[ic] [hector] Birthday
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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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 spend this much time in the kitchen. Lacroix worked hard enough as it was on his studies, after all.
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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."
It was the usual response, cheerful in spite of the edge of concern nagging at him; that was something he needed to address after their meal.
"I already moved things into the dining room, you can go head in there while I look for the...sticky thing for this," Lacroix held the wine bottle up at that point...he meant the corkscrew, yes, but since he couldn't recall the word at the time that was as close as he got, "You know...the pointy thing."
After another moment of digging he found the missing object in the back of the drawer, ah ha, victory!
Besides, he wanted to urge Hector into the other room first, so he could follow him in and watch his reaction.
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But he did wander into the dining room first, and just... paused in the doorway so he could take a look at everything that Lacroix had set up. While he had expected food as Lacroix had promised, he certainly hadn’t expected a cake, and certainly not a present either. The cake was intricately decorated; he knew it must have taken Lacroix quite a while to construct it. It amazed him just how Lacroix had managed to do all of this without his knowing, but then again, he had been hiding out quite a bit in his room lately.
Lacroix would have likely received a look if he’d resorted to balloons and streamers, but as it was, the decor was muted to a point that it wasn’t offensive. Hector did look visibly surprised, yes, and he learned against the doorframe to take in the whole display.
He really... wasn’t sure what to say about it all though, so he defaulted on repeating what he’d said in the kitchen, “...you really needn’t have gone to such effort.” It probably sounded extremely lame, yes, but he was used to giving presents, not receiving them. It had been years since someone had put that much effort into something just for him. Sure, the higher-ups gave him money in abundance, but that wasn’t the same as taking out hours worth of effort to construct a meal and cake and decorations like this -- while he didn’t mean to seem ungrateful, he just honestly wasn’t sure how to react. He was likely too far-gone to muster any extreme shows of positive emotion, but that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the hard work that Lacroix had put out for him.
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So far as Hector-scale went that was probably about the best reaction anyone could hope for; and Lacrox was willing to take it, quiet happily in fact.
He made it as far as the table itself before glancing back over at Hector who was still lingering at the doorway, though for why he had no idea. "It works better if you actually come over here and sit down," Lacroix tried a bit of verbal coaxing to remind Hector that his feet probably did still work. "Oh, I forgot, almost."
The words preceded Lacroix picking up one of the larger candles and one of the candles on the cake, shoving the smaller one against the flame long enough to get it to light as well; he repeated the action with the rest of the candles as well. Not knowing how old Hector actually was, he had only used candles to encircle the back of the skull on top of the cake, but it was probably close enough, yeah?
"There," and then he stood there, very clearly waiting for Hector to do the obvious, "I'm not going to sing, I promise."
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But his eyebrows lifted once more when Lacroix waited there expectantly for him. “...pardon?” Hector asked, just... staring at Lacroix a moment. Did Lacroix really expect him to blow out those candles as a child might? The activity felt far too juvenile for him; he never celebrated his birthday, much less blew out candles. It was a silly idea, utterly, but he didn’t want to completely disappoint Lacroix, because his apprentice had put out so much effort into constructing that cake.
Hector leaned back comfortably in his chair and gave his hand a quick wave, the air in the path of his palm condensing, growing stronger and faster -- the tiny breeze forceful enough to blow out all of those candles in one swoop, rustling the bow on that package as it passed by. While the spell looked effortless, it had taken him many years to be able to manipulate air like this; it was a simple but effective little motion to extinguish the flames. Hector certainly wasn’t going to bother with any more magic tricks after that; the effort of this spell already left him feeling rather drained.
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And he was generally curious whenever Hector exercised some new little trick that he hadn't seen before, Lacroix often wondered just what Hector couldn't do since the list of what he could do seemed to be practically without end.
For the moment Lacroix was content to leave Hector in relative peace during the meal though, afterward his eagerness would get the best of him for certain, as he did want to see if Hector liked his gift or not. But since Hector was rather quiet during meals he tried to keep his usual chatter down to at least a tolerable level.
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Hector made an attempt to eat slow; he hadn’t eaten much in the last couple days, and eating too quickly might have made him feel sick. But the leisurely pace made him able to appreciate Lacroix’s technique, the flavors that Lacroix had paired together; it really did taste as good as it smelled, so much so that Hector finished his whole plateful of food. It felt like such sinful gluttony after depriving himself for days, but he never bothered himself with feeling guilty for sins, so he did not plan on starting now.
“Quite exemplary,” he complimented of the meal after he was finished; it certainly would have been rude not to offer praise after Lacroix had put so much effort into preparing it. It probably wasn’t altogether a good thing that Lacroix was such a good cook; it just encouraged Hector to stay at home more rather than go out. “I’ve become quite used to remaining home to dine of late; it will certainly be quite different with your absence for the next two weeks.” It was Hector’s special way of saying ‘I’ll miss your cooking while you’re gone,’ even if he didn’t come right out and say that plainly.
