A Harbor of Quiet [Arlette, Bauher]

He'd had far too much time to himself.

As much as he might have hoped that all of this craziness might have been an ample distraction, it seemed that kids these days were a bit too self sufficient. While he'd been brought in to remove those strange collars, it had been a rather smooth process. It always was with him. Still, now that Arlette had somewhat recovered and didn't require his constant attention, he'd had more time to himself than he liked.

Time to think.

Time to remember.

And time to worry about what he'd been avoiding for the last year or so now. But well, today wasn't the day he was going to go and confront all of that.

Well, at least he could still check up on her. Stepping into her room, he gently knocked on the frame of the door before offering a soft smile. "Room Service." He announced, a tray of breakfast with him. Full course, now that she was able to keep down food normally. He'd made a habit of still cooking for her. It was hardly gourmet, but it was something. "You decent in there, Madame?"

He gently opened the door after her response, shifting the tray to lay across his palm and forearm so that he could open the door with the spared hand. A brief glance around before he spotted Arlette and gave a little smile as he slipped inside. "Gmorning. I heard you getting up not that long ago. Unless you've been up all night, buuuuut either way. I decided you could probably use a little breakfast slash Late Dinner." He noted with a proud smile and a nod toward the tray in his Grasp, walking into the room and looking around for a spot to place it.

"Did you sleep well? Or should I mind the candle wax?" He ventured, glancing toward the woman's bed, as if to see some evidence that the woman had gotten rest recently.

He couldn't help the slight smile that formed in response to Arlette's response. "Is that right? Well I'm sure me and your body both appreciate the restraint." He chuckled, making his way across the room and finding a clear space near the woman to set the tray down. Naturally, he'd arranged the eggs, bacon, and sausage into a little smiling face. For morale of course.

"Glad to hear you've had some 'fine' rest. And you're very welcome. Today we have for you Madame, a spread I am most proud of. Only the Finest on sale Eggs, scrambled and seasoned with a dash of salt and pepper. Free Range frozen Sausages, and of course only the finest Bacon, cooked to perfection, refridgerated, and then reheated in the microwave." A lopsided smile decorated his features as he introduced her meal, nothing but pride in his work as he let her dig in, taking a moment to pull out his Phone and snap a picture of the spread before she had at it.

He had quite a collection of Meal pictures on his phone by now.

Bauher glanced briefly toward the work that Arlette had tucked away as she seemed to take in the spread he'd laid out for her. Vaguely wondering what it was she had been working on, though his attention quickly shifted to the woman as she broke out into that soft and earnest little laugh. A pleased smile forming on his face. Ah yes, he did love when his jokes landed, a rare treat. Though he could swear she was getting used to his sense of humor. How very frightening.

"Domestic is nice. It's much better than emergency poptarts or campfire-roasted squirrel. Though I DO make a mean Squirrel roast." He noted with a slightly playful smirk as he glanced out the window, taking note of the time before looking around the room. A quick survey for anything that needed to be picked up. A bit less necessary now that Arlette was much more...mobile and such and able to clean up after herself. But it was just an instinct that had been baked in over the years.

"Though I suppose I've been living the domestic life for a while now, it's been years since I've ever had to hunt a meal. Kinda makes me wonder if I've still got it in me..." He trailed off, briefly musing over such a thing. The instincts would still be there, but he did wonder. Perhaps he should try and go camping? Who would he go with? He didn't know if Arlette was really the outdoorsy type. "Ever been big into that sort of thing? Or are you more of an RV kinda gal?"

A wandering mind was a happy and healthy one after all. The kinds of thoughts that sat like stones in his head weren't the happiest of thoughts.

Edelo couldn't help but smirk just a little at the response he garnered. Not all that surprising he supposed, and after a moment, he was pleased to hear he express a decision one way or the other. That lopsided smile of his widening as he drummed his fingers along the side of the desk. "Hmm, I suppose that's a fair assessment. Though I guess that means a camping trip might not be the best move." He mured, rubbing his chin as he paused and thought it over. Who else would he really be able to take? He didn't exactly have any 'buddies' in his life as it were. Karakura seemed so distant now, and truth be told, as he stood beside the desk and let his hand rest on the smooth wood of the surface, he was suddenly struck with the notion that he really hadn't made any friends.

Sure, Alastair at times would stop by and the pair would share a pleasantry or two, but it was something a bit ...strange. He'd always been the friendly type, making a few friends here and there wherever he went. It was just how he was, and so he was never without a buddy to drag along to some endeavor. He just...hadn't had the energy for it. And a soft, forlorn smile crossed his features as he came to realize that for once, he didn't have anyone to take along. But that was something to think about later, maybe outside where he could smoke.

"Hmm, I've always been more at home out in the wilderness. As nice as the safety and proximity is. I grew up in something of a nomadic setting. Took a while for me to get used to cities." He noted, walking to the side and pulling up a chair, a deft shift of his wrist as he spun the chair about and then sat himself down, resting a forearm over the back of the chair. A slight hunch in his posture.

"Maybe I'll have to go on a little trip. Now that things have calmed down a little. Give you a bit of reprieve from my breakfasts and jokes that you enjoy so much." He offered, lips pulling back for one of his lopsided smirks.