Raiva stared into Griffin’s eyes for a moment, trying to discern the new facial expression before her.

It was the usual stern one yes, but there was something else. Something in his eyes; it wasn’t dominating or demanding. It was more like seeking something, affirmation maybe or approval.

He’s a bit boyish at times, isn’t he?

She suppressed a grin and instead smiled sweetly at the man towering over her. Her hand moved softly to his chest.

“About how you make me weak in the knees?”

“And then some,” he reminded her with a murmur, the slightest hint of pink appearing on his ears.

Raiva was pondering how to continue, when sudden, loud voices rang out from downstairs.

Griffin jerked his head up, then started grumbling something under his breath. Standing back up straight, he waited for whoever the loud footsteps on the stairs belonged to.

A hasty, overly loud knock sounded on the door.

“Captain,” a young man’s voice heaved from the other side. He was obviously panicked and out of breath.

“Yes?”

His voice was firm and emotionless.

The door burst open and a young man stood in the doorway, wearing a guards’ uniform. He was sweaty and flushed and borderline frantic.

“Captain, there’s been an emergency! Please, you-“

“Pull yourself together, Hendrik. You’re making a scene.”

Griffin’s voice was chillingly cold. Even Raiva jumped a little at the order and stared at him with a mixture of apprehension and fascination.

“I-,” Hendrik sputtered before drawing himself into a salute. “Yes, captain.”

Despite forcing his voice to sound more tempered, he was still breathing like a man who had just sprinted through the streets, because, well, he had.

Griffin looked at him with a piercing stare.

“Explain yourself.”

“Yes, captain,” Hendrik drew in his breath and rattled a report off faster than Raiva could comprehend. “The third and fourth classes are brawling at the academy, five injured at the time of my departure, the colonel sent me out to request for your assistance due to your preexisting rapport with them.”

He drew is breath again to continue, “Also the west wing caught fire as a result of the altercation, though it is currently uncertain why and how. I was sent to your residence, but was informed there of your actual location, and thus ran back here as fast as possible. This concludes my report, captain.”

He saluted again and awaited further instruction, breath still ragged.

Griffin held a hand to his head and mumbled, “Those idiots.”

“We are leaving, Hendrik. Run ahead and make note of the current situation. I will follow behind momentarily.”

Hendrik looked a little confused, but dared not object, so instead he turned on his heels and flew back down the stairs.

Griffin sighed to himself. He turned to Raiva, who was sitting on the sofa with a slightly stunned expression, though bemused she had been so completely ignored for once.

“I have to go,” he said, his voice firm, but his expression gentle and apologetic.

She smiled in return, and stood up.

“It sounds that way.”

Tugging at his shirt she pulled him towards her and kissed him, briefly and longingly.

The ale still lingered on his tongue, and she could tasty a mild, sweet maltiness from the ale.

Her lips curled into a smile at his wide-eyed stare.

“I’ll see you at home, Griffin.”

He, in turn, simply nodded and turned away. As he walked out of the room in long, fast strides, she caught a glimpse of reddening ears from behind.

She giggled and sat down.

Before she had time to collect herself and lament the acute lack of both Griffin and any tasty beverages to sample, she heard a familiar voice calling her from the hallway. A light, clear, overly cheerful voice.

Victor.

The young, fair haired man strolled towards the room with leisure and a big, pearly-white grin.

“Madam,” he exclaimed, seemingly delighted to see her. “What a wonderful coincidence.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

His beaming was practically blinding at this point, even in the dim light.

“A coincidence indeed,” she replied simply, weighing her options. Eventually deciding that she hadn’t gotten her money’s worth for the effort that was put into her appearance today, she continued, “Would you care to join me? Though we’ll have to ask Gunther for something.”

“Another coincidence, seeing as I was already requesting something when I saw the captain stride out the door looking a little flushed.”

He looked at the empty glasses and the unaffected Raiva, and smiled a gentler smile.

“And yet another fortuitous coincidence that he had to leave when he did.”

Raiva contemplated for a moment, before smiling with a sigh.

“Yes I suppose so.”

Victor left the door open and went to join her on the sofa.

She asked, “May I ask what you ordered?”

“Some new cocktail Gunther is trying out, a ‘vodka mule’, and a new liquor he just got a hold of. It supposedly tastes like a lemon sweet,” he mused to himself as much as her.

“Gunther makes cocktails?”

Raiva was taken aback at the very idea. She had only ever gotten her liquors plain, for years now.

She pouted and leaned back in the sofa with her little bowl of jerky, and prepared to scowl at Gunther when he arrived. Thoroughly amused by this, Victor did his best not to chuckle as he began to idly chatter about the weather and some new café that had just opened its doors somewhere in the district.

It wasn’t long before Gunther arrived with his tray of goods, though long enough for Raiva to finish her snack bowl.

Her glare followed him as he went to set the glasses and a miniature bottle on the table, clearing off the empty tableware.

He pretended to be unaffected and not notice her stare, and asked “Any you’d like to order, Raiva?”

“I was told two and five,” she replied promptly, and increasingly annoyed at his willful obliviousness.

