What is happening? [Jean-Loup and Bonabelle] on Elective Hall

Killian Row

August 24, 2020 2:00 PM

What is happening? [Jean-Loup and Bonabelle] by Killian Row

A house elf with a cheeky smile had left a tray of bread and cheese on Killian's desk, unceremoniously pushing some of his papers out of the way to do so. "I didn't ask for that," Killian explained, confused and too late, as the elf popped out of the room. A few minutes later, a vegetable tray arrived. "Okay, I really didn't ask for that," he grumbled, too late again as the elf who'd brought it disappeared. He was sure he heard it laughing. What on earth was-- there was a knock at his door and Killian left the mystery of the good foods and the bad foods for a moment. Perhaps someone was coming for guidance counseling and he could give them food. Mostly vegetables. The cheese and bread . . . well, it would be a shame if it went to waste.

Truth be told, Killian didn't want to do any guidance counselor-ing today. He wanted to stay in bed all day and eat cake, but he didn't have any cake. It was his birthday, which was not something he generally told people. His parents had sent him a package of cookies, which he appreciated but which weren't the same as cake, and that was it. Even his niece didn't know about his birthday, which was probably for the best because she was little and needed to focus on her own life. That was one thing that Killian rather missed about having jobs that didn't require live-in commitments; had this been just a few years previously, the day would have found him in a pub, at a concert, or otherwise out. Or otherwise in, just not "in" his office doing work, or else "in" his bed waiting for the day to go by. He didn't strictly mind his birthday. He just minded that it wasn't really much of a birthday these days.

He was surprised, therefore, when he opened his office door to the sight of two of his favorite people, with cake and balloons and big smiles. Gaping, not sure what to say, Killian's expression changed without his permission into a grin.

"Happy birthday, Uncle Killian," Bonabelle said before he could manage anything. She was holding the strings of the balloons and leaned around him to peer into his office, nodding in a satisfied way before closing the distance between them and giving him a hug. He stooped to accept it and she placed a small kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry, but you do have to eat a vegetable today," she told him seriously.

Killian looked up at Jean-Loup, a little pink although it was hard to say whether he was flushed or blushing. "You're a bad influence on this one," he joked as he stood back up to his full height.
"Come here," he grinned, greeting Jean-Loup with a big hug. "You two didn't have to do this.
How did you do this?"

OOC - I also write Bonabelle, so no godmodding has occurred.

22 Killian Row What is happening? [Jean-Loup and Bonabelle] 1450 1 5

Jean Wolfe

August 24, 2020 6:31 PM

Surprises by Jean Wolfe

Bonabelle’s grandparents had written back, informing them of the date of Killian’s birthday. They hadn’t mentioned anything along the lines of Killian hating the occasion or being deathly allergic to frosting. Whilst there were certain dangers in assuming, he thought someone would point those types of things out if they were the case, and thus it was safe to assume that a fairly standard birthday celebration would go over well. His main concern was whether it would be enough. He was, quietly and carefully, allowing Bonabelle to guide him on that front. It wasn’t like people back home threw a ball for every birthday - really, only for seventeenths and he was pretty sure the guidance counsellor was a little past that milestone - but any special occasion was still done with flare and fanfare. The things Bonabelle was suggesting just sounded like sharing some food and being happy that Killian existed. Which, he supposed, really should be the main point, he’d just never had a birthday which didn’t feel like it centred around some degree of showing off.

He wasn’t assuming Killian would want pomp and ceremony. It was just hard to be sure they were doing enough. Bonabelle was arranging food, via the elves. He needed to bring cake, and conjure balloons. He’d also got a present and a card because those things were traditional. Those few simple tasks had had him running up against the fact that life was expensive. He was worried that anything that was within his budget smacked obviously and offensively of cheapness. Whilst, at the same time, feeling costly to him. How was there a scale of economics where both of those things were true at once? After several hours of shopping, wondering why everything in the world was either ugly, expensive, or, sometimes, inexplicably, both (but never neither…) he had decided to get some bread-related gifts. There were little sets with breadboards and fancy oils and vinegars, and ceramic dishes to put them in. For what they were, they were incredibly overpriced. Probably because someone had gone to all the care of making it neat and pretty-looking. Buying the constituent parts seemed to work out cheaper, though it looked much less like a gift and more like a random collection of objects. Or it could have. Thank goodness for transfiguration skills. The main issue was really the oil and vinegar - a breadboard and two little ceramic dishes were pretty similar wherever you got them. Just when you bought oil and balsamic vinegar (and apparently there were a million grades of that and he had no clue which one was reasonable) they didn’t come in pretty little bottles, but he’d fixed that and… and he was worried it was still a sucky gift. Also cards were annoyingly expensive for something that was just a picture on a piece of stiff paper.

