[SE] Roads we walk in the dark

He taste-tested their meal first before deciding it was acceptable enough to feed to another, and it gave him time to consider how her question had changed. "You asked how Ancients differed," he said slowly. "We are all different from each other. Each race. But we are also similar. Individually." He turned his head towards the pale Ancient where she once again sat curled in on herself. His expression was neutral as he handed over the chopsticks, though he tilted his chin curiously. "But that does not sound like what you want to hear."

He nodded with far more grace in answer to her question, reaching over briefly to help position her fingers on the sticks. "Hold it in the broth until the meat darkens," he instructed. "The longer it is in, the more it will cook through." It made it easy to control how rare or well done one preferred their meat, and with how thin it was it cooked swiftly.

He settled back on his knees to listen to her fears, patient and willing to let her take her time getting it all out. He did not look particularly sympathetic, but neither did he accuse her or pull away, simply accepting her words and letting them sit between them amidst the crackle of the small fire and the soft bubbling of the pot.

"Mmh. How is being an Ancient different than being an Ascended?"