guffawsungraciously | psl time: single dad au edition

[Jasper tries not to snicker too hard at how flustered Hendrik is, because he really appreciates it and it's nice, but... it is cute.

Celestine is giggling a bit, as well, but not at Hendrik. Apparently something about the lemon is very funny to her at this point.]

Well, I do have to admit that I am curious what else you brought me... but I should ask about you first, while my hands are occupied. How was the expedition outside of your chance meeting with a merchant?

[Hendrik is grateful for the reprieve from the teasing, fiddling with the sack in his hands before shutting it. It's silly how affected he can be from a little bit of teasing, but it's also a little different from being teased by fellow guards for awful snoring.

He takes a breath and finds his composure again.]

The Manglegrove is certainly more active than what I remember of past years. I do not have the numbers on hand, but we cleared quite a few monster nests down there. Bubble slimes were almost always underfoot our first week in.

We cleared the paths for travel and replaced fraying rope on the suspension bridges. There were some reports from travelers of little devils in the area, but we could not confirm any sightings of them. Hopefully they have moved on to somewhere with less contact with people.

Mm. That is good to hear.

[He thinks about it a moment, though, as Celestine starts rolling the lemon around...]

Granted, I do not believe little devils will leave humans alone for long. It depends on the individual, of course, but they are quite motivated to cause trouble, as if they inconvenience enough humans, it will effectively result in promotions and improved social status.

[...granted, he doesn't want to set up a whole other expedition for Hendrik himself, all things considered...]

It might be worth sending out a small scouting party to take a further look at things.

[Hendrik is somewhat distracted by Celestine continuing to find ways to enjoy the piece of fruit, but he pulls attention away once Jasper starts speaking at length.]

I did not have a dossier on monsters at hand while I was out there. Some of my men had mentioned rumors that little devils can shapeshift. Is there any truth to that? Perhaps that is why we did not see any?

[Granted, they were busy with their other tasks of thinning out the large amount of bubble slime nests, but...]

Regardless, yes, I am sure the scouts can be given word to keep an eye out for them.

Hm, well... that is true, yes. The weaker ones are considerably weaker at disguising themselves and trend towards conjuring illusions rather than actual shapeshifting.

[...though, hmmm... as he ponders, Celestine turns her attention from the lemon to her father and waves the fruit around, burbling a bit as she does so. Jasper cracks a smile, because heck.]

An astute observation, my dear. Given the recent trends, I imagine the weaker ones would not be as common as the stronger, more dangerous ones.

[He's not particularly happy to learn that shapeshifting is a sign of stronger little devils; his brows knit together in thought.]

Something to mention to Lazarite before he sends out another wave of scouts, then. Perhaps have them in larger parties than the norm.

[He pauses to smile at Celestine with her current fruity toy.]

I am sure you will enjoy holding and playing with the flowers eventually as well. Perhaps to the gardeners' dismay.

Oh, come now, she will be helping, Hendrik. She will make no bad decisions on her nature walks whatsoever.

[...there's something faintly nostalgic about the idea. Nothing... too concrete, but more of a feeling. He wonders if he will feel it more strongly when she takes more of an active interest...

...

Maybe he should consider the idea of potted plants. That might be nice.

...

Oh, wait, they were having a serious discussion alongside this.]

In any case, I am certain that we will discuss the Manglegrove situation in greater detail when we have a proper briefing, in any case. I will have to do a bit of research to see what other advantages we may be able to secure for our scouts.

Helping. Yes, of course. I am sure she will enjoy helping when she has the chance.

[What kid didn't like picking at plants and playing in dirt at that precocious exploratory age? Just as long as she didn't end up like him and shuddering at every single bug that touched his person.]

Yes, I have my debriefings set for tomorrow morning with His Majesty, and then a little later on with Lazarite. Your aide should have the details for you whenever you get back to work.

[He adjusts the lemon slightly so it's less likely to roll right to the ground if Celestine lets go of it.]

Have you introduced her to the whole of the garden? Or are you saving some for later into the season?

