The sun had almost fully set when Grey reached the base of the building. He had made better time than he would have thought. He stood before the large wooden door and looked up. From a distance he could tell that this place must have been massive but he didn’t realize just how massive until he stood before it. The last time Grey saw a giant he was a child and over the years he just assumed his memories of their size was just how he perceived them as a child, but standing by this door he realized just how large the giant that lived inside must be. A jolt of fear ran through him at this realization. Grey knew stealing from a giant would be difficult, but now that he was here the reality of it began to set in.
Grey looked back to see the sun had almost completely set but decided it would be best to wait until nightfall. Better to hide himself under the cover of night, or so he thought. He checked his equipment. He had run out of arrows on his travel over here, using up what little he had when hunting the rabbit from the previous night. All he had left was his hunting knife and his traveling pack. He didn’t even know how he would be able to take any of the treasure he found back with him. Not to mention the food he needed for the journey home.
“Of course.” Grey whispered to himself. “Traveled all this way with no plan on how to bring any of the treasure back.”
Grey looked at his knife. If he found some cloth or any other type of fabric he could maybe fashion a simple bag to help carry back any of the loot he found.
He shook his head. “Let’s survive this first, then make a plans for the trip back.”
As Grey watched the last rays of sun set in the distance he went to work. He walked over to the corner of the front door and dropped to his stomach. It was a tight fit but there was enough of a gap between the door and the ground he figured he could squeeze through. As he crawled and pushed his way underneath he was happy for once for all the starvation he was forced to endure through in his life. Without it there was a good chance he wouldn’t have been thin enough to be able to slip underneath the door. A smirk spread across his face as he imagined one of Jack’s brawly goons trying to pull off the same feat.
Once on the other side Grey quickly got to his feet and ran to the edge of the wall. Grey quickly took in his surroundings, the room he had entered seemed to be separate into two individual areas. The first most prominent area had a center table with couple of chairs surrounding it. On the table was a single candle that emitted light from the center of the room. On the walls were shelves filled with books, a couple of plants and even a large hung landscape painting. If it had been smaller Grey would have been more than happy to try to take it. It would have sold fairly well for such a fine work. There were also four closed doors on the right, light streaming from cracks of one of them. On the left there was a large counter with cupboards and other cooking appliances hanging from different areas of the wall as well as a stone oven at the end. There was also a door that lead to what Grey would assume to be a cold room. Grey also spotted a small single table in this area with a single wooden chair seated next to it. The furnishment of this building was a lot more advanced than he expected to find. With a red carpet and drapes over the windows, and candles hanging on the walls to help illuminate the room. But best of all the owner of the home wasn’t anywhere in sight.
Despite the candles Grey felt there were plenty of places for him to hide. He had broken into plenty of the homes and buildings over the years and at his current size he could spot plenty of large open areas he could easily move through and remain undetected in. Forgetting the situation he was in for a moment, Grey felt like this whole endeavor would be easier than he first perceived it would be. Grey took a slow and carefully placed step forward. He stopped. He could only imagine how stupid he must have looked. Because of course tip toeing across a gigantic plain sized floor was going to be the most effective method of moving around, especially with the almost untraceable amount of noise his body would make. He had to be careful, he knew that, he especially knew what was at stake if he was caught, but he couldn’t treat this like one of his usual break ins. He needed to be quiet, but he also needed to be quick. His small stature worked to his advantage, but traversing this home would prove to be the difficult part. His eyes first darted from left and then right. He knew that the treasure hidden here had to be in one of the four rooms to his right. However on the left was the kitchen. Grey couldn’t deny that he was hungry, and his travel back would require a good deal of food if he was going to have a chance of making the trip back. Grey stood and contemplated his options. The night had only just begun, if he went for the treasure now he would run more of a risk of running into the giant. On the other hand he should probably wait to take food until the end of the night before he made his departure. As he stood contemplating a low growl in his stomach made the decision for him. Grey looked back and forth once more and then ran towards the kitchen counter, dashing from shadow to shadow as he went.
