Chapter 15: Gift Giving
The Lora and Kavam couple weren't sure what human customs were, but they decided to bring Nick a gift when visiting the next day. Gift-giving wasn't just a human custom. It was something all the tribes in Tiabe were familiar with. It was just that the type of gift differed between the different tribes.
For the Aer tribe that Sosora was from, precious berries usually made good gifts. The Bawin tribe that Malak came from had a tradition of carving decorations into stone or wood, depending on the sincerity of the gift.
For the Ursa tribe, Lora and Kavam's tribe, decorations weren't a common gift. Berries could work.
But if one of the Ursa wanted to show someone else that they meant well and had nothing but friendly intentions, they would give their target meat. The fresher, the better.
Nick looked at the couple, the bear cub, and the dead doe at their feet with a blank face.
"F-for you...?" Kavam said hopefully. He could tell from Nick's expression that they might have missed it with the dead deer. They caught it on the way, so it was fresh. That shouldn't have been the problem.
Nick's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Alright," he said with a sigh and nod. He looked at Lora and Kavam.
"Uhh, don't be startled," he asked them before glancing at the tentacle hiding behind him and giving it the okay. It peeked out over his shoulder to check that Lora and Kavam weren't trembling in fear before snaking out and grabbing the doe. It wrapped around a leg and pulled it closer before adjusting its grip and snaking around its torso.
Nick stepped to the side as the tentacle carried the deer into the house and down to the basement, where it disappeared.
He was a little interested in what wild game that fresh would be like. But he was not interested in draining it from blood and skinning it or dicing it up into the edible parts. It was a lot he didn't know how to do properly and a lot of work that he wasn't sure if he had the stomach for.