Satoshi wasted no further time and soon had a plate filled. As he ate, he studied Jack more closely, wondering just what sort of a person his new human was. Deciding it was time to fulfil his curiosity, he set his plate on his lap, keeping it on hand. "Can I ask you about yourself?" he said shyly, hoping he wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

Jack smiled and ate from the tuna salad. When he was asked that he looked up and smiled. "of course you can." he said. "What do you want to know about me?" he asked him with a smile.

Satoshi already had his first question in mind, and he looked out at the garden as he asked it. "What was your last hybrid like?" he asked quietly.

He looked at him and sighed. "He was a dog, very loyal and very kind. Helpful too!" he smiled before smiling a bit at the nice thoughts. "HE helped me a lot...Always going out to the park and such...But he was getting old...and just...one day I woke up and he stayed asleep...For good." he whispered very lowly, tears welling up in his eyes. "but he deserved it..."

Satoshi put a hand on Jack's arm and squeezed, tears in his eyes. "He sounded like a good friend," he said simply, wishing there was something more he could say that sounded adequate.

The squeeze was all he needed to hold back his tears though. "He was..." he smiled before hugging his new friend closely. "I know our bond can't be the same, but maybe...It can replace it..." he whispered before rubbing the others back.

"Of course it can!" Satoshi hugged Jack. "I know I can't replace your first hybrid, but I can help make a new bond."

He smiled before nuzzling him. " now, do you like my sandwiches?" he asked to change the subject.
His eyes slowly dried again and he seemed more happy. With a smile he patted his friends head and stroked his ear gently.

"Yup!" Satoshi said, beaming from ear to ear, a faint purr coming up in his throat as Jack nuzzled him. "They're really good."

He smiled widely and held him closely. " I'm glad you like my meals already." he smiled before kissing his head. " Take as much as you want..." he smiled before nuzzling him.

Satoshi blushed and nuzzled back, another question rising to mind. "So when did you learn how to cook?" he asked curiously.

He smiled. "My mom taught me along the way to this age." he replied. "So, you can say I'm able to cook all my life." he smiled before looking at him.

Satoshi nodded. "I learned a bit of cooking before I was captured," he said, his face looking a little bleak as he thought of the capture that had put him in the shop in the first place.

Gently he stroked his hair. "That wasn't a nice experience, huh..." he whispered to calm the other carefully.
Then he stroked his hair. "Don't worry...I won't order you to do anything." he smiled. Then he looked at him, stroking the hair lovingly.

Satoshi shook his head, purring in response to the pettings. "No, it wasn't," he confessed. "Oh, the shop owner who captured me wasn't a bad person, but I didn't like being separated from my family. I lost count of the nights I cried."

He held him closer and kissed his head. "Where did you live?" he asked him. His hands softly stroked the special fur on his cat like ears. Softly he held him close.

"I lived in the forest with my family," Satoshi replied, leaning gratefully into the caresses. "We were the last surviving tribe to be found anywhere in the world, and our numbers were dwindling because so many of us had died in captivity." He was silent for a moment, remembering that the human who was holding him right now belonged to the race which had given his tribe such misery, and he pulled away, folding his hands tightly in his lap. "They took my brother when I was five, and I watched my mother die of sorrow at losing her oldest son and heir. My father was taken when I was ten, and I remember them tranquilising him, because he was putting up such a fight. He killed two humans before the rest could subdue him." His voice grew harder. "They took my sister when I was thirteen. She was the last surviving relative I had in the world, and when she left, she took everything. She took all my happiness, and left me with nothing. I was captured at fifteen." His voice was colder by the time he finished speaking, and he looked at Jack with a hard eye. "You've been very kind, but you're a human, and humans have given my tribe nothing but sorrow for as long as I can remember. I am one of the last surviving leopards because of you humans."

Jack watched him closely. As the other got more and more angered by his past he slowly let go. Understanding he hated humans.

Slowly he man just nodded. "That's horrible..." he said before looking at him. "If you hate me for being human, I can understand...But I'm not the one who hurt you or took your tribe apart." he said looking at him making sure he wouldn't attack all of a sudden.

Deep down Satoshi knew that was true, but right now, he was too angry to tell the difference. "I think I'm going to lie down for a while," he said, standing up and making sure that his manner conveyed the fact he wanted to sleep alone. He'd apologise later when he calmed down, but he knew that if he stayed around Jack for much longer, he'd attack.


(OOC: Shall we skip forward a bit?))

((sure))

Jack had let him leave. He sighed as he took the plates and all back inside, getting the untouched food back to the fridge. A sigh escaped from his lips, feeling bad about everything.

slowly he sat down on the couch, thinking.
As the time passed Jack fell asleep on the couch, all curled up while the tv was on.

Satoshi woke up after a few hours, feeling as though he'd been dragged backwards through a wringer, but otherwise, he was feeling better than when he'd left Jack to take his nap. He was still feeling a bit resentful, though, and even though he could hear the sound of the TV downstairs, he felt he still couldn't be around the human. So he wandered back into the garden, losing himself in the sights and sounds for a long time, until the shadows falling on the paths told him of how close to night it was. But Satoshi didn't want to go back inside; he sat on a bench, staying there well past sunset, until the moon was shining brightly down into the garden.

And all the while thoughts were whirling madly inside his head. He liked Jack. As a matter of fact, he liked the human a lot. But there was still the memory of his capture, and newly growing affection warred with fear. What if Jack's kindness was just a front? What if he gave his trust to the human, only to have it abused and turned against him?

Satoshi didn't want to distrust his human. But he didn't want to give his trust too quickly. It was a confusion which left him with a steady headache, and he rubbed his temples in frustration. What on earth was he going to do?

Jack was clueless of Satoshi's where abouts, he panicked when he didn't find his friend in his room, when he thought he'd wanted something to drink and snack.

He rushed down stairs searching through the entire house before he rushed out, calling his name. But then his eyes fell upon the leopard. "Oh there you are...I thought you left..." he blushed. "Hey...do you want something to drink or eat?" he asked him with a small concerned smile.

Satoshi turned when he heard Jack calling his name, and he blushed, glad for the darkness. He hadn't meant to frighten the human. "Sure," he said, standing. His tail swished a little, showing his agitation and confusion over his feelings for his new owner. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to think."

HE smiled and nodded. "I'llget you some." he said softly. HE shrugged at it and just looked at Satoshi. "That's okay, thinking is good." he smiled before heading back inside to get his friend something to eat and drink. Jack got out to the garden and put the small tray on the table beside Satoshi. "here." he smiled, sitting down next to him.

"Thank you," Satoshi said quietly, taking a bite before lifting the glass, just holding it without drinking, staring into the garden as if he could see something there Jack couldn't. "What if our positions were reversed?" he asked. "How would you react if you were the hybrid who had lost everything at the hands of humans, and what if I were the human who had bought you? Would you feel the same way I am feeling now? Or would your reaction be different?"