Grey approached the large wooden counter from the floor. The climb was going to prove difficult. There were enough dents and cuts in the wood from the drawers that he could manage to find ample footing as he climbed up, it was going to be tricky and he would need to watch his step but he knew he could make it. Grey thought to himself of his empty bow. If he just had some arrows he could maybe attach some rope to the end and then anchor it at the top of the counter he could climb up and... Grey stood baffled at himself for a moment, and how that must have been one of the stupidest ideas he had ever had. Deciding that he had wasted enough time. Grey carefully put his hands into the crevices of the wood and with skilled hands and careful footing he began his climb up.
Grey pulled himself onto the countertop falling forward and rolling onto his back. He took a few moments to lie there taking in large heavy breaths of air. Grey was no stranger to climbing. He had to climb to the roof of buildings and over walls when the situation require it, but he had never had to climb as long as he had just done a moment ago. Sweating and panting he felt the muscles in his arms ache from the prolonged climb. He knew this wasn’t the first time he would need to make a climb like that. He sat up and took a sip from his water skin, thankful that he decided to get something to eat first, he found he would need the energy for what was to come.
Looking across the counter Grey saw a multitude of closed jars, as well as a sink at the end of the counter. There was also a basket of fruit and a plate of bread. To Grey who had lived a life where food was scarce; and especially having been out of food for the past couple of days, seeing the giant assortment of food before him made him feel as if he had finally found paradise. Grey ran across the counter looking at the banquet he had discovered. He spotted what looked to be a bowl of nuts next to a large honey pot. His mouth began to water, ever since he ran away from the city he had not had a chance to have anything even remotely sweet. Grey looked around carefully to reconfirm that he was alone. Part of him told him not too, told him he should just stick to something simple. He wanted to listen to that intuition but another part of him urged him on. Come on, after the shit you’ve been through you deserve this.
It urged him like seeing an oblivious noblewoman with a golden gem encrusted necklace would urge him to remove the accessory from her neck, it was absolutely irresistible. Grey ran over to where the jar was located and saw a small bowl filled with roasted nuts that oddly resembled almonds except much larger. Grey reached into the bowel which stood up to his chest. Reaching down with both his hands he pulled out an almond that was about half his size and marveled at its size. He cautiously carried it over and set it down besides the honey pot. It was a short and fat pot that had a honey dipper sticking out of the top. Grey drew his hunting knife and cut off a small piece of the almond sheathed the knife and clambered up one of nearby jars. He reached out and pulled on the dipper causing the lid to open slightly. Carefully he stepped over onto the edge of the pot using the dipper to maintain his balance. He pushed the lid slightly off to the side, far enough to have a nice opening but not enough to have it fall and make any noise. Grey was happy that the honey was thick, it kept the dipper steady so he could use it to balance himself as he began to lower himself down to dip his chunk of almond into the sweet golden substance below him. Bringing it out again he took a bite. The overwhelming sweetness hit him immediately. He happily took another bite taking time to enjoy his meal for the first time in months. The taste of the honey brought with it a strong desire for a nice warm mug of mead. Grey sat on the edge of the pot his legs hanging outside the jar. He ate with a content smile. He imagined himself sitting at a tavern with the fresh mug he desired at the moment. People sitting around him in awe as drank his drink and shared his story. A well trained mercenary standing attentive by his side. Women staring in awe as he flashed gems and gold for their attention; and maybe something else. Finally free from hardship and rewarded for his brave endeavor. As he sat on the edge of the jar the sudden sound of a door opening caught him by surprise him, causing Grey to jolt and fall backward into the jar.
“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.” Was all Grey could frantically repeat. He just had to do this didn’t he? He told himself he had to be careful but he didn’t listen. He knew this was a bad idea but he just did it anyway. And now he was stuck.
