“I could be convinced to retract mine, too.” Maggie leaned close to his ear and added, “One canceled insult for every orgasm you give me… but there were alotof insults. You need to work for it.”
Sondre tossed her onto the bed and stared down at her approvingly. “I love modern women sometimes.”
12Dan
Unlike Axell, Dan wasn’t particularly good at drinking. In less than an hour, he’d come to realize that he probably ought to have stopped two drinks ago.
One drink drunk, that’s me.
Dan half expected Maggie to come back, but then again, she had left with the headmaster—and Sondre wasn’t acting particularly professorial when he’d been looking at her.
“We brought her out of the castle to a badger-and-witch-filled bar. And we misplaced her.” Dan looked around the bar. The people here were a strange mix. One woman wore a dress that was a wonder of crystal beads that made a pleasant clattering this close, like she’d been born a century before him when bathtub gin was a thing. Another woman nearby was fanning herself with what looked like a hand-painted antique fan. Aside from that, she looked more modern than the rest of the crowd. Her navy shirtdress was faded with age, but there was a genuine vintage look to it. Tight at the waist, tighter on the bosom, and flaring from the hips, her ensemble looked like she’d walked out of a tavern from World War II.
“Should we go after Maggie?” Dan asked, looking back at his drinking partner.
Sondre is a bad guy,he thought. Exactly how bad was the question. He’d seemed nice, but also like he was on the villain team, not the hero side.Do villains do only bad things?
“She is fine,” Axell said for the third time. “Grown adult, Daniel.”
The way he said “Daniel” was as if all the vowels needed to be enunciated, not quite how American English worked. Dan stared at him from over a mug of draft beer, which he wasn’t ever terribly fond of. This beer was a bit extra-watery with a strange eggy undertone.
“We probably shouldn’t mention that they left together,” Dan said after a few moments. “I don’t think teachers are to… bewithstudents.”
“He is not a teacher.” Axell spun on his stool and leaned so his back was to the bartender. He gave Dan an appraising look, one that almost made Dan want to offer the world to him, but it was an odd thing to have a Viking god look at him with interest. But then Axell said, “You would go with him.”
Dan took a long drink of his beer. “I don’t think so. He’s pretty but straight.”
“Move your glass this way more.” Axell nodded at a badger who was on the bar stealing sips of Dan’s glass. “The badger is drinking more than you.”
We’re drinking with a badger…
“You are like a hungry one,” Axell added. “Waiting for scraps. Why not ask for the meal?”
Dan was mostly sure he understood what Axell said—asking for attention instead of everything—but he wasn’t exactly built like Sondre or Axell or any number of witches in the bar. He was thin from too many years of illness. Not terribly sexy, in his opinion.
“There are probably other gay men in here if you are looking.” Dan looked around the bar. “Sondre said it’s cool to be like us here.”
“I am not gay, Daniel. I ampansexual,allsexual.” Axell grinned like he’d made a joke. He was somehow sprawled over the stool like theuncomfortable wooden thing was a comfortable sofa. “Are you offering to help me meet people? Even thoughyouare here at my side?”
“I don’t know.”
“A meal, Daniel. Not scraps. Why not ask for it?” Axell didn’t exactly gesture at himself, suggesting he was the “meal” in question, but Dan was clear enough on his meaning.
Why can’t heofferinstead of telling me to ask?
Dan looked away from the splayed legs and complete lack of body fat. He wouldn’t call Axell athletic, but he was tight.Out of my league.
“Did you run around a lot on stage?”
“This is what you ask me?” Axell paused and when Dan nodded, he continued. “Yes. And run in the street and park. I hate running but the studio liked a certain look.” Axell shrugged, as if being told how to look was fine by him. “I was the object to them. Many times no shirts on the stage. Many photos of me with people after the show. Men, women, both. Good for sales. Good for not having stress.” He grinned then. “No meals—norelationships—but plenty of buffets.”
“Oh.” Dan tried to keep the images of such things out of his head even as Axell grinned as if he knew exactly what thoughts Dan was trying not to think.
“Tell me about what you did in America.” Axell had a way of phrasing questions like orders.
“Tried not to die.” Dan shrugged like it was no big deal. To some degree, pretending was how he coped—yes, I am constantly wondering if the cancer is back. Head cold? Or cancer? Flu? Or cancer?Every ache was suspect. Every extra-fatigued day. Every low-energy day. Every new pain. And at the same time, he resented it, resented people who had their health and did stupid shit to risk everything.
“Magic stops dying,” Axell said mildly. “What would you die of?”
