Benedict's panic does not match up with his question. Anyone would think the young man's career was at stake. Colin gestures for him to come to the fire, which already has a kettle of hot water Colin uses to make tea.
"No??" Bene replies in incredulous despair-- how was he supposed to know he needed a pot? What is he, a mind reader?!
"...should I go get one?" He clearly dreads the idea, having already run down six flights of stairs to get here, though at least he'd only have one more to go."
Bene came here with coffee and nothing to put it in. How did he think that was going to work?
"So long as you bring it back," Colin says, opening the lid. "All right. Two secrets to coffee: don't boil it too long, and have the proper proportions of coffee to water. Do they like their coffee strong or weak?"
He shows Bene the correct ratio of coffee to water before having him combine the two and set the pot to boil.
"It'll go for just two or three minutes; longer than that, and it'll burn. The pot's designed to make the grounds settle at the bottom and the spout has a filter to catch what's left."
Watching Colin work with a hawkish intensity, Benedict spends a lot of time nodding and taking mental notes. This seems simple enough, why did he think it was so hard? If slaves can do it--
He self-consciously pushes his hair back out of his face, trying to will himself not to have thoughts like that anymore. Old habits die hard.
Bene looks a little bewildered at first-- please, this isn't a hugworthy event-- but accept it anyway, because he's jittery and revved up and a little coming-down-to-earth never hurt anyone.
When the pot starts boiling, he looks to it sharply.
Hugs are free and not to be held in reserve, so all events are hug-worthy where Colin is concerned.
"Um." At this point, Colin has made so many pots of coffee and tea he just knows when it's ready, so he has to think. "It'll start to smell really, really good. Once it smells like it's ready to drink, it's ready to drink."
He takes the pot off the fire and offers it to Bene.
Taking the pot, Bene holds it up towards his face to give it a sniff. It's fortunate that he personally loves coffee, and knows how it's supposed to smell-- it reassures him somewhat, and he nods to Colin with a little smile.
"I've got to go," he says, turning quickly, "I'll bring it back."
He's already out the door and several steps away when, backtracking, he pops his head back into view to say "--thank you."
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"Did you bring a pot?"
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"...should I go get one?" He clearly dreads the idea, having already run down six flights of stairs to get here, though at least he'd only have one more to go."
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"We can use this. Who has coffee?"
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"I hope he didn't want a specific cup." He looks from the pot back to the packet back to the door.
"....I can always transfer it. Can I borrow the pot?" Of course he'll want the whole pot, Idiot,
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"So long as you bring it back," Colin says, opening the lid. "All right. Two secrets to coffee: don't boil it too long, and have the proper proportions of coffee to water. Do they like their coffee strong or weak?"
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"Um." He didn't know that was even a thing. "...normal?"
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He shows Bene the correct ratio of coffee to water before having him combine the two and set the pot to boil.
"It'll go for just two or three minutes; longer than that, and it'll burn. The pot's designed to make the grounds settle at the bottom and the spout has a filter to catch what's left."
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If slaves can do it--
He self-consciously pushes his hair back out of his face, trying to will himself not to have thoughts like that anymore. Old habits die hard.
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"Everything all right?"
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When the pot starts boiling, he looks to it sharply.
"How can you tell how long?"
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"Um." At this point, Colin has made so many pots of coffee and tea he just knows when it's ready, so he has to think. "It'll start to smell really, really good. Once it smells like it's ready to drink, it's ready to drink."
He takes the pot off the fire and offers it to Bene.
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"I've got to go," he says, turning quickly, "I'll bring it back."
He's already out the door and several steps away when, backtracking, he pops his head back into view to say "--thank you."
Then he's gone again.
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