Policeman and the cat

55 - Friday conversations

"You handle food properly, don't chew with open mouth, sit with a straight posture, gulp down before speaking, little details like that, the only one by this table eating with the same manners is Kenneth and now that Nelly is sitting next to you, not on your lap it got too obvious," Lorelei said. "No wonder we got along so well."

"You two were obvious peas of the same pod on the first lecture," Penelope said and Hailey nodded.

"When I first met Ian I was under the impression he was one of those adorable rich kids running away from their family to pursue a dream of being something different from expectations," Kenneth said.

Ian never realized it was THAT bad. But being called adorable by Kenneth wasn't a bad feeling. And, in the end, what did it change now - even with the bad blending-in ability they had gotten where they were and... mhm, became magical people, but they had seduced a dragon, so it was a major success no matter what anyone else says about it.

Hopefully, Mom doesn't get a trauma from this, though. Who knows who was at fault, but-- the way she herself had phrased it, even when drunk, had calmed him down immensely. She was sick of laying low, she would go back to 'conquer.'

"I also don't think any male in my family would be happy rather than borderline attacking another male for being called adorable," Hailey said.

"Same," Penelope said.

"Weaklings are either adorable or nuisances to strong beings, that's just how it is. I'd need to defeat Kenneth in a spar first to challenge that label," Ian said. "But attacking by a table--" How to phrase it?

"Would be barbaric," Lorelei finished accurately.

"Yes," Ian confirmed.

"What does that make us since we are weaker?" Penelope asked, a bit challenging.

Kenneth snorted.

Ian had dug his own grave.

"Adorable," Nelly replied. "But Bermont is also adorable and Kenneth is as well."

Kenneth sighed with a smile. "Why would he be offended if he feels the same way?"

And they were done with the meal so they parted ways and after brewing a batch of ambrosia they could start working on a huge batch of sweets with Kenneth directing and assisting.

"Right," Ian recalled, doing it here might not be too good since it was poison to most, but - "Can you ask Knox if I can borrow his kitchen on Sunday for making a bit of dark-aligned sweets?"

"I don't even think I need to ask," Kenneth said, "but I can do that. What kind of ingredients you need?"

"I got some undead cookbooks from Bermont, I'm not sure what I'll be making yet," Ian said. "Bermont also gave me some stuff he said you might check over before we call Purple for anything and artifacts with two cursed books he said Purple would value as ten barrels of ambrosia each, so he said I should bring twenty barrels home, at least."

Kenneth smiled. "I figured this would happen at one point." He elaborated seeing Ian's look - "Him buying it up before it hits the market."

And at lunch, the conversation continued.

Lorelei asked - "Ian, if my mother figures I'm not actually targeting Kenneth, can I say I'm targeting you? That's if that happens before my independence comes to pass."

"Sure?" Ian said because it wasn't like he would need to do anything in that situation either way.

"I'm surprised Margaret Hes agreed to you joining with that premise," Kenneth said. "Don't I count as too eccentric?"