Season of Bloom - 15. Manners Matter

The journey back to Ellesmera was made in somewhat uncomfortable silence. Lapis wasn’t sure why. The memory of the full moon was just that, a memory. Faes’ touch, as cruel as it had been, hadn’t been any worse than the touch of the captain in An, where he had first learned to use a bow. In fact, much of the pain had been soothed by the potion of fire resistance, and Lapis had thanked Tristian for it as soon as he saw the cleric again, though Tristian seemed eager not to know the specifics of why the amurrun needed such a potion in the bedroom.

What he couldn’t understand was why Valerie was shooting him such glares, or why Linzi seemed to be keeping herself far from his horse. In fact, the only ones who seemed comfortable around him at the moment were Kiba and Khemet; the kobold riding the tiger’s back close to Lapis’ mount.

His confusion was ended at their first break, nearly a dozen miles from Oleg’s post. As they posted their mounts for a quick break, Valerie scowled at Khemet falling across the catfolk’s legs.

“So is that the secret of how you control the tiger?” she nearly spat. “We all heard you last night, fucking your pet. His yowls were agonizing.”

“What? That wasn’t Khemet. Don’t go giving him ideas,” Lapis scowled. “For your information, that’s what it sounds like when someone gives me pleasure. Even if it is a little painful-”

“Ew! I did not want to hear that!” Linzi protested.

“I don’t fuck animals. Khemet and I have an agreement. If he wants sex, I help him find a tiger somewhere,” Lapis continued, ignoring the halfling. “I don’t know what your issue is with me, but leave Khemet out of it. He doesn’t deserve your hate.”

“Well I am certainly having second thoughts on whether or not you are a good fit for this barony,” Valerie said sharply.

“You never thought he was a good fit to be the baron,” Tristian pointed out.

“He loves that tiger, but not like that,” Faes added. “Maybe you’ve been hanging out with Regongar too much.”

The fighter gritted her teeth. Grabbing her horse, she mounted up, scowling at the group.

“We better get moving. I want to get to Oleg’s so we can write to Octavia,” she growled.

The rest of the group followed slowly, packing away the barely eaten remains of lunch. Lapis frowned at the fighter as they got back on the road. He was supposed to be in charge; shouldn’t he be the one who said when they should move or not? Besides, he had been travelling since An. He knew the right pace, and taking three minutes for lunch was not a proper pace at all.

Still, the amurrun followed the other horses along the road, glancing over at Kiba. The kobold seemed to have attached himself grudgingly to Khemet, and it amused Lapis to watch him try to stay on the tiger’s back. For his part, Khemet worked around the shifting weight, trying to keep Kiba on his back as much as possible.

They spent the night at Oleg’s and were on the road again at first light. Even with the early start, it was still near midnight by the time they arrived at Ismenia. Faes was exhausted by the day of extended travel, and even Khemet was dragging his feet by this point.

Even now he was denied rest. The hollowborn’s fingers grasped Lapis by the scruff of his neck, guiding him toward the manor as the rest of their party split up. Kiba lay on Khemet’s back, the snores from the small kobold oddly amusing. Faes was more tired than he thought. Maybe he could get a servant to draw a nice warm bath for him to relax in before bed. Or he could just collapse in bed and let the servants deal with the mess in the morning.

But first, they had to report to Octavia.

Khemet followed Lapis, the amurrun wriggling free of Faes’ hand. The kineticist dropped his hand. It wouldn’t do any good for the baron to be seen under his control. He had to maintain appearances. Lapis would learn to do as he suggested, or he would be punished. And Faes had done plenty to show the amurrun his punishment would not be pleasant.

All it took was walking behind Lapis, Faes’ very presence moving the catfolk in front of him. They found Octavia sitting in her office, head resting on the desk. A candle burning low spoke of hours dealing with appointments and papers.

Faes cleared his throat loudly, and the soft snores coming from the half elf cut off abruptly. Her eyes opened, and Octavia sat up with a startled gasp.

“You’re back…”

Faes scoffed as the mage rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, unwittingly smearing an inkstain across her cheek. Octavia glanced down at the papers she had been napping on, her face changing from exhaustion to horror.

