“Yes, actually, I got that red tea that I was telling you about, the one from deep Robruolor,” she replied. “Did you want to try it?”
“Yes,” Pollux said, then glanced back at Adrissu. “Two, please. And the pastry platter.”
“Of course,” she said, glancing curiously between him and Adrissu as Pollux counted out coins onto the countertop. But Pollux did not offer any further information, and wanting to respect his obvious desire not to discuss it, Adrissu only gave her a friendly smile. But he had picked up a few words of orcish in his time studying in Aefraya under Dirge, so when Pollux stepped away to lead them to a table, Adrissu leaned in closer to the counter.
“Thank you,” he said in orcish, and she blinked in surprise before a pleased grin curled around her tusks.
“You’re very welcome,” she answered in orcish as well. Luckily for Adrissu, who only knew a handful of other phrases, their conversation ended there.
He joined Pollux at a small table near the window, where the elf was looking out onto the street with an impassive expression, barely glancing over as Adrissu sat down across from him.
“So are we going to sit in silence?” Adrissu teased, and Pollux shot him an annoyed glance.
“You know what I’ve been up to. We’ve communicated almost daily,” Pollux replied, his tone mild despite his imperious expression.
“And we have nothing more to discuss, then?”
“Hmm,” Pollux murmured, but at that moment the half-orc girl came up with a teapot and two teacups, which she placed in front of them with a grin.
“I’ll have that pastry platter out in just a few minutes,” she said as she turned to go. Pollux nodded, and when she was out of earshot once again, he glanced back at Adrissu.
“I suppose we have much to discuss,” he sighed, reaching over to pour himself a cup of tea. “Here.” He poured Adrissu a cup as well.
“Did she say this tea was from Robruolor?” Adrissu remarked, glancing down at the steaming liquid as he lifted the cup. It looked like any other cup of tea, but had a slightly more earthy scent. Pollux nodded, delicately taking a sip. He seemed to contemplate it for a moment, then took a second sip before putting the teacup down.
“Dwarven tea has an unusual flavor profile,” he said, gesturing to the teapot. “This is a red tea from deep Robruolor, so in the most remote mountainous parts, where the dwarves live only partly underground. The tea is grown above ground but aged beneath the mountain, giving it that earthy tone. It has an almost fermented pungency to it. It’s an acquired taste, I think, so if you don’t like it, I can order you something else.”
Adrissu eyed his cup of tea more suspiciously now, but took a drink anyway. As Pollux said, it had a deep earthiness to it that he couldn’t tell if he liked or not. It was unusual, to say the least, compared to what he normally drank.
“Well, I don’t think I would order it again,” he chuckled, setting the teacup down. “But you don’t need to order me anything else.”
“How long are you planning on staying?” Pollux asked, changing subjects so abruptly that for a moment Adrissu only blinked at him, taken aback at the question.
“However long you’ll have me,” he replied, relishing in the way the elf’s lips twitched, as if he were suppressing a smile. “I’m hoping for a week, but if you get sick of me sooner than that...”
“I think I can probably manage a week,” Pollux said, taking a sip of his tea. “And after that?”
Adrissu considered the question for a long moment. The half-orc girl came with a small tray of pastries as he thought, setting it down alongside the teapot with a grin before hurrying back to the counter to serve another customer.
“After that,” he said slowly, watching her leave their table, unsure if he could bear looking at Pollux as he spoke. “It depends entirely on you. I want to be near you, of course. But my work at the Academy is important to me, as well, and it would be... complicated to hold the same control of it from outside of Polimnos.”
“So you would want me to come to Polimnos to be with you,” Pollux replied bluntly.
“Is that what you want?” Adrissu asked.
“I don’t know,” Pollux said, sighing. “My life is here. I don’t know about giving it up, either.”
“We don’t have to talk about this now,” Adrissu said, frowning. “I’ve been here for an hour. Why worry about the future already? I just want to enjoy the time I have with you, regardless of how long it is.”
Pollux’s stony gaze softened when Adrissu glanced back over at him. “Well... Alright. Later, then.”
“Later,” Adrissu agreed, and picked up a pastry.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Theyspenttherestof the morning walking about town, Pollux leading the way and showing Adrissu places that he often frequented or mentioned in their letters. As the sun rose high into the sky, and the day grew hot and humid, they moved to walk down a shaded trail a little ways out from the main roads. Soon enough, however, they decided to return to Pollux’s home to rest in the shade until it cooled off.
When they arrived, Adrissu was acutely aware of the way Pollux looked at him—his skin flushed and damp with sweat, breathing a little harder than normal. It was the heat, and the sticky humidity should have been a deterrent, but every cell in his body ached to be closer to his mate, to fill him, to possess him utterly.
