He grows on her like a bruise; hidden, sore to touch, easily forgotten with a little distraction. They live in a softer world, where he does not dream of being king, and she holds no lofty ambitions, and there are no laws to govern them. Nettle is beautiful; Pepper is a little plain, just a regular tabby, but his smile is blinding and happy. They live in proximity, and that's how Pepper attaches himself, slow and sly. Things could've been different; he was meant to posses her, and she was meant to hate him. But they're born in a manner of mercy, and he is a bruise that will not fade.