dontgetintherobot | IC Inbox (Noctium) WIP

[ after this drunken text thread here ]

[ It takes Ezar longer than it maybe should to get to Alfonse's place; he knows the city pretty well, but he is also extremely drunk and too cheap to call some kind of cab service. He ends up teleporting several random places and then wandering around, knocking on the doors of a few innocent people, before he finds it.

He leans one shoulder against the doorframe, seriously disheveled his shirt half unbuttoned and hair coming out of its braid, and offers a drunken grin when the door opens. ]

Hey~!

[Alfonse shouldn't have been surprised when he opened that door. He really shouldn't have... and yet here he was...

He absolutely should have gone to get the man.

Not that there was anything to be done about it now, aside from leading him inside. It was a simple studio apartment. Neat in a way that only a military brat with too much free time on his hands could accomplish. The only thing that showed the place was lived in normally was a few blankets near some books on the couch, and a well used kitchen- which happened to have some freshly made cookie-dough.]

Hello, Ezar. Here come in, have a seat.

[And he's just going to lead the man to the couch so he can immediately get him a glass of water, and hope that whatever Eorzean gods he prays to have mercy on him in the morning.]

I was just about to get the cookies in the oven when you got here- uneventful trip I hope?

Edited 2022-07-16 07:40 (UTC)

[ Ezar slumps bonelessly on the couch in a borderline indecent sprawl that only someone who is feline could manage. ]

Yeah, was a nice walk over. A really long walk. Longer than I thought.

[ Because he got lost.

He takes a sip of the water and then regards the glass suspiciously. ]

Alfonse... dunno how to tell you this but... your booze sucks.

That's because it's not booze.

[And Ezar is getting a little pat on the head before he goes back to the kitchen area to finish up those cookies. He did promise them after all, and all he's got left to do is put them on the baking sheet.]

Anyway, I don't suppose you have any preferences as to what cookies you like before I commit them to the oven? They're just chocolate chip thus far.

Edited (I just woke up don't @ me) 2022-07-16 16:44 (UTC)

[ He tilts his head at the head pat, then directs a suspicious look at the glass in his hand, as if it has personally betrayed him. ]

...oh. [ A long pause as he tries to think this over. ] ...why?

[ A question only someone that drunk could ask. He brightens at the subject changing to cookies. ]

You got peanut butter?

Because it will make your day better tomorrow, I promise.

[Probably no avoiding a hangover at all at this rate, but even a slight relief is still relief. He'll just take a moment to look through his cabinets at the mention of peanut butter and lo and behold! He's got some!]

I do! Give me just a moment aaand- [Give him a moment to look up how much to put into the dough... measuring it out... and in it goes!] There! Ready to bake!

[ Ezar laughs, letting his head fall back. ]

No such thing as a good tomorrow.

[ He raises the water glass like he's toasting with it, but he does take a sip. ]

You're not gonna be sorry. Peanut butter cookies are the best. Shame we don't have 'em at home.

I never guaranteed it would be a good day, just a better one without the mother of all hangovers weighing on you.

[He set the timer and sit down next to Ezar on the couch.]

Can’t say I’ve had them, but I believe you. You might laugh, but I’ve just been eating the peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon.

[ Ezar is often of the opinion that waking up at all means it's going to be a terrible day, which is why he drinks so much. He's feeling good enough about having a handsome man who is making him cookies that for once, her does not voice that thought. ]

Nothing wrong with that.

[ Whomst among us... ]

's also really good if you make it into a sauce for noodles.

[ With Alfonse sitting there, Ezar shifts position to lean rather bonelessly against him, head resting on his shoulder, fingers trailing lightly over his thigh. ]

Lots of fun stuff you can do with peanut butter.

[Ah, there was something rather sweet about Ezar just mindlessly flopping on him, and Alfonse put his arm around his shoulder to help keep him steady.

Then the thigh touching and ah. Ah. Well he'd just use his free hand to hold onto Ezar's. Sportively. As endearing as the other was, they didn't know each other well, and he wasn't about to take advantage of a drunk man.]

I'll look up some recipes for it, but only if you stop by and promise to try them.

Never said no to a free meal, eh?

[ He is going to interpret the hand holding as a good thing, really. He's drunk. This sign can't stop him because he can't read. So he stretches up from his slump as much as he can to lightly nudge Alfonse's jaw with the bridge of his nose.

Perhaps very lucky for Alfonse that he's tall enough for his mouth to be out of easy reach. ]

Can send you what I've knocked together if I remember it.

[It's actually fairly late in the evening when this call happens, since he's been in the shop the last several hours dealing with...a lot, but.]

Alfonse? Call me back when you get this, could you? I was hoping we could have dinner together.

...and by dinner, I mean that I have some meat pies I don't wish to go to waste that we can eat down by the lake.

[Whether or not he was able to not make it sound serious, though...]

[It's not long of a wait when Alfonse calls him back, in a good mood by the sounds of it.]

Hello Father, dinner sounds great! mind if I bring some takoyaki? Might be an odd mix, but I just finished it so it's still hot! Besides, I'd like your opinion on it.

I-I tried not to make it ration-shaped this time.

[The tone and nervous laugh implies that he did not succeed as much as he would have liked.]

Edited 2022-08-05 01:20 (UTC)

You know I'd love to try anything that you make, Alfonse, and I'm sure that it will go just fine with the meat pie.

Especially if they aren't ration-shaped this time around.

[And he can only hope that Alfonse doesn't question the way the meat pies are dzo shaped haha...ha...]

I'm already nearly to the lake, so I'll see you when you arrive.

[Alfonse arrived at the designated spot in good time, he was nothing if not punctual. He shifted his baskets into one hand upon seeing his father, and waves at him happily in greeting.

