Page 31

Luca received word of the teacher finally arriving, so he snagged Nathan as he walked to Sho’s office to meet him. The teacher was actually meant for the exchange student program but had agreed to start early to help them, and Luca was grateful he was so accommodating. He owed the man dinner, at the very least. Out of all the students, Nathan was the most likely to give the Shiirein pause, so Luca wanted to be there to smooth things over. Besides, Nathan was the best student intern out of the group.

Sho greeted them with a smile as they came through the door. “There they are. Yamada-sensei, this is General O’ Broín and Nathan Asen. Asen-san is one of your students.”

Yamada was a very thin, unusually tall man for a Shiirein. Meaning he could almost look Luca in the eye without effort. He greeted both men with a bow, then offered a hand with equal poise and grace, eyes studying them behind his round glasses.

“General, a pleasure,” he greeted in perfect Trader.

He had the air of someone quite comfortable with western customs, which gave Luca some hope. He shook his hand and greeted him in return. “Yamada-sensei, we’re very glad to see you.”

“Yes, I’ve been updated on some of the trouble. Mr. Asen, I hope we work well together.”

That last bit had been said in perfect Scovian. Luca gathered the impression Yamada had been chosen as a teacher for the students for a damn good reason. Just how many languages did he speak?

Nathan was not to be outdone and returned the greeting with his best Shiirein. “I am in your care, Yamada-sensei.”

Yamada blinked up at him. “My, that was very natural sounding. You’ve been studying hard.”

“Nathan is the best student,” Luca explained, feeling a spark of pride. Why, he had no idea. It wasn’t like he had any claim to the young Scovian. “He actively looks for new words and vocabulary. He’s better at speaking than the rest of your students combined. It’s partially why I brought him with me to make the introductions.”

“Ah-ha. Delighted. A mind that seeks to learn is one that will forever be enlightened. That’s what my teacher always said, at least.” Yamada looked beyond pleased. “Well, if we must have one rotten student, then we must have one exemplary pupil. That’s how it normally works. General, I will take over the students from here. I realize they are not part of the exchange program, but I can only teach so much at a time. Would it be all right to have half days with them throughout the week to hammer in culture, history, and language?”

“You have it. We’ve been teaching them what we can, but of course that was barely a base level. We leave the rest in your hands.” Luca was happy to say that because between the workload and an injured fiancé, he didn’t have time for babysitting.

Nathan lifted a hand. “I can show him to the ryokan, if he’s staying in the same place as us?”

“He is,” Sho confirmed. “He’s got the last open room in the building, actually. I thought it best to keep your teacher with all of you. Yamada-sensei, this is acceptable, I hope?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he confirmed. “Thank you for the consideration.”

Nathan seemed beyond eager to finally have a teacher he could pester nonstop with questions. With his enthusiasm, he’d be damn near fluent by the time he left the country.

He again said in Shiirein, “Shall we go?”

Yamada gave another approving nod. “Yes, let’s. You’re quite good at conjugating. Brahms-sama said you’ve been studying with his daughter?”

Nathan led them both out the door. “Yes, she’s been helping me, while I’ve been teaching her what Trader I know. It’s been very helpful.”

The door shut behind them and Luca blew out a relieved breath. “I’m so glad to see that man, I want to throw a party.”

Sho groaned a laugh. “Tell me about it. Not that I think Petar would have behaved any better if he’d been here, mind you.”

“Sadly, you’re probably right.”

“How’s Noe doing?”

“Moved from clinic to the ryokan, at least. Okami-san found enough pillows to start her own shop and crammed them all into our room. I’m able to prop him up comfortably, and when I left, he was dozing. His concussion is gone, at least. He’s not saying weird sentences anymore.”

“Relieved to hear it.”

“I do find it very cute your daughter gave him the dragon for company.”

“I honestly didn’t expect her to do that. It’s the first toy we ever gave her, and she carts it absolutely everywhere. I knew she really liked Noe, but I didn’t realize how far that liking went. I know she’s missing it. Do you think now that he’s not in the clinic, we can come retrieve it?”

“Sure.”

“Good, I’ll do it soon.”

Luca looked around the office and hazarded, “Do I need to come back yet?”

“Half days, if you would. The work’s starting to pile up a little despite my best efforts.”

“All right. I’ll do so, starting tomorrow.”

“Fine by me.”

Luca waved and took himself back out, heading toward the ryokan once more. It was a huge weight off his shoulders to have Yamada on site. Especially after the stress Petar put them all through. It had only been a few days since he left, and Luca hadn’t been around the rest of the students much, his focus naturally being on Noe. Luca had to wonder how the dynamics of the whole group had changed now that the troublemaker was gone. Hopefully, things had settled into something less dramatic and more fruitful.

The one upside to this whole fiasco, aside from getting rid of Petar, was the way Luca’s people had rallied around them. The entire stay at the clinic, someone would pop by every few hours just to check on them or bring them something they wanted. Noe’s engineering friends came by often, but it was Luca’s people as well. Usually it was Ewan, Bram, or Tavish, but Devaughn had also shown his face several times. It was heartening, and Luca could tell it had made Noe unspeakably happy.

