Maybe people should stop offering flowers as their names and being playfully charming, if they want to avoid these things. Food for thought, in exchange for the food soon to be in Cat's belly.

As much as he's interested in that most of all, he does slowly take in the state of things. It's certainly more of a home than either Cat's or Blue's, and he can feel the sudden absence of housemates in those, given how obvious they are here whether or not they're around. He doesn't know Li Lianhua (or those he lives with, obviously) nearly well enough to determine which things are whose. It...just seems shared. Cohabitation is a concept that's hard to grasp for him when it isn't his sister in the equation, after so many years relying only on himself, so he grimaces a little and shies away from the more prominent evidence of it. Even if that wasn't the case, though, he'd be keeping all his things to himself, toasty temperatures be damned. Not even the mask is coming off just yet.

He doesn't placate the man by waiting at the table, either, merely stopping by it long enough to set the stick down before he comes over to investigate what Li Lianhua's doing, and try to determine how much longer he's supposed to wait. His leaning in doesn't help much, really, with how unfamiliar he is to the cooking times of vegetables. The angle of his head lingers to let him process the idea of readily available fresh produce for the dozenth time since he arrived in the gardens here by taking in the sight. He hadn't been sure what to expect aside from broth, given Li Lianhua's exchange for the plants Blue had grown for him -- and that alone would have been good enough for him. This is looking like it'll be the real deal... Well. A home-cooked meal is easier when you're in a home and not just a house, after all.

(None of the aforementioned plants amongst the ingredients, either, which he'd set out to confirm.)

"You said there's a bed free?" Cat pulls off his rough gloves and tucks them away in his belt pouch so that he can try to make a reach for the knife, whether Li Lianhua's already retrieved it or not. Nothing too hasty or determined, but not being stealthy about it, either. "Buuut only three chairs. I guess you won't be springing both strangers on me, then -- one, maybe?"

If he did, then would it be the 'silly brat' or the mysterious third occupant, whose coat remained alongside what he has to assume is Li Lianhua's? Neither would particularly thrill him, which likely comes across a bit in his tone. Like his wordless intention of helping, he isn't trying to hide it -- but no one likes an ambush, even if they're as mild as an unexpected introduction, do they?

To expect a polite guest of Cat was his biggest mistake -- and an expectation that the boy would insist he was meeting. He's just a little guy! If he wasn't polite, he'd comment more on how the roommate hadn't been the only one making silly snow decisions, or how this was apparently a house for the infirm. Instead, he isn't doing anything wrong, just being a little angel over here, you all are just mean. Rebuking him, not letting him have a knife, gosh.

Tea isn't nearly as compelling to him as carrots, in betrayal of his youth and British accent, so there's a muffled huff of reluctance as he takes his hand back to prop against his side and lean on the counter by his other arm's elbow. The man had said that the stick blocking the door was his now, but Cat has to bite his tongue from suggesting that there's a more suitable place for it right in front of him. As little as he believes they'll be the best of friends, he also doesn't want to unnecessarily aggravate Li Lianhua -- not until after the meal, at the very least.

"Heh. No thanks." Let it scream. Today has traded one brat for another, and this one has no loyalty.

Looks like nobody is getting what they want, which is always the risk when denying teenagers, especially ones that aren't already loyal or prone to being soft. Cat isn't thinking too deeply on the request -- nor the rejection -- but he doesn't need to go out of his way to do the things he doesn't want to do anymore. There isn't a point.

Li Lianhua's further prompting doesn't bite back perhaps in the way the man wanted, with Cat easing into a more casual lean that speaks to a matching attitude. His comfortable tone and poise isn't a complete letting down of his guard, but it isn't performative either, and he's less suspicious of anything happening here than he might've been elsewhere, especially after refusing to help in the way he was asked. When he speaks, he's back to the mindset of having a conversation. The momentary bummer of not being allowed access to what he can't stop thinking of as a rarity has passed.

