Finding an injured cat was one thing, but an anomaly like this? How was Tarka even supposed to help!?

Said cat watched Tarka, clearly in pain. "I want help." He snarled. Blinking, Tarka slowly approached. "If I help you, how do I know you're not gonna, I don't know, kill me?" She spat.

The tom's expression was blank. "I don't even know what I am, what reason do I have to kill you?" 

Tarka didn't take long to retort. "Many reasons, soul cannibal. Maybe you want to eat my soul? Kill me then!?" "Soul cannibal? Really. So you're insulting me now? An injured cat? One without any ability to do harm?" He huffed, rolling his eyes as he grumbled something under his breath.

Tarka took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "Fine. I will help you, but if I end up with a mysterious sickness that kills me, then I will haunt you in the afterlife." 

She could tell the tom was thinking over her words, either that, or heavily annoyed. She'd like to pretend it was the former of the two options. "Better than nothing. Not like I was going to hurt you anyways."

Smugly, Tarka helped get the tom up onto his paws, and inside. "What's your name?" Tarka asked, her tail flicking as the tom thought. "My name is Valor...?" He seemed rather unsure, but Tarka could care less. "Well then, Valor, it's a pleasure to meet you." Tarka sarcastically commented. 

She wished she didn't meet Valor. "I'm Tarka. All you need to know."

Opening the door to her lovely home, Tarka silently hoped that Valor's strong scent wouldn't infest it. Rot wasn't a pleasant smell, not unless you were trying to catch a carnivore. "Where are you from? You don't sound like you're from Saie." Tarka asked, walking Valor into one of the spare rooms in her home.

"I'm not. I'm from Fanu." Valor proudly boasted, as though that were something great. "Huh. Neat. How did you end up here then?" Tarka flatly demanded, as Valor pointedly ignored her question.

Since she was being ignored, Tarka decided to leave, knowing that it'd be best if she saged her room. Maybe it'll help against whatever Valor was. Heading into the kitchen, she grabbed the fresh sage growing in the windowsill. Plants and pottery decorated Tarka's home, as her mother had wished.

Taking the fresh sage, Tarka entered her bedroom and placed it on her desk, grabbing a match and lighting it, burning the wick of a candle. Setting the sage ablaze and putting out the fire on the match, Tarka slowly made her way around the room. "All spirits are to leave this room, leave naught one behind." She chanted.

Quickly, the scent of burning sage permeated through the room, and Tarka was eventually done. Her room should be safe from spirits now. Unfortunately, her room didn't have a lock, so she'd just have to pray that whatever god was up there would make sure Valor didn't enter.

Ugh, she was so stupid? How could she let a complete stranger into her home...?