In theory, it shouldn’t have mattered, in that he already knew that big, lavish presents or parties had ever made him feel any more loved - they’d mostly made him feel like a performing monkey. The only good thing he’d ever done on his birthday was take a certain young man aside in a deserted ballroom… He just wanted Killian’s birthday to be good and happy. As Bonabelle had said, he hadn’t had a good Christmas, and he deserved it. And Jean-Loup wasn’t sure there were enough cheese platters and balloons and cake in all the world to really show how much he felt Killian was an awesome human. He was feeling increasingly nervous with their meagre offerings when Bonabelle knocked on the door.

He watched Killian hug Bonabelle and get a kiss. For a moment it seemed like the most normal thing in the world, because they were family, but then he remembered they didn’t really know each other, and that was the point at which the birthday started feeling just a little bit special. And she was teasing him, telling him to eat vegetables on his birthday, and he would never have believed they weren’t already friends.

“She is in charge of these,” he gestured at the plates, shaking his head as he was accused of being a bad influence. “I have cake,” he promised, setting it down on the desk, along with the present and the card. The latter had simple colourful letters on the front spelling out ‘Happy Birthday’ (because all other cards for men featured racing brooms or alcohol, neither of which felt appropriate, or ‘jokes’ which he was in no way confident enough to guess the appropriateness of) and the hand-written message inside assured him that Jean-Loup would not be counting his calories today.

And then Killian was hugging him too. It was a little bit surprising, because they never had and because Jean-Loup did not have many people he hugged. But at the same time, it wasn’t surprising because it felt like there were a lot of feelings in the room all of a sudden and that they needed to go somewhere. A hug felt right. He shrugged off Killian’s question with a smile, assuming it was not particularly literal. He had seen the elves bring the food. He knew that balloons came from magic and cake came from shops, so none of that really needed answering. The only other ‘how’ was how this felt happy and cozy, and he was pretty sure that was something Killian was doing, not them.

"Yes, we do," he corrected, when told they didn't have to do this. It was, of course, just a thing people said but it was the easier thing to reply to because he knew the answer to that one, "It is a birthday. Cake is needed. Bon anniversaire."

13 Jean Wolfe Surprises 1506 0 5

Bonabelle Row

August 24, 2020 8:07 PM

And family, I think. by Bonabelle Row

Bonabelle really wanted everything to be normal with Uncle Killian, and she thought that maybe he wanted that too. She got the impression she wasn't alone in wishing they'd had a relationship since before now and that they were capable of more than they were without all that foundation. As it was, they'd been working really hard to be there for each other and Bonabelle knew her uncle's sense of humor was rubbing off on her. She sort of hoped that her bows would rub off on him because that would be glorious.

The two men hugged and Bonabelle's eyes narrowed curiously, watching them. She'd never seen her father interact with anyone like that. She knew that Uncle Killian and Jean-Loup both liked men the way her father liked women, but she also knew that they didn't really seem to like each other like that. Which meant that this was the sort of hugging that she did with Val. Two grown-up men could just . . . hug. Just like that. Because they were friends. And they could plan birthday surprises for each other. If Bonabelle was ever going to be with anybody, she was going to be with someone who could hug their friends. That was real love more than anything else she'd ever seen.

"Grandma and grandpa," Bonabelle added to Jean-Loup's explanation when Uncle Killian asked how they'd done this. Jean-Loup seemed to have the reassurance part covered, which was great because that part was harder for her. It did however make something dawn on her that hadn't before and she put that thought in the back of her mind for further investigation when it was appropriate. "They told me when your birthday was so Jean-Loup and I could celebrate it with you." She didn't have to tell him why it mattered or that they needed to celebrate. As much as she struggled to remember it sometimes, she knew very well that her uncle was possibly the only other person in the school that really understood at all. Sure, there were probably other students who did, but nothing like her own uncle. They'd lost the same person, and both of them could agree that in doing so, they hadn't really lost very much.

"Cake is definitely needed," she agreed. "And vegetables!" The moment seemed right and Bonabelle turned to Jean-Loup while Uncle Killian took a seat back down at his desk, looking more like a kid than she did as he surveyed the cake. "So, when is your birthday?" she asked.

