Peace and Quiet is an Illusion (Rikutsu)

[Loki]

A soft breeze blew as the figure of a young man walked down a beaten down path, carrying a sleeping girl in his arms. He hoped that he was going the right way. This was his first time heading down this part of the forest. He had seen this road plenty of times in his ventures through the woods but he had never tried coming down this way before. There wasn't much of a reason for it, it wasn't like he was afraid, he normally came out to the wood to train and catch wild rabbits. What he wanted was not in this direction so he never bothered to go down this road until now. It wasn't until now that he found out that there was a house here, one besides the old abandoned building he passed by a few times deeper in the woods until he had met Riku. She was the whole reason he was heading this way for. After helping him teleport his way out of that dreaded bayou that he had gotten lost in, the poor Inukami had passed out. He needed to take her back home so she could rest safely. She lived close to the forest, and her house was somewhere down here. Provided he didn't make a wrong turn he would make it there.

Sure enough after a few minutes of walking Loki made it to his destination. It wasn't long till a small building appeared before him. This had to be the place. There were not a lot of houses so close to the forest. So this was where the inukami lived. It was a rather impressive looking place. It was an old house, probably as old as the other house deeper in the woods, but well taken care of. It seemed larger too. It suited her well, an old fashion building hidden well away from the city, surrounded by wilderness. It would be the perfect place for any supernatural to hide in from the human world. At least that was what it appeared to be. As Loki made his way to the front door he felt like he was being watched. Something did not feel right. The little shifter looked around him. There didn't seem to be anyone inside the house looking out at him, the place seemed empty, yet the feeling remained. I'll have to check the place out in a minute. there was no way that he was going to leave Riku's side if there was a chance that someone was waiting for her.

He had to get inside first, and fast. That would be the tricky part. He would have to look for her keys, and to do that he would have to set her down, leaving both of them vulnerable if something did come out to attack them. He didn't want to risk that right now. With a silent pray Loki reached out for the door handled and twisted, hoping that maybe she had left the door unlocked. He smiled when he felt no resistance. He stepped inside and quickly locked the door behind him. They were safe for now but it wouldn't last forever. What was he going to do about Riku? The boy looked down at the sleeping girl once more before trying to find her bedroom to put her down in. He went straight upstairs and peered into a few rooms until he found a bedroom. He placed her down gently and put a blanket over her when he heard knocking. “At least they have the decency to knock.” The boy sighed. He didn't know if he was going to be in for a fight or not but he was prepared for one if necessary. He never left the house without some kind of weapon. He had his switchblade in his one of his pockets, and a few throwing knives he kept hidden in a pouch behind his back. He was ready for anything. Loki gave Riku a quick pat on the head before leaving her room and heading back downstairs. He didn't hesitate to open the door and step outside to greet the intruders. “Hi.” the boy smiled at them innocently as he closed the door behind him, and subtly blocked their way to the entrance. “Can I help you?”

[Rikutsu Hakumishi]

(Since I'm forever stuck on my phone, my posts won't be fancy anymore. Sorry. DX)

The old, Victorian styled house was mainted solely by the Inukami. Creeping vines created a natural decoration, winding up stone pillars and walls, where they stopped just short of beautifully eteched windows, and crisscrossing over the main path. Bleeding heart flowers lined one side of the porch, which turned out to be a wraparound. Rikutsu had seen fit to even hang a swing. The porch was compromised of cherry oak and the house itself was red brick. Inside, an old fashioned chandelier hung in the main hall. All the furniture was made of either red or cherry oak, and the floorboards didn't even give a single creak when Loki made his way up the stairs. He would have passed two empty rooms, a study and a bathroom while seeking her bedroom.

It was a fourposter bed that he laid her in, and she settled under the violet blankets with a sigh. Even the knock at the door didn't seem to draw her from her sleep. She stirred, but did not wake.

