind: How could you keep forgetting he's just a smooth talker with schemes running in his vain! Stupid!

"Just trivial details." Erebus shook his hand in the air as if driving away a fly, "So now that we are gonna work together, do you have a phone to keep in touch?"

"No. But somehow, I feel like you already prepared one, too." Kitty stared at him with a defeated tone.

"Well..." Erebus turned and waved at his table, and Menoetius immediately jumped up towards them with a small box in his hand.

What a surprise. Kitty thought with sarcasm.

"What we are doing here is important. Call me thorough." Erebus handed the box to Kitty with a harmless smile on his face.

"If you want to give out charity, you could have gone with a more straight forward way." Yes she WAS homeless and poor, but she was alright on her own -- well, more or less. Well, definitely less, but Kitty just didn't want his help in particular. Kitty was never really against taking charities, she WAS living on the street for three whole years, but he was different...

"What if I do want to help you a bit?" Erebus said, for the first time since she met him, she actually saw a shred of genuine sadness on his face that he failed to hide away, "Why would you rather accept the help from a stranger than me?"

He couldn't help himself but to ask. Kitty's "special treatment" -- her distancing herself from him and her running away really pained him. It was hard enough for him to stay physically away from her, but now she won't even have ANY connection with him whatsoever.

"Because!--" Kitty stopped herself, realizing what she nearly burst out: because she likes him! And taking charity from him makes her feel like a poor stray cat, always looking for some pity from him. She wanted to be his equal; she wanted her dream of being with him a less unreal one!

"Because what?" Erebus took her by hand to stop her from running away, "I--"

Menoetius: "..."

Menoetius had been standing by their table for a while, and this was the moment when the two love birds suddenly realized that for the first time -- the moment where Kitty was running away and Erebus was asking for an answer.

"Why are you so hell bent on helping me anyways? I'm NOT your responsibility!" Kitty cast off Erebus's hand and ran towards the elevator.

"You don't need to come back if she doesn't take the phone." Erebus left Menoetius frozen behind him with the phone in his hand and returned to the table.

"My Lord, you are the wisest man I have ever seen, and I admire you for that. But you have been blinded by love recently, I have to say." Metis stood up to Erebus; her tone calm and reasonable as usual.

"What do you mean?" Erebus sat down on his chair, didn't know what went wrong that caused him his little kitten. Well, he DID know what went wrong, but he didn't understand Kitty either.

"I'll explain to you, AFTER you have some food in you." Metis waved over a waiter and he got dinner already in his hand.

"I HAVE been having food." Erebus said lazily without touching the food.

"You have been having ONLY breakfast." Metis corrected him patiently, as if talking to a misbehaving child.

"Because she was having ONLY breakfast." Erebus stressed the "only" too, this time with anger in his tone. He didn't like his own men treating his mate wrongly. Punishing didn’t mean that he would enjoy bringing this up again.

"Would you like to know why she rejects ONLY your kindness?" Metis replied with total compliance in her tone, as if she didn't have "impatience" in her dictionary.

"Tell me." Erebus said with his alpha voice.

"Yes, my Lord. After you have some dinner." Metis pushed the plate towards Erebus, mildly but with a firm tone.

Erebus stared at Metis for several long seconds, and the rest of the Dim Patronus all held their breath, watching in fear. They had SEEN how cold and horrifying Erebus can be when he's crossed. And they had been reminded of that not long ago when Erebus returned to the bar to Themis without Kitty by his side.

And then he suddenly took the fork and put a huge bite of the steak in his mouth, swallowed it with only a few bites, dropped the fork, and got back to staring at Metis.

She squatted besides his chair and put her hand on his arm, as if calming a cranky little boy: "People rejects charity, because they want respect. And if it's the respect from a particular person that a girl is looking for, then it's either for hate, or love."

"You... you think she hates me?" Erebus said, not even noticing the desperation in his tone. The table rose several very slight sighs in union, but no other dare says anything.

Metis pushed the plate to Erebus again and smiled: "If so, then she surely wouldn't be offering you any help."

"Menoetius!" Erebus suddenly yelled. Menoetius jumped up at this sudden call as if his tail was stomped on and froze again. He was by the elevator door, but he WAS hoping that Metis could save him from his "impossible mission" -- getting the orgulous, cold kitten to accept the offer from his Lord.

"What are you doing there?!" Erebus turned to look at Menoetius, who ran back to Erebus's feet at the top of his speed.

"Yes my Lord!"

"Give me the phone. I'll handle it from here."

"Yes my Lord!" Menoetius was happy to get rid of the hot trouble in his hand.

Erebus took the phone and then got on with the rest of his dinner. He had been having only a small breakfast ever since he learnt that Kitty slept with an empty stomach on her first day here at the hotel.

He was HUNGRY.

He was starving himself as a protest because he got upset at his faithful knight "sabotaging" Kitty's life. But the happiness of knowing that Kitty likes him finally got him his appetite back.

"Metis, go get me a room card. I'm moving in."