Chapter 3

An unfamiliar scent woke Argent from his sound sleep. Sitting up in bed, it took his a moment to recall just where he was. As the events of last night played back in his mind the scent grew fainter. He head the door in the next room close, and footsteps receading down the hallway away from his room.

He opened the bedroom door, and found that there had indeed been someone in the room, and they had left something behind. A large covered tray was on the table nearby, and what looked to be shirt without sleeves, and a pair of short pants lay across the back of a chair. He lifted the tray cover, and was rewarded by the sight, and smell, of a steak dinner with all the trimmings! He sat down, and made short work of the meal... then went to examine the clothing. The shirt was black, and the back was low enough to accommodate someone with a pair of wings. The pants were light grey, and even had a hole in the seat for a tail to go thru! <Now this looks a lot better than wearing a loin-cloth!> he thought, and after going to the bathroom to brush himself, he put on the new clothes. He was looking at himself in a mirror when someone knocked on his door. He knew who it was by scent. "Come in Owen."

Mr. Xanatos's assistant came into the room, looking as non-plused as he was last night. "I see you like the clothing that Mr. Xanatos had made for you."

"Yes. They fit great!"

"He felt that you might prefer this over the standard Gargoyle fashion."

"It does feel better. I wonder why they don't wear something different. The only one that dresses remotely human is Angela."

"From what I'm told, clothing is a concept that Gargoyles had pressed on them by humans," explained Owen. "In times past Gargoyles wore nothing at all in the way of clothing."

Argent grinned as he tried to picture Goliath and the others parading around the castle naked and when the image of Angela came to mind, sans-clothing, he stopped before his imagination got him into trouble. "What time is it?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

Owen looked at his watch. "Just a few moments before sunset. If you hurry you can catch up with Ms. Maza... she's on her way to the parapet to greet the Goliath and his clan when they wake up."

"Thanks Owen. By the way... the steak was great!"

"I'll be sure to send Mr. Xantos's chef your compliments."

Once outside, the near-evening breeze brought him the scent of a now-familiar perfume to Argent's nose as he neared the spot where the gargoyles were still in their stone sleep. As he rounded a corner he saw that Elisa had beat him here, and was now gazing up the impressive visage of Goliath. "Hello Elisa."

She turned as he called out to her, and smiled. "Hello yourself. How was your first day here in the castle?"

"Very good! I had a chance to take a shower, get that stuff out of my fur, and then I went right off to sleep. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"You certainly look much better than you did last night. I like the new clothes, Xanatos give them to you?"

"Yes. Someone brought them to my room earlier, along with a snack. Owen said that Mr. Xanatos thought I might like these better than the loin-cloth."

She gave him an appraising look. "Well they do seem to suit you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Goliath called you a member of his clan, and a friend. When he came back from escorting you to the elevator last night, I noticed that he had a faint trace of lipstick on his cheek, and he smelled of your perfume." His nostrils flared. "The same kind you're wearing now. Are you and Goliath... dating?"

Elisa brushed a strand of hair from her eyes, and gazed up at the frozen form of Goliath. "I wouldn't exactly call it dating. But we do care for each other... very much."

"I could tell from his reaction last night when you walked into the room, right before you saw me for the first time."

"Really? What happened?"

"Well his heart-rate went up, and I could see a slight flush come over him."

Elisa stared at him. "You saw his skin flush? How could you tell?"

"I guess I see a little different than you or the others do. I can see in the dark very well... so I might be able to see heat too."

Eilsa turned to look once more at Goliath. Argent couldn't see it, but he was sure that she was smiling from learning about Goliath's reactions.