guffawsungraciously | psl time: single dad au edition

[Hendrik hears the voices of others before he reaches the dining hall again, and he pauses outside the doors, listening to some of the ladies on the castle staff show their enthusiasm over Celestine's presence. They speak excitedly to Jasper, fawning over him and his daughter.

It really emphasizes how much the castle staff are a part of their lives. While there are a good deal of young maids nowadays, there are others who have known them since they were apprentice knights.

So he's smiling when enters the room, nodding to some of staff who greet him as he enters. It's a pleasant atmosphere that belies what he knows of the world beyond the walls and the rising number of aggressive monsters.

He smiles at Jasper as he catches his eye, peering in close to see Celestine burbling at the enthusiastic but relatively quiet interaction. Heavens, she seemed to deal with crowd better than either of them.

Of course, she seems to be a little charmer. Perhaps that's just to be expected.]

[Jasper finds himself smiling as Hendrik enters again, and he does adjust Celestine so she’ll be able to see Hendrik a bit better, too.]

How good to see you returning to us, Hendrik. What is on the menu today?

[One of the older maids encourages the others to give the three a little space so they can eat in peace on account of having a busy day shopping or babysitting. Most do, though two promise to leave when the food is out...]

[As Jasper adjusts Celestine in his arms, Hendrik think about how pleasant it will be when she is old enough to hold up her head and sit up in Jasper's arms. It will be fun to see what catches her attention and what will hold her curious eyes for an extended amount of time.]

Root vegetable stew and roasted chicken. It sounds like they are hopeful for venison in the next few days, so that may be something to look forward to. Dessert dishes will be berry cobbler and pear tarts.

[Pear was at least not so incredibly sweet that he may be able to enjoy it.]

[Jasper independently thinks roughly the same, honestly. Celestine is very cute as a wiggly useless loaf that makes noises every so often, but it will definitely be nice when she has more motor control, strength, and ability to express herself... it will be easier for him to parse her moods, at least. He does gently rock her just because she likes it!]

Ah, that all sounds fantastic. Granted, I rather hope you do not mind me passing you some of my potatoes so I can save room for more cobbler.

[like he loves carrots, but he doesn't want to fill up on starches when there's dessert waiting for him.]

[Hendrik chuckles at Jasper's decision to trade away some of his food for a chance to eat more of his dessert. It's not an unfamiliar decision by any means, considering their preferences for savory and sweet foods had not changed over the years.]

I would never say no to a well-cooked potato. Or mushroom.

[Well. Mushrooms seemed perfectly fine to eat raw. Potatoes not so much.]

A comment was made about eating a whole chicken between us, but I am not that hungry.

I cannot complain too much about it, all things considered.

[Jasper adjusts Celestine a bit so he can sit down while holding her, because while it is a touch unwieldy, he really doesn’t want to stop holding her yet...

...

And he thinks a bit about that, actually.]

I think we probably could if we were not planning on eating anything else.

Indeed. But one of the benefits of being home is the welcome variety of food.

[He smiles when he sees Jasper take a seat, approaching to stand by his chair and look down at father and daughter. He has to get a certain angle and wait for Jasper to look his way, but it's fascinating to see those familiar gold eyes reflected on Celestine's tiny face.]

Has she fussed at all? Or shown any interest in eating?

Ah, I am certain. I imagine you have not eaten terribly well while you have been out on the road, have you?

[Jasper looks down at Celestine after Hendrik's question. She is burbling a bit intently, though she does not seem upset just yet... but hm.]

I think she is getting a bit hungry, yes. You are hungry, are you not?

[He’ll reach out for the bottle and bring it over to her. She does squawk a bit expectantly, so he smiles and brings it to her mouth.]

Well, I am sure you can eat first. You are a growing girl, after all.

We eat well enough for what we are doing, but it is obvious where the skilled cooks are whenever we return to Heliodor.

[Fortunately, there is no shortage of edibles on the road, even if Hendrik quickly finds himself missing breads and more complex savory dishes that require more time and care than they usually had while camped out.

He blinks at Celestine's little squawk, surprised by her apparent enthusiasm. But it's hard not to smile again when she latches onto the bottle.]

Ah, so she was waiting. What a patient child.

[...He may be giving her too much credit.]

Well, I did follow your advice so she would not get too terribly demanding. I will encourage her to be more outspoken when she can articulate her desires reasonably well.

[Jasper makes a few minor adjustments so Celestine can eat more comfortably, especially since she is fairly enthusiastic about it.]

...honestly, it is a bit difficult to tell whether she was really that hungry or if she is simply a bit intense in her enjoyment of things.

If she was very hungry, I am fairly sure she would have fussed and then cried, especially if she has cried before.

[As he watches Celestine drink, he pulls out the chair beside Jasper and slides into it. He ponders on the comment about intensity.]

I suppose there is no way of knowing until she is somewhat older. An avid eater is not a bad thing, with a baby. As long as she is not making herself sick.