The thickness of the honey restricted his movement. Grey slowly felt himself sinking backward, and tried to get himself to stand upright. Getting himself to sit forward seemed almost as hard of a task as climbing the counter. He finally managed to find himself in an upright position and now he needed to make a plan. He could hear loud footsteps from outside the jar. Grey took a deep breath. The dipper was still sticking out in front of him. All he had to do was wait for the giant to leave and he could climb out. Find his way to the sink wash off and all would be fine. Everything is fine.
“What is the jar doing open?” A large feminine voice echoed from outside the jar.
Grey began to cursed to himself going on about how his luck was the equivalent of… he paused. He had just heard a feminine voice. The giant that lived here was a woman!? Grey had never considered that this could be the case. The giant that had attacked his village was male and every time he heard stories about giants they were always described as large brutish men. He knew that female giants must have to exist but it never crossed his mind that this particular giant could be one. Grey shook his head. It didn’t matter if the giant was male or female, dead was dead and regardless of the giant’s gender if he was caught by them that's exactly what he would be. He just had to stay calm and not move. If she put the lid on the jar he would be safe, stay hidden, sneak out, wash off, and he would be free to take the treasure and leave. Grey heard the steps get closer and looked up as a large slender hand reached over and grabbed the lid sliding it back into place over the pot. Grey let out a small sigh of relief.
“Oh, well. I guess I’ll have some honey with my snack then.”
Grey never worshipped a God. He never prayed, or went to church, never felt the need to try to contact with them. But at this particular moment Grey found himself with quite a few choice words that he wished to share with them.
Grey’s heart began to race. After a couple moments of silence he heard a chopping sound nearby. Grey’s face paled as he listened to the sound that he instinctively knew must have been a knife, images of him laying on a cutting board watching a knife descend above him filled his mind. Grey needed to think of something. He had to find a way out of this situation. There had to be somewhere to hide, somewhere to go, he couldn’t be caught, not here, not like this. He wasn’t going to end up like his parents, he needed to escape. He frantically looked around the jar, only a small amount of light peeked in from where the honey dipper was. Grey looked at the dipper. That was it. The giant was busy preparing something else, if he climbed the dipper he could escape. He didn’t care if she would find him while escaping, it beat being stuck in the jar. Grey began to make his way towards the dipper when he felt the jar shift and felt it being lifted into the air. And with that all of his hopes were dashed.
The shaking of the jar stopped as Grey felt it being set on a surface. Grey looked around frantically. There had to be something he could do. The lid opened and the large hand Grey had gotten a glimpse of earlier had now grabbed onto the end of the honey dipper. Honey right next to Grey was scooped up and brought out of the jar. As the dipper returned to the jar Grey desperately tried to move frantically trying to avoid it, but his efforts were in vain. Grey felt himself sticking to a glob of honey as it was scooped out of the pot, light blinded him as he finally got a proper look of his captor. He looked at her in absolute awe, she was a large slender woman with fair skin and short raven black hair, which seemed to glisten as if it were recently wet. Grey couldn’t help but stare at her and for half a moment he had to admit to himself that the woman in before him was rather attractive. It didn’t take long for the reality of the situation come crashing back down however. Grey looked around and saw the dipper descend onto an apple slice waiting below, wiping the honey as well as himself onto it. She continued her work of spreading honey on several different slices. Humming gently as she did so. Grey couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed him yet. He looked up at her face, her deep blue eyes showed that her mind was elsewhere as she did the task of preparing her snack.
“Great.” Grey thought to himself. “For all the years I spent learning how to remain undetected and I end up being caught by the most oblivious giant in existence.”
