Although embarrassed by that very direct callout, César still laughs warmly. "... God, I've missed you so much. I'll put some thought tonight into what you could help with. We can talk about that tomorrow, too."

César's moved out of the Oak & Iron entirely now, so seeing each other now requires deliberate effort. He had also come to the conclusion he needed to slow his roll (physical exhaustion was a great hint!), but hadn't figured out where to begin. But knowing she'll help him means the impossible would be possible. He can't even get nervous, with the way her nose scrunches up at his joke. Magne's just adorable sometimes.

César takes the sauce from her. He's tasted it, and it's a good approximation. He puts on a modest amount, enough he can get a taste without overwhelming it all, then hands it back.

"It's more than fine, except replace couch with bed. I've got four." One of them is his, but there's three currently empty.