22 Bonabelle Row And family, I think. 1488 0 5

Jean Wolfe

August 24, 2020 9:56 PM

For some by Jean Wolfe

"I also give tall help in the library. The ladder is broken," he added to Bonabelle's explanation, "So, we meet," he gestured to the first year. He supposed that how they had come to be co-conspirators was perhaps a bit perplexing otherwise.

"Me?" he asked, as Bonabelle turned the attention on him. "Mine is during summer vacation," he informed her. Or rather, as it would be for him, just... summer. He supposed if he got a university place, the year would still be divided up that way, though he was also looking into apprenticeship programs, and that seemed the more stable option for someone who couldn't rely on financial support. For his birthday this year, where would he be? Not at home. That answer flooded him with far more relief than anything. He could face uncertainty with much more ease than facing somewhere he didn't want to be. And Dorian would be there. He was not sure what kind of arrangement they would end up with - what sort of deal he would have to accept with sharing Dorian with the Montoirs, but he would presumably have some freedom to go back and forth. They could be together for Jean-Loup's birthday and their anniversary (a week later, based on the date they had formally agreed to be an item, rather than on when they had first kissed, both because that felt more suitable and also so that it didn't wind up being the same date as his birthday). Even if he had to share Dorian with his relatives sometimes, they could hopefully have that this year, rather than having him carted off to another continent to keep him apart from Matthieu. Jean-Loup was perfectly happy to help maintain that level of separation, but by taking his boyfriend off to Europe instead of having him taken away to China, as had happened last year. "The end of June. And you?" he asked, hoping desperately that they had not missed it. Or rather, that if it predated his knowing her, Killian had at least known and celebrated with her. Finding out he had missed his niece's birthday would not be a good birthday surprise, but it felt too rude not to ask in return.

13 Jean Wolfe For some 1506 0 5

Killian Row

August 24, 2020 10:20 PM

For you. by Killian Row

Killian laughed at the idea of Jean-Loup offering Bonny 'tall help,' in part because it seemed very on par for course. His niece and his friend were both bookish enough that meeting in the library seemed about right, and it didn't at all surprise him that they got along.

"We'll have to get together to celebrate," he smiled, trying to imagine Jean-Loup and Dorian, mildly drunk, in an Irish pub. The nice thing was that Jean-Loup's birthday being in late June meant that Dorian would no longer be a student and it wouldn't at all be inappropriate. His stomach clenched uncomfortably though when Jean-Loup returned the question and he grimaced as he looked up at his niece.

They'd met for the first time in Tumbleweed before the Ball the previous year, which meant they'd only been in each other's lives for about a year now. However, a year meant that one whole birthday had passed by since then. Perhaps it was over the summer? Perhaps it was one of the few days that Lorcan and Bonabelle had not spent at the Row family home over the previous summer? There were a few weeks here and there that they weren't around, so it was probably one of those, right?

"October thirteenth," Bonabelle said. She looked for all the world as though she felt guilty. She felt guilty!

"Ah," Killian groaned. "I didn't know. I'm sorry, love. That means you'll be thirteen this year, though, right? So I'll take you to a pub," he said, nodding towards Jean-Loup, "And I'll take you out for ice cream and soda," he grinned at Bonabelle. "We should definitely celebrate if you want."

October thirteenth. That was right before Lorcan had disappeared. There was no real way for Killian to have known, as he had not thought to ask. It was in her file, he supposed, but he tried not to be a snoop on his own niece. Gushy apologies were not in his wheelhouse, however, as they rarely did anything to make the other person feel alright about it. Prostrating oneself in repentance seemed to Killian like the sort of thing one did to remind themselves how close they were to dirt, rather than to remind whomever one was apologising to; that being probably already knew. There was no point in making the person who had been hurt feel like they had to comfort you for feeling bad about doing the hurting, so Killian didn't want to do that. No, the point to move forward with a better next step, and so that's what he was going to do.

He waved his wand at his wall calendar, plotting the date with an illustration of a bow. "Thirteen on the thirteenth," he grinned at her. "You're gonna so regret telling us," he said, looking at Jean-Loup and hoping to Merlin that the lad played along. "We're going to get you the biggest cake and we're going to get singing balloons to follow you to all your classes and we're going to get a giant teddy bear that's bigger than you and you're going to have to tell Professor Wright that you need an extra bed in your dorms so your bear has someplace to sleep," he grinned mischievously. "For now, you get cake," he smiled. "You have to eat some, too, Mr. Fitness. I'm sorry, it's the law."

