Horvath's attempts at healthy eating tend to be half-hearted, at best. He's in the habit of eating in an irregular fashion, the lack of daylight in his home leading to an erratic schedule, but he has the sort of stocky build that means he was probably always doomed to put on a little extra weight later in life. He also has a weakness for cookies.

The kitchen isn't far, since he doesn't want to travel a long distance with the tea things, but it's a slight contrast to the massive main room that is his library. Tiled in pale green, with a mix of industrial steel counters and an old nineteen-fifties refrigerator, it's hard to guess what the room was before it was repurposed as a kitchen. Of course, the plumbing for the sinks was already present, so it's just possible it was once a bathroom. Probably it's better not to think about it too much. When she returns, Horvath is leaning on his cane to watch the cats with an expression of mild amusement. "As if I'd go roaming in the wilds without you. But yes, not only Merlin, but when I was a young boy there were always warnings and stories..."

Whisper, who Horvath has warned her is shyer and terrified of feet, has poked her head out from under the chair, pink nose twitching in the air.
Smoke, craftier, is stalking Mara from the shadows, long grey fur helping her to blend in.