Now you know it's so much better to pretend

[thatsit]

Since the revelations of the meeting the mood in the Palace had shifted. In part, that was because the population had shifted. A number of attendees had left for their own homes once more, and the air had felt a little less tense ever since.

Bellatrix had been the first to depart, slinking off with her tail between her proverbial legs before anyone had chance to notice her retreat. Ariane Emory had stayed the night and left for Gralea the following day. Ignis had no doubt the woman would be back, but since her chances of laying her hands on the stone were currently zero she'd likely considered it a waste of her time to linger. He wasn't sorry to see the back of her black clad followers, whose impassivity was unsettling and existence an affront, although neither of those things were the fault of the individuals themselves.

Sir Integra and Alucard had stayed an extra night, which Ignis suspected had more to do with the presence of Noah clan in the Palace than Integra's own wishes. Alucard was a barely leashed attack dog at the best of times, but the Palace was, if not a no-combat zone then at least a neutral one where residents were expected to behave themselves. Ignis had sought her out prior to her departure, and they'd spent an hour discussing the meeting, the attendees, and Ignis and Gladio's plans to stay on a while longer.

She'd promised to pass his well wishes to his aunt before she'd left.

The Noah remained, though they seemed more intrigued with the Arrancar than they did with Ignis and Gladio. It wasn't unfounded; the meeting had held a number of revelations, not least the fact that Captain Aizen's underlings were daemon-infused experiments. It explained a lot about some of them, such as why, despite their reputations and behaviours, they were kept around.

It only raised questions about others. Nel, for example, seemed perfectly level headed and competent, and even had a background as a ranked watchwoman, and yet as one of Captain Aizen's Arrancar, she was infused with daemonic power. Why she had consented to that was a small mystery, and one that was probably rude to enquire about unless one knew her personally.

She was preparing for another visit to D District, maintaining the air that she was Captain Aizen's lover. Ignis had informally taken over some of her kitchen duties, duties that were not, Nel had said, given to her but which she had assumed because it was that or allow a disorganised free for all that would see inhabitants surviving on cup noodles and ready meals, and no one ever washing the dishes.

Aside from anything else, it gave Ignis a good position from which to ingratiate himself with the Palace's other inhabitants. Some were self sufficient, stubbornly so in some cases. Others were accustomed to Nel's presence, and became similarly accustomed to Ignis's.

He had two flavoured batches of Lucian Delight, cooled and ready for slicing into cubes to one side. He'd found an apron too, which made him feel much more at home in the Palace's kitchen. With his sleeves rolled up and his jacket hanging over the back of a chair, he practically looked like he belonged there as he sifted cornflour and icing sugar together.

Comments

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia shook his head. Lumi's dislike of plant life didn't extend so far as objecting to the money they could earn, but Marluxia still found his adamance about minimising the intrusion of flowers into his part of the house to be amusing.

"Cacti are far too prickly for you," he answered, with a smile that bordered on teasing, "but I still think some snow roses at your window would serve you well."

He still knew what the answer was going to be.

[thesilentstorm]

"Just so long as they're on the outside of the window," he said, fixing him with a flat look that betrayed how funny he found his insistence on flowers.

They'd already discussed it, of course. The cottage would mostly be under Marluxia's control. As well as having complete control over the garden, he wanted the reins of decorating and furnishing it and Lumi had given up any claim to the master bedroom. The stipilation to Marluxia's total control over the house was that his room was to remain plant-free.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia gave a soft, low chuckle. "One day I'll convince you to allow blooms into your bedroom," he replied, flashing Lumi a conspiratorial smile. "I'll just have to find one you like well enough first."

He had hopes for one of the rose cultivars he was working on, although whether Lumi would appreciate it remained to be seen. At the very least, it should bring in some extra money to have a unique breed of rose available only at their shop in Alexandria. Perhaps Lumi would appreciate the funds it brought more than the name.

Marluxia's gaze fell back to the tub Lumi was holding. Obviously Ignis had given it to him, since another, similar looking container sat on the counter nearby. "What's in there?" he asked, shifting the subject.

