<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Of all the things he had uttered in those few moments, he had not expected Amadan to focus on those in particular. In hindsight, he supposed they shouldn't have been uttered at all. Drae was not a man who cared to draw attention to himself, nor did he particularly enjoy having details of his life in the center of conversation. It simply wasn't his way. After spending so long building a fortress around himself, he barely even remembered how to discuss personal matters with others - not that he especially wanted to.<br/>
<br/>
As such, he paused for a few long beats, the tension no doubt palpable to the wandering spider dwelling beneath the young man's skin, and it was with a dry half-smile that he shook his head once, turning his attention to the pot bubbling away on the stove. "The less said about him, the better," he indicated, pulling two mismatching bowls from the cabinet nearby and pouring an ample amount into each. "The less I think of him, the easier it is to keep food down."<br/>
<br/>
Through his deflection, however, Drae likely let on a bit more than he had originally wanted. Difficult though he knew himself to be, he had found Aelyn even more so - at least after a time. Matters between them hadn't always been so sour, after all. There had been a time when the Hex'ras had been quite in love with him, so taken by that brash, radiant charm to the point of not seeing the forest for the trees. Drae was many things, intelligent near the top of the list, but when he became emotionally invested, he was known to lose track of his common sense.<br/>
<br/>
With a quiet assurance that Amadan could stay where he was and relax, Drae found a pair of spoons, tore off a few sheets of paper towels, and carried everything to the living room table. Suited to the clutter, he brushed aside a few folders and books from the surface as he laid the bowls down, retreating for two glasses of water before at last settling onto the sofa across from Amadan's newly de-cluttered chair. A glance to the clock told him he had some time before his shop was set to open, which would give him time to get his houseguest settled. Not that he was especially worried about opening up exactly on time - he wasn't exactly running a Walmart, after all.<br/>
<br/>
"Am I correct in assuming this won't sate you for long?" he queried, though it remained unclear whether he spoke directly to Amadan or Phoneutria nigriventer. "My metabolism allows me to subside largely on this sort of thing." He gestured to the bowl in his hand. "But I'd guess that yours needs something else. That being said, I'm going to make a request of you." A subtle nod of his head, almost as though he spoke to someone behind Amadan, would indicate that this time, he directed his words at the spider. "You require a regular hunt, and I'll see to it that you have it. But not here in the Quarter. I keep a very low profile here. My territory is quiet and I'd prefer to keep it that way, if at all possible. I have a place or two in mind where you can find something more substantial, and I'll gladly bring you to one tonight. I'll not let you starve."<br/>
<br/>
During their earlier conversation, Drae had determined beyond the shadow of a doubt that Phoneutria nigriventer was quite wild, but responded to matters pertaining to territory. This gave him hope that the spider would respect the notion of boundaries, because the last thing he wanted was the need to conceal a rash of missing cats and the like. He would never try to suppress the spider's nature, but for the sake of all three, he needed to make sure that his hunting grounds remained relatively far away from his living quarters.</span>