forum The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Started October 31, 2021 by Deleted user

tune

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Rin frowned softly. "I can…I…" he didn't know what he could do. Sure, he could use his own ability somehow, but he hated using it. He knew what it was like to be controlled and terrified, and he didn't like inflicting that on anyone else. He took a deep breath, clearing his throat softly. "There are people whose job it is to keep the inn and it's employees safe, you don't have to do this. Honey, please." they pleaded.

Ari took a deep breath. "My offer still stands. You and Sugar can spend the night in my room, and we'll lock the door so no one else can get in and disturb us."

"Doors are made of wood," Honey pointed out quietly, then bent, clawing at a fistful of blonde curls. It was clear that he didn't know what to choose. On the one hand, he really, really didn't want anyone else to get hurt, and he wasn't sure he could live with himself if something bad happened to his sister. He thought of her crying back at the inn and hated himself. He'd been the cause of that. Maybe he deserved to be punished for all that he'd done.

But he didn't want to get hurt again. He was so sick of it. The brand on his side throbbed every time he moved because of the way his shirt rubbed his skin. His eye was still swollen and tender from the man that had hit him the other night. His wrist ached. The scratches on his thighs stung whenever he walked. It was the most miserable he'd been in a while, and he just wanted to rest. He wasn't sure he could take another night of being dragged around, yelled at, and slammed into surfaces, no matter what he said.

"I don't wanna do it anymore," he croaked, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm sorry. It's selfish, but I can't do it. I wanna be safe. I wanna be safe, please. He's so rough, and- and he never listens to me. He just- he's so bad when he's angry, and I made him so, so angry, and I- I- please? He said he'd- he'd burn me worse, he's gonna-"

"Deep breaths, Honey," Arquis murmured from across the table.

Ari squeezed Honey's hand very gently. "It is not selfish to want to be safe." he said softly. "Take some deep breaths. It isn't selfish to want him not to hurt you anymore, and it isn't selfish to want him to stop." he tried to reassure the upset, anxious blond across from him.

Honey tilted his head back so he could see Ari. Hearing those words was one thing, but actually seeing them said was another. He let loose a soft, pained sound, nodded, and tried his best to focus on breathing. It wasn't easy, especially not when the waiter came by to hesitantly ask if he was alright. Arquis responded for him and waved the man away. The last thing they needed was a lot of attention.

Eventually, Honey's breathing evened, and he stopped gripping Ari's hand so tightly. It was a miracle he hadn't started to cry, though he didn't look well. He very much wanted to find a corner somewhere, curl up, and wait until this whole storm blew over. He was so tired of being brave and taking the brunt of the blow. Yet there was still so much he had to do before he could rest. It was horribly unfair.

"Uh, alright. Sorry. Alright." He swallowed thickly and shrunk in on himself, feeling suddenly quite ridiculous. What he was about to ask felt incredibly childish. "Do we, uh, have to go back there right now? I know we have to deal with him eventually, but could we stay a little longer? He's not gonna do anything if I'm not there, and I really, uh… I know I've messed it all up, but it would be nice to stay here for a while. Walk around, spend some time together. Time that isn't weird, or tense, or… or…"

"We need to treat that burn, Honey," Arquis reminded him softly.

"We could do that here. I'm sure there's someone that could help, uh, but… I get it if you all wanna go back."

"We don't have to go back right now, but we do need to take care of the burn soon." Rin replied softly. "And you're going to be okay. I promise. We're going to take care of you, and we're going to make sure you don't get hurt by that man again." their voice was gentle, but firm. They were not going to let Myr lay a hand on Honey again.

Honey fidgeted and gave Rin a small smile. As much as he trusted them, he couldn't stop himself from doubting what he'd said. Myr was surprisingly vicious. Then again, he was only one man, and there were four of them. As soon as he thought that, however, he felt a pang in his chest. There were four of them indeed, but Rin and Arquis couldn't afford to get into any sort of trouble. If they actually hurt Myr in any way, then there would likely be some sort of investigation. That would land both of them in danger. He couldn't do that to them, not after all they'd done to help him.

He'd bring that up later. Right then, all he could do was give into his selfish instincts and mumble, "There are some healers here. We could swing by one's house, if that's alright. I know her pretty well. She's really sweet, and she makes really good pastries. And gives good hugs. She's helped me in the past with some stuff. She won't judge, I don't think."

