prose log with Queen

[percivalthegale]

Who: Percival and Queen (queen_of_castle )
When: before Apple's return and all the subsequent chaos
Where: the cafe
What: home-cooked dinner, as promised!

Cooking was Percival's favorite hobby, and it had been far too long since he'd gotten to enjoy it. When Queen's message got to him, he made sure to finish patrol, get out of armor, and start the process with plenty of time to spare. Lucky for him, Mamie was good about letting him use the kitchen when he wanted, even if he was only cooking for two (or however many) and had to share space with the cafe's regular cook and customers. But he'd come up with the perfect dish, and slaved away on it, humming to himself as he prepared the final touches.

Queen arrived just as he was finishing up, the twins in tow. She held them both on one side of her, supported by a sling and approached the cafe with her usual confident smirk. Since she spent most of her time with the kids, she truly enjoyed whatever opportunity she had to mingle with other people. Noticing Percival right away, she called out, "Hey there, Mr. Chef Extraordinaire."

Percival perked up and turned to beam at her through the cafe's serving window. "Queen! Just give me one moment and I'll be all set - I'll be right there," he promised, fumbling with something in the kitchen. He had to make an extravagant presentation, after all.

Smirking the more, she sat herself at the table that was already prepared and shifted the twins into her lap. "Take your time, Uncle Percy~ I won't be going anywhere for a while."

The first thing Percival did was bring out a basket with fresh bread - still warm from the oven - and butter. "Of course, you know the rule. No filling up on bread," he teased as he set the basket down. "The sauce is almost ready. I hope you like it - I sort of made it up on the spot with whatever Miss Mamie had around the kitchen."

Queen smiled, appreciative of Percival's hard work and thoughtfulness. Nodding, she smirked back at him. "Of course not. I woudn't want to ruin my appetite before the main course. And I'm sure I'll like what you've got cooking in there - it smells absolutely delicious~"

Percival raised a finger like a waiter as he recited the evening's menu. "We have a lovely chicken breast in a light herb sauce - on the side, if you wish - and summer vegetables oven-roasted in fresh garlic." He grinned brightly. "And if that doesn't please the twins, Mamie also has some potato soup cooked up for the dinner crowd."

Elyssa giggled then, as if she understood what Percival recited and expressed her pleasure in response. Queen smiled and raised an amused eyebrow towards the knight. "It seems they like the sound of that as much as I do. Mm, I can't wait to try this specialty of yours." Taking a piece of bread, she breaks the softer part up in small pieces, and begins feeding the twins.

Percival bounced on his toes and returned to the kitchen to check on the herb-infused sauce, pleased to see it bubbling just right. He took a few minutes to arrange everything on plates artfully, then dribbled just enough sauce over the chicken and topped it with a garnish. He shouldered his way back out to the table and laid out the plates, remembering only a second too late that the wine was still chilling in the kitchen. "Oh, hold on," he sighed. "Drinks. Be right back."

Queen blinked for a moment as he headed back into the kitchen before turning back to admire the food set out before her. She held Ivan and Elyssa back as they both tried to reach for the food. "Shh, my darlings. Lets wait for Uncle Percy to come back, hm?"

The glasses were on the table, but Percival returned with a bottle of wine, the kind knowledgeable cooks paired with dinner in proper ways. "I hope this will do," he offered, setting the bottle down and sliding into the seat opposite the little family. "Mamie shooed me out of the kitchen, said I should be a good host and not the waiter."

"Of course, this will more than just do. You've done a wonderful job here from what I can see. And ..." She struggles to hold Ivan and Elyssa still. "They seem to agree. But I'm glad that you followed Mamie's advice. I wasn't expecting to be waited on by you - I was expecting to share the meal with you."

"Then I shall stay put, and enjoy the fruits of my afternoon's work," Percival said with a smile, at least pouring her a glass. He was dressed down in just a peasant shirt, no cravat, his sleeves still rolled up from cooking, looking far more casual than the last time he'd cooked for someone. "Do you need anything else? We can flag a real waiter..."

