guffawsungraciously | psl time: single dad au edition

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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