Page 19

Chapter Eighteen

R egaining consciousness meant becoming aware of how much his arm hurt. Having Brannal wrapped around him was awesome, but the arm, not so much.

Thankfully, the pain was not nearly as intense as it had been yesterday, but it still hurt. And his bladder was letting him know it was full.

His attempt to wriggle out of bed awoke his companion, and sleepy kisses and rocking hips made him decide that he wasn’t in that much of a hurry after all.

Eventually, they made their way to the water closet.

Then it was time to reapply the salve and re-dress Perian’s burn.

He was ready to put all of this behind him. From the look on Brannal’s face at that stark white bandage, he wasn’t going to be doing so any time soon. Perian would rather change it himself—except that trying to dress your own wound on your right arm when you were right-handed was actually not easy to do at all.

“Let me,” Brannal said.

“Are you going to brood and feel guilty about it forever?” Perian questioned.

Brannal shook his head. “Not forever .”

Perian rolled his eyes, and Brannal managed a small smile.

“I can’t help but feel bad about it, but I realize my guilt doesn’t help you, and that’s my priority. I really don’t want to see you struggle with the bandage. May I help?”

Well, Perian couldn’t really say no to that, could he?

So Brannal unwound the bandage, clearly tried very hard to keep his expression neutral, and helped Perian carefully wipe it clean with a soft wet cloth and pat it gently dry.

Perian insisted on looking at it, and Brannal helped arrange him in front of the mirror so he didn’t have to contort his body and make it hurt more.

“Actually, it doesn’t look quite as bad as I thought,” Perian said, staring at it. “This is obviously superior salve. And I guess everything about yesterday was a bit of a shock.”

Perian could have sworn there were more blisters, but it wasn’t like he’d actually made an in-depth examination yesterday. He’d been shocked, in pain, angry, and upset.

“If you’re trying to make me feel better, it’s not working,” Brannal told him.

Perian met his eyes in the mirror, startled, and then turned to face him properly.

“No, I really think it looks better, and it definitely doesn’t hurt as much as it did yesterday. I’m sure once you put some more of that salve on it, it’ll be even better. I’m definitely going to thank the doctor when I next see her. That stuff is great.”

Brannal huffed a breath, but he came over and applied the salve with extremely gentle fingers. The skin was very sensitive, especially in the absence of pain thanks to the salve.

Perian blew out a breath. “In case you were wondering, you are way better at putting that stuff on than Arvus was.”

Brannal paused in his ministrations, perhaps confused by the slightly breathless voice, and then he looked down Perian’s body and smirked. His fingers started to move again, and this time they were a definite tease, ghosting over his sensitive skin.

“Is that right?” Brannal asked.

Perian sucked in a breath. “That’s so right. I’m pretty sure we just did this in the bedroom, but you’re touching me, and…”

He wanted so much. Again. Already.

Brannal was grinning now. “Let me finish with the salve and wrap it, or we’re going to have to start all over again. But I promised to take care of all your needs, didn’t I?”

Perian swallowed heavily, because that was sort of what he’d said, but Perian hadn’t really thought of it quite like that. He knew what Brannal meant , and he was totally on board with the sex—like, so on board with it—but maybe he really liked the idea of Brannal taking care of all his needs, not just the sexy ones.

His expression must have given some of what he was feeling away because Brannal paused again, his expression shifting from a teasing leer into something much softer, and he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Perian’s lips. Perian returned the kiss eagerly, gratefully, not even trying to make it deeper or harder, just excited about the intimacy of this contact, the sweetness of it, something they hadn’t done in days.

“Your arm,” Brannal murmured against Perian’s lips.

“Uh huh,” Perian agreed between kisses, pulling Brannal closer with his left hand, letting his right arm fall to his side, pressing the two of them together and wrapping his good arm around Brannal’s neck. “My arm.”

Brannal’s hands came up to Perian’s hips, and Perian could feel where the salve was now smearing onto the skin above his ass on one side, making everything slippery.

Brannal’s tongue delved into Perian’s mouth, the kiss deeper but still sort of languorous, not too forceful, not too hurried, just a thorough exploration.

And then a voice called from the living room, “Is anyone alive in there? Perian, do you need help to hide the body?”

