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Do you have any idea what they'll do to your body?

*He takes one and hands the others back.* There you go.

Give me relief from this pounding headache of mine? [ he's doing his best to not sound crabby. he presses a hand to his temple, trying to keep himself in check because urgh.

he really is trying; those constant scoldings from lia are going to stick sooner or later. ] Lady- Please? With cherries on top?

[ i don't believe our characters will mesh well with one another. sorry. ]

(Never know until you try?)

Pain relievers work for headaches too.

[She frowns, but then offers him the pack] You really should quit.

How do you know that they are your cigarettes?

They are not healthy.

[ he sighs in relief, quickly getting back his pack from her so he can draw a stick out to put i between his lips while rifling through his pockets for his lighter. ]

I think if I had to pick an addiction, cigarettes has gotta be the much cheaper option. [ because there is no in-between for this man. he sighs in relief when he finds his lighter and uses it to light up his stick, sucking in the nicotine like a man desperate for air. ] -Thank you.

[ for, you know, giving it back. she didn't have to but she did. ]

I know that much, miss. My body, my choice of treating it that way. [ and if he's going to treat it like he's trying to imitate a chimney then by god he's going to imitate a chimney. ]

[ he makes a face but he's got a good point.

so he raises the still lit cigarette he has in his hand, giving him a better look at it. there's a distinctive red and gold band is wrapped around the cigarette butt. pretty fancy looking. ] That brand isn't from these parks. Got it as a gift from a friend.

So- Please? I would like them back?

*He handed them over.*

Sorry, man. I was just messing with ya.

I don't think so. They'll seriously mess up your lungs.

PLEASE. I'll buy you a new pack of fags, don't get your knickers in a twist. I was empty; apologies.

[Louise whips out her sterling silver cigarette holder and dangles it open for Roderic.]

No, it's fine. I'm just cranky at the moment. [ running low on fumes, if you will. a quick light and an inhale of his much needed nicotine should solve that. ]

So- Pyre. Roderic Pyre. Nice to meet ya.

It's my choice at the same time. I'm gonna kick the bucket sooner or later. Might as well enjoy myself while I can, miss. [ he remembers his manners at least and she means well with the pointing out of his poor lungs and all. really she does and he knows and everything but-

he would really like his cigarettes. ]

[ s i g h. he's been hanging out with calia and lia too much with how he finds himself giving in easily enough. ] Alright.

Just be quick, please? My diet these days consists of six packs by the afternoon. [ how his lungs managed to survive this long is a mystery to himself but he's not complaining. ]

I know, but I highly doubt there's someone who will not like to see you go down because of these things. Apparently it will not be pretty.

*Almost presents the cigarettes as she talks. Though they are a lot more closer to her than anything else, they are still easy to grab.*

[ good lord he's tempted to just up and snatch his pack from right out of her hands but he stops himself.

that's not polite and that's not the right way to do it. agitated as his headaches are, he's not going to be an ass to someone. hopefully he can convince her to give them back real soon. ]

I don't know. I can imagine a few folks who'll be pleased as a pack of pecans that I'm gone. [ morbid humour doesn't help his case however. let's tone that down. ] But my friends do care for me and they also know I'm pretty dependent on the stuff these days. It helps with some... issues I have.

[ his powers for one thing. ]

Huh, made some enemies I see. Still have my reservations about just handing these things over.

*She fiddles with the pack in her hand, looking the box over. Feels fairly full, but there's a sense that some were smoked earlier.*

[ it was a new pack. he had finished the last one a few minutes earlier and was just throwing it and the butts away like a good citizen and this is how he finds himself in this situation.

no good deed goes unpunished, he supposes. ]

How about I make a deal with you then? If you give my pack back then maybe I'll try to not... smoke too much around you. Show I can control myself on the stuff. [ if he can't smoke then can he at least have the reassuring weight in his hands? ]

I guess that's a start? *Passes the pack over.*

Thank you kindly, miss.

[ and look. he isn't immediately grabbing and stuffing the first cigarette in his mouth. what impulse control from- ] Pyre.

I'm Roderic Pyre.

I'm Stella. Princess of Solaria.

Only six, hm? You sound as though you're contemplating quitting.

[She snorts, a wry punctuation to her ironic statement, as she fishes out a fresh pack from her handbag and tosses it to him.]

You're far too young to be well on your way to black lung, mate.

[ princess? oh. alright then.

he nods, trying to be respectful but not knowing exactly how he should go about it. ] Nice to meet ya, Princess Stella. Or Stella. Whichever you prefer.

Stella's good. Princess is probably gonna get tiring after a while.

Guess you speak from experience, huh? I mean- [ um.

ah. how do you speak to someone of higher rank? of actual higher rank? ] Yeah. Sorry if I come across as rusty or something. Been a while since I... talked to new faces.

[ there's a little genuine smile on his face now. he gives a little shrug, almost bashful now that he has ackerly and lia on his mind. ] Kinda.

Friends of mine- They've been talking 'bout having a kid and... yeah. They're serious about it.

[ yeah. seems like a reasonable thing to not expose the child to secondhand smoking. plus he has no interest on getting ackerly's bad side if anything happens to his hypothetical child/ren. ]

Yeah, that's not far off point.

*If differs from person to person, royalty is no different.*

I think the cigarettes may have a hand in that. And with new faces, it depends on the person I think.

[A dry, throaty laugh.]

So THIS is why you've blown through nearly 5 packs by midday. How novel, and here you're trying to quit.

[Her lips twitch upwards involuntarily.]

You sound almost as though you're quite fond of...these 'friends'.

[ a frown makes a way to his face due to how she says her words.

don't get him wrong- he's probably sure she means it in a ribbing fashion. there's a high chance that she does it mean it in a ribbing fashion 'cause that's what people do. but he's not a fan of doing it around people he doesn't know all that well. nor is he a fan when people do it to him when they don't know him all that well. he's a... dour fellow that way. ]

Yeah. I am. [ his voice sounds more clipped, shrugging a bit. lia's voice is loud and clear in his head as she urges him to not be defensive. ] I- I mean I might as well end in a hurrah, I guess. They're my friends. We've stuck together through some intense shit.

Don't wanna lose them over... [ he shakes his cigarette pack, halfway empty now. ] ... this. Seems kind of dumb to lose people over, yeah?

Guess I'm the person who's not good 'round people then, mi- Stella.

[ old habits die hard but he's trying this best. ] You though?

[The redheaded detective had, to be sure, an unconventional sense of humour, to say the least; at times, it's been referred to as a 'gallows' sense--dark, dry, and ironic. Louise rarely insulted people or intentionally made gauche comments unless provoked; but, that said, the wry approach was how she was with everyone, whether she knew them well, or not.

Noting his demeanour shifting slightly, she merely shrugged back, smiling as she took a cigarette from her own case and lit it, taking a short puff before exhaling forcefully upward.]

It sounds actually really lovely, Roderic. When's the big day?