The negotiations take most of the night, and Celeste - who never really says much in the meeting anyway - is already falling asleep at the table by the time the nitty-gritty of what supplies will go where is finished.
Lucas groans as we walk back toward Valentine's manor. "Bleugh. That was more exhausting than the trip here."
I arch a brow. "Oh? I thought you were a merchant? Don't you thrive in negotiations?"
"That wasn't negotiating!" He scowls, scandalized.
"That...that was politics! I'm no politician! It's not about real value, or even perceived value, when it comes to politics. If you want me to get you a good deal or make someone think they got a good deal, then sure, job done. But dealing with people who make deals fueled by pure spite?"
He shudders and wraps his arms around me, pressing his face into my neck. "I just wanna cuddle the rest of the night away with you in bed..."