The kiss fell apart, and even though Perian was now incredibly frustrated, he couldn’t help but laugh. Brannal leaned his forehead against Perian’s for a moment.

“I want new friends,” Brannal mumbled. “Can I give these ones back?”

“I’m pretty sure you’re stuck with them,” Perian said. “Forever. I think Molun just turns up wherever you go, even when you try to shake him. And Arvus actually pays enough attention that he’d have all the directions.”

Brannal pulled back with another sigh, but he was smiling. “I think you’re right.”

“Come on,” Perian said, amused. “We’d better go assure them you’re alive and well before the rumors get started.”

They were still wearing sleep trousers, though they needed to be adjusted back into place, and they were in no way ready to face the day. Perian didn’t really care, and after a moment, Brannal shrugged.

“Fine.”

They both headed into the sitting room, and when he saw the two of them, Molun’s expression grew to the biggest grin.

“Everyone looking alive and well, I must say. Very well, even.”

Perian rolled his eyes. “It is only because you were helpful yesterday that I even bothered to come out here,” Perian told him. “You interrupted.”

Molun’s eyes were definitely not directed at Perian’s. “I can see that.”

Arvus was looking at the two of them a little more seriously. “Everything’s all right?”

Perian nodded. “Everything’s fine, thank you. I really do appreciate your coming to check.”

“No bandages?”

“Brannal was applying the salve. What can I say? He’s better at it than you are.”

Molun barked out a laugh, and Arvus’s lips tipped up. “I’d offer to try again, but—”

“Thanks for stopping by,” Brannal interrupted loudly. “See you later.”

And they all grinned at one another like idiots.

“Dinner?” Molun asked.

Perian looked at Brannal. “I asked if we could have dinner sometime.”

“Oh, of course,” Brannal said, looking a little surprised.

Molun popped over to nudge Brannal in the ribs. “You’ve been keeping him kind of close. I think everyone thinks you’re exhausting him in bed.”

The expression on Brannal’s face was one of those complicated ones Perian couldn’t quite interpret. Some confusion, a little bit of panic, upset, and displeasure.

Arvus tugged Molun back into his arms. “Some people don’t know when to stop talking. So, dinner?”

Brannal eyed Perian, who nodded, and Brannal said, “Dinner. Definitely. Perian and I have a couple of things to talk about, and I’ll confirm details later.”

“But I want to—” Molun started.

“Sounds great,” Arvus overrode his partner. “Glad to see everything is going well this morning.”

“Did you two want to climb all over one another so I can casually mention I saw you making out the next time I see Cormal?” Molun asked hopefully.

Perian laughed, but he was totally taken by surprise when Brannal tugged Perian into his arms and kissed him. Perian was no dummy, so he wrapped his good arm around Brannal’s neck and kissed him back, melting into him and soon feeling like they’d taken up where they’d left off.

“Oh, wow,” he distantly heard Molun say. “I did not think that was going to work, but that’s so pretty.”

“You’re distracting them.”

“Please, we could be mud-wrestling naked, and they wouldn’t notice a thing.”

Brannal started to laugh and then Perian did too, and then they were clinging to one another and laughing.

“We can actually still hear you,” Brannal pointed out.

“Shh,” Molun whispered, “there’s no one here, we weren’t saying anything, carry on.”

“Goodbye,” Brannal said, a little bit firmly.

“Fire and water, I ruined it,” Molun pouted.

Perian finally untwined from Brannal.

“That’s as much of a show as you get just now,” Perian told him. He winked. “You haven’t even bought me dinner yet.”

Molun’s face lit up comically large, Brannal groaned, and Arvus shook his head.

“You’ve done it now,” Arvus said.

Molun pointed at Brannal. “You get back to us with those dinner details, or else.”

“Goodbye,” Brannal repeated. “Some of us actually have work to do, and Perian does actually need that bandage put on his arm.”

Frowning at him, Molun said, “I see what you did there, and I admit to the importance of taking care of Perian without conceding to any of your other points.”

“If you don’t go,” Perian pointed out, “we’re not going to have that discussion about dinner, and you won’t ever find out what happens next. Because before we can have that discussion, we’re going to have to have sex, and if you make us so late that we run out of time for a quick morning bout, then we’re going to have to put it off until who knows when, and then we won’t be able to see you—”

“Goodbye,” Molun said, waving at them. “See you later!”

