"Huh."

"I don't think he requires repair."

He smiles. "No, I don't think I do. Like, I recognize that chocolate is nicer than some other stuff, it's just, I don't really eat a lot when I'm not hungry?"

"I've read that between magic using food as fuel and the training period eclipsed taste everything the way it tastes when one is very hungry," Isabella says. "But it makes sense that would have variable effects and I'm not even sure it's true."

"Really? Huh. That makes me think of a potential hypothesis, which is that my shapeshifting may be subconsciously causing my taste buds to be less good than they ought to be."

"Huh. Would that be something you might have indeliberately steered towards while eating... whatever you found in the middle of nowhere?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's totally possible. It's not like I have conscious control over every detail of my biology when I shift."

"If you did it you can probably undo it."

"Probably, but I'm not sure I want to?"

"You might enjoy food more. Is that undesirable?"

"Not exactly, but I'm not sure it's desirable, either. I don't particularly want to like food."

"Why not?"

"Well, why should I?"

"Because it's a source of pleasure? You give off sort of a hedonist vibe, I'm actually really surprised you don't want to like food."

"I mean, yes to hedonism, but—" Pause. "You know what, you're right." He closes his eyes and thinks.

Giggle.

He opens his eyes again, takes a chocolate, and eyes it warily.

Isabella plucks it out of his hand and pops it into his mouth for him.

"Pet, if you're going to nibble on my fingers like that we should be conducting this experiment somewhere Alex is not."

He blinks. He swallows. "Um."

"But anyway. Chocolate's better now?"

Isabella feeds him another chocolate.

...Alex scoops up his candy and leaves the room.