Page 26 of Badmouths & Bards

I swear, the stingray is better behaved than these two jackasses.

“I wonder what else we could share.”

Tala was about to whirl around and tackle the pair to the ground when her eye caught something. Tucked deep inside one of the fuller roses, something glinted. Frowning, Tala reached across the table for a discarded quill. Pulling the rose back, Tala hooked the object onto the end of the quill point and pulled it free.

Dangling from the end was a silver ring with the tiniest crystal placement at the center.

“You’re gonna need a second ring if you’re proposing marriage,” No-top said.

Chapter 12

Ameriden

Ameriden’s mouth had gotten him into trouble ever since he could form words.

He wouldn’t call himself clever, but he was witty and his words sometimes got away from him. Who knew a joke about a ring would result in the woman he found wildly attractive whirling on him and kicking his shin. The strike was sharp but not deadly. Enough to smart as Ameriden let out a grunt.

“Ow,” he said, though without any heat.

“Can you be serious for one damn moment?” Taldesa growled.

“Marriage this soon is pushing it, even for us, Amer,” Casimine said, looping his arm around his. “Perhaps we should cool it for a moment?”

Ameriden sighed, “Fine.”

There was a time and place for seduction and whatever Ameriden had walked into, apparently the moment was over. Which was too bad, given he had stirred at the sight of Casimine wrapped around Taldesa like a fine silk robe. For a moment, he thought Casimine had convinced her, but Ameriden was starting to suspect that Taldesa was a bit… well, uneducated when it came to social cues. Between the flirting, body language, and outright suggestion, Taldesa didn’t seem to be picking up on any of it.

Or maybe she is, but she’s not interested?

If she wasn’t, Ameriden would learn to adjust. Despite the malicious rumors, bards didn’t utilize magic to seduce their audience. Manipulation was highly frowned upon at college, as stressed by the entire staff. Bending someone’s will to your own through the arcane was seen as cruel, a tactic reserved for war. That didn’t mean insecure bards weren’t prone to casting it though, but for Ameriden it was a hard line. There was nothing he despised more than being forced to do something he didn’t consent to.

“Taldesa found the roses outside our door this morning,” Casimine explained as he leaned into his frame.

“The daydreamers already found us, huh?” Ameriden sighed, pulling Casimine closer to him and entangling his fingers in his hair.

“Daydreamers?” Taldesa lifted a brow.

“Our fans,” Casimine replied. “It’s what they call themselves.”

The moniker had come around four years ago, but from where, neither of them was certain.

“Sounds pretty intense if they gave themselves a name,” Taldesa said, eyes drifting back to the ring.

“It can be,” Ameriden squeezed Casimine. “But we manage.”

Taldesa’s face implied she didn’t think so, which Ameriden couldn’t fault her for. If they were really managing everything, Seira wouldn’t have had to call in a personal bodyguard. If they were okay, Casimine wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night screaming. If they were really okay, Ameriden wouldn’t be wrestling with the urge to burn their entire career to the ground if it meant knowing peace.

“When’s your manager gonna show up?” Taldesa asked.

“She should be here soon,” Casimine glanced toward the window. “Seira can be slow to start in the morning, but she’s never late.”

“Why, what are you thinking, pretty girl?” Ameriden asked.

He hadn’t even laced his words with suggestion that time, but Taldesa still glared, her cheeks puffing slightly as she clenched her jaw. Still, for such an angry thing, she seemed to brush it aside like water off a duck’s back.

“I think Seira might be able to get a hold of a jeweler. Most artisans have a signature—whether we can see it or not,” Taldesa explained. “If we can get it in front of a jeweler, they might be able to tell us the origin. Which means we can find out who bought it.”

Ameriden shared a look with Casimine. While they couldn’t share their thoughts—that spell was far too intimate, even for them—Ameriden was pretty sure his companion was thinking the same thing as him.