"Get out."
But there's no heat in it. And I definitely catch him glancing at the curtains as I leave.
Progress. Small, dusty, vitamin-D-deficient progress.
Tomorrow I'm definitely bringing cleaning supplies.
"Oh," I remember at the door. "The vegetables. Should I take them to the kitchen or—"
"Leave them. I'll... someone will handle them."
"The turnips are for soup. They look throwable but they're actually quite sweet when cooked properly."
"I know what turnips are for."
"Do you though? Because someone used a potato as a projectile. Waste of a perfectly good potato."
"That was a training exercise."
"That was food waste." I adjust my bags one more time. "Tomorrow then. With curtain soap. And maybe some nice potatoes. For eating, not throwing."
"No potatoes."
"Carrots then. Very hard to weaponize carrots."
"You'd be surprised."
"Now I'm concerned about your carrot usage." I back out the door. "Eat something with vitamins. Please. Your complexion is begging for leafy greens."
The door closes with finality, but I swear I hear him mutter something about vegetables as I navigate back down the narrow stairs.
Gray Streak's waiting at the bottom, trying to look casual. "How did it go?"
"Well, no one died and I got him to sit in actual sunlight for an hour." I shift my bags. "I'm calling it a success."
"He let you paint him?"
"He let me start painting him. There's a difference. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are accurate portraits of emotionally constipated crime lords."
Gray Streak makes a choking sound. "Maybe don't call him that to his face."
"Oh, I'd never. To his face I just criticize his curtains and worry about his vitamin intake." I start toward the exit. "Walk me out? My vegetables didn't make it to the kitchen and I'm worried someone might eat them raw. You can't eat turnips raw. Well, you can, but you shouldn't."
He falls into step beside me. "The boss seems... different. Since you started coming around."
"Different how?"
"He ate breakfast yesterday. In front of people."
"Good! What did he eat?"
"Bread. And an apple."
"That's not breakfast, that's a snack pretending." I shake my head. "Tomorrow I'm bringing porridge. Proper porridge with nuts and dried fruit."
"He doesn't like porridge."
"He doesn't like admitting he needs nutrition. Different thing entirely."
