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[ Matt chuckles. ]

Nothing wrong with that. I've cultivated lots of aesthetics for spells--I mean, the form and function go kind of hand in hand for me--but I haven't thought about doing it for myself. [ It was kind of a point of pride to avoid it, in fact. Screw your appearances, mom and dad, Matt's gonna wear clothes that don't even fit right. He has not yet realized that willfully eschewing aesthetics is, in fact, one of the bougier things one can do. ] Can I run something by you?

[ His lips lilt into a smile that's slightly shy. ]

[That slightly-shy smile piques David's interest, and he already would have said yes, but it's so endearing that he blusters just a little.]

Wh—yes, of course. Lay it on me.

[ Matt brightens. ]

I kind of want to do something that would be like, reflective of all the colors in Noctium and around Sumarlok? So almost like, differently colored walls that are all really vibrant. Is that a complete disaster? I mean, I guess I could paint over it if it didn't work out.

[David tilts his head side to side, trying to picture it.]

Mm, no, if you pick the right colors it could end up looking very, like, vintage-urban-jungle-y. Lots of slightly muted jewel tones would be...muah.

[Chef's kiss.]

Yes, exactly!

[ Matt is arguably being a little too intense for interior design discussions, but here we are. ]

I was thinking of jewel tones, because--you know. [ He waves a hand, as if to gesture towards the Noctium of it all. ] Hadn't thought about muted versus saturated, though.

[David isn't complaining, honestly; finally someone is willing to listen to him ramble about a subject he actually is interested in and cares about! He nods sagely, his hands resting atop each other just below his chin.]

I find it adds just a little bit of intrigue. Makes you want to peer into dark corners, et cetera.

[ He laughs, pleased and perhaps a bit knowing. ]

That's a good point. I was thinking multiple colors might support my spellcasting, but nothing wrong with creating a bit of mystery while I'm at it.

Any colors I should avoid?

Hmmm. [David's expression turns a little playful.]

Puke green and shit brown. Anything else is generally fine.

[ Matt sits back with another spike of laughter, his face scrunching up. ]

Ew! Okay, okay, professional opinion noted.

[Oh, no, he misses his sister. What the fuck. Also? That face Matt is making is adorable.]

Aside from that, [he laughs,] I'm always happy to, you know. Consult. On a consulting basis.

[He blinks a couple times.]

Obviously.

[ Matt doesn't seem to notice the repetition. He grins, relieved. ]

I'd love to have you consult. I am ... honestly, slightly afraid of what I'd do to this nice house if I were totally unsupervised, I need guidance.

I'll make it worth your while, [ he concludes blithely.

... Okay Matt, remember 60 seconds ago when you both had a moment about dark corners? No? Jesus Christ. ]

Happy to provide. [David's mellow expression turns a little wide-eyed, sending his brows on a sharp upward trajectory.]

Oh. Okay, yeah, sure. No, um, no repayment required, of course. Fuck capitalism, am I right?

[ Matt's a bit puzzled by the reaction. But on the other hand, he also hates capitalism. And he's been trying to keep people from paying him for goods and services for months now. ]

Fuck capitalism, [ he agrees with a smile. The server returns with their food at this point, and Matt gets distracted by how good it all looks and smells. Though he does glance to David, hoping he'll like the dish Matt recommended. ]

[David is similarly puzzled by his own inability to act like a normal human being, so he's thankful for the sudden appearance of their food. He thanks the waiter and then looks down at his plate and there are practically giant hearts in his eyes.]

Oh, my god. [He gets a whiff of that hash and his eyes practically roll back in his head.] I'm so excited to put this inside me.

[He doesn't hesitate to dig in, beginning with the customary Breaking of the Egg Yolk.]

[ Matt's laugh is, once again, closer to a giggle as he slices his first forkful of french toast. He pops it into his mouth, chews thoughtfully for a moment, and makes a loud hmm of approval. ]

Three for three, [ he says when he comes up for air. ] Let me know if you want a taste of this, it's great. Not too sweet.

[That laugh is so carefree it curls into David's cold, black heart and makes it feel just a tiny bit less cold. David swallows his first mouthful of his hash and nearly cries, it's so good.]

God, yes please. Oh— [The waiter passes again, and David flags him down.] I'd die for a pitcher of mimosa right now, thank you.

[ That order gets a crooked grin. ]

I'm assuming I get to help with that. [ He takes another bite before sliding his plate halfway across the table, maneuvering it around mugs, plates, and condiment containers. ] God, this is nice. I should do brunch more often.

[That earns Matt a sly grin.] I'd be sad if you didn't.

[David reaches over with his fork and cuts off a piece of Matt's French toast, glancing up at him out of the corner of his eye before he sits back and puts the bite in his mouth. His eyes roll back in his head a little.]

Oh...oh my god. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, it's going to be a struggle not to come here every day.

[ Matt glances back, though he tries not to look like he's ... watching David eat. Still, when he seems to like it, Matt beams. ]

I'm not here to judge how you spend your time. Besides, I'm sure this local business would appreciate your patronage.

[ He forks up some more french toast. ]

There's been some major storm activity this year--I forget if I mentioned. So anything food industry related I think could probably use a boost.

[Going back to his own plate, David swallows and gives Matt a conspiratorial slant of the eyes.]

Who am I to withhold my purchasing power from such a fine establishment?

[Over the rim of his coffee mug, David's brow furrows.]

Like...are we talking Hurricane Katrina?

[ There's a brief flicker of surprise on Matt's face, like oh, you had a Katrina too. He frowns thoughtfully. ]

I'm not sure how the scale compares. I know there've been climate refugees; a lot of them ended up in Espera Village, which is one of the poorer parts of Sumarlok.

The major difference as I understand it is that the storms were--are--a product of Malachite's instability. [ His lips twitch. ] So a literal act of god.

[ This is when the waiter brings over their pitcher of mimosas, along with two glasses because he correctly deduced that David wasn't intending to drink the whole thing himself. It's a bit of awkward timing, but then again, Matt would love a drink right now. ]

Hmm. I see. [Well that's just a whole other bag of worms, isn't it?] That's really unfortunate. You would think in a place as advanced as this they'd have solved, like, economic inequality and climate change.

[It doesn't give David a whole lot of hope for Earth, either. Yikes. Thank god the alcohol arrives right then! David sets about pouring a generous glass for Matt, and then the same for himself. He half-raises his glass.]

What should we toast to?

In a way, I think it's sort of hopeful, [ Matt muses. ] Deprivation really is a lack of political will. Failure of love and imagination, not capacity.

[ He accepts his glass with a rueful smile. ]

But uh, let's see. We could ... toast to ...

Expanding one's knowledge of interior design? That's a mouthful.

[That's an interesting take, and one David is going to need to mull over when he's not about to be intoxicated. He gladly focuses on the toast instead, raises his glass halfway with a thoughtful look.]

...Hmm. What about... 'To vintage-urban-jungle vibes'?

[ Matt laughs. ]

Shorter. I like it. [ He hefts his glass. ] To vintage urban jungle vibes.

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