Chapter Text
The creature's intent to use him is clear. Alva's eyes narrow ever so slightly as the small, vulnerable fairy stands before him on his doorstep in what is already an unusual display. He usually sees these creatures fly near eyelevel or land on something of a similar height rather than…this. This creature seems to want to appear strong by doing this…at least, this is his assumption. Perhaps the quivering of its wings makes it difficult to fly? This creature is clearly frightened despite the determined expression and eye contact. He can sense it, but it is made obvious by various body movements that the fairy likely hasn't even taken note of. If it did, Alva assumes it would make some sort of attempt to hide such clear tells…hm…regardless, it is an unusual situation and has his attention. His mask is still on, thus this creature has no need to fear that part of him.
"I see no point in working with you. My success during hunts is high and I have no concern over whether or not I will have access to food from one night to the next." Such a thing should be quite clear, truth be told. Why else would he have the luxury of visiting a quaint settlement of prey yet not devouring the whole thing? He will usually eat ones outside the village rather than raid the village itself. It keeps the population strong and supplements the rest of his diet nicely. The fairies are his favorite, however he must be careful in what he chooses to eat. He would hate to decimate the population within his territory beyond repair.
His tiny guest of sorts frowns at Alva's response, seeming to attempt to puff itself up as if to keep from running off or frightening itself to silence. "I could make it much higher. You clearly have times in which you struggle to get enough food to sustain you, which leads you to attacking my village. I can help you get larger prey much easier and faster. That'd be more efficient for you than having to eat several smaller creatures, right?" Hm…so that is the angle. It wants protection.
Alva raises a brow at this, uttering a hum as he does so. "How would you plan on going about this? You are hardly a fraction of the size other creatures in this forest are on average. With this in mind, you are dwarfed significantly by everything else within the woods." The attempt is amusing, he will admit. Trying to keep the predator full to avoid becoming prey is not a novel idea, however it is rare to see attempted. He has personally never had this sort of deal struck regardless of how many years he has lived here. How curious…even if entirely useless, it is interesting if nothing else.
The small creature seems almost proud of this fact, strangely enough. It puffs up again and crosses its arms while giving a firm nod. "Exactly! My species is prey to most things in the forest, as you know. You keep our village from being destroyed so you can eat us at your leisure during emergencies." Or simply when he feels like it, but he supposes the point is still the same. "With that in mind, it's a benefit! Use me as bait in one of those little cages you use. Most things you eat will opportunistically want to eat me even if most the rest of its diet consists of plant matter. Less effort for you, yeah?"
How interesting indeed…Alva will use small cages to, on occasion, hold his preferred prey to eat later on when he gets home if he feels like saving it for…hm, dessert would be a good way to describe it. These small creatures have a taste he enjoys above all else, be it due to their magic or their own diet, which makes them a pleasant snack prior to settling down for bed. The cages are designed to ensure the safety of his prey even as he continues his hunting. Nothing else can get into it, it will not break if something attempts to crush it, and it will not open without the use of a particular spell. It is something entirely of his own creation, in other words, and dedicated to this sole purpose.
That aside for now, the idea of using one of these creatures as bait is an interesting one…he is not fond of eating carnivores, such a thing is unsavory in taste to him, however even herbivores will indulge at times to supplement a need for protein and calcium. Deer are a common pest to these poor little fairies when the small creatures are out gathering food and the hoofed animals are much less merciful in consuming them than he is. At least he has the decency to ensure it is painless. There is fear involved, yes, but he does do his part to ensure his prey does not suffer from an agonizing death.
Alva hums at the tiny creature's offer, showing he has heard it yet is considering his options. This one is smart indeed. The cage is a safe haven in theory, thus the small fairy will not be harmed by its would-be attacker aside from perhaps some jostling around. Despite the solid walls, air still passes in and out which ensures it will not suffocate…and, though unintended by design, its scent and magic will still be easily picked up by other creatures. Yes…this creature has clearly studied him in some fashion to have thought of this.
"Clever…very clever. I would be willing to try your idea if you believe you can handle it. Anything that approaches your cage will be eliminated right before your eyes…do you understand this? Can you endure the burden of causing death in this manner?" These fairies are not predatory by nature or design, meaning they tend to be squeamish from his experience with them. Some might, again, supplement diet with small or already deceased creatures but, in a general sense, they are incredibly docile and timid.
Without hesitation, though clearly not without a feeling of dread, the small creature nods firmly. "I can handle it. As long as you promise not to devour me, I'll be useful in getting you more food in an easier way. You'll have more time to do whatever else you do with your time. Nothing to lose, right?" The tiny fairy gives a peculiarly fanged smile in response to this, causing Alva to wonder if perhaps this creature is a little different in more ways than he first suspected. Most of the fairy species he hunts are not equipped with pronounced canines…perhaps this will be entertaining as well as productive. If this works…yes, he could have significant benefit in knowledge as well as extra time and food.
The significantly larger beast moves to kneel down, startling the tiny creature into stumbling backwards in the process. Ah…he moved too quickly, it seems. "My apologies. It must be cold for you, I would imagine, so I merely want to take you inside so we may speak further on this in a more calming and pleasant environment for you." Alva opens his gloved hand after having set it on the chilled ground below, offering it to the tiny fairy as he keeps his other hand at his staff. It is, more or less, keeping him balanced.
Despite the scare, his little guest recovers after a short time and very cautiously moves toward his hand. It is, again, expected in some ways yet unexpected in others. He has yet to see this creature fly and a small part of him wonders if it even can. Surely it must or else it would have died out long ago. The journey here alone is a long, long walk for something this small-- hm? It actually climbs onto his hand and even has the courage to sit down, cross-legged, as if casually seated on a couch. My, it is a very bold little thing.