[thatsit]

Ignis glanced over his shoulder at Lumi and gave him a lingering, pointed look. Was it any wonder people presumed them to be a couple when Marluxia uttered such innuendo so casually? He stood closer to Lumi than anyone else dared, too.

It grew increasingly difficult to maintain a straight face, so Ignis was glad of the change of topic when Marluxia asked about the sweets. "Lucian Delight," he answered, looking to Marluxia as he finished wiping the countertop. "It's a traditional sweet. You're welcome to try some," he added, shifting the other tub nearer to Marluxia, "it might appeal to you."

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi gave Marluxia a flat look, remarkably flat, especially considering how typically expressionless he was. He wanted to point out that he objected to them because of the mess the petals made, but the subject matter shifted in time to stop him.

"It tastes rather nice," Lumi said. "I daresay you'll recognise the flavour."

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia's curiosity was piqued. Contrary to appearances, Lumi wasn't a picky eater. He came from a world where anything naturally sourced was decadent, whether it was food, or materials. Marluxia was having their house done out in as much of it as he could.

Lumi was as likely to consider offal to be fine dining as he would prime steak, but Marluxia was intrigued by the suggestion he'd recognise the flavour.

He selected a small, white dusted cube from the tub Ignis proffered. It was surprisingly pliant under his fingers and left a white powder residue. Up close it smelled mostly of sugar, and a hint of something familiar.

The texture was strange in his mouth once he got it there. It was almost gelatinous, but didn't quite have that jellyish stiffness to it. The flavour came through much more clearly then, too.

He chewed and swallowed it, looking at Ignis as he asked, "Rose?"

[thatsit]

Ignis smiled broadly at Marluxia recognising the taste of roses. "Yes," he confirmed. "It's made with rosewater or lemon, usually." He unfastened his apron and slipped it off, lifting it over his head and folding it carefully. It would need to go in the laundry. "I thought it made a change from cakes and pastries."

And it was a little piece of home. As much as Ignis was enjoying his time on the lowerworld, and wanted to stay longer, a part of him still missed Insomnia, or at least the people still there.

[thesilentstorm]

"I didn't even know you could eat them," Lumi said, looking down at his own little box of Lucian Delight. "I was just under the impression that they sat there and attracted unpleasant stinging insects."

He didn't like bees. He'd been told they stung, but he hadn't been subject to that little bit of nastiness yet. Still, the buzzing sound they made put him on his guard for reasons he couldn't quite explain. That they were attracted to flowers didn't help. It was another reason he didn't want the damned things in his bedroom.

[thatsit]

"Oh, a number of flowers are edible," Ignis replied, quite cheerfully as he flipped the kettle on to boil. "Their petals, at least. The stems and petal bases can be quite bitter. Roses especially have long been used as flavouring and decoration," he added. He didn't use flowers much himself; it was something of a hassle to get ones that it was safe to use, but rosewater wasn't especially hard to find.

He drew his mug down from the cupboard, along with his coffee. The lowerworld did not have anything that was a patch on Ebony, but that was just something he'd have to bear. His canned supply was now a precious resource.

[gracefuldahlia]

"An even greater number are suitable for serving to your enemies," Marluxia added, with a soft, dangerous smile.

Lumi's obvious dislike of bees amused Marluxia greatly. The Palace's gardens had an apiary tucked away at the back, because everything the gardens needed to live had been brought in. Marluxia wasn't sure if it was one of the reasons Lumi disliked the gardens or not; he didn't think Lumi had ever had a run in with the bees. He could only assume they were intimidating to someone that was accustomed to things knowing better than to attack him, since bees didn't attack expecting to win anyway. The point was to defend the hive. Being frighteningly powerful and severely beautiful didn't put them off.

He hadn't broached the possibility of keeping one in Alexandria, too. Marluxia suspected he knew what the answer would be to that, and it would involve Marluxia finding his own house.

"And there's nothing unpleasant about bees. They won't bother you if you don't upset them," he added.

[thesilentstorm]

"The same could be said for me," Lumi said, giving a small shrug of the shoulders. "It doesn't stop people being wary."

And wary they were.

Most people rated Lumi up there with Aizen and Kuja in terms of who they would least want to mess with in the Palace.