Back on the front porch with Loki, the feline would find himself standing face to face with two supernatural employees of the PIDA. One a man and the other a woman. They both eyed the shifter, obviously wondering what he was doing here and why Rikutsu had allowed him, a cat type creature into her home, let alone to carry her while she slept. The woman, who seemed the more irritable of the two, opened her mouth to speak. "How the he-" but she was quickly cut off by her partner. "Your..." he paused for only a second, choosing his words carefully. "Friend ignored her duties today. She is a coworker of ours, and we were sent to instruct her that she return to work immediately." But neither of them made any move to attempt to get past Loki. Perhaps they were nervous about waking a sleeping Inukami, but hey, who knew what Rikutsu might do if she was awoken in the middle of getting some much needed rest?

[Loki]

There wasn't a lot of time left to wander about the house with possible intruders just outside Riku's door. It was a shame that Loki couldn't take the time to get the inukami settled down, or take in his new surroundings. He might have stuck around to wait for Riku to wake up, maybe make her something to eat once she was up as a little thank you for everything she had done for him. But he couldn't. All he could do was find her bedroom, put her down, and get ready to face this potential threat. He had to pass by a few rooms to find her bedroom. After quickly tucking her in the boy left and headed towards the door. Please do not be anything dangerous Loki silently prayed. The shifter wasn't the same guy he had been a year ago. In the past he had no hope of fighting anyone if his life depended on it. Back then he had to run when danger came. His past self would have found some way to sneak out of the house with Riku on his back so they could run to safety.

Now he knew how to fight, but that didn't mean he could protect Riku with his own strength. He was still too green, and physically too weak to deal with certain enemies. Still he had to try. Taking a slow, deep breath Loki stepped outside to go face whatever was out there. The moment that he stepped outside he came face to face with two figures. Werewolves... he recognized the scent of them the instant it hit his nose. Werewolves weren't normally a problem for the shifter. He had never had a hostile encounter with their kind in the past, but that was only because he never actively interacted with them. The two he was facing now did not seem like they would be the friendly sort. The female one seemed irritated at his presence. He could feel the hostility in the air but like the calm feline he was he greeted the two wolves with a smile.

His approach earned him an explanation to what they were doing here at least. “Oh, you guys are her co-workers? I had no idea.” Loki replied coolly, still not budging an inch from where he was standing. “I guess its a good thing that you showed up here so I wouldn't have to try to find a way to contact your place of business. The lady of the house got involved in a little incident today in the woods. She helped save me from a dangerous situation but used up too much of her power while helping me escape and fell unconscious soon after. She isn't in a good enough state to come to work today. I'm sorry.” There was a little bit of embellishing here and there but the gist of the story was more or less the same, and with how sincere the boy sounded it would be harder for either creatures to tell how much of his story was true. It was more or less true though, hopefully it was something they could except. “Just tell your boss what happened, I am sure he will understand the situation. I will let Rikutsu know you came looking for her once she is conscious again so she will show up on time when she is back on her feet.”

[Rikutsu Hakumishi]

While Rikutsu slept inside, brave Loki had gone downstairs to face a pair of werewolves that worked in the PIDA alongside the Inukami. Both of the werewolves could very easily push the feline aside - not without a struggle, of course - and force themselves into the house, but they didn't even move.

"An incident that used up most of her power?" the male, clearly the more refined and polite of the two raised a brow at the little shifter in front of him. For whatever reason would Rikutsu need to use up her power to the point of unconsciousness? She was one of their strongest - and scariest, but like he'd ever admit that - employees. Suspicion entered the werewolf's gaze. Beside him, his female partner shifted impatiently, hands on her hips. "Tsk, I don't believe that. That bi-" she cut herself off at her partner's glare. "I mean, she so strong. What could have possibly caused her to use so much power that she passed out?" That was the very same thing the male werewolf had been thinking.

"My thoughts exactly." he mumbled, his gaze landing on Loki. "We request that you move aside. In order to report back at headquarters, we must affirm your information ourselves." In other words, they needed to see that Rikutsu was indeed asleep. They needed proof. The female didn't seem to enjoy that idea. "We do?" she hissed under her breath questioningly. Was she nervous? Her partner heaved an exasperated sigh and didn't answer her, looking at Loki expectantly. "We intend no harm." he assured the boy in front of them. Obviously, they weren't going to be leaving until the shifter moved to let them pass.