Grey thought that he could still get out of his current predicament, if he could somehow manage to get himself off this apple slice, then maybe he could still get away unnoticed. She obviously wasn’t paying attention to what she was doing. And even if she did see him, could it be much worse than the situation he already found himself in. As the plan began to take shape in his mind, a giant hand came down and grabbed one of the slices next to him. Grey watched in paralyzed horror as the apple slice was brought up to her mouth and chewed apart. Grey knew he had to escape, now! Grey began to struggle as the hand came down to grab another slice. Grey looked up at the giant as he struggled to free himself. She sat leaning her head on her free hand; staring off into the distance as she carelessly placed another slice into her mouth, chewing the slice for a couple moments before swallowing. Grey shivered knowing if he didn’t get free soon he would end up just like the slices. The honey put up more resistance than he first thought it would, but he could slowly feel himself making progress, he could do it, he could escape, he just needed a little more time. The hand came down again, this time closer than before, he saw it bring the slice up to her lips as they parted. He shut his eyes, the screams from that fateful day came back to him. The screams of people being eaten alive. Grey finally pulled one of his arms free, he slowly began lifting his body forward, all he had to do now was roll off the slice and he would be home free. Just then he felt a jolt and opened his eyes to find slender fingers wrap around the apple slice he was on. God truly must have hated him.
Grey felt himself being lifted up, time seemed to slow and his heart raced. As he rose he looked directly at the face of the giant before him. He couldn’t help but admired her face for a moment, noting how she was fairly attractive woman, but the face was now larger and quickly approaching. It didn’t take long for her face to shift from attractive to terrifying as he approached. He watched as her lips slowly began to part as he was brought closer and closer to her awaiting maw, her tongue readying itself for his arrival. Her pearly white teeth waiting to crush his body and rend bones from flesh. And then past it all her throat, a dark drop into darkness that terrified him more than the rest. He wondered if his parents experienced this same fear when they met their fate. Fear was all Grey knew now, there was nothing he could do about it, nothing at all. Except… One thought crossed his mind, part of him told him just to accept his fate. But he knew there was still a chance for survival. Her warm moist breath washed over him as the slice began to pass her lips. It was now or never. He had to try it.
“WAIT! DON’T BITE DOWN!” He forced himself to scream, louder then he felt he ever could have.
Grey shut his eyes and brought up his arms, awaiting for her mouth to shut on him. But it didn’t. He felt the slice slowly being pulled backwards and then up as he found himself and the apple slice brought up to her eyes. Grey found himself staring into the largest most spectacular set of blue eyes he had ever seen in his life. Her eyes closed, her eyelashes fluttering slightly and when they opened they narrowed slightly almost in a seductive manner, she moved the slice away from her face revealing a smile.
“Well now, what do we have here?” She said, in a playful tone. She plucked Grey off of the apple slice and slid it into her mouth, definitely with a lot more show than any of the others Grey had previously watched her devour. That wasn’t a good sign.
She opened up her hand and placed Grey in the center of her palm. Resting her chin back on her free hand, she watched him, her eyes filled with a dangerous curiosity. Grey stood up, trying to save himself some small amount of dignity, which was difficult while still covered in honey.
“Well this certainly is unexpected, it’s not every day that a human finds their way into my nightly snack. Not that I’m complaining mind you.” The giant said, her breath washing over Grey as she spoke.
There was a dangerous look in her eyes as she spoke. Grey knew while he had managed to escape being eaten at the moment, he hadn’t fully escaped that fate just yet. He had to find some way to escape. He was talking to her now, and this was good, because if there was one thing Grey knew he could do it was talk himself out of a bad situation.
“Yeah, well you know. Not a typical experience for me as well.” Grey said, swallowing his fear.
“Oh, I’m sure.” The giant said, humoring him. “So, what brings you to my home? Oh and so late at night too. Are you lost little human?”
“Yes, I am lost. I happened to stumble upon your home and well… saw you had plenty of food and figured...” Grey began.
“You’d steal from me.” The giant continued. A hint of amusement in her voice.
