Kyle looked up after the painful transformation back to human, seeing Kira in the doorway, staring at him. She had probably recognized him somehow, by the look of shock she was giving him.
He knew the shift between forms was painful- that first night before she had arrived had been the worst- but he couldn't help the cries of pain. He somehow felt so much more vulnerable to her stare in his human form than before- especially because he had taken off his shirt before the shift.
"Are you alright?" She asked in a small, shy voice as she stepped into the room, stopping just inside the doorway.
Her words brought back the sorrow that had temporarily been overpowered by pain. "I'll be fine, I just… need to think through things." As the night before, he didn't feel the presence of the leopard, nor hear his comments.
He really was alone.
The leopard had begun to be a comfort to him, knowing that there was always someone to share events with him- albeit mentally. Without the leopard he felt empty and weak.
"Do you miss your family? You don't know me well, but we can talk about it if you want." Kira offered, taking a few more steps toward him.
Oh yeah, that was a good idea. Let's talk about our feelings until Kyle breaks down into a blithering puddle on the floor. No way was he crying in front of her.
"Yes I do miss them, but I'll be alright." He said, unable to look her in the eyes. When he looked back up from his thoughts, she was nearly in front of him. He jumped in surprise, tensing at how close she was.
"You're very jumpy in this form." She smiled in amusement, looking him over. He noticed her eyes lingering on his chest. Suddenly he was glad for all those hours spent in the gym. He wasn't a body builder by any means, but he had muscle to him. Enough that when she looked back up at him, her cheeks were flushed a bit.
"You're a very strange shifter, to not be used to the shift. I'd think you'd be used to the pain after so many years."
"It still hurts." He said lamely, not really knowing what else to say. He couldn't just tell her 'oh yeah, this is my second night transforming'.
Kira nodded, looking at his chest thoughtfully and frowned. "You don't like me much, do you?"
"What?" Kyle blinked in confusion. "Why would you say that?"
"You always shut down when I ask about your past. You just don't want to tell me."
Kyle let out an aggravated sigh. "it's not because of that, it's because it's… ridiculous and complicated."
"Why don't you let me determine that? I'm pretty used to ridiculous and complicated." She smiled wryly.
"Only if you agree to tell me about yourself." Kyle said firmly. He wasn't about to spill his guts out by himself. He was going to leave out the whole 'died and came to another world' part, though.
Tinder hissed from the floor where he'd appeared shortly before the shift. He gave Kyle a warning look he understood. Don't tell too much.
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, as if judging whether or not he was trustworthy. "Alright, I can agree to that. We'll play question and answer to make it fair. One asks the question, the other answers. If you don't answer, I get to ask another question."
Kyle grinned in pleasant surprise. He liked her style. It was kind of like turning this into a game. "Sounds good to me."
Kira smiled happily, and walked over to the couch, sitting down and patting the spot beside her, coughing slightly when a plum of dust was disturbed from the sheets.
Kyle couldn't help but laugh at that, walking over and sitting beside her. "So… I guess you get the first question."
"Okay." Kira said, watching him thoughtfully for a moment. "Where are you from?"
"A place called California." He said, figuring it was safe to tell her the names of things, if he didn't mention they were on another world.
"I've never heard of that place." She said curiously. "Is it far away?"
"Very." Kyle snickered.
"Alright." Kira laughed. "your turn."
"Where are you from?"
"A village not too far from here, actually. I'm the daughter of a nobleman and the lower class woman she married. My mom runs an herbalist shop since after my father died."
Kyle frowned. "I'm sorry- I didn't know your father had died."
She simply shrugged. "I didn't know him that well. I was born of lower class, so I stayed of lower class. He didn't really get a chance to come see us often."
Kyle nodded, wondering what she meant by lower and higher classes. Did this world still have serfdom in its culture?
"Alright- now for the big questions. I've been wanting to ask you this since I met you…" She said uneasily, making him tense up again. "Why does it seem that you're always so confused? Are you not used to things around here?"
Tinder hissed uneasily from beside Kyle's feet, his tail twitching nervously.
"No, I'm not from around here. The culture is… very different where I'm from. We speak differently, have different things we do… even different food." He was seriously craving pizza… he had been for the last few days, but he knew he'd never get any here. Pizza Hut wasn't exactly around the corner.
Tinder seemed to relax at that answer, satisfied that it was vague enough Kira wouldn't get suspicious of anything.
"Interesting. Is there any chance of me getting some food from your home? Can you cook?"
"Relatively well." He shrugged. "I'm no Emeril or anything, but I know my way around a kitchen." He winced when he realized he had used another reference again.
"I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow." She grinned and then flushed suddenly. "That is- if it's alright with you."
"Of course." Kyle shrugged. "As long as I can get ingredients?" He looked down at Tinder in question.
"We can find whatever ingredients you need." The lizard said simply.
"Awesome." Kyle grinned happily. "Maybe I should make pizza…"
"Whatever pizza is, I'm sure it will be good. Whose turn was it? I lost track already."
"Mine- and I get to ask you a big question." He said, preparing himself before saying. "Why were you running from those hunters? Why were they chasing you?"
Kira tensed and seemed to sink into the bed, but let out a soft sigh. "Because I'm something they don't like." She answered simply. "Something they would rather kill than try to understand."
"That sounds familiar." Kyle said jokingly, trying to ease her tension for some reason he didn't like to see her upset.
She looked up at him and smiled softly, the warm look in her eyes making his stomach flip uncomfortably.
"Right." He coughed. "You answered the question, so you get to ask now." He said, trying to act normal.
"Why are you here alone like this? How did you get here?" She asked, looking back up at him again.
Oh boy, that was kind of getting close to the truth. How was he going to work through this? "Um…" He shifted uneasily.
"If it's too difficult to answer I can ask another question." She said softly, reaching over and placing a hand on his to comfort him. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
Kyle looked down at her hand with wide eyes and nodded. "Another question is good. Sorry. I just... can't think of a good way to answer that right now."
She just smiled, nodding. "Then I think that's enough questions for tonight, Kyle." She patted his hand reassuringly. "You look exhausted, and probably want some time to yourself." She stood from the bed, bending over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't feel too bad about your parents. I'm sure they wouldn't want you to spend all your time mourning for them. The best thing you can do is move on and make the best with what you have." She left the room, giving him one last look before leaving the doorway.
"That was wise advice." Tinder said, as if surprised. "It is indeed best to move on- but you may mourn for them. Do you want me to stay?"
Kyle nodded. "I'd like… someone to be here. Not being able to hear the leopard is making me feel a bit… lonely."
Tinder smiled slightly and with a flash of fire, teleported himself onto the bed next to Kyle and curled up against him. "Then I will stay. You are a good human, Kyle. Perhaps tomorrow you should ask your leopard some questions as well. If you are missing him so much during his time of absence, it may be better to learn more about him."
Kyle lay a hand along Tinder's spiked back, nodding in agreement at the idea. He knew more about Kira now, at least. She was very different from the scared meek girl he had first met. She was starting to open up to him, and that made a small spark of hope flash through him.
Maybe there was a chance after all.