“I’m sure you do. But I don’t need your help. And if it gets damaged, I’ll-”
“Maybe you should actually take a look at the damn thing before you get all high and mighty,” she snapped, standing up and holding it out. “And then stop assuming that a mere woman couldn’t possibly know how to look after a weapon.”
He took it from her, examining the blade to see whether she’d damaged it, or more likely, just blunted the thing from poor technique. Her brothers, whatever their skills might have been, were not in the same league as the warriors of the gate. He held it up in the light, relieved to see that the blade didn’t look any the worse for her attentions. And maybe… okay, so yes, the blade actually looked sharper than it had been at the end of his last battle. But even so, she shouldn’t have been touching his weapon.
But before he could mutter a grudging apology, she reached over and picked up one of the leather scraps she’d been using to polish it. She held out a corner of the rag, sliding it lightly along the edge of the sword. And as he watched, the blade cut cleanly through the leather, with only that feather-light pressure.
Nalyx froze, his mouth dropping open in astonishment. “What the… How did you…?”
“Like I said; I know how to sharpen a sword.”
He turned it over in his hands, then tested the edge with a gentle scrape of his thumb. “Fuck me. I don’t think I’ve ever got it this sharp in my life.”
Gantalla folded her arms, a smug grin on her face. “Is that so?”
“Fuck,” he muttered, feeling like an ass all over again. “Okay, so now I owe you another apology. Maybe I overreacted.”
“Very kind of you to admit it,” she said, clearing away her cleaning supplies. “How was your run?”
Nalyx slid the sword back into its sheath. “Refreshing. You were right. It was a good idea.”
“It seems I’m full of those, lately.”
Nalyx snorted. “When did you get so damn sassy?”
She smirked. “I’ve always been sassy. The last few days I’ve just being laying low. Trying to get a feel for a new town and a bunch of customs I’m not quite used to. But I think I’m getting the hang of it now.”
He just stared at her for a moment, not sure what to say next. “Would you like to stay and have dinner?” he blurted out. The sun was hanging low in the sky, and the only thought in his mind was that he didn’t want her to leave yet. It was the first excuse he could think of to get her to stay.
But Gantalla looked startled at the invitation. “I thought the festival had ended.”
“It has. There won’t be a celebration like the last few nights, but plenty of people will still be bringing gifts of food. That goes on pretty much for the whole time the gate’s closed. And the serving women will be hanging around. I know you said you don’t really fit in with them, but my point is that it’s pretty common for the men to have guests, even after the festival’s over. No one would think anything odd about it.”
Gantalla’s lips pursed, like she was thinking hard about the offer, and he held his breath, willing her to stay. “Okay,” she said finally. “I think that would be nice.”
◊ ◊ ◊
It was fully dark by the time they’d eaten, Nalyx managing to feed himself for the first time in days. Around the courtyard, groups of warriors were talking and laughing with the serving women, and one of the local brewers was wandering around, handing out cups of beer. It was more relaxed than the nights of the festival, but the atmosphere was still upbeat. And one thing that hadn’t changed was that plenty of the men were still taking a keen interest in the advances of the women. Over to Nalyx’s right, Calium was sitting with a woman in his lap, grinning as he tried to subtly slide her skirt higher over her thigh. Further along, a group of two men and three women were being far less discreet, one woman’s blouse unbuttoned and another woman’s hand disappearing down inside her warrior’s trousers.
Nalyx glanced at Gantalla, seeing that she’d also noticed the illicit activities and noting the blush on her face. She looked up and saw him watching her. “Maybe we should wrap things up,” she suggested. “Before they manage to remove any more of their clothes.”
“We could go inside, where it’s a bit quieter,” he said. “I’m not trying to seduce you,” he added, as he saw her sceptical look. “But it’s been nice spending more time with you, and there’s no reason it has to end just yet.” She hesitated, taking another glance at the group at the end of the row. One of the men had a woman straddling his lap now, while another woman slowly unbuttoned his shirt.
“My bed has to be more comfortable than the nurses’ quarters,” Nalyx said, willing to use whatever leverage he could come up with to convince her. She’d filled him in on her last few days while they’d been eating, including a description of the decidedly utilitarian standards of the hospital’s boarding house.
Gantalla sighed and looked away. “Look, I know what the usual standards are for women spending time with warriors. But honestly, Nalyx, I didn’t come here looking for a husband. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea.”
“The only idea I’m getting is that you’re interesting to talk to and you enjoy looking after people. You’ve made it clear you’re not interested in anything physical, and I respect that.”
She sighed, but he could see her resolve beginning to crack. “You promise you’ll keep your hands to yourself?”
“I already did the other night, didn’t I?”
Gantalla gave him a wry, knowing look. “And I’ll note that at the time, you couldn’t actually use your hands.”
“If you think it’ll help, you can wrap them in bandages again. If that’ll make you feel better.”
Gantalla laughed at that. “Okay, okay, I’ll stay the night. I like you, Nalyx. You know, in a platonic sort of way.”
