Accord // AU

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Back from a trip to the abyss, and things have already settled back into normality. It's so strange how whole years will just slip away like old blankets and discarded gloves as soon as the surroundings are different.

It's actually kind of... jarring. The most interesting thing today? The sound of crying coming from the kitchen. He'd only meant to go in to get a sandwich or something but, well, if someone's having a dramatic breakdown, who is he to ignore it? Or something.

Whatever. He'll just go take a look. Maybe it'll be interesting.

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[prevenge]

"Who's taking care of us?" She has questions too, but she's going to inadvertently offer easy answers for them at the same time. "Are you? Did they ask you to?"

It just makes sense; Robin is right here, after all.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"You're sister's in another tower, and I'm taking care of you until you go back. That's just the way stuff works."

He shrugs and starts to stand. He's going on with his meal plans, even if they aren't.

[catamight]

This answer is good, but not quite enough. When Robin stands, he has an elfling shuffling closer, peering up at his with much expectancy.

"She is? Can we go see her?"

[prevenge]

Rin has already mostly accepted this, so she patters after Robin like the tame kitten she is. The traces of tear trails are even mostly gone now. "Did you talk to my dad? Do you know my mom? How old are you?"

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"We can't, no. They're busy."

He'll run this out as long as he has to. He remembers Nel. He can probably just order him around, and it's good that he's even up to talking. Robin opens the fridge.

"I haven't talked to them, no. I'm three-thousand years old."

[catamight]

"Three thousand? For real? Are you... uh..."

He remembers about things he's not really supposed to talk about though, and trails off. That's one question averted before it's finished.

It doesn't hold off the other ones though.

"Do you know my dad? Do you work with him? And what is my sister doing? Why is she over there instead?"

[prevenge]

"Wow. Three thousand is big." She has no conception really of how big it is, but who cares? "How come? Are you a yokai? Are you a kami? What's that?"

She's pointing to the fridge. That was eight whole questions all together. Impressive.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

He points at Nel first, "I can't tell you. It's a secret."

He points at Rin second, "I don't know what either of those things are. And this is a refrigerator. Do you guys want some cake or something?"

[catamight]

A secret, huh? His hands flutter to his mouth at that. Oh man, he'll be thinking about it for a while. Trying to figure it out, wonder all about it.

And then... "We can have cake?"

For real?

[prevenge]

Wow. The offer of candy blows every other thought out of her head. Rin is an easy child.

"Yeah! I want cake, please!"

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"Yes, you can have cake."

That'll get them quiet, at least until the sugar kicks in. He can find some pretty easily in the fridge, already cut up into slices by whatever controls the food that keeps showing up here.

Two plates later, there's a thin piece for each of them up on one of the counters. He drags stools over, patting the seat of the nearest one.

"Come sit up here."

[catamight]

Nel immediately clambers up onto that first seat, wiggling into place and looking as polite and obedient as a child that small can manage. He tries to keep his hands folded together, though there's a slight fidget to his whole body while trying to sit still.

"Thank you," he blurts out.

[prevenge]

She clambers up like a monkey. Rin is not that good at sitting still; she bounces around in her seat a little. Cake, cake, cake. "Yeah, thank you!" She almost sings it. Good god, but she loves candy.

[catamight]

It's like he can hear the mantra in her head.

"Cake!" They're on a magical vacation! "Cake!"

[prevenge]

She's never had cake like this in her life. She's never been in a place like this in her life. But there's something primal about this. Something integral. Maybe it's something that would speak to all sentient creatures.

She's joining the chant. "Cake! Cake! Cake!"

[birdsbirdsbirds]

These guys are pretty cute, he's gotta admit. He laughs and holds out a fork for each of them.

"You got it. Dig in, guys."

[catamight]

Nel plucks the fork from Robin's hands and gleefully stabs the piece of cake, feet banging a happy little rhythm against the cabinets.

When he shovels the first bite into his mouth, it's immediately followed by a sound of pure delight.

"It's so goooood..."

[prevenge]

Rin displays signs of obsession at an early age. One of them, unobserved by her parents by dint of them never having the opportunity to feed her cake like this, is that she eats her cake like she's doing surgery on it. Frosting first, scraped off with some clumsiness because hell if she's ever eaten with a fork before.

Little does she know that's the part that's complete, pure sugar goodness.

"Wooooow..."

If anyone is looking carefully, her pupils are already dilating.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"Don't eat too fast, Nel, you'll make yourself sick."

He sinks down against the cabinet next to them, smiling. They're adorable, even if they're turning into monsters before his very eyes. Maybe that's part of the charm. Even if they're just figments, even if they're gone tomorrow... He just can't believe it. They're here enough to laugh and be fed cake.

[catamight]

Yes, they are. And about that whole cake thing...

"...Is there more?" Nel asks, with an empty plate.

He tried to be slow about it, he really did. And, to be fair, he asks it as shyly and politely as he can. He's not asking for more cake, just if there is anymore. Really.

[prevenge]

Don't do it, Robin. Control yourself. Take them outside. Make them run off the energy. Rin, eating meticulously but quickly, glances over to Nel and hustles it up even a little more. If there is more cake to be had, she doesn't want to be left out.

Seconds later: "Me too!"

[birdsbirdsbirds]

He holds up an index finger. "No more cake until after we've all had dinner."

So that's all you get. He's not stupid.

"Do you guys want to go explore? There's a beach, a bug room, a forest..."

[catamight]

They could explore, or...

"When's dinner?"

He stopped listening at the ultimatum, sorry.

[prevenge]

"Ew, bugs!" Rin is a good listener. "I wanna see the beach. I wanna see flowers." She wants a garden.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"Be patient. Dinner is later. And since Rin was good enough to answer..."

Robin stands back up, holding out his hand for the tiny princess.

"We'll go to the garden first."