"That sounds like a good idea. I did not like the look of that burn, Honey. It could get infected rather quickly. I say we should go as soon as possible. Unless anyone is not finished here?" Arquis looked around. He'd eaten some, and that would have to suffice. None of them likely had much of an appetite after that confession.

Rin nodded slightly. "I'm done. We can go to her house now, then, and…and get this all taken care of." he said, taking a sip of his tea and then setting everything aside, ready to leave whenever everyone else was ready. Ari squeezed Honey's hand again, then slowly let go in order to stand up. The young man still looked upset by all of this, but also like he was trying to process it.

(I was like oh boy time to make a throwaway healer character and um. I adore her)

Once he was standing, Honey hesitantly took Ari's hand again. This was for two reasons. The first was that he was clearly struggling to comprehend everything that Honey had explained, and the blond felt responsible for calming him down. The second was that he himself wasn't doing very well. Touch was often too much, but at that point, he really needed it. He hoped the other man wouldn't object, but he'd understand if he did.

Arquis started to pay for the meal, but Honey waved his hand dismissively. "We don't gotta pay here. Food's free. Head chef used to be a client before he got married." Realizing how that might sound after everything he'd said about Myr, he hastily added, "He was one of the few I liked. Genuinely nice guy. We didn't have, like, a connection or anything, but he always checked in after."

"Oh. Alright, then," the nobleman replied. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. On the one hand, it was good that there were at least a couple clients that weren't absolutely horrid, but on the other, it felt strange. Honey was in such a vulnerable situation that it still seemed as if the man had taken advantage of him. He didn't feel bad as they walked out of the restaurant without paying.

Honey led them to a quieter street on the outskirts of the village. The house they ended up at was a small, squat thing with a shingled roof and stone walls. Puffs of smoke curled outwards from the chimney, and the windows were bright with the light of a warmly-glowing hearth. On the doorstep was a little welcome mat and a ceramic bowl shaped like a woven basket. Over it was a potholder to keep the snow and elements out, but it had a sign on top saying to take a candy. Arquis peeked inside. They were tiny, wrapped butterscotch candies. He smiled despite the stress of the afternoon and waited patiently as Honey knocked.

The woman that answered the door was motherly in a way that Arquis had never known. She was plump with dark, extremely curly hair. The sweater she was wearing had snowflake patterns on it, her apron was decorated with stitched cookies, and her pants were thick pajama bottoms. Her choice of footwear was a pair of old, worn house shoes.

She gasped when she saw Honey and grinned. "Honey! Oh, sweetie, it's been such a long time. And you brought friends! Come in, everyone! Come in! It's chilly out."

The inside of the house was lovelier than the outside. The walls were a creamy vanilla color, the carpeting was soft, and there was a wonderful smell in the air. Trinkets and baubles lined almost every shelf except her massive bookshelf, which was crammed with texts. The lady gestured towards a series of very plush looking armchairs gathered around a fire.

"Ophia, this is Rin, Arquis, and Ari."

Ophia clasped her hands together. She was wearing very cute, chunky homemade jewelry. "Well, Rin, Arquis, and Ari, what can I do for you all? Have you come for tea time? I just put some treats in the oven.”

(D: she's adorable and I love her–)

Ari let Honey hold his hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently as they all walked to the healer's house. Once there, he remained quiet, letting one of the others explain just what was going on. He still felt a little too overwhelmed to explain. He hated that he felt that way, but he hadn't really known all that had been going on, and it had all gotten dumped on him in such a short timespan…it was a lot to take in.

Rin cleared his throat faintly, holding onto Arquis's hand in a quiet bid for the comfort of physical touch. "Ah…Honey said you were a healer." they said slowly. "And he's got…there's a burn." his gaze flicked from Honey to Ophia.

(she's like the good parent that they didn't have fhfhfjfh)

Arquis nodded at what Rin had said and helped them into one of the armchairs. It was big enough that the two of them could fit, though they were pressed hip-to-hip. He looped his arm around their back and rubbed his side in a slow, soothing motion.

Ophia's smile wavered. She looked at Honey, who seemed unable to meet her eyes, and hummed softly. "It's alright, sweetie. Let me grab my stuff, and then I can see what he's talking about, okay?"

