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[ Phainon feels a little sheepish.

This isn't the first time he has found himself offering to help guide someone through something new, but it feels a little as if he is going to make a fool out of himself. He doesn't consider himself overly experienced, no more than anyone else, surely, but his desire to help people has got him into worse situations. It might be he gets there and Lorenz doesn't want to do anything with him, which would be fine.

At least he will have made a new friend.

He's brought a small gift - a pair of cake slices, just to be polite - and he steps from one foot to the other before he knocks on the door, only feeling a little awkward. ]

[Lorenz objectively doesn't know what he's doing; the choice to invite Phainon to his apartment feels like a blunder immediately after his little library comment, and—well. It's difficult not to talk himself out of it, so as soon as he sets his device down he opts to distract himself with preparing some tea and arranging the cups on the quaint tiny table in his Mayfair studio apartment.

And there he sits while the tea steeps, hands folded, waiting. If he does anything else then he's absolutely going to spoil the entire visit.

When the knock comes he hops up too suddenly - embarrassing - and takes a few seconds to compose himself before he answers. Seeing Phainon there and not having to muddle his way through Text Messages is mercifully a relief, which he did worry about while stressing at the table for ten minutes. He steps aside after a beat, gesturing for Phainon to come in.]

Hello! Ah, do come in, it's not much of a space, but there is adequate seating. Thank you for... [uhhh] this. There will be tea in just a moment.

[ Getting to grips with this world was far easier for him than it seems to have been for others, beyond the sexual element. Phainon recognised enough of the technology to not need too much to adapt, and now he feels comfortable enough that he can simply make himself a home here. He is blessed, too, having his friends at his side, as he thinks without them things would be far, far harder.

Stepping into the apartment is easy, and he offers Lorenz what he hopes is a reassuring smile as he offers out the cakes. ]

It's not a problem at all. I'm glad to help, in whatever way I can.

[ Even if it does end up just being friendly. ]

Tea would be great, though! Thank you.

[ Following Lorenz's lead, he heads to where the tea is. ]

[Cakes, how polite... Lorenz accepts the cakes with a little hm! of approval and immediately moves to start plating them to go with the tea. Then the tea once the cakes are set, arranging the spread with a tidy aesthetic and regarding his work with overt delight in getting to arrange tea and cakes. It's the little things.]

Ah! Is that not a wonderful display? You have a fine eye for desserts—I'm certain they'll pair beautifully with the tea. It is a lightly spiced citrus, [he puts a hand over his heart with zero irony, touched,] and what a comfort it is to have fine teas in a place like this!

[Anyway! He pulls out one of the chairs with another gesture.]

Please, sit. You are my guest.

[ It's oddly endearing, how obviously happy the other man is to just set out some tea and cakes. It settles some of the awkward nerves that Phainon is feeling, all of that shoved aside in the pleasure of good company, and the knowledge that he had done something right. A rarity for him, most days, if he's being honest. ]

If there's one thing that we can be sure of, it is that we're being treated well. I've wanted for very little since I arrived here.

[ Other than clothes without weird pockets and gaps in them...

Walking over, he sits down, delighted. ]

Thank you, Lorenz. Please, let's talk.

[It's much easier to be a host than to meet up specifically for lascivious purposes, Lorenz thinks; yes, that's ostensibly a possibility here, he hasn't thrown it out to babble about tea, but the tea makes him feel less like he's running blind.

For now, anyway, since he'll probably get back there. He takes his own seat; the table is quite possibly small enough on purpose that their knees brush together underneath it. Nobly, he does not bring it up.]

Yes, I would like to... get to know you. And then we'll see, as it were.

[Trust from how just saying this makes him blush a little that this is very bold of him.]

If nothing else, I'd like for us to be friends.

[ It is better, he thinks, to make that clear first; Phainon has no intention of letting things fall apart or be ruined because they're not compatible in those other ways. It might offer the other man comfort to know that any refusal or discomfort won't ruin the acquaintance they're developing; he knows it would ease his own worries.

Their knees brush, and Phainon smiles, taking his cup of tea and relaxing. ]

Why don't you tell me what kind of poetry you like?

Of course. As fans of the arts, I think we are already friends.

[Unironically, even, that's enough for him. He's admittedly a touch desperate for any kind of positive companionship at this point, but Phainon has been kind to him and they have at least a few common interests, so...! That's plenty to make a good start.]

As for poetry... [Poetry also makes him blush, and he pauses to sip his tea, ahem.] I believe the quality of the poem depends on how much of the poet's heart shows through the words, rather than a particular form. I suppose you could say that is the kind of poetry I favor, with heart. I do admire a clever rhyme, though, of course.

I agree with that! There’s something about the honesty of feeling and warmth of heart that makes it all the more enjoyable.

[ Phainon had studied poems a little in the Grove, though not as in depth as the other areas offered. He thinks back, trying to recall if any had struck him deeply, or made him feel true and deep emotions. It’s hard to remember. ]

I liked to read about the Titans and Gods, and the world beyond my village. I was something of a hopeful explorer, I think!

[Briefly Lorenz wonders why he would say this in the past tense - but he figures that was, like, a childhood thing, and he must have seen more of his world by now. That's reasonable.]

You've an adventurous spirit, it sounds like. I've always favored topics closer to the chest, I suppose... Nature, sometimes.

[The big wide world and cool epics? Not quite his scene.]

But one must admire the breadth of detail necessary for an epic of exploration, of course.

[ Phainon isn't entirely conscious of the way he's said it, but it's a long story, if he were asked. It doesn't register in his mind one way or the other. It's simply one of those things. ]

I was a soldier, so there was less time for poetry than I might have liked. I have more time now, so I could indulge a little more.

[ Nodding his head, he grins. ]

There was a poet who inspired my desire to explore. He wrote about the world, and all these places that I wanted to see. It was inspirational!

Were you? I've been serving as an officer of my family's soldiers, myself, until- [a brief frown, while he thinks about it and does the quick math,] -a handful of weeks ago, as it happens.

[And now he's here, in Debaucheryville. It happens. He clears his throat and moves on, back on topic,]

Do you remember any of his works? That is to say, are you also interested in recital, or only reading...?

I joined when I was young, and I've been fighting ever since. I don't necessarily fit in with the regular ranks any more, however.

[ Being a Chrysos Heir means he is a little more special than others. ]

There are some I remember! Let me think for a moment...

[ He pauses, rolling through his memories, before; ]

O displaced soul, where does your path now lead? The black tide's surging. Chaos is raging. Death is prevailing. O exiled vagabond, do you still expect tomorrow? The gods are silent. Fate is gloomy. Madness is rampaging.

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