[It's not long before some of the maids arrive to prepare for the meal with flatware and utensils, as well as freshly baked bread presumably as an accompaniment for the stew.]

Ah, that is good, then. I suppose I can simply assume she is enjoying herself for now, since I do believe she cried when she was hungry...

[She does, at least, kind of look like she's enjoying herself. It's cute. She's so cute.

After the maids are done setting the places for the two and begin to leave, one of them perhaps not so subtly wonders aloud if the handsome Sir Hendrik would, perhaps, also be in the market for starting a family, and another shushes her with a bit of a giggle...

...

Jasper's expression doesn't change much at that, but he does find himself reaching for some bread to, you know, start on. Bread... good....]

[Hendrik nods politely as the maids set the table, momentarily distracted by the prospect of food to not notice the remark made aloud. When he does, his expression freezes as those words rattle around in his head.]

Ah... Perhaps in the future. It is a pleasant idea.

[It's not really meant to entice the maids, but they leave in a cloud of stifled giggles to likely help with the dinner prep. Hendrik's expression returns to a resting frown, brows knitting together in thought as he picks at a roll of bread as well.

What a funny thought. Coming up twice in so many days? ...Hm.]

[oh, wait. oh god. he can't actually reach for the bread his hands are full. Celestine grumpily admonishes him for even slightly moving the bottle! how dare he.

He looks down to see if he's accidentally made a mess and... oof, kind of, yeah, but he can't really... address it until she's done... sigh. he can't get distracted like this...

...

should he ask... Hendrik for help... no, he should probably handle this himself.

...

well, it's not like she'll be eating that much longer... the bottle is almost empty, after all. he'll just sit in mildly agitated silence until then...]

[Hendrik is picking at his bread for a moment before he notices Jasper's abandoned attempt at grabbing food from the corner of his eye. Desiring a distraction, he shifts in his chair to aim a bemused smile at him.]

Ah, would you like me to take her so you can eat?

[He does note that she's almost finished with her bottle, so they may need to ask for more milk when the maids return...]

[Jasper thinks about it for a moment or so, but...]

No, I can be patient. I would not wish to further disturb her meal, after all.

[...Hendrik would probably be doing a better job of the whole thing, wouldn't he...

...

Right. Okay. Um. He watches Celestine eat and just kind of... thinks.]

[Ah. Well.

...

The smile fades and Hendrik turns his attention back to the bread roll. The silence seems painfully obvious after the maids' departure, and he's not sure what to make of it. Is this his fault? Is he thinking too much of what's going on?

Maybe he should. Just. Say what's on his mind.]

I have to wonder how long these will go on. These monster extermination campaigns.

So long as monsters continue to cause problems, I imagine.

[It's still a morose subject, but it is at least is a different kind of morose than "you seem considerably better equipped for this, and also I think you seem like the sort of person who would actually end up with a proper family instead of stumbling into this by complete accident as a single father."

...]

I am certain that things would calm down if we were able to locate and eliminate the Darkspawn, but I imagine no progress has been made on that front.

[...honestly, given who's on the throne, Jasper has to wonder if those efforts are being actively sabotaged. But it's not like he can say that...]

His Majesty seems to be of the mind that the Darkspawn may attract monsters to attack settlements, which is why we have scouts on the lookout for attacks. Unless there is a better way found to find the child, responding to every attack, far and wide, is the best we can do.

[Considering it's been his life for the last three years, the steady way Hendrik speaks shows he's accepted this to be the reality of the situation.]

I cannot imagine how the situation will worsen as the child grows older and aware of his power.

[The far doors of the dining hall open, held open by a maid. Hendrik doesn't pay her much attention until he sees her bow, tensing in his seat when he sees King Carnelian's silhouette before the man enters the hall proper. He's quick to rise from his seat and bow his head as he salutes, one fist pressed to his chest.]

...nor can I.

[...the demon must be trying to spread them too thin. There's no reason to think otherwise, unless he sees the Darkspawn as a threat to his own power... which, well, he's not sure he'll be able to find out, quite honestly. So he needs to find a way to expose or get rid of him sooner rather than later...

...oh, he'd gotten distracted by his thoughts. Celestine is making frustrated little noises over the fact that she's sucking on an empty bottle now, so he should... probably see if he can get it away from her...]

Oh, come, now. It is empty, my dear. You can let it go...

[...why is Hendrik standing-- oh, fuck, think of the devil.

Jasper cannot... properly pay respects, as any hands that would be able to press that F button are occupied with holding or trying to wrestle the bottle away with Celestine without upsetting her too much, but he does manage to stand up and crane his upper half down a bit nervously at the... the entrance of the king's body. It does, at least, give him the opportunity to try to force the nerves from his expression without anyone actually being able to look into his eyes...]

[Hendrik does not lift his head until the king acknowledges him in the gruff way he has taken to speaking as of late. "Hendrik." There is a moment of silence as Hendrik watches His Majesty tilt his chin upward; it takes him a moment to realize he is looking past him to see who is sitting-- standing beside him. "And Jasper as well."]

