Life Rivals

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Logan had been nodding along as the other man made assumptions similar to his own. He was caught off guard by the question regarding his drink, "What? This" He held up the stein, "Its mead." He swirled it with a flick of his wrist. "it's so heavily spices you can see the flecks of it at the bottom. I bet it's locally made." He held out the cup, "Wanna try? It's not as strong as some, but the taste is worth it."

He waited to see if the knight would take it. It was strangely intimate; the idea of sharing a drink like that. He had only ever done it with people he knew well; comrades and friends. With the drink vaguely buzzing in his veins, it just seemed plausible. It felt like a good idea.
 
Dov nodded when inquired about what he was talking about, and leaned in to see inside the cup when Logan showed it to him. He looked up at the man, unsure about accepting the offer. The drink made him curious, but it smelled weird. Not in a bad way, but it still left him wondering if he'd like it. On top of that, wasn't it weird to share a drink like that?

'If he knows I sometimes share my plate with my animals and then refuse to share a drink with him, he'll probably get offended.' He thought, eyeing the cup. If they were to work together, they had to be on good terms.

'Okay, thanks.' He said, grabbing the cup. He swirled the drink as he smelled it, and then he went for a small, timid sip. He took a moment to taste it, and then he took a bigger sip when he decided he liked it.

'It's good. Not that strong, but tasty. I'll ask for one of those after I'm done my drink.' He said handing the cup back to Logan.
 
"Plan on drinking for awhile then?"Blackwood nodded his thanks and took the cup back. He eyes the lip of the glass where Dov's lips had touched. He put his lips on that same place. Then he swallowed the rest in a long slurp. "It's been a long time since I've had a good night of drinking."

He ordered another, the same weak mead as before. The inkeeper smiled, wrinkles bunching together, and offered him his new drink. "Be careful not to get too rowdy," she warned. "A lot of warriors get awful violent when they get too much drink in them."

"Oh," Logan waved a hand dismissivly, "I've never gotten violent." He grinned goofily. "I have gotten a touch handsy, so all your pretty young things better watch out." He joked.
 
'Yes... It's been a long trip for me. I've had weeks of needing my senses to stay keen, now I'll gladly embrace the numbness and dumb glee provided by alcohol.' Dov replied, drinking from his cup afterwards. That was his third one. Regular men would be drunk by now, and stopping there would be a safe option, but Dov still wasn't feeling the effects of alcohol. The men of his family were known in the taverns for having such a resistance. They were a nightmare in drinking contests.

He chuckled when Logan mentioned how after a few drinks, the ladies had to be careful with him. 'Ah. Girls used to the scrawny boys they see everyday, then they see the handsome knight in shining armour and they lose their minds.' He said rolling his eyes, throwing the word "handsome" out there without thinking.

'Nobody likes the one in leather armour though.' He added before finishing his drink, and asking for mead this time. Truth be told, woman got scared by his disastrous appearance after travelling rather than his armour, and by how half of the time he was making animal noises... But still, a metal armour always looked more impressive than a leather one.
 
"I don't know." Logan mused drunkenly, "I fear that im more of a danger to them than the other way around." He took another swig, and lifted the cup into the air as a toast to the innkeeper. She smiled sweetly, and discreetly refilled Blackwood's drink. The knight didn't seem to notice.

He shot an appreciative glance at the man beside him. "I think I kinda like the leather look."
 
'Because it's the best look!' Okay, maybe some of the alcohol was getting to him by now. 'It's light, easy on the body, allows for mobility, it's lighter for the mount, and you don't walk everywhere making metallic noises. Leather armours are the best.'

After drinking some from his cup, he turned a bit to look at Logan, the alcohol giving his cheeks a rose tint. 'Plus leather won't attack your skin mercisessly if your undergarments aren't in place. How is that doing?' Pushing the limits of acceptable contact, he pulled from Logan's collar with a finger, and looked at the now almost non-existent rash.

'Hmm, looks good to me.' He added with a thoughtful look.
 
Logan flushed further than could be blamed on the drink. As the irritation had subsided, he had almost forgotten that he even had the sore. "Yeah, thank you for that," his voice was nervous, and his smile was flickering. "It was kind of you." He made no move to end the contact, instead freezing where he had been before.

His eyes had locked on the other man as soon as he felt the gentle tug, and they remained glued there now. "I feel so ashamed that I didn't think to bring something for such a simple wound myself."

With the mead mixing pleasantly in his veins, and the blood buzzing in his ears, Blackwood made a rash decision. It was only a fraction on an inch, but he shifted closer, just enough to force a Dov's fingers to brush against his neck. It could easily be explained, he had enough forethought to have a backup plan. He was just shifting, unused to a hard wooden stool. He could not possibly be seeking out touch. His skin broke out in gooseflesh.
 