Queen shook her head. "Everything's perfect, thank you Percival." She shifted the twins in her lap in order to lift the glass he just poured for a sip. "And my, does the main dish look scrumptious~" She took her fork and began to eat the dish Percival had set out for the two of them, her eyes widening in surprise. "Oh my, this is even tastier than it looked and smelled! Wonderful job, Percival."

Percival practically glowed with happiness. He enjoyed his own cooking, but it didn't mean anything unless someone else did, also. "I'm glad it meets your approval. I thought something, hmm...not too heavy, shall we say, would go over well. After all, it may be autumn but the weather isn't ripe for heavy stews yet." He added a cute grin for Elyssa on her mother's lap.

Elyssa blinked up at Percival for a moment before smiling brightly back at him, cooing and babbling her usual baby-talk. Queen laughed, smirking back at Percival. "My, it seems that even my little girl is not immune to your charms~ Tsk, tsk, Sir Knight."

Giggling, Percival sat back. "Oh, I don't think I can take credit for that. She probably just thinks my hair is funny." He flicked at his forelock with one finger, making it bounce. "And it certainly is." He took a few bites, and after a bit, continued on. "Children do bring out the best in us, don't they? I've not seen you laughing this much since...well, since truth or dare I suppose..."

Queen continued smirking. "Well, they certainly bring much joy to my life, that much is very true. And I did enjoy that game quite a bit." She grinned a little more, alternating feeding the twins and herself. "Especially when I can tease so many people so easily."

"I'm sure some of us only bring it on ourselves," Percival laughed. "But that's all right. It's fun, it just requires knowing one's limits and when to say 'no thank you, I'll forfeit.' I should hope this is adequate payment for my own forefeit?"

Sighing in contentment as she finished the last bites, she nodded with a smile. "It's more than adequate. You certainly went above and beyond, Sir Knight. At least, you know when to back out. I honestly should have done so for a few of my dares but I was too stubborn to do so."

Percival tilted his head curiously. "Oh? That's too bad. But you are more of a risk-taker than I am, by a long shot." He shrugged loosely. "Oh well. Perhaps it's just a lesson to be learned for next time. And please." The grin came back. "You don't have to be so formal with me. I'd almost gotten used to the whole 'Percy' thing by now."

"That I am." Queen grinned. "And Percy it is then~ Maybe I'll learn one day but it might not be anytime soon. I think I might be taking a big one with ..." She paused before she finished that statement, having mixed feelings about saying anything too soon.

"Now, I didn't say I liked the nickname," he quickly cautioned, gesturing with his fork. "It's embarrassing enough when my mother calls me that. But I don't have to be 'Sir Knight' to anyone I call a friend, either." He made the curious head-tilt again. "Taking a big risk, hm? What now? I wasn't aware you were pondering any kind of life-changing decisions..."

"Heh, all right then, Percival. But be aware that the twins will still know you as Uncle Percy~ And honestly, I'm just teasing you when I call you 'Sir Knight' so don't worry." Coughing, Queen continued. "Well, that is certainly one way of putting it. I wasn't expecting to be making such a sudden decision myself after all ..."

Percival leaned on the table in order to sit forward and speak more confidentially with her, his face all concerned now. "Is that so? I hope it doesn't mean...leaving the castle, or anything drastic like that...though I could imagine that Budehuc holds a lot of bittersweet memories for you."

She chuckled nervously and shook her head. "No, nothing as drastic as that, thankfully. Budehuc is now my home and I wouldn't dare leave it for anything in the world." Biting her lip for a moment, debating whether or not to tell Percival, she finally decided to just go ahead and say it. "Perhaps it's because I'm lonely but I decided I am going to try to ... get close to another again."

"Oh?" Remembering what she had confessed during the truth portion of the game made a blush dash quickly across his cheeks before he swallowed it. "Is that so? Well, then! Who's er...the lucky fellow? That is, if you've already chosen a particular someone..."

First glancing down at the twins who have begun playing with one another, she looked back up at Percival, no longer smirking but quite serious. "Promise me that you won't ... have a heart attack? Because I know that it will be hard to believe."

"I promise," he said, shaking his head. "It would take a lot to give me a heart attack." Seeing how serious Queen had become, Percival wisely added, "If you don't want it spread around, I can be discreet."