The giant watched Grey carefully, he was frozen up. The conversation took a turn he didn’t want it to go. How was he supposed to respond. He was trying to steal food a second ago, the whole reason he was here was to steal treasure from her. He couldn’t admit any of that, among humans a captured thief meant death, and he didn’t expect that to be any different with a giant. She looked at him awaiting an answer. Grey knew he had to say something and fast. But what.
“Your home is so lovely. How long have you lived here?” Grey managed to say. She cocked an eyebrow at him. Smooth.
“I’m going to take that as a yes.” She said. Grey felt his blood chill.
All the years of being able to trick and lie to people with his supposed “Silver Tongue” had lead him to this. A train wreck of an attempt to change a topic. Life well spent apparently.
“Well then, my little thief I’m glad you are enjoying my home. Not many humans would have the gall to enter the home of a giant you know. Even starvation would preferable then to do what you have done.”
“I’m a man that's willing to take my chances.” Grey said, his response quick. Almost like a reflex.
“Oh, and took them you have. So...” She said as she licked her lips. “Are you satisfied with your decision?”
Grey’s eyes darted around the room. He could feel that she was almost done with their little conversation. He had to find a way to keep stalling her. “Well how could I not? Having the pleasure to talk to a beautiful woman such as yourself.”
The giant stared at him in shock for a moment. She couldn’t help herself as she threw her head back and began to laugh. Her hand shook as she did so and almost dropped Grey, for a moment Grey wanted to take this moment to escape. The drop to the table wouldn’t be pleasant but he could manage to land rather safely. He couldn’t be as certain he would make the drop to the floor however. Besides she could manage to catch him rather easily if he tried to make a break for the door. He grasped on to her thumb instead keeping his balance in her hand and her laughter continued. Luckily the honey still covering his body helped to secure him. Finally she stopped and wiped a tear from her eye.
“Of all things that could have happened today, I never expected a human hitting on me would be one of them.” A hint of laughter still in her voice as she spoke. “Oh, I am finding you rather entertaining human.”
Grey released his grip from her thumb and swept his arm before him and leaned into a bow. “Well it is a pleasure Madame, I am after all a guest in your home.” His legs were shaking, he wasn’t sure if it was because of fear or from holding onto her hand.
“Well human, you have officially caught my interest. So tell me, who are you and what are you doing here, and please no lies or attempts at avoiding the topic, if you try I’ll have to end our little chat prematurely.” A dark seriousness entered her voice as she spoke those final words. Grey’s eyes fixated on her lips as she spoke. The rules were set and he now found himself compelled to play with them. However, Grey wasn’t a stranger to cheating.
“Like I mentioned earlier, I was traveling in this area when I spotted your home. I came in hoping to find some food and shelter.” The giant gave him an annoyed look which was followed by a low sigh. She opened her mouth, and began bringing her hand with Grey towards it. Greys heart began to race.
“Wait, I’m telling the truth!” Grey yelled in a panic and dropping his cooling demeanor. “I got into some serious trouble back home and was forced out here! That's why I snuck in I promise!” The hand stopped. Grey felt himself dropped towards the table, while caught off guard Grey still managed to land on his feet. He looked up. The giant looking back down at him.
“That's much better.” She said. Leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
“My name’s Grey by the way.” He said standing up and finding his composure. He looked up seeing the giant giving him a questioning look. “You asked earlier who I was as part of your question. I’m Grey, and I’m a bit of a trouble maker. And what can I refer to you as?”
The giant smiled, obviously with growing interest in this small little human she had caught. “Well I suppose you’ve intrigued me enough for me to share my name with you. Hello, Grey the Trouble Maker. My name’s Jule.”
“Jule?” Grey said, sincere curiosity in his voice.
Before he could respond Jule moved her face closer to his body, her eyes focused on him. Grey nearly felt himself jump out of his skin as she approached. It happened quicker than he thought and he wasn’t prepared for it. If he didn’t realize just how small and powerless he was before, he sure did now.
“Is there something wrong with my name?” Jule asked. Grey could sense the trap in the question.