Certainly. I will be sure to get everything in order for our meeting tomorrow, then.

[Given he'd be there with Lazarite, obviously. Not... His Majesty. That would be... deeply uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.

...

He's got to do it at some point, admittedly, likely once Lazarite retires, but... well. It's better to talk about his sweet, sweet baby girl.]

Well, I am certain we will be returning over the season. I have primarily been following what catches her attention, which has resulted in something of a roundabout route.

[Celestine squeaks a little imperiously at her father again, and he smiles as he stands up with her.]

Oh, I apologize. Are we boring you?

[Hendrik's smile broadens when he witnesses the little exchange between father and daughter, an envious pang in his chest as he give Jasper some room while he stands up. He adjusts the sack he has at hand as he looks away long enough to take in the nearby flowering bushes and trellises.]

Perhaps I can be given a quick tour of what has caught her eye today?

Ah, of course. I imagine she would not be unhappy to revisit some things, either.

[hm hm hm...]

Well, of course we've seen the rosebuds, but she was particularly taken with the snapdragons.

[He heads on over, an amused smile on his face as he does.]

Granted, I can certainly see why. They are quite the amusing little flower, as you can make little puppets of them without causing any real damage to the plant.

The snapdragons?

[He repeats the name of the flower as he follows after his friend, having a vague memory of the shape of the flowers before they come across them. His knowledge of flowers is woefully low for someone who hailed from a kingdom famous for them.]

They are rather nice. She has good taste.

Well, of course she does. Still, I am glad she is amused by them.

[He crouches down a bit and pinches the sides of one of the larger flowers, making it look a bit like a dragon opening and closing its mouth. Celestine smiles brightly in recognition and giggles a bit..]

I remember showing the princess the same thing one time when I was looking after her, though of course she was older.

[...ah, now he's thinking about the princess... and kind of...

...he feels kind of bad for bringing her up, but maybe if he just lets it go...]

[Skies, hearing Jasper's baby girl laugh never fails to lift Hendrik's mood. So it's a strange feeling that falls upon him when he hears Jasper mention Princess Jade. It leaves him silent for a moment as he tries to put his feelings together.]

...She would have loved Celestine. I am sure of it.

[It's so hard to picture the princess as anything but the bright, disarmingly stubborn eight-year-old she had been before her ... untimely death. Try as he might to imagine her any older, aging three years, his mind's eye always thinks of her as he had last seen her.]

She always did want siblings. Though I suppose Celestine would ... practically be her niece? I am unsure how it would have worked.

[His brows furrow as a question forms in his mind, eyes glancing over to Jasper's face more than once. He purses his lips, the question also escaping him before he loses his nerve.]

I imagine she would not have considered there to be much of a reason to split hairs over it.

[...she'd been perfectly happy to consider a child in a completely different kingdom her younger sibling to be, after all. She would probably be delighted to have a younger child to dote on living in the castle proper.

Celestine is still smiling, though there's a little confusion in her face when she looks from the flowers to her father's dour expression. She's not really sure what to make of it...??]

I imagine she would be bothering us at all hours to see if she could get a chance to babysit.

True... She would probably have declared herself Celestine's big sister at every opportunity as well.

[He's just making himself sad now, dwelling on the subject of the departed princess. He should do the smart thing and help usher the subject onto something else.

...His stomach growls, disrupting his own thoughts. Did he ... completely set aside his own needs in his rush to meet with Jasper and his daughter? Well then.]

Ah, would you be interested in joining me for a meal? I understand if you have to get back to work or are otherwise busy...

[As much as he... originally brought it up... Jasper was grateful for the change in topic, even if he finds himself getting a little lost in his own head and taking a second to react properly.]

...

Ah, no, I was thinking it was about time for the two of us to get something to eat anyway.

[He stands up slowly so as not to startle Celestine, but she does whine a bit about being taken away from the flowers anyway...]

Oh, come now, my dear. You are hungry, are you not?

[He gently rocks her a bit, and she makes a bit of a grumpy little noise in response.]

