Chapter 354: Smart Mouth.

Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Smart Mouth.

​"...Something’s different," he says; a statement, not a question. Khobi seriously hopes he’s not flushing, because that would be just as bad; just as telling.

"I dunno, I guess I expected you to be angrier, or somethin’. Y’know, like you usually are."

​It’s difficult not to look too relieved that he hasn’t been able to take one look at him and know that he spent the night with Loac pounding him into his mattress, and a mumbled excuse of having slept really well seems surprisingly passable.

​"Hah, I’m not surprised," Montrel even snickers, and then makes Khobi choke on his spit when he adds, "A good ride’ll do that to you."

​"Wha --?" Khobi splutters, because how did he --

​" --Oh come on, Khobi," he scoffs, rolling his eyes, "No one gets on a horse for the first time and doesn’t wind up aching all over."

​Oh. That’s what he’s talking about. The panic abruptly subsides. And honestly, that explains away some of the less familiar aches that have been bothering him since the moment he woke up.

He’d figured most of it was from the fight, and then what came later. He hadn’t even considered that being flung around on the back of the horse might have played its part in why he’s feeling so stiff.

And while he’s fully intending to stay glued to this chair as long until they’re gone, at least if he has to get up he’s got an entirely plausible explanation for why he can’t fucking walk straight.

​Just so long as they don’t see any of the marks.

​They tore into him mercilessly when he almost fucked Loac. Khobi’s not sure he’s ready to face what they’ll do when they find out he actually did.

​And that’s not an if , it’s a when .

​Because there’s no fucking way they don’t find out. But the longer Khobi can keep it to himself, the better.

​Just as long as Loac does.

​"...Wait, what’s that on your face?" Gandy suddenly asks, immediately ruining what would have been an actual, passable lie.

Alarmed, Khobi claps a hand to his cheek; he’d been so sure his face was fine –if there are any fucking hickies there or gods forbid some come he forgot to wash off...

​Ah.

​It feels like a cut.

​Relief washes over him, so visceral he almost physically sags.

​"Ah," he breathes, "...We uh, sparred a bit. Y’know, while we were..." Khobi struggles for a second to find an appropriate word, "... Out ."

​" Right ." There’s something in Gandy’s tone that implies that while he buys it, he’s not entirely placated by it, but he doesn’t press any further.

​"You two are seriously unbelievable," Montrel mutters, shaking his head incredulously as he starts dealing out a fresh hand of cards. "But hopefully now Loac’s gotten what he’s been waiting for he’ll ease up on the rest of us."

​"Wha-whats that supposed to mean?" Khobi chokes out, and Montrel and Gandy both shoot him dry looks.

​"You seriously didn’t notice?" Montrel snorts, "He’s been hanging out to fight you for days –"

​"Yeah..." Gandy deadpans with a light eyeroll, " Fight you." For some reason Khobi doesn’t particularly like the way he says that, and instinctively sinks down into his furs just that little bit lower.

​" –Oh shit, he’s gonna be so pissed that you’re not allowed to come to training anymore..."

​That makes two of us , Khobi can’t help but think, slightly bitter.

No more training, huh? And it’s a nice day out, too; would’ve been such a good day for it. Although rain or shine, it’s always a good day for a fight. Particularly when it’s with Loac.

​And yesterday...

​Their fight yesterday, out in the wilderness like that with him, had been something else. Neither of them had really won, but by the end of it --for the first time, almost --it hadn’t really even seemed to matter, and the hours they’d spent in that clearing had felt like an entirely different world.

​You should see it in summer.

​Khobi would have liked that. To see it in summer. And spring’s just around the corner, too.

He wonders how loud the waterfall is and how green it gets; whether you can climb the cliffs and look out across the world and if the water is deep enough to jump into without ever coming close to the bottom.

He’ll probably never get the chance, now.

​"Yeah, well he should’ve thought about that before he helped him sneak out," Gandy sniffs, and Khobi’s glad he’s too busy nudging the cards in Montrel’s direction to notice how wistfully he’s been staring out the window, and the horizon beyond.

"C’mon, it’s your turn to deal. Shall we go easy on him, Khobi? He’s got a girl to treat now; he can’t be spending all his gold on you.

How scandalous would that be?" He smacks the seat next to him insistently, and it’s such a Gandy attempt to cheer him up that despite the impending life sentence he can’t help the way the edges of his lips start to curl up.

​(He appreciates it.)

...

Khobi can’t tell just how long they’ve been playing, but it must be a while because there’s a decent pile of gold sitting in front of him and when Gandy answers a knock at the door, it’s Binny’s sister with an enormous basket of food.

And from the way she lays out three identical sets of breads, cheese, and fruit, it’s clear that it’s not just for Khobi, but for the soldiers, too.

​"Where’s Binny?" Khobi asks offhandedly, because even though he’s made it clear that he does not expect to be waited on hand and foot, he’d kind of just gotten accustomed to him being the one knocking on his door.

"...His sister," he expands, when the soldiers look at him strangely.

​"...Binny’s indisposed ," she replies, after shooting a look at the two uniformed soldiers sitting with him and evidently deeming them safe to speak in front of.

There’s something about the way she says the word that sounds like Khobi’s missing something.

"...He’s also mad that you got yourself locked up again."

​"Wha–it’s not like I planned it –" Khobi splutters, and she gives him an even look as she clarifies, "I said he was mad. I didn’t say he was surprised ."

​Well that’s offensive.

​"I like her," Gandy snickers, jabbing a thumb in her direction; mouth full of bread.

​"...Ah, I remember now; you’re Binny’s loud friends," she states dryly, a little of her brother slipping out into her voice, and Gandy lets out a short bark of laughter at the irony.

​"Binny? Calling us loud?" He snorts. "

Wow ."