[Ridge]
"Ah, this definitely beat sleeping with the mosquitoes! Best rest of my life." Raforn compliments, pouncing on the large bed of the room Marquess Heidi prepared for me. He sinks several feet into the cushy blankets.
"Ahem." I clear my throat. He whines but gets up, leading me over so I can sit down on the edge of the bed.
"I got it, I got it." He pouts, "Lift your right leg up some." I do as I'm told, propping my relatively uninjured heel onto the footstool he places in front of me. He starts unwrapping my old bandages and applying some ointment the Marquess provided.
I'm due to meet the man of the house any minute now, but the Doc insisted that we take care of my health first. Personally I think the meeting holds a but more priority, but that might be because I can't wait to get back to the boats and torture Tristan. What can I say? I like to settle my scores.
"So, what happened last night?" Raforn asks out of the blue.
I raise an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" He yanks a bandage particularly tight and I wince, resisting the urge to kick the person trying to help me. I'm sure kicking a doctor is like insulting a Chef, the fastest way to get poisoned.
Lucky for Raforn, according to someone I know, he's both. I think that pretty much makes him untouchable.
"Don't play coy." He starts turning a light pink, "I saw Kadeeth last night."
"You did?" I ask, curious but also wishing he'd just hurry up so I can leave.
"Yeah, when I went back to the drawing room after talking with the Marquess, you two had disappeared. So, Tellur and I decided to go out for some air. Well... I wanted some air, Tellur wanted to bribe the guards into selling their flasks." He shakes his head, trying to stay on topic, "Anyway, I was heading back inside alone when I ran into Kadeeth at the door.
"He was going in too, so I was about to call out to him. Y'know, just to say hi like a normal person, but his face looked totally pissed. Like don't talk to me or I'll murder your entire family and string their bodies up in your front yard kind of pissed." He ties off the bandage, standing up to examine my head wound as well.
I sigh, looking up at the ceiling in boredom. It looks like a rough texture, it must be one of those popcorn ceilings that are popular right now. At least that eliminates some probability of someone hearing our conversation through the doors.
"Ugh, we talked." I look back at Raforn's face, with me sitting like this and him standing, he's actually taller than me for once. I ruffle his practically non-existent hair. How does he keep it so short?
"About?" He pries, pulling his head away from my hand.
"What do you think? Just the fact that he's crazy, and he broke his promise." I toss out sarcastically, fixing the wrinkles in my shirt. Raforn ties off my new head wrap as well and helps me stand.
"You guys had a promise? You staked our lives on a word of mouth promise?" He asks in disbelief, leading me to the door.
"Man, we have hundreds of promises. This one just included a few banned torture techniques, so I really didn't think he'd break it so quickly." I explain, unconcerned but still disappointed.
"You're not really a Knight are you?" He asks suspiciously. It takes me by surprise for a second and then I find myself laughing. Every now and again, when he says something adorable like that, I forget he's my age.
"What else would I be?" I try to stop smiling, but to no avail.
"I don't know, like... an assassin or something..." he mumbles, his face turning bright red. This kid is hilarious. Oops, I mean adult. Why is mental me such a grandpa?
"Look, Kadeeth will be fine, he's just upset I called him a liar for breaking our promise. And I'm definitely a Knight." I laugh, "Otherwise my first target would've been that nut job I follow around everywhere."
He looks at me in confusion, "But Ridge, he follows you."
Huh. What a weird kid.
~*~
"I'll purchase these items and send them to the Viscount." Marquess Heidi offers, sighing deeply. Why are all of my meetings with this guy so awkward?
Oh, it could have something to do with his jealous finance being in the room.
"Lady Glissa, it's rude to stare." The Marquess informs her tiredly. She actually hmphs. This girl is something else.
I look over the list, "Hmm, wouldn't it be better to substitute some of the polish for more whetstones?" I suggest.
"It's your call, the Captain of my personal guard assisted in drafting this, but I'm refraining from announcing why I'm in need of these purchases. So he doesn't quite grasp the gravity of the situation. Please be understanding if several items need revision." He explains calmly while Lady Glissa drills a hole in his face with her gaze. I notice he avoids saying key words like war or rebellion in front of the young Lady.
"Then let's change those proportions, and," I scribble out a few things, replacing them with more important supplies, "change that. I won't haggle the budget, I believe you've been more than generous."
"Of course he has. Heidiis always generous with his sponsorships. Your business will grow in no time with his investment!" She boasts proudly.
The Marquess doesn't even look up from reading over the edited document while he addresses her, "Lady Glissa, come here." She bounces to her feet immediately, rushing over to his side, "Read this, and tell me what it means." He points to the list.
"Well, it clearly, uh...hold on." She snatches it out of his fingers as she reads carefully. Her facial expressions rapidly switch from ignorant to invested.
We wait patiently for her to finish. I don't see the point of this, but the young Marquess doesn't seem like someone who wastes even a drop of his limited supply of energy. He seems like someone who doesn't even breathe more times than necessary. So if he wants the Lady to draw a certain conclusion, it's because he believes that conclusion to be of value.
"Why, this is... this is simply PREPOSTEROUS!" She hollers, shocking only me, as the Marquess is clearly used to this, "You have more bows than you do quivers!" She announces loudly.
The Marquess's face doesn't change, but his eyes say he's satisfied. He gently takes the paper back from her and adjusts the amounts. Lady Glissa huffs, still upset about the imbalance in the numbers.
"Thank you, my Lady. We'll finish up our meeting and then I'll be down for tea." He says, still focusing on his work rather than her. It doesn't faze her though, she smiles brightly and runs from the room. Her black curls bounce around her shoulders as the click of her excited heels fades down the hallway.
"You weren't expecting that, were you, Sir Ridge?" The Marquess asks, amusedly?
"Uh, no, I wasn't." I answered truthfully.
He nods, "Most people are shocked. Lady Glissa has always been good with numbers, and business in general. She has a very keen eye. I can't say the same for her emotional state, but business wise she has exceptional talent." He sounds almost, proud?
It's so hard to read him. I stand up to leave, as our dealings are done. What an odd couple.
They suit each other nicely. I think.