"It's freezing! Going somewhere warm would be nice. I'm Luca, by the way, so try to keep that in mind if you get any passing thoughts of eating me. I've got friends back home!" Hm? Appealing to emotion? Clever indeed, even if not very effective on someone such as himself. Still, it is likely a coping mechanism of some sort given the terror he senses from this little creature no matter its attempts to mask it with joking or laughing and smiling. This is a bold move that would normally result in death and this fairy knows it…yet, why push onward? Why risk the life it clearly holds dear? Perhaps, over time, he can get to the heart of this issue. He has suspicions, of course, but…doing this is very unusual even with such things in mind.
Whatever the case may be, Alva moves to hold the small creature closer to his body to ensure its stability as he moves to retreat inside and close his door behind him. He uses his staff for this, as he generally does. "Alva. It is possible you have heard my name through rumors, but I see it polite to offer it regardless." He will introduce himself if someone speaks with him, however such a thing is nearly unheard of when it comes to the small fairies here. The larger ones are much more likely to be pleasant with him despite, more or less, still being prey items for him. They do not hold much interest for him in terms of flavor, so he will generally leave them be.
Hm…he wonders if this little game will go far…surely this tiny fairy will lose its nerve and retreat after they speak, right? Even with his mask on, a symbol of peace to these creatures, his visitor seems incredibly on edge. He hunts without it fastened to his face, naturally, so he does wonder how this fairy will manage with it off…Luca must have considered this at some point, correct? It would be foolish to assume there is no risk involved in hunting alongside its own predator.
In speaking of his guest, the tiny fairy looks around his home while sitting in his palm, clearly in awe of its surroundings. "It's really nice in here…I expected a dungeon with chains and cages with trapped animals or something. No smell of blood, either!" Hm…that sounds about right for what he has come to expect of these creatures. Alva is, understandably, a monster to them and as such is assumed to live in squalor or some sort of cave system. It must be surprising to see something that is the exact opposite of those assumptions. This shock is deepened when he removes his boots and the like at the doorway, prompting his guest to do similarly.
"My food is stored in frigid container in my kitchen to preserve it for later use. A simple ice spell cast upon a large chest has worked fine in my case and allows me to cut my required dedicated hunting sessions down significantly. If I happen to find food during my patrol, it further reduces." Alva points his staff to the box in question as he passes by his kitchen, noting an interested spark to Luca's eyes yet passing it off as a fairy's curiosity. While still frightened, his guest remains intrigued with its surroundings. Those eyes always turn back to him in the end, however, which shows there is still clear caution.
His living area is close by, which means there is only a short walk until he is able to set his guest onto the back of his couch. Surprisingly, Luca moves to slide down onto the cushion itself rather than maintain a small amount of height. Well, if that is what this creature wants then who is he to act against it? "Do you want anything to eat or drink? I can prepare you something if you are famished after your journey." He seldom has guests, but it is customary to offer food and drink, yes? Even if this pest is no doubt trying to gain some advantage over him, he will remain polite for the time being.
The visitor in question seems surprised by the offer, but shakes its head and declines. "No thanks. I'd rather talk this out and go back to the village as soon as possible." That is understandable and, for once, the expected behavior to see from this creature. It is also likely the small fairy assumes it will be fed meat or parts of its own species. While an amusing thought, he doesn't tend to leave that lying around. The creatures are small enough to swallow down whole rather than having to cut up or save for later. They are hardly more than a snack and thus not worth the effort of storing away after death.
Alva moves to seat himself on the cushion beside his guest, humming as he does so. "Very well. Speak your terms and I will decide if I want to play along or not." This will also help him better understand exactly what this creature wants from him. He suspicions it is immunity from being hunted and protection from rival predators, however there could be more at work here. It is very possible this thing wants to evict him from his own territory by force or by means of execution. Neither will work, but caution will be taken.
In speaking of caution, Luca seems to exercise plenty of it despite sitting in close proximity to the significantly larger beast. Its eyes remain focused on him now and movements are made slowly. "I want to keep it simple. I'll help you hunt and get more food in exchange for you leaving the village alone and not eating me. On top of being bait, I can scout or do anything else you need as long as you avoid devouring me in the process." Simple indeed. Suspiciously so…but, on the surface, it works entirely to his advantage.
"That sounds acceptable. I do not mind ignoring you during my hunts if it means further success and easier sessions. The village I can overlook as well, however I will continue to visit and ensure the inhabitants stay put." They mostly stay here out of their own volition, but…well, sometimes they do consider attempting to migrate elsewhere. This, naturally, he cannot allow. These creatures settled in here within the last few years and, needless to say, he cannot simply allow them to leave. He does keep them safe outside of his own predation, so it is generally a pleasant location for them.
That aside for now, this arrangement will also allow him to learn much more about this species of fairy through interactions with Luca, which makes this quite worthwhile. Alva has always had something of a fascination with life around him and learning more about his favorite prey fits right into that interest. It is likely his guest has similar intentions, though for a different purpose, and this might also prove fairly interesting. Entertainment is a valuable currency for those such as himself and his guest…living until killed can be quite dull if one doesn't put effort into making things interesting.
Though likely displeased with his wording judging from the expression his guest makes, Luca nods to agree to it. "That's fine with me as long as you keep your muzzle on." Hm…indeed, it seems his visitor did notice that pattern. Clever.