Victor sighed. "That, I cannot tell you." you'd think me mad he thought, and I can't have that. he started to eat, and Anna allowed him to. She wasn't cruel, at least not on purpose, and she did want to help this sopping wet kitten in the rain of a man as well as his companion in travel.
Robert didn’t think it was the tall fellow’s fault, or at least, he didn’t want to. He was so timid; but then, perhaps it was simply an accident of some kind. He furrowed his brow then went back to eating, his leg bouncing rapidly. After spending time with Alphonse on the ship, he preferred not to push him more than once.
"I mean, he's not a pretty sight, but I certainly don't think demon describes it. Maybe just slightly corpseli-" Victor interrupted Anna's observations with a loud cough. "Ahem? I didn't think it would be a woman's place to make commentary about this sort of thing. Then again, women never seem to stop talking." he rolled his eyes. That set Anna off, but Margaret was the first to speak on this. "You won't speak to my wife that way in my house, or else you and your giant friend will have to be leaving."
"Wife? Wife? You call this mockery of marriage-" Victor was immediately shut up by a kick underneath the table from Esme. "Mum's right, and also you're really mean. Why are you like that? I'm not mean." she observed, and the creature let out a very small giggle at that, a laugh quickly shut down by Victor tapping the knife by his place setting and glaring very intensely.
"Well, I take you won't be wanting our help for much longer. You have the night to sort out your affairs, and I'll have you taken to the city in the morning." Anna said, and that was the final word on that. Victor didn't even feel like protesting, with how she was looking at him.
(Victor really be gay and homophobic on main.)
(Like bae you literally have a boyfriend waiting for you at home.)
(Lol like bro, you’re homophobic? That’s kinda fruity ngl)
(It's like those homophobic dudebros who call everything they don't like gay. Like bro how do u know?)
"I mean, he's not a pretty sight, but I certainly don't think demon describes it. Maybe just slightly corpseli-" Victor interrupted Anna's observations with a loud cough. "Ahem? I didn't think it would be a woman's place to make commentary about this sort of thing. Then again, women never seem to stop talking." he rolled his eyes. That set Anna off, but Margaret was the first to speak on this. "You won't speak to my wife that way in my house, or else you and your giant friend will have to be leaving."
"Wife? Wife? You call this mockery of marriage-" Victor was immediately shut up by a kick underneath the table from Esme. "Mum's right, and also you're really mean. Why are you like that? I'm not mean." she observed, and the creature let out a very small giggle at that, a laugh quickly shut down by Victor tapping the knife by his place setting and glaring very intensely.
"Well, I take you won't be wanting our help for much longer. You have the night to sort out your affairs, and I'll have you taken to the city in the morning." Anna said, and that was the final word on that. Victor didn't even feel like protesting, with how she was looking at him.
However, for his sisters, he would be willing to push all he wanted. He was about sharply retort in defense of Anna, but Margaret did it for both of them. And again, by Esme. He also let out a small chuckle at her words, his leg bouncing becoming even more rapid. It seemed to be the only way he could calm down in the moment without it being noticeable.
Robert thought about changing the subject, but he did not know what to change it to. Honestly, he was tired, and the tense atmosphere did not help. He just wanted to eat, and maybe take a bath.
Anna excused herself from the table, taking Margaret with her. The two women had a quick discussion in the hallway, before leaving for their bedroom. Esme decided to leave as well, as lovely as her Uncle Robert was, she didn't like strangers. 'Specially mean ones. That left Victor, monster, and Robert. Victor didn't touch his food, the creature did, taking bites of his food slowly as he watched them both.
Robert stayed quiet as the girls left. Once they were gone, he took the opportunity to speak. “She’s not bluffing, you know. You can’t speak like that around here, Alphonse. No matter how rich or important you think you are, you are our guest. And guests don’t slander their hosts.”
He had a feeling that his words would not make much of a difference on the man, but it needed to be said, so he said it.
"In the Greek tradition, guests were treated much better than whatever… this is." he said, storming off to go wallow outside. The creature shrank back, not knowing whether to go find Victor or finish eating but knowing he'd be punished whatever choice he made. "I'm sorry." he said.
Robert sighed. If only he could have just had a nice reunion with his family. He could only blame himself for how things turned out, though; he brought them here.
Glancing over at the giant, he allowed a smile to spread on his face. “It’s alright, sir. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
He went back to eating and finishing his stew. He wasn’t sure what he would do after that, perhaps take a nap or see where Esme went off to.
The creature went instead to wander the house, finding Esme in the greenhouse attached to the side of the living room that had the stove, clever in its design so that the greenhouse could be heated in any weather. However, it was a warm summer night, and that wasn't a great worry. She was watering the plants with water from the family's well, and her little arms stretched as high as they could to reach the taller plants. She eventually got a stool, paying the creature no mind as he watched her work, fascinated. He'd never seen so much color, not in one place and never so vibrant.
After finishing his food, however, Robert realized there was a more pressing matter to address. The dishes. For a moment he slumped in his seat, assessing how much focus he could put into doing the chore. Well, he considered, it would take his mind off of the intrusive thoughts that were sure to come due to the events that happened thus far. And Margaret would like it.
So he got up and quickly went to work. He took all the plates, cups and the one bowl used for the stew to the kitchen and stayed there, taking off his waistcoat and beginning to scrub away.
Esme noticed the creature after a while, waving to say hello. “Hi, creepy tall man!” she said loudly, to which the creature screeched. He didn’t think Esme would have taken notice of him, given her perceived treatment of strangers. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” she said, walking over to the creature and taking him by the hand into the greenhouse. It was a warm, humid space, meant for plants to thrive, where there was so much life. “Wait, wait, I-“ he began, Esme shushed him and took him to a bench to sit down. “You’re funny. Mum says I should be nicer to strangers that Uncle invites over and you seem like a good one to start with.” she said to which the creature only could nod weakly.
Robert wasn’t sure how long he was washing dishes, but it felt like a while. He liked to break down the chore into three easy parts: washing, drying, and putting up. Now that he had washed everything, he would dry everything. By now he had his sleeves rolled up and his ponytail redone to be higher on his head, so it wouldn’t spill over his shoulders. At first the kitchen had been filled with the sound of water sloshing about, but now it was quiet as he used old, stained towels to dry everything. Though, he did catch the faint voices of Esme and the giant man in the greenhouse. Robert smiled to himself, hoping his niece was not up to any mischief.
Esme meanwhile had been explaining her mothers’ various plant species, some from far away places the creature hadn’t even heard of. He asked her about those places, and she explained, filling the creature’s eyes with awe and wonder the more she spoke. “That’s amazing! You mean such a little thing could have come all the way from… ah-mur-ca?” he asked, cradling a purple potted plant in his hands. “Yeah, it’s lovely isn’t it?” she asked, taking the plant in favor of showing him another one.
Robert was starting to wonder why this was taking so long, but he figured that Alphonse’s and the tall fellow’s dishes had just added to the load. Putting everything away was easy at least, and the noise level in the kitchen began to steadily rise as the sound of clinking plates and cups filled it. The stew pot was a little more difficult though; it was large and made of dark stone, and he had to haul it over by the side handles to get it in its correct place. However, he had saved it for last, so after he did that, he was done. Robert wiped his hands, put on his waistcoat, and made his way to the greenhouse.