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[ Instead of protest, though, Sylvain just smirks at him as he props his chin in his palm and grins at him indulgently. ]

Of course, baby.

[ As if he wouldn’t have considered arguing any of that in the first place. And yet can still rib at him playfully with the pointed endearment now. ]

[ There's the smallest pause where his mind registers that, has to take a second to pull it apart because how exactly was that meant, then - never mind, it's obviously teasing related to the topic at hand, and Claude rolls his eyes in the biggest eyeroll he can possibly manage. ]

Save that for if Lysithea gets here where she'll now be far younger than either one of us.

[ Another joke's about to follow that, like how the Singularity might have a sense of humor and pull her from the future to mess with them both, but then he remembers, abruptly, everything she's told him. No, he's not going to tempt fate there. ]

Or anyone else, unless this is just you trying make yourself feel better about your elderly state.

Are you kidding me? I’m not stupid enough to call Lysithea anything of the sort. I happen to like breathing and my balls right where they are, thanks.

[ He lets his face twist into an expression of panic at the very idea of rousing the girl’s ire, especially directed at himself. But he’s quick to return to his smirk all the same, keeping his chin propped in his palm as he watches the expressions play across Claude’s face. ]

So I guess you’re gonna be stuck with the new nickname instead. Sorry, babe.

[ A snort of laughter leaves him at that one, if only because that Lysithea's prowess is well remembered sort of delights him (as it would her, if only she knew), and because that's far easier to focus on than the matter of any ... nicknames. Or whatever Sylvain would call if it if asked, and Claude's not going to ask to get pulled into that. Clearly the better option is to keep moving right along. ]

No? You should really give it a try. Promise it has absolutely no downsides and your balls will even remain attached.

[ Said cheerfully as he takes a drink and then picks up his fork again to finish what's on his plate, which is obviously what's important here. ]

Granted, you might still end up incinerated, but the important part of that is that you'll remain in one piece while it happens.

[ It’s an endearment, Claude. Now you can lay awake all night and ponder that along with the earring, and the nickname itself.

But he just scoffs as he takes another few bites of his own, pleased that Claude seems to be enjoying all his efforts, at least. ]

Yeah, that doesn’t sound very appealing. I think I’ll pass. All of that sounds like a downside, in my opinion. Not that Lysithea was ever very fond of me to begin with.

I'm not sure Lysithea's entirely fond of anyone.

[ Claude says this with great seriousness for how utterly facetious that is, given that while Lysithea herself would've never admitted to being fond it still showed in plenty of ways. Ones that make the list of things he misses from home that've surfaced over the months and year of being here, though more melancholy is the last thing he wants to invite in right now when there's been too much of it going on for months.

The thought's shoved aside before it can take root beyond what he's about to say as he reaches for Sylvain's hand again to squeeze it again in a gesture rapidly becoming familiar to him and one offered without a second thought. ]

Besides that, that was years ago. I think we can all admit we've changed from who we were back then.

What, your Riegan charms didn’t work on her? I’m shocked.

[ He’s not, actually. Lysithea was far too smart to believe a single word out of either of their mouths, he was certain.

Claude’s hand wraps around his once more and he can’t help but smile as his gaze drops to where their hands clasp. Turning his palm slightly, he threads their fingers together once more. Another gesture becoming automatic in its familiarity. Not that he’s taking any of this for granted. ]

I suppose we have. We’ve seen a lot more, that’s for sure. Changing our perspectives… that tends to shape us as much as our experiences do.

[ The first half of that just gets a wave of his free hand as if to say, can you believe that? Somewhere across space and time Lysithea is rolling her eyes as if she can just sense this is happening, Claude's positive.

Some part of him half-expected Sylvain to sidestep the rest of what was said and to go on about Lysithea or their other classmates, if only because Claude knows he would've been tempted to do the same than acknowledge something else. The hand slipped back into his is enough of a sign that won't be the case as the other man resettles their hands into a more comfortable grasp and further tangled together, and he traces a calloused thumb over what skin he can reach. ]

You're right about that, whether it's home or here.

[ Here probably goes unspoken, unnecessary of a qualifier as it is and the same for mentioning home even if they're looping around it in different ways. Fodlan doesn't matter here - something Claude tries to remind himself of more and more with varying degrees of success when it comes to remembering that while sitting next to someone from Fodlan.

That's too much of a tangled mess to dive into or invite into the room more than it has been, so back to something safer it is in making the same move he'd half-expected Sylvain to make earlier. ]

Speaking of that, I think you've forever shifted my perspective on your cooking skills thanks to tonight and even from what I already knew they were before. Have I mentioned already now you've just made it so I expect this more often? If not, consider this your warning.

