"Naughty girls? Oooh, they are my favorites!" Maltese smiled as he saw the life in Tegan's face while she told about her childhood. "We have similar tales to tell, then. I was 14 the first time I shot my first bird with a shotgun I think. It was... a strange feeling that, I will admit. Taking a life, even a small one." He sliced a potato into quarters, but dipped his into the sauce first before eating it. "Mmmm. The guilt didn't last more than a second or two, though. I am a human, the worst beast on the planet... and a man. Learning to hunt for the tribe and the family should be the most natural thing in the world." He picked up his cutlery, eyed a nice slice of meat and cut neatly into it. "I was fishing from as early as I could hold a rod. Trout for me too, mostly, and arctic char. Got to love that red meat... and the lovely scale patterns. There are salmon in our local rivers as well but somehow I have never been lucky much with that." He looked at her with twinkling eyes. "Don't tell me you was squeamish about putting the worm on the hook at first too?" Grinning, his white teeth tore into the meat on his fork and ripped off a bit - maybe not the quiet elegance of a restaurant diner, but he was really enjoying the meat. And the meal. And in particular his company, so manners were a little hard to remember.<br/><br/>Sighing with delight, he ate the rest of the bit of meat and went on to taste the rest of the platter. The onion slices were juicy, the tomato warm and round in its matureness and as he sucked a tomato slice he found himself wondering what tastes Tegan might have to offer his palate... in the bath, there had been so little time for his tongue to explore and so much soapy water to steal the impressions. But a slight ache in his shoulder reminded him of a certain taste attempt, and suddenly the tomato's fresh richness seemed more familiar. The bulge in his pants affirmed this, and he had to take a quick sip of the wine to focus of the meal again.<br/><br/>"So you are a hunter? Doesn't matter if you don't do it currently; once you have learned to become one with a side-by-side and successfully hit something that flies away from you in a evasive pattern, it stays in your heart long after the skill gets rusty." Maltese was cleaning the last sauce off his platter with the last piece of potato. He lifted the wine glass and looked at her above the top, a smile curling on his lips. "Allow me to raise a toast for a young girl taking on the heritage of Artemis, and for the highly talented cook and hostess of the evening.... and for the wonderful Tegan. Your toast." Then he put the glass to his lips and drank slowly, never letting go of her eyes with his.