[First one hand, then the other goes to the keys, feeling his way around. One note plays, then another, then a string of them, and he's not thinking about it. Muscle memory still works well after all of this time.]
Did your father have any hand in this? I'll have to thank him properly when I see him next.
[Not that he would have listened to Vincent on the matter. Undertaker had taken good care of him up until this point, especially before his father had arrived. He deserved something nice.]
Guilty by association, then. Oh well. I suppose this means I'm giving both of you lessons. This is too grand a gift, milord. As humbled as I am by it, I'll not be enjoying it alone. You have to know you deserve this as much as I do. [If only he could afford to do something as nice for them.]
[He stares for a moment then his smile turns soft. And he shrugs.]
If it makes you happy, it doesn't seem like too grand a gift to me. Besides, you've also looked after me and the cafe would have been impossible without you. [Just having Undertaker there with them is enough for Ciel, at least.]
Edited (dreamwidth, lemme use my icon. rude.) Date: 2018-04-18 08:04 pm (UTC)
It makes me happy, milord. I only worry about how much you must have spent on something so lovely, even if I do work for you. The way that you handle your business back in London, I have no doubt that you could manage the cafe here as well as the rest of your company. You give me too much credit, I think.
[In fairness, back in London he has the benefit of a demon to help increase sales and deal with advertisement.] I disagree. You know more about teas than I do, and you worked at that other cafe enough that you certainly know more about coffees than I do.
[He hums and nods, running his fingers over the keys one way and the other, slowly.]
It has been that way with us, hasn't it? You've never been a manager to me, only a business acquaintance. But I disagree in kind about the tea. I might have worked in a cafe in the brief time that I've lived here, but your tastes are far more refined than mine, I assure you. You must have noticed I really only kept one or two teas in the parlor, but you with your resources, you've likely had your fill and then some of all manner of tea that I've only ever dreamed of. Years on you though I have, I'm a picky one.
Only because Sebastian would have tea for me each morning when he woke me. And made sure I could tell teas by their scent. [It was almost a game. One he doesn't mind missing out on anymore, he's glad to just enjoy the teas they have.]
I liked the tea you always kept. It was... kind of nice. Knowing what to expect and knowing you'd make it well.
[There's that, but he won't be testing the Earl on these things, even if tea is the first thing he does in the morning.]
We can still have tea for you early in the morning. We do now anyway, but if ever you want to change that, we can. That still doesn't take away from that you know your leaves better than I do, so you'll be a big asset to our menu.
Then we'll leave it as is and let the customers decide if they want to see anything new. It'll be a blend of our tastes and their own. I haven't seen many suggestions come through, but it can't hurt to hear what they think.
Mm, that sounds nice, actually. And, if you want, we could always put up a suggestion box? You're absolutely right that it can't hurt. And maybe there are some things we have heard of in our time.
[He nods and reaches out to ruffle Ciel's hair.] Precisely. Who knows what they want? They've been content with the items we have to offer so far, but we can change it up now and then.
[That gets a wider grin out of him. He loves their banter.]
No, of course not. The point of it is to watch it grow and thrive. I didn't create it like I did the funeral parlor, but there's still a certain pleasure to be found in helping make something grow.
[He sees that and he's well aware. So to help curb the guilt, he'll reach out and poke the boy's nose with a nail.]
Don't take that all on your shoulders. Even if you hadn't gone out to investigate what I'd been doing with the dolls, the reapers already knew about them. I wouldn't have been able to go back to the mortuary business the same way I had either way it went. That path was set for me the moment I started toying with cinematic records.
[That's enough to, at least, shock the guilty look off his face. And he'll just blink up at him.]
You... [A part of him tries to justify his guilt but he comes up empty-handed.] Why would you do that if it was going to risk the life you were comfortable with?
[It's surprising to him that Ciel would want to take on so much of the blame for somethng that had been out of his control outside of his own family and what happened after the fire. With his brother? He could understand that. But he can't deny that their own bonds, what flimsy things they had before the city, are far stronger now than they had been.]
Because no one has tried it? No, I suppose everything was out of selfishness on my part. My chain was growing far too long, and now that you know what you are to me, you might understand why I couldn't be content to just dig another grave.
[So flimsy. Even a little strange, how they dealt with one another. If it hadn't been for this place, there wasn't much of a chance of them fixing everything.]
Ah- I suppose I can understand that. [That had to gradually grow more depressing.] I'm sorry you had to dig any for us at all.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 11:37 am (UTC)Did your father have any hand in this? I'll have to thank him properly when I see him next.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-15 06:34 am (UTC)[Not that he would have listened to Vincent on the matter. Undertaker had taken good care of him up until this point, especially before his father had arrived. He deserved something nice.]
