Chapter 275 - 273: I’ll Buy.

Chapter 275: Chapter 273: I’ll Buy.

​A vein in Montrel’s head throbs out of reflex. But where he might usually let it explode, tonight he takes a moment to let it ebb away again, and lets out a long, centering breath once he’s sure he’s not going to lose his temper.

​" ...Look ." Montrel can’t believe he’s saying this; he seriously can’t. He’s not even entirely sure why he is. "...Why don’t you...stay for a drink?" The words come out sounding so terribly awkward.

​"A drink." Loac doesn’t look like he can quite believe it, either. Which Montrel also gets. "With you."

​"Sure, why not?" Montrel shrugs, and spares a small glance up at the bar where Rogard appears to be fussing with something in Khobi’s hair as they wait for their drinks.

Honestly, Loac’s gone and done them a solid today.

The least he can do is buy him a drink.

"...Might as well, since you’re here and all."

​Funnily enough, letting him just walk out doesn’t even really feel like an option.

He’d no doubt never hear the end of it from Rogard if he did. At least .

​"Come on," he huffs gruffly, making the decision for him and even going so far as to give Loac a light slap on the arm to get him moving.

It’s got to be the most familiar gesture he’s ever offered him, and he’s honestly a little surprised that Loac lets him get away with it.

But Loac’s definitely been...different, recently. Montrel certainly never envisions them being anything so cosy as friends , but once upon a time he would never have imagined offering to share a drink at a tavern with him, so he’ll take whatever midpoint this is.

​"I’ll buy."

...

Khobi hadn’t realised just how hungry he was, but now that there’s food on the way he’s absolutely ravenous.

The kitchen smells just delicious, and from what he’s glimpsed littering the tables here, he’s in for a real treat.

​"Uh, Khobi?" Rogard interrupts his salivating by poking him in the head, "You got a bit of..." Khobi gives him an odd look and grimaces as he reaches over to poke him again, but Rogard just pulls a piece of straw out of his hair, then looks over at where Loac’s hair is looking likewise...askew. "What were you and Loac doing out there??"

​He does not like how high Rogard’s eyebrows are right now.

​" – Fuck , nothing like that!" Khobi hisses, urgently brushing as much of the straw out of his hair as he possibly can before anyone else can get any funny ideas.

Thankfully, that’s when his first drink of the night arrives and saves Rogard from getting shoved off his chair for the implication.

Rogard obligingly slides payment across the bar with a little wink for the barmaid, and while she must get that sort of thing all the time, she still flushes, and nearly spills ale on herself in her haste to hand it over.

​Khobi is seriously going to need a few more drinks in him if this is what he’s going to have to deal with all night, and he makes sure to tell Rogard as much.

​Rogard reproachfully reminds him he should probably be nicer to the person buying his drinks.

​Touche .

Right on cue, Montrel shoulders his way up to them, and Khobi almost chokes on the first mouthful of his drink as he sees just who he’s got in tow.

​"...Look who’s joining us," Montrel announces weakly, and Rogard almost falls off his stool without any input from Khobi.

​" Loac ? Seriously?" he gawks, and Loac looks appropriately offended by his reaction.

​"What, aren’t you the one who keeps spouting all that yesterday’s enemies are tomorrow’s friends , bullshit?" Montrel scoffs.

​"I’m just surprised, is all," Rogard sniffs, as Montrel tries his hardest to catch the eye of a roving barmaid.

This proves to be somewhat more difficult than Rogard made it look, although from the way two young women eagerly materialise across the bar the moment Loac leans forwards and raises two fingers, Khobi has to wonder as he and Rogard head back to their table, if there’s really any knack to it at all.

​Montrel must be thinking much the same thing because he sends Loac a withering look when two drinks come sliding down the bar towards him.

A look that promptly changes to one of confusion when Loac nudges one of the mugs towards him.

And then a couple of inches more when he doesn’t take the hint.

​"What’s this?" Montrel asks flatly, staring blankly at the drink sitting right in front of him as Loac wordlessly raises his drink to his lips, "...I said I was buying, didn’t I?"

For a second there he wonders if Loac hasn’t even heard him –it is pretty loud in here after all –but after a beat he clucks his tongue and sends him a fleeting sidelong glance.

Montrel doesn’t know what to make of the furrowed, far-off expression he’s wearing as he looks away again. Nor what he says.

​"...Be good to Xena."

​Ah.

​A conversation he’d hoped to avoid.

Forever, if possible.

He knows he’s never been the best at keeping his opinion of his prince to himself, and it’s no huge secret that the feeling is entirely mutual.

​"...Ah, so you actually were listening to that, huh?" Montrel mumbles uncomfortably, not making any attempt to hide a grimace.

Loac does him the same courtesy.

​"I was."

​That’s it.

That’s all he says.

He doesn’t hit him.

He doesn’t grab him or shake him down and tell him that if he hurts the princess then he’ll ruin his life.

He just takes a sip of his drink like they’re not casually discussing the fact that Montrel is in any way interested in his cousin.

​"What, that’s it?" he baulks, entirely caught off guard by the lack of reaction.

He’s not sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t... nothing . Honestly, Loac’s broken his nose before over less. "...You-you’re not gonna tell me you’ll kill me if I make her cry?"