Gunther muttered a quick introduction of the beverages, but Raiva’s attention was caught by Victor looking at her with a fascinated look on his face. Seeing that his presence was a hindrance more than anything else, Gunther quickly excused himself to tend to the downstairs area again, shutting the door behind him.

“What is it, Victor?”

He chuckled at the sudden casualness.

“Your face is very expressive, did you know that?”

His head tilted sideways in an inexplicably coquettish manner.

“I did, actually,” she smiled plainly, and picked up one of the glasses with an almost uncolored liquid.

She smelled it and was hit by the scent of ginger and lime, an odd combination. A careful sip revealed the vodka mule to be a fresh and slightly sweet drink, and, she suspected, stronger than it tasted. Her eyebrows raised a little in pleasant surprise.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Victor let out a loud, hearty laugh. He picked up his own and began sipping it himself, clearly enjoying it.

“If I may be so blunt,” he began, in a teasing tone. “You and the captain?”

She looked in his eyes as the thought for a moment.

Is there any delicate way to phrase this?

Recalling her first conversation on the topic with Cassian, she decided to speak frankly, doing away with any vague non-answers and clumsy, overly careful explanations.

“Yes,” she said plainly, returned his smile, and took another sip. “And if I may be equally blunt, what are you doing here?”

While not surprised by the answer, he was somewhat startled by the, well, bluntness of the question. He chuckled.

“Well, I didn’t arrive with a client, if that is your concern.”

“It isn’t,” she pressed with a smirk. “This isn’t exactly a popular locale for dates, it’s frankly a bit dreary and odd. But I have been coming here for years, and yet I’ve never once seen you. Or is it another amazing coincidence that the first time you patronize this particular establishment is when I go here with Griffin? In the middle of the day, when you are usually busy at tea parties or napping?

“So, Victor, what are you doing here?”

Victor’s face betrayed no amount of surprise this time, though his frozen smile spoke volumes.

“I-“

Wait.

“Did you follow us?” she asked, not yet sure if she was unsettled or amused.

“N- no,” he stammered, panicked at the accusation. The smile was gone from his face and that practiced, poised posture suddenly disappeared.

That’s the first time he’s ever dropped his ‘Victor the Escort’ face.

Doing her best not to grin at his uncharacteristically shy reaction, she demanded, “Then what?”

“I-,” he tried regaining his usual air, but didn’t quite succeed. His eyes still looked different, less unwavering in their gaze, and his tone of voice was a little stilted. “I was looking for you earlier, and when you weren’t in your office I asked the housekeeper. She said you would be here.”

“So you followed me, then,” she mused, the corners of her mouth struggling not to turn upwards.

“Well-,” Victor immediately let out in response. He seemed to catch himself and cleared with throat before taking a sip of his drink. “I sought you out, yes.”

Oh, he’s going back to his usual self.

“What for?”

She sipped her drink as she watched him slowly put his mask back on.

“I thought I might join you,” he replied, adopting his signature charming smile again.

“Even though I went here with Griffin?”

He took a more confident sip this time, thinking himself to be back to normal.

“I wasn’t made aware of that fact, unfortunately,” he said in a jesting voice. “So, you and Captain Griffin, then. May I inquire since when? It must be a recent event by all accounts.”

She finally couldn’t contain her grin anymore at his attempt at a nonchalant recovery.

“Not really, no. Since the night you all moved in, I suppose.”

Tilting her head, she awaited his response.

“Oh,” was all he could muster initially. “Then-?”

“Yes, before you.”

His mask was slipping again, as a touch of pink appeared on his alabaster cheeks.

She wanted to see his reaction at knowing that he wasn’t the first, the ribbon-tying widow charmer he wanted to be. Instead he was briefly frozen once again.

Do I need to push a bit harder?

“And then Cassian yesterday of course. And Griffin again this morning.”

His eyes went wide for a second, before he caught on.

“Oh.”

“I don’t usually kiss and tell, but I thought you should know,” she said, lounging against the back of the sofa, entertained by Victor looking both disappointed and relieved at the same time.

Like a child being told he can have a toy, but he has to share it with his siblings.

It was an odd realization for her, that the cocky, libertine escort was possessive over his conquests.

Maybe he’s simply too used to being the only one they look at. Youths suddenly being the center of someone’s attentions for the first time, the mature ones feeling seen and appreciated by someone young and attractive.

Raiva felt a little embarrassed by her initial reactions to his advances, well aware that she had almost fallen into the latter category because of his incessant flirtations. She suddenly wanted revenge.

He was still silent, sipping on his drink and finishing it, clearly thinking hard about something.

“Why, does that bother you?”

“Oh, no. Of course not,” he smiled in an odd way, like he was only half convinced of his own statement.

“If it does, you should tell me,” she murmured with a soothing voice as she moved her face closer to his.

His demeanor remained subdued, but his smile turned genuine, then into a grin.

Victors eyes were twinkling in the candlelight. Raiva could feel herself flushing a bit at his renewed straightforwardness.

It’s that smile of his again.

Outside, a cloud blocked the light from the sun, darkening the room. Now enveloped in a dark, warm glow, the atmosphere suddenly felt private, and intimate.