He'd never actually gone out of his way to intimidate or frighten people, though. He kept mostly to himself, spoke softly, and didn't throw his reiatsu around. There had been minimal disruption to the peace of the palace from him or Marluxia. A few choice words perhaps, and the incident where he had bitten through Szayel's hierro, but his reputation for being scary had pre-dated his short stint in the infirmary.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia smirked. Hearing Lumi feign innocence about why he was so intimidating to so many was a little like being given sad puppy eyes by a creature that had eaten half of the couch behind it.

"Yes," he pointed out, "but when Szayel bothered you, you bit through his hand, so that wariness isn't misplaced. The worst a bee will do to you is sting; it might pinch a little, and the bee will die."

It could be put forward that Lumi had similarly risked death by putting a part of Szayel into his mouth, but that was a consequence of Szayel rather than the bite so Marluxia didn't think it a fair comparison.

[thatsit]

Ignis halted in the process of preparing his coffee filter and looked at Lumi.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking at Lumi with mingled confusion and surprise, "you bit him?"

Through his hand, at that. The human jaw was exceptionally strong, a person could bite a finger off under the right circumstances, but those circumstances weren't exactly easy to manufacture, and there was a difference between a hand and a mere finger. There were more bones, for a start, and more flesh, depending upon which part of the hand.

And that was before taking into account that Szayel was one of the Arrancar. They had been revealed to be part daemon, so who knew what strange abilities they might have?

Not that Lumi seemed the biting type. He'd seemed perfectly reasonable when Ignis was talking to him about travel and food.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi gave Marluxia a flat look and then turned his attention to Ignis. The way Marluxia had phrased it made it sound rather like Lumi was just in the habit of biting people who annoyed him.

"I had been shot with an elemental bullet during the course of a battle," Lumi explained, not wanting to look like a totally psychotic nutcase in front of somebody who didn't really know better. "I'm a Berserker. When Marluxia got me back to the palace and took me to see Szayel, he strapped me to the operating table to extract the bullet. During the course of the examination, I'm led to believe he made the error of putting his fingers in my mouth. I don't remember a thing, but the whole affair was terrible. I could have died. Who knows where Szayel's been?" He wrinkled his nose with a sour expression.

[thatsit]

Ignis watched Lumi's expression as he explained the tale. The details fell a little more sensibly into place with the additional information. It certainly made more sense for someone to bite Szayel if his hand was already probing at their mouth. Although, as Lumi said, it was also a distressing thought.

He let out a laugh at Lumi's last comment. "I doubt Szayel remembers everywhere he's been," he agreed. Szayel was everything Ignis didn't want people to presume of himself. "I hope you've had your shots."

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia smirked at Ignis's comment about Szayel. Marluxia had got the impression that where his sexual exploits were concerned, Szayel was mostly talk. Most people didn't want to touch him with a barge pole precisely because of his behaviour. In the time he and Lumi had graciously allowed Szayel to continue to draw breath Marluxia doubted he'd actually slept with anyone.

Still, there was a note of effeminate bitchiness in Ignis's comment. It was surprising for someone that had come as an envoy representing some other, unnamed foreign member. There was a hint of bark there, that Marluxia could appreciate.

Was it backed up by any bite?

[thesilentstorm]

"I have a very robust immune system," Lumi said, half a smirk on his face. "Quite fortunate."

Breaking his teeth had been his main concern. He doubted there was anywhere on Spira where he could obtain suitable replacements for the implants. That was the upside to world. While some things needed to be learned and seemed to be difficult, perhaps impossible for him to grasp, let alone master, Magic among them, the unconscious tendency to reinforce high-impact body parts with Chakra was a definite plus. To break through the Hierro of a Hollow with his teeth, he knew he must have done that, even when he was out of his mind. Usually it took the edge of a specialist weapon, or magic, to get through that hardened Chakra shell. Good though his teeth were, he knew he could never have got through that with strength alone.

[thatsit]

Ignis flashed his own teeth in a grin. He liked Lumi, he decided. They shared a similarly dry sense of humour, as well as, from the sound of it, a few other things.

"And I'm sure you're grateful for the amnesia too. At least you don't have to remember what he tastes like."

