And as soon as the royal guards disappeared from sight without so much as a word of goodbye, Raghnall couldn't help but comment sarcastically.
"Look at them leave without even saying a single word… you scared them off asshole."
Hearing his teasing tone, Rhys laughed heartily.
"Well, I am pretty terrifying, if I do say so myself. But are you sure it's not you who scared them? They probably still remembered what you did to them when they were still lowly palace soldiers. After all, anyone would be traumatized after being magically controlled by someone ten years younger, then forced to kiss their partner in front of the palace gates."
Raghnall snorted as he hoisted Inna comfortably on his arms.
"Why are you even here Rhys?"
Rhys beamed at Raghnall innocently.
"What do you mean? Of course, I'm here for the break! I'm a student from the Magic department just like you guys!"
Raghnall gave him a flat look that showed how much he believed in his lie. Then, with a matching flat disbelieving tone, Raghnall spoke to him.
"The time you were a student from the Magic department was years ago, Rhys..."
Rhys winked at him as he smiled playfully.
"That's what I told you! I'm also a student from the Magic department! Just not currently!"
Still holding the flat look, Raghnall sighed.
"So you snuck out again without telling Master Azai?"
Rhys nodded enthusiastically as he giggled.
"Now that I had most of my magic, sneaking out is waaaay easier. I mean, you didn't even notice I was sneaking into the Lily dorms whenever you were gone!"
"What?!"
Raghnall growled out as he stomped his foot harshly.
Rhys laughed lightly before patting his shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I just snuck in there to talk. Nothing more. I'm not like that…. Well, not anymore… But anyways! Since you're already here in our usual restaurant, why don't we get some drinks like the old times?"
Still feeling pissed at Rhys for visiting Inna behind his back and at himself for not being able to notice Rhys sneaking in, Raghnall could only snarl at the invitation.
"I'm not drinking with someone who does things behind my back!"
Hearing the sudden animosity which Rhys couldn't comprehend the reason for, he pouted at Raghnall in complaint.
"But... If I did tell you, you will obviously toss me back to the other side! And besides, I really didn't do anything! We just talked and did some sparring! And you should be grateful that I taught her some things to help with her coordination in mixing magic with combat! You didn't even bother teaching her the basics in body enhancements!"
Raghnall was now thoroughly pissed when he realized that Rhys was criticizing his teaching abilities.
"I didn't teach her because she never needed it in the first place! She's plenty strong in the combat area! Her weakness is Magic! Why'd you think she was in the Lily class in the first place?!"
Rhys really didn't understand what got Raghnall so riled up. But when he saw a faint tint of redness on his ears, he finally figured out the reason why.
"You... you drank already, didn't you?"
Although still feeling irritated, the sudden question startled Raghnall.
"What?"
Ignoring Raghnall, Rhys took a step closer as he took a small sniff at him.
"I can smell it. A Soldier's Cry? No, it smells mixed. AH! THE GREAT SORROW AND TIGER'S BANE!"
Stepping back, Rhys shot him a dirty look as he crossed his arms.
"You actually drank without me! Low move, asshole. Low move. What happened to the promise of being drinking buddies?! The promise that we'd only show our drunk selves to us three?!"
Suddenly, he felt completely drained as he peered at Rhys. And he let out a small sigh to express it as he spoke.
"I drank but I'm not drunk."
Rhys continued to look at him with a dirty look as he spoke.
"Drunk or not, Tiger's Bane has a reputation for being unpredictable. Meaning, even if you haven't even drunk much, its bizarre effects can still affect you. That's because the small magic particles inside the wine constantly change depending on the person's current state and can manifest itself in whatever ways. So, it's more like gambling what effect you'll get in each cup."
"Some gets headaches, sudden outbursts, lethargy, and even drowsiness while others can get violent, aggressive, and can even result in paranoia. Hence, it's known to be really lethal."
"Also, the effects of Tiger's Bane can also be delayed, which I think is the reason why you're only feeling it now. And the great thing about this drink is that the more powerful you are in magic, the more likely you'll be unaffected by its strange effects but it's still wine so of course, you'll still get drunk if you consume above your threshold. But for those who are not that gifted, the more they drink, the more intense the effects with manifest in them and it can also make the effects longer."
Hearing all the sudden facts thrown at him, Raghnall raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew that Rhys loved drinking wines a little too much than an average person but he never knew that he'd know so much about their effects as well.
He was about to ask him how he can sober up when Inna suddenly stirred in his arms. She snuggled her head closer to Raghnall's neck but Raghnall noticed that the current position she moved in seemed to be uncomfortable.
And so, Raghnall shifted Inna in a more bearable position, making Inna's bells clang incessantly.
Hearing the loud noises, Rhys finally noticed the bell ribbon Inna had on her hair and he couldn't help but laugh.
"Isn't that those thing non-magic users give to small children and animals so that they don't lose them? Why does she have such a thing?"
Raghnall unknowingly let out a small smile as he answered him.
"She tends to run off somewhere when she's curious about something so I'm just making sure I don't lose her."
Rhys raised an eyebrow as he peered at Inna with a soft smile.
"Yeah, she's quite adventurous despite being so dense at times."
Raghnall didn't like the look Rhys had on his face as well as his tone so he couldn't help but show his displeasure on his face. Rhys noticed it and his soft smile soon morphed into a teasing one.
"What's with the jealous face, asshole? You afraid I might steal her away?"
Rhys made a blatant act of trying to grab Inna into his arms and the motion got on Raghnall's nerves.
She's sleeping!
And he actually wants to have a childish tug of war with him knowing that it might wake her up?!
He swiftly moved her away from Rhys's reach as he glared at him vehemently.
Being the target of such a fierce glare, Rhys was in shock. It was the first time in a while that Rhys saw Raghnall glare at him so intensely that he instinctively raised his hands to show that he's not going to do anything more.
"Hey hey hey, easy there! You don't have to be so protective!"
Raghnall huffed angrily at Rhys before he turned his back on him with Inna on his arms.
"We're leaving. I feel like the longer we stay here, the higher the chances of you disrupting her sleep. She just had a very long eventful day and I don't want you ruining her rest."
Then, with brisk long strides, he hurriedly walked out of the restaurant with Inna still sound asleep on his arms. The crowd began to slowly dissipate once they realized that the whole fiasco was over. And they began to resume their previous activities all except for Rhys.
Still standing at the same spot, Rhys stood there, dumbfounded, with his furrowed brows which were partnered with a now sour mood as he watched his dear friend walk away from him.
It's just the wine talking…
Rhys huffed as he tried to convince himself not to get offended.