Relieved, Queen smiled again and nodded. "Yes, that would be very much appreciated." With a sigh, she continued. "All right. I told Nash that I would be willing to give him a chance."

Percival's eyes widened; behind the flash of relief that it wasn't him came the natural surprise that... "Nash?" he hissed as quietly as he could. "Of all the...ahem." He shook his head, straightened up, and put on an easygoing smirk. "I see. So all of that flirting and the jealous tweak from him wasn't just an act, after all."

Queen sighed again. "I told you it's a shocker. And yes, he was quite serious about pursuing me. He has been for awhile now." Smiling slightly, she added, "And it's not like I didn't have any feelings for him before."

"Oho...." Percival leaned his chin on a fist and kept smirking. "You only told me he'd pursued you before, not that...there might have been something. But even if there wasn't, there is now, eh?" He chuckled a little. "Well, far be it from me to judge. If you see something in him worth liking, then that's all there is to it, isn't it?" Everything clicked, and he brightened up with a little "ah!" "So that's why you were concerned that he might overreact about you having dinner with me!"

She laughed, quite relieved that he didn't think it was too bad of an idea. "Heh, that's right. You saw how he got at the festival when I was waiting at the kissing booth. He gets jealous so easily~"

Gossiping about Nash put Percival in a very coy, smart-alecky mood. "Come now, I don't see why he should. After all, he's the one who usually goes around making others jealous with his own flirtations. Turnabout is fair play, isn't it?" He giggled to himself. "I hope he trusts you better than that, if he really wants to get closer to you. It won't do to be flying off the handle every time another man says hello."

"Heh." She couldn't help but smirk back. "You're right and I had tried to explain that to him before in the past. I chose Graham in the end because he didn't act jealous for one minute, even after I confessed that I had feelings for Nash and ..." Queen paused a moment to cough Geddoe's name into a fist before continuing. "Anyways, I didn't like how possessive and immature Nash was being. But he seems to have grown up since then."

"I should hope he has." Percival smiled amiably. "For your sake, if nothing else. Who knows? Perhaps he's learned his lesson." His smile faded by the slightest degree. "If he hasn't, it seems to me he'll be paying dearly for squandering a second chance. I honestly don't know how he can be that way, sometimes. I've had my share of bad luck but...at least I know when to move on and be a gentleman about it."

Shrugging, she just continued to smirk. "If he hasn't, he'll get what's coming to him for sure." Queen held Elyssa and Ivan to her chest, kissing them both tenderly. "For his sake, I hope he'll be true this time. He can be very sweet and caring and I do enjoy it when he's being his charming self." She laughed at her own words. "Can you believe that I would even fall for someone like him?"

"Well, it is a little unbelievable," Percival admitted with a shy laugh, "but then again, I only ever see the one side of him. I would never have thought him charming, at least not the same kind of charming as I try to be. And of course," he added coyly, "I wouldn't call myself an expert on what kind of men you do normally fall for..."

"Heh, that is true. I have liked all sorts of men." Queen paused to catch herself. "And that sounds so wrong but you know what I mean." Smiling again, she glanced off in the distance. "Well, we'll see where this will go. He made a promise and only time will tell if he can keep it."

"I wish you nothing but happiness, Queen," Percival said sincerely. "And if the one to provide it is Nash, so be it." His lips curled into another smirk. "Though if he gets to be a handful, I'll always be here to gossip with you about him. It's rather entertaining to abuse him behind his back."

Smirking again, she shook her head. "Thank you, Percival, but you're making it sound like he and I are a serious couple. I intend to take things one step at a time with him." Queen laughed, raising an amused eyebrow. "Oh, of course. I'll have to vent if he gets to be too much. But I'm not interested in abusing him in the least~"

"Figure of speech," Percival said modestly. "Though you're right, only time will tell. Then..." He took his wineglass and raised it in toast. "To new beginnings?"

Queen smiled and lifted her glass as well. "To new beginnings." She took a sip before Ivan and Elyssa began to fuss a little and she laughed. "It seems like they would like to participate as well." Taking out their bottles, she hands one to each and they suck at them eagerly. "They do get along well with Nash too ..."