[ He can’t help but scoff at that, shaking his head, although an indulgent smile still lingers at the corner of his lips as he reaches for his glass of wine. ]

Ahh, I see how it is. I spoil you a little and now you turn greedy on me.

[ He clicks his tongue in dismay, shaking his head as if this is some tragic realization.

But he lets the play go after the briefest of plays at it, chuckling as he stabs another bite of pheasant. ]

It’s nice, to be able to indulge in it so much again. I always felt bad about invading Mags’ kitchen for something that wasn’t for everyone. And before that… Well. It’s not really the same cooking over a campfire.

[ He's overused his dramatic gasps for tonight, Claude thinks, but he's sorely tempted to give one here, too. The same goes for rolling his eyes though that's also extremely tempting, but in lieu of that he simply takes another forkful of pasta though there's a comment which comes before shoveling it into his mouth. ]

I'm not even a little sorry for being greedy about this. I'll have to find a way to return the favor considering I'm pretty sure my ban from the kitchen is still in effect, but I bet I can find something around Cadens that'll come close.

[ Well. It wasn't quite as simple teasing as he'd thought it would be when said aloud, but that's fine. Sylvain's warm hand in his makes any strangeness over which might've settled over him feel far and away from where they are as he chews that pasta before waving his now empty fork a bit again. It's coming in handy for making decisive points. ]

That's because campfires are hardly worth cooking over at all when it comes down to it. We should probably add spoiling Mags to this by dropping something off to her, [ with a rather generous use of 'we' considering the only part of that Claude will be responsible for is supervising, or, ] though I'm claiming taste testing privileges on that if it happens. Then it's not just for me, right?

Since I’m pretty sure you could find a way to set water on fire, yes, your ban is very much still in effect.

[ Okay that was maybe an exaggeration. But considering how some of Claude’s more… inventive creations had turned out… ]

There are some things that are amazing over a campfire, thanks. Fish, for instance. Rabbit. I haven’t actually tried pheasant, but maybe I’ll have to. Yuri used to claim he tried a rat that way once, but I don’t want to know if he was bluffing or not, that’s too adventurous even for me. [ He makes a face at the memory, even if his dark eyes are full of amusement. ]

And don’t worry, I made Mags a pie this morning. And maybe gave her some of the test tries that didn’t come out tasting the way I wanted them to. They were still good, just… not how I remembered them tasting. Trying to match spices to Fodlan has been the biggest challenge yet, it turns out.

Is this your way of asking for a place for a campfire out on the terrace somewhere?

[ The way Claude asks that might be construed as joking alone, but - there's also a bit of seriousness in it when he can tell there's something nostalgic about that for Sylvain. It's better to focus on than protesting his ban considering he'll abide by it in exchange for letting the clutter in his room accumulate as it always does, and because he's curious. There's been a few sort of portable campfires he's seen for sale around Cadens to where they wouldn't need to give up part of the terrace's deck for a grill plus moving whatever else away to keep it from potentially catching on fire. Maybe he'll have to look closer at those next time.

Claude also considers then that it's not like they've exactly done any camping recently to allow for any of those fires. Most of those visits to the desert had been daytrips meant to retrieve this bounty, those herbs, or now a more standard sort of hunting trip as Sylvain's now done to procure this very pheasant. That goes on a list of things he's turning over in his mind, though it's better left for later in favor of smiling now. ]

I bet she appreciated it all the same since she deserves to be spoiled. Though Cadens might be lacking in the tea department, [ with a pointed glance over his shoulder back at his gifted tea, meaning that for Sylvain's amusement and also praise for it since he fully intends on breaking into it when the meal's done, ] the spices here aren't half bad. I can help you find some that'll work for what you want to make next.

Your nose would probably be better at that than mine. [ Faerghas wasn’t known for its extensive taste in spices, after all. Even most of what he knew was knowledge he’d picked up at school, or from Dedue, or the few trips he’d made into Sreng over the years. Basically, he knew just enough to be dangerous. But he was very good at wheedling information out of the people with the knowledge, so there was that.

Still, he looks pleased with the attention given to the tea, even if he still worried he hadn’t gotten it close enough. It tasted pretty good, in his opinion, but Sylvain was very aware that his own preferences and likes wouldn’t be reflected by someone else. He could have overlooked some aspect entirely. ]

She seemed to like it. Asked me about what I was trying to make, gave me a couple of pointers a few times when I was stuck. Pointed me at one of the merchants in the square that she knew had the best deals, so I owe her for that, at the very least.

[ It’s idle chitchat as he takes another bite, most of his plate empty now, but it had been as good as he’d hoped. Claude’s reaction to it had been even better. ]

The teahouses down here could use some work, yeah. Or at least some variety. I’ve heard Thorne’s got better ones. Nocwich’s are pretty okay, too. Maybe there’s just not a lot of use for the kind of tea we’re familiar with in the desert? Who knows.

