#ask:fernand

Herbert would occasionally visit the Highwayman Tavern owned by his close friend and confident Bertrand, as it is generally speaking the only place he’d visit for a drink on his own account. His drink order is most of the time, non creative, as he is not much of a drinker himself other than wine, which he views less as alcohol and as a tasteful beverage that he’d consume in small amounts. Thus he generally ask for a glass of the most popular ale offered at the tavern, plain old cider, or anything Bertrand himself would recommend him try out.

Most of the time he trusts his old friend not to surprise him with something of too high percentage or of experimental tastes. Most of the time.

🍺 What happened the first time he got drunk ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

It was a fateful day back in 1622... where life was still relatively consequence-free...

Herbert left his home that year soon after he came of age to join the Garde du Corps, where he begun his arguably difficult life as a soldier. Though before everything spiralled downhill for him, he served well in the King’s Household Cavalry without much trouble, and with the occasionally opportunity to hang out with his comrades. He was also subsequently introduced to the soldier’s life culture and had a few awkward, memorable experiences here and there. Though being the honourable young man he was who eagerly wanted to establish a good reputation, he stayed out of trouble for the most part, never got directly involved in any dramas or gotten entirely wasted and did questionable things, for that matter. He did, however, lost himself a little bit a few times here and there, though not nearly as bad as the first time he got a taste of how dangerous alcohol can be if consumed more than he could handle.

It was a after Christmas party in 1622, and goodie-two shoes little Herbert for once agreed to join a few of his older associates to a tavern party. Without realising that mixing drinks gets people drunk faster, and that one of the cider he was handed had some strong liquor mixed in it, he got inebriated before he even realised that he had had too much booze. Besides some very scattered early memory here and there of him being tad bit more outgoing than usual, and maybe a few hugs and platonic cheek kisses, he could not for his life remember what happened later that evening. While others insisted that he did not do anything outrageous, except maybe more relaxed and fun and had to be walked back to the palace, he was utterly horrified and suspicious of how they seemed to all be suppressing a laughter when addressing that night’s events. Since then, he swore to himself to definitely limit the amount of alcoholic beverages he would ever consume at once.

While he never intended to hide it, neither has he ever been vocal about it. Herbert is by all intents and purposes, rather a sweet tooth. He likes the gentleness, sweet innocence and warmth of these type of foods as well as the ones lying on the more refreshing spectrum.

As a result, he has a wide range of guilty pleasure snacks and comfort food, and he greatly enjoys consuming a variety of sweet pastries, fruits and above all, custard. However, not specifically for health conscious reasons, he'd generally seek to have them in small portions. Partly due to avoiding the richness of creme per se, to become too greasy or mouthy. Also, he tends to eats gracefully, because he's well taught like that. The only types of desserts to not be of his favour as much would be ones that are too dry in texture. 

Addition to that, he likes jam and stew as well, just not mutton(jam and stew are also more or less the only recipe he's learned). Speaking of other preferences, he could picky about cheese but really likes the one he does enjoy, and he doesn't tend to like cold food that is not sweet. However, he is not one to refuse any offerings or to not eat anything he does not enjoy, again, he’s rather well educated for his privilege.

🍳 Bert’s favourite breakfast

Though he may not strictly conform to the breakfast intaking ritual, he does keep it in mind that it is an important meal that should not be omitted especially for someone who expend much energy during the day as him.

Generally speaking, he try not to express too much preference as to not dictate the ones that would make his breakfast for him, with the exception of not liking his bread to be dry or hard, which according to him, should go without saying. It is widely known however, that he likes jam, and would always seek to consume some fruit before he begins his day if he could get his hands on some. 

In short, no, no he does not. He does not believe he deserves to be deemed a good person.

However, he strives to be and knows that he is definitely not a bad person neither, whether he is actively aware of it or not. Though to him, every good deed he performs is in the name of atonement. And it mattered less and less each passing day for which sins he is seeking repentance for. At some point, he starts to feel that he’s doing good and helping people in need for the sake of himself and his penance. Consequentially he also feels it to be some sort of responsibility that is not meant to be celebrated. He knows that it is not true, and that he genuinely long for the spread of kindness and will do all he can to push forward that notion. He would be much more openly generous if situation allowed for it, he would lend a hand to anyone and he would give more than he is entitled to. He would sacrifice himself to keep others warm but yet, he does not believe that any of these, validates for him being a good person. 

He cannot bear it. Not even at the cost of his honour. In fact, it may just be his honour and pride that holds him back from indulging in the idea. Essentially, a large part of him is still ridden in shame and contempt. So far, no heroic feats or self-sacrificing good deeds can pull him out of the pit he has dug for himself. However defensive he may be at times, however conceited he may appear to some, and whatever self deceiving fixation he shall utter to himself about his morality when he guts a person in the street or when he picks up dropped apples for an old lady... that title just weighs too much for him. He doesn’t need to be good as he can’t afford to live up to that unfaltering image of what a good person should be.

He’s made too many mistakes, and it have costed him everything. As there is no absolute rights and wrongs, there is no justification for him being on either side of the spectrum.