They learned small, inconsequential things about each other throughout the duration of their meal. Gaius discovered that Henry preferred not to eat meat, because he was a stark animal lover (even when he killed them for his rituals), and tried to avoid it if he could. He also found out that Henry's favorite food was a spicy, Plegian curry that he didn't have a chance to eat since his enlistment in the Shepherds. He was an inexperienced cook, however, and so he could never quite replicate the recipe in the right way. For that, Henry was sort of jealous of Gaius for having some proficiency in cooking, even if it was mostly limited to baking.

Henry also discovered a few things about Gaius, too. Like his allergy to shellfish, which was why he never really liked the ocean, because the mere scent of it made him sick. He also revealed his own favorite food (that wasn't sweet in nature), and it was a simple but traditional Ylissean beef stew.

"It's supposed to melt in your mouth," Gaius recalled fondly. "The meat would come out so soft and good, and the broth is fatty and flavorful. It's one of the best things on this planet, besides candy and dessert, of course." Then he also went on about a tale where he was ambushed by three guys in a tavern, and he held them off with one hand—the other hand holding a bowl of the favored stew, yet not spilling a single drop of it. Henry laughed at this story as he laughed at everything else that came before it, but Gaius accepted his cheerfulness, anyway.

Even if it was fake.

After some talking, they got back to eating the regular menu that the Shepherds served: simple stews, breads, meats, and whole vegetables. It was hard to feed such a large group, even though they did receive a lot of money recently. While staring into a bowl full of rice, Henry vaguely wondered if he could buy some Plegian curry with their treasury fonds, and how much he would like to swim in a bathtub full of the curry if he could. It would be disgusting and useless, but he would eat it and drown in it, too.

While he thought about food, Gaius thought about how scrawny Henry was. He was incredibly thin, even for a mage, and Gaius couldn't help but wonder if that was his body's natural physique, or if he was just unfortunate and weak by nature. Based on the way that Henry ate (quite delicately, and very slowly) Gaius decided that it was a combination of both—that Henry was just a reedy person by nature, and that he wasn't the best when it came to taking care of himself. Each bite he took seemed more laborious than the last, and eventually he abandoned his meal three-fourths of the way with a wide smile.

"I'm full," was all he said, making sure that the table space around him was clean, too. "And you'll be happy to know that Tharja's underwhelming cooking is curse-free, haha!"

"You sure you don't wanna eat more?" Gaius disregarded the joke as he pointed at the plates. "You didn't finish it all, and Sunshine's cooking ain't so bad."

"Are you worried about me?" Henry asked in a playful manner, clasping his hands together daintily. "Awwww, you're so cute when you frown like that!"

"I'm not cute," Gaius insisted, sounding a tad arrogant and almost offended. "But stop skirting around the matter. You know we're in a war, right? You gotta take all the grub you can get!"

"No can do. I'm not a big eater, y'see? If you want, you can have my leftovers~ I'm very clean when I eat." He reassured Gaius about this fact, as if the problem was with his hygiene and not his unusual eating habits (or lack thereof). Gaius' frown deepened, and he pushed Henry's dishes closer to him with a bit of forcefulness.

"Don't fight me on this. Just eat."

"I won't have to fight you because I'm done eating," Henry reasserted himself, the words bathed in a hint of malice. His true anger had yet to be seen, but this was annoyance more than anything else. "Honeybuns, if you're this strict around people when they eat, then you won't be very popular! I'm okay, really."

"Suit yourself," he muttered angrily, taking spoonfuls of the other's leftovers and eating them. "You'll be regretting that when you starve out in the field, or something."

"You're probably right." Henry admitted, shrugging his shoulders in nonchalance. "But it's fine. I'll be fine." He leaned forward and placed his face in his hands while staring intently in Gaius' direction. His eyes were closed at this point, and it made Gaius wonder just how he was able to see anything with his eyelids being closed most of the time. He made a note to ask him about it later.

And just as Gaius was about to knock some sense into the other, the duo was approached by Frederick. He stood tall and proud, with his arms held behind his back in a polite manner. "Gaius, Henry." He addressed them in a respectful tone, and glanced towards the exit. "I have come to inform you that the formations for the afternoon watch have been switched. I have been instructed to let you two take on the day patrol for now, as it is an easier task for you to take whilst you recover from your grievous mission." His words were as uniform as him, and he gave a bow. "When you are finished sustaining yourselves, I ask that you begin the patrol as soon as possible. Thank you."

He left them with that, armor clinking steadily as he walked away. Henry and Gaius looked at each other, and the former snickered at the opportunity presented before them. "Well, that's our cue. You're done, aren't you?" Another wicked smile showed itself, and Gaius was starting to tire of the singular expression that Henry manufactured like some self-sustaining factory.

Henry didn't even break a sweat when he jumped out of his seat, and continued smiling on—this time with obvious delight peppering his entire being. "Come on, Honeybuns!"

"Alright, alright, I'm goin'! No need to tell me twice," he shouted, standing to his own feet all the while. He also made sure to stack their empty dishes on top of each other. The two of them brought the plates to the washing bin, and left it there for those on cleaning duty as they headed outside the mess hall. They had both been around long enough to be familiar with all the different errands that were expected of them. Considering the business around camp, they were grateful that they had something as simple as doing a perimeter check and not anything laborious like digging latrines or sorting out the convoy.

Gaius and Henry matched strides as they edged further away from camp, and circled the stake marks left by the morning patrol. They looked out for anything strange, and kept a close eye on any potential enemies or Risen in hiding. Many times during the process, Henry was greeted by his crows, who pecked at his clothes and skin lovingly. He fed them crumbs—those that were probably from the bread he didn't eat earlier—and petted them gently as they hopped about from one spot to the next.

"That's a good girl," he cooed in a low voice. "Eat well, okay?"

Gaius scoffed loudly. He kicked at a rock and watched it tumble down the road, further and further until it fell into a ditch. His thoughts were bitter throughout. You should take your own advice, Henry. He looked back at the boy who was still tending to the birds like they were his own children. The way he was so willing to feed those little scamps—even more than he was willing to feed himself—made Gaius sting with irritation. His face soured at the overly affectionate display, but he held his tongue after that.

His thoughts resounded bitterly, and not even the taste of a sweet peppermint could take his mind off the sour sensation forming in the back of his throat. The flavor lingered in tandem with the single thought running through his mind, both of which intensified as Henry kept feeding those stupid little birds.

You Gods damned hypocrite.