[ Claude's going to take that as an invitation to do what he'd said, even if Sylvain hadn't meant it that way, and there's already another entry in the ongoing catalogue of his thoughts to add spices to his next round of wandering through the markets in search of items of interest. Maybe there's something he could do with that for Sylvain, and he considers it while taking the last bite of pheasant on his plate.

Scheming about that in depth will have to wait until later when a half-smile crosses his face a second later at the help Mags offered Sylvain and how it'd all turned out - from the sound of it - and Claude takes another forkful of food in time for it to muffle a laugh from him until he finishes it. ]

I suppose I'll forgive you going around my merchants this time since it was for a surprise, but we can definitely ask them to look for certain things if you want ingredients or some new cookware. One of them makes trips to Libertas fairly often since they're opening a shop over there, so they might have some extra places to look around.

[ The same goes for tea ingredients, Claude realizes a second later while finishing what's on his plate and then eyes the remaining serving bowls in a small debate with himself whether it'd be better to leave those for the leftovers he mentioned before or keep indulging. Or indulging in the tea - many choices to consider here. ]

I'm not sure I want to make a trip to Thorne to find out for ourselves, [ dryly, ] but maybe we can convince someone to smuggle some of it over to us on a Nocwich weekend to see for ourselves. Or, [ because he's not going to miss a chance to nudge Sylvain towards something either, ] we can repurpose it into your teas since that'd mean all the more experimenting.

[ He just gives Claude a dry look because the man never lets a chance to pester him about his teas pass by untouched. ]

Since when are they your merchants? Because I don’t think they know that. They were more than happy to chat me up. I think they’re cheating on you.

[ Still, he props his chin in his palm once more, watching Claude as the other man is clearly debating on seconds or not, a smile playing about the corner of his lips. He’ll take all of it as a compliment, honestly. The one kind he doesn’t hesitate over accepting, because Claude’s enjoyment had been clear and genuine from the first bite. ]

And what makes you think I don’t have my hands full experimenting already?

Oh, they know that. That's why they pay me for what I do, after all.

[ Or however that logic works, since Claude's partially distracted himself with his still ongoing debate about whether or not to put more onto his plate - this time literally in the form of food. In the end he decides against it and instead reaches for his drink to look over the rim of it with a grin partially hidden while he takes a sip. Better to not accidentally eat too much and then risk not properly appreciating the tea which will be a more than fitting dessert in his mind. ]

And I didn't say that! I just meant you clearly need to have some more going on there. Not just pouches of already dried things while you're at it since we could always look into adding some more plants. There's a whole garden bed waiting to be used yet, or we could see about growing some of them in the setup Viktor's made for the farming via water. You might unlock a whole new kind of tea based off of all of that or any combination of it.

… I’m pretty sure that’s a backwards arrangement with the merchants, Claude. Aren’t you supposed to be paying them?

[ Still. He lets the man ramble, his amusement only growing in dark eyes as Claude gets carried away - as he frequently does - with one idea after the other.

And then he just takes a deliberate sip of his own drink, hiding his smile behind the rim. ]

Or I could just keep working with what I have until I get a better grasp of what I’m doing, rather than overwhelming myself with too many options.

No, they pay me to keep their books in delightful order. I gotta put all that 'running a country' experience somewhere, so we can thank them for helping us pay for this loft. Probably all the more reason to make sure we buy some things from them now and then, if you think about it.

[ Or however that works, considering he's not looking at his logic (or rather, 'logic') too closely as he sets his drink and silverware down without missing that attempt at hiding a smile Sylvain's doing in the same way he did. He'll take that since every time he succeeds in making Sylvain do something like that it feels like the tiniest victory of some kind, but one that's no less important.

The same for waving a hand out of complete unconcern for being overwhelming or the risks of adding too many options as he stands up, meaning to head to the kitchen to set the kettle on for some hot water for tea and possibly the chess set since he hadn't gotten to appreciate the beautifully carved pieces as much as he'd wanted to in the rush of emotions. ]

I think there's proof right over on the sideboard you know what you're doing if that's really what you want to protest. Why not have all of what you might want ready in case you need it for your next project? I'm just helping you plan ahead here.

Claude. [ Said with all the patience he can possibly muster. ] You can’t even keep your own books in order.

[ He should know. He walked past your room earlier and the door was open. Honestly, he despairs for the state of the Alliance in comparison. Then again, maybe Lorenz ends up his secretary. Or Ignatz? He’s good with paperwork, right?

Hell, they should just put Lysithea in charge of everyone and she’d have everyone terrified and working their asses off in no time. Although Hilda had that kind of luck, too, making everyone do her work for her. But she’d probably consider that too much work, so that wouldn’t be sustainable in the least.