“No no, of course not. It’s a beautiful name, it’s just… it’s just… that's a name a person would have. Not a giant.”
Jule brought her head back up, and looked almost as if she was offended. “Excuse me?” She said, her voice dropping the devious playful tone she had been using. Grey took note of the change. The fear he had held for most of the interaction with this giant diminished a bit, being replaced with honest curiosity. “What do you mean by that?” A hint of offense in her voice.
Grey found himself in dangerous yet interesting predicament with that question. “Well you know, I heard of giants called names like ‘Burk the Bonecrusher’. Or ‘Krell the Blood Drinker’. And all sorts of other things. Nothing as normal... or even as beautiful as Jule.”
Jule had lost what little annoyance she had and had seemed to become intrigued. “Well that’s honestly one of the most absurd things I’ve ever heard of. I can assure you, not in my entire life have I heard of a giant named ‘Burk the Bonecrusher’ or anything even close to similar.” A playful tone returned to her voice. “So tell me, what do you think my ‘human’ name would be?”
Grey found himself stuck. He sat down, crossing his legs and began to ponder. The honey forcing his legs to stick together. He sat ignoring the uncomfortable feeling it caused him. Jule sat waiting patiently, she seemed actually intrigued of what he might come up with. Unfortunately Grey wasn’t good at this sort of thing.
“I don’t, it would probably be something stupid and ugly… like… Grelka... Grelka the... uh… I don’t know Man Gobbler or something like that.”
“Grelka?” Jule trying to wrap her mind around it, but obviously not liking the sound of it. “Man Gobbler works.” She drew her face in close to Grey once more, he flinched a bit as she did so. “I sure do enjoy gobbling up humans.”
She opened up her mouth wide, helping to express her point. Grey was terrified by the sight, but he felt certain that it wasn’t any real threat. At least not yet. Still, watching her uvula dangle over the dark chasm that was her throat didn’t help with his nerves. She closed her mouth slowly, making sure he got a good view of her mouth. It was a reminder. That's what it was, it was a reminder that while they were talking, he wasn’t safe. He was still food.
“So.” She said bringing her head back. “Tell me more about human life. I find all this rather fascinating. But first. There is something I must do.”
Before he knew what was happening Grey found Jule’s hand upon him. He found himself pulled towards Jule’s face as her mouth opened once more. Shock was the only reaction he had. What did he do wrong? Did he mess up somewhere? He had caught her interest, exchanged names, she even wanted to hear from him. Why then? Why was this happening?
Grey felt himself thrown into her mouth, almost without a care. Her lips quickly closed behind him, sealing him in darkness. He felt the wet slick surface of Jule’s tongue. It moved causing him to fall face first in the wet flesh. Her tongue lifted causing him to slide forward. No. Not like this. Grey was sure he knew where he was sliding towards. Her tongue suddenly shifted tilting back, causing Grey to slide backwards. He felt his feet hit her teeth. If he could just manage to find his footing, maybe just maybe. In a sudden jolt the tongue flung him to the side of her cheek. Grey felt himself roll over the giant molars and he fell into a small wedge between her teeth and the flesh of her cheek. Before he could register what had just happened, Jule’s cheek pressed him against her tooth as Grey as he felt a great suction force around him. Almost as if he was a piece of candy. Grey felt himself being squeezed within her mouth, draining what little energy he had left right out of him. The suction stopped as her tongue maneuvered underneath him carrying him back to the center of her mouth. Grey was weak but he hadn’t given up just yet. Jule’s tongue then went to work on his body, licking around every possible area of his body. Tossing and turning him, rotating him from front to back, drenching him in saliva. A long “mmm” emanated around him as he was rolled about in her mouth, he could hear the vibration of the sound as it resonated deep from within her throat. Grey’s back was pushed against the back of her front teeth and her tongue began to softly lick the front of his body. He felt weak, he felt violated, but worst of all he felt defeated.
