A DRINK BEFORE BATTLE (MxM)

Sevei was pulled along by this twittering cloud of silk and perfume, across the room and up a few steps to a raised area bound in ornate railings, where they continued their flirtatious mobbing of him.

“Go on now, all of you,” a satin-smooth voice raised through the chatter. “Let the General sit. You’ve all got other things to do.”

The flock parted to reveal the proprietor of the House, Kyrzhan Damah, reclining in an indolent posture behind his private table. Sevei gave a melodramatic gasp upon seeing him. He had known Kyrzhan since they were children. The itinerant nature of army life didn’t allow him to visit very often, and his mind could never quite square his memory of the nervous, buttoned-up, overly-proper youngster he’d known in their small hometown in Valesk with this heavenly vision of some descended deity of carnal delight.

Kyrzhan wore his dark, mahogany-red hair long and waved, one side tucked back to display a row of sparkling gems along the edge of his delicate ear. His amber eyes were subtly lined in black kohl and shadowed all around with wisps of red powder, causing them to appear enormous against his gracefully thin face. He was draped in a loose-fitting robe of glittering brocade, open to reveal his smooth chest, some sort of skin cream enhancing his milky skin with a pearlescent sheen.

An elegant crystal glass dangled from his manicured fingertips, and he gave Sevei a dazzling smile before taking a sip, his reddened lips lingering seductively on the edge of the glass.

Sevei rolled his eyes with a grin. As the boys all departed with a chorus of discontented sighs, he slipped behind the table. Kyrzhan set his glass down and leaned forward to kiss his cheeks one after the other, then sat up straight. Sevei slid along the bench to cuddle up to Kyrzhan’s side. They linked arms and laced their fingers together, one hand rough and calloused, the other buttery soft and be-ringed, and they both pressed in, leaning the sides of their heads together.

For a long time, they sat in silence just like that, both gazing across the room to the musicians on the stage. Sevei allowed the undulating music to lull him into a comfortable reverie along with the scent of Kyrzhan’s perfume, a spicy note that wouldn’t clash with the incense billowing throughout the room.

Across the way, a man seated alone at the table, his curtains open to watch the musicians himself, cast occasional furtive glances their way.

Sevei wasn’t worried about being seen. Even if any of his own men were here, they might not recognize him in the dim setting, and if they did, they’d have to rat themselves out to rat him out. He’d come dressed in a plain dark tunic and trousers and left his sword behind, armed only with boot knives. Next to Kyrzhan, he should look like just another customer, although who could afford the host might be a curiosity. Kyrzhan was very expensive.

Kyrzhan shifted beside him and sighed softly.

“There are so many things...” he said.

“I know,” Sevei replied.

“I don’t need to tell you to be careful.”

“I’m just going to babysit the river,” Sevei said in a reassuring tone. “I’ve seen a lot worse. This’ll be like a vacation. I might do some fishing.”

“You’ve seen bandit gangs and nomads on the Eastern border throwing rocks at you.”

“Hey, don’t underestimate the nomads. They are respectable foes. And those bandits are vicious. I’ve got a few scars I could show you-”

“That’s not helping...”

“-and this isn’t my first war. Trust that I know what I’m doing.”

“I do. It’s just all so worrisome. If Loranar gets past you, what if they come here? I can’t protect these boys from that.”

“I won’t let that happen. We won’t let that happen. It’s not like it’s just me, we’ve got two Valeskan units and two Brinnish units; cavalry, infantry, archers, the works.” Sevei drew a breath. “We’ve even got Alchemists,” he added begrudgingly. “Even if they do get around us, they’ll just head straight for the pass. Tharlburg won’t be in their path.”

Kyrzhan nodded silently. Sevei withdrew his arm, then slid it behind Kyrzhan to encircle his waist and pull him closer.

“Trust that I know what I’m doing,” he repeated. “Now, is there anything I can do for you before I head out? Anything you need?”

Kyrzhan turned a thoughtful gaze back to the stage for a long moment. A mischievous grin broke across his face.

“There may be something.”

“Name it.”

Kyrzhan gave an upwards nod to indicate the man across the room who still looked over at them from time to time.

“Every night this week, he’s been here. He just sits there alone, listening to the music and drinking our cheapest beer. Doesn’t look like he has two cents to rub together, so I doubt he can afford to pay for company. The boys have all tried him, but he seems... uninterested in them, and very skittish. So why does he keep coming here? I have to wonder, and my best guess is that he needs a job and he’s working his nerve up.

“So I had a chat with him last night, and dear heavens, Vei, this man is beautiful. Face of an angel, body of a God. Well, I haven’t seen him naked, but you can tell he’s built very nicely. Just the kind you like.”

“And you think he wants to work here... as a courtesan?” Sevei raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“It’s not entirely unheard of,” Kyrzhan said. “Some people would rather have a place they can be themselves than to hide among polite society, even if they can. At any rate, he’s looking for something, and it’s not my little birds. I suspect his preference lies more along your vein.”

“And just what would you like me to do?” Sevei asked with suspicious humor, his eyes narrowing. “Are you trying to sell me?”

“Oh, would that I could,” Kyrzhan laughed, running a hand up Sevei’s arm, feeling over all the knotted muscles there. “You would rake it in.”

“I already have a job, thank you.”

“And how is selling your body to the army any different?”

Sevei tipped his head in concession. “Some days, I think you may have a point there.”

“Just go over and talk to him for me. When I asked if he’d like to join us, he didn’t deny it, and he would be very popular, if I can land him. I think he just needs a bit of... incentive...” Kyrzhan leaned in closer. “...and he’s been staring at you since you walked in.”

Sevei’s eyes shot across the room just in time to see the man hurriedly looking away again, ducking his face into the shadow of the curtains.

“I’ll give you the best room upstairs in case he’d be more comfortable talking privately,” Kyrzhan offered. “Just feel him out. Maybe even feel him up. Confirm what’s under that tunic.”

“Kyri!” Sevei laughed in mock indignation. “You are trying to sell me!”

Kyrzhan’s amber eyes sparkled with mirth, but then his expression softened.

“It would do my heart good if you could get yourself a proper send-off,” he sighed. “How long has it been?”

Sevei groaned out loud, eliciting a sly chuckle from Kyrzhan.

“Well...” Sevei said thoughtfully, his eyes drifting across the room again. “Maybe I’ll just... have a look.”