Not voicing any of that - because he can just imagine Claude’s response to any of it and that’s not an argument they need to have tonight (or ever) - he just leans back in his chair to continue nursing the last little bit of his drink as he watches the other man. ]

I don’t need to plan ahead. I have plenty to work on as it is. And you haven’t even tried what’s on the sideboard yet. For all you know, it could be terrible.

[ A tsk in the form of a click of his tongue, and then: ] You thinking my room is disorganized just because you don't appreciate my method of organization is entirely different than balancing books.

[ With mock gravity like this is a serious judgment and not something he's well aware of Sylvain feeling when it comes to the general state of his belongings at literally any moment in time, but the effect's undone by the mirth barely concealed in that supposedly serious expression before he puts a hand on the back of Sylvain's chair to lean down for a kiss.

Then it's off to the kitchen without any lingering since he's on a mission, and not accepting any potential slander about his birthday gift along the way. ]

Sounds a little defeatist to me, Gautier. Also, I'd buy that if I hadn't spent all this time watching you try to perfect different things you've tried your hand at around here, so you'll have to come up with a better way to fool me than that.

[ All of it enough that this time Claude really does have to work to keep affection from slipping too far into the words and ruining the airy unconcerned effect he'd meant for them to have. Better to fill the kettle with some water and then set it onto a burner while peering out towards where Sylvain is. ]

And if you're expecting me to believe this is some long running prank you came up with all for making me choke on this tea when it's ready, much as I could appreciate the amount of foresight and planning that'd go into such a thing? Let me just put it out there that I'm not believing that either.

That’s it, I’m replacing your present with skunk cabbage.

[ Deadpan, as he remains precisely where he was, watching Claude putter around the kitchen. Although there’s a fond smile lingering on his lips now, teased into visibility by that brief passing kiss and sticking around and making him look like a half-lovesick idiot as he watches the other man.

At least until he catches himself and rubs a hand down over his face, exasperated at himself all over again. ]

Is that a threat to make that one cabbage and egg dish with our leftover pheasant? You know, since now you've shown off your many cooking talents. We could add that one to the menu next.

[ He's well aware that isn't what Sylvain was going for when it comes to any threats, and while there's always the possibility the other man's suddenly learned to specialize in conjury magic to make it so that bag of tea really is something else beneath the familiar smell - Claude's willing to take his chances.

Wandering around the kitchen in search of mugs before changing his mind and going for the proper tea set instead since that feels more fitting to go with the meal made for him means he misses the expression on Sylvain's face. When he finally turns around to set the saucers onto the countertop first and glances back out again to where the other man's seated while reaching for the cups next, all he catches is the hand running over his face. ]

Whatever that motion is that you're doing - it better not be out of guilt that there's actually cabbage in there as a 'tea' ingredient.

[ He gives a thoughtful hum, trying to remember what all went into the dish Claude had mentioned, his gaze going distant with focus for a moment. ]

Hmm. We probably could. Although do they even have cabbage in Cadens? I haven't actually had to go looking for that before. Shockingly, it doesn't go in any of the tea blends I've made yet.

[ Said jokingly, even if he immediately adopts an innocent expression when Claude catches him rubbing at his face. Strictly for the purpose of thinking he might be hiding something elsewhere other than the stupid look he was sure was just on his face when Claude's back was turned. ]

'Yet' could still be the keyword there, though. How adventurous are you feeling about your tea these days?

Not that I've noticed. I'm guessing it might not take to the summer all that well without some intervention, though if it exists elsewhere in Abraxas it's something I'd like to try growing in the water-based setup Viktor's working on. Might be worth experimenting around with when the time comes.

[ Assuming they can even get seeds, a plant, anything else to make that happen - there's several steps in there Claude's skipping over, but it's certainly a thought. So is Sylvain playing along with the Cabbage Threat when it comes to the tea side, though he conveniently withholds a smile over it while turning to grab the teapot next. ]

I think you know well by now that I'm always adventurous. But, [ with one finger held up of his free hand as he sets the teapot down and eyes the kettle steaming away, ] don't take that as an invitation to put something else into the next tea blend you give me that wouldn't normally be there. I'll stick to herbs since they're more my speed. That reminds me that I did find some fruits in the market I hadn't seen before you might be interested in.

[ With that comes the slightest pang of an old pain considering once upon a time he would've bought those for Petra. But thinking of her absence threatens to let in the even greater ache that's Hilda's, and Claude brushes that away with a shrug. ]

I might be willing to try some teas from those, possibly. They have to be better than cabbage.

Hey now. You haven’t even tried the cabbage.

[ His tone is teasingly playful as he leans back in his chair and crosses his legs, letting his ankle rest atop his knee as he grins at Claude. ]

I’m sure there’s been teas made out of weirder things. You like one made out of a tree, after all.

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