[open] watching paint dry

[altusimperius]

WHO: Benedict and you
WHAT: Working on the dining hall mural, smoking elfroot, making himself useful one small task at a time
WHEN: Kingsway
WHERE: mostly the dining hall, sometimes other places
NOTES: ART

I. Style Taste Class

Already something of a serious person by nature, Benedict has never been more invested in a project than he is in his newly-appointed task of livening up the dining hall-- even his work as a chamberlain was more detached than this, what with him making stylistic decisions but not personally implementing any of them.

He's requested a little scaffold be set up so he can get above the large tower doorframes, and he can be found there at all hours that he isn't in Byerly's office, which is to say, in the mornings and late at night. When he sleeps is unclear, but based on the bags under his eyes, that doesn't come often.

But he seems cheerful enough, for who he is, and is usually open to conversation with diners and passersby as his painstaking design begins to take shape*.

*it's an approximation obviously

II. Recreation Station

When not at work either for Byerly or on his Masterpiece, Bene can be found lounging with his semi-erstwhile hookah in a spare room of the mage tower, having amassed a small number of battered and disused pillows and blankets to make the place homier.
His presence there is usually indicated by the smell of scented smoke, much like his former neighbors would be used to when he still had a room of his own, but fortunately he keeps the window open to let things vent properly.

III. Wildcard

The usual stuff is happening! Make your own prompt or hit me up for one.

Comments

[altusimperius]

"Benedict," comes the languid reply, and he sprawls over a couple of the pillows, letting his head lie back to look at the ceiling.

"I've seen you around, but I didn't know it was you." He smirks.

[muckspout]

That comment throws him off. "Didn't know it was me?" Edgard panics for a moment. "Not the big guy?" He pulls a face. "Listen, Benedict. That was a complete misunderstanding."

He takes another long hit to soothe him from the memory.

[altusimperius]

They are officially talking about two different things, but Benedict is blazed enough that it doesn't bother him. He laughs again, confused.

"Haha. What?"

[muckspout]

The elfroot is making Edgard talkative.

“The big guy! He, uh, demanded I take my pants off,” Edgard gestures in a casual way. These things happen.

“But,not very nicely, so I kicked him and next thing I know he’s got half of Riftwatch trying to track me down.”

Then. “Wait, what did you mean then?”

[altusimperius]

This only causes Bene to laugh harder, as if Edgard is telling an amazing, extended joke. With his head draped back like it is, he has to sit up to keep from asphyxiating himself.

"Who's the big guy?"

[muckspout]

Edgard puts his hands in the air, frantic, also laughing.

"I don't know! I don't know his name. But, big guy--huge! Seems like a guard, maybe? Makes me look like a little tiny baby. Older. He called me lad. I didn't like it."

[altusimperius]

It could be anyone, or someone Benedict hasn't met, or someone he's met but is too high to remember. Anyway, that's not the important part.

"He wanted you to take your pants off?"

[muckspout]

“He yelled at me to take my pants off.” Edgard leans back into the pillows. “In the courtyard.”

He takes another long drag from the hookah and coughs a little.

[altusimperius]

"But like..."

Taking a long drag and then slowly exhaling it, it's a good ten seconds before Bene speaks again:

"...why."

[muckspout]

Edgard leans up, scoffing, and maybe a little insulted.

“Why do you think?”

[altusimperius]

Give him time.

"...is your arse that good?"

[muckspout]

He shrugs.

“I have not had a complaint.” The words are starting to feel heavy in his mouth.

[altusimperius]

"Huh."

Inhale, slow exhale, smoke drifting from his mouth and through the room. It's a hot night, even without the influence of elfroot it'd be easy enough to just lie around and try not to move.

Minutes pass, and then,

"want a blowjob?"

[muckspout]

Edgard waits a moment and then looks at his companion. He’s surprised. But a sly smile creeps along his face.

“Alright.” He says.

[altusimperius]

Sometimes the mood just hits, and for Benedict, old habits die hard. Or just... don't die at all.

He doesn't even seem that interested as he crawls clumsily over, flops down, undoes Edgard's fly, and sets to work.

Pure Romance

[muckspout]

Edgard, lying back, does not have a single complaint and is very happy he stumbled in here.

He takes a lazy hit from the hose and blows it off to the side so as not to interfere with Benedict’s work.

Maybe Riftwatch isn’t so bad.

[altusimperius]

It takes a while, largely as a result of the smoke's heavy aroma filling the room; but eventually, Benedict stops, still gripping Edgard, and scrutinizes his face with watery eyes.

"That's you," he says quietly, ostensibly to Edgard but also in a moment of realization, "...Maker, when's the last time you bathed?"

[muckspout]

His eyes flit open and meet Benedict’s watery eyes. He responds low and lazy.

“When’s the last time it rained?”

[altusimperius]

The cogs turn behind his dark eyes, and after a quiet, contemplative "ew," suddenly Benedict moves faster than he has all evening to settle himself on a pillow a few feet away.
Much resembling a disgruntled cat, he begins to scour his tongue with the sleeve of his own shirt, the best he can do at the moment, glaring daggers at Edgard.

[muckspout]

Edgard starts at the sudden fleeing. A long moment passes. He blushes and does up his pants. He genuinely does not know what caused this encounter to end or why Benedict seems angry.

“Sorry?” He offers.

He feels hurt and very Very uncomfortable.

[altusimperius]

Being high is not doing either of them any favors when it comes to navigating a touchy subject, but Benedict already had the disadvantage of being terrible at them to begin with.

He stares at him a moment, but does, at least, seem to register that Edgard is oblivious.

"You--" Bene gestures to him incredulously, "...you smell." How could he not know?

[muckspout]

Edgard fiddles with a pillow, he still doesn’t get it.

“Everyone smells. You-you smell weird too. It’s normal.” Edgard looks at Benedict and then past him, at the wall, feeling entirely awful.

Even in this department, Edgard is useless.

[altusimperius]

"No I don't!" Bene snaps back, horrified; in fact, he goes entirely out of his way to not smell weird on a daily basis.

However, there's a look on Edgard's face that's troubling him, even in his addled state. With a pained expression, he flops onto his back on the pillows again, lip curling in either a sneer or the anguish of Colin's voice in his head telling him to Be Nice.

"Fuck, just-- go take a bath," he says helplessly, "and I'll keep going."

[muckspout]

Edgard has a lot of Strong Feelings about baths and why he considers the natural state to be better. It is a core part of who he is. Edgard won't budge on his beliefs for just anyone and certainly should not for a person he barely knows, who just openly rejected him. Particularly not someone who is so.....so...Edgard locks eyes with Benedict again.

"Alright." He hears himself saying. "I think I saw some baths on my way up here. Don't move. Un moment."

When Edgard returns, he is almost unrecognizable with weeks-months--Maker, possibly even years worth of grime cleaned off.

[altusimperius]

The change is astounding. Having actually dozed off in Edgard's absence, Bene starts awake when he returns, rubs his arm across his eyes, and blinks sleepily at him--

and then he's wide awake.

"You're," he falters, "you're actually handsome."