Lydia looked at Shenyo as if he had lost his mind calling her Alyssa. Her eyes opened wide when she understood. Names have power and he was not giving the house her name. Yes, playing a farce with the house did seem to work and the sense of dread lifted a little as they went downstairs. When they found the pickled vegetables, Shenyo made an appreciative fuss over the food as if the house had gone to great pains to be hospitable.<br/><br/>The first bite of the pickled green bean brought tears to her eyes. He lied. There was nothing good about the food, but it did not taste spoiled, only incredibly tart. With a smile that matched his, she dutifully ate through the jar. Wiping her mouth with the tips of her fingers, she started to say what a wonderful meal and be done, but then a shadow shifted.<br/><br/>Cold dread shot down her back. Shenyo was cut off in the middle of his flirtation as he stared off into space uttering words that made no sense. Playing along with making the house think them lovers yet not using their proper names she said,<br/><br/>“Shane, whatever do you mean, Just not now? Give me those carrots.” She was playful and took the jar from him before he dropped it on the wood floor. He relinquished the jar and she took a carrot before setting it on the scarred table.<br/><br/>Chewing gingerly, she returned to him and picked up the end of his tail..<br/><br/>“Shane my love. Shane. Look at me.”<br/><br/>The black shadow seemed to spread until it was large enough to hover over them. The sense of calm that came from touching him seemed to flow through her and Lydia pointed at the shadow and said,<br/><br/>“We didn’t mean to be greedy with the food. I put the lid on really tight just then so it will stay good for the next travelers you welcome into your home.”<br/><br/>She was trying to eased Shenyo away but since he was bigger than her, they stayed firmly in place while the room grew darker by the second.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>