"Okay," Honey murmured. He shuffled over by the fire, pulling Ari along with him. They weren't nearly as close as Arquis and Rin, so he sat in a different chair. He'd been in this room several times before. It was the closest thing to home besides his own bedroom. He'd come more often, but he hated feeling like he was wasting Ophia's time.

The healer left the room for a moment and came back with a carpet bag. The clasps of it were shaped like tiny birds. She set it down on the arm of Honey's seat and popped it open with a satisfying click. The first thing she took out was a case, and she opened it to put on a pair of unique, round glasses. She also took out some clean, disposable gloves that she slipped on.

When she was ready, she knelt down beside him and gave him a smile. "Alright, sweetie. Do you want to go into another room, or is it fine if they're here?"

"They've seen me undressed before." Honey's eyes flickered to Ari, and he went strangely pink. "Well. Not all of them. But it's whatever, yeah, they can stay. I'm good here. They've already seen it."

Without her even needing to ask, he took off his jacket and shrugged off his shirt. His muscular abdomen was cast in orange light from the fireplace. The bruises over his ribs were very visible, though the handprint was even more so. Ophia, who had clearly been expecting something smaller, went still. She adjusted her glasses as if that would show her something different.

"Sorry," Honey said, lip trembling. He didn't know why he felt like apologizing, but he couldn't help it.

"Oh, no, it's okay, sweetie. It's alright. Can you tell me what happened?" When Honey didn't answer, she glanced around, hoping someone would give her a clue.

(lmao not one of them has good parents, how did this happen–)

Ari winced faintly at the sight of the bruising and the handprint, taking a deep breath and shaking his head faintly. This was a lot. He hadn't really even known for sure what Honey was going through, and now he was finding out about all of it, all at once. He was glad to know, but he was upset that it had even happened in the first place.

Rin leaned his head on Arquis's shoulder. "Some…guy. Wasn't real happy with Honey telling him no." he didn't know how much Ophia knew about Honey's work, and didn't want to say anything that Honey wasn't comfortable with her knowing. So he hoped that that bare bones explanation would be satisfactory for everyone involved, but he wasn't really sure.

(she is now their mother by default)

Ophia looked upset, but she just nodded and started to dig through her bag. "Honey," she said in a very gentle way, "the last time you were here, you said you wanted to try and get out of the business. I think this would be a very good time to call it quits, don't you?"

"I was trying to. He's the second this week that's- that's really banged me up, and I- I think you're right. I can't keep going with it."

"The second, hm? Is there anything the first did that I need to look at?" She was so soft spoken that even Arquis felt at ease. Everything about her was non threatening. She felt like a plush personified, there to bring cheer and patch them up. It was hard not to love her.

"My wrist, maybe. I don't think it's bad or anything, but it kinda hurts."

"Okay, sweetie." She found what she'd been looking for: a bottle of something clear, some cotton balls, a small tub of lotion, and some bandages. As she wet a clump of cotton balls, she murmured, "This is gonna sting. I'm sorry."

It did in fact sting, though not super badly. Honey inhaled sharply and clutched the cushion behind him as she cleaned the wound. After that dried, she applied the lotion and bandaged it well. All the while, she whispered sweet praise to the blond, who was quiet except for the occasional intake of breath. She moved onto his wrist when she was done and examined it. There was nothing she could really do for it besides give him some pain medication, which she did.

"Do you all want to stay here tonight?" She rose to her feet and glanced around. "I don't want to send you back if I know he's going to be there."

(yess)

Ari reached out to gently rest his hand on Honey's shoulder, trying to give him some form of comfort through that soft, gentle touch. He looked over at Rin and Arquis at Ophia's question, letting them make that call for where they would stay. He didn't care where they stayed, really; he just wanted Honey to be safe.

Rin looked around at the group, considering the offer. "It's a very kind offer, Ophia, but…I believe that that choice is up to Honey. If he wants to stay here, we will, but if he would rather go back to the hotel, then we will do that instead."

Honey tried to smile, but it fell flat. "Nah. I mean, like they said, it's a really sweet offer. But I can't. Lovey and Sugar are back there. If he finds out that I'm avoiding him, I'm scared that he'll do something."

