Darius was careful as he lifted his hand to his chest, keeping it a flat platform for Mara. He stepped back, heading out to the living room and the picture that hid Mara's home. He lifted it away with his free hand, moving to hold Mara up to the curtain.
In a small attempt to be a little safer, Mara sat down as she was carried. She really wasn't scared of anything in this situation but, as much as she trusted Darius, she didn't want to accidentally fall from this height. The tiny girl looked up when she felt him stop and looked up at the hole that lead to her home. “Thank you.” she smiled softly before she stood up and jumped, tightly grabbing hold the curtain.
"You're welcome!" Darius smiled some, watching to make sure Mara made it without any trouble. He stayed close by just in case- Mara was obviously agile, but everyone could make a mistake.
Mara quickly slid down the edge of the fabric and, once her feet were on the ground, pulled the curtain open. She saw no reason to hide while she was making this errand. As she made her way to her little kitchen she realized that her normal plates might be a little small for some of the food… So she, instead, grabbed a round wooden disk about an inch in size and walked back towards Darius, even though she still wasn't sure if what she was now carrying would be big enough either.
Darius held his hands up when Mara came back out, still smiling. If it wasn't big enough, she could just have seconds! He had watched some while Mara got her plate, but he didn't stare or anything.
Mara smiled back as she climbed into his hands again. It was a little strange that she had willingly done this three times now… she did acknowledge that there had been a fourth time, and possibly a fifth, but she didn't really think about that part as much. “Thanks for taking me back to get this.” she said a bit more cheerfully than how she felt before.
"You're welcome!" Darius moved to walk back to the kitchen, leaving the picture off the wall for now. He hummed some, lowering his hands to the counter for Mara to get off. He didn't find it odd at all- he was probably the most efficient mode of transportation for Mara right now, and he was okay with that! He was helping a friend.
Mara waited until his hands were practically resting on the counter before stepping off. She smiled a little at Darius before walking back towards his plate and carefully started taking a small amount of food onto her handmade wooden disk. She made sure to take a little more than what she normally ate but it wasn't a lot more as she didn't want to make herself sick from eating too much.
Darius sat down once Mara was off his hands and getting her food, waiting patiently.
"Hopefully it's all good," he said, picking up his utensils.
Mara smiled up at him as she took a few steps back from his plate and sat down on the countertop. “It certainly smells really good.” she assured him.
"Mhm!" Darius agreed. He moved to cut off a part of his own french toast. It ended up being almost as bit as Mara, and it went straight into Darius's mouth with ease and room for more.
"Mm~" He hummed, eyes closing a moment.
Mara tried not to look up when he took the bite and just focus on her own food as the thought of something the same size as herself just disappearing like that was not something she wanted to think about. Taking her little foil spoon, she scooped up some of the eggs and ate them, her eyes closing in happiness at the newest flavor.
Darius opened his eyes looked down, smiling at the reaction she had to the food. He continued to eat, taking bits of every food. An entire sausage link was gone in a bit, and large chunks of each food.
Mara hummed in delight at each new flavor and texture as she ate with her new friend. The sausage and eggs were delicious and she thought the crust of the french toast was very good but she couldn't help but wonder if the white part of the bread was just as good or better than what she had served. However, all through breakfast, she did her best not to look up at Darius as he ate. Occasionally, her gaze would wander back to his plate but would only stay long enough to notice the size of the food he would pick up.
It didn't cross Darius's mind that it could be… Uncomfortable, for Mara. If it had, he would have most likely at least try to have small bites. But, he didn't, eating at his own pace. He sat his fork down to the opposite side of the plate as Mara once he had ate all he could, smiling some.
"So, what do you think?"
Mara let out a contented sigh as she finally looked up at him, once she heard him put down his silverware. “It’s very good. Probably the best meal I’ve ever had.” she said sincerely, smiling at him. There wasn't any food left on her little plate and for the first time in a long time she actually felt comfortably full.
Darius couldn't help but grin at that.
"I'm glad! Hopefully, I'll be able to top this next time." He chuckled some, sitting back in his seat for the moment.
Mara laughed a little with him. “Do you cook like this a lot?” she asked.
"Sometimes," Darius admitted. "I don't always have an excuse or the time to, but I do like it." The man stood to deal with his own plate, and to put away the excess food.
Mara nodded at the answer, understanding not always having a reason. “When do you not have time to and what do you do when that happens?” she asked.
"Usually I don't have the time when I have an early class scheduled, and I have to leave the house earlier than normal. Usually, I just heat something up I'd made before or something I got premade." Darius shut the refrigerator door, humming some.
Mara blinked a couple times, tilting her head slightly at some of the words. “Class? Premade?” she wondered. She’d probably heard those terms before but she didn't really understand them.
"Ah, classes are the things I do all the work for," Darius explained. "They're things I go to so I can learn. And premade is when something is made before I get it." Darius stepped back over to the counter, offering a small smile. He hoped he had explained well enough.
“Oh.” Mara nodded, remembering the conversation they had yesterday about his work. “That makes sense.” she said referring to the other explanation.
Darius nodded in turn, glad he had got it right.
"Great! I'm glad I didn't mess up explaining any of it."