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[ 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.

[Clink! David grins around a mouthful of bubbly and oj, letting it fizz in the back of his mouth for a moment before swallowing.]

I'm so glad that even on another planet they have mimosas. Now all I need is Mariah Carey's discography and I'll be set for life.

[ Matt takes a genteel sip, followed by a much longer swallow once he's confirmed that yes, this is both delicious and drinkable. His lips come off the glass with a soft ah, and he flicks a crooked smile David's way. ]

Unfortunately, that's where my ability to be helpful ends.

[ Is he a bad queer? Matt wonders for the seven thousandth time in his life. ]

But I have faith in you. My ex got a book of family magic from home by ... I think asking Red? So that might be an avenue worth pursuing.

[David, leaning into his trashy queen side, is already halfway into his glass. His curiosity is piqued, though.]

So I could find this Red person and just...ask for shit?

Pay for shit, [ Matt hedges. He takes another luxuriant sip before clarifying, ] Red is kind of a purveyor of hard-to-get items, which is as sketchy as it sounds as far as I can tell. They're the one who sold me the drugs.

Oh. [David rolls his eyes. No shit. Besides, nothing's really free in a place like this.]

Well, duly noted. I still haven't tried that, by the way. Though I have tried the lotion and I have to say, I'm loving the results. Everything feels very...supple.

[ Matt brightens. ]

That's great! [ Fortunately for David, he's nowhere near tipsy enough to try touching his face. ] Please keep me updated on how it goes. You're kind of a scientific trial of one, so not at all scientific ... but still.

Who knows, maybe someday I'll figure out those other effects you wanted.

Of course I will.

[David can't help the smirk that creep across his face again.]

Even if your methods are scientifically dubious.

[ Matt cants a grin back at him. ]

That's actually one of the kinder ways people have characterized my methods. [ Another swig of mimosa. ] So I'll take it.

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