Both of them said nothing.
It has been like this for nearly thirty minutes.
Henry Savoy sat on the bed and Lady Keirin on the cushioned chair facing him. In that span of time, Henry Savoy figured things out about her without even speaking. From the way she averted her eyes and the way she was now dressed in casual clothes, which was the typical one he'd seen so far from other people, with just a cloak—not the white robe she had. This was not a normal occurrence.
Henry Savoy had no problem with silence. He enjoyed its company.
But the same does not hold for Lady Keirin.
Mainly because Henry has been staring at her since she sat on that chair.
"Congratulations with your victory," she said, breaking the silence as she shifted uncomfortably on the chair.
Henry Savoy noticed her fingers tapping on her lap.
"Hmm?" Henry's hum barely rose above a grunt.
"I said—"
Before she could get out another word, Henry raised his hand, palm open and facing her wide. It wasn't the magick like the monks did to him, it was just a strong gesture. He doesn't even know if he could learn that magick, but he didn't care, really.
"I heard you, lady," he said, resting his chin on his knuckles, leaning forward. "I'm just surprised you're not mad, honestly. Pig, I believe you called me. And now here I am, the pig who beat you, right there in front of the people who worship you. That can't have been easy. It must've made you angry. Humiliated even."
"I am, it's just…"
Henry arched his eyebrow. "Just what?"
Lady Keirin cut herself off before she could even get the words out.
She just stared at him, unconsciously, deep into those weary eyes, like she was trying to pick something out from behind them. But she couldn't see it, not the way they'd faded, not the layers of sleep deprivation and the sour distaste for every damn thing. His eyes looked dead, like a frozen wasteland that wasn't thawing anytime soon. Sable silhouette under his eyes, streaks of red through his whites—like he'd never closed them a day in his life. If he ever did, you'd bet the sleep was black and dreamless.
"N-nothing," she finally managed. That was all she had.
Maybe she wasn't wrong, not completely. Henry Savoy did sleep, if you could call it that. Each morning he'd stagger out from the Walking Stick, crawl into bed at five, and lie there for six hours, dead to the world until eleven. He slept like a drunken baby—no dreams, just blackness, same as always.
The circles under his eyes, those were just part of him, an unfortunate feature he'd carried since childhood. At night, they'd blend in with the dimness, and people thought he was glaring, all intense and bad like he's looking for a fight. The bloodshot eyes, though, were just the price of a few too many rounds.
Tonight, he felt the Apricia was taking him to that bleary edge, though he'd barely put down half a bottle. But it was strong stuff, strong enough to put a little steel in his bones.
So, he sat there in his haze, seeing clear as day why she was knocking on his door at this hour. He could loosen her up, no problem, and he had the tools right at his feet. He picked up the uncorked bottle and got up.
"Care for a drink?" he asked, holding up the Apricia.
"That… that'd be nice," she said, smiling just a little.
He caught that smile, and hell, he almost felt himself cracking. It was sweet on her, the way it softened her up, made her hair fall just right, like sunlight on her shoulders. Lady Keirin, all neat but rough around the edges, a strange mix of prim and wild. When she smiled, her cheeks gave her a round, warm look, but drop that smile, and you'd see the sharp lines of her jaw—enough to stop a man cold in his tracks.
Henry Savoy poured both chalices on the night stand to the brim, just enough that it wouldn't spill off. Henry handed her the chalice, but she didn't drink. She held it as though it might burn her.
A look came upon her, like that when they were fighting in the arena.
"What's wrong?" said Henry.
"Drink first, Henry Savoy," she replied quickly.
Henry snickered, knowing well enough what this meant. It means that she has great distrust towards him, and how could she really trust him? He was a stranger from a land she might never comprehend, and she was no fool either. She'd noticed the bottle of Apricia sitting there, uncorked the whole time. She was no fool; if he'd pulled anything, she'd have heard it—the pop, the tug of the cork.
But that suspicion ran deeper than any cork.
"Relax, babe. I didn't poison you. I just beat you fair and square, remember?"
Way to fucking put it in the mud.
"You're a bastard of the highest order, Henry Savoy," she spat.
"Yeah, I know," he replied, shrugging it off with a grin, then downed his whole chalice of Apricia in one go. It burned, but he felt that warm buzz and buff settling in as he looked at her, smirking. "There. Happy? Satisfied I didn't mess with it?"
The Saint of Oberin did not speak nor nod her head in agreement, she took a careful sip of the juice, and as soon as it touched her tongue, she spat it back out to the chalice, then the smell came to her. It smelled like the Apricia she normally drinks, but it burned.
"What did you do to this? You have poisoned me?!" she gasped. Then she coughed and coughed, even though it did not go near her throat. "This is treason!"
"Hey, hey! Calm down, it's nothing," Henry Savoy gestured, taking her chalice forcefully from her and drinking it all. And when he did, the tab opened again.
————————————————
[Passive Skill Unlocked]
Happy Hour (Lvl. 1)
Henry Savoy is 20% resistant to the effects of all alcoholic beverages.
————————————————
After that, the tab closed and Henry smirked at Lady Keirin.
She gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. "Did you—did you just poisoned yourself?!"
"No, it's what I call uh… wine. Yeah, let's call that for now. Apricia wine."
It was hard to explain what alcohol is to a world that does not know what it is. It's like discussing the Ship of Theseus to an infant.
"Why does it taste as such? It is like drinking fire. It's… strange like it is made as something meant to be spit out."
"Yeah, I get it, but where I come from, this would be a bestseller," he chuckled.
"Strange?" Henry chuckled, leaning back on the bed and stretching out his legs. "It's not that complicated. You drink it to feel… something."
Lady Keirin looked at him, perplexed. "Feel what?"
"Good. Better, maybe," he replied, watching her face shift from confusion to curiosity.
"Better? But what do you need to feel better from?" She leaned in a bit, her gaze fixed on him like she was inspecting some new kind of insect. "You defeated me in the arena. You have the people's curiosity, if not their admiration. From what I've seen, you don't lack confidence, and the way you move… you aren't broken."
"Come on, who are you to decide who I am?" Henry couldn't hold back a bark of laughter. "Besides, I could give you a list of reasons I might drink, if that's what you're asking."
"Come then, pray tell."
"Ugh—" Henry was about to speak when he realized that there were too many to tell. Instead of continuing, he just let out a sigh and chuckled. He decided to take control of the whole situation, since that is what he's good at. "How about we do it with a game for the fun of it? I call it: All Truths, No Dares."
"And how does this game work?"
"We take turns asking one question, and if you don't answer it or lie, you take a drink of the wine—half a chalice."
"And if I lie?" retorted Lady Keirin.
"Why? Could you lie, Lady Saint?" rebutted Henry Savoy.
And she did not acknowledge it. "And who wins in this game?"
"Whoever's kicking and wide-eyed. Last ma—errr, I mean—person standing," he chuckled.
"Very well, but I have my terms."
"Hmm? Terms?"
"If I win, you will bring me with you."
And the world paused for a moment. Henry saw determination in her eyes, she meant that. But why the hell would she want to leave this place? She's a holy figure, revered and idolized like the god Oberin himself, so it was quite a stumble. Though, now is not the time to ask for that. He had a lot of chances to do that later. His little game from back home would get her talking.
For now, Henry Savoy only chuckled.
"Sure, babe. Let the games begin."