“Mate, what crawled up your ass this morning?”

“Nothing,” Embry muttered and glared at his porridge.

Aik laughed, the sound echoing in the great hall, stopping several mages mid-conversation and making Embry hunch over his food. He just wanted to be left alone. The taller mage sitting opposite tapped his spoon against Embry‘s bowl.

“Yo, is it the girl who spins the wool? Wanna tap that?”

“WHAT? NO!”

“Well, that‘s good since your page gives her all heart eyes. Benji said he saw them walking and laughing yesterday evening and they looked like they really hit it off,” Aik mused and took a swig from his mug, instantly gagging and retching.

“What the fuck, Em? Did you seriously sour my milk? Are you five?!”

“I’m… sorry. I need to… go,” Embry stammered and stormed off, ignoring Carla‘s stern and annoyed look. He needed to get out of there before his emotions affected the entire hall.

Aik had it all wrong and that was okay. He wasn’t after the spinstress. He just wanted to be on better terms with his page and everybody seemed to be able to do it – except him. After the contract forging, their relationship had been awkward – both trying to skate around any possibility to upset the other. Kuo, for being so savage and energetic in their first encounter and the forging itself, was silent and only talked when he had to. Embry had started to believe that it had all been a facade when he was struck with another awkward all-silent-stares encounter, the page carefully shielding his emotions and keeping his face straight.

And then he’d seen him laugh. And it made him insecure. Like he wasn’t good enough for the page. Did fate really hit him three times with bad luck?

He huffed, annoyed by his thoughts, and sat down under the big oak. And, of course, the spinstress appeared, laughing. Fledglings and other spinners appeared and helped carry bags of washed and dried wool over to the spinning mill. And there was Kuo. Of course. With a smaller bag but he helped. Embry’s mood soured again. And then it soured even more because he knew he shouldn’t be annoyed.

The girl was lovely, he had to admit that, and she would suit Kuo well. But… wouldn’t that take too much attention away from his work? What if Embry needed him? And what about the night? Surely Kuo didn’t expect his mage to be happy when he slept with the girl but shared dreams with Embry.

One of the fledglings saw Embry and started to wave but, before he could run over, Kuo shushed and gently shoved him towards the mill. When Kuo looked directly at his mage, he frowned unhappily and made a hand sign upwards. Embry followed his gaze and looked up into the tree. Leaves were falling down, pooling around him, all withered and sad and the branch overhead appeared to have shed within seconds.

Kuo shook his head and trailed after the rest of the group.

Embry heard Aik and Benji arguing before he saw them. The page had never mastered the ability to whisper.

“There has to be some stitching against it.”

“I couldn’t find any. What should I look for? Stitched plug for leaky emotions? Come on, Aik! That’s ridiculous,” the page squawked.

“Do you have any idea what he’s doing with the spinstress?”

The page huffed. “No?! Since it’s none of my business? He’s all secretive so I’m not going to be nosy. He’ll just get angry.”

Embry halted in the doorway and gave both a hard look when they finally realised they had an audience.

He pointed at Aik. “You. Are on my shit list.”

He pointed at Benji. “And you as well.”

He fumed and stomped away. This was getting out of hand. Behind him, the wooden door creaked, crumbled and turned to sawdust. He heard Aik complaining and Benji squeaking but he didn’t care.

After a week, Embry was banned from the kitchen (melted pots); the weaponry (bent swords); and the barns. Not because anything happened to the animals but because nobody wanted to jinx it. Though that only resulted in upsetting Embry even more because he wasn’t allowed to pet the rabbits anymore. Nor the chickens. Life was really unfair.

The week had been weird and it unsettled Kuo. Embry had been avoiding him like the plague for no reason at all and it had felt unfair and… lonely. Even… then. At night.

Kuo shuffled around awkwardly at the entrance of the inn, peeking in through the windows. Aik was there, and some of the other mages, for once peacefully coexisting with enforcers. Some guests and merchants kept the inn busy these days and that night it was packed. Kuo didn’t dare go inside. With so many people, chances were high somebody would step on his feet and he was wary of the enforcers, so his only hope was to catch somebody leaving the inn and ask his mage to come outside.

“What are you doing here? Waiting for the spinns- spin- shtressed?” somebody slurred close to his ear, reeking of strong dark beer and before he could react, the drunken mage had him trapped between his arms and the wall of the inn.

“Embry! I-” Kuo started but the mage stared at him with sad, glazed eyes. Gods, he was so drunk.

“You know, dschis ish the first time the contract wish you makesh me really very realllyyy… wait, oh yeah, really shad.”

Embry wobbled for a moment before he managed to steady himself again.

Kuo looked up. Embry’s eyes and mouth were too close and the page wished he hadn’t come. Talking with Embry like this would be impossible.

He tried to duck under Embry’s arms, but the mage just moved them down, by accident or by conscious decision… who would ever know?

“Wait. I want to congratshulate you. She ish pretty. Really.”

Wait… what?

~
Beta: Rena Freefall