CLOSED • Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right ...

[trulygifted]

Who: Nico, Nero, Kyrie and Hubert
When: Early January
Where: Devil Mary Cry residence
What: Disaster dinner
Warnings: TBA!

( If there's one thing of which Nico is absolutely certain, it's there isn't any harm in extending a dinner invite to a friend. The fact that she and Hubert have recently started kissing shouldn't have a significant impact on that fact; neither of them have pressed for more, and neither of them have pressed to change the status of their relationship, and she likes to think that Nero and Kyrie haven't begun to suspect anything just yet. Why would they? According to them, Nico simply has a friend with whom she likes to practice alchemy, and the fact that they've been seeing a fair bit of each other lately ...

Well. That's neither here nor there. )

Hey, does this cake look right to you?

( ... Unfortunately for Nico, there are some pretty dramatic other tells. For one, she's gone to the effort of baking a rustic-looking coffee cake for the occasion. It's their dessert, yes, but it isn't overly sweet; a marriage of dark, rich flavours and moist sponge with a layer of dark-chocolate ganache between the two rounds. Secondly, she's actually gone and done her hair. Her outfit might be pretty casual but her hair isn't just pulled back in a loose bun; it's grown a lot since they arrived here, and is now styled into a loose side-braid that hangs over her left shoulder. The end is secured with a piece of maroon ribbon that just so happens to match the sheen of lipstick she's wearing — also unusual.

She stands back from her creation, careful to wipe off her hands before placing them on her hips. The centre of the cake is decorated with a small heap of raspberries; Nico can't help but think it needs a little something extra, but the question here is what— )

Huh!

( She snaps her fingers before spinning away from the counter and heading to the front door. There's mint growing outside — wild mint, by the looks of it, since it was there before they moved into the place — and she's certain that a leaf or two would give the cake that all-important finishing touch. When she passes Nero she gives him an affectionate little shove back towards the kitchen: )

Quit standin' around like an idiot and help Kyrie set the table. ( Nico reaches for the front door and yanks it open. ) An' don't think I didn't mean what I said before about not bein' a jerk—

( But she cuts herself off a moment later, because that's definitely Hubert standing outside the front door with his fist raised to knock. Fuck. Fuck! )

Hubert! Shit— u-uh, I mean, come on in!

( Nice job, Nico. Ten out of ten. )

Comments

[bloodypath]

[Why, it's almost like Nero never spoke at all. For as utterly unbothered as Hubert looked, the pissy dragon might've even said something amicable.]

[Coming from two different worlds made it difficult to judge hosting and dining traditions, but given how casual of an individual Nico was, Hubert doubted he'd be breaking any great rule but selecting a seat.]

The red, please, if it isn't too much trouble. My thanks, Nico.

[A glance.] What of you, Kyrie? I understand these two are devil hunters—do you have any hand in that sort of business?

[demonass]

[ The look from Kyrie is extremely effective. While he generally doesn't give half a rat's ass how his attitude affects most people, her approval or disapproval is akin to divine intervention. It's enough for Nero to shut his trap for a minute or two and at least fetch bottle of both red and white wine for the girls to do with what they deem necessary.

He set the table with wine glasses at least--he does know how to properly throw a dinner party. (And by that we mean Kyrie does, he just knows how to set the table.) ]

[oratoria]

May I have some white too please Nico? Thank you.

[Oh but Hubert's asked a question and it's a fair assumption to make that she'd be involved in the business but she still laughs softly at the thought of it. She'd make an utterly useless devil hunter. Maybe she'd be a bit better now she has some spells under her belt, but she suspects she'd be kind of useless.

Anyway, there aren't many people who can keep up with Nero - the less said about family matters the better]

I'm just here for moral support I'm afraid, I'm not any kind of talented weapons' artist or incredible swordsman like these two. I just make sure home's waiting for them when they get back safely and take care of the children, that's my way of helping with the cause.

[...she really has to stop referring to that in present tense.]

In Fortuna, anyway.

And what about you?

[trulygifted]

( Red for Hubert, white for Kyrie. Nico pours them their drinks before leaving Nero to choose his own; he didn't say anything, therefore she's going to assume he has something in mind for himself. )

Yeah, Kyrie's always nice enough to let me stay with them after a job. My apartment's nowhere near as homey as their place.

( Which is true enough: Nico isn't much of a home-maker, and she can get a little chaotic when it comes to her living space. In her defence, there's definitely some kind of method to the madness, it's just not the kind of method that can be understood by many people besides her. )

It's better than the van though. Don't get me wrong, I love that van, but it can get kinda ...

( Have a little grimace. )

Cramped.

( ... With trash, spare parts, and stuff they pick up long the way. )

[bloodypath]

[Van? What even was a van? ...Caravan? Hubert accepts his glass with a nod, mentally shelving the van for a later time.]

I am advisor, retainer, and Minister of the Imperial Household to Emperor Edelgard. Simply put, an administrator, as the responsibility of all the palace's functions fall to me.

[...which also included matters like security, intelligence, and, you know, the dungeons, but even if these three would never see Fódlan, Hubert wasn't going to go flaunting what was supposed to be rumor.]

Children? [He leaves the question and the subtle tilt of his head vague to avoid the pitfall of assuming whose children those were.]