Well, I am sure she will come around when presented with a bottle.

I am tempted to pick a flower for her, but I fear she may decide to eat it.

[As Jasper rises with Celestine, Hendrik reminds her of the lemon in her lap in hopes it will dispel her grumpy mood.]

Shall we head to the kitchens and take stock of what the cooks have available at this hour?

[There should be no shortage of warm meals right now, with any visiting dignitaries and knight training underway.]

Yes, she might... and even if it is not the dangerous sort of plant to eat, I fear she is still too young for solids.

[Jasper picks up the lemon with his free hand to make sure Celestine doesn't drop it and hands it over to her, and it does seem to mollify her a bit.]

It may also be a fine idea to hand the fruits you brought over to them, as while they are fine on their own, I am much intrigued by the possibility of fresh desserts a bit before they are in season here.

That is an idea. I am sure a few of them may consider it a personal challenge to add it to today's menu.

[He smiles a bit at the idea, hefting up the sack of lemons ... before remembering he had stashed something else in there and fishing it out. The tin box rattles a little as its contents shift around, but he holds it separate from the lemons before he starts towards the entryway into the castle.]

Ah, well, I would be happy for them to be added sometime this week, but today's menu would certainly be something special.

[He hears the rattling and looks over to the tin as Celestine jams her particular lemon in her mouth again. That does leave him a bit curious, and... well. He feels like he's comfortable enough with Hendrik again to get nosy...]

Ah, did you buy something for someone else, too? Or is that your own prize?

Ah, this?

[Hendrik's smile grows at Jasper's inquiry, and he lifts the tin to briefly show it to him.]

I mentioned I had bought sweets for you. I just wanted to be sure I separated them out if I am to give this entire sack to the cooks.

[As they enter the castle proper, he pauses at a cross-section that can lead towards the kitchens and other areas not typically meant for visitors before heading towards the kitchen.]

Oh, you really did spoil me. I had almost forgotten.

[There's an eager glint in his eye as he sees the contents of the tin...]

Well, I am glad we are already on our way to get something to eat so I can get to dessert right afterward.

[It does smell fairly nice on the way to the kitchen, but when doesn't it, honestly? Celestine is just going to get milk, though, so she's not quite as excited.]

[The kitchens are bustling, as is common when there are guests, staff, and any number of on-duty and off-duty knights to be fed. Still, the cooks are happy to see two of their long-time residents visiting the kitchens, warmly welcoming Hendrik back from his travels and always ready to help Jasper with obtaining milk for his adorable daughter.

Hendrik offers the lemons over to the cooks, who are gracious with their thanks and chatter about what they can do with the lemons in the future. They've already finished batches of teacakes using dried fruit and peel for lunch and teatime, so they can now consider a lemon dessert or two for dinner. They're also dressing a small army of halved baked potatoes for the knight trainees.

Even without his strong desire for desserts, Hendrik can appreciate the berry trifle being put together to one corner of the kitchens. It's a lavish sight with the rather tall glass bowl, and he can't help but request one for lunch.

Along with the more typical lunch meal of soup and a sandwich, of course.]

[MAN, it smells so good in there... Jasper goes for the berry trifle, then his own standard meal. He considers the potatoes for a moment, but ehhhhn, he's not feeling the starches today. Of course, he answers a few questions about how Celestine's doing and lets the staff fuss over her, as he takes a bottle in his free hand... while he's not normally that chatty, he can't really help talking about how much she enjoyed her little adventure today.

...but he doesn't want to leave her waiting to relax a bit too long, so he'll, uh, tell them to ask more when they bring the food out, because he wants to get Celestine fed and situated while he waits for his meal. He does first set the bottle down on the table so he can get her bassinet situated for after she's done, of course, but baby is hungry so she kind of wiggles and gurgles at the sight of it as he gets things together, making her, ah, a little hard to keep a hold of...]

Now, now. Just a moment...

[...like she's still baby so it's not that hard, but. You know.]

psl time: single dad au edition

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