He’ll have you know that he would [i]not[/i] blurt out anything about Encouragement, thank you very much. Not here nor anywhere. But especially not when his mouth is full of eggs and sausage. Warm, but not so hot it burns. The meat reminds him of the gyros from that Mediterranean place his family would go to, where it’s not any one meat, but a combination of flavors into something new. Don’t ask him which flavors. It’s too early in the morning for big questions like that. It’s savory, it’s rich, it hits the spot, and that’s more than enough for him. Don’t ask him why Negodincia would think him hot either. Morning. Way too big. Can’t do it.

Now, there’s other things he’s trying to speak up about, but there still seem to be a lot of eggs and sausage in the way. You’d think that was an easy problem to fix, but it’s far trickier than that. When he’s finished a bite of breakfast, Juniper is still talking. Or the huntress (A Bagyum, possibly? What rank was that again?) is talking. And he’s not going to interrupt them, no. The blanket lump will shift as he raises a hand, trying to signal for silence, but before he can get the point across Juniper’s giving him another forkful. Have you ever tried to not eat something that somebody’s offered you? He certainly hadn’t! It’s really tough! The food is just sitting there. Waiting. Juniper’s looking at him. The huntress is looking at him. If there’s a way to make that moment any less awkward, it was a technique that was beyond him. Open up. Munch munch munch. Aaaaaaaaaand they’re still talking, it’s all important, so he’s got to listen closely, and it starts all over again.

(He is [i]ravenous.[/i] He didn’t realize how empty he was until he’d tasted food. A big day. His first duel. Travel across Thellamie to places unknown. Pack rations keep a body on its feet, but do not make a proper meal. The gold-lined bowl is full of hearty, proper breakfast, and if you asked him he’d be hard-pressed to say if it would be enough for him.

Juniper is a trained sluzhanka. The fork rises with enough to make a mouthful, not enough to struggle with. Time her with a stopwatch; each bite is presented like clockwork. She keeps him at a pace where he has no choice but to relax, take his time, and [i]savor[/i] this gift of a meal. An honored guest is not required to do anything else. 

It only takes him a few bites to learn to stay still, and let her bring the fork to him. Later he will talk, and he will pause to open his mouth wide for her without thinking. Do imagine some of the following punctuation as breakfast breaks.)

“To be fair, the folks at the Chrysthanamum didn’t make me do a bunch of chores. I did have to do [i]some[/i] chores, but like, not more than anyone else. I didn’t have to scrub dishes all day and sleep in a half-full cupboard.  Really, I mostly just worked as a waiter. Taking orders, bringing people their food, making sure everyone was having a good time, that sort of thing. It was a good job, and, they didn’t force me to do anything more than that. Oh, and they gave us plenty of breaks, good food, and really, they were doing all this to give me a place to hide. Or, well, that was the idea, anyway. But that’s, I’m going off on a tangent there. Just, didn’t want to give the wrong impression.” 

“I'm glad to not be doing Negocinda’s chores! That's very good.”

He hasn’t even mentioned Alcideo. Or Miss Yaz. Or all the other folks who worked alongside him at the cafe. Or the deliciousness spell. Or the soft beds and quiet dormitories. Or the, uh, very clear feedback and instruction he was given. But he’s rambling now. Way past rambling. Move it along, Hazel, move it along.

“So. Sluzhankas.” Plural. Gosh. “I remember the general idea. And some of the details from our talks. The plan makes sense.” And he’s very, very happy that plan does not involve elephant-wrestling. Or fighting the. Um. Mirrorfolk. (He breathes in freshly-cooked sausage. He remembers sweet flowers.) “So. First question: How do I…[i]have[/i] sluzhankas? Practically speaking? I mean, I understand the idea of it, but, in practice, how do I, are there things I’m supposed to do or else I’m no longer shielded?”

“And are they okay in there? That doesn’t look. Comfortable?” 

“...that’s two questions, but, you get what I mean.”

[Activating [b]Friendly Benefits[/b] on Juniper.]