22 Killian Row For you. 1450 0 5

Jean Wolfe

August 25, 2020 8:45 AM

Birthday for you, family for her? by Jean Wolfe

The look on Killian’s face said that he was dreading hearing the answer to that question. Jean-Loup’s stomach clenched. Did Killian blame him? He had to see, didn’t he, that he had had no choice but to ask? That it would have been rude not to? As Bonabelle revealed that her birthday had been and gone, he kept a carefully schooled face of neutrality in place – not a smile, that would have been inappropriate given the circumstances, but certainly one which didn’t show the anger uncoiling itself in the pit of his stomach.The statement had hit Killian like a slap in the face. On his birthday. Bonabelle had started the conversation. She had to know she would be asked in return. How far back did the trail of doing things on purpose go? Had this whole birthday plan been just a way to stick that knife in and make Killian sorry? That hadn’t been what he’d signed up for.

Killian was now, of course, scrambling to make it up to her. The next birthday was going to have to be big and spectacular. Jean-Loup suspected every birthday hereafter was going to be. And any time that Bonabelle wanted something, she had the perfect little stinger to make Killian jump through any given hoop.

He let Killian do the talking, not to sure what he could contribute. The plan was that he was going to be out of here next year. He felt a little bad, but mostly in that he wasn’t around to help Killian make it up after dropping him in it. Well, feeling like he had dropped him in it. He hadn’t meant to. Did Killian know that he hadn’t meant to make him feel bad? Not ever, but certainly not on his birthday?

But there was no way of knowing.

“Of course,” he smiled, when Killian insisted that he ate cake. He was not sure whether Bonabelle was going to let them move onto that so easily. He wondered whether this was going to be the point at which Something got said, or whether it would be dropped for now and everyone would go about the rest of the party pretending to be happy whilst silently dying inside and hating each other. He tried to get a sense of her expression in his peripheral vision but he wasn’t going to be the first one to crack and to drop the pretence that they were all still lovely people who were having a lovely time. That wasn’t how it was done. You smiled until it killed you, and the wronged party chose their moments to dig the knife in whenever and wherever they could get away with it.

He thought that they ought to sing happy birthday. He had had visions of a cheerful little party as they mixed their languages whilst they presented the cake. They didn’t know how old Killian was, so he was officially – by the number of his candles – turning six years old, purely because that made a pleasant and symmetrical arrangement and could not be mistaken for a serious guess. Still, Jean-Loup had to take cover and go with the flow. To keep smiling and saying ‘yes’ as long as they would let him. There was no way he was risking calling the shots in this scenario. That was down to Bonabelle now. And he suspected, forever would be.

13 Jean Wolfe Birthday for you, family for her? 1506 0 5

Bonabelle Row

August 25, 2020 2:09 PM

We are a makeshift family and you are welcome to join. by Bonabelle Row

Bonabelle tried really hard to keep a straight face through her uncle's attempts to fix things, but she lost it when Jean-Loup quietly agreed to cake as if it were the most serious thing in the world. She wasn't really expecting anything to make up for her birthday having been missed - she hadn't told anyone, after all, so she couldn't blame them for missing it in the first place - and she rather thought that her uncle was trying to make her say as much by overcompensating. Well, it was going to work.

She burst into laughter, covering her mouth with one hand and beaming at Jean-Loup. "You can't miss a birthday if you don't know when it is," she pointed out to her uncle, accepting a piece of cake as he sliced it and passed one to her. Uncle Killian shrugged, conceding the point. "Besides, I think Val might have you beat. She found out about it late, too. She's a friend of mine in Teppenpaw," she added to Jean-Loup, who might not know who she was referring to. Uncle Killian had helped her with the February birthday celebrations but Jean-Loup wouldn't be able to know. "Not that I'm opposed to more than one cake."

Uncle Killian laughed. "You're going to make yourself sick," he said. "How about Val and I plan together and get you one cake?"

Bonabelle pretended to pout but couldn't keep it up and she smiled again. "Alright, but she's going to give you a run for your money on planning." She wrinkled her nose with humor, trying to decide whether Uncle Killian or Val was the more likely to be both the worst planner and the most extravagant. It was going to be a close one.

