Chapter Text
About a week later Christopher and Tom were sitting in their room, Tom polishing his sword, Christopher reading a book about spiders he had found. The spider was now living in a glass jar he had found and filled with twigs, leaves, and dirt.
“Hey Tom,” Christopher started, “did you know that this particular type of spider is venomous?”
"You mean to tell me that I have been living with a spider that could kill me for the past week?!”
In the preceding days, Tom had made his displeasure with his new roommate known, this was just the icing on the cake. Christopher had shot back that he wasn’t particularly fond of spiders either, but they were useful. It hadn’t stopped Tom from grumbling though.
"She wouldn’t kill you!” Christopher protested “Just some blistering at the site of the bite, muscle spasms, pain, fever, sweating, and sometimes a general malaise lasting for several days.”
"That doesn’t sound much better!” Tom paused, “Wait, she?”
"Yes! You can tell because of how large her abdomen is, the males are noticeably smaller. Also, I’ve decided to name her Matilda.”
"Why?” Tom was internally questioning why his friend was like this. He couldn’t decide what was worse, explosions or venomous spiders.
"Oh I don’t know, I liked the name I guess.”
"No, I mean why did you even name it at all?”
"Her. And I like her. It’s fascinating that such a tiny creature can hold a substance that can actually affect a person”
Tom just groaned and fell back onto the bed.
"Did you know the spider Christopher kept is venomous, My Lord?” Tom asked Ashcombe at some point later that day.
Christopher glared at his friend behind the man’s back.
Ashcombe turned to Christopher, “You mean you still have that thing?”
"Yes, My Lord. I named her Matilda.”
"I- you- why?”
"That’s what I said!” said Tom, feeling quite vindicated.
Christopher shrugged, “I guess I got attached?”
Ashcombe looked for all the world like he wished he was anywhere else on the planet at the moment.
"Just- Just keep that thing away from me,”
Christopher grinned.