'It's okay, if you're not a doctor... Or something like that...' Dov mumbled, since the man shouldn't feel bad for something that escaped most knight's minds. After all, medicines were something better left to an assistant or an actual doctor, since they could study medicine while the knights had to learn how to use the sword and focus on other areas of knowledge. His words didn't come out with as much confidence as he wanted. Without realizing, he had become a bit overwhelmed by Blackwood's presence, a shiver going up his own spine when he felt the knight's skin against his fingers.

He was out of it for a second, feeling the intoxication going up to his head. He tried to say something, only "Hey... Do you--" coming out of him, when he heard the innkeeper leaving a plate on the bar in front of him. He turned to see his dinner was ready, and his cat was already stealing his food.

'O-oh! The food is here.' He turned around nervously, ashamed for the way he was acting, looking away from the knight. He set aside a portion of food for the cat, and started eating. 'Hmm, this is really tasty.' He said with a look of amazement on his face.
 
Blackwood was shocked out of his thoughts by the clack of the wooden plate on the bar. He gave the thick rabbit stew he had ordered a surprised look that quickly turned into a glare. Logan saw the cat nibbling off of Dov'so plate, and the strange behavior of the other knight. His drunken brain felt slightly rejected but it immediately forgave the situation when he tasted the stew.

The potatoes and carrots had been roughly chopped and the clear brown broth clung their skin. The rabbit had been boiled long enough to be soft and tender the flavor was savory. "Could use salt, but that's to be expected." He commented knowing that salt was rare outside the castle, but too drunk to consider that his comment could be taken as an insult. The innkeepers smile never wavered as she poured him a glass of spring water.

Logan ate the food vigorously, and sipped on the water cup. He felt that the silence punctuated by chewing and sounds of pleasure was a comfortable one. The din of other patrons was starting to subside as others finished their supper and began to make their way home.

"Would you warriors like a pie?" The innkeeper asked slyly, waving a slice in front of them.
 
Dov ate mostly in silence, a bit nervous since he could feel the cat glaring daggers towards him. He looked down at the animal when he heard a soft 'I saw you.'

He raised an eyebrow and asked the cat 'What was there to see?'

'I've noticed how you look at that man. Stop it. Don't do anything stupid.' The cat replied annoyed. The conversation between both of them, sounded to Logan like both human and cat were purring softly. Dov stopped paying attention to the little animal, and asked for another drink. His expression lightened up when he saw the slice of pie.

'Ah, a small one for me. I'm already quite full.' He answered with a smile. He glanced at Logan from the side of his eye. The alcohol turning him more daring, he said, addressing the knight 'Unless Blackwood wants to share a portion with me? I don't eat that much.'

The cat brushed her paw against her face, and shook her head in disapproval.
 
Logan's mouth was watering from the sanguine scent of the fruit pie. He found himself nodding along at the knight, "Yeah we can share. I ate too much soup to have a whole pie to myself."

"Then let me bring you one," said the old woman, eyes narrowed in thought. "I think that you both are most likely the berry pie type." Without waiting for some answer from the knights, she turned on her heels and disappeared into the kitchen. The scents of dinner and dessert mixed as the cloth was pulled aside by the innkeeper.

Blackwood pushed away his empty bowl and tried not to lean onto the bar. "I am a fan of berry pie. How did she know?"
 
Dov stared at the woman's back as she walked away. He shook his head at Logan's words. 'I don't know. I didn't know you could guess someone's tastes by... By how they look?' He tilted his head with a clueless expression. 'I don't have a preference though... As long as it's sweet.'

He raised his voice to ask for another drink, and then turned to look at the knight next to him. He threw his braid over his shoulder, so it fell on his chest, giving his face a nice frame, and showed the knight a warm smile. His cat hissed in disapproval, despite not being sure of Dov acting flirty, in his own style, on purpose or not.

'So... Did you go through many hardships coming here? Where do you come from?' He asked in a soft voice.
 
"Oh, well I came from the castle. The way was pretty straight forward for the beginning. It was on the second day that I had to move on to the smaller roads." He started to babble, pleased to have asked about himself. In some part of him, he knew that he was only talking so excitedly because of the cups of mead he had drank. He waved for amother drink as well when a tall man acting as bartender was filling Dov's.

"Those roads are more tricky." He pointed in front of him for no discernable reason. "I had a map from a explorer, but it was from a few years ago. Some towns have gotten a tad larger since then."
 
'Hmm, it's a good thing you didn't get lost on the road.' Dov said, tilting his head. With a subtle movement, he moved his seat closer to Dov's. 'I'm good at drawing maps. I could draw one for you... For a price.' He said nonchalantly, and then he added in a softer, suggestive voice. 'Though I could give a discount, to such a handsome man like you.'