"It is really the wrong size if the soup's meant for me?" he ventures, arms crossing more comfortably. "Of course I can cook. Maybe not fancy meals like you folk are used to --" Li Lianhua, regrettably, would be described as stuffy by him...though with less derision than others would be. It's just the way it is. "-- but I had to take care of myself, didn't I? You expect me to have eaten out of the garbage? Got more pride than that."

"Uh-hmm. Sure."

'Not fancy' and then he tosses in even more ingredients and thinks about adding spices beyond basil and salt to any dish? Psh. Li Lianhua is setting his low bar too high.

"Wouldn't know," he admits after a moment of thought. There definitely were spicy dishes, even at the Red Lobster Inn, but his own diet had remained pretty bland. No full pantry for him, indeed. "It's meant to heat you up, yeah? I don't think I'd mind that...though this place is plenty warm already."

Maybe he...will...take off his mask a little early, phew. What little advantage he had is lost, but it's easier to breathe once he can feel the air on his face again. Since all the tasks have either been rejected by him or refused him away, he tucks his mask and the net-bound collar beneath it against his hip with one hand and uses the other to ruffle up his hair and further embrace this minor freedom.

If it makes him feel any better, most of Cat's worrying is in jest -- of course, when the end result is still that stick going right back to blocking the door like he found it when he leaves again, the motive likely doesn't matter too much. Being an annoyance out of fondness or out of fondness for being an annoyance... Either way, it's being an annoyance. How unfortunate for Li Lianhua.

How unfortunate for Cat that he's decided to Trust the Process and isn't paying much mind anymore to what's being added to the meal, at least until the ham is offered. He accepts, naturally, though doesn't seem as welcoming as his interest before might have suggested. Salty meat and knife are cool, but consider... Carrot. Mmm, scarcity: the most delicious of things to a Cat.

He grunts vaguely at first, weighing his possible responses while he nibbles away at the ham. In truth, he hadn't needed to bandage his arm at all. The scarring was fresh and discolored, but the wound wasn't in danger of reopening or at risk of infection. It wouldn't be long before it blended in with the rest of the hardships his body bore. Where the side of the angel's icy blade had slid across his side was a little worse, thanks to his discomfort in having someone -- a stranger -- treating him so closely for long. The worst of it was remembering the cold, and the nothing.

"A bit stiff." Cat shrugs, flipping the knife deftly in his fingers to hold it back out to his host handle first after removing the rest of the meat with his other hand. Utensils are unnecessary in this case. "That healing magic in this place sure is something, and I didn't have to give even a single shard. That's a good deal."

He complies while watching the man go about, a little pleased with himself despite not having much of a hand in whether or not he'd lost money over it. It's still weirdly validating to have it parroted back at him. Terribly, it's also validating to see the toll that this morning is taking on him. It makes it feel more like tricking Li Lianhua into doing what he wants, for one, but also, "It's a shame you were so determined to not take advantage of my offer... Where will that pride get you, when you've lost consciousness, I wonder? Yesterday, too."

He's just so silly, standing around in the cold and playing host despite his health being so much worse than Cat's.

The noise he makes is doubtful, but amused all the same. Someone's limits could change by the day -- or less -- and leave them unaware. He would know. But...that's not really his business, this time. He waves off the thought and the calm accusation both, striding back over to the table and pulling a chair out with his foot so he can sit with enough space to set his mask and gloves on the table beside him. The elbows immediately go on the table.

"Is that what you think of me? You're going to hurt my feelings all over again, friend. Anyway, if you think that would keep anyone from snooping, though, have I got bad news for you..." he chuckles. It doesn't matter when he isn't interested in stealing anything from here, or even doing that much exploring. He's not going to spend the energy worrying about what he would do in the event that his host passed out, but he imagines it would be something that he found outrageous, but would delight that nosy neighbor that enjoys needling him so much. Once everything got back to stable, anyway. "Can't imagine someone like you would have much in savings, even outside this place. You aren't even interested in buying treatment!"