[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]

“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

[hector_styles]

It was unfortunate that Lacroix was hesitant around ghosts, but Hector was certain that would change in time. The more Lacroix practiced, the more he would grow used to the dead being around him; even if it took a while, Hector didn’t mind. He was well aware that not every student of magic learned at the same pace, and besides, Lacroix was making exceptional progress thus far.

“You’ve only been living in this cabal a few months; that’s hardly a sufficient amount of time to determine whether you are badly suited to it. At at rate...” Hector gave a little dismissive wave of his hand; he didn’t want Lacroix feeling bad about himself in any way. “...in that short time, you’ve learned to speak with the dead, to view the world around you with the grim sight, to discover the function of obscure objects, as well as having practice with determining the cause of death in vampires and discerning the presence of various materials in the vicinity.” True, Lacroix wasn’t perfect at all of that yet, but it was still impressive for just a few months

[lacroix_styles]

Lacroix's uncertainty over his own position in that macabre world was based less on what he could do and more on what he felt comfortable doing, and none of those lessons had been very comfortable thus far; he had to fight with himself almost every step of the way and he couldn't help but wonder if it was that difficult for Hector in the past

[hector_styles]

"I'm certain in a year’s time your confidence will have grown substantially." It wasn’t an instantaneous process; Hector knew it would take more time to completely adjust to this life, and that was why he wasn’t forcing ideas on Lacroix that he knew his apprentice wasn’t ready for. Beginning with the very basics was key; more complex concepts and spells would come later.

As soon as he finished with his piece of cake, he placed his fork back onto his plate and leaned back into his chair comfortably. Yeah, he was definitely full now. “I suppose I’ll be eating cake for every meal for a while,” he commented calmly; after all, Lacroix was going to be gone soon and he wouldn’t have anyone else to eat the leftovers with -- after all, it wasn’t as if Corbin could eat cake. But it really was good, so he wouldn’t mind over-indulging on sugar for a while. “We should perhaps store the extra,” he suggested; it likely wasn’t a good idea to leave the cake sitting out for too long, nor did he want Lacroix to have to put it away all himself. Lacroix

[lacroix_styles]

"Frankly you could probably stand to eat the entire thing yourself, you're looking a little paler than is normal even for you," Lacroix pointed out evenly, as Hector was likely very aware of that fact. "You're not going to keel over while I'm gone, right?"
He actually was just a bit worried over that possibility, but checking in with Hector every day would at least help ease some of that worry.

At the mention of clearing the table Lacroix nodded, as he did intend to, but first he wanted to finish while there was still a hint of that festive air to the conversation. "I'll get everything cleaned up, but you have to open your present first."
Oh yes, that was very important; as trying to decide what to give Hector really hadn't been an easy task. That was one of the most important parts of the idea of a birthday though, and it was just downright depressing that Hector hadn't celebrated his in years apparently.

[hector_styles]

“I assure you, I’ll be fine, Lacroix,” Hector insisted, just as he had multiple times before now; clearly it wasn’t so easy to reassure Lacroix about this. Yeah, he did look... rather bad, yes, but by time Lacroix arrived back home, he would be back to normal.

“And you really needn’t have gone through the trouble of getting a gift,” Hector continued, sitting up again so that he could turn his focus to that box; he really wasn’t used to getting presents from people, and he wasn’t quite sure how to react. For now, he just shifted his plate and fork aside in favor of drawing that package closer. He was curious about its contents, but had to ask, “I don’t suppose you’re expecting me to shake it first to guess its contents?” Wasn’t that typical present etiquette? He wasn’t certain.

[lacroix_styles]

"I know, I'm trying to listen; but I'm a little paranoid since the good people tend to die on me and leave me with the worst of what's left," he was a little wary of death in that respect; and illness made him even more wary.

At the notion of shaking that box Lacroix shook his head, "No, you don't want to do that, no shaking." He had faith in Zander's abilities but he didn't want to risk it either; how utterly lame would it have been if Hector ended up breaking his gift before he even had a chance to open it?
A flat travesty, that, so he quickly corrected Hector on the notion; damage control, as it was.

[hector_styles]

“I’m afraid it will take more than this to kill me,” Hector mused idly as he unwrapped that package, careful not to jostle the box too much in the process -- after all, Lacroix had said not to shake it. He didn’t want Lacroix to worry about him dying; he had escaped death these many years, and while he knew he certainly was not incapable of dying, he was experienced enough to have a greater chance of preventing it from happening

[lacroix_styles]

"You're not supposed to tell people where you get their gift from," Lacroix laughed softly; watching Hector study the clock made him feel so much better now that he knew the gift had been well received. But telling exactly where it had come from wasn't fair, maybe in the case of a sweater or something that might end up returned, but he seriously doubted there was a return policy on a handmade clock like that. "But I didn't really find it, I couldn't find anything that was right for you; I had to do a little creative planning."
So it was a good thing that Hector liked the gift, he did not want to have to tell Zander that he changed his mind; messing with the undead like that seemed downright dangerous

[hector_styles]

Hector hadn’t been inquiring where Lacroix found the clock so that he could take it back; on the contrary, he was curious about what other pieces this artist might make. Zander didn’t exactly flaunt clock-making skills, so Hector didn’t consider that the vampire might be capable of something like this. He was far too used to seeing Zander’s grotesque taxidermy instead of refined projects like this.

“With some rearranging, I do think I’ll find an appropriate spot for it in the sitting room,” Hector replied, carefully replacing that clock back in the box for now; even though he had strengthened it, he still treated it gingerly because it was a gift, and he didn’t want anything to happen to it.

Hector wasn’t really good at voicing gratitude, but he made the attempt anyway because the time Lacroix had spent planning all of this was worth the effort. “I do appreciate your thoughtfulness, Lacroix.” He just... wasn’t used to presents, and he hoped he wasn’t appearing ungrateful, because he really was appreciative. It was just difficult

[lacroix_styles]

"I'm glad you enjoyed everything, I know I make your life hell sometimes with the complaining about wanting to go out and the grumbling about how unfair life is, but that's just...frustration; you really are my best friend and I really wanted you to enjoy your birthday." Unlike Hector, Lacroix had very little trouble in expressing positive emotions, that spark was still very much alive in him. And that smile was still set firmly on his lips; because he knew that with Hector the uncertain effort meant as much as the exuberant effort from most people

[hector_styles]

It was probably a good thing that Lacroix shifted the subject a little. Even though Hector would have continued to try really awkwardly, talking with emotion wasn’t altogether comfortable for him. Despite that, he did feel very loyal and protective toward Lacroix. Hector’s relationship with his own mentor had waned over the years as Hector turned to self-study rather than needing to rely on Ghede. After being alone for years, Lacroix was the one person he saw most often, and he couldn’t help but feel closest to him. Even though they’d only known each other a few months, he already felt like family