“Oh…”

“I can clear that if you need,” Lapis yawned, rubbing at his own eye.

“No no, I’ll recopy it,” Octavia muttered, reaching for the quill that had fallen to the side of the papers. “How was your trip?”

“You are speaking to the baron of these lands,” Faes smirked. “Perhaps you should show him respect.”

“Congratulations!” Octavia smiled.

“Thanks,” Lapis said. “Is there anything I need to do?”

“Um… everything is in order actually… I was just trying to complete Theofrid’s work.”

“Cassiel’s lover?” Faes frowned.

“Could we let Kan- Kaessi take over for him?” Lapis suggested. “She seems rather intelligent.”

“Of course, or there is a gnome Cassiel spoke of, but he might be long gone by now. Jubilost Narthropple. He would likely make a good treasurer as well,” Octavia said. “I have to admit it would be a blessing to have an actual treasurer again. Even two weeks without one is a pain.”

“Or we could make a more trustworthy appointment to the position,” Faes said quietly, casting a withering glance at Lapis. “I am well capable of handling money and ensuring we don’t go broke. Can we say the same thing about a mysterious tiefling?”

“We can,” Lapis shrugged, letting out a wide yawn.

Faes let out a low breath. Clearly the cat hadn’t gotten the picture yet. The hollowborn would have to remind him who was in charge here.

“As adorable as it is to see Kiba sleeping on a tiger’s back, might I suggest we take our leave to get some rest? I think it would be a good idea to think about this appointment Lapis. Faes is right, we do not know Kaessi that well,” Octavia said. “Of course, I will bow to your wisdom, but it would be wise to be cautious.”

Lapis nodded, and Faes pressed a hand into his back, a tiny flame finding a small bit of skin. The amurrun gritted his teeth.

“I will think about it,” he agreed tightly. “Get some rest Octavia. Tired minds don’t think clearly.”

Kiba didn’t remember making it to the manor. Or to a nice warm bed. All the kobold knew was he woke up alone, the bed surprisingly warm around him despite the absence of any bedmates.

Sliding off the large bed with a thump, Kiba hissed at the frigid floor. He scurried toward the still crackling fireplace, hands clutching the metal armour that still hung over his torso. The metal warmed with the heat of the fireplace, heating the reptile with it, and Kiba let out a grateful sigh as his blood started flowing again.

A growling stomach reminded the kobold he hadn’t eaten since yesterday. He found Apsu and helped the lizard into his pocket, before hurrying from the room. The trip to the dining hall was long for his short legs, and Kiba climbed gratefully into a waiting chair at the end of his journey.

Already three of the other chairs were filled, Tristian and Jhod talking quietly while Lapis shared a breakfast with Khemet. A man brought a small plate filled with meat and eggs to the waiting kobold, and Kiba carefully pulled Apsu from his pocket. The two began eating hungrily, caring little for any kind of decorum or manners.

“Get your arms off the table.”

Kiba jumped at the reprimand, his plate scattering as his elbow hit it. Instantly, Khemet was by his side, the tiger’s massive maw gulping at the spilled food. Faes scowled down at the kobold, the anger clearly visible even under the cover of his hood. Kiba shrank under the heated glare as a servant froze at the sight of a tiger gobbling spilled food.

“If you are going to remain here, you will learn proper manners. I will not have my reputation sullied by a pet who cannot exhibit the proper decorum for a setting,” the dark elf growled.

“Kiba is not pet.” the kobold mumbled, glancing at Lapis in the hopes that the cat would back him up.

To his horror, Lapis seemed too focused on Khemet to pay any attention to a kobold in trouble.

“Wrong answer. I’ll train you yet,” the dark one scowled. “No more food until you can show you know how to eat properly.”

“Faes. Leave him alone.”

Kiba’s head swivelled, a breath of relief escaping him as Lapis finally looked up from Khemet.

“If you want a pet, get one. Kiba is not an animal,” the cat said quietly.

“So be it. I hope you’re ready for another round of court training tonight,” the dark one said sharply.

Lapis’ ears flicked, and he glanced down. Only Kiba could see the smirk on his own face.