Immediately after, he hear a cup falling and a drink being spilled, and he saw how his cat had just kicked Logan's drink out of the way. Even to a regular person like Logan, it was clear how the cat was glaring daggers at him. 'Ugh, sorry, she can be so undisciplined sometimes... I'll buy you another drink.' Dov said with an annoyed expression, and asked for a cloth so he could clean up the mess.
 
"I have a terrible track record with the ladies." He guffawed and waved a drunken hand at the feline. Logan reached over when the rag was brought for cleaning. Grabbing the cloth, he began to wipe up. "She's got good instincts."

Blackwood didn't look up from his cleaning, but he began to speak to the cat. "You know when you've met the kind of guy who can't be trusted with women, don't you?" He stopped to look up at the furry animal. "I've never been able to get along with them." He turned a lopsided grin to Dov, "I'm afraid I'm a real man's man."
 
At that last statement made by Logan, the cat hissed and her back arched, her fur standing all along her spine. Dov put a hand on Logan's shoulder, and made him take a step backwards, fearing the cat would try to claw his eyes out or something. 'I'm sorry, I don't know what's turned her this aggressive.' He excused himself.

But he knew. Cats were among the intelligent animals that could understand every thing a human said, even if most of the time they acted like they didn't hear. So she could understand everything they said, and she was annoyed by how Dov was almost openly flirting with the knight. But they were both drunk, so it could easily be pushed aside as a joke, right? But since Logan didn't get alarmed, or irritated, or somehow openly rejected him, now the cat feared they would do something stupid. Men couldn't lie with other men. Or maybe they could, but not knights. That'd ruin their names.

'Sorry, but could you serve me another plate? One you don't mind having licked by a cat.' He asked of the man that brought them the rag. Dov sat down, grabbed his cat, and put her on his lap, but didn't try to touch her. 'Cats like to feel they're being worshipped. Hopefully she'll feel better if she has her own plate of food.'
 
The man assisting them appeared perplexed, but brought a plate nonetheless. Blackwood hoped that the cat would settle down, but didn't really expect it. Cats hated him, but he had never known why. It always made him feel like a bad person. He brooded, the alcohol making his moods swing.

It was then that the pie arrived. Still sulking, Logan took a bite and waited to see if Dov would do the same. It was a large piece, and very sweet. The sugary glaze melted in Blackwood's mouth and he closed his eyes to appreciate the spices dancing on his tongue.
 
Dov thanked the man for the new plate of food, and put it on the side opposite to Logan, so everybody could eat in peace. The cat was pleased to have her own food, and he stroked her back, with a small smile on his face. He glanced at the knight next to him, just in time to see his delight when tasting the dessert. It was a sudden, passing thought, but Dov thought the man's expression looked quite sensual at the moment. He looked away when he felt the cat softly biting his hand. He sighed, put the cat back on her plate of food, and put his seat closer to Logan's before trying the piece of pie.

'Ahhh, yes~ This is what I missed so much.' He said with delight. Out on the road, dessert most of the time wasn't an option. He had wanted to eat something sweet for so long. 'I still don't think I could eat all this by myself, but I wanted to taste.' He added, showing Logan a happy smile. 'Do you like it?'
 
"Yes. I admit I have a bit of a sweet tooth." He smiled, abashed. "I used to have a problem as a child. Always stealing from the kitchens."

He looked at the other man and made a secretive motion with his hand, "I was never truly fat, but as a young man I struggled with my weight. If it weren't for my brother I may have never been able to become the way I look now. I would be a failure of a knight as well. That's not particularly related to the weight thing though." Feeling himself sober from all of the food, he ordered another mead.
 
'Heh, so men usually worry about that kind of thing too? I thought worrying about your weight was something only high class women cared about.' Dov said with a chuckle, before ordering another drink for himself. He had gone back to the strong spirits he drank before, considering the mead together with the pie to be a mix too strong of flavours.

'In my family, we tend to be big boned, and get a bit fat. "The bigger you are, the more to love" my mother used to say. My older brother is enormous. A head and a half taller than me, and if I hug him I can barely fit my arms around his chest. He's very strong, and it takes an actual bear to tackle him down.' A bright smile had appeared on Dov's face as he spoke of his brother. He held a lot of respect for him, and had a good relationship with his family in general.

'He's the biggest one, but all of my siblings lean towards the bigger side. I'm not the youngest one, but I ended up being the smallest one.' Dov said with a pout. He was average when standing next to other men, but when compared to his siblings, he really seemed to have a smaller frame. When a certain person from his family popped up in his mind, he sighed heavily, but it seemed like he sighed frustrated at his body size.
 
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