[They approach the establishment, and Dedue makes it to the door first this time; Grant gets the door held open for him. It's only fair.]
Would it be strange of me to admit that I have not had occasion to drink at such an establishment?
[A bar, he means. He'd been at taverns before in Fodlan, of course, but not to drink; merely to acquire food, which he would usually eat quickly and leave to reduce the risk of attracting too much attention. Even before he was rescued from imprisonment, though, he never frequented public houses.]
I don't think it's too strange. I mean, the bar scene around here is alright, but drinking isn't everyone's favorite go-to social activity, y'know? And it sure isn't the most obvious way to spend your time in this place.
[What with the superpowered animals and wild competitions and... also, just, all the interpersonal drama going on.]
[The establishment is not terribly busy at this time of day. Being the one who lacks experience, though, he decides to follow Grant's lead in general bar-associated activities.]
That is true, though I do not mean only in this place. Even in Fódlan, I did not frequent public houses. [A brief, considering pause.] I did once bring Sylvain back from one, however.
[It had been quite late and Sylvain had yet to return to his room, and Dedue had gone down into the town that surrounded Garreg Mach to see if he was still carousing. He had instead found Sylvain relieving his stomach of his contents in an alley near the public house, and had brought him back to the dormitories to rest. Despite his late activities, he'd still been surprisingly spry the next morning.]
[Grant takes a look around as they walk in, glancing at Dedue.] You alright sitting at the bar, or do we want a table?
[And, on that note:] Oh, yeah - I mean, I'd assume the same still applies back there, even more so, right? You had other things to keep up with, and I can't imagine your position lent itself well to being able to afford to let your guard down. I'm just glad you feel comfortable enough these days to be willing to do stuff like this now and then... instead of only stopping by these places out of necessity, like to retrieve Sylvain.
[Seriously, with all he knows, he... cannot begin to imagine the pressure Dedue was under back home. That he's willing to ease up now and then at all seems like a miracle, after having learned not to for so long.]
[The seats at the bar are significantly higher than the ones at the tables, which would... seem to be easier for men of their stature.] The bar will be fine.
[And continuing the subject of Dedue as they make their way to their seats,] It would have been unseemly, as I am intended to be His Highness' bodyguard, as well as his vassal. Even so, I would not have been particularly welcome in any establishment, regardless of whether I had the money to spare for something so nonessential.
[A vassal's stipend hardly afforded him much spending cash. And while Dimitri had a fairly large budget for his household as the crown prince, his uncle still had control over it. It seemed prudent to keep his expenses as low as possible, so that there could be one fewer angle to censure him by. Here, there's no such risk of disapproval. Perhaps it says something about the degree of pressure that Dedue was under that it's taken him approximately half a year to go out.]
[He nods in understanding as they go to sit down.] 'Bout tracks for that place. On the note of how it would've looked bad, though, with you being Dimitri's bodyguard, I am really glad you're feeling like you can relax even this much now. Wouldn't be surprised if it'd taken longer, even, but... I'm glad to see it.
[Yyyyeah, the length of this transition period has not been lost on him. But, with all the context he has, he is truly relieved on Dedue's behalf that he's been able to adapt at all.]
There is no war here, and the risk of significant and permanent injury seems far less than in Fódlan.
[Which... is sort of a reason to relax some of his hypervigilance. They are not all on battlefields every month, fighting for their lives against Imperial forces or vicious monsters. Dimitri is no longer a wild-eyed vagrant stalking the woods of Faerghus. Their lives here are comfortable, with ample resources and time for leisure.]
[But--]
[And this is where Dedue gets something of a thousand yard stare, comparable to the most shellshocked of Vietnam vets--]
Save for the danger that His Highness actively seeks out.
[The list of the many and varied ways that Dimitri has managed to find trouble even in this world flashes through his mind. Even Grant may be able to read in Dedue's stoic face that he's actively reconsidering his decision to leave Dimitri alone, even for a short while.]
[Grant... laughs, weakly, the kind of laugh that's only half amusement at most, and the rest is pained understanding.]
Yeah, he... he seems good at that. But, [Before Dedue changes his mind and bolts,] He should be okay for a while, and he's not totally unattended. Dimitri may make some... questionable decisions, but that doesn't mean you can't afford to step away from him and relax sometimes.
[He isn't unattended at the moment, though Claude is currently a very tiny spider-like creature, and Grant is here, as is Dedue. That means that there are several fewer voices of reason around Dimitri for the time being, and that's... a non-ideal situation.]