Perian waved back, Arvus raised his eyebrows at Brannal and headed after Molun. Brannal just stood there and blinked.

“Huh,” he said blankly. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone beat Molun at his own game before. Well done.”

Perian slung his good arm around Brannal’s neck again. “I have priorities.”

Brannal pulled him closer by way of his hips. “I can see that. You seem very excited.”

“You’re very exciting,” Perian told him.

Brannal leaned closer. “And what about Molun and Arvus? Were they very exciting?”

Perian pulled back a little, frowning. “Oh. Was that not all right? I don’t want you to think I don’t want you.”

Brannal cupped his face. “I’m not in any doubt about your wanting me. And it was already clear to me that you find the two of them attractive and that they find you attractive. What I actually meant was whether or not you liked them watching us.”

“Oh,” Perian said, surprised again, but this one was a much more pleasant surprise. This was not a conversation he’d ever had before. A little shyly, he admitted, “I did kind of like it. Is that all right?”

“It’s very much all right,” Brannal answered with a smile. “I know Molun well enough to assure you he very much means his appreciation, but he would also never pressure you—or me—to do anything we didn’t want to do. If we never do anything more than flirt—or don’t even want to keep doing that—he won’t mind. But you sounded like you were enjoying it.”

Perian nodded. “Yeah, as long as you’re all right with it too. He’s just very… open about what he likes. They both are, though Arvus is quieter about it. It’s appreciation without pressure, if that makes sense.”

It hadn’t even occurred to Perian to be uncomfortable with it, they managed to do it in such a friendly way. And the flirting had gotten more pronounced the longer they had known Perian, like they’d gotten more comfortable with him, or maybe with the dynamic with him and Brannal.

Smiling at Brannal, Perian added, “Just to be clear, without casting any aspersions on them, I very much prefer you, but if you’re open to maybe a little bit of teasing and, uh, possibly a show or something, I would definitely be interested in that.”

Brannal grinned at him, affection and heat in his eyes. “I prefer you too, and I would definitely be open to that.”

Perian’s eyes narrowed. “Now I’m super curious. Were the three of you ever—”

Brannal groaned, which was definitely not a no.

“Ha!” Perian said. “Now you have to tell me!”

“It was only once,” Brannal said, the tips of his ears turning red. “There was too much alcohol involved. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t… right, either, if that makes any sense.”

“Better as friends?” Perian said, smirking a little.

“Better as friends,” Brannal agreed, shrugging. “They really are my closest friends, and we all find one another attractive, but I am not the third they’re looking for.”

“You’re not going to hear me complaining,” Perian said emphatically. “That means more of you for me.”

This made Brannal grin. “Oh, yes, I do seem to remember someone saying recently that there was going to be sex this morning. It was practically a demand .”

“You’re so right,” Perian agreed cheerfully. “Did you see the state you left me in in the water closet? Disgraceful. I didn’t take you for a tease.”

Brannal only grinned wider. “Oh, I always follow through. That’s a promise.”

This promise led all the way back to the bed, but paused when they realized Perian’s arm was still unbandaged. Brannal carefully wrapped it, and then sexy times resumed. (Seriously, Perian maybe had a problem. Even the bandage-wrapping was sexy when Brannal did it.) Making out in the bed was probably a more thorough experience than they would have had in the water closet, so Perian wouldn’t complain too much about Molun’s interruption.

Eventually, they got out of bed again, cleaned up once more, and got dressed. Since stretching his arm up and bending his elbow strained his burn, Perian let Brannal take over. He brushed Perian’s hair, placed his beads, and braided the small pieces of hair to keep the beads in place before tying it all back.

No one had helped Perian with his hair since his father had when he was young. He really liked it.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Brannal said, tugging open one of the drawers in the vanity and pulling out… three green glass beads. “These are yours.”

Perian held out his hand, and Brannal dropped them onto his palm. He remembered wondering if he’d want them back, and he realized now that he very much did—both because Brannal had bothered to keep them for him and because more than anything, they represented when he and Brannal had met.

“Thank you,” Perian said, closing his fingers around them for a moment before realizing he could hardly carry them around with him all the time. Brannal had just finished putting other beads in his hair, ones that actually matched his clothes.

He dropped the beads back into his collection, knowing they’d just become favorites, and Brannal pressed a kiss to his hair.

