Twenty-four bells: [Action]

[noprevaricating]

[Luceti. Even the name is beautiful.

It's quiet here, but not silent. No cannonfire, no stomping feet or shouting men. No bars or guards or grey stone walls. Everything is lovely and serene and everyone is pleasant. Well. Nearly everyone, but that's okay.

In Hornblower's company, Kennedy stops by the bakery and selects, for some reason, cheesecake.

Comments

[consultmybooks]

[Rupert is not far behind Kennedy or Hornblower all throughout the bakery. He ducks and dodges around them as he examines the displays, he stands behind them in line, and finally he stops and stares when he later comes across Kennedy blissfully eating his cheesecake.

The child can't help himself.]

What's that you're eating?

[babymid_archie]

[Little kid. Archie glances down at his piece, then breaks off a section to hand to the child.]

Here! Try it.

[consultmybooks]

Really? [Rupert looks up at Archie before cautiously shaking his head.] N-No, it's all right. If you like it, I mean. Do you like it?

[seventeensir]

[Horatio chuckles under his breath, silent for the moment but dark eyes watching Archie and the boy, whom he cannot place. But, then, it isn't surprising to him that there are children in Luceti he has never seen before.]

[babymid_archie]

Very much. But there's plenty more where it came from. [He still offered the chunk of the treat to the boy. Somehow, having enough to share was itself a pleasure.]

[consultmybooks]

[...eventually, however, Rupert will give into his baser instincts and take the piece of cheesecake to eat. The taste of it makes his eyes go wide before he grins broadly.] Mmmmmm! That's amazing! What's it called? Tell me!

[seventeensir]

[There had not been nearly enough opportunities, Horatio decided as he concealed a smile, to watch Archie with young children. The powder monkeys had always escaped his own attention most of the time, for they rarely needed the supervision that the older men did. Children had the blissful talent for minding those in charge most of the time.]

Rupert -> Horatio -> Archie?

[babymid_archie]

[A smile creeps onto Kennedy's face at the child's joy.]

Be polite to me and I shall. You shouldn't make demands.

[But it's spoken so very gently that it's more like a fond caress than a reprimand.]

Re: Rupert -> Horatio -> Archie Right! Sorry, forgot to track the thread!

[consultmybooks]

[Several thoughts pass over Rupert's face in quick succession, chief among them being surprised. There's a brief moment where he weighs his chance of being able to bully Arche into letting him have his way, as is his habit with adults who aren't distant or cold.

...but, no. He settles slightly, and composes himself, and takes a breath to calm down the familiar mania.]

I'm sorry. Can you please tell me what this is? It tastes very good, and thank you for letting me try some.

[seventeensir]

Good lad.

[It's... It borders on warm, though not quite. No reprimand from him, but a small support to Archie's gentle modifying of the boy's behaviour.]

[babymid_archie]

[A grin to echo Horatio's praise.] You're welcome. It's called cheesecake. I had to ask, myself.

[consultmybooks]

Cheesecake? It doesn't taste like cheese. Tastes a bit like custard.

[He settles himself next to Archie.]

[seventeensir]

They do disguise the taste well, don't they? [...Forgive him. He's trying to joke.

He shouldn't be allowed to do that.]

[babymid_archie]

I don't know that it's anything to do with cheese at all, Horatio.

[consultmybooks]

Ooh! It could be! Like, what if someone's mum had a kid that wouldn't eat their cheese but really liked cake, so she mixed some cheese up with custard and made it into a cake and it was really good so she sold it to other people and called it cheesecake?

[Forced out...more or less all in one breath. Excuse him while he refills his lungs. And then goes bright red and occupies himself redoing his laces in mortified embarrassment.]

[seventeensir]

[Horatio can't help but chuckle again, ducking his head for a moment.]

I suppose, without asking someone who has made it, we shall never know, gentlemen.