Chương 140: Chapter 139 [Awkward Conversations]

Leo looked around the square, taking it all in for a moment. The noise, the food, people he barely knew nodding at him like they were old friends. None of it should have felt this comfortable this fast, and yet here he was. He glanced at Shai. She looked amazing, the black dress catching the light from the torches as they walked, and for a second he just felt lucky. Like he had a supermodel on his arm and somehow nobody else seemed to notice that didn't make sense. Things like this didn't happen to people like...

He stopped himself. No. Not doing that. He'd spent enough of his life assuming things didn't happen to people like him, and today he'd stood in front of a crowd and won. Whatever he used to believe about himself, he'd proven it wrong with his own hands a few hours ago. He wasn't that person anymore. He didn't need to keep checking. Shai's arm was through his, her shoulder occasionally brushing his as they walked between tables without any particular destination.

People nodded as they passed, a few said something brief, like congratulations, well fought, or that kind of thing, and Leo had mostly stopped flinching at it. This was nice. All of it. Just being here, with her, everyone around them doing their own thing, nobody needing anything from him beyond a nod back.

"I'm going to go and speak to the elders for a few minutes," Shai said eventually.

"Formalities. Captain stuff."

"Want a drink bringing back?"

"Please." She squeezed his arm once and headed off toward the elders' table. Leo watched her go for a second, then turned toward the kegs. The queue wasn't long. Leo joined the back of it and let his eyes wander while he waited. Luka was a few tables over with Gomir, both of them deep in conversation. Leo smirked. Look at that, two dwarves having a nice chat. Further along, Phil was talking to Yannick, rubbing the back of his head, starting sentences and not finishing them.

Knowing Phil, the apology was probably tangled up with an explanation of why Yannick should have seen it coming, or some comment about needing thicker skin. Classic Phil, avoiding the actual apology by wrapping it in something else. Still, Leo knew him well enough; he'd get there. Phil knew when he'd been a dick to someone who didn't know him well enough to take it, and he'd make it right eventually. Parmo was sitting with Corren, the two of them deep in something, hands moving as they talked.

A little further down, Rika was watching them, and hadn't looked away in a while. Leo wondered if that was jealousy. Parmo didn't seem to have noticed. He grinned. Might be in for a talking to later. Sam and Ivaran were bent over something on the table between them, both talking over each other. Leo wondered if Sam was quietly fishing for information on single elves in the area. He had a type, after all. Leo reached the front of the queue, got two drinks, and turned to head back.

"Leo." He turned. Klaus was standing a few feet away, looking like he'd been turning something over for a while.

"Alright?" Leo said.

"You got a moment?"

"Sure." Klaus looked at the ground, then back up.

"I've been thinking about the fight. What I said at the start." He shook his head.

"I was an idiot. I threw the tournament away. Over pride. I was angry and I let it show and you used that against me, which is fair, that's on me. But I've had time to sit and think on it since, and you were right. About Shai, about why she's never picked anyone. I've known her for years. I don't even know when whatever I felt turned into something more. Something ugly. It just happened, and I never said a word." If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Leo didn't say anything, just let him keep going.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to apologise to her too. She deserves that. I just..." Klaus rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know when. Don't want to make it worse, or ruin what's left of the friendship, you know?"

"For what it's worth," Leo said, "I never said anything to her. Didn't think it was my place." He shrugged.

"If you want to bring it up, that's up to you. She might have heard rumours by now, but she doesn't know what was actually said." Klaus looked at him properly for the first time.

"You didn't tell her?"

"No."

"Thanks." Klaus seemed to be working through that.

"I'll think on it. Like I said, she deserves to know, but I don't want to make things worse than I already have."

"This stuff isn't easy, man," Leo said.

"People read too much into things and ruin friendships over it. Other people string someone along because they like the attention without wanting anything more. There's about a hundred ways to get it wrong." He paused.

"Where I'm from, I had someone in my life who did a version of that to me for years. Different situation, but I know what it's like to get stuck in your own head about something because of how someone else made you feel. So I get where your head was." Klaus nodded slowly, something easing in his shoulders.

