no bullies or bums, the chums are tens here

the bastion

A quiet chuckle hums low in Remi’s chest, his shoulders easing as the air between them finally begins to feel less brittle. "Bevo più del solo gin, sai," he replies lightly, the words carrying a soft tease rather than correction. His smile deepens with the faintest trace of relief; after so many months of distance, he’d drink seawater if it meant hearing his son’s voice directed his way again.

Stepping closer, he leans one hip against the edge of a nearby chair, lowering his tone as if to spare the house’s mischief from learning too much travelling tongue at once. Oria peers up from his shoulder, her tiny eyes glimmering before she disappears behind a curl again.

When Mateo’s smirk curls wider, Remi can’t help but mirror it, the expression small but genuine. He tilts his head, the brow he raises both amused and searching.
"Kaisel sembra...gentile," he says after a measured pause, the single word carrying layers of careful diplomacy that Mateo knows all too well. Then, with that quiet glint of humour that edges toward self-deprecation, he adds, "E tu? Cosa ne pensi tu di lui?"

I got a feeling inside that I can't domesticate
It doesn't wanna live in a cage,
A feeling that I can't housebreak

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!