Finally, they had their very delayed breakfast.

“Are actual important decisions for the country not occurring because you’re busy taking me to bed?” Perian asked curiously.

Brannal laughed. “Not generally. I mean, I can be involved in important decisions that include the Mage Warriors and Warriors, of course. I sit on the Council along with Cormal. But in the general course of a day, I review reports from the watch stations and those who have been patrolling, analyze data, oversee training, work with Onadal to ensure the safety of the castle, that sort of thing.”

Perian squinted at him. “That kind of sounds like a lot of really important things.”

Brannal laughed. “I guess it’s a fair amount of responsibility.” He made a face. “I know now is not the time to be touting any of his good points, but Cormal is an able Secundus in that regard. He shares the responsibilities with me.”

Perian grimaced, and Brannal sort of shrugged.

Put-upon, Perian said, “I guess he can’t be all bad if he helps make time for you and me to have sex.”

Brannal snorted. “There it is.”

“So, we need to hurry up and eat breakfast so you can go be amazing?” Perian suggested.

“The paperwork is not going anywhere, but yes, I should get to it. I have a patrol coming up in a few weeks.”

“Oh,” Perian said a bit blankly. “Out of the city, you mean?”

Brannal nodded. “As you are probably aware, we have Mage Warriors and Warriors in all the districts at various watch stations. Teams can be dispatched at need when there are demon sightings.”

Perian nodded. No one wanted an infestation of wraiths or nightmares or lesser demons. They could cause a lot of damage, and they could kill a lot of people if left unchecked. Perian had never heard of an infestation of carnalions, but while it would, presumably, be a more pleasant way to die, it would still be very fatal.

“I don’t patrol often anymore,” Brannal continued, “as I do a lot of the planning, training, and organizing here, but I will go out in response to sightings if needed. And I perform inspections. They keep me informed and ensure people are in top form.”

Parsing this, Perian interpreted, “You’re saying that when there’s a significant sighting, you’re the one people send for.”

“I can be, yes. Cormal and I are the most effective against carnalions, for example, though they’re thankfully the least numerous. The situations can be the most delicate, though, because they’re usually right in cities and towns.”

“Has one ever tried to seduce you?” Perian couldn’t help but ask.

Brannal hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “It’s very overpowering, like regular arousal but even stronger. Everything is hazy, and it’s all you can think about. The feeling of having your energy drained is distinctive. Thankfully, a strong shield is effective against it—as long as you realize what’s happening and aren’t overcome by the lust. I’ve seen multiple Warriors and Mage Warriors drained of all their energy and killed, and they never put up a fight.”

Perian felt bad about his casual thought earlier, faced as he now was with Brannal actually losing fellow Mage Warrior and Warriors, maybe friends. Perian’s father had always said carnalions were a lot like humans and didn’t try to kill people the way the other demons did, but that certainly didn’t sound like what Brannal had experienced.

“That sounds scary.”

“Carnalions certainly hide far better than any other demon,” Brannal said, looking as though he was making an effort to shake off the memories. “However, we don’t encounter carnalions terribly often. And I can be very effective against all the demons.”

“That sounds… very dangerous.”

Brannal eyed him. “All demons are dangerous, of course. But I’m one of the few people in the country who can form a full elemental shield, and that makes me one of the safest people, even in the midst of demons. I’m very good at what I do, Perian.”

Perian sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly, nodding. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what Brannal did. He’d known from the moment they met that Brannal was someone to be reckoned with, that he was a Mage Warrior. But maybe Perian hadn’t given a lot of thought to what it really meant to be Summus. The Queen had appointed him based on strength and skill, Brannal had said, and of course he actually needed to use that strength and those skills.

“This has made you really uncomfortable, hasn’t it?”

Perian stared at the other man without really seeing him for a moment, and then his words actually processed in his brain.

“No!” he exclaimed. “Well, uh, maybe? Mostly, I just started thinking about you and demons being in close proximity, and then I started imagining what usually happens to people when they’re in close proximity to demons, and the idea of you being hurt makes me really unhappy. But I do actually understand that is pretty much the entire definition of your job. It’s fine.”

Brannal just stared at him for a long moment. “I could not go on patrol…?”

Perian really appreciated the offer, but he made himself give the man his best unimpressed look.