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Now it was probably questionable if he was going to be able to convince Hector that sugary cake was also a good idea, but Lacroix planned to give it a good try.
"Oh, I doubt you lament that too much, your resturant addiction is close to my chain smoking issues," Lacroix teased cheerfully; he was happy with the effort Hector did put forth to encourage in most everything really. And it was true that Hector didn't go out to eat as much but that just meant he got the chance instead to think up more interesting reasons for Hector to leave the apartment, and he generally did. "I'm glad you're finally eating though, if it wasn't purple right now I'd be able to claim you've given me a few gray hairs hiding away in your room this last week."
Lacroix did have some ability to eat and talk in the same span of time, not both exactly at once of course, but he did tend to chatter on during a meal if he could convince Hector into being social while they were eating. "You go back to your bad habits, I'll still be cooking on vacation, I plan to anyway."
It was just as much part of that vacation for him; cooking wasn't a chore. Now Lacroix really didn't mind not cleaning and reading about strange old spells for a few weeks though.
Once he was finished eating as well Lacroix pointed out the obvious, "Think you can survive a mild sugar coma?"
Because what was a birthday without cake, right?
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“And I wouldn’t dream of letting your effort go to waste,” he replied of that request for cake, placing his knife and fork parallel beside each other on his plate, typical table etiquette for conveying silently that he was finished with this particular plate of food -- though his plate was empty, so that gesture was likely redundant. Yes, this was probably more than he’d eat normally, and clearly he’d be eating an awful lot of leftover cake, too. But after dining so sparingly lately, the extra calories probably wouldn’t hurt him too much, no.
Hector did not want Lacroix to feel like a servant, though, so he offered to help clear away this set of plates in favor of dessert plates instead. “Would you like assistance clearing the table?”
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While it was true that Hector got into that whole superior to even him role more often than not, and wasn't hesitant to act the part of instructor Lacroix still viewed the situation as common ground and friendship. He respected and enjoyed Hector's company, even though he didn't always understand Hector's interests or motives, but not very many people actually did see much of anything the same way.
It wasn't so much the effort that Lacroix worried about being nudged aside, it was that he wanted to be certain Hector was at least starting to pull out of that sick state before he could even consider the idea of going on that trip; it just wasn't right to leave somebody alone all sick.
Hector being agreeable made him think the man was at least on the road to recovery even if he did look rather...unhealthy still.
"I got it," Lacroix shrugged and slipped out of his seat; Hector looked tired and he didn't want him to waste energy on something that was very easy for him to do instead. "It's getting a little scary how domestic I'm getting." It was a humored statement, but true, and it wasn't something Lacroix attributed to Hector's demands, no, he volunteered to clean and cook because the normality was comforting.
"Besides," he pointed out, "I'm pretty sure part of birthdays are not having to do much but enjoy yourself."
In a few moments Lacroix had the table cleared off and dishes bound for the sink for later, Hector had sets of dishes for practically everything so finding plates was never an issue. It had however taken Lacroix some time to learn what sort of plates were supposed to be for what, he had learned over time though and returned very shortly with plates in one hand and a knife in another; the later of which he handed to Hector while he set the plates down.
Admittedly, he was very curious to see how the cake had turned out, he had spent time researching recipes online with a very set idea in mind. That chocolate cake had a thin layer of raspberry sauce concealed inside it, to make the cake itself 'bleed' when it was cut. However, since he hadn't tested the idea beforehand Lacroix wasn't entirely certain it would work but at the very worst he was at least convinced the dark chocolate and raspberry would taste good.
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“I’m afraid I have not celebrated my birthday in quite a few years, so I’m uncertain as to the proper etiquette,” Hector confessed, though he was obviously using his best judgment based on past experiences; even though he could be a little emotionless at times, he was quite good with manners and etiquette when he needed to be. Besides, he really did appreciate all the effort Lacroix had put out for him today. In a way, it made him feel like he was doing right by Lacroix; while it was true that he was proud of the work Lacroix had put into his studies up until now, it was especially obvious in this moment that Lacroix in turn appreciated Hector for teaching -- otherwise he might not have been so eager to gift a present or make a cake.
And that cake was quite impressive; it wasn’t often at all that Hector actually saw a cake in its entirety. If he ordered a dessert in a restaurant, it came out to him in a small single serving -- certainly nothing this large. The detail that Lacroix had put into its construction was obvious; Hector was almost regretful to mar the cake by cutting into it. He did so anyway, cutting a generous slice, but his eyebrows lifted in interest when the knife came out stained red with that raspberry sauce. “Quite curious.” A slow seep of that sauce followed when he plated the first piece of cake, and he commented, “It’s quite obvious you spent a great deal of your time on its construction.” It looked pretty complicated, and the fact that Lacriox had put out this much effort for him... well, he still wasn’t quite sure what to say about it. Expressing gratitude was difficult, apparently.