[Loki]

The moment that Loki stepped outside he was greeted by a pair of angry looking werewolves. The shifter's confidence wavered a little bit despite the calm facade he put out. Dogs were not the nicest enemies he had faced in the past. He already had a lot of trouble dealing with the hellhound Guillotine. Werewolves were not much better either. Depending on what kind of werewolves these two were he would have to worry about fighting them in their animal forms. Could he stand a chance against a werewolf? Two of them in fact? Gil was a dangerous beast, but with a bit of training, and studying demonology, Loki was more capable of dealing with him or any demon. It wouldn't matter if he couldn't land a fatal blow against a demon, one scratch from his blades would cause a great deal of pain thanks to his holy oil. But that wasn't the same for werewolves. They weren't demons so his blades, or the tiny vial of holy water he kept wouldn't do anything. He didn't have any wolfsbane to use, and he couldn't carry silver on his person because he would be incapable of transforming.

He would have his handsful with this one. He had to keep a fight from breaking out here, so when he faced the two intruders he smiled and explained the situation, all the while standing firmly in front of the door. They claimed they were co-workers of Riku's and for the most part he could believe that. They didn't seem like they were on good terms with the Inukami but if it was true he had less of a reason to fear they would use brute force with him right away (though the female werewolf seemed willing to go that route quickly). They seemed reluctant to buy his story. The male seemed surprised while the female looked annoyed. There was a small flicker of anger in the shifter's golden eyes when the woman started talking, but it disappeared just as soon as it appeared.

“It was when she was trying to help me escape using her portals.” The boy said, turning his attention to the bigger male. “If I had to take a guess carrying two people through those portals takes a lot more energy than she is capable of using. It must've been the first time she had ever done so because even she seemed surprised when her legs gave out.” He didn't hold back on the truth there, whether they would believe him or not was another story but he saw no reason to hold it back. “This isn't the first time I have seen something like this. I know a man that can teleport at will, doing so wears him out, even more so at great distances. He's pretty strong too but that is a fatal flaw of that particular power. I don't doubt that Riku is a powerful woman but she isn't invincible. None of us are wouldn't you say?” The boy smiled at the two as he hit them with that information. If they wanted to play at being assholes then he could be a smug one.

When the male werewolf asked him to move aside Loki didn't budge. “I am afraid I can't do that.” he replied. “You claim that you work in the same agency as Riku, while I don't doubt that claim I don't know if that gives you permission to enter her home uninvited. I only entered the house because she had given me permission to do so before she passed out. Out of respect and concern for her safety I won't just step aside.” This was bound to set them off he was sure of it, but he was ready to face the consequences if things came down to it. These wolves worked for the PIDA, while that didn't stop certain members of the organization from harming others they were suppose to adhere to certain guidelines with civilians. Loki might be a supernatural but he was still a civilian, and as far as they knew he was a harmless one.

“It seems strange to me that you need to come inside to check on her, you already saw her when you spying on me carrying her into the house. That and my testimony should be satisfactory enough.” There was more to this than them wanting to see for themselves if he was telling the truth and he knew it. He had to keep them from getting inside and carrying the inukami off with them. Luckily he had an idea on how to do that. Riku was not the only member of the PIDA that Loki had met in the past. Gil had been his first encounter with these elusive agents. While that had been a terrible first experience it did eventually lead him to meeting another, more friendly agent. After saving Guillotine's life for the second time Loki got the phone number of the hellhound's roommate and partner. He had kept it as a trump card he could use in case he needed it against Gil, or if he ever ran into trouble with a PIDA agent. It would be jus the thing he needed for this.“If you really need confirmation there is a way to satisfy both sides. I know some people that work at the agency. If I can call one of them and ask them to verify the situation in your place that should please you both right? You can even stand out here to observe if that will make you feel better.” It was weird having to resort to using this trump card. He had been hoping to save it for a more serious occasion but there was no other way he could get these two from barging without some kind of obstacle to put in their way.

