Adrien had been looking up at Val with rapt interest, trying to absorb as much information as he could. "Thank you", he then said. "I hope this will go well for me".

"I'm sure it will", Val smiled. He looked up at the clock. "Thirty minutes to midnight", he read. "It's almost time". Val gestured with his hand, and set the table with panettone, pandoro, and a bottle of spumante. He unpacked both cakes and picked up a knife to slice them: "Which do you prefer?".

Adrien blinked. "Oh, um -- can I have a bit of both?".