Grey’s opened his eyes and gritted his teeth. He wasn’t done, not yet. His hand reached to his side desperately feeling around for something, then he felt it. The hilt of his hunting knife. His hand grasped onto it, he wouldn’t be beaten. Not like this. If he was to die, he was going to do as much damage as he could before the end. His raised the knife in his hand, he couldn’t see but he didn’t need to, he was inside her, any strike he made would be true. He had to do it. Her tongue was right in front of him. He had to strike. Hurt her. Kill her. End the giant, get revenge for your parents. Revenge for your life. He went to stab his knife into the soft pink flesh that wriggled before him, just as he was about to plunge the blade down, the mouth behind him opened. Shining light into the pink chamber. Grey paused his action, he couldn’t believe it. He felt fingers grasp around his body and pull him out.
Jule’s set him back down on the table. Dripping saliva. “I never had honey covered human before. I have to say it was absolutely delicious.” Grey looked up at her, as she licked any reminder honey he had left on her fingers and palm. He was stunned that he was still alive. “Now then, let’s get back to talking about you humans.” She said, sitting back comfortably with a smile.
Grey still drenched in saliva forced himself a smile. “Yes, of course.” He said trying to come to terms with what had just happened. Is this normal? Why didn’t she just eat me? Grey began to share his stories with her. Still gripping the knife behind his back.
Hours had passed, Jule had finished eating the rest of her apple slices as she listened to Grey talk, only asking questions to prompt Grey to lead the discussion into areas that caught her interest. At first he mostly talked about the knowledge humans had about giants. But she soon became curious about how humans thought about other things in life. Grey was surprised to learn just how similar giant society seemed to be to his own by the questions she asked. Grey at first talked with the intent to keep Jule entertained, but soon enough he became fully drawn into the conversation himself. He was careful not to ask too many questions, but by manner in which she asked questions and responded he was surprised to learn about just how advanced giants really were. In fact it seemed like they lived rather similar lives to humans. He was also shocked to see just how much she seemed to know about human society already. It’s like she knew just how similar their societies were to each other, yet as she spoke he realized there was still a strong disconnect between them. Giants lived lives like humans. Hell they basically were just large humans. But for some reason it never seemed to cross her mind that maybe eating his kind was wrong. Grey felt unnerved by this realization. The way she talked, she talked just like anyone else, she even shared some details of her own life and she sounded just like a normal person, once she finally dropped her facade she had been using since she caught him that was. It didn’t make sense, her stories, her opinions, there were multiple times Grey almost forgot he was talking to a giant, yet… every time the aspect of human eating came into the conversation it was almost like it was a natural part of life. He couldn’t understand why.
“The King’s a fucking joke. He doesn’t do shit for anyone else unless something threatens to come back to him. Same with all royals that sit in his council and practically suck his dick for money.” Grey continued. Jule didn’t interrupt but instead sat interested in his small rant.
“Well I don’t think our Queen is as bad as your King. But it’s obvious that she doesn’t own any really power anymore. The royal family has really fallen, everyone knows that all the true power lies in her advisor.” Jule said throwing her thoughts into the conversation.
Grey was taken aback by this new bit of information. “Wait, you have a Queen? How come I’ve never heard of a giant Queen before?” It was amazing how little humans knew about giants. Yet almost nothing about human society surprised Jule, besides the way humans perceived things.
“I don’t know. Humans probably don’t care to learn about giants. They probably try to avoid all contact with our kind. For good reason. The only humans that would be stupid enough to come close to my kind are people like you…” Her voice trailed off before pausing. And the hunters.” A slight hint of hesitance entered her voice as she spoke those last words.
“Hunters?”
“You know. Giant Hunters.” Jule repeated.
Grey was dumbfounded. “Are you saying there are actual humans that hunt giants? I thought those were just myths to make people feel better.”
