Page 45 of Badmouths & Bards

“Hmm?” She blinked, mouth still filled with cheese and a cup of water in hand. She chewed enough to swallow before answering. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.”

“You sure?” Casimine brushed the mess of hair from her face. “Nothing hurts, does it? I’m tapped, but Amer has some knowledge in healing that could help.”

Fuck, why were they being so nice? She had mentally prepared for the charming personas to drop the minute they got what they wanted. The jaded parts of her had even expected it, but Tala knew that the way they were staring at her that they both meant it. That they cared and that only complicated the storm of feelings growing inside of her. Honestly, while her body might have been a bit tender, it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant so much as a reminder of what they had done.

“I’m a monk. I’ve been through worse during ambush training.” Tala shrugged.

Ambush training was at least planned—well, with the few exceptions from when Tala had first arrived at the Valiant Circle and she happened to piss off some of her fellow disciples. Getting jumped in the kitchens in the middle of the night hadn’t been ideal and had resulted in a handful of demerits and a black eye. Granted, they had looked more worse for wear than she did.

Had been worth it for the berry cobbler.

“So, no weird feelings?” Ameriden asked. “We good?”

Casimine nodded against her shoulder, squeezing her softly around her waist. With Ameriden’s arm slung around her shoulders, Tala wasn’t so sure.

She lied anyway.

The rest of the morning was spent eating the rest of the breakfast. Ameriden made sure their cups stayed filled with water, reminding the two of them to drink as he checked in on Dumpling. At some point, Casimine had nodded off against her shoulder. He was warm against her side, his absurdly long lashes keeping her attention for some fucking reason.

“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”

Tala froze, eyes darting back to the cup in her lap. Ameriden chuckled against her side, as if he was amused by her embarrassment. The thought pissed her off, but the way he was gazing at Casimine over her shoulder stalled the smart ass response. He must have seen her struggle, because he only laughed again, the fucking bastard.

“It’s not going to kill you to admit it, you know,” Ameriden teased. “Casi was always beautiful, even when he was a walking stick. People used to mistake him for a girl before he grew into his body.”

“Didn’t he find that annoying?” Tala asked, eyeing his sleeping face.

There had been a period of time growing up that Tala was constantly mistaken for a boy. It hadn’t bothered her, until her peers had started shaming her for it. Children were fucking clowns, but Tala still felt the sharp edge of that time nestled against her rib cage. It had only been made worse when her mother would complain about the cuts and bruises on her knees or how Tala could never keep her hair neat.

“Sometimes,” Ameriden replied. “But Casimine never let it get to him. The Water Mother gave him the gift of beauty and song, it’s not his fault people are too boring to think more openly. Plus, look at us now? Casi’s making coin while those losers are still trying to get into the most rundown of taverns.”

“Must be nice,” Tala murmured without realizing it.

“What is?”

“Just…” she shook her head. “Being able to prove to shitty people that you’re unbothered. That you’re better off despite their mouths.”

“Oh, yeah, that part is pretty great,” he grinned. “Only wish I could do it more.”

Tala frowned, “What do you mean?”

There was something there in the way he just spoke. Something heavy that was hiding behind his dimpled smile, behind his sharp eyebrows. Whatever it was, Ameriden was guarded about it as he just shrugged.

“Just some stuff from before. Doesn’t really matter now.”

It would probably be hypocritical for Tala to push further given how closed mouthed she was about her own bullshit past. Even with Avie, Tala had never gotten too detailed about how she ended up with the Moon Maidens in the first place, let alone why she was transferred to the Valiant Circle.

And yet…

“It matters if it’s bothering you.” Tala sipped the water, just to keep herself from bullying him into telling her.

It was all nonsense anyway. Knowing more about these two slap dicks was only going to make things more messy. Tala had already broken so many rules when she had been impaled by both their cocks earlier, what was a few more in the grand scheme of things? It suddenly didn’t matter if the Valiant Circle sent her away because what was there left for her in Eshorion? Avie was long gone—with some asshole she didn’t know—living her life. A life that definitely didn’t revolve around Tala, as misguided as that way of thinking had been.

She’s better off without the angry warrior on her heels, punching anyone who even looks at her the wrong way.

“It kinda doesn’t.”

The denial irked Tala for some reason. For whatever reason, Tala slapped the back of her hand against Ameriden’s naked chest. He was hard—his muscles were fucking sick—but he still looked surprised at the hit.