Thinking was hard. Thinking long, when they were tired, hungry and at least semi lost was harder. Thinking without acting right away was against their nature, more than a little. Chéri saw their stare narrowing Malachi’s light smile.

They wondered, but didn’t practically do anything else. “Of course” they repeated.

As soon as Malachi stood up, Chéri’s stomach produced a sound, confirming that yes, food was much needed. “That is very generous, thank you.”they finally said, looking away with a little bit of embarrassment. “Wherever it is warmer. If it doesn’t inconvenience you.” Chéri frowned, perplexing themselves: it was uncharacteristic for them to worry about inconveniencing anyone. Normally they were, in fact, A proud inconvenience, intended to cause as much trouble as possible for the benefit of their pockets.

They turned back to Malachi and added, probably at the last possible moment “Are you going to eat with me?”