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[sunsetking]

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[sunsetking]

Well, you’re here now. So eat.

[A light shove towards the table. There are already two bowls of curry and a plate of bread laid out for them.]

[deepstar]

[ He chuckles as Leona shoves him. Okay, okay! Claude gets it. Promise.

Look! He's even sitting down with a spoon.

Until he looks at it thoughtfully. ]

[sunsetking]

It ain’t poisoned if you’re worried about that.

[Because he wouldn’t be surprised if Khalid was.

Sitting across from him, Leona picks up his own spoon and begins to eat.]

And my cooking ain’t that bad to kill you either.

[deepstar]

Nah, I don't think you'd be the sort to poison someone. You'd just kill me outright.

[ He's using bread to dip and eat the curry. ]

I guess I just have a question.

[sunsetking]

And what question is that?

[A glance over as he reaches to grab a piece of bread for himself.]

[deepstar]

Why were you avoiding me? I didn't think that I did anything to tick you off that last time.

[ Not looking at Leona directly. Just going to keep NOM. ]

[sunsetking]

[Ah. That. He supposes it would’ve been brought up.]

You didn’t. But you made me have to figure a few things out and being around you made it a little complicated at the time.

[Mostly, feelings. Because Leona isn’t good at that in general so having to figure it out? Not fun. It’s helped a bit though.]

[deepstar]

[ He looks up after hearing that. Oh... Well. ]

That's not something I was trying to do. On both accounts.

[ Though he could understand if Leona had been. Uncomfortable. Khalid had been after their last encounter. He's not really a clingy person or a giggly one. Quite the embarrassing behavior for him.

It's just he carries himself pretty shamelessly overall so - ]

[sunsetking]

I know it wasn't.

[Because yes, it hadn't been intentional, but it still did enough to make Leona feel. Uncomfortable. Unaccustomed to such affection who isn't his nephew.

On a normal day, Leona can handle Khalid as he usually is. Shamelessly touching Leona or draping on him, but that time he got pollen drunk was something else.]

[deepstar]

Normally I don't apologize for my unusual behavior. It typically is purposeful.

[ In other words, the behavior is usual by design. Chances are that Leona is already aware of that. It doesn't really need an explanaition.

Except - ]

So, apologies for putting you through that.

[sunsetking]

[There’s a pause at the apology. Not having expecting it. Then he sighs, taking a bite of his bread.]

You’re forgiven.

[deepstar]

[ Look, Khalid knows that it's not really his fault. He couldn't have known that he'd put Leona through the ringer. A part of him wants to know what it had caused Leona to stop and think about. Though he's not sure that it's the appropriate time to ask that.

Instead- ]

Had no idea you could cook.

[sunsetking]

[Even if he asked, Leona wouldn't answer. Not right away, anyway. Not after the tense, emotional conversation they had not too long ago. Leona doesn't like dwelling on those sort of things, if only because it's a different kind of complication and one he's not sure how to exactly approach.]

I had to learn while at school. It's one of the few things I couldn't get out of.

[Not to mention Epel had asked him and while he can be all huffy about it and say no, he...can be weak to the freshman. Just a little bit.]

[deepstar]

You know... I wouldn't mind if you kept cooking for me. Just putting that out there.

[ Grin grin grin ]

[sunsetking]

And what are you going to give me in return for cooking for you?

[He's not going to do it for free.]

[deepstar]

My undying love and affection, of course.

[ Here is a man. Who is absolutely clueless about how Leona might be feeling. But it's totally in line with something that he would say. ]

[sunsetking]

[...

It is in line. Which is why Leona's just going to ignore it--]

Need something more than that, wyvern boy.

[deepstar]

Wow. Are you seriously asking for something more than myself?

[ He chuckles. The curry is actually pretty good. However, it does make him miss home quite a bit. ]

Honestly, I don't have much in the way to give.

[sunsetking]

Enjoyable as your company is, it's not enough for me to keep wanting to cook for you.

[Just being honest.]

Hm, how about information then? Just a simple exchange even if the information may not be worth much.

[deepstar]

Ah... My heart takes another blow. I can feel the arrow protruding from it even now.

[ There's a little chuckle. Of course he isn't serious about it. ]

I suppose I can do that though. The truth is, I've never really had to do anything like that myself.

[sunsetking]

Really now?

[A look before he takes another bite out of the bread after dipping it into the curry.]

[deepstar]

Is that really so surprising?

[ Nom nom food. ]

Chefs exist in both Almyra and Fodlan.

[sunsetking]

Surprised your academy didn't offer anything like cooking skills, or is it just beneath the nobles that attend it?

[An interested ear flick.]

[deepstar]

Honestly, it's more like I never had to as a prince and my grandfather had to cram years of Fodlani etiquette and culture in me and only three years to really do it in. Learning how to cook wasn't important.

[ A shrug. ]

The academy was for military strategy and skills. There were plenty of nobles there that could cook. I just wasn't one of them.

[sunsetking]

I'd normally agree, but from my time at school, I've learned it's better to know than without.

[Even if it's a lot of begrudging on his part.]

I'm never letting you cook then.