lanselos_du_lac | [Semi-Closed Post] the 'how are you's

It's a couple of days before Lancelot is feeling well enough, and before Susan is willing to let him out of her sight. He is still tired -- the incident with Magnus was surprisingly taxing, given the chill and the fever -- and he looks it.

He is dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater, and he convinces Susan that he's feeling well enough, he needs to check on Magnus. In truth, he still feels on the mend, but giving into the urge to keep sleeping for another day or two would feel wrong.

So he ventures out, first to get coffee and then to seek Magnus. He decides to forego drills today, as he doesn't suppose he has the strength. He isn't entirely sure where to find Magnus, but he heads instinctively for the greenhouse, since that's where he left him. (Lancelot knows he might well find him elsewhere, but this is a good starting point.)

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From:

summerdude

Drosera immediately deploys her new trick when someone tells her no, which is giving Lancelot a truly unsettling sort of hang-dog expression and then rolling on the ground, stretching out her talons and her paws alike as if to say 'what, little old me? look how cute I am!'

What she is saying, of course, is, a much more defensive baby play!!!!! Magnus signs this to Galahad, and then crouches down to scratch her belly. She whips up to bite him too, of course, but only closes her beak around his hand without truly biting harm, staring at him like she's waiting to see how much he'll let her get away with.

From:

onthewillowsthere

Cuteness is not something that affects Galahad, in general -- he appreciates that Drosera is very charming, but it doesn't delight him in the same way it does Magnus. However, the way Dro rolls and stretches now makes his chest squeeze oddly.

Baby, he signs.

From:

lanselos_du_lac

"She's quite fierce," Lancelot says, warm and approving. It's clear from his expression that he finds Drosera incredibly cute.

From:

summerdude

"She's a good little girl," Magnus agrees, proudly. "She wants you to play with her."

From:

onthewillowsthere

Galahad finally gets up from the floor, unfolding to his feet, and retrieves the feather on a string Magnus made for her (after cajoling said feather from the peacock-pheasant in the woods).

"Here," he says, handing it down to Lancelot, who has neither supernatural strength nor a healing factor.

From:

lanselos_du_lac

"Ah," says Lancelot, smiling up at Galahad briefly before turning his attention back to Drosera. He dangles the feather just out of her reach.

From:

summerdude

Drosera goes wild for this, of course, She's working on her wing strength -- she's not ready to fly yet, but she's getting there, and she spreads them now (nearly knocking over several plants in the process) to give herself more balance as she rises on her hind paws and snaps at the feather.

From:

onthewillowsthere

It's Magnus' turn with the camera right now, so Galahad isn't sure where it is, which is a shame because he thinks Susan would like to see this. Laertes might too, or even Grantaire, now that Grantaire has to be accounted for as well, but Galahad thinks mostly of Susan because they've talked about Lancelot being allowed to be different here. The cold, angry, arrogant man (although Galahad now wonders if he thought Lancelot was arrogant because it's something other people said about him, and he couldn't read Lancelot well enough to know whether it was untrue) Galahad knew in Camelot is impossible to imagine like this, playing with a half-grown creature.

From:

lanselos_du_lac

All of Lancelot's attention is on Drosera. He flits the feather up just quickly enough to evade her, then swoops it a little before letting it dangle back within her reach.

From:

summerdude

Is he... good at this? Magnus signs to Galahad, incredulous.

From:

onthewillowsthere

He's good at this, he signs back, impassive.

From:

lanselos_du_lac

On another sweep, Drosera nearly catches it and Lancelot says to her, in a doting tone, "Such a splendid hunter-- didst nearly have it!"

From:

summerdude

baby hunt!!!! Dro cries, swiping at the feather.

From:

onthewillowsthere

Fine. If he doesn't have the camera, he can at least try to sketch it. He retrieves his sketchbook from the floor by Magnus' tomato plant.

From:

lanselos_du_lac

After another pass or two, Lancelot lets the feather dip lower, gives her the opportunity to catch it.

From:

summerdude

And Drosera surges up, capturing it in her beak and dragging it from Lancelot's hand with her talons, making her squeaky little growl as she murders that feather to death.

"Isn't she the best?" Magnus says, serenely. He'll have to get another feather. She's shredding this one.

From:

onthewillowsthere

Luckily, they took long enough to get to the feather-murder that Galahad has a passable sketch. He looks up at Lancelot and what surely will be his approval of their daughter.

From:

lanselos_du_lac

"She is a fierce hunter, indeed," Lancelot says, all approval. "Very fine."

From:

summerdude

Okay, okay, Magnus officially can't resist. "Say thanks, grandmama," he tells Drosera, with a tiniest apologetic glance to Galahad.

From:

onthewillowsthere

Galahad shrugs.

From:

lanselos_du_lac

Lancelot shoots Magnus a skeptical look, only very faintly amused.

From:

summerdude

Meanwhile, Dro is staring at Lancelot. what's grandmama? mama silly!!!

"I'll explain later," Magnus tells her, a little bummed and a little embarrassed that the joke didn't land on multiple levels. "Say thanks, dickface."

This, Drosera has no issues with. She rolls over at Lancelot's feet. dickface!! dickface baby!!!!

Obviously Magnus translates this one out loud, so Lancelot can benefit from the translation, too.

From:

onthewillowsthere

Drosera is obviously trying to get Lancelot to stroke her belly, but this is a trap designed for latching onto hands with her bill and talons and kicking frantically with her hind feet, as if a hand were capable of being disemboweled.

"Don't pet her," he tells Lancelot, in case he's unfamiliar.