Truth be told he was quite excited for this.]

Father! I'm here!

[It's because he can see how excited Alfonse is that for a moment, Gaius almost reconsiders having a conversation about what happened at the shop at all. He smiles when his son approaches, but Gaius looks so...tired, in a way that he hasn't been in so many moons now. Not that it stops him from waving the boy over, his own basket already laid out on the blanket he brought.]

I was beginning to wonder if I'd need to eat all of these by myself.

Come, sit. I've missed you.

[Yes, missed him the whole entire one day that he hasn't seen him.]

Missed me? Father, it’s barely been a day.

[He says like he also didn’t get a bit of childish excitement every time he got to have time with his father. The more normalized life was doing him good, even if he was at a constant loss on what to do without all his responsibilities from home.

But, that wasn’t a thought for now, not when he was so excited to die his father that his food was only insufferably bland looking, rather than insufferably bland looking and strangely rectangular. At least it still tasted far better than it looked.]

And you should know I’d never miss a chance to eat your cooking!

And? I still have five years of being away to make up for, after all, so even a day is still far too long.

[Nevermind how worried he still gets when he doesn't see or even hear from his son for too long at a time, despite his best efforts to keep that paranoia buried. But he can put that feeling away again, for now, because Alfonse sits with him, and Gaius reaches over to ruffle the young man's hair, taking a look at the takoyaki he'd brought with him.]

Would you look at that. It even looks like takoyaki. Perhaps my lessons have been finally sticking with you after all.

Hey!

[He protests, but he’s laughing, and there’s a hint of pink to his cheeks that shows through his pale scales. Truly, He couldn’t be happier.

That link to his cheeks only gets darker looking at the food he made, a little shyly. His father may have complimented him, but he knew “not square” and “appetizing” we’re not the same thing.]

They taste better than they look! Honest!

Edited (Takoyaki primal) 2022-08-26 03:43 (UTC)

[Dad will be the judge of that, thank you very much, chuckling as he reaches over to grab one for himself and hand his son a small, dzo shaped pie in turn.]

Well, there is only one way to know for certain, I suppose.

[Not that he doubts it does taste good. Alfonse may have issues with presentation, but he's never made anything terribly inedible yet. He takes a bite, and chews it thoughtfully.]

[And then, he leans over to bump affectionately against one of Alfonse' horns, pale eyes bright despite his exhaustion.]

You'll need to make some more for me, aye? And for Megumi, if you could. I'm sure that she'd enjoy it just as much.

Edited 2022-08-26 03:55 (UTC)

[Alfonse takes the pie, almost without realizing it, his attention more in his father’s praise of the meal. Of course his siblings, while they did tease him, always appreciated their meals, and told him as much.

But he was also fairly certain he could cook with soap, and there was a fair chance they wouldn’t notice.

It made him swell up with pride coming from his father.]

You like it then? Truly? I’ll be happy to make more then, for Megumi too! Hopefully they’ll look a little better with practice!

Alfonse, I'm not going to lie to you if I didn't like it.

You'll have them looking professionally made in no time, I've no doubt about that. And perhaps Haurchefaunt would be willing to help, if you need more people to practice with.

[Does Haurchefaunt even know anything about Doman cuisine? Probably not, but he's pretty sure being asked for help would make the man beyond ecstatic anyway. And don't mind dad helping himself to a couple more sticks of takoyaki; whatever lack of appetite he's had all day seems easily overcome in the face of something his own son made for him, and it is very good.]

Everything has been well with you, then?

[An expression of pure joy, Alfonse’s tail, heavy as it was, managed a happy flop against the ground.

Though the next bit he added a bit bashfully, he didn’t often speak of his birth parents, at least not in front of his father, but with Megumi having a history in the area… not to mention the lengths his father used to go to to bring this final holidays to her and his sister…]

I… vaguely remember my birth parents putting some sort of sauces on top? And green things? I’m not sure I know the words for them in the common tongue… if I remember it at all. It was the only thing I couldn’t do from memory.

[Granted he’d double checked a few cookbooks to make sure his memory was right, but none of the toppings looked right, perhaps it was just a unique concoction of his parents? Something regional? But it was one of the few things he learned and remember from his parents, and he was excited to share it with his father.]

Everything has been as well as can be. This place is strange. And after everything… it can be a lot, or at least my mind feels as though it is making it to be a lot.

But I’m not unhappy.

Edited 2022-08-26 06:37 (UTC)

Sauces and green things, was it...?

[Hard to imagine what that could be, honestly. Though... He could ask Megumi or Teng, or perhaps any of the other Warriors of Light. One of them has to know, with all their travels across Othard, and if he's able to give Alfonse back one more little memory of his birth parents...]

[He'll need reach out to everyone in the morning. In the meantime, though, he listens, a soft smile on his face as he watches over the young beside him.]

[Maybe any sadness that still lingers there could be considered a trick of the moonlight.]

I'm glad. Though strange may be putting it a bit politely. Even after the time I've spent on this star, 'tis still difficult to wrap my head around much of it, though I've...adapted. I think.

And you know that I will always be here if you should feel overwhelmed, aye?

[...]

Though we need to speak of what's been happening recently with those of our own star.

I know father, and glad am I to have you here. I’m not certain I would be holding together as well as I am.

[While he’d gotten used to Megumi, consisted her a friend, he was still hesitant in regards to the other Warriors of Light. The hardest part were the looks he got from them, the guilt.

And right on cue his father mentions those from their star. Well, he was easy to listen- and eat the pie in his hand, that he finally seemed to realize was there.]

Of course father, has something happened?

IC Inbox (Noctium) WIP

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