'What an asshole', Valis thought as Raven left his office. 'Ha! As if I would do exactly what he wanted...'

The encounter lingered in his mind longer than it should have, but the faint satisfaction of refusal was quickly giving way to curiosity. 'Had Raven just experienced his first failed business negotiation?'

With the matter settled for now, Valis buried himself in work. He spent the rest of the day drafting a letter to Ron, detailing the expected weapon shipments. The faster Avene was armed, the sooner he could finally turn his attention to Ladven’s army.

Then it hit him.

A brilliant idea.

He needed to find Adam, immediately.

Valis left his office and went downstairs, but the place seemed empty. He then noticed that the door leading to the back courtyard stood slightly ajar. As he approached it, he heard a man’s strained sounds.

“Ugh… huu…”

Wait. Was that Reggie?

“That’s it. You’re doing great. Grip it a little tighter. Try harder,” someone else said.

Valis stopped mid-step.

'Adam?!'

No. Impossible. Was he trying to seduce Reggie?

Valis braced himself, ready to throw the door open and catch them in the act.

“Adam, I can’t hold on much longer—”

Valis slammed the handle down and burst outside. In the very same second, an arrow flew right past his face.

“What the hell—”

“Sir Valen?! are you all right?!” Reggie shouted from the distance, tossing the bow aside and running toward his boss. “I’m sorry! Adam was just teaching me some archery. I'm still trying to learn... I'm not very good yet... Arrows are very bendy and not easy....” The more he tried to explain, the more chaotic his sentences became.

But Valis said nothing to him, and instead fixed an icy stare on Adam. “Do you really think that’s what you should be teaching him?!”

Adam rolled his eyes,  crossed his arms and adjusted his posture. He seemed already disengaged, making it clear he had no intention of taking the criticism seriously. “He needs to learn how to defend himself. It’s for his own good.”

“Office. Now,” Valis hissed, ignoring the remark completely as he turned and headed back inside.

The archer frowned but followed him inside.

...

“Wait... You really want me to order four hundred swords from Blade & Blade?” Adam sighed, “Didn’t you say their steel was too brittle?”

Valis smiled.

“Exactly. But we won’t be the ones using them. Let's say... They’re a gift.”

He paused, watching Adam process it, the silence stretching just long enough to let the plan sink in.

"I'll leave it with you, I need to go somewhere now." That same day, Valis was scheduled to meet Raven.

...

He lay on the bed in room 107 of the local brothel, with the faint scent of cheap perfume clinging to the air as he waited for his guest.

Dusk had fallen, and the building was slowly filling with customers. 'This will be interesting.' Every time a door slammed shut in the corridor, the walls and floors of the entire building trembled. Valis had to admit, honestly, to himself, that their meetings were satisfying. He hadn’t expected his body to respond so strongly to the touch of another man.

Of course, it changed nothing between them. It was just his body, and it shouldn’t be a problem. He was ready to use Raven for his own pleasure and then discard him.

No feelings. No strings attached.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

“Come in,” he said, sitting up.

Raven stepped inside. Tall and well built, he moved with the composed authority of a prince accustomed to command. He glanced at Valis as the man began to rise from the bed and said quietly,

“Don’t get up.”

He moved closer to the narrow mattress, the space barely large enough for one, let alone two. Valis noticed Raven’s eyes quickly sweeping the room. Something clearly displeased him, was it too plain for the Prince of Ladven? But he didn’t comment.

Instead, he laid down beside Valis, carefully despite the lack of space, their bodies almost immediately pressed together. After a brief pause, he turned his head slightly and asked, quietly, “May I kiss you?” waiting for permission. After a brief moment of hesitation, Valis nodded.

Raven leaned in slowly, as if giving Valis time to pull away. He brushed his lips against Valis’s first, testing, then traced his tongue along Valis’s lips. “Open,” he whispered.

When Valis parted his mouth, Raven slipped his tongue inside. The kiss was slow but deep. Valis felt Raven’s warm breath against his skin.

Valis opened his eyes briefly. Raven’s were closed, he seemed completely absorbed in the moment, with his thick black lashes trembling slightly.

A surge of heat struck Valis low in his groin as Raven pressed closer. He took in every smallest movement, the warmth of Raven’s mouth, the gentle pressure of his hand at Valis’s side, the heat of breath shared between them. The kiss deepened just enough to promise more.

Then the moment broke.

Their intimacy was interrupted by moans coming through the wall, followed by the rhythmic thudding of a bedframe against the wall.

“Sounds like these walls are made of paper,” Raven said, resting his forehead against Valis’s. “How about a walk instead?”

Valis wasn’t pleased, he wanted more.

Raven studied his expression for a moment. “Hey. Don’t look like that. Don’t worry—I promise I’ll still pay you.”

Valis nodded anyway, swallowing the irritation he refused to name. Those words didn't sit well with him but correcting Raven would have taken more than he was willing to give.

Moments later, they left the building together and headed towards the port.

They walked in silence for a while, with just the sound of their steps echoing softly. Finally, Raven spoke, with his voice calm and almost tentative. “Have you given any more thought to what I said earlier?”

Valis didn’t answer immediately, he seemed lost in thought and Raven took that as permission to continue. “This work... you don’t belong in it,” he said, as if stating a fact rather than offering advice. “It’s dangerous. You shouldn’t have to do it. I can fix it for you and make sure you’re safe.”

Valis clenched his fists, resisting the urge to snap. This certainty in Raven’s tone grated against him, the assumption that he needed saving striking a nerve. He hated how easily Raven reduced his choices to a problem with an obvious solution, as if Valis himself didn’t exist in the discussion.

“Oh yeah?” Valis cut him off, with a smirk tugging at his lips. “Maybe I like it this way.”

Raven froze, caught off guard, “I… I didn’t mean to overstep. Sorry.”

For a brief moment,  Valis felt a flicker of satisfaction, as he was finally reclaiming some control, but the frustration still hummed just beneath the surface.

Then added softer. "But... Is everything ok with you? You seem rather tense..."

Raven hesitated, then admitted quietly, “Not exactly. The steel supply isn’t coming through as planned. It’s… frustrating, and I’ve been trying to sort it out, but it’s complicated.”

Valis’s eyes lit with interest, a grin was forming on his face despite his best efforts to appear concerned. “Oh, please. Do tell me more. I’m all ears.”