A house isn't so big when there's two

Roldan brought in the last of the boxes off of the moving truck, setting it down inside the spacious living room. Things had been... strange lately. Being on leave and back on the job. The girl who he was pretty sure he'd been trying to get in his pants. That party he had had to patrol around. And most recently.

He still hadn't been able to believe it when Narraine's had shown up at his door. His heart had been in his throat for that entire conversation. And what she'd asked had been even more jarring. Iesha. She couldn't take care of her anymore. Working. Going to school.

Of course Roldan had said yes. On the condition of course that he be allowed custody of Iesha. If she couldn't take care of the girl now,cot wasn't fair to jerk her around from home to home all the time.

Iesha was, maybe in her room? He hadn't taken down the bed yet, so that was one less thing to deal with setting up, at least. Roldan stepped into the hallway and poked his head into Iesha's room.

"Hey... how ya doing in here?"

@Pallas

"No, no. I got the last box in. We can unpack everything as you think we need to. I'm just..." He stopped in the doorway, leaning on his hand against the door frame. He wasn't a detective, but he knew enough to know Iesha was feeling pretty down. And probably confused. "Can I come in? Just... wanna talk a bit if that's okay."

Assuming she let him in, Roldan would sit cross legged on the floor and look at her briefly before he looked a little past her. Not wanting to intimidate or upset her anymore than she likely already was.
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay. And let you know that you can always talk to me about stuff."

"I- I get that. I mean. Narraine talked to me about it. She really does love you, Iesha. She just..." Roldan sighed. He couldn't explain it in a way that was satisfactory. She loved you, but she couldn't take care of you. And we would not get back together because the relationship was. Unsalvageable? Yeah, that was the best word for it.

"She loves you a lot, Iesha. And she did what she thought was best to make sure you're taken care of. I know it might not feel that way right now, but..."
But what? It'd get better with time? Roldan knew that was true, but their hearts we're both broken right now and it would take a long time for both of them to be normal.

"If you need time to yourself, I can go get stuff ready for dinner. I, uh. Still keep camel around. It's pretty good. I hadn't ever considered it before you moved in." Roldan smiled just a bit, hoping that a good meal might make Iesha feel even the teensiest bit better.

"Yeah," Roldan said, standing up. "You take as long as you need, Iesha. I'll let you know when food is ready."

Roldan slipped out of her room, partially shutting the door behind him. In the kitchen he poured himself just a little whiskey and got to work. A stew, maybe? That'd be simple enough, he figured. And it'd keep for a few days.

Cooking for someone else was good. It let him focus on it. Normally his mind would be wandering to the times he and Narraine had cooked together. Or the dates they'd gone on. Or... oh, he was doing it again. Roldan went back to dicing the meat and putting it into the pot to brown before he added in everything else.

He felt the tears coming, and he was ready for them. It wasn't the first time he'd cried since she left. And it probably wouldn't be the last. He wiped his eyes, trying once again to focus on the task in front of him.

Steeling himself at the sound of Iesha's voice, Roldan turned and gave her a tight smile. "Hey, Iesha. Yeah, it's nearly finished. If you want, you can go ahead and sit at the table. I'll bring you a drink."

The table in question was large and low to the ground, with large, thin cushions that a lamia could easily coil up on to sit comfortably.

When the food was ready, he brought out a bowl of the stew for Iesha, and one for himself. Sitting across from her, he smiled and waited to see how she liked the food before he started eating. He'd long since dried his eyes, not wanting to worry Iesha any more than she already was.

"Is it okay? Did I do alright with the seasoning?"