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Oh, oh cool! He knew some of those words!

Though all food words were always the kinda words Waru liked - the way he had to drag his grin down by degrees over a softly bitten lip in order to hide how big it wanted to be, because ********, a whole a** dessert dinner!? That was exactly the kinda dinner he coulda gotten behind. Especially with all the perfect savory-sweet dishes, curry filled croquets, croissants wrapped round every imaginable meat and pastry filling combined. Tiny little quiche like finger food things...

Yuuri's accent was perfect, n Waru found he coulda listened easily; especially for the way that pretty little love language seemed to fall so much more freely from his friends mouth. Like maybe Yuuri preferred speaking it instead of English?

"You lived there, or you're from there?" it was a thought, a question lobbed gently as he tried his best to remember bits n pieces of a menu he hadn't checked out in awhile, "You'd think I'd know more French cause of my mom, course then I'd also know Bassa way better than I do, but like -- you get removed far enough from a thing and you kinda lose it over time." he knew juggling bits n pieces of stolen phrases; remembering only enough to ask where the bathroom was and tell apart cow-beef from cow-tongue was not the same as learning a language well enough to speak it conversationally.

Yuuri was smarter than he let on. Not like he hadn't noticed it, in the moments the poor Senshi had to take charge n make snap decision battle plans. Getting to hear it though? All sorts of warm fuzziness filled him for that.

"Makes me glad my tongue works better n my mind, yeah? Cause food -- oh, good food? You don't lose the taste for that," and like this, he could actually admire Yuuri, running over words like water in a stream and letting his eyes just -- settle -- he always felt to busy to pick apart the finer details of things; except in moments like this. Yuuri was all soft. As a Senshi, as a person. Swaddled up like Eion always sought to be. Guy looked huggable as a sheep, in a boyfriend tee. It was too cute! "I like the finger foods. I like..scones, biscotti, croquettes? Brulee is good s**t. Uhm, anything with cheese that's been baked? Though I won't touch a lotta that stuff which makes me think of 'brain worms'. So even I've got a culinary limit." He'd had enough conch fritters to last himself a lifetime. Didn't need to dine on any more slimy-sluggy friends from the land, air, or sea; no matter how well prepared or 'cleaned'. It was just a whole bunch of 'no thank you' for him at that point.

Staring at Yuuri's face long enough -- he could only shake his head 'no', because he saw Senshi before anything else; all of Kama's vibrant glow n glamor lined glances. He had to squint to correct that and see Yuuri exactly as he was -- and maybe if he'd been from the place he would've known better? Would've seen two different sides of a fence instead of sleek healthy hair, darker than even Eion's own; or eyes in shades of silver waiting to be polished. Heard mutt, n mixed in all the ways the man before him motioned at himself like he should've been some obviously lesser thing.

Held his tongue there, because Yuuri obviously wasn't, but it was fine -- ignorable -- for how deep down pleased he felt in learning they had something in common enough to find kinship with. He could stand next to his own mother and sisters and be outmatched by shades that leant towards purples and midnight strolls. Couldn't call his Father a Father at all -- some Austrian mixed Euroblend that didn't bear acknowledging in name -- the man, not the location.

If his mother hadn't had him for the first half, maybe he would've learned to be envious? Jealous. Of their staying and his going, their haves and his have nots. Sept she woulda snatched his soul....

But he loved them all too much to harbor feelings like that, got to have that in snippets enough to remind him of those things. She was proud of him, even when he lied, his sisters were smart and strong -- happy. So he couldn't even begin to imagine not having her to love, missing one connection was enough, but being so close to alone as to not even have phone calls home? To have raised himself the way Yuuri must have had to at points, being so far from anyone who cared?

"I'm sorry about your family, but at least you got some free travel out of it!" an attempt at infusing levity buried in a knowing sigh, and apologetic half shrug, "I feel you though, n if nothing else? S'easier being a bit of mutt here, yeh? At the end of the day you're a catch Yuuri, n that's all that matters." tried for a better smile as he kicked pebbles across cracked pavement n avoided stepping on dwindling weeds that poked free of their path. Thinking of home was an ache, pleasantly distant now where it hadn't been before. Easy enough to speak of languages, building boats out of coke bottles n twine, playing in waterfalls that fed the sea...

"Technically? Mom's from South Sudan, left to Cameroon when she was younger - but still older than I am now? I was born in Kibri. Which ultimately means that anywhere a beach is, I was meant to be. S'why I like DC so much -- it's kinda near enough to it all," and comparing the way Yuuri spoke, beautiful lilt and docile tones, it sounded like how French was supposed to sound he knew that. Wouldn'tve called Yuuri out on only having gone to school there for a time, because he had it down easily as any native; least to Waru's ears it seemed that way. "She speaks it, just not all proper like you do. It's like -- ********, imagine if instead of saying 'I'm hungry', it was all, uhm.....'je n'ai pas mangé depuis'! N no, you don't ask when since was. Since is simply 'since', you're starved, you haven't eaten, and why is this? Go eat a thing."

Because Camfranglais was a whole creature unto itself -- a starting block into learning Pidgin for the tourists, Bassa at home, and just enough French to build a bridge between a scattering of more dialects than he could've ever kept track. Waru found he'd kept that mindset here, learned everything improperly and in snippets, ran on with pauses and fillers for whenever he lacked the sound he was looking for. Knew people'd figure out his meaning eventually, no need to ever be all the way correct.

"Remind me to take you out to Lalibela sometime, might suit you n Eion's tastes? We could make it a whole thing!" because he missed eating with his hands sometimes, tearing up injera or fufu and having enough rice and veg mix to fill a boat with. "I've been meaning to hang with the both of you, together, yanno? Just...preferably in a more non-world ending scenario than what we usually find ourselves in."

"Oh and I---ah..." and if he'd blinked he would've missed it, mid stride and thirty fresh, new thoughts deep. The soft bit of 'thanks' caught him off guard enough that he'd nearly pulled when the sign on the entrance to the place clearly said push --

"You're welcome Yuuri, always."

Sometimes Waru could be sheepish enough to pipe down, especially when he could feel the heat of the blush that tried to color his features. Yuuri thanking him like it was some big deal, instead of a long overdue bit of olive branch. No wonder he was Eion's dearest heart...