PLEASE BE STRONG I KNOW I'M NOT WRONG (Closed to Lancelot)

[reticence]

Faolan has for the most part stayed out of the politics of the other factions. He has enough to worry about being at the till at Hillingdon. Trying to understand what the faction wants, trying to understand what sort of direction to take it in. He knows that he's going to have to take a step up sooner or later, and he knows that whatever he chooses to do, he cannot under any circumstances disobey the oath he took as Guardian.

The oath that they are hanging over his head as they use him as muscle to force him into peoples' homes, under whatever pretenses they can think of, to upend their lives for dark magical objects. Anyone they are seen to be using dark magic will be arrested, while the rest are written fine after fine for everything unearthed. Faolan doesn't like it, it makes him uncomfortable to be thrust into other people's lives like this, and the objects themselves, the people he's being forced to investigate, are making him uncomfortable in another way that he just can't put his finger on at the moment.

To top it all off, Willard has left, and with him left all the organizing of Hillingdon's paperwork to Faolan himself, or for Faolan to find someone else to delegate it to instead. And no one is exactly jumping at the chance. The combination of it all has left him in worse of a mood than usual, and he has no intention of returning home to his flat to drink himself into something even worse as he sits alone in the sad, empty little place.

Which is why he finds himself ringing Lancelot's bell. Really he should have told the other man that he was coming over. Asked if he was going to be interrupting anything. But one foot had led in front of the other and he had found himself there before he realized where he'd been headed.

Comments

[knightscode]

"See how far I get with the soup first. Pans are in the bottom cupboard to the left of the oven, wooden spoons in the to drawer to the right."

He holds out a hand to Lily as she finishes her food, begins to sniff around in case she missed any and study Faolan curiously. What is he doing in the kitchen? He is not normally doing things in the kitchen! Is it something for dogs?

"Lily, give him some space," he says softly, and she comes over at the sound of her name -- lets Lancelot gently gather her to sit beside him and rub her chest to keep her still.

[reticence]

Faolan turns to glance at the other man as he digs out the pan, watching him hold Lily back from him and coaxing her to sit quietly by his side instead. He offers a soft smile as he straightens to set the pan on the counter, fishing out a wooden spoon and sets about getting the soup ready to heat.

Once it's started, he turns back to Lancelot with another soft smile, stirring slightly as he comments, "See? Haven't burned down your kitchen yet, have I?"

[knightscode]

"Give yourself time."

Lily leans into Lancelot's legs, letting him massage at her chest and shoulders as he watches Faolan work.

"Have you eaten? Please, help yourself to something too if you're hungry. I have no intention of seeing you go hungry because you focused all your energy on looking after me."

Which he suspects Faolan would do, too.

[reticence]

Faolan tosses a glance at the other man over his shoulder and a smile that suggests no, he hasn't eaten himself, and yes, he probably would pull something like that. He never has been very good at taking care of himself. But he's determined to be good at taking care at Lancelot when he needs him, at least.

"I'll find something," he says, stirring the pot some more before letting the liquid settle to see how fast it's heating. "Let's get you settled first." Don't make him multitask, in other words. Then he really might burn down your kitchen. Yes, with soup. Don't look at him like that, Lancelot, stranger things have happened.

[knightscode]

"All right. But you're welcome to some soup yourself afterwards, or there should be some pasta if you want something a little more solid."

Lancelot suppresses a yawn, lowers his head to talk quietly to Lily as she fusses and smooths her fur soothingly -- making her lean into his touch more and swish her tail faster. Yes, this is very good! Yes, she likes this.

"My lady friend here probably wants to go outside too, perhaps her handsome new friend might escort her? Mmmm?"

[reticence]

In all honesty, he's probably going to just make himself a sandwich, if he can find enough materials in Lancelot's kitchen to compose a sandwich that is. Lancelot can have the cooked meal. Faolan doesn't mind if he winds up with jam on toast himself, if push comes to shove.

At the other man's suggestion, especially the phrasing of it, Faolan can't help but smile and duck his head slightly as he turns back to the task of stirring the pot on the stove. "Her handsome new friend, huh," he asks, his eyes on the task at hand. "She'll have to introduce me to him then..."

[knightscode]

"Ah, I think you know him. He's... mmm, about five-seven, perhaps? Dark hair, a little grumpy but well-meaning, loyal, kinder than he likes to pretend..."

Lancelot wrinkles his nose at Faolan, resting his head against one arm on the table as he pets at Lily with the other.

"He seems to eat a lot of my food too, I've noticed. I've started buying a little extra just in case."

[reticence]

"Hmm," Faolan says, pensively, ducking his head further in response to the description. He had obviously been fishing. In his defense, Lancelot had called him handsome, and as he sits there at the table, resting his head on his arm like that... Faolan hadn't been able to help himself.

Also, he's five-six, but he doesn't want to make that correction and prove himself shorter than the description the other man had given.

Despite the words otherwise, that's enough compliments in a vague description of himself that Faolan doesn't quite know how to respond to it at first. He takes a moment to pretend to be very interested in stirring the soup in front of him, before shrugging slightly. "Well," he says at last. "Your food is very good. And if you don't mind the company... I'd say it sounds like a win-win sort of scenario to me."

[knightscode]

"I certainly don't mind the company. I enjoy it, actually, and so does Lily -- who as you well know is very discerning."

Said discerning hound is currently pushing to her feet to come investigate Faolan and what he's cooking. She's curious, and restless! What is it he's cooking? Is it for dogs? All food should, in her opinion, be for dogs. Lancelot does not agree. It is a great travesty she fights against.