[Step away from him and relax. Dedue has not done such a thing since he and His Highness met all of those years ago, and it's a very difficult thing to start doing now.]
I think that we should order those drinks now.
[Before he gets it into his head to run back to Dimitri.]
[As soon as the bartender isn't busy with something else, Grant orders a beer, and a couple plates of snacks - which he makes sure to ask Dedue for opinions on, making it very clear that those are for him, too. They may be here to get drunk, but best to still be responsible about it.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[For their sake and that of everyone who swapped.
He brightens up a bit, though, spotting a building up ahead, and nods.] Oh, I think that's the place.
no subject
Would it be strange of me to admit that I have not had occasion to drink at such an establishment?
[A bar, he means. He'd been at taverns before in Fodlan, of course, but not to drink; merely to acquire food, which he would usually eat quickly and leave to reduce the risk of attracting too much attention. Even before he was rescued from imprisonment, though, he never frequented public houses.]
no subject
I don't think it's too strange. I mean, the bar scene around here is alright, but drinking isn't everyone's favorite go-to social activity, y'know? And it sure isn't the most obvious way to spend your time in this place.
[What with the superpowered animals and wild competitions and... also, just, all the interpersonal drama going on.]
no subject
That is true, though I do not mean only in this place. Even in Fódlan, I did not frequent public houses. [A brief, considering pause.] I did once bring Sylvain back from one, however.
[It had been quite late and Sylvain had yet to return to his room, and Dedue had gone down into the town that surrounded Garreg Mach to see if he was still carousing. He had instead found Sylvain relieving his stomach of his contents in an alley near the public house, and had brought him back to the dormitories to rest. Despite his late activities, he'd still been surprisingly spry the next morning.]
no subject
[And, on that note:] Oh, yeah - I mean, I'd assume the same still applies back there, even more so, right? You had other things to keep up with, and I can't imagine your position lent itself well to being able to afford to let your guard down. I'm just glad you feel comfortable enough these days to be willing to do stuff like this now and then... instead of only stopping by these places out of necessity, like to retrieve Sylvain.
[Seriously, with all he knows, he... cannot begin to imagine the pressure Dedue was under back home. That he's willing to ease up now and then at all seems like a miracle, after having learned not to for so long.]
no subject
[And continuing the subject of Dedue as they make their way to their seats,] It would have been unseemly, as I am intended to be His Highness' bodyguard, as well as his vassal. Even so, I would not have been particularly welcome in any establishment, regardless of whether I had the money to spare for something so nonessential.
[A vassal's stipend hardly afforded him much spending cash. And while Dimitri had a fairly large budget for his household as the crown prince, his uncle still had control over it. It seemed prudent to keep his expenses as low as possible, so that there could be one fewer angle to censure him by. Here, there's no such risk of disapproval. Perhaps it says something about the degree of pressure that Dedue was under that it's taken him approximately half a year to go out.]
no subject
[Yyyyeah, the length of this transition period has not been lost on him. But, with all the context he has, he is truly relieved on Dedue's behalf that he's been able to adapt at all.]
no subject
[Which... is sort of a reason to relax some of his hypervigilance. They are not all on battlefields every month, fighting for their lives against Imperial forces or vicious monsters. Dimitri is no longer a wild-eyed vagrant stalking the woods of Faerghus. Their lives here are comfortable, with ample resources and time for leisure.]
[But--]
[And this is where Dedue gets something of a thousand yard stare, comparable to the most shellshocked of Vietnam vets--]
Save for the danger that His Highness actively seeks out.
[The list of the many and varied ways that Dimitri has managed to find trouble even in this world flashes through his mind. Even Grant may be able to read in Dedue's stoic face that he's actively reconsidering his decision to leave Dimitri alone, even for a short while.]
no subject
Yeah, he... he seems good at that. But, [Before Dedue changes his mind and bolts,] He should be okay for a while, and he's not totally unattended. Dimitri may make some... questionable decisions, but that doesn't mean you can't afford to step away from him and relax sometimes.
no subject
[Step away from him and relax. Dedue has not done such a thing since he and His Highness met all of those years ago, and it's a very difficult thing to start doing now.]
I think that we should order those drinks now.
[Before he gets it into his head to run back to Dimitri.]
no subject
[As soon as the bartender isn't busy with something else, Grant orders a beer, and a couple plates of snacks - which he makes sure to ask Dedue for opinions on, making it very clear that those are for him, too. They may be here to get drunk, but best to still be responsible about it.]