Luca wasn’t sure about the absence of everyone else. It could be they’d sent specific people in an effort to not overwhelm. It had been a small room, after all. For all their rough edges, his people could be thoughtful and considerate when the moment called for it.

He reached the ryokan and barely had the front door open when he heard several male voices ribbing each other. Luca knew that tone all too well.

Oh no. Now what?

Toeing off his boots, he put them aside and slid on the slippers before quickly making his way to his and Noe’s room. The closer he got, the more he could distinguish both words and voices.

“We’ll leave ye alone ’til the ribs are healed, and the arm, but we’ll have to drown-proof ye once yer well. Can’t be havin’ a laird of ours sink like a fuckin’ rock. It’s outright embarrasin’, innit?” That was definitely Ewan.

“I’m from a seafaring country!” Noe countered in clear exasperation. “I can swim!”

“Bah, like we believe that.” Tavish was here as well, it seemed. “Ye sank like a rock, man. If not for Himself divin’ in after ye, we’d be short a Noe-shaped person about now.”

“I was concussed!”

Giric’s voice joined in. “Speaking as someone who grew up with you, you cannot swim, you can doggy paddle.”

“Even the doggy paddle sounds like wishful thinkin’,” Tavish bemoaned.

“What else do we have?”

“Giric, I’d like to remind you that the last time we went boating—” Noe started ominously.

“I was in the boat!”

“—I had to keep checking underneath the boat because you kept hanging about under there. Something you want to confess to us?”

Tavish and Ewan cackled, sounding like the drunken gnomes they were.

Luca snickered as he pulled the door open. Clearly, Noe was feeling better, as he was able to keep up with the banter. Also, it warmed his heart to hear his men ribbing Noe. It meant they had wholly accepted him as one of their own, and there wasn’t anything more Luca could ask for.

Stepping inside, he found Devaughn and Caelan there as well, completely at their leisure. Someone had brought in tea and snacks, and there were some books, notebooks, and pencils? Luca didn’t know what to make of those just yet.

Noe, at least, was happy for a break in the teasing and greeted him with, “Wasn’t I concussed?”

“Oh aye,” Luca drawled out. “Ye were that. Also swimming the wrong direction. It’s not his swimming skills ye need to work on, ye stupid lot. It’s his sense of direction.”

Noe threw a hand in the air, admitting defeat, which set the rest of them off laughing.

Luca pointed at the books. “What’s all that?”

“Oh, well if Himself-to-be will be laird soon, best he learn the language,” Ewan explained. “Not everyone speaks Trader.”

Luca had thought of this, he had, but he hadn’t found the right timing to talk to Noe about it. He was glad Ewan had seen the problem and taken steps to correct it. After all, Noe couldn’t do much else while recuperating. Why not get a head start on the language while bedbound?

“A fine idea,” Luca said in approval.

“I can say some things,” Noe pointed out. “I have started learning, sort of. It would be better if I had a formal education in it, though, so I don’t sound backcountry.”

“Like Tavish?” Ewan couldn’t resist the dig.

Tavish immediately attempted to smack him in the back of the head. Ewan ducked, snickering.

“Actually…” Noe turned to look at Luca. “Why do you and Devaughn not have an accent? Well, you slip up when you’re tired or mad, but normally you don’t.”

“Nobility,” Luca explained with a shrug. “It’s trained out of us.”

“Huh, I suppose I should have expected that answer.”

Tavish challenged this with “Fine for ye to say, Noe, but what do ye even know to say?”

“Er…well, the insults? Ewan taught me some stuff.”

Oh. Oh no. Ewan had taught him things? Luca grew abruptly concerned. “Like what, exactly?”

Noe thought for a second before saying, “ Der erli sop rae sippy roe ?”

The room busted up laughing and Luca was torn between laughing and groaning. “Ewan, of all the fucking things to teach him, that’s what you chose?”

“Didn’t he say it perfectly?” Ewan beamed like a proud teacher.

Well, he had, which was rather the problem. “Noe, did he even tell you what that meant?”

“Er, not in so many words? He said it was a way to question a person’s intelligence.” Noe took in their reactions and winced. “I’m now worried about what I just said.”

“It means, specifically, go piss up a rope and then suck on the wet end.”

Ewan was still chortling like the demented creature he was. No hope for that one, absolutely none.

Noe grinned along with him, shaking his head. “Well, it’s a good insult, but I’m glad I didn’t use it. And now I have to ask, what does smourich mean?”

“A kiss,” Luca translated suspiciously. “He told you to ask for one, didn’t he?”

“He did,” Noe confirmed dryly.

“I had to teach him all the important words first,” Ewan bragged.

Luca’s first mistake was leaving Ewan without a babysitter. His second was letting him anywhere near Noe unsupervised.

Noe looked Ewan dead in the eye and deadpanned, “ Haud yer weesht .”

A not so polite way of saying shut your trap.

The room went silent for a split second and then everyone busted up laughing again, mostly at Ewan’s expense. Luca chuckled along with them, enjoying Ewan’s poleaxed expression, like it had never occurred to the man what he taught could be used against him.

Oh aye, his Noe could handle this lot and all their teasing just fine.