“And what, exactly, would you tell Cormal when he wanted to know why you weren’t doing your job?”

“I’m allowed to change things around. And you’re injured.”

“It’s a burn, it’s already healing, and I will be totally better in a few weeks,” Perian said dismissively.

Brannal eyed him carefully. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“I will totally miss you, I will be really annoyed if you get injured, and I will have so much sex with you when you get back.”

Brannal laughed. “That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.”

They actually made some inroads into their breakfast for a few minutes.

And then Brannal said, “I have a proposition for you.”

Perian waggled his eyebrows. “Do you?”

Brannal shook his head, but he looked entirely amused. “Not that kind of proposition.”

“Pity,” Perian said. “What kind of boring proposition do you have for me?”

“Onadal is always training new Warriors.”

Perian perked up. “Pretty people training? This sounds appealing already.”

Brannal laughed. “I can’t speak to the physical appeal of all of them, but I do have an opinion on who I hope will be one of them.”

Given what Perian was thinking about, it took him a moment to realize what Brannal meant.

“You want me to train with the Warriors?”

Looking like he was picking his words with care, Brannal said, “One of the things you said yesterday was that you didn’t have any tools to defend yourself. You weren’t wrong. We did one defense lesson, and while it seems to have been useful in ways I definitely did not anticipate”—Perian snorted with laughter—“that isn’t exactly a great foundation. We talked about having more lessons, but it’s true I have duties that sometimes interfere with my desire to spend more time with you. And if I’m being honest, if I get to have more time with you, teaching defense is not my priority.”

Perian smiled outright, and Brannal smiled back, looking a little relieved, as he continued.

“Onadal has a much bigger team, which means he is always going through Warriors and training novices. You absolutely do not have to do this if you don’t want to, and I’m not imagining that you would actually train to become a Warrior, just that it would enable you to pick up some basic skills more quickly. I haven’t spoken to Onadal about it yet. I only thought of it this morning and also remembered that bit about us actually talking, so I thought I’d suggest it to you first, see what you think, and then look to implement if you were all right with it.”

Perian laughed. “That seems like a very wise, well-reasoned way of doing things. And given everything that’s happened to me recently, I think it’s a good idea.”

“Yeah?” Brannal asked.

Perian nodded. “Yes, please do talk to Onadal. And, uh, while I appreciate that this would be him agreeing to take me on and teach me when I wouldn’t be turning into a Warrior at the end of it, I wouldn’t want to be locked down into a rigid schedule or have completely unreasonable demands put on me or my days. If he doesn’t think he can work like that, then I’d rather not start anything.”

Brannal nodded. “That seems reasonable. I do manage an entire castle of Mage Warriors. If we can’t make it work with the Warriors, I’m certain we can figure out lessons properly.”

It was Perian’s turn to nod. Brannal’s suggestion made a lot of sense, because the Warriors would be learning how to do everything without magic, just like Perian needed to. Mage Warriors would always be learning how to use their magic as well.

“Thank you,” Perian told him. “I definitely don’t want to become a Warrior, but I would appreciate a better schooling in defense. Even if nothing ever happens to me again, I’d much rather be ready.”

Brannal nodded, looking as though he agreed fervently with that assessment.

“I’ll talk to Onadal today. Or have Delana talk to him. They’re the main point of liaison between the Warriors and Mage Warriors.”

“Right,” Perian said, smirking a little.

“They are.”

“That’s not all they are.”

Brannal raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think so?”

“I saw them together,” Perian responded.

Another eyebrow rose. “We’ve all seen them together. It is a main point of gossip. They will neither confirm nor deny, and no one has actually seen anything definitive. What makes you so sure?”

Perian frowned as he thought back to the moment.

“I guess I’m not sure ,” he admitted. Well, he had been, for some reason, until Brannal had questioned him. “I can’t point to anything specific. And I certainly didn’t see them for very long. Maybe it was body language or something. Or wishful thinking on my part?” He smiled with a sweetness that Brannal apparently—rightly—found suspicious because he squinted at him. “You were being an ass and ignoring me because you thought I was having sex with someone else without telling you.”

Brannal sighed. “Ah, yes. I was sort of hoping we were never going to bring that up again.”

“You were hoping in vain,” Perian informed him with a grin.