[Rikutsu Hakumishi]

When the shifter had appeared from out the front door, the werewolves had at first assumed that getting past him would be easy. That they could simply trick him into allowing them inside. After all, it wasn't every day that someone could come upon one of the PIDA's strongest Special Agents in such a state. Weak. Unconscious. It was a perfect opportunity. Of course, it was also true that they had been sent here on orders to drag the uncooperative Inukami back to their workplace, but when they realized that she was being carried, asleep and completely venerable by this cat shifter, they had decided to jump at the chance to possibly eliminate their greatest competition. However, it seemed that the feline shifter was much more insightful than they had originally assumed. Their only other option at this moment was to force their way inside, but at the risk of a scuffle waking the sleeping Inukami - now that was a rather frightening thought. And on top of that, the cat was a civilian. A seemingly harmless, unarmed civilian. The Inu being their competition or not, by law, they could not attack a civilian.

The female werewolf was obviously annoyed at the shifter's words - especially the barb about none of them being invincible, but the male was better able to contain himself. He did, however, narrow his eyes when the feline outright refused to let them pass. And he had known that they were watching? Quite the intelligent little shifter, wasn't he? The werewolves had clearly underestimated this one. His next sentence had the werewolf releasing a sigh and taking a step back from the door where the feline stood. Well played.

"That will not be necessary." the male werewolf all but growled at the shifter. It would not do to have this civilian interfering with the PDIA. A call about this situation could very well rise suspicion. And neither werewolf wished for that. "In that case, we will return to our headquarters and give them our report. Do not be surprised if any more visitors show up." That was unlikely, but a bluff could possibly send the cat running. So the werewolf hoped. While the male turned right away to leave, the female werewolf appeared more reluctant, a fierce scowl painting her features as she stared at the feline shifter with venom. She was not happy at all. "Naudia." the male werewolf literally snapped, and the female huffed, turning to follow him. The two werewolves did, indeed leave the premises. Down the dirt road and back to the city where they had come from. As powerful as they were, the PIDA had its rules, and the feline shifter had been just enough for those rules to keep them from doing whatever they wanted to do.

[Loki]

Loki was not going to let them in. He had decided well before he came to face these two werewolves that he was not going to let them inside the house. It didn't matter to him who they claimed to be, if they were pretending to be agents so they could harm the lady of the house, or if they were really just co-workers he was not going to take the risk of letting them inside. Their insistence to do so was a little troubling to say the least. It might have been one thing if they seemed to be concerned for Riku but it was clear just by looking at them they weren't. It was obvious that they didn't want to check to see if the inukami was alright, as for what they planned to do with her if they got their hands on her he didn't know but he wasn't willing to take the risk to find out.

So Loki stood his ground. He was willing to fight if things came down to that, he didn't have special weapons to deal with werewolves but they weren't invincible enough that they couldn't feel a well placed knife in between their ribs if things came down to it. The chances of a fight breaking out on Riku's doorstep were not likely though. The werewolves looked mean and menacing but they weren't as stupid as Guillotine to not consider the consequences of their actions. The PIDA had strict rules about how to deal with civilians. While people like Gil were prong to forgetting them not all their agents did. That was what Loki was relying on here. As far as either of these mutts knew Loki was just a civilian. He was technically speaking, while his line of work was a bit on the shady side, it wasn 't so shady it would be considered criminal. Even if they knew what he did they would have no just reason to touch him.

Playing the innocent civilian wouldn't have worked on the female werewolf, but it definitely worked on the male. That was all that he needed, it was obvious that he was the one in charge here so Loki chose to address him, and only him, no doubt to his accomplice's annoyance. Both wolves seemed annoyed by his refusal to let them in but before they could get a chance to say anything else Loki pulled out his trump card. If this didn't stop them nothing will. He didn't even need to try for the gamble, the leader admitted defeat. Loki smiled sweetly at the pissed off werewolf's veiled threat. “If they do I will gladly treat them the same way I have you.” the boy purred in response. The promise of more visitors was probably a bluff but Loki was prepared to deal with them if they came now that he had scared off these two.

Loki finally turned his gaze to the female wolf who had chose to linger by the door, a smile still plastered on his face. “You should go, you wouldn't want your alpha to get upset with you.” his smile only grew when the male wolf snapped at his partner. “Told you.” the boy waved as the two werewolves retreated, watching after them until they were way out of sight before he dropped his facade. He made his way back inside, locked the door behind him, then leaned his back against the door with a heavy sigh. Thank the gods that was over with. “Riku...what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?” he mumbled to himself. Loki only knew as much as his associates and other outside sources had told him about the PIDA. While he had only met two agents before he had ran into Riku, and the first one he had met was a complete dick, he didn't know what to think about the people that worked for the PIDA. Apparently there were more assholes in the organization than he had realized. The wolves that were sent to see to Riku did not seem nice, he could only imagine what kind of people their superiors were.

