guffawsungraciously | psl time: single dad au edition

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.]

[...hm. Jasper didn’t catch too much of the conversation given he was busy talking to Celestine, though he comes in for the tail end. He frowns at the idea of Hendrik being sent out on yet another campaign, particularly given who’s doing it... honestly, he really is concerned for his friend’s safety at this point. He doesn’t comment on that, though, as he’d rather not talk to the demon more than he has to. Instead, he’ll comment on dinner!]

Ah, I see it is now time for my dinner.

[He’ll set Celestine back in her bassinet and make sure she’s comfortable before sitting down to eat dinner.

Mm, yes, a very hearty stew, but... well. He leans over to Hendrik to whisper.]

I do not believe I can get away with passing you my potatoes presently, my friend.

[...okay, he is feeling more relaxed now. He managed a mischievous joke.

Well. Half joke.]

[Hendrik smiles as Jasper returns with Celestine, leaning back in his seat as the maids set down the bowls of stew along with pieces of the roasted and carved chicken. The remaining pieces of chicken are placed on the table should they wish to get more.

He blinks when his friend leans over to whisper in his ear, unable to stifle an amused smirk. Ah, this somehow reminds him of kinder, gentler times.

He completely misses the intense look coming from the king's direction, as he focuses on his food a moment later.

Everything seems to be going well enough ... until King Carnelian decides to speak, addressing Jasper.

"Hendrik was just telling me that the two of you have been quite busy. And now I see you have another burden on your plate, Jasper. Will you be able to fulfill your existing commitments?"]

[Everything really does look delicious, and while Jasper’s manners are certainly better than his daughter’s, he is very quickly cutting his chicken up into polite enough portions that he can go right for it...

...except, of course, he is interrupted. It’s... a concern he’s certainly had... but honestly, in comparison to Hendrik, Jasper has not been as busy. Not officially, anyway. While Hendrik’s been off leading expeditions far afield, Jasper’s been with the knights handling things closer to Heliodor proper... when he’s not been handling paperwork, anyway.

He has his ambitions that he doesn’t want to compromise, of course. And really, thinking about it...]

She is hardly a burden, Your Majesty. I have been finding her to be the opposite, in truth.

[...ah, he shouldn’t gush too much. He can’t show weakness.]

I have put things in place to ensure she is cared for when I cannot be around her, and she is a sweet, well-behaved little thing when I work with her by my side. If anything, you may be able to expect even more from me.

[...it was perhaps a bit soon to say such a thing after one day, but even though the sudden arrival was certainly stressful, he did feel more motivated to do more than he had in a while. Of course, it helped that his best friend still seemed to care for him at all...]

[Unimpressed by the reply, King Carnelian considers his meal and eats for a moment before speaking. "Even more? Quite a prospect. Considering the current straits of the kingdom, perhaps you should be working even harder, then."

Hendrik's fairly relaxed composure as he eats makes obvious the fact that he sees nothing wrong with the king's comment. As things are right now, they would likely be increasing military funding and running a recruitment campaign early into next year. While they had steady numbers of knights coming up from Puerto Valor, they would need to increase the amounts of soldiers to bolster against increasing monster populations.]

The army would welcome any help. Sir Lazarite has floated the idea of opening recruitment for more soldiers. Or training new guards so the experienced guards can be converted to soldier duty.

["A likely necessity in these trying times. Do what you must, Hendrik."

The show of trust there is explicit.]

...indeed. I am certainly open to the prospect of being assigned more work.

[He would be more confident about it if Hendrik had backed him up, but as he looks over to his friend, he sees... no indication Hendrik believes anything is wrong.

Cool. Great. He dejectedly shoves a spoonful of stew in his mouth and listens to the two of them speak... and thinks it through. Well, he knows the “King” doesn’t care, but it’s worth talking about with Hendrik, at the very least.]

If I may, I believe it would also be prudent to see if we can add more dedicated healers to the forces. I know many of the knights know some healing magic, but I believe specialists are more efficient in that regard. Furthermore, magical mending often goes hand in hand with knowledge of magic effective against the undead, so they can provide offensive support in certain situations.

[Hendrik looks to Jasper as he speaks at length, a bit surprised by the suggestion. There is a definite need for more healers or medics within the ranks, but there were of course difficulties attached to both options. King Carnelian does not look particularly surprised by the suggestion. In fact, he almost seems ... amused?

"That is quite the suggestion. And from where would you recommend we recruit these specialists, Jasper? The healers of Arboria? Perhaps the monks of ... what is it called now, Angri-La? Both of which have ancient ties to the Darkspawn?"

Hendrik grimaces as the king rounds out his questions with the connection to the child of darkness. It is a fair line of questioning, all things considered.]

[...

You know, with Jasper’s perspective on the king’s current condition, he actually finds himself wondering why the people who have historically been good at murdering the shit out of the undead are allies of the Darkspawn, but that’s probably not relevant at the moment. What was relevant was that he didn’t want to have this piece of shit demon make a fool out of him!]

You cannot discount Snifleheim as a potential option, Your Majesty. There are many disciplines that the kingdom’s scholars can pursue, and while they have more of a reputation for academics, I remember encountering a fair amount of individuals who chose to pursue the healing arts during my studies there.

["And you would have scholars join the army on their campaigns? An interesting notion that I somehow doubt they would find favorable." The king pauses in the conversation to once again eat, though there is a critical look in his eye as he averts his attention to Hendrik. "What do you think, Hendrik? Should scholars somehow be recruited, will you stand for them in your army camp?"

Hendrik, a bystander for most of this conversation, greatly wishes the maids would come back with win so he can down a goblet. It takes him a long moment to respond, his words careful.]

I would think that would be a matter for my chief of staff to figure out, Your Majesty. As long as they are accounted for and not a detriment to my troops, we would welcome extra healing aid.

[King Carnelian bristles faintly at the reply before setting back his shoulders, contemplative. "Scholars on the battlefield. Bah. There would need to be stipulations in place. I refuse to have Sniflheim on my back should any foreign noncombatants become casualties."]

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