Good afternoon, Your Majesty. It pleases me to see you in good health.

[It's been a few days since he's had need to directly report to the king. There's little in way of "small talk" between them otherwise.

"Indeed. This body does not function well in this cold weather." Another maid pulls out a chair at the head of the table for the king, who sits down with a grunt.

Hendrik only sits again once the king is seated, grimacing at the half-torn up bread roll on his plate. But Carnelian's attention is aimed at both of them, his tone pointed and dry as he speaks.

"I see both of you have been keeping busy."]

Yes, good afternoon, Your Majesty...

[oh thank the goddess she finally let go, though she does so a bit grumpily. He sets the bottle down and reaches to pick up a napkin, though he unconsciously bristles a bit at that comment about “this body.”

Is this a fucking game to you, demon, he thinks but does not say, because he’s sure Hendrik would drop dead of mortification over him directing vulgar language at the king. He’ll gently wipe Celestine’s mouth off and... ah, right...]

Forgive me, sire, but I must excuse myself. There are things I must attend to momentarily, and it would not do to do them in the presence of royalty...

[Maybe the actual king would understand. Maybe. If the princess was still around. But he didn’t want to give some demon the satisfaction of potentially watching a baby spit up on him while trying to burp her...!]

[Though Jasper makes the attempt to mask it, Hendrik can hear a wariness in his voice with the way he trails off. He tells himself it's understandable, considering what he now knows about what happened after the events in Dundrasil. It's all he can do not to do more than glance his way in concern.

The king considers Jasper with a stern, lofty look, sitting straight-backed in his chair and propping his arms on the wide armrests. "Hm. Yes, of course, see to your child, Jasper. Such things cannot wait."

It is not quite a dismissal, as Hendrik feared, but the distance is there. Perhaps the contrast would have been greater if he was not already used to the king's aloof attitude following the loss of the princess.]

Thank you, Your Majesty.

[Jasper bows quickly and takes Celestine out into the hallway, leaning against a wall not too far from the door while he drapes the napkin over his shoulder and places her against it. He tries to eavesdrop a bit as he gently pats her back, since... well. This is almost as much for him as it is for his daughter.

He chides himself for feeling so unprepared. The entire problem is that the demon is right there at all times and can show up whenever he damn well pleases, but somehow it's worse when there's someone else around. Even though it should be the opposite.

...well, maybe it's not the demon being in the room with Hendrik he's afraid of. Even after hearing the tiny burp and feeling her, well, drool on the napkin a bit, he finds himself still standing there for a moment or so and gently stroking her hat and her back instead of going back in, almost more to soothe himself than her. He knows nothing will happen, there's no way the demon would make that kind of move in front of everyone, but...

Right, this was about pulling himself together. It'll be fine. Celestine seems content at the moment. Nothing will happen. He can just. Go back in, set her in her bassinet, and maybe focus on her and not the demon hiding in plain sight. He takes a deep breath and... well, alright, he'll adjust her position so that he can look down into her eyes and talk to her first, maybe that'll help.]

So, did you enjoy your dinner, Celestine? You certainly seem like you did.

[Celestine burbles in a way that Jasper will interpret as positive, he thinks.]

Ah, excellent. Later, I will get some dessert, but it is important to let your stomach settle. I am sure you will learn that the hard way sooner or later given that you are my daughter, but you will have to be able to do so on your own.

[More burbling. Is this... helping her language development at all... he hopes so. Well, in any case, it did make him feel a bit better, so he heads back into the dining hall and towards his seat.]

[As Jasper slips away with Celestine in his arms, Hendrik relaxes somewhat in his seat. While he wants to be supportive of his friend, he has no idea how to handle the tension. Facing a band of monsters seems preferable over standing in between His Majesty and Jasper, given what he knows of the situation.

"I see the two of you are on speaking terms again."

King Carnelian's words are mild, which would usually leave Hendrik oblivious to any nuanced undercurrent to his voice -- but knowing that His Majesty apparently is on bad terms on Jasper has him on the alert for ... aggression? Something negative, at least.]

Yes, sire. Ah, that is to say ... there was no bad blood, but we were simply too busy to sit down and speak.

[The king arches a brow, seemingly surprised by this information. Did he think that there was negativity between them? Perhaps he assumed they had spoken of the princess' disappearance and fought?

"Yes, I suppose your different duties would have kept you quite busy. Speaking of which, you would best be on the alert if we receive requests for assistance." Carnelian's piercing gaze averts as a maid sets the table and presents him with bread rolls as well. "While we are currently suspending mobilizing the army to assist other nations during winter, the local monster populations are still significant."]

Yes, Your Majesty. Without a doubt.

[The fact should not make him feel uncomfortable, but it does. Winter seasons have long since stopped being an actual "break time" for him. Of course he would be expected to be ready to mobilize at a moment's notice.

Further conversation is put on pause as more maids arrive with the meal. He manages to stop a maid long enough to request another milk bottle, and she smiles brilliantly, nodding knowingly as she leaves.]

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