The choice turned over to Fahl, he reached out and slid over whichever half was closer to him: the front, its head complete with a glassy eye that stared at him in death. Mouth hovered over the fish and mind tugged insistently upon his magic. The air surrounding the portion rippled with the faintest of shimmers. Pressing his face closer, he could feel a moist warmth brush against him. He bit in, satisfied with the result of his cast if not the actual taste of the fish.
"Cold then," Fahl concluded in between chews, noting the information that she was a meat-eater. "Fish supposed to be... Better when hot." He swallowed. "Could warm if want to try differ... ently."
@Comet
When the wolf slid over her half, Fahl abandoned eating for the moment in order to attend to warming it as well. He looked down at the tail end, mouth open as he had done with the other, and made another demand of his magic. The end result was close to the same, any difference in heat minuscule. Finished, the half was pushed back to her.
Fahl tossed his head back in a prideful manner, mood buoyed by the successful reproduction of the task. It was a sign that he was one step closer to mastery; now if only the heat could be intensified. Remaining silent to rest his tongue, he returned to his meal. As he did so, partial attention was paid to the other Gembound's reaction.
@Comet
He nodded at her words, reassured by the enjoyment contained within them. Regardless of whatever doubts he might have harbored, the proof of his teacher's correctness had been delivered to him. However, discomfort settled at the back of his mind. So there was truly nothing wrong with the fish or his magic; it was, as expected, him. As this thought flickered into existence, his face remained expressionless.
Fahl swallowed whatever bits of fish still rested on his tongue. "Yes. Good." A mostly solitary existence among other drawbacks rendered him incapable of prolonging discussion in a graceful manner. Maybe a compliment? They seemed to work well with him. "Good catch too. So even better." Not that he could tell due to his accursed taste buds.
"You have a name?" Eyes examined the victor, taking note of her differing ears. While he fully intended on exploring the river for more palatable food, it wouldn't do to be unaware of who bested him before plunging in. Putting aside personal issues, the contest had been the highlight of his day. He approached and lingered at the edge, front claws barely dipping below the water.
@Comet
"Comet," he echoed. A strange name but not more so than his, or Stormy's, or Imp's. The sounds were simple enough too for his difficult tongue to lift and wrap around. Fahl briefly wondered if others had chosen their moniker based off of whatever noises could be blurted out the best like he had. Maybe not. Stormy, at least, hadn't seemed like the hasty sort when she'd introduced herself.
Regardless, a name must be traded for one in turn. "Fahl."
Then he allowed his legs to slide off the riverbank and into the water. Body eased in and tail whipped behind him to adjust to the current. Head turned back to glance at the wolf, murky brown eyes unblinking. Uncertain of how to break things off, Fahl defaulted to his usual nod of acknowledgment, said, "Will keep an eye out for Comet," and submerged himself entirely.
Awareness of tone was obviously not one of his strengths. However, he was no longer available to clarify what this statement meant.
-Exit
@Comet