Morgan wouldn’t complain about a night of drinking her thoughts away, but she held herself back. She didn’t want to get messy at an event held by her house. Supporting Nantes came first, even though she stood at the bar and wished she was quite a few more drinks into the evening. 

She was nursing a beer when she heard a familiar voice next to her. Turning towards Dae, she grinned. “Hey there. It’s been a fun night so far. What about you?” She wondered if he was there with anyone. Maybe his sister had successfully set him up with someone this time.

“I suppose I should’ve expected to see you at a Nantes event.” Dae admitted through a laughter, then again he wasn’t sure how often Morgan attended these kinds of affairs.

He looked around at her question as though judging the crowd of people, weighing his time spent mingling with the crowd. “I guess it’s been quite nice all things considered. I can’t say I often come to these things willingly.” But he didn’t regret coming even if he was looking forward to going home.  It was just his nature. “Would it make me sound awfully boring if I said I’m looking forward to going to home?” Dae laughed. “It’s actually kind of past my bed time.” 

Sacha grinned at his friend and shrugged. “I don’t know about that. It’s not been completely awful but I wouldn’t say exciting. Not yet at least.” He sipped the new glass of wine he’d been handed. “What got you out here tonight? Threats of violence?” It was good to see Dae. He’d been his first real friend in Vannes and that bond had stuck with him all these years. 

“Are you expecting a sudden turn of events?” Dae joked, though he supposed it wasn’t too far fetched with all the alcohol. Inhibitions lowered and all. “Ah, no. Just good old fashioned b-bribery.” He laughed. “I’m guaranteed no cleaning duty at the gym for a month. The offer was too good to pass up. What about you? Are you doing it for appearances or are you here on your own free will?”

@anjoudaehyun​

Annick wasn’t sure why she’d attended this affair. Actually, she did. It was for her House. She’d do anything for them. Including attending a function where she was bound to see Cyrus, probably enjoying himself. Swell.  

Trying to make the best of it, she grabbed a glass of wine and headed for a less occupied space. Fortunately, where she landed was at least occupied with a friendly face.

“Finally, someone who looks as happy to be here as I am.”

Dae’s face brightened when he spotted Annick , a familiar face at these sorts of events was always a blessing and more so when it was a friendly one.

Though her words gave him a pause, “I guess it shows this isn’t exactly my cup of tea.” He laughed softly with a matching shrug. “What’s gotten you in such a mood though?”

So when the waiter came around to offer a glass of whine, he’d accepted politely and proceeded to carry it around with him for the sake of appearances. It was a nice event. The donations made it worth it and that he appreciated. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t still looking for when he could go home.

He slowly made his way through the crowd and towards the bar when he recognized Morgan there.

“Hey stranger,” Dae greeted, taking the seat next to her. “Are you having a go-good time?”

In truth, Dae would’ve been happier to be a volunteer babysitter than be here. At least with the kids he was guaranteed to be in bed by eight.

“Tell me you’re having a more exciting night than me.” He laughed when he spotted Sacha at the bar.

Morgan: Hey you. I was walking Levon today and we walked past the gym. It looked busy!

Dae: You were, you should've come to say hi.

Kosuke’s thumb paused, mid-stroke across his wrist, brow cocking slightly. Surely this man wasn’t serious? He had been heavy handed on the sarcasm on purpose. 

Though, that seemed to be for naught, judging by the other’s stammered offer to take him to the hospital. He almost laughed outright, then and there. He managed to contain himself, however briefly. 

Kosuke stepped forward then, wrist turned upwards, held out for the other to take. “Well?” he mused, lips slyly turned up at the corners. “I thought you offered to take a look at it?” 

He mulled over it for a moment, let the pause linger a little too long, before he added, with false sincerity: “Sir.” 

Dae’s lips twitched in a frown. He could be tone deaf sometimes, but he wasn’t that obtuse to miss on the mocking lilt to the tittle. These kinds of jabs used to bother him, when he was younger. 

It took years and looking past his own bruised ego to realize it rarely had to do much with him than it did with the person saying them. His eyes darted across catching the other’s in a cross look, a polite warning but no more. 

He took the boy’s wrist gently, twisting it one way then the other to see if it’ll cause pain, draw a reaction out. 

“Do-does this hurt?” He stammered quietly, focused on his own work as he pressed a thumb into sinew and muscle to test the give, humming to himself. “I think you will live.” The Dom concluded, “Come,” He gestured him towards the gym holding onto his own printed fliers for the job opening that he’d meant to put up in the neighborhood. 