[reticence]

Faolan turns to glance down at Lily as she bumps into the back of his knees. Yes, very discerning indeed. He's willing to bet that she'll change her tune for anyone with a proper treat, however. "It's only tomato soup," he tells her. "You wouldn't like it even if I gave you any, trust me on that one."

He glances back up at Lancelot with an odd smile, before turning back to the pot. "You can tell your lady friend that he will be happy to take her for a walk, when certain people have been fed themselves. How's that, then?" he asks.

[knightscode]

She might like it! She likes many things! Can she have some if she sits? Humans like it when she sits! Sometimes if she sits they give her things! She tries it, sitting neatly and watching Faolan with curious dark eyes as he stirs the soup.

"You can tell her yourself," Lancelot prompts, "she's listening to you very carefully."

[reticence]

"Hmm," Faolan says, glancing down at Lily where she's parked herself beside him, ever-hopeful. "Then perhaps she's heard me already." He glances back to the other man at the table before back at Lily, and sighing slightly, gives her the benefit of the doubt. "No soup," he says. "But I'll take you out once we're done, if you're a good girl."

It doesn't take too much longer for the liquid to come to a simmer. Faolan turns off the burner and, setting the pot on a cool one, goes hunting for a bowl and spoon. Knowing that Lancelot is watching and that he'll probably be redirected momentarily. Really, for the amount of time he'd spent there, he'd have thought he'd know his way around the place better by now. He'd just have to chalk it up to the fact that up until now this had been the other man's domain.

[knightscode]

"Bowls are top right cupboard. Cutlery is second drawer on the right."

Lily thrashes her tail faster excitedly at being called a good, stands up and walks with Faolan dangerously close to his feet. She wants to be with the humans! As close as possible! Even if that means she might trip them up!

[reticence]

Faolan smiles to himself as he heads in the right direction now that he knows where to go, and pretends that he doesn't have to stretch to reach the bowl on the top of the stack either.

Once he has it down, he takes the pot over to the sink and just pours. Perhaps someone with a little more finesse in the kitchen might have gone for a ladle or something, but Faolan would not be one of those people. And anyway, the sink is for if he spills it, which he doesn't incidentally. Setting the bowl on the counter, he digs for a soup spoon before carrying both over to place before Lancelot on the table. All while managing not to trip and spill it all over the white dog.

"Soup's up," he says. "It isn't anything fancy. But it's what you'd expect it to be."

[knightscode]

Said dog stalks along beside him, stands with her nose by the table curiously until Lancelot gently chides her into sitting.

"Manners, Lily," he says, and she shoots him a concerned look as she sits. "Thank you, Faolan. It's perfect, I promise."

He stirs it slowly to help it come to a temperature where he wont burn his tongue, carefully tests a bit.

"There's other flavours if you want some yourself. Chicken, minestrone, beef..."

[reticence]

Faolan shakes his head. "Thanks," he says. "Don't worry about me though. I'll probably just make myself a sandwich. I'm assuming you have bread," he says, flicking the other man the quirk of a smile before he steps back to go digging through his refrigerator for whatever else he can find to go in a sandwich besides. Eventually settling on turkey and cheese, which isn't the most elaborate meal he's ever had at Lancelot's flat by far, but it's more complex than some of the other things he's fed himself in the past.

He sets the sandwich makings on the counter before hunting for a plate to make it on, glancing back to Lancelot with his soup as he does. Keeping an eye on him himself to see whether he's eating and if so how much, even as he opens his mouth to tease somewhat and say, "Keep a good eye on him, Lily. You let me know if he gives you any trouble, now."

[knightscode]

"Trouble?" Lancelot echoes, and he laughs lightly, smiling down at his soup. "I'm not so sure I'm in much shape to be causing trouble. But.. I'm sure if I was she'd help you keep me in line."

Lily's tail thrashes excitedly at the sound of her name again and she looks between them, inching close to Lancelot and watching him eat his soup intensely. He has something! She can smell it! What is it? Could it be for dogs? It could be, should be! Dogs should have all things shared with them!

[reticence]

Faolan finishes assembling his sandwich, cutting it in two and putting everything back where he found it, pouring himself a glass of water before making his way over to sit across from Lancelot himself, flicking a quiet smile across at the other man as he does.

"I don't know," he says, looking down to Lily and then up at Lancelot, raising his eyebrows slightly before reaching down to pick up half of his sandwich. "I would say that now more than ever is the perfect time to keep an eye on you. Having lulled us into a false sense of security, it's the perfect time to slip one over on us. Don't think I'm not on to you," he says, smirking to show that he's anything but serious, as he takes a bite of his food. Watching carefully to see whether Lancelot himself is eating or not now that he's joined him at the table.

[knightscode]

"A false sense of security," he repeats. "Ahh. I had no idea you thought me so machiavellian, I feel outnumbered now. Between yourself and Lily I am sure to be unable to do a single thing without being closely watched."

He is eating, if slowly -- eyes closing for a few seconds here and there against the last strains of the headache still nagging at him. Lily settles in her fussing after a moment, laying beside Lancelot with her head on her paws and closing her eyes in pleasure as he reaches to stroke at her every so often.

She can wait, she is a good dog. She loves him very much.

[reticence]

Faolan raises his eyebrows slightly, trying to look innocent, although it's a look that seems to be much more at home on Lancelot's face than it is on his. He turns back to his sandwich for a moment, smiling to himself as he takes a few bites.

"If it's any consolation," he says, glancing up at the other man and yes, watching to see whether he's eating and catching those few seconds here and there as he shuts his eyes, "once I'm sure that you're feeling more like yourself again, I'll leave the dogging your every move to the actual dog once more. I promise."