sirenspull_logs | pale the winter days after dark

Why didn't you knock earlier? You'll make yourself sick sitting out in the cold like that!

[He leaves Yosuke in the hallway for a second to duck into second hallway where he thinks there are some towels stored. Sure is early Victorian mansion in here.

[He's not even sure he was ever going to knock, actually. But telling you that will probably just make you more annoyed.]

I-is there some t-tea or something?

[Shiver, shiver, shiver. Wow, he didn't realize how cold it was outside until you brought him in here where it's warm. Oh...uh, actually.]

No, wait. A bathroom. Where's that?

[Squirm, fidget, squirm.]

[OH NO YOU DON'T, WE'RE NOT PLAYING THIS GAME AGAIN.]

D-down the hall! On the right! [POINTING.]

[It's okay, he only pees in random places when he's stuck there! This time he just kicks out of his shoes and dashes off down the hall to make tinkle. It's all cool. Except he's totally still tracking snow and stuff around. But it's not urine?]

[Hey, as long as it's not pee. Well that's one crisis averted. Time to make tea and try to avert another couple.

...Maybe more than a couple by the look of Yosuke.]

[ Okay, back! Splish splish skiiiiiiiid, thump.]

Ow! Sorry. I think there's some water.

[Jeez, this wet floor is slippery! But whatever. He just gets up and rubs his sore ass and follows wherever you're going. He's good at following people.]

Be careful!

[He moves to stand at Yosuke's side and guide him towards the closest chair. Anywhere that he can sit down before he falls down. Again.]

Sit here. I'll have tea ready in a minute.

[Tea sounds good. Yosuke plops down in the chair easily enough. He's pretty comfortable around Gilbert by now, even though they don't hang out all that often. There's something about kidnapping a guy from a hospital room and getting chased down by security that's sort of a bonding experience. Not to mention the time Gilbert brought him soup and things when he felt sick.]

[Yosuke drips all over the table and the chair and looks around casually while Gilbert gets to work on the tea.]

This place is -haku!- pretty impressive. How did you end up living somewhere like this?

Luck.

[He answers, frowning in concern as the water starts to boil. His handkerchief is in a jacket pocket at the other end of the kitchen, so he settles instead for reaching over and handing Yosuke a couple of napkins from the center of the table.]

How long did you say you were out there for...?

Uh...not long. Thanks.

[Yosuke's eyes focus off to the side somewhat tellingly, but he accepts the napkins. It's rude to blow your nose in front of people, and doubly rude at the kitchen table, but he's still kind of wet and chilled, so he just turns around in his seat and hopes Gilbert won't mind too much.]

I guess that's a pretty honest answer. Usually when you ask people about things like that [your father quietly reaches over and slaps the back of your head...] people don't say 'luck.'

[Sniffle, cough.]

[He doesn't look like he minds. But then, for all his good manners, Gilbert has never really expected them of anyone else.]

Well...someone was here a while back - Ciel's butler. He was able to obtain it through...ah. His own means. But the house was too big for him alone, and as his business partner I was asked to move in. At the time it was a better place for -

[Oz.]

For...for everyone.

[The water boils and offers a welcome distraction. Going to steep the tea now.]

[Okay, he doesn't completely know the story but he knows enough to at least guess at some of the gaps there. He plays that game a lot too, after all. Yosuke's knee jumps absently under the table, the way it sometimes does when he's nervous or mulling things over.]

What kind of tea is it?

Earl Grey. It's the one Ciel enjoys the most.

[He pours some milk and grabs some sugar cubes from a jar as well to add to the tray. When Phancyhive does tea, they do tea.]

[Alright, so he has no idea what the hell that means. It doesn't sound like a tea, it sounds like a person. But it's in a teacup, so it must be tea. Yosuke gives it a look that is half curious and half mistrusting.]

It's a milk-kaaah-haku!- tea?

You can put milk in it if you want, but you don't have to. There's lemon too if you prefer that.

[He frowns at the boy as he sets the tray down on the table and pours him a cup.]

Are you still cold?

[Wait, why the hell would someone want to put lemon in their tea? Yosuke frowns at it a little, but then glances up at Gilbert. He probably should have tried not to be outside as long as that in the snow, but he didn't feel sick yet. If he stayed inside and warmed up for a little while before he left again to figure out where to go...yeah, he would be fine.]

Uh. I'm. [But he stops in the middle of the response, a bit lost. Shrug.] I'm a lot warmer now...thanks.

[Gilbert often wonders that same thing about tea, Yosuke. It's cool. He understands.

So here, have a cup of plain British tea and marvel at how oddly sweet it is even without anything added to it.]

Mm.

[Tea successfully served, he sits down across from him.]

It's still dangerous walking out in a storm like this! You should have stayed home and called me if you needed something.

[Which he assumes he must if he's made the journey this far.]

Yeah, I guess so...

[The school bag under the table has all of his stuff in it, actually. Luckily he doesn't have very much yet, so it isn't all that heavy. Still, home isn't exactly a precise place at the moment, and he glances away a little guiltily.]

[He pours his own cup, sparing a short glance up at the teenager before turning to look back down at the table.]

I won't pry, but if you want to talk about...whatever happened?

Huh? W-what makes you think something happened?

[He buries his face in the teacup quickly, just in case he doesn't look convincing enough.]

Well...anyone caught in a storm like this wouldn't go anywhere else but home, unless they got trapped somewhere and didn't have any other choice.

[...]

That and your guilty expression...

It isn't guilty!

It is.

[You know it's bad if Gilbert can tell, Yosuke.]

...It's nothing.

[He sulkily pushes the untouched tea away and stands up.]

Thanks for...uh. The tea. And things.

Hey -

[He stands as well and raises an arm to indicate for Yosuke to stop.]

You didn't even touch it yet. Is it no good...?

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