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Date: 2018-04-18 12:18 pm (UTC)Guilty by association, then. Oh well. I suppose this means I'm giving both of you lessons. This is too grand a gift, milord. As humbled as I am by it, I'll not be enjoying it alone. You have to know you deserve this as much as I do. [If only he could afford to do something as nice for them.]
no subject
Date: 2018-04-18 08:04 pm (UTC)If it makes you happy, it doesn't seem like too grand a gift to me. Besides, you've also looked after me and the cafe would have been impossible without you. [Just having Undertaker there with them is enough for Ciel, at least.]
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Date: 2018-04-22 04:57 pm (UTC)It makes me happy, milord. I only worry about how much you must have spent on something so lovely, even if I do work for you. The way that you handle your business back in London, I have no doubt that you could manage the cafe here as well as the rest of your company. You give me too much credit, I think.
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Date: 2018-04-23 05:09 am (UTC)[In fairness, back in London he has the benefit of a demon to help increase sales and deal with advertisement.] I disagree. You know more about teas than I do, and you worked at that other cafe enough that you certainly know more about coffees than I do.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-26 06:00 pm (UTC)It has been that way with us, hasn't it? You've never been a manager to me, only a business acquaintance. But I disagree in kind about the tea. I might have worked in a cafe in the brief time that I've lived here, but your tastes are far more refined than mine, I assure you. You must have noticed I really only kept one or two teas in the parlor, but you with your resources, you've likely had your fill and then some of all manner of tea that I've only ever dreamed of. Years on you though I have, I'm a picky one.
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Date: 2018-04-27 12:36 am (UTC)I liked the tea you always kept. It was... kind of nice. Knowing what to expect and knowing you'd make it well.
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Date: 2018-04-27 06:01 pm (UTC)We can still have tea for you early in the morning. We do now anyway, but if ever you want to change that, we can. That still doesn't take away from that you know your leaves better than I do, so you'll be a big asset to our menu.
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Date: 2018-04-30 06:32 am (UTC)I like how we do things now, actually. I'm not sure I'd want to change anything. [He smiles though.] We're both of great value then, to the cafe.
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Date: 2018-05-07 04:22 pm (UTC)Then we'll leave it as is and let the customers decide if they want to see anything new. It'll be a blend of our tastes and their own. I haven't seen many suggestions come through, but it can't hurt to hear what they think.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-08 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-05-11 04:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-05-15 07:24 am (UTC)He does smile though, trying to straighten it a bit after.]
They have been but it never hurts to mix things up a bit. We wouldn't want business to stagnate.
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Date: 2018-05-20 06:33 pm (UTC)No, of course not. The point of it is to watch it grow and thrive. I didn't create it like I did the funeral parlor, but there's still a certain pleasure to be found in helping make something grow.
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Date: 2018-05-22 07:37 am (UTC)No but it wouldn't be what it is without you. [That does give him pause though.] Do you miss it?
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Date: 2018-05-28 03:42 am (UTC)Oh, the parlor? I suppose I do. I knew the trade in and out, after all. Better than I do any of this fancy stuff.
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Date: 2018-05-30 08:22 pm (UTC)I'm sorry. I ruined all of that for you.
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Date: 2018-06-02 03:51 am (UTC)Oh? Why do you think that? The funeral business was only a front anyway. I would have had to give it up in time.
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Date: 2018-06-02 04:21 am (UTC)[Never mind that the other reapers knew about him as well by then, but Ciel has a guilt-complex.]
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Date: 2018-06-07 04:41 pm (UTC)Don't take that all on your shoulders. Even if you hadn't gone out to investigate what I'd been doing with the dolls, the reapers already knew about them. I wouldn't have been able to go back to the mortuary business the same way I had either way it went. That path was set for me the moment I started toying with cinematic records.
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Date: 2018-06-09 06:20 am (UTC)You... [A part of him tries to justify his guilt but he comes up empty-handed.] Why would you do that if it was going to risk the life you were comfortable with?
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Date: 2018-06-10 08:18 pm (UTC)Because no one has tried it? No, I suppose everything was out of selfishness on my part. My chain was growing far too long, and now that you know what you are to me, you might understand why I couldn't be content to just dig another grave.
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Date: 2018-06-11 12:58 am (UTC)Ah- I suppose I can understand that. [That had to gradually grow more depressing.] I'm sorry you had to dig any for us at all.
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Date: 2018-06-13 03:51 am (UTC)As am I, milord. But here now, it's not that bad anymore. I've got you to poke fun at and help me taste test what I bake in the kitchen.
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