Frankenstein wandered around the strange mansion, looking for a kitchen. He had gone out hunting not long ago and found another rabbit. The blueberry bushes he had also found had been an unexpected treat, and he had brought back as many as he could carry in a makeshift pouch he had made with a strip of his shirt.

As he searched the bottom floor he couldn't help but think of his new acquaintance. Cadis Etrama di Raizel. If his prestigious mansion and dignified air hadn't tipped Frankenstein off that this man was of the gentry, then his name certainly would have.

Frankenstein had observed the world outside the window for an hour or so, and it hadn't been as boring as he had initially thought it would be. The forest changed constantly: the shading and lighting shifted as the moon and stars drifted through the sky and the noise level rose and fell as different animals crept out into the night and began to hunt. From what seemed to be a monotonous forest from far away actually contained dozens of different types of trees, flowers, and bushes. As much time as he had spent in forests, he had never had the chance to simply watch things unfold, and he had indeed enjoyed it.

Until his stomach had rumbled loudly, interrupting both of their window-gazing. He was then reminded that he had not gotten to eat the rabbit he had caught earlier, so he had leapt out the window to see what he could find.

He opened the doors to over two dozen rooms before finally finding the kitchen. Each room he had looked into seemed strange, unnatural, but he didn't sense any danger, so he did his best to repress the feeling.

He set about lighting a fire in the old oven using the wood he had found before beginning his search for cutlery and plates. There was nothing in the lower cabinets, and he frowned as he looked up at the cabinets hanging on the wall. He sighed, but there was nothing else for it. There were no chairs to push over, so he climbed onto the countertop and balanced on his knees as he went from cabinet to cabinet until finally finding some slightly dusty dishware in a cabinet near the oven. He collected the items he needed before hopping back down and going to the pump in the corner of the room to rinse them off.

If it were just him he would have eaten with his hands, but he had a guest today. Well, technically he was the guest, but even so he wanted to make the owner of the mansion some food as thanks for letting Frankenstein's act of trespassing go. He was sure the man had servants who prepared and served his food, nobility always did, but Frankenstein wanted to –

He paused in the act of putting the rabbit on the fire to roast.

Now that he thought about it, Frankenstein hadn't seen anyone in the house besides Cadis Etrama di Raizel. Not during his frantic bid to escape earlier, not while he had been standing at the window, and not when he had been walking through the first floor, deliberately opening a large number of doors.

That's what had seemed off, he realized. With a house this big, you'd expect a large number of people to be living in it. Even if Cadis Etrama di Raizel was the only noble living here, he still would require servants to keep up the property and serve him. But the rooms had showed no sign of habitation. The entire house showed no sign of habitation. And the evidence for that was right in front of him. The kitchen of any residence meant food and water, and food and water meant life. This kitchen looked like it had been untouched for years, the cabinets bare and the dishware dusty.

The empty-seeming house he might could have overlooked – maybe this family had come upon hard times and the number of servants had decreased, causing some rooms to go unlived in. The empty kitchen might not be so strange as well – maybe there was another kitchen. But both at the same time?

Was no one looking after Cadis Etrama di Raizel?

But he looked so young! Not as young as he was, of course, but not all that much older either. Was the house completely bankrupt then? For how many years, for how many generations? Did the young man feel obligated to stay in the derelict house of his ancestors, perhaps hiding the fact that his family could no longer afford to have servants? Was he staying here alone, simply because he thought he was supposed to, that he felt it was his duty? No wonder he liked looking out a window so much, he probably didn't know what else to do, and even if he did there was no one to enjoy it with.

Frankenstein frowned as he finally placed the rabbit in the oven and waited for it to cook. That was horrible! Whatever the circumstances Cadis Etrama di Raizel was in, he shouldn't be alone in an empty old mansion for no real reason. Frankenstein was by no means an expert on pastimes, but he could at least keep him company, maybe teach him how to hunt and forage for edible fruits and greens, or even –

He brought his thoughts up short as his expression saddened. No, he thought, don't get carried away. You know you can't stay here. Every time you try to find a permanent home the people around you either get hurt simply because you associated with them, or they turn out to be Union spies and turn you in for money. It would be better for both of you if leave as soon as possible.

His vision blurred as he gazed into the fire, but he furiously wiped his eyes. He was still on the run, and wishing he could maybe stay with Cadis Etrama di Raizel for a while and spend some time with him and figure out how to do nothing and be safe for a little bit was pointless. His reality wasn't so generous, and he didn't want to involve a nice young man like Cadis Etrama di Raizel just to fulfill his own selfish desires. It was better for both their sakes that he move on after dinner.

-xxxxxxx-

A/N: As always, thank you for reading, and please review/comment as much as you like! :)

When I thought of little Franky cooking in the kitchen my first thought was his tiny, cute self climbing up on the counter .. Now you cannot tell me that that image is not adorable! .

Oh and btw, little Frankenstein doesn't know about Nobles yet :)