"And if he does something to you?" She asked it nicely, as she said and did everything, but there was a concerned edge to it. Not accusatory. She didn't want him to feel at fault for anything that had happened, but she wanted him to know that he wasn't expendable. Him getting hurt was just as bad as Lovey getting hurt.

"We are going to try and get him removed," Arquis informed her.

She sighed and patted Honey's knee in an almost motherly fashion. "I just don't want you getting wounded again, sweetie. You said yourself that you can't take much more."

The blond looked down at his jacket, which was splayed across his lap. Before he could answer, there was a chime from the kitchen. Ophia stood and hurried away. A few minutes and some clanging sounds later, she returned with oven mitts and a tray of delicious smelling muffins. She set them down on a potholder on a nearby table.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't want to cause a house fire. My oven is very finicky." She settled down into the last open armchair and looked over at Honey. When she saw Ari's hand on his shoulder, she smiled to herself. "Well, if you're set on going back, then I insist that you at least stay for a little while. You need some time to recover."

Ari kept his hand on Honey's shoulder, trying to give the young man some form of comfort, though he had no wish to overstep his boundaries and do something that Honey was not comfortable with. "We can stay for a little bit." he said slowly. "So long as that is alright with you."

Rin smiled a little bit, staying close to Arquis as the conversation went on. They did not have much to add. "We will keep him safe, Ophia." they said softly.

Ophia peered at Rin through her glasses for a moment before nodding. She started to say something, but Honey, who'd been gently patting the back of Ari's hand, stood. He stretched, winced, and grabbed his shirt, leaving his jacket behind. It fell to the ground. He scooped it with his foot and lazily kicked it back onto the chair.

"Sorry. Bathroom?" he asked, and the older woman laughed. She pointed down a hallway that led to another entrance to the kitchen as well as her bedroom. There were two bathrooms in the house, and that one was the bigger guest one. She sterilized it often and used it for quick medical procedures when absolutely necessary. He stumbled off that way, smiling awkwardly.

Once the bathroom door was shut, Ophia turned and examined the other three again. Something sharp entered her expression. It looked out of place on her. She wasn't built to be threatening, which somehow made the twist of her mouth and furrow in her brow more intimidating.

"Okay. I’m only going to say this once. Honey is the closest thing I will ever have to a child," she started, drumming her fingers on her knee. "I care for him greatly, even when he does not care for himself. Now, listen. I am not a violent woman. I have not fought in many years. But if I discover while you are here that any of you are—what does he call them, clients?—then I do not care what he says. You will not leave here unharmed. Are we understood?"

They all looked at her, a touch wide-eyed. Rin was the first to respond, nodding slightly. "We understand." they replied softly. "And…thank you for protecting him. None of us are clients, but…" he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders for a moment and leaning his head on Arquis's shoulder. "It is still a good thing that you are trying to protect him."

Ophia nodded. "I figured that you weren't. His clients aren't the sort to look after him, but still, I had to be sure. Just because you seem interested in his well-being doesn't mean that you actually are." She crossed one of her ankles over the other and sighed. "I wish I could do more for him, but there is only so much he will let me help with. I cannot call any sort of authority or local force because that would scare away business at the Rouge. I have let him stay overnight once or twice, but he will not let me take him in. I have offered to help him pay for things when he needs it, but he always declines. He is so strongly independent. Thinks he can handle it all on his own, you know?"

Arquis had begun to run his hand through his lover's hair. When Ophia said that last bit, he softly responded, "We do know. He tried to keep the burn from us today, as if it did not matter. We are trying to help him realize that it does. That he does, too. But it is hard to get through to him sometimes."

"Thank you all for trying. Really, thank you. He needs friends and allies right now, if he actually is quitting. I have a feeling he will get worse before he gets better. That is how these things tend to go."

The bathroom door opened, and Honey joined them by the fire. He didn't seem to have heard any part of their conversation. In fact, he looked almost peaceful. Arquis wondered if it was the distance from the inn; he wondered if he'd looked the same when they first got away from the Palace.

Ophia's disposition had returned to its former, warm, bubbly state. She laughed when Honey shyly asked for a muffin and stood to get him one. As she was getting up, she asked, "Does anyone else want one? It's a new recipe. They're supposed to taste like apple pie."