Jule gave him a strange look, almost like she thought he was just trying to mess with her. The confusion on his face seemed to answer her. “It seems like my kind’s not the only thing you don’t know much about.” Jule’s mouth opened as she let out a yawn, covering her mouth. “Eh, I need to get to bed, I have friends coming over in the morning.” She eyed Grey tiredly as she stretched.
Grey was unsure what would come next, now that their conversation was over. Jule stood up and reached out her hand to grab Grey. Grey shut his eyes. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen to him now but he hoped for the best. Jule looked at him for a moment as if considering her options. She put her hand to her stomach and looked at Grey.
“I’m not really hungry at the moment. I’ll figure out what to do with you tomorrow. Besides it will be cool to show you off to my friends.”
In one hand Grey was happy he wasn’t about to be eaten, on the other Grey’s mind reminded him just how bad of a situation he had gotten himself in. Jule walked over to kitchen cabinet and pulled out an empty glass jar. He knew where this was going. Jule set down the glass prison she had brought out for him and slid Grey off her hand and into the jar. Grey stumbled a bit on his fall, he was starting to feel the exhaustion that this hectic day as well as his long travel had brought. Pushing the glass jar towards the center of the counter. Jule turned to leave before stopping. She looked back at Grey considering something for a moment. She walked back to her kitchen counter and began searching.
Grey watched her curiously. The new situation he found himself wasn’t any better than the last one. If anything it was worse, he was trapped, confined in glass walls that he couldn’t climb or hope to escape from. He felt almost as if he was sitting in prison cell.
Grey heard something drop into the jar behind him. He turned to see a green grape rolling to the side of the jar. He looked up to see Jule’s head staring down at him, her black hair hanging down slightly as she smiled.
“Don’t want you starving to death now. Try to eat up and get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning. Grey.” The tone of her voice was different. Almost gentle. Before Grey could think of a response she began to walk away, opening a door he could only assume was her bedroom before shutting the door leaving Grey to his thoughts.
Grey walked over to the grape and sat down crossed legged on the floor of the jar. He took off his cloak and examined it, it was in much worse condition than it had previously in. Being covered in honey and being inside Jule’s mouth had made sure of that. The rest of his clothes weren’t in great condition either but he wanted to leave something on. He reached into his cloak and fumbled around until he found his knife. He had hidden it in there after his experience inside Jule’s mouth. He had no idea where his traveling pack was, he had either lost it on the counter when he fell into the honey pot, or it was still in pot. The thought of his pack sliding down Jule’s throat as he was tossed about in her mouth was also a possibility. One that sent a shiver down his spine. Whatever the case it was gone.
Grey threw his cloak to the side and cut off a piece of grape. He ate it enjoying the fruit’s juice as he took a bite. At the size that he was he could get all the water he needed straight from the juice within the grape. After all the days of traveling he finally had a chance to sit down and enjoy his meal. Well truly enjoy it, he enjoyed the nut with honey earlier but that was short lived. After a couple minutes he felt sated. There was still plenty of grape left for him to eat later if he felt the need to. It probably wouldn’t stay as fresh as it was now, but Grey didn’t care. There was food if he needed it, and that was good enough for him. He laid down on his back, staring at the mouth of the jar. The candles in the room began to fade, as the lights slowly died down. Grey stared up at the ceiling. So many things had just happened, so many horrifying things. His worst nightmare had become reality, he was now captured by a giant and he knew as he lie here he was just waiting for death. Yet, for some reason he was content. Part of him was afraid, and he had been terrified at many of the different ordeals that he had undergone today, but for now he was content. He didn’t know what would happen tomorrow, but for the moment, he didn’t care. Laying in the bottom of the jar he was trapped in he felt secure, a strange familiar feeling that he couldn’t quite point out, almost as if he had been in this situation before. He shook his head. He was just tired that's all it was. Grey shut his eyes, letting sleep take him. And for the first time in weeks, he slept in peace.