Lucien didn't bother shifting until an hour after Nesta had retired for the evening. Elain had jumped upon returning to the room and finding the fae male sitting and staring at the fire where there had been a fox before.
"...sorry," he mumbled without really looking at her. Elain shook her head and drifted over to kneel down next to him.
"It's alright. How are you feeling?" Better but not really. The distance was at least helping. "I'm… I don't know. It's all very complicated and I don't particularly care for how it's making me feel." Elain wrung her hands. He wasn't making this easy for her he knew. But it was all so… messy. He could barely figure out what he felt, let alone communicate it. "Well, I made sure there was some food left over for you. How about you eat and I can draw you a bath. A meal and a chance to clean up has always helped me clear my head." Lucien found himself nodding slowly at the offer and following Elain to the dining room. She watched him sit down and tucked some hair behind her ear. "It's um… chicken but Feyre may have mentioned that it's quite a step down from the food in Prythian." Lucien shook his head, "I'm sure I can stomach it Elain. It was kind of you to make sure I ate." The woman folded her hands in front of herself and lingered to watch. "I wasn't sure when the last time you had a meal was… You weren't very coherent when you arrived and obviously, I couldn't get a word out of you once you'd shifted again." That was fair. Anyone else would have turned away the faerie sobbing on their doorstep. If not just attacking them while their guard was down… in this area the second one seemed far more likely. He should thank the Cauldron that Elain had been to one to answer the door and not her sister. "Are you just going to watch me eat?" he tried to force some humor into his voice as he asked but Elain shook her head. "Take a few bites and I'll give you some breathing room."
Lucien looked at the plate and glass next to it as he picked up the provided fork. Chicken soaked in some kind of glaze and a side of scalloped potatoes with garlic, rosemary, and a not-so-healthy amount of butter. It smells fine, why would Feyre- He interrupted his own thoughts when he took a bite and realized exactly how bland it was.
"What kind of sorcery makes human food taste like this?" he wondered aloud and Elain giggled. He looked at her and managed a small smile. "I'm glad you think this is so funny. I'm genuinely confused." She shook her head and pushed his glass a bit closer,
"I think the explanation is probably something magic-related." Lucien nodded picking up the glass and taking a long drink. Just water. "Thank the mother that water tastes the same, at least." Elain pat the back of his chair with a light hand, "At least there's that. I'll start running some water for you."
she drifted back out the door and up the stairs, leaving Lucien alone with his meal. He forced a few more bites down, nearly gagging as he did. It felt like eating ash. At some point, he would have to bring Elain something from Prythian to show her what real food tasted like… He finished the chicken first and swallowed most of the potatoes without chewing. Just to get it down. He promptly drained the rest of his water and pushed the plate away from himself. He wondered if it might have been easier to eat while he was still a fox. The bits of meat Nesta had offered when Elain first brought him to the estate hadn't caused such an adverse reaction after all.
He stood up and found his way to the stairs. He followed the sound of running water to a slightly open door. He paused. Now that he was closer he could hear Elain singing to herself. If she was classically trained her lessons hadn't gone very far but there was a soft warmth to her voice that drew him closer. He stopped just outside the door to listen. Not the most beautiful song he'd ever heard but the most captivating. The door opened and she stepped into the hall, jumping when she turned and found him there. She clapped a hand over her chest and let out a relieved sigh.
"Lucien… I always forget how quietly you all can move." She cleared her throat and propped the door open.
"I imagine you don't actually deal with fae often enough for it to matter… but I apologize." He shifted slightly on his feet. Regardless of her lack of comment, he had basically been spying on her. "I went into town earlier. Not many shops make clothing for people your height but I found a few things that may work. Night clothes on the counter and I'll be in the sitting room when you're done. I can show you to the guest room I set up for you. We can move you around if you don't like it for whatever reason-" Elain might have kept going if he hadn't waved a hand to get her attention. "I'm sure the room is fine Elain." She nodded and played with the ends of her hair. "R-right… well I'll leave you to it then." She hurried back to the stairs and Lucien waited until she disappeared around the corner to step into the bathroom.
Elain paced the sitting room quietly. He'd smiled again. And made a joke. She had given him what was probably the worst meal of his life and he'd still smiled again. She'd spent most of the day worried that he might stay as that russet fox just so he wouldn't have to talk about whatever had happened to him. She'd tried her best to find suitable clothes for him on short notice, but she hadn't been lying when she said that not many clothiers worked in sizes suited to the fae. The inquiries hadn't exactly been inconspicuous either. And coming up with a convincing lie had been… interesting. According to her story in town, her old friend was visiting from the continent. On his journey, his luggage had been lost and he'd arrived only with the clothes on his back and, unfortunately, he'd always been unusually tall so there hadn't been any clothes at the estate that would fit properly. The story had been met with sympathy and a few odd looks but thankfully no one had asked for further details. No one in town had.
Nesta would be a different story entirely. Elain had to figure out some way to explain Lucien's presence to her sister. In a way that wouldn't convince Nesta to level Prythian all by herself.
And she had no idea where to start…