Ari had remained quiet, but piped up with a "Could I have one?" when she asked if anyone else wanted a muffin. He still felt as if he was rather in over his head, but that was alright. He would figure this all out eventually. He sighed faintly, reaching out to touch Honey's shoulder again, this time to get his attention. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked quietly, hoping that the answer was yes, but unsure if it would be.

(omg group muffin session)

Ophia laughed and stacked another muffin on top of the one she'd already gotten for Honey. She glanced over at Arquis, then added a third on top. The tower of muffins wobbled precariously as she carried them over. They looked even tastier up close. On the top of each was a layer of baked sugar and cinnamon that smelled absolutely incredible. They came in paper wrappers that had little pink hearts. She passed one to Ari and one to Honey, then gave the last to the nobleman.

"Ah, thank you, but I did not ask for one," he said politely, trying to hand it back. She smiled but didn't take it.

"There is no harm in having a treat every now and then," she murmured in a very gentle way. He went pink as she returned to her seat. Had that been a comment about his weight? Perhaps he was misinterpreting it. He set the muffin on his partner's lap and stared down at his gloves.

While that was occurring, Honey was considering Ari's question. Was he feeling better? It was hard to say. He felt safer when he was at Ophia's house, but he was still upset with himself. He could also feel a very slight buzz coming on from the drinks. He wasn't anywhere near tipsy, but just the reminder of it frustrated him.

"I don't know. Maybe?" He sighed and pushed his knuckles along his brow. "I feel real bad for earlier. And I get, um, if you wanna take back what you said now that you know about all this stuff. It's a lot to deal with, and you don't have to be the one to deal with it, y'know?"

(:D)

Rin looked around the group, seeming to realize he was the only one without a muffin. "Aw, am I not pretty enough for a muffin?" he teased, laughing softly and running a hand through his hair. They smiled over at Arquis, then gave Ophia the same teasing smile, letting her knew that they weren't seriously upset about it.

Ari watched Honey quietly, taking a bite of his muffin. "I see. And…I'm not taking it back. I don't mind helping you, even if it's…yeah, a lot to deal with and think about and all that shit."

Arquis lightly poked his lover's side, tickling them for just a second before planting a kiss on his cheek. The top coat that Honey had put over his lipstick was beginning to wear off. A dark smear of it was left on their skin, and he grinned. It was a gorgeous sight. If they weren't currently with others, he'd be tempted to leave some similar marks elsewhere.

"You can have mine, my love. My very pretty, charming love," he added teasingly. The muffin almost fell to the floor when he grabbed for it, but he caught it and placed it in their palm. "There you go."

Ophia watched the exchange with a small smile. She got up from her chair once again, though this time she didn't go to the pan. She started on her way to the kitchen and stopped just short.

"Does anyone want cider, or are you going to be utterly sick of apples?"

"Oh, I love cider!" Honey announced excitedly through a mouthful of muffin, interrupting the very serious conversation that he and Ari had been having. He flushed and looked at the other man with an embarrassed grin.

Ophia laughed. "I know, sweetie. That's why I offered. I got some from the market this morning. Let me go heat it up on the stove."

Once she was gone, Honey turned back to Ari. "Uh, right. Sorry. Got distracted. I just really like cider. Anyways, uh, yeah, I know. It's hard to talk about. And I get it if, like, you think it's weird or gross or whatever. That I've been with so many guys, I mean."

Rin took the muffin, smiling at Arquis, unaware of the lipstick mark on their cheek. "I shall have half." they replied, carefully ripping the muffin in half and handing one of the halves to Arquis, and keeping the other for himself. He took a bite, staying snuggled close to his lover. He very much enjoyed this; enjoyed being with Arquis, enjoyed being able to just snuggle with him like this.

Arquis took his half, somewhat uninterested in it, and leant forward to leave another brief kiss on their neck. Sure enough, there was a small hint of color left there as well. He glanced away, grinning, and accidentally made eye contact with Honey. For a second, he thought he'd upset the blond, but then he laughed.

"Stop making out on the couch," he scolded jokingly, his dimples showing.

"We are not making out on the couch." Arquis paused for emphasis. "This is not a couch. It is an armchair."

"Well, whatever it is, stop that. You're ruining my appetite." Honey then gestured with his muffin at Ari, sending a shower of crumbs to the floor. "And you're gonna make our poor, innocent stranger here have a stroke. You don't wanna corrupt him like that, now, do you?"