“Oh. You’re the owner,” Lin said to express his understanding. He assumed that must be a very lucrative business. Lin wondered if he ought to be doing something like going to a gym. He spent too much time hunched over his books and his laptop. 

At the question, he nodded his head. “Mm that’s right. I had some books to pick up and a couple to drop off.” He was nearing the completion of his graduate thesis. “I’m a grad student, so I spend a lot of time there. It’s quiet and there aren’t many distractions.” 

Dae smiled, he could relate to that. The need for quiet and no distractions, as far as he was concerned the world was far too noisy most times. 

“Well, as you know we have a new queen and not everyone is…pleased with how that happened. Do you have any thoughts about that? If you don’t want to, that’s okay too. I’m just doing a man/woman on the street thing for my youtube channel. Fortunately it isn’t against the law to speak out about royalty in Breton.”

“Excuse me…” Jian said, holding up his camera to show the person he had approached. “I’m doing a web series on the state of the Monarchy in Breton. Care to share your thoughts on camera?” 

“M-me?” Dae looked up from his coffee caught a bit off guard. “Uh,” He thought about Anna, wondering if he’d say something that might reflect back in unflattering light on his Duchess. “Can I ask about wh-what?“

Lin considered the offer. He wanted to be polite and had insisted he could handle it, but the repeat offer made him pause. “Okay. Thank you,” he said, offering up some, but not all of the books in his arms. He wasn’t going to completely unload on a stranger.

“You work at the gym?” he asked, noticing the man had gestured to it. It wasn’t a place he had the opportunity to frequent. “Are you a trainer?” 

Dae smiled, pleased that the other accepted his offer, taking the books with a cursory glance over the tittles. It seemed like nothing he could understand for the most part.

Kosuke wasn’t looking for any job in particular. He’d still a bit of savings, enough to hold him over for a little while, at least. So why he found himself idly watching this guy struggle with tape, of all things, was a mystery far beyond him.

If he wasn’t such an asshole, perhaps he would’ve offered to help. Instead, he kept quiet, mouth ticking upwards softly in the corners, bemused. He’d just turned, intent to go on his way, when the clumsy idiot stumbled back into him, flushing an impressive shade of red before apologizing. 

Kosuke snorted. “Don’t know,” he said with a dry, sarcastic lit, hand lifting to rub absently at his wrist before meeting the other’s gaze. “If I’m not, how do you plan on making it up to me?” 

Dae opened his mouth, ready to drop more apologies as he other man spoke up and the words died somewhere on the tip of his tongue. He stammered, helpless noises that got lodged in his chest, and refused to make themselves more coherent.

“Wuh-what?” He managed out eventually, confusion weaving beneath his embarrassment.. “I’m n-not,” Dae stammered, drew in a breath, steadying himself before he continued. “Are you okay?” The Dom gestured at where the other man was kneading at his wrist. “I can ta-take you to a hospital. Or take a l-look at it?” He offered, unsure if he’d managed to cause some sort of damage without meaning to. 

“Thank you,” Lin said as the stranger helped him picked up his books. “I’m fine.” And his books were fine too. Completely undamaged. Which was good, since some of them were library books. “I was heading to my bike. I have an attachment on the back for books that don’t fit in my bag.” By bike, he meant a vintage BMW motorcycle. “It’s okay. I’m used to carrying a lot of things. Thank you though.” He didn’t want to inconvenience the stranger.

His mouth flattened in a small line and Dae considered insisting, then considered letting the matter go, but it’s still pretty much his fault for not paying attention.

“Oh god, right?” Sacha groaned and shook his head. “It’s decided then. They can never be in the same room. Ever.”

“Touché.” Sacha shrugged with a grin. “Though to be fair, I’ve been known to be social, just not so much lately.” The fact was that he also worked too much. “I understand the busy thing. Far too well. But you are more likely to meet your love at the gym than I am in court.” 

Dae nodded .Two simple dips of his chin but slow enough to convey how profoundly he agreed with that statement before he went back to his coffee, holding back a chuckle. 

“Guess it didn’t seem important when I was a brat kid,” Sacha said with a chuckle. “Perish the thought right? They’d probably conspire and then we’d really be screwed.”

“Hey…how about instead of waiting on her, you might, I don’t know…try and be social on your own?” His friend was a catch. Sacha really didn’t get why he didn’t have submissives flocking to him. 

Dae smiled, brow arched in silent agreement. Though he was thankful to have someone like Sacha around him at the time. “We’d both be in Claims and off to provide offspring in less than a month is that were to ever happen probably.” He snorted quietly.