Eremis wondered how Alex knew his friend was coming to see him until he remembered he had some magical ability. The healer frowned, not liking the idea of his patient using what little strength he had to cast a communication spell. Alex needed rest, and plenty of it!
Cas drew his attention away from his patient when he mentioned that someone should return to the Cracked Goblet to keep an eye on their horses. Before Eremis could suggest sending Kato or Xue, his lover cut him off.
"I’m sure Rowan and Soran wouldn’t mind spending the night there, I’ll go out and see if I can find them. Bye, Remy!"
The demon boy's hasty departure didn't bother him too much because he'd grown accustomed to Cas' rash actions and split second decisions. Soran and Rowan probably hadn't strayed too far from the building therefore Cas should return in a matter of minutes. With that thought in mind, he strode into the kitchen to prepare a bowl of stew and a cup of tea for Alex. He grinned at Jeremy, sound asleep at the table then told Kato to be prepared for the arrival of Quinn Delavan before he returned to his patient.
Eremis used the pillows from the couch, now in the bedroom, to prop Alex up a bit so that he could eat more comfortably. After dragging a chair to the side of the bed, he sat down and slowly began feeding his patient. "The color's starting to return to your cheeks, Alex," he said with a smile. Knowing he had saved Alex from death was a tremendous ego boost for Eremis. The past few months had only added to the low self-esteem he'd developed because of his cowardly actions. It felt good to be pleased with himself and his abilities as a healer for a change.
He pressed the cup of tea, laced with herbal painkillers, to Alex's lips. "I guess traveling with us didn't turn out the way you hoped it would, huh? I'm really sorry you ended up getting so badly injured. To tell you the truth, I hate the adventuring life because of all the danger involved, but thanks to you I realized something important."
Eremis set the teacup down before continuing. "If I wasn't around, you might have died from your wounds. As much as I dread traveling from one potentially dangerous place to the next, it finally dawned on me that my friends really do need me around. I mean, who would take care of them if they got hurt? Sure, I stink at combat but I make up for that with my healing abilities."
A soft sigh escaped him. "If you feel up to talking, tell me more about your friend, Quinn. Will he be taking you home to recuperate from your injuries?"
*******
The unmistakable sound of Cas' voice stifled Soran's lust immediately. He tore his hands away from Rowan's laces and turned to face his friend. Your timing sucks, he wanted to say, but bit back the words. Once Cas left it'd be easy to recapture the erotic moment that was now on hold.
"I was thinking maybe somebody oughta stay at the inn since we left the horses there," Cas said. "Didn’t really wanna go by myself, so I thought maybe Soran would wanna come."
Soran gave his blood brother an incredulous look. No way, pal. Can't you see I'm a little busy right now? Before he could speak his thoughts aloud, Rowan told him to accompany Cas to the inn. Why couldn't Kato, Xue, or Jeremy go with Cas? The elf's hand over his mouth stopped him from launching into a protest. Briefly he wondered if Rowan wanted to get rid of him tonight for some reason but shrugged off the thought when he remembered he'd been jumping to wrong conclusions much too quickly lately.
"...and I trust you to keep the both of you out of trouble for one night. Okay?"
A sarcastic laugh fell from Soran's mouth. "Oh yeah, I'm great for staying out of trouble and keeping others out of trouble as well." He met Rowan's eyes then shrugged. "But since you want me to go with him, I'll go. See you tomorrow." Without waiting for a reply he hurried after Cas, who had already left the alley.
Both youths were so lost in their own thoughts they didn't say a word to one another as they walked along. Soran finally broke the silence once they entered the inn. "I'll meet you up in your room after I buy us some liquor. Since we can't go out and get into trouble we might as well get drunk instead." He watched Cas mount the stairs then approached the bartender. Along with two cheap, but potent, bottles of wine, he bought some ham slices and bread to munch on. Now that he no longer had to worry about being hung from the gallows for murder, his appetite returned with a vengeance.
He dumped the food on the table beside the large bed then popped the corks from the bottles, handing one to Cas. After kicking off his boots and removing his weapons, Soran slapped a piece of ham on a slice of bread. "This shit taste good," he quipped, washing the food down quickly with long gulps of wine.
Once his appetite was sated, he sat down on the bed next to Cas and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one up for each of them. "Huck...I mean, Weave turned out to be pretty nice. Wonder what she looks like without that disguise she's wearing. Rowan told me that everyone gets to wear masks at a masquerade ball. Before Weave fell asleep she said something about having to get us ALL ready for it tomorrow so I guess that means Rowan's not the only one she's inviting along on her caper, huh? I don't know about you, but I'm sorta excited about the whole thing since I ain't never been to any of those fancy parties I hear the nobles in Bizmar have all the time."
He gulped down more wine then took a deep drag from the cigarette, exhaling the smoke slowly. "So, did you break up with Eremis? Is that why you decided to come back here tonight?" When Cas shook his head, Soran rolled his eyes before taking another swig from the bottle. "What the fuck, Cas? How long you gonna keep stringing the guy on? Are you sure you really want to break things off with him? Seems to me you keep having second thoughts about ending the relationship."
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