Lying awake as usual, Ocieros realized that this was likely the only sort of attention Neris would ever be accustomed to. Joed’s ceaseless drinking meant that if he did decide he wasn’t going to spend the night in the cheapest brothel, it was hardly a pleasure to have his company at the cottage. The little cottage had already been given to Carmine village officials, and with his title, Ocieros knew he could hold claim to it if he ever wanted to. But this was all Neris had ever known. The clearing in the woods was her only solace away from this cottage, from the entire village. And while he understood that feeling, he knew he could never see it from her eyes. Maybe it was the slightest tinge of guilt, because there was so much he’d kept from her eyes. There were some things a child so young hadn’t the need to know.<br/><br/>The cool of the night crept up on him as he slept, waking him several times through the night. Between what had happened with Carmine and being alone with his thoughts, he hadn’t expected to get a good night's rest. Squirming his way from out underneath Neris’ petite frame, he got busy cooking breakfast as the sky started to fill with the brilliant colors of the sun. A small pot sat in the fire place, sizzling as the food inside cooked. While he wasn’t nearly as versed in cooking as Carmine was, he thought he could make some fairly decent food. The meal was simple, but hearty. It wasn’t too much longer before he woke up Neris with a steaming bowl of roast soup ready for her.<br/><br/>“So Issi, this might be a little different from when we normally go. They have something that is actually valuable to you, instead of blank statements and money. Try to let me do most of the talking, the ones that don’t respect me, fear me. And that should be able to get us somewhere.” His words weren’t false either, due to the two of them working together, he’d earned quite the name for himself as a fighter in the ring as well. The pit was somewhere he’d been bested before, but there wasn’t a doubt in any mind there that he wasn’t a seasoned veteran of the establishment. Anything to come out of his mouth wouldn't be taken lightly.