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Not that he had quite the same grasp of all the little rules of etiquette that Hector did, but Lacroix had picked up a few things here and there while living in Castle Styles.
It didn't stop him from sprawling on the couch with a box of Pop-Tarts watching Glee reruns at early morning hours, but hey, it was a work in progress.
"Alright, I wasn't sure if that would work or not; the wonders of the internet again." Lacroix laughed, finding it comical that the 'bloody' knife was that effective. Though in retrospect it was also just a little creepy; Hector with that red knife. "See, baking can be..uh...yeah, okay, maybe scary is a stretch. But at least it's sort of disturbing."
That worked, right?
And he didn't mind that Hector was still struggling with some things, apparently all those years being a social recluse had an effect on people; not hard to imagine why, eh?
But Lacroix was used to Hector's version of most things, it was something else that he had learned along the way living with Hector; and probably about as useful as some of those lessons about death.
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But the fact that Lacroix didn’t bake as often made this cake all the more meaningful. “I wasn’t aware you were well-versed in cake preparation,” Hector mused, ignoring that bit about the internet -- even if Hector read up on cake techniques online, he was certain he’d still botch the attempt. Clearly Lacroix had some natural ability.
Hector took a conservative bite of his cake, as if to gauge its flavor slowly instead of just consuming it immediately. And it was good; even if he didn’t come right out and say those words exactly, hopefully Lacroix would get the gist of what he meant anyway. “Perhaps you should take up the hobby more frequently,” he commented; it was easier to say that than ‘this is good; make it again sometime.’
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"I'm tell you man, you can learn anything online, it's amazing." Lacroix noted shortly after downing a bite of cake, a bit baffled by the comment encouraging him to continue what Hector usually wrote off as a distraction more than as worthwhile. But it was the good sort of baffled though, he grinned, a little. "Yeah? Hmn, I'll remember that."
For the moment most everything was right with the world, and there was chocolate too; Lacroix was rather happy, and chatty. "That's what I was going to do," he mused in an offhand sort of way, "I was going to culinary school, or I wanted to. Then I figured out...yeah, I was too broke and my grades in high school were too awful. Eh, I guess things weren't supposed to end up that way; I probably would have still been in school now instead of working at the pawn shop."
Life clearly had other plans for him, and lately it hadn't really seemed like such a bad thing.
"Let me guess, you knew from the start that this was exactly what you were going to do, huh?" Lacroix waved his fork in a general way, 'this' clearly meant to encompass their surroundings and life within the walls of the apartment.
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Culinary classes were hardly harmful, and so long as Lacroix didn’t completely slack on his obligations to learn within the cabal, Hector didn’t see it as an impossible option for the future. Not right now, of course; Hector wasn’t comfortable leaving Lacroix out of his sight long enough for Lacroix to attend classes because Lacroix didn’t yet know any spells that might protect him from an attack. “Perhaps after I’ve taught you a decent number of defensive spells, I will be comfortable with you attending classes if you so desire.” Besides, culinary school would only be a few years; if Hector had his way, that would only be a blip in the potential amount of years for Lacroix’s lifespan.
Hector didn’t precisely like to talk about his own past often, but because it related in a way to his current life, he indulged Lacroix this once. “As for myself, before I joined this cabal, I was a professional ‘ghost hunter,’ if you will,” he explained, though unbeknownst to him, Lacroix already knew more about this than Hector was aware; on those video tapes that Lacroix possessed, Hector had talked about his opinions on why he believed his ghost hunting technology would be far more accurate than any spell-casting. “I spoke on late-night radio programs on the uses of electromagnetic field meters and various haunted locations within the city. Obviously I have moved on from relying on such faulty technology.”
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While he was curious at the prospects of life outside the apartment, and having one, Lacroix approached the idea with a hint of humor. "Because there are a lot of man-eating blenders?" He chuckled softly and shrugged, maybe Hector was right to worry so much, maybe not, Lacroix really didn't have the answer to that question. What was appealing though was the fact that it might just have been possible to carry out some manager of almost normal life, even if it might not have been for a while.
"Ghost-hunting, huh?" Lacroix did know more than he let on, yeah, but that was even more of a reason to keep his mouth shut about what he did know, since Hector was entertaining the conversation he didn't want to say something that might bring an abrupt end to it. "But see, that's my point; all of this must have been exciting for you since you were already chasing ghosts. I spent my time trying to avoid them and the weird feelings, I've basically accepted that I can't change it now but it's still hard for me sometimes. Can somebody just be...really badly suited to being what they are?"
That question had crossed Lacroix's mind so many times, what must have come easy for Hector was such a struggle for him; not so much the arcane side of it because he was learning that fairly well if he put some concentration into it, but the flat acceptance and even favorable opinion of death and the morbid side of the world was more of a conflict.
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