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It's raining when Caduceus wakes up. The light drizzle patters on his unlit window, the dark of the morning still unsettling him to his core. He wakes up slowly, gently. Slowly opens his hands and closes them, feeling the nerves begin their journey through the day. The rain is a nice thing for him, making his velvet ears perk up. He won't have to water the garden today, and tomorrow the small cherry tomato plants he's been praying on should have enough ripe tomatoes for a nice chili. Caduceus rises out of bed, feeling each vertebrae stack on the last, his tail wrapping carefully around his soft leg.
Caduceus hums, popping the window open just enough to let the rain smell in before he dresses himself. The air isn't warm today, so he chooses a soft knit sweater and a long skirt Nott had picked out for him. There was a slit on it originally, one that would rise halfway up his thigh, but Fjord had painstakingly stitched it shut for him, thick half-orc fingers struggling to match the dull flower pattern up. It falls just above the curve of Caduceus's calf, airy and smooth, even with the slight pucker of a handsewn hem. He loves it greatly.
He pads his way down to the kitchen, careful to not wake the others. Even through the door, he can hear Beau's loud snores, Yasha's soft breathing, Jester and Nott both move around in their sleep enough to make noise. With the rain, Caduceus imagines that Fjord will be up somewhere, probably in the kitchen or the happy room, somewhere without windows. It's not a surprise to him that Caleb is up, either.
The ginger man is in the kitchen, thin form crumpled into a wooden chair at the table, Frumpkin purring steadily around his bony shoulders. Caleb is breathing slowly, his mouth open slightly. Caduceus stops in the doorway, weighing his options. Caleb doesn't sleep enough that he feels right waking him up, and there's a strong chance Caduceus wakes Caleb up by the sounds of him cooking. He decides to take this chance after he heads back to the linen closet, pulling out a quilt he had found at a market. It's heavy and plush, when he had found it, it had smelled musty and had been a dull brown colour. With the help of Jester and enough careful washes with a gently scented soap, the quilt is a pastel yellow, partially covered in embroidered lavender sprigs from when Jester found that to be her calling.
Caduceus is careful not to disturb the notes Essek left for Caleb to read as he places the blanket on his friend, avoiding tucking it in too tightly. Caleb has issues with his arms being restricted, even if he will never say it out loud. Frumpkin opens one yellow eye at him.
"Hey. I'm just making sure Mister Caleb is comfortable." He reassures the cat. Frumpkin closes his eye and resumes his purring.
He sets about his business. He starts the fire for the kettle, carefully placing the copper pot over the flame before he heads to his teas. A chamomile blend would be a nice choice for the day, but it makes Yasha's eyes droop and Nott doesn't like floral teas. Mint would be fine, but it makes Caleb sneeze just to smell it. Chai is Beau's favourite, but it makes Fjord's throat itch. He settles on a simple blend, adding dried orange peel and a stick of vanilla to a black base, the swirl of an earl gray tea filling the kitchen. The teacups are old while the teapot is new. Fjord had spoken to one of the neighbors down the street, a teenage boy who is training to become a potter. He had custom made this pot, a good size for Caduceus's large hands, decorated with mushrooms and painted to look like plush moss, a small bee placed on the lid. It's the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given Caduceus.
"Duecey?" Fjord calls from around the corner. Caduceus's eyes dart to Caleb, who stays sound asleep even with the intrusion.
"In here." He calls back. Fjord walks into the kitchen, looking impossibly small for a half-orc. His hair is down, brushing against the tops of his ears, his arms crossed over his chest, the white linen stained from sweat. "How are you feeling?"
"It's not so bad. Not a lot of thunder." Fjord says, but Caduceus can pick up that he's feeling worse than he lets on. He's never liked eye contact, but Caduceus can read body language like it was written for him.
"C'mere." He says, holding out his arms towards Fjord. His friend rushes over, burying his face in the soft fur of Caduceus's neck, letting the firbolg wrap his arms around Fjord's shaking body. The rain is heavy enough that Caduceus can hear it over the gentle popping of the fire, but he's not sure if Fjord can still hear the pitter-patter. He hums lightly, a song that his mama used to sing for him. The lyrics are long gone from his brain, but the sentiment stays the same. It sounds like comfort. He holds Fjord and Fjord holds him until the tea is done steeping, and Caduceus has to let go to take the tea leaves out.
"Thank you. This is all so stupid, it's just a little rain." Fjord says, heading into the kitchen beside Caduceus. He reaches for the bread they had made together the day before, getting ready to slice it up for their family. It's a simple wheat boule but it took hours and care from both of them to get right. Fjord taps the bread with the knife before he starts cutting in.
"It's not just a little rain. It's something that reminds you of the past. You're being very brave about it." Caduceus tells him, reaching towards the bowl of fruit on the table to begin slicing apples and pears for the party. There's a honeydew somewhere in this kitchen, but Caduceus can't seem to remember where he put it.
"I just, fuck, I dunno." Fjord huffs through his teeth. Caduceus hears a soft mrrp as Frumpkin moves from Caleb's shoulders to his lap, the wizard starting to rise. He blinks the sleep out of his eyes, his mouth working to regain moisture. Caduceus wipes his hands on a cloth before moving to grab a glass jar of water for Caleb to drink from.
"Danke, Herr Clay." Caleb says, taking the drink without looking up at him. Caleb hates the feeling of ceramic in his mouth, while Caduceus's whole body shudders if glass knocks against his teeth. They went shopping for kitchen supplies together.
"How was your rest?" Caduceus asks, already knowing the answer.
"It was fine. I was up very late reading one of the theories Essek brought to my attention..." Caleb begins rambling off on a theory about the time continuum and how consecution adversely affects it. Caduceus really has no clue that Caleb is talking about as he begins to add in numbers and spells and all that arcane knowledge Caduceus has never had the patience for, but he lets Caleb ramble. It's nice to see the wizard so worked up about something, flapping his hands by his side as he talks about the implications of what all of this could mean for the future students of transmutation.
Fjord brushes his arm against Caduceus's, holding out the dark wood cutting board, the bread unevenly sliced on it. Caduceus smiles down at him warmly, even as Fjord looks anxious about the bread. He gingerly takes a slice, ripping half of it off to hand to Caleb.
"It has little stuff in it, grains and such." Caduceus warns. Caleb nods, ears reddening, but Caduceus knows he is grateful for the warning.
"Is it okay?" Fjord asks, a stress in his voice. Caduceus chews on the brown bread, the flavour surprisingly sweet, the bread nice and light.
"It's fantastic, Fjord. We did a good job." He finishes the slice in a few more bites as Fjord tries his own slice. A pleasant look crosses his face, and Caduceus's heart swells. It's hard to get Fjord to admit when he's done something right. Fjord places the cutting board down on the table, Caleb shuffling his papers around, gathering them and pressing them between the cover and first page of his notebook. Caduceus squeezes his shoulder before he goes back to grab the board of fruit, adding a small bowl of nuts and a cut of cheese, knowing that it's Jester's favourite. He places empty teacups around the table and settles into his chair between the others.
Fjord's leg bounces with every rumble from the sky, and Caleb picks at his peeling nail varnish between small bites of his breakfast. Caduceus loves them. He loves having grown and rooted here, with these people. Beau joins them next, then Nott. Yasha finds her way in to say good morning before she heads out into the storm. Jester comes down last, hair tangled around her horns.
Caduceus feels a warmth he's only felt at the Grove. He takes a sip of his tea.