Uncle Killian smiled and glanced at Jean-Loup. He seemed to be glancing at him a bit more than usual and his eyes were a bit tighter than it had been. Was he seeing something Bonabelle wasn't? She glanced at the intern too, and found that he looked sort of neutral. It was the same sort of expression Bonabelle wore most of the time, which could mean a lot of things. "You don't actually have to eat cake if you don't want to," she promised him. There was, after all, a reason she'd asked the elves to provide healthy food too, and that reason had very little to do with her uncle.

22 Bonabelle Row We are a makeshift family and you are welcome to join. 1488 0 5

Jean Wolfe

August 25, 2020 11:12 PM

I'm not sure I deserve it by Jean Wolfe

She was... laughing? It sounded like amusement, like she genuinely found it funny that they had forgotten her birthday. Or perhaps she found what Killian was saying funny. Because that was hyperbole? He supposed that, compared to what they were doing right now, that would be a very ridiculous party. And she sounded like she was absolving Killian of all blame. Her smile wasn't full of daggers. The pout seemed like much more familiar territory, but it also seemed like a joke. He was confused.

"I think I can do it," he stated, taking a deep breath as if psyching himself up as the plate of cake was handed to him. Humour was a safe place to hide. He had done it plenty of times. It was incompatible with both anger and scheming. It wasn't always available, if either of those things were in full swing, and he hoped to Merlin he was reading her laughter and the situation correctly, and that it was an option here.

He made a big show of drawing back his cake fork, plunging it dramatically towards the cake. At the last moment, he veered off, skewering a carrot stick instead. "Ah... I will get there eventually. I promise," he assured them both, a neat even grin on display as he munched through the carrot stick. He was more than happy to have cake really, but the savouries on offer weren't bad, and he thought he might enjoy grazing on those for a bit first. Cake was what you ended a meal with.

Crunching through the carrot stick also gave him time to think. Bonabelle seemed forgiving, and genuinely not upset. That was a thing that it was challenging to wrap his head around but it appeared to be true. It also meant he had leapt to all kinds of unfair conclusions about her. There was a deep, mistrustful part of him that wasn't willing to just automatically let go of that possibility, just because no strike had been made yet. But he was no longer sure... Whichever way it went, there was definitely one horrible person in the room, and the only thing he was certain of was that it wasn't Killian.

He speared a piece of ham from the cold cuts selection. This wasn't all that unhealthy - there was protein and vitamins. There were just also trash carbs, fat, and a bunch of sugar. But he wasn't against treating himself, in moderation and for a special occasion.

"Ah, miss again," he stated, with the same easy grin, glancing between the Rows for any warning signs that humour wasn't the way out.

13 Jean Wolfe I'm not sure I deserve it 1506 0 5

Killian Row

August 26, 2020 9:32 AM

Tough cookies, you're in. by Killian Row

Killian raised his eyebrows in mock indignation at his niece. "He does have to," he told her. "Quiet, you, it's my birthday," he laughed. When Jean-Loup grabbed a carrot with his fork, the indignation was a little less fake. Then he shrugged. "I'm just glad you didn't get me carrot cake," he finally said before taking a bite of the entirely not healthy, no vegetables included birthday cake. It was delicious. And probably a little expensive for Jean-Loup. He made a mental note to return the favor and fill the budgeting deficit when he could do so discretely. "It's delicious," he told them, both by way of thanks and to reassure Jean-Loup that it would be worth it when he finally got there.

When Jean-Loup ended up with ham, Killian couldn't help agreeing a bit with the decision. Vegetables were one thing, but he hadn't actually had lunch either. Normally, he would have eaten with his fingers, but Jean-Loup used a fork which made Killian think that maybe he should do the same. He grabbed a cracker by hand though, piling it with cheese and ham himself. "Bon appétit," he said before digging in.

Bonny laughed. "It probably says something about you that the only French you know is for eating."

Killian shook his head and swallowed. "Now, now," he told her. "I also know 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir'." He wrinkled his nose and paused, surprised by himself. "It's a muggle song title and I'm now realizing it's . . . probably not a thing I should teach you. Don't say that," he told his niece before glancing at Jean-Loup, a bit embarrassed and not sure whether he should apologise or laugh.

OOC - That's a real song and is referred to on regular hours PG television shows! I promise!