"Try not to worry about it," Leo said.

"The whole thing will blow over, with or without you talking to her about it."

"I appreciate that. Thank you, Leo."

"No worries." Klaus headed off, and Leo turned back toward the kegs. That's rough. I think he'll be okay though. The fact he came over and apologised when it's only been a few hours shows what sort of person he really is. Leo was still holding both drinks when Shai came back, and she wasn't alone. Koss was beside her, four tails moving with obvious excitement, amber eyes already fixed on Leo.

"There he is," Koss said. Shai didn't say anything. She just looked at Leo with an apologetic smile. Oh god. Is this what I think it is?

"Evening," Leo said carefully.

"Don't you 'evening' me." Koss looked between the two of them, four tails moving slowly behind her.

"I have been trying to get this one," she nodded at Shai, "to so much as look at someone for years. Years, Leo. And then she goes off to Monkhaven for a month and comes back like this." She gestured between them, something genuinely warm in it.

"I had to meet you properly."

"We did meet," Leo said, "at the elders' meeting."

"Briefly. I knew you were one of the lads she'd taken a liking to, that's all I had." Koss tilted her head, studying him.

"So. How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get her to open up like this." Koss gestured at Shai, who was suddenly very interested in something happening at a nearby table.

"I've tried jokes, I've tried setting things up, I've tried being painfully obvious about it. Nothing worked. And then you turn up and..." She spread her hands.

"I don't think I did anything, really," Leo said.

"I was a bit awkward around her, if I'm honest." Shai let out a short laugh.

"Awkward," Koss repeated, like she was filing the word away.

"Are you nervous about the dance tomorrow?" Koss asked.

"A bit. Less than I was, though. Shai showed me the steps already, so I've at least got an idea what I'm meant to be doing. Still going to be terrible at it, probably."

"Oh, really?" Koss's grin widened as she turned to look at Shai. Shai had found something extremely interesting on the other side of the square. Leo glanced between them. Oops.

"Anyway," Koss said, returning her attention to Leo, the grin fading slightly.

"Can I ask you something? It might sound a bit forward."

"Sure."

"Our animal features. Tails, ears, all of it. Does that not feel weird to you?" She gestured at herself, then glanced at Shai.

"In the core, beast-kin aren't seen the way we are out here. It's not just strange to people there, it's something deeper than that. I wanted to know what you thought about it. With someone from outside this world entirely." Leo understood what she was actually asking. He looked at Shai for a second before answering.

"No, it doesn't bother me. Not even slightly." He paused, wanting to get this right.

"Honestly, the whole thing with people not liking beast-folk is weird to me. To me you're just different people, extra features and all. Back on Earth, we've historically had problems with people not liking each other over the colour of different people's skin. So I can understand a little of what probably goes on in the core. I don't think that way though, and neither do my friends. To be honest, it's more likely that people from Monkhaven and Earth are going to like the ears and tails.

We've got entire genres of books built around romance with people like you. God, that sounds weird. All I mean is that you don't need to worry." Koss studied him for a moment longer, then nodded slowly, something settling in her expression.

"Well, that makes me feel a little better," she said.

"I'd love to see some of these books you've mentioned." Leo froze. Oh god. There's no way that's happening.

"That reminds me. I heard something about a movie? I think that's what Rika called it." Shai started to go pale.

"Something about the colour grey?" NOPE. Not happening. Sorry, but this was bad enough with the three of them. I'm not explaining it. Time to throw Parmo under the bus.

"Oh, yeah, I know the movie you're talking about. I've never seen it though. You see him over there? That's Parmo. He's a big fan of the movie; he can probably tell you more about it."

"Is that so? Okay, I'll go see little Rika next. It was lovely meeting you again, Leo. Look after her, okay?"

"Of course." He smiled.

"You don't need to worry. I plan on doing that for a long time yet." Koss smiled again and left. Across the square, Leo caught sight of Phil leaning in close to Torren, saying something. Torren and Luka were both nodding along. Luka glanced over toward Leo for a second before looking back at Phil. Huh. Wonder what that's about.