“I can see that. Changing the topic.”

“Ha!” Perian laughed.

“To our upcoming schedule.”

Perian conceded, “I do want to know when I’m going to get to see you again. Work in the morning and early afternoon, since I keep derailing your attempts to leave?”

Brannal laughed. “Yes. You’ll have your picnic with the Princess.”

“Definitely. Oh, and I really should go for a ride again soon before Prince Horsey decides he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. He’s too good a horse not to get out there and race if he’s willing to do it.”

“Ride in the late afternoon, then a late dinner with Molun and Arvus?”

“That sounds perfect,” Perian agreed.

They grinned at one another like idiots. It wasn’t like they hadn’t come up with a schedule before this. But it felt more… collaborative, maybe, like they were actually planning a day together rather than both just letting the other know when they would be apart. They’d planned, and they were going to be spending time with Brannal’s friends, and they’d shared their opinions and not totally agreed on everything, but that had turned out all right.

Perian had been telling the truth when he said he didn’t need to have sex and he would never want to force Brannal to do anything he didn’t want to do. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t really happy about having sex now. He wondered if that was part of the underlying tension of the last few days. Maybe it wasn’t even the lack of sex itself but what it represented, the uncertainty, where neither of them had been sure what was going to happen next and both of them seemed to be worried the other person was going to give up.

It definitely confirmed they needed to work on their communication, but they’d acknowledged that. They didn’t need to be perfect, but they really needed to make an effort.

They also needed to let the day actually unfold before Cormal could ruin everything by reporting to the Queen that Brannal wasn’t performing his duties or something equally obnoxious. Perian was confident they could actually have a relationship without it unduly interfering with Brannal’s position as Summus. Maybe some things would change here and there. That was to be expected, surely, when there was a big change in someone’s life. But plenty of people were still able to function when they were in a relationship. Surely, they could manage it too.

Perian still didn’t know what it meant for an actual long-term vision, but yesterday had made pretty clear to him, and he thought to Brannal, too, that they both wanted to figure this out.

He could still remember that expression on Brannal’s face, when he had looked up, face blotchy, eyes red, covered in tears. The man had gone into the bedroom and fallen apart because Perian was hurt and angry, and Brannal was gutted and afraid to lose him. Though Perian wouldn’t ever wish that sort of pain or uncertainty on the other man, it had told him a lot.

Brannal poured Perian a last mug of tea, gave him a quick kiss, and then pulled on the last of his clothes so he became the Mage Warrior Perian could still remember staring down at him as he’d lain in the street and barely been able to see. Strong and majestic, that’s what he was. Perian got at least a little version of that thrill every time he saw the man dressed like this.

And of course, now he had the added benefit of being able to kiss him. He wouldn’t try climbing him right now, given how much he’d delayed the man already, but he was definitely going to propose it in the near future.

“Give me a proper kiss goodbye,” Perian admonished when it looked like Brannal was going to leave.

Brannal leaned in and kissed him, and it was a very good kiss goodbye, so much so that Brannal pulled himself away with a groan.

“See you later,” he said with difficulty.

Perian licked his lips. “Absolutely.”

Brannal took a breath, then shook his head even as he smiled. “Goodbye, Perian.”

“Bye, Brannal,” Perian said cheerfully. “Have a good day at work today. Think of me often.”

Rolling his eyes, but still looking fond, Brannal said, “You know I will.”

Perian finished off his tea. There wasn’t anywhere he needed to be just at the moment. He might wind up with Warrior lessons at some point in the near future, though he didn’t know if they’d be in the morning or afternoon. He had his mornings generally open, if it turned out Onadal was taking suggestions. Of course, he’d be doing Brannal a favor, so it seemed unlikely he’d want to be extra accommodating. But maybe Delana could put in a good word? Perian was still quite sure that he was right, no matter what Brannal thought.

Yes, Perian decided, he would definitely talk to Delana. He was pretty sure she’d decided she liked him well enough, so there was probably no harm in asking. If she didn’t want to get involved, he had the feeling she was the sort who would just tell him that.

And since Perian did want a favor, he should probably give her something she wanted. Bribery was a time-honored tradition, wasn’t it? He didn’t know her at all, though, so he would need help. He checked to make sure his hair was still neat, then carefully eased into his coat and set out.