He would have to ask Riku what the deal with those two were. But not right now, the inukami would still be asleep. As far as he could tell she would be asleep for awhile. So what should he do now? He was not going to just leave now in case someone else decided to pay a little visit. Loki walked away from the door and explored a bit of the house until he reached the kitchen. The boy peered into the kitchen thoughtfully. Riku would probably feel hungry once she woke up, so why not prepare something for her? “What should I make though?” the boy mused as he checked the fridge. He had not idea what an inukami could and couldn't eat. He could guess since she was an animal she could eat meat, but just how much of an animal's stomach she had he couldn't be sure. Based on what she had in the fridge though he could guess she had a similar tolerance level for human food as he did. There was some thawed out beef in her fridge as well as vegetables and other goods. The boy grabbed the beef and studied it until an idea struck him. “Beef stew...that should be easy to stomach.” Loki laid out all the ingredients he needed, grabbed all the utensils, then rolled up his sleeves before getting to work. Hopefully by the time Riku woke up there would be a hot meal waiting for her.

[Rikutsu Hakumishi]

The entire time that Loki was downstairs facing off with the pair of nasty werewolves, Rikutsu was dead to the world. So deeply asleep that there didn't seem to be anything that could rouse her. Had she been awake, she would of most certainly charged out to assist Loki, fangs bared and tail bristling. Out of all the agents her superiors could have sent, they just had to send the two that despised her the most - not that their superiors knew this, of course. The werewolves were very good at pretending to play nice with the Inukami. And she was just as good at faking it as they were. In reality, they absolutely hated each other. Rikutsu had climbed the ranks fast after she had joined, soon becoming one of the PIDA's top agents, and the werewolves hadn't been all to pleased with that. So far, they had been unable to catch her off guard. Once the intruders where gone and Loki had gone back inside, deciding that he was going to cook something for the Inukami to eat, he would be able to notice just how quiet the house was. But it wasn't an eerie quiet. It was peaceful. Birds sang every so often outside, accompanied by the whisper of the wind and the steady ticking of an old grandfather clock that sat in the living room.

The silence was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of city life. With her playful and fiery nature, it was probably surprising that she would wish to live somewhere to tranquil. The Inu's fridge did, in fact, contain mostly meats and vegetables - a lot of meats, actually, but lacked any grains and there was only milk and butter for dairy. She obviously didn't do much cooking, but there was enough to live on for a few weeks. The shifter would find everything that he needed easily enough, for there wasn't much in way of cooking utensils. Just the bare minimum. Yep. She definitely didn't a lot of cooking at all.

By the time he had started cooking, Rikutsu would finally be waking from her sleep, feeling well rested and much better. That was all she had needed, really. A good sleep. The Inu sat up and yawned, glancing around the room. How long had she been out? Her stomach growled. Okay, so she needed a good sleep and some food. Then, she would be at her best. Still feeling a bit groggy, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, pausing when she realized that something downstairs smelled really good. Lifting her nose to the air, she inhaled. Loki was still here? And he was cooking? Or was she just imagining things because she was still half-asleep? She stood, padding silently out of the room and down the hall, then made her way down the stairs. Another pause. She turned to look at the front door with a frown. Werewolves had been here. Did Loki have to face them alone? A spike of guilt stung her. Turning away from the door, she went and made her way into the kitchen.

"..Loki." and he was there, after all. He was even cooking. She was surprised that he had stayed behind while she slept, and a smile unknowingly curled her lips upward. He hadn't needed to do that, but then she remembered the scent that was fading around her front door. It was a good thing he had stayed, and she was glad that he did.

