alhaitham had came home late one night and stocked the fridge. He only had slabs and chops of meat. It was red meat, and the chops were large. Tiger? Gator? It looked nothing like typical cow meat… and the skin on some of the hunks seemed soft and shaved clean.

before bed alhaitham cooked some for you both… and it was delicious. When you asked what it was he simply said it was pork from the desert he was traveling, expensive and rare. You were just glad he was willing to share the expensive meal

as supply dwindled he seemed irritable. The day they ran out, a week after he had taken some home, he went out after dark and returned after you had gone to sleep, and the fridge was stocked again the next morning

he seemed to love watching you eat it and all the ways he presented it. Each time a student at the akademia went missing and you had trouble sleeping, he would cook some. He seemed especially happy to calm you with a meal those nights.

and it was the same case tonight, but far, far worse. Tighnari was missing. His body wasn’t found. He had been watching the forest for suspects and never returned. You found out and spent hours sobbing, and when you were done alhaitham served up a fresh meal of the pork. It was juicy and tender, and the side of wild forest mushrooms made it delicious… it was calming eating the fungus tighnari liked so much

Eat up… he’d want you to trust cyno in finding him

alhaithams smile was soothing as he watched you dip each bite of the meat in mushroom sauce