"Well, that's always a good thing," Percival noted, watching and giving them that same cute smile again whenever one of the twins looked his way. "No man could get close to you if he couldn't accept the children." He waggled his fingers in a wave toward Ivan.

"You are very right about that." She grinned as she bounced the two in her lap. "Anyone who doesn't love my babies is not worth my time." Queen laughed as Ivan giggled at Percival before babbling a high-pitched "Purppy!"

Percival laughed outright. "Purpy? What is that? Is that like purple? I'm purple?" he teased the little boy. "I would be if I had blueberry pie for dessert." He suddenly sat upright, eyes wide again. "Dessert! Dear Goddess, I almost forgot!"

Queen smirked, nuzzling the little boy in her lap. "That's his attempt at calling you Percy. He's getting there~" She glanced up again when he nearly jumped out of his chair and smiled. "Dessert too? Don't worry, Percival. There's no rush."

"Well, it's just, we got to talking and I completely forgot about it." He politely used his napkin and set it aside so he could get up and fetch it from the kitchen - a fluffy-looking cheesecake garnished with raspberries. "I fully admit I didn't make this, I bought it from Watari," he grinned. "I wouldn't have had time, and I'm afraid I'm still getting the hang of desserts."

"I assure you, it's all right since I'm still trying to digest the delicious meal you made us." She smirked. "But oh, does that look tasty~ Watari, huh? They do make some yummy desserts though. Not a bad place to settle for if baking isn't your forte~"

"I'm perfectly willing to spread the talent pool around," Percival teased as he served them each a slice, adding a few extra raspberries for the kids. "I admit, being stationed at Budehuc is spoiling me rotten. Now the detective's clerk is even offering haircuts. Between that, the massages, the pastry shop, the stables...this little castle is like heaven."

"Heh, isn't it?" Queen smiled, feeding the twins small bites of the cheescake and raspberries. "I find Budehuc to be the perfect home. I have everything I could possibly want here. And even if all my friends aren't here now, what matters is that I still have others here to rely on."

"Indeed, you do," Percival nodded smartly. "Friends come and go, it doesn't mean they aren't friends. Look at me. Most of mine are spread out from here to the Tinto border, the Six Mighty Knights are hardly together anymore. But they're still my friends." He smiled wistfully over his cheesecake. "I've enjoyed meeting all the people from across time, here. It's much more fun getting to know, say, Sir Sheena, instead of pining over Sir Borus not being around."

She snorted at his comment about befriending Sheena. "That kid is a pervert. He keeps trying to make a pass at me. But you're right. No matter where in the world one's friends are, it doesn't mean the friendships don't exist." She took a bite of the cheesecake herself and smiles. "This is truly delicious."

Percival chuckled to himself. "Well, I didn't say he was the perfect company, but he is entertaining. He's like a young Nash sometimes~...heheh, sorry," he quickly added. "I'll try to keep the Nash-teasing to a minimum." He savored some of the cheesecake himself. "Mm, and just the tiniest hint of lemon. Sir Watari remembered..."

She just rolled her eyes. "That was my exact thoughts about him. He's a mini-Nash. But that doesn't mean that I find Sheena endearing in the least." Finishing the cheesecake, she wrapped the sling around her again as she strapped the twins to her chest as they yawned ever so slightly. "Thank you again for a delicious dinner, Percival. Do you need some help cleaning up?"

Percival rose along with her, as was polite. "Oh, no, I can handle it. It's the price I pay for being allowed to use the kitchen. Besides." He wagged a finger scoldingly. "You were the guest, guests aren't allowed to help clean." He stepped around his chair and came to set a hand on Elyssa's head, rather than try to hug Queen with the kids in tow. "It was my pleasure, Queen. Do take care of yourself."

Queen smiled as he gently patted Elyssa's head. "Maybe so but even a guest can offer to help every now and then. I am not a real queen to be waited on hand and foot, you know~" Hugging the twins close to herself, she nodded towards Percival. "I will. You too, Uncle Percy. You behave now~"

"Me? Always, milady!" he teased, backing off a step and bowing, though the rumpled shirt and riding breeches were far from noble in appearance. He straightened up and waved a last farewell before beginning to clear the table.