[Loki]

With the werewolves gone and some extra time to kill, Loki decided to spend what time he had before Rikutsu's awakening doing the one thing he loved the most. Cooking. It made perfect sense in his head to make use of the inukami's kitchen. While he had a good chance to leave now he didn't feel right abandoning the girl who helped him while she was still vulnerable. There was no telling what could happen while he was gone. Just because those damn wolves were gone for now that didn't mean they wouldn't come back, or that they wouldn't follow through with their threat and send more agents back to the house. That threat was most likely a bluff but all the same he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks when it came to the well being of a lady. He had to stay. Cooking was a good way to pass the time while he kept watch, and it would be helpful to have something to help fill Riku's stomach when she woke up.

There were just enough ingredients lying around to make beef stew. The fridge was fully stocked with an assortment of meats and vegetables. Meat being the most prevalent item to no one's surprise. It was not hard to notice at all that there wasn't a lot of leftovers, or any cooked meals. Judging from how clean the kitchen was and how little cooking utensils there were around it was safe to assume that Riku did not do a lot of cooking herself. Today would be her lucky day. After prepping everything Loki got to work. Time fly by while the shifter started cooking. He was enjoying himself so much he didn't notice Riku make her appearance until she called his name. “Good afternoon.” The boy turned to give her a warm smile. “You got up sooner than I expected, I hope you got all the rest you need. There is no shame in taking another nap if you still don't feel well.” Riku looked like she was doing better which was a good sign, but it was too early to tell if she had fully recovered yet . “This stew should be ready in a few minutes if you are hungry.”

[Rikutsu Hakumishi]

At least nothing to extreme had happened while she was out. Other than the lingering scent of werewolves, nothing seemed amiss. And Loki was even thoughtful enough to cook something for her! Her liking of him grew exceptionally. Food was a great way to get an Inukami to like you. At least, it was that way with this Inukami. It seemed that the shifter was so busy cooking, that he didn't even notice her enter the room at first.

"Mmm, smells lovely. I'm too tired to hunt right now, so this is great." she told him in lieu of a greeting, leaning around him to give the pot a sniff, wagging her tail behind her. Beef was a favorite of hers. She normally didn't cook, so this was a rare treat. "Oh, I'm feeling much better now." she offered a gentle smile, rubbing at one eye and releasing a tongue curling yawn. It took her a little bit to wake up, so she was still sleepy. "Thank you for helping me." Taking a seat at the table, she stretched her arms over her head, then propped her chin up in her hands, resting her elbows on the table. Using her portals for two people had seriously drained her. Well. Now she knew something that she would need to work on. "I hope you didn't have any trouble while I was asleep." she stated, golden gaze traveling toward the hall that lead to the front door.

[Loki]

“If you like the smell you are going to love the taste.” the boy chuckled in response. “I don't mean to brag...just kidding, cats like me love to brag. I am a very good cook.” It was funny how a simple task was such a thrill to do. Perhaps it was just because Loki loved food so much that he enjoyed cooking so much. For a scrawny looking guy he had a big stomach, his time living on the streets made him appreciate food even more now that he had a stable source of income and a roof over his head so he could make his own. It helped that human food was so unique and interesting to make. There was so much things he had yet to try and make, but today he decided to stick to the basics. The beef stew was turning out well, it would be done in no time. Speaking about turning out well Loki wondered how Riku was holding up. He really didn't expect to see her up and about so soon, most people would be happy to see Riku up so fast but personal experience made him worry a little. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to misjudge how well she was doing and collapse again.

Riku assured him that she was fine though, a bit groggy still but more or less better than before. She certainly seemed well. He was worrying over nothing. “That's good to hear.” the boy replied, he smiled again when Riku thanked him. “No problem. Think of it as my way of thanking you for helping me out earlier.” This honestly was the least he could do to show Riku gratitude for helping him out when he needed it. Loki did a final taste test while Rikutsu sat down. The stew was done. Loki turned the stove off and filled up an empty bowl, picked up a spoon, and handed both to Riku just as she asked him if he had any trouble while she was asleep.

“Ah, you probably smelled them by the door on your way down didn't you?” He replied, that was his guess from the way she eyed the front entrance. The wolves should have been long gone by now but their scent would still be lingering around, it would be easy enough for a canine with their naturally strong sense of smell to pick up even now. “Don't worry about it, nothing major happened. Some co-workers of yours showed up asking for you.” Loki went to pour himself a tiny bowl of stew as he thought how he wanted to approach this issue. There was no sense in lying about what happened but he didn't want to worry Riku too much over what happened. “I told them that you weren't well enough to come in today and they left. They were a bit rude but easy enough to deal with.”

