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[altusimperius]

tell him how pretty he is

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[cozen]

“Nnneh,” Bastien says, shrugging. Or more eloquently: “C'est la vie, c'est la mort, c'est la grande inévitabilité.”

It’s like so fine.

“And thank you,” he adds. “It is good to know that if something happens to me, Byerly will have someone else there to tell him not to let dangerously mad vagrants sleep in his house.”

[altusimperius]

IS IT FINE

Benedict squints a little bit, not daring enough to call Bastien out directly, but not completely buying the dismissal. If it's really that simple, then... no, it's never that simple.
But he can't help heaving a sigh of deep relief at the reassurance-- he wasn't in the wrong, necessarily, for how he reacted in the moment.

He looks at the earrings again, expression softening. "These are nice," he remarks, and holds one up to his ear with a little smile as though to test it, modeling for Bastien. "You didn't have to."

[cozen]

“I know,” Bastien says, smiling as if oblivious to all squinting. He is rather proud of the find; either one will look good alone, or they’ll look good together, and they match Benedict’s ensemble from the other night well enough. “But it was nothing. Truly nothing. If anyone accuses you of stealing of those, tell them the truth, that you got them from me, and I will handle it from there, ouais?”

[altusimperius]

Try as he might to remain skeptical, Benedict's resolve is beginning to slip; Bastien can be so warm and so affable, and at times it's near impossible not to be drawn in by how badly one wants it to be sincere.

"Is that likely?" Benedict asks, lowering the earring again, his smile growing uncertain. Then, tentatively, "...did you steal them?"

[cozen]

“No, no, of course not.”

His smile is vague. He could wink, loop Benedict in, but that’s no good; Bastien doesn’t trust him not to fumble a lie.

Anyway, it is very unlikely anyone will miss them, and doubly unlikely someone who misses them will see them on Benedict. Maker bless the eluvian network for allowing easy geographical dispersement of crimes.

“I’ll let you get back to work.”

[altusimperius]

Somehow the reassurance only increases Benedict's doubts, and his face falls a little further-- he's going to wear them, obviously, but perhaps at his own risk. He'll never look gift earrings in the. Posts?

He's inspecting them again when Bastien turns to go, but attempts to still him with a furtive "wait."
It's awkward, and he has that very particular Inconvenienced Nobility look about him, like he's about to do something he doesn't want to but knows he should.

"I'm sorry," he adds, trying not to look away, "for what I said." About Rat Red, of course.

[cozen]

Bastien waits, vague smile unaltered until Benedict apologizes. Then it widens and he shakes his head.

“It’s alright,” he says. “It’s true.”

Another thing that is sooooo fine.

“I can bring her along when I come to the Gallows tomorrow if you want an office dog for a couple of hours.”

[altusimperius]

That smile is almost more unnerving than if he'd gotten mad. Alarm bells are sounding in Benedict's brain, but to speak on them would be far worse than to let them be-- he's not prepared for that conversation, and may never be.

"...all right," he accepts, gently skating past that answer, because, in truth, "I'd like that."

[cozen]

"So would she," is, at least, a little wry — a touch of regret that his dog would prefer someone else's company — but in a friendly way.

It's paired with a tentative step back from the door. Now can he go? Yes? Great.

[altusimperius]

Benedict doesn't stop him, but offers a nod of acknowledgment and, wisely, doesn't throw any further salt in the wound.
That was cordial. Maybe it'll be all right.