Rin flushed faintly at Honey's teasing, laughing a little bit. "We are not making out." he said, shaking his head at Honey and laughing, hiding his face in Arquis's shoulder after a moment. "We are not. And Ari isn't going to be corrupted by us! Quite the other way around." he looked over at his friend, sticking his tongue out.

Ari rolled his eyes. "Shut up, bastard." he retorted goodnaturedly.

Arquis pulled Rin all the way into his lap and, shaking with silent laughter, pressed his forehead to the nape of their neck. From such an angle, Honey and Ari wouldn't be able to see his blush, which was a brilliant, obvious pink. He wrapped his arms about his partner's middle and tried to catch his breath. It wasn't going well. Every time that he would get close, he'd burst into another round, and he was left smiling so hard that it hurt. Despite the tension and worries of the evening, he was unbelievably, almost unbearably, happy.

Honey cocked a brow over at Ari. "Oh? Well, now I'm curious, stranger. Got a dirty mouth on you?" He demolished the rest of his muffin and licked the sugar from his lips. "Or is there some slander going on here?"

Rin snuggled closer to Arquis, smiling happily at his lover as they snuggled together. He pressed a soft kiss to Arquis's cheek, leaning his head on the nobleman's shoulder. "Love you, darling." they whispered, quiet enough that Arquis was the only one who could possibly have heard.

Ari flushed faintly. "Ah…" he shrugged a little bit. "I think I'm not going to answer that."

Arquis responded with a kiss on the jaw. Though he'd heard them before, the words sent sparks of excitement shooting through his veins. Rin loved him. Rin really loved him. He traced a finger over their lower lip before drawing him close and kissing him for real. There was something passionate and sweet about the slow kiss, the way his lips parted and the short gasp of breath when he finally broke away.

Honey was a little disappointed and even more anxious. Had the truth rattled Ari? Was the other man now too afraid to engage in banter? Did he see the blond as something fragile? Easily breakable? Already broken? He picked up his muffin wrapper and put it aside, trying to do the same with those thoughts. There were plenty of valid reasons for why Ari might not want to discuss the topic. Maybe he was as innocent as he'd teased, or maybe he didn't want to talk about it in front of his best friend. Maybe he thought Ophia wouldn't appreciate that kind of talk, even if it was all in jest.

He found himself looking back at Arquis and Rin. When he saw what they'd just finished doing, he cracked a grin. "Now you really are making out."

"No, no! Just kissing!" Arquis yelped. He'd forgotten that they'd had an audience, and he had to clear his throat. "Ah, anyways."

Ophia entered the room, saving him from having to scramble to find a different subject. She was holding five mugs of steaming cider. The aroma that wafted out of them was wonderful. Then again, everything in her house seemed to smell incredible. She beamed as she handed them all out.

"You do not have to drink it if you do not wish, but I thought I would bring enough for everyone. There is no alcohol in it, by the way."

"Pity," Honey mumbled.

Rin smiled faintly into the kiss, flushing red and laughing at Honey's repeated accusation of them making out. "We are just kissing." he echoed Arquis's words, laughing a little bit and shaking his head, hiding his face against Arquis again. They were a little bit embarrassed about all of this, but didn't say anything else.

Ari cleared his throat faintly. The truth was, he was not an innocent little lamb at all, but he was not sure Ophia would have appreciated him joking about that sort of thing in her home, so he had chosen to refrain from it. He hoped he had not upset Honey by doing so.

Arquis rubbed his partner's upper back for a moment, the heel of his palm working in broad, flat circles, before testing the cider. It had that rustic, homemade taste due to the perfect mix of apple and spice. He finished half of it before he even realized. His lipstick left an imperfect ring on the ceramic surface, and he daintily dabbed the rest of it off on his glove. Makeup could only last for so long while eating and drinking. It was a good thing he'd worn black gloves instead of white or gray.

Honey took his cider and then snatched Ari's as well. If they couldn't joke about purity and all that, then maybe they could joke about something else. He set his own mug out of reach and lifted Ari's to his mouth, pretending as if he was going to take a sip. He grinned, daring him to take it back.

Ophia busied herself with her own drink. She was honestly more tired than she let on. Being a healer was both physically and emotionally tasking, and before they'd even arrived, she'd treated several patients.