Chapter 308: He Knows.

Chapter 308: Chapter 308: He Knows.

"Hey, will you stop fidgeting already and get in there?" Gandy complains, giving Khobi a nudge with his elbow as he starts clambering over the fence to retrieve Rogard.

He’s totally gonna lie there all day if no one goes to scrape him off the ground, "Hey Rogard, Khobi’s pissed that you’re hogging the ring."

​"That’s rich," Rogard hollers back in a squawk before Khobi can so much as defend himself --with what exactly, Gandy’s not entirely sure; he’s always so obvious when he’s itching for a fight.

And no one gets him itching quite like Loac. "...Can’t you see me and Loac are having a moment?"

​"Yeah, it’s probably why," Gandy mutters under his breath. "...You should watch out, Khobi," he adds in a snicker as they pick their way through the rain to where Rogard is wallowing in the mud looking like an absolute sight, "Green really clashes with your hair." Khobi has the gall to look confused.

​"What are you talking about?" he frowns, and Gandy can only roll his eyes.

​"Nothing." Honestly. Kids these days.

​"That was a good fight," Khobi remarks with a helpless grin as they both extend a hand out to Rogard and haul him to his feet.

He leaves behind a vaguely human shaped indent in the mud, and grimaces as he realises just how filthy he is.

​"I’m offended that you expected anything less," Rogard quips back, although with a little less sparkle than usual.

That’s to be expected, Gandy supposes; losing is never fun, even when you fight well. Especially when you fight well.

After making sure he can stand on his own, they make sure offer out the same hands to Loac as well, and no sooner is he back on his feet than Khobi starts eyeing him up to see whether a quick bout is on the cards before the rain gets diabolical.

​"So much for your moment, eh Rogard?" Gandy snickers as he hooks an arm up under his shoulder to help him stagger back towards the fence where the rest of the soldiers are waiting to ruffle his hair and punch him in the arm.

Rogard just snickers and rolls his eyes, because this is how it always is.

​"Loac moves on so fast~"

They barely make it out of the ring before they start up.

Khobi’s already been well worn down through the day and it’s clear that after his fight with Rogard Loac’s faring no better, so it’s messier than it usually is.

And with the rain coming down hard and heavy visibility is bad, so when their tired arms lose their swords to the ether they just swing in hand to hand and wind up grappling in the mud, tumbling and tangling and cursing as they struggle to pin the other.

But for all their bluster, it’s not hard to tell that they’re both grinning, and when Khobi winds up on top first; hands like vices on Loac’s wrists as he shoves him into the ground with eyes burning, the soldiers all wolf-whistle and hoot and holler for them to hurry up and take it inside already.

​But it’s like Khobi doesn’t even hear them. When they’re like this it’s like they’re the only two people in the world.

And while it’s no secret that Khobi loves fighting each and every one of them, he never looks at any of them quite like he looks at Loac.

​Especially recently.

​...

​The barracks are filthy. It’s fitting for him to be there, Rogard supposes, staring blankly up at the thick patchwork of cobwebs dangling from the roof above him.

He’s seriously filthy, too.

Outside the rain has finally stopped, although over in the corner there’s a leak in the roof that has been dripping pathetically for quite some time now. It’s kind of soothing.

​" –Hey, Rogard? You still in there?" Khobi’s voice bellows from the other side of the door, accompanied by an obnoxious, ham-fisted hammering.

How very Khobi of him.

​" No ," Rogard calls back dryly, and right on cue Khobi barges right on in anyways.

Behind him the training grounds have started to grow dark.

​"It’s almost time for di –hey, you all right?" he frowns, cutting himself off when he sees Rogard sprawled on his back on one of the barracks beds like he’d always sworn he’d never do because the mattresses were hard and old and who knew what they would do to his back and his hair? "Is your ankle –"

​"My ankle’s fine," Rogard assures him with a sigh, and Khobi looks relieved.

It would be so easy to be able to blame his ankle; to tell them all that it’s still giving him trouble, that that’s why he lost to Loac again.

But it wouldn’t be the truth.

The only thing hurting is his pride.

But not as badly as he thought it would.

​Also, his arms.

​What business does Loac have in being so damn strong? He’s not sure how Khobi does it, day after day.

​(He’s still got a long way to go, apparently.

But it suddenly doesn’t feel like a bad thing.)

​(In fact, he’s kind of looking forward to it.)

​" –Oh, right," Khobi says suddenly, like he’s just remembered, "I think the Captain was looking for you."

​That makes Rogard sit up.

His clothes make a gross squelching noise as he peels himself away from the mattress.

​"Who, Drogger?" he queries, doing his best to keep his tone even.

​"No, Loac ," Khobi scoffs with a roll of his eyes, " Yeah, Drogger. Dunno what for, but it seemed important."

​"I’m sure it’s nothing," Rogard assures him airily, even flopping back down on the bed to really sell it.

​"Right." Maybe a little too airily in hindsight; Rogard gets the distinct impression that Khobi doesn’t quite buy whatever he’s selling. And it wasn’t even a lie.

"You and him go way back, yeah?" he says after a beat, brow furrowed as he scratches absently at a patch of mud that’s matted in his hair.

Rogard’s not sure exactly why, but for some reason the question sets him on edge.

​"Hmm, I guess?" he muses, treading carefully, "He trained me when I was a kid. Why’s that?"

​"Uh, no reason," Khobi says dismissively, and Rogard wants to sigh for him.

​Khobi is a terrible liar .

​"I just..." he mumbles awkwardly, after a beat, "It just...seems like you guys are close, is all."

​Rogard’s eyes widen, infinitesimally.

​He knows .