“Barely a bit!” Molun pouted. “I could have given you a whole ocean of water to chase you around the Princess’s rooms!”
“There was more than enough water in the Princess’s rooms!” Brannal said a little quellingly, because as amusing as he had found the entire thing, he was still Summus, and this was still Renny they were talking about. “No one would want a joke to get out of hand and cause actual injury, now would they?”
They all shook their heads, chastened, because harm coming to Renny was the last thing they wanted.
Brannal glanced at Perian, “Explain again how we interrupted your glorious and noisy death?”
Somewhat snidely, Cormal interjected, “Such a shame we missed that.”
Perian flashed him a grin. “You’ll all have to see my tremendous acting expertise another time. I was going to flail a lot, of course.”
“Of course,” they all agreed.
Perian stared at them suspiciously, wondering if they were trying to tell him something.
“And I was going to fall overdramatically,” he continued.
“That sounds like something you would do,” Nisal agreed, and there was more nodding.
Narrowing his eyes, Perian added, “And then I was going to go into extremely affecting death throws that probably involved a lot of wriggling around on the floor.”
Molun was the one who said, “I am tryingso hardnot to say anything right now.”
And that was the end of that; the entire table dissolved into laughter.
Brannal squeezed Perian’s shoulder. “You’re very good at lighting up people’s lives.”
Perian beamed at him. He didn’t mind being the butt of a joke for something like this. He always wanted Renny to be safe, but he wanted these light and silly moments, too.
Dinner broke up with Perian getting a more-than-usual number of pats on the back and a goodnight from Chamis, Simiala, one of the Warriors who’d been outside Renny’s rooms, and three other people whom he didn’t know very well but who apparently knew him a lot better from this escapade.
Heading back down the hallway with everyone, Brannal said, “Life with you is never boring, Perian.”
Having lived boring, Perian definitely didn’t recommend it.
“That makes it more fun,” he offered.
“It definitely does,” Brannal agreed, and the others nodded.
“I’m sorry I missed it,” Molun said.
“Me, too,” Nisal agreed.
“I would have probably tried to stop it,” Brannal admitted.
“Good thing you weren’t there!” Perian said, but he made sure to smile at the other man to indicate that he understood.
He wasn’t actually sure if Brannal would have stopped it or not. Had he been in on it from the beginning, he would have seen how little activity it was for Renny. It was possible Chamis could have tripped or something, but it didn’t seem very likely. The world was full of risk, and you had to assumesomeof them, or you’d be left, what, lying in bed and never moving? That would never work, especially not for Renny, who was sometimes trapped there against her will.
But he did understand that it had looked like absolute chaos when Brannal and the others arrived. For all they knew, something might actually have been wrong.
But no, it was just Perian being ridiculous.
They parted ways, everyone heading off to their own rooms, and as soon as they were in the door, Brannal pulled Perian into a hug, which Perian returned happily.
“You are ridiculous and absurd, and I love you,” Brannal told him fervently.
Perian could only grin. “I love you, too.”
