things, and I need more details. But first, breakfast! We have Bauernomelett—it’s kind of like a farmer’s omelet with bacon, onions, potatoes, parsley, eggs, and milk. Good stuff and Melissande does a bang-up job with them. Speckpfannkuchen, of course, which is bacon inside pancakes.”
Sora regarded both dishes, then nodded decisively. “Both.”
Ravi put a hand over his heart, swooning. “A man after my own heart.”
He got a grin in return. “I’m going to need the energy, and I’m not sure if lunch will happen for me today. Your head mage is very keen on me teaching people.”
“Ja, doesn’t surprise me. Lisette was very vocal about your skills last night. She marched right into our DnD campaign.”
Sora paused in loading up a plate to give him a surprised look. “You play DnD?”
“Sure. Have for years. It’s great fun.”
“Who’s the DM?”
“Me.” Ravi reached for a plate to fill up for himself. “I’m the one who can best keep the campaign moving. Gunter tried it at first, but…yeah, he kept getting bogged down in the details. The thing with DnD is, you never know which direction the game will go. A roll of the dice can change the outcome. Do you play?”
“I do, with some of my cousins and friends. It’s great fun. Which edition do you play?”
“5e. We started with 3, which…” Ravi shuddered, only partially put on.
Sora looked at him blankly, but the expression was purely an act. “What’s edition 3?”
“I knew I liked you for a reason.” Ravi grinned at him, delighted.
Sora was definitely relaxing some around him; the joking was a sign of that. If he could get Sora to drop his guard a bit more, he’d be wicked fun. Ravi’s instincts said so.
Sora winked, then went for the coffee carafe at the end of the table. “And what do you do? I heard you’re one of the king’s retainers.”
“I most certainly am. My main responsibility is keeping everyone from being too serious.”
“You’d be very good at that.” Sora did not sound like he was kidding.
“I’m excellent at it. Seriously, though, part of the reason I’m a retainer is because I’m fast. My reflexes are such that I react to danger before the rest of them can.”
Ravi was proud of himself for it, too. That speed. He knew not everyone understood his appointment when they first met him. They mistook him as someone frivolous. And he didn’t want Sora to have that impression of him.
Sora glanced at him as he stirred in creamer and sugar. “I imagine that’s part of the reason you were chosen was your sense of humor. Having only serious types in a workplace makes for a very long day. Just one coworker to keep things lively helps the work go by faster.”
Oh. Ravi paused, looking at him with a sort of startled wonder. No one had ever said that to him before. He hadn’t even thought of it from that perspective. Ravi knew Alric depended on him to jostle him out of bad moods and to keep him on task without being naggy about it. But no one had ever said that. It was something Ravi instinctively felt was true.
For Sora to look at him and see the heart of the matter so keenly…was kinda awesome.
Maybe Ravi needed to up the flirting. Sora might be really fun to date. At the very least, he’d be interesting to get to know.
“I could use more of that personality trait myself,” Sora continued with a wry expression, his nose wrinkling. “Mage Lisette was very adamant about me teaching people today, but…in truth, I have no experience teaching anyone.”
Ravi indicated an empty spot at a table nearby and led the way even as he asked, “Really? Not at all?”
“I’m the youngest in my family,” Sora explained as he set his cup and plate down on the table. “I’ve never had the opportunity.”
“Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I’m one of the youngest in the clan, so I feel that.”
“Are you? I can’t quite put an age to you.”
Ravi’s head came up, proud as a peacock. “I’m eternally young.”
Sora snorted a laugh.
“You. Stop snickering.” Ravi stuck his tongue out at him, pleased that he already had Sora laughing. Best way to start the day, laughter. “But, yeah, I was a baby at the end of the War. And we didn’t have many births afterwards. I want to say, like, five. But I have ended up teaching people stuff. Well, I’ve tried. It never really goes well. I mean, I’ve been trying to teach Baldewin