[ic] [hector] Birthday

[lacroix_styles]

For the better part of the week Lacroix had been carrying own his own plans amid the usual background buzz of tasks around Castle Styles, as some things just couldn't be done under the watchful eye of his mentor. Thankfully that had been made easier by the fact that Hector had been hiding away in his room even more so than usual, sneaking around

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[hector_styles]

Hector had sequestered himself for the last week or so, feeling rather unlike himself; aside from his pale appearance, he knew very well that he couldn’t cast as much magic as usual because his soul was eroding -- this would have made it hard for him to give demonstrations to Lacroix if he had wanted to. But instead he’d given Lacroix a break this past week save for a few classes outside of their home; he didn’t want to overwhelm Lacroix with work right before his sabbatical, anyway.

His bedroom was far enough away from the kitchen that Hector couldn’t smell any of the food, nor did he expect Lacroix to make such a lavish effort today. Hector never celebrated his birthday, save for the whole process of stealing a soul, and while that was not exactly a celebration, it was at least a huge relief on his body. While he was going to be very worried about Lacroix while he was gone, part of him really did want Lacroix to leave -- he didn’t feel comfortable soul-stealing while Lacroix was in the other room, at least not yet. It would take

[lacroix_styles]

Hector's voice had a tired edge to it when he answered the phone, that worried Lacroix but all his efforts to talk Hector about his health lately had fallen short and been ushered aside so he couldn't make much progress. And with his leaving so soon in part he did want to make sure that Hector was at least well enough for him to leave, before he was at the point of being ushered off on an airplane

[hector_styles]

“Very well, “ Hector granted; even though he was a little more lethargic than usual, it would have been cruel to refuse when Lacroix had cooked for him. This wasn’t something that Hector asked of him; he was perfectly willing to go to restaurants when Lacroix didn’t feel like cooking -- or at least on a normal basis. The past few days, he’d barely eaten anything at all, so logically he realized that it would be good for his body to actually eat something.

As soon as he ended that call, he took a moment to pull on his shoes before exiting his bedroom; he was putting slightly less care into his appearance -- he wore black jeans and a plain tee shirt, and his hair was a little mussed, as if he’d just woken up. When he reached the kitchen, he lingered, lifting his eyebrows a little, curious. It certainly smelled good in here, he had to admit that to himself.

“You really needn’t have gone to such effort,” Hector voiced; it was a pretty common comment whenever Lacroix cooked, because he didn’t want his apprentice to feel like he had to

[lacroix_styles]

Lacroix glanced up when Hector came into the kitchen, brow furrowed when he noticed how Hector looked; it wasn't a normal state for his mentor to be mussed and tired beyond the usual pale that Hector had naturally. Rather than point it out right that moment Lacroix decided to wait until after they were finished with Hector's impromptu birthday, as it was a better idea to enjoy the moment and then discuss his worry over Hector's state of being.

He kept the comments to himself, for the moment, and lifted a hand to wave hello in passing when he was hunting through one of the drawers next to the sink. "We've been through this before, I don't have to but I want to because I like to cook and I like cooking for other people