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[laserhawk]

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[neighsaying]

That's a shame. I would have actually brought you a cake if I'd known that.

[ He laughs softly. ]

You'll just have to enjoy the meal to the fullest then.

[laserhawk]

You've done enough. And I haven't — [ he hasn't given anything back. jean hasn't asked for anything. dolph is at a loss, really. no one just gives him anything. ]

[neighsaying]

[ He tilts his head, for a moment, before he shakes his it. ]

It's a gift - not a transaction. I promise I'm not gonna lord it over you later.

[laserhawk]

No, but.

Is there nothing you want?

[neighsaying]

I'd say, be my friend, but I'm pretty sure we're already there.

[ He shrugs, giving him a small smile. ]

Don't think about what I want. Instead... if there's ever something you look at and go, 'I want to give that to Jean', feel free to.

[laserhawk]

[ that . . . seems reasonable. though fuck if dolph knows what jean would like. but it's something to consider. and learn. ]

You really want to be my friend? I have a shit track record with those.

[neighsaying]

Sometimes you take gambles not knowing if you win or not.

[ What's that, the echo of Erwin is abounding? ]

And I'm feeling lucky, I guess.

[laserhawk]

[ dolph huffs, but there's something akin to a smile on his face. ]

Let's hope it holds out. I'll trust your luck over mine.

[neighsaying]

I think it'll work out just fine.

[ He gives Dolph another grin before he insists he should have some of the food, a little of everything at least. It's as delicious as it smells, and he'll absolutely insist Dolph take some of it home. ]

[laserhawk]

[ dolph eats politely, doing his best to give compliments, though they're sparse and not very verbose. he lacks the vocabulary for them. once he's eaten his fill, he will take the remainders at jean's insistence.

he pauses. ]

That was lovely.

[neighsaying]

[ Jean's not fishing for compliments, so he appreciates them regardless. Lacking the vocabulary isn't something he'll make fun of, anymore.

Jean smiles again, the corners of his eyes crinkling. ]

I do my best. If you want to learn an easy food pairing, white wines work with heavy food like that - it cuts through the richness of the dairy.

[laserhawk]

[ he nods slowly. ]

I do like wine. I used to have it when I could.

[neighsaying]

Did you have a favorite, or was it just whatever was available?

[ No judgement! Jean literally drank moonshine at points, before he started appreciating wines. ]

[laserhawk]

[ his fingers tighten over his glass for a moment. then it subsides quickly. ]

Chilean wine.

[ alex got him chilean wine. on one of their heists. ]

[neighsaying]

I haven't tried that before. I'll have to see if they have any bottles here.

[ He catches the way his fingers tighten, but he doesn't ask him about it, just yet. It's only because he's paying such close attention to Dolph that he saw it at all. ]

[laserhawk]

[ he tries to force his voice into something more lightherted. which sounds off because dolph doesn't really do lighthearted, but. he tries. ]

Don't bother. It's probably better if I pick a new favourite.

[neighsaying]

[ Oof, yeah, Jean's not buying it, but he plays along anyways. ]

We can always see if they offer that fancy shit - what's it called... a wine flight. Or you can join us with vodka.

[laserhawk]

A wine flight?

And what do you mean by join "us"?

[neighsaying]

Some fancy interior shit, you try a bunch of different wines. I think you're supposed to spit them out, too, so you don't get drunk.

[ He waves a hand. ]

My friends and I, in our cadet days - we'd drink whatever we could get our hands on. We had a lot of potatoes, so vodka was a pretty cheap and common drink. So was making moonshine.

[laserhawk]

[ dolph wrinkles his nose at that. ]

Seems like a waste.

[ his friends. but dolph's . . . what? he may be jean's friend but that hardly matters to anyone else. ]

[neighsaying]

Oh, absolutely, I'd rather just buy a few different glasses from a bar and have you try them.

[ Jean means 'us' in general, but he doesn't mind inviting Dolph to any future parties. There aren't any likely to happen in the future, though. ]

[laserhawk]

[ he shakes his head. ]

That's a lot of work to put into someone like me. I'm sure you have better things to do.

[neighsaying]

[ Jean frowns at the phrasing. ]

I'm not putting work into you. It'd be something fun to do; drink, get a little tipsy, eat shitty bar food.

[laserhawk]

People don't just do that. Not without wanting something or taking something.

[ his voice gets a little rough and dolph seems to notice, immediately trying to clear it, looking contrite and annoyed with himself. ]

And I'm not . . . fun. I'm barely . . . anything.

[neighsaying]

[ Jean has mostly kept his hands to himself, for the most part. When Dolph says that, he reaches out, a hand landing on his shoulder and squeezing. ]

I won't lie and say some people do want something. But I'm not lying when I say I'm not looking for anything. The only thing I'm taking is some of your time, if you want to put it like that.

[ He offers a little smile. ]

You are fun. I like talking to you, I like learning about you and where you're from, even if it's shitty.