[Rikutsu Hakumishi]

Loki seemed to enjoy cooking. It was one of those things that the Inu had never really gotten the hang of. She had always been a huntress, so normally, she didn't cook unless she absolutely had to. And even then, she ate most of her food raw. One of the perks to living way out here, was that she could hunt without worry of being spotted by any humans. It would be rather awkward to explain if a human caught her in the middle of a shift - if she would be able to explain at all, since any human witnessing such a thing would probably run away screaming. "Ohhh? I can't wait to try it, then." she grinned when Loki bragged about his cooking abilities, watching with pricked ears as he continued to work on the stew. Finally, it was finished, and her stomach decided to make its complaints known again as he filled a bowl and brought it over to her. She eagerly dug into the food, her tail wagging in delight.

"Yeah, I did." she nodded when the shifter asked if she had smelled the werewolves, speaking around a mouthful of the delicious stew. "Figures it would be them. I would bet my tail that they volunteered to come and 'check in' on me today. We don't exactly get along. Hey, this is really good. I could live off of this." As she spoke, she gestured to the table that she was currently sitting at, indicating that he should eat, as well. Then, she took another large bite, clearly enjoying the food. Swallowing, she put her spoon down, deciding not to eat anymore until Loki had joined her. "They're siblings, you know."

[Loki]

It was a good thing that Loki had decided to cook during his wait period. Just as he had anticipated, the moment that Rikutsu woke up she was hungry. She wouldn't have to wait too long for her meal, most of the cooking was done before she came downstairs. By the time she greeted him and sat down the stew was finished. Loki gave her a nice big helping of stew before fetching a bit for himself and joining her at the table. Of course the little shifter couldn't help but brag about his cooking skills. He was prideful about his skills in the kitchen because he deserved to be. Most felines were prideful creatures, some more than others. With Loki he wasn't as prideful as those born of his class as he should be, because he only took pride in the things he knew he was good at. That was his own personal rule, he only boasted about the things he had the right to do. He was a good cook because he sunk enough time into it to get to that point. He had pride about his intelligence because he took the time to expand his knowledge on important things, and learned how to apply that knowledge in the right situations. And of course he was confident in his good looks because he had enough people acknowledged them before he dared to accept it.

Being prideful for what you can accomplish, but not so prideful that you are blind to your faults. That was the kind of man he aspired to be. So far that philosophy hadn't steered him in the wrong direction yet. Certainly not now, just seeing how hard Riku's tail was wagging when she ate told him he wasn't wrong. Loki ate some of his share of the meal too, purring loudly as he did so. Yup he did a pretty good job on this one too. The two continued to talk as they ate, and the conversation quickly turned to the two unexpected guest that had shown up while the inukami was asleep. Loki had guessed right when he assumed that Riku had smelled the two werewolves by her door when she came downstairs. She seemed to know them too. He could only imagine what kind of relationship Riku had with those two. “Heh, if you like this you would love what else I can make. If you are willing to learn I would be glad to help teach you.” Loki said before he steered the conversation back to the werewolves. “I could tell they weren't your biggest fans by the way they talked about you.” Loki said in between spoonfuls. “They are siblings huh? I can see the family resemblance...and the anger issues. Are most of your co-workers jerks or are they just an rare exception?”

[Rikutsu Hakumishi]

Cooked food was just okay in most cases, but Loki had a talent, and she was clearly enjoying the stew he had made. Being what she was, hunting was a necessity. It was an instinct that couldn't be denied. "Oh, maybe." she grinned between mouthfuls of stew. Learning to cook didn't seem like such a bad idea. She could make a few things, but she was no master chef. "That would be nice. I have to hunt, though. Else I go stir crazy." She wasn't sure if Loki would understand the innate desire to hunt, the thrill of the chase and triumph over a kill. She didn't know if his human or animal form was his true form, or if he even had a true form at all. Leaning back in her seat, she stretched her arms over her head with a tongue curling yawn, satisfied. "I may look human, Loki, but I am most certainly not. I'm in essence a coyote." she told him, then added, "Yum. That was great!~"

