From our window we could see

[velveteened]

Date & Time: June 24, 8 pm
Location: Unit 403
Characters: Kate Kane, Gilbert Nightray, and Oz Vessalius
Summary: Gilbert offers to make Kate dinner. Oz wants to meet his mysterious lady friend.
Warnings: SHENANIGANS

( he'd been curious.

gil had been acting really strangely, oddly surprised at oz coming to the apartment at this time. oz had only wanted to ask about something trivial and not so important it needed to really be dealt with now; but the fact that gilbert had asked just that -

if it really can't wait, if oz can't make do for a bit, he can't go anywhere right now but later...!

- had made oz decide to change his plans.

so gilbert is now off to search nearby shops and stalls for a local specialty, because rhubarb berries are totally real and being sold nearby but if he doesn't hurry he'll miss out for the whole rest of the summer!!!! - and oz waits to investigate just what it is gil had been expecting. )

Comments

[retraced]

He's the heir to one of the most powerful duke houses. Though you wouldn't guess it from the way he acts...

[So much like his uncle; unfitting of a duke. But that, also, is a long story.]

But he's smarter than he looks.

[gevurah]

[ She pulls a chair out and unbuttons her sweater given the current temperature of the room after Gil finishing up in the kitchen. She neatly hangs it on the backside of the chair before taking a seat. ]

His parents are the duke and duchess, then.

[retraced]

[The question throws him off a bit, noticeably. He'd planned to simply sit down and ask if she wanted him to serve her after giving her the chance to do it herself (as seems to be the more common thing in this world) but now he moves to her side and grabs the knife to cut a slice of bread for her.]

...His uncle acts as liaison as far as official household matters are concerned at the moment.

[But that's where he lets the topic end.]

[gevurah]

I see. [ She's not unfamiliar with parents being out of the picture. Her mother had been dead for a little over twenty years now. ] How's he faring here? He seems okay, but you know kids.

[retraced]

[He smiles a little more, half-proud and half-surprised. Or maybe it's simply being impressed. The bread is placed on her plate.]

He doesn't have any practical experience taking care of himself...when I arrived here and learned what had happened, I was surprised he was still in good shape. But he's stubborn, and incredibly sharp, so it's no wonder that he's managed to do so well for himself here.

oh my god that face

[gevurah]

That's good. [ Even if she doesn't like the idea of kids being here or child soldiers in general, seems like Oz is smart enough not to get himself into too much trouble.

Hahaha, little does she know. ]

And it's good he has someone to watch out for him.

his 'thinking about reim' face

[retraced]

[A small wince.]

Most of the time I only follow behind and fret over him, more than watch out for him.

[It sounds more like he's chastising himself than making excuses. He pours the stew next, making sure not to spill it. But while his movements lack grace, he's still poised, proper and practiced.]

Er - but all I've done is talk about him since he left. Sorry.

reim-san is always so capable u_u

[gevurah]

[ She breaks off a piece of the bread, but before she takes a bite: ] It's alright. I'm the one who keeps asking.

[ After she chews and swallows: ] I'm kind of jealous of that shade of blond he has going. [ Kate's hair has faded blond highlights by this point. She'd like to redo them, but it seems impossible here. ]

and he looks so good in his uniform >':

[retraced]

[He still feels bad going on and on about Oz when he's not even here.]

Really? Your hair is a more unique color.

[What is hair dye.]

[gevurah]

[ Success. She wants to know more about that kid and if Gil knows anything about Jack.

She lets out an amused snort. ]

It's true there aren't many redheads, but compared to what I've seen here it's nothing.

[retraced]

I think it suits you.

[He finishes serving her and moves to his own seat to finally prepare his own meal.]

[gevurah]

[ Kate pauses, caught a bit off guard by the compliment. ]

Thanks.

And thanks for the meal.

[retraced]

N-no - you don't have to thank me. I offered it.

[Awkwardly stares down at plate.]

Is it any good...?

[gevurah]

[ She takes a spoonful, blows on it a couple of times to cool it before she swallows. For a couple of seconds she savors the taste and then looks back at Gil, nodding. ]

Pretty good, Gil.

[retraced]

[His ears turn red, and it's pretty obvious he's trying to keep from smiling in relief. 'Pretty good' is definitely preferable to 'who would eat this crap'.]

I'm glad...

[gevurah]

You buy all the ingredients in the market? [ She needs to find a cookbook in the library. As long as she's here and food sources are limited, she needs to learn to cook other meals. ]

[retraced]

Yeah. But it took a while to find produce that was fresh enough to be acceptable.

[#gilbert's impossibly high produce standards]

[gevurah]

It's going to be tricky until we either win this war or somehow fix the land and water through time travel.

[retraced]

[He frowns.]

Do you really trust them to fix it?

[gevurah]

[ As she dips her spoon she frowns herself, mulling over the idea. ]

By the way I see it, the Initiative is the lesser of two evils.

[retraced]

[Briefly he thinks of Pandora, but he dismisses the idea as quickly as it arrives. Vincent's words still echo in his head, but he still hasn't had time to properly ponder it at all.]

That's true. I haven't been here long...but I wonder if they really have a plan at all. That weapon they gave me doesn't even do anything.

[gevurah]

Their organization is all over the place. It seems like they were thrust into a war they weren't equipped at all for. [ Building armies doesn't happen overnight, no matter how many people they nab from countless universes. ] What's your weapon?

[retraced]

[He blinks, hesitates, but then reaches under his shirt and pulls out the chain that holds his Pandora emblem and blood-seal mirror. It hangs down between his fingers.]

They modified this, but I'm not sure how.

[Truth be told, he was a little too stressed to pay super close attention, but he still can't get it to do anything.]

[gevurah]

[ She peers at it closely, though she's never seen anything like it. ]

A necklace?

[retraced]

They said something about using it for protection.

[He lets go of the chain, letting it rest back against his chest.]

Maybe they did something wrong. Or I'm doing something wrong. But I still have my gun, even though bullets are a bit difficult to find, so it's not a big deal.