22 Killian Row Tough cookies, you're in. 1450 0 5

Jean Wolfe

August 26, 2020 6:21 PM

Trust you to be strict about having biscuits by Jean Wolfe

“Carrot cake is good. But not counted as a vegetable,” he warned, lest Killian try to get around it that way. He assumed they were all broadly joking. Who didn’t like carrot cake? Who didn’t like any vegetables? Jean-Loup presumed he was just playing up the joke. Killian was an adult. Vegetables were so varied. You could have them cooked a bunch of different ways, or eat them raw, and there were so many types. You couldn’t just hate a whole category of food, surely. It was like saying you didn’t enjoy any drinks. There were enough that there had to be some kind that everyone liked. Killian’s vegetable consumption was a thing to worry about another day though, and he did smile appreciatively as Killian enjoyed his cake

He grinned at hearing his home language, grabbing a cracker and some cheese himself. And crackers were dry, and little crumbs could get into your throat, and that was entirely the reason he choked slightly at what Killian said next. It was, arguably, a pretty useful phrase. And he was aware that Killian was not directing it at him, just quoting. But it had not been something he expected to hear over cheese and crackers. Or in front of Bonabelle. Luckily, Killian took the responsibility of covering his own blunder and explaining to the twelve year old that she should not learn that phrase, whilst Jean-Loup finished getting the cracker crumbs out of his throat and, eyes watering slightly, took a long drink of water.

“Food words are important to know,” he stated, returning to the much safer bit of French that Killian had dropped into the conversation. “Pretty much the only Greek words I come back with are ‘kalí órexi’ - is the same,” he clarified, “And ‘yiamas’,” he mimed raising his glass, not sure what the English for that was.

13 Jean Wolfe Trust you to be strict about having biscuits 1506 0 5

Killian Row

September 03, 2020 12:58 PM

The only rule is that you do have them. by Killian Row

"Dangit," Killian said with mock disappointment at the revelation that carrot cake was not a vegetable. "Does that mean chips aren't a vegetable too? Fried potatoes don't count?" he confirmed, eyes glinting with amusement as Bonny giggled. There weren't many things that Killian wouldn't play up if it meant making others laugh, although he suspected there was something to be said about that as a coping mechanism too. The more people ha to question how serious he was, the less he was really letting out. Maybe that's why running with Jean-Loup led to different sorts of conversations so often; he couldn't do humor half so easily when he was dying.

Jean-Loup choked a bit at the rest of Killian's French attempt and he blushed a bit redder, causing Bonny's giggles to only grow. He looked at her with a much more serious expression of having gotten himself in trouble, but mischief was never far from his face and he smirked a bit at her too, winking before turning back to Jean-Loup as they settled on talk of food. The intern raised his glass and Killian decided there weren't that many things it could be, except that every language seemed to do it differently.

"Sláinte is táinte," Killian said in Gaelic, raising his own glass too. Health and wealth.

Bonabelle looked from one to the other of the two men and then raised her own glass, surprising Killian with the raucousness in her tone as she copied them: "Cheers!"

22 Killian Row The only rule is that you do have them. 1450 0 5

Jean Wolfe

September 03, 2020 9:00 PM

That's what I suspected by Jean Wolfe

“Non, ketchup also no,” Jean-Loup grinned, pretty sure they had to be joking by now. “We have a very big project to look after this one, yes?” he asked Bonabelle with a dramatic sigh. “You,” he added to Killian, “You give out the advice for your job? You can take it also?” he challenged. He was definitely not very confident of his ability to be humorous in English, and it was something that had repeatedly backfired, but it was impossible not to keep being drawn into trying by Killian, as it seemed to be his main mode of operation. Jean-Loup was finding he rather enjoyed that challenge. Maybe they could exchange? He would relax and be fun if Killian would occasionally eat a vegetable. He wasn’t confident enough that everyone else would have followed his same line of thought to propose that out loud. Especially as it involved the implication that he was not relaxed most of the time. He suspected he wasn’t completely pulling the wool over Killian’s eyes on that front, but he was hesitant to touch too directly on it, especially in a situation that was meant to be fun and lighthearted.

“Santé” he wished them, raising his own glass, “It means be healthy,” he added. “It suits me, yes?” he added, the first association coming to his mind being his chosen profession, though his eyes landed on the vegetable plate as well and a second interpretation occurred to him. He was a little concerned for a second that he was verging on being rude - direct orders could be read that way, the same way it had been awkward when he’d forgotten the tense on ‘you lose bread’ and it had sounded like a direction instead of a compliment. There was the same danger here, as he had translated it in a way which also made this sound like an order. “Or, hope you be healthy,” he amended. And this seemed to be a subject they were all already joking about anyway... “And very good for me to wish to you,” he added, with a mischievous smile.

13 Jean Wolfe That's what I suspected 1506 0 5