The topic of the werewolves and other co-workers drew a small frown to her lips, but it didn't stay long, vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. "Most of the other members aren't exactly fond of me." Yeah, that was a bit of an understatement. The Inukami gave a nonchalant shrug, rising from her seat and taking her bowl to the sink so that she could wash it. Honestly, she didn't really care what others thought of her, but it was rather irritating when someone decided to show up at her doorstep and attempt to barge their way in while she was passed out. She would prefer that they be afraid of her. Fear kept them in line. Turning on the water, she glanced over her shoulder to see if Loki was finished eating as well, and if he was, she would take his bowl, too. If not, she let him be for the time being. "Many of them fear me, some hate me, and the rest simply believe I shouldn't be allowed to run around as I please. Do you remember the news report last month about how a pillar holding up one of the highways had collapsed?"

[Loki]

Loki was glad that Riku enjoyed his cooking so much. Part of the fun in cooking was not just the process itself, or sampling your own food, but seeing the reactions of those that had a taste of what you made. Loki had been careful with what he had made and the ingredients that he had used. Rikutsu's species was foreign to him but it was still an animal. Animals had different tastes in food and what they could stomach than humans do. The same was true with shapeshifters. Though they were a being walking along the crossroads of man and beast they were animal enough that they couldn't always stomach human food. Some could of course. Loki's stomach was good enough that he could easily adjust to human food, he could eat as much sweets as he wanted before he started feeling sick. Amalia had been different thought, perhaps because she had to survive more off of rodents, fish, and birds that she and her family could hunt unlike him, that she had to take longer for her stomach to adapt to her new diet.

Loki kept that in mind when he was making stew for Riku. It was obvious from the state of the kitchen that Riku was a hunter who was more used to eating her food raw than cooked. He had only used ingredients from the things he could find in her fridge, and kept things like spices to a low to be on the safe side. He had done a good job, despite having to change some things. Riku liked it and it tasted good to him as well. The boy chuckled when Riku said she still would hunt even if she did learn how to cook. “I know how you feel, even though I don't have to live off live prey I still hunt every now and then. Mostly to stave off boredom, or to keep my skills sharp, and fresh mice still taste good.” the boy nodded when she told him she was still a wild animal. “Despite my looks I am still a cat in body and soul. I play a terrible human believe it or not. I always have problems trying not to do things like purr when I am happy, or hissing when I am mad or defensive...its a good thing my roommate has never thought about buying cat toys just to mess with me, because I guarantee you I would fall for it. Every single time.” Thank the gods that Azazel didn't have nearly as devious of a mind as he did.

Loki at his food while Riku talked about her fellow employees at the PIDA. It was sad to hear that most of her co-workers didn't like her at all. Why wouldn't they like her? Rikutsu seemed like a nice girl from his view. She was nice, helpful, a little mischievous which he liked. Perhaps it was that mischievous side that earned him some hate. Pissing off the wrong people had that kind of effect. His mind drifted back to the conversation he had with the two werewolves from earlier, they had sounded jealous when they were talking about how strong she was. Physical strength seemed to be a big deal in the canine world. He remembered how often Guillotine had tried to physically dominate him in the past. Those that had power had superiority, while that could have been a good thing in the right hands it only seemed to cause problems here. It was a damn shame. Loki finished his portion and walked over to the sink with Riku, he handed her the bowl and helped dried what she washed before putting them away. “Your workplace sounds lovely.” he replied sarcastically. “If that's the way your fellow agents feel about you then why do you work there?” There had to be some reason. Loki didn't know what to think about the PIDA. His first encounter with the agency had been with Guillotine, that of course did not give him a good impression of the group. What kind of organization who claimed to work to protect supernaturals and humans would willingly hire such a dangerous monster? The other agent he had met besides Riku and Gil he hadn't had the time to get to know well enough. He seemed alright for a human, though why he was friends with Gil was anyone's guess. The group was a mystery to him and he wasn't sure he liked them at all. He would definitely try to do a bit more digging into them just to see how trustworthy they were. But that was a tale for another time. At the moment Riku asked him something. Loki nodded in response. “That was something that was hard to avoid hearing about. I take it that you were a part of it weren't you?”