Or that his fingers were in Lumi's mouth. The idea of it was enough to make Ignis internally grimace in sympathy. Still, Szayel must be an effective surgeon to remove a magical bullet from someone in a state of berserker fugue. At the very least, he had to be a reliable one in order for Lumi and Marluxia to have trusted him to resolve it.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia flashed a smile, trailing his fingers lightly over Lumi's back as he moved past him. The kettle clicked off. Ignis had become so distracted with the tale of Lumi biting Szayel that he'd failed to resume his coffee making, but he wasn't the only one that wanted a drink. Marluxia moved to the cupboard to start making his own coffee, though his standards were less exacting than Ignis's in that regard.

"Lumi isn't a picky eater," he commented to Ignis, thinking of Lumi's contentment to eat almost any body part or cut of meat due to his home environment, "but there are limits."

[thesilentstorm]

"Szayel certainly represents those limits," Lumi said, wrinkling his nose.

Picky, he was not. He'd quite happily lived on mostly nutritious bars, powders and whatnot for most of his life, with real food being restricted to restaurants. Even those restaurants, depending on how high-end they were, and how lucky they were with trade routes and sourcing, tended to use laboratory-made meat and hydroponically grown vegetables. Getting to eat real meat, from real animals was certainly a treat, let alone plants grown in actual sunlight and dirt. He was hardly going to be picky about what part of an animal the meat came from.

"Thank you, Marluxia," he said, indicating the kettle. How kind of him to offer.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Lumi. To anyone else it would have been a challenge, and a refusal. To Lumi it was an acknowledgement of his cheek.

He'd been going to offer him one anyway, but the way Lumi got in there first almost made Marluxia want to be contrary.

He looked away from Lumi, but retrieved two cups and the coffee. "Shall I finish yours, Ignis?"

[thatsit]

Ignis saw the way Marluxia's hand trailed across Lumi's back as he moved, and the casual way they acted. It felt as if there was a lot of communication happening with a simple meeting of their eyes. And yet Lumi insisted they were nothing more than companions. Friends, perhaps, even though Marluxia certainly acted like a lover.

"No," he answered, a little quickly. "Thank you. I'm rather particular about my coffee, I'm afraid," he explained. Very few people had earned the honour of being able to make it for him, and it seemed rude to stand over the shoulder of someone like Marluxia and issue precise instructions so that he could learn the correct way.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi gave a smile. It was a rare thing, barely settling on his mouth but it reached his eyes, and there was something of the contented cat about it. Uncommon, hard-won and unusual on the face of something with well-hidden claws.

He turned his attention to Ignis again, almost amused with his very particular attitude to coffee.

"There's a small coffee shop in Alexandria," he said, thinking back to one that he and Marluxia had stopped in at Lumi's behest, to give him a break from shopping for houses and being subjected to flower talk. "It was very good. They were very proud of the fact that they only source their beans from the Bancouri Wildlands and Ishval. You can buy bags of both kinds in the shop itself. A bit of a well-kept secret, to hear them talk."

[thatsit]

Ignis tilted his head and listened with interest. He had yet to find a coffee brand in this part of the world that was a patch on his preferred Ebony. In fact, a lot of people in the Palace in particular seemed content with instant coffee, which was, to Ignis's view, as much like good coffee as package mix cakes were to ones made by someone who knew how to bake.

He had no quarrel with easy food and drink. A lot of the cheapest, most delicious recipes were fast and convenient, and Ignis was quite fond of street food when he had the chance to try something new. But that speed shouldn't come at the cost of quality, and where coffee was concerned it most certainly did.

"I shall have to pay them a visit," he replied. A coffee shop that prided themselves on having the finest ingredients sounded right up Ignis's proverbial street. "It sounds like Alexandria may have to sit at the top of the list."

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia spooned out coffee into two mugs and poured water in on top while he listened to Lumi and Ignis. He already knew Ignis was a coffee snob; Nel had bought actual coffee beans on his account. Marluxia was of the opinion that all coffee tasted of the same bitter, earthy flavour regardless of how expensive the beans were or where they had grown.

"List?" he asked, adding milk and sugar so that the coffee was bearably bitter and earthy, instead of punishment dished out by mother nature onto his palate.