"What do you think they're talking about?"
Neal looked up from his crystal goblet to follow Merric's finger as he pointed to a group of women across the ballroom. He shrugged a dismissal and was about to take another sip of wine when Owen jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow. "What was that for?" Neal demanded with a glare.
"It's just... isn't that Kel? And isn't that the teardrop of your heart talking with her and the princess? I just thought you'd take more interest," Owen replied feigning disinterest.
Neal rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Dear Mithros, grant me patience," he muttered under his breath. "Yes, that is Kel talking with Yuki and the princess. However, I have never called Yuki anything close to teardrop of my heart. You're confusing me with Cleon. Honestly. Yuki has always been my Yamani blossom. Because that's what she is. Her beauty is only rivaled by the rarest rose; her skin is softer than any-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get it lover boy. Still, what do you think they're talking about?" Merric interrupted.
Neal huffed in irritation. "How should I know? They're speaking Yamani. What does it matter anyway?"
Owen shrugged and muttered something that sounded like "bored" and wishing for jollier music.
"Shouldn't you know how to speak some Yamani by now?" Merric demanded, taking his eyes off the ladies across the room to look at Neal. "You've been pining after her for how many years?"
Neal pursed his lips and glared at Merric. Before he could reply that it was incredibly unrealistic to expect him to learn an entirely new language, and a difficult and complicated one at that, during a war, he was interrupted.
"He'll pine and I'm a holly bush," a new voice commented by Neal's elbow.
Neal whipped his head around at the newcomer while his stomach plummeted and groaned. "That joke is even more out of date than that tunic, dear cousin," Neal replied acidly.
Dom just smiled and replied," Ouch, it bites."
"Still, wouldn't it be useful to know some Yamani? Especially since you're courting one?" Merric asked, not letting the subject be dropped.
Neal's face flushed when Dom snorted. "He's been trying. Even asked Kel to give him lessons and everything. The way I heard it, our dear meathead over here has no talent for it," Dom replied with a smirk.
Merric quirked his lips into a smile and chuckled. Owen, meanwhile, bit his knuckles to curb his own laughter.
"That's not true!" Neal cried. Embarrassment curled uncomfortably in his gut.
"According to Kel it is. Apparently even our dear protector can lose her patience when faced with such a thick head," Dom joked. He raised a hand to knock his knuckles lightly across Neal's head.
Neal bat his hand away. "That is not what happened," he stated emphatically. "Kel and I stopped the lessons because I was progressing just fine and we were getting too busy to continue." Liar. "I'll prove it. Just watch me," Neal snarled. He quickly looked around the ballroom and spotted a young Yamani woman standing by herself near them. He downed the remainder of his wine and shoved the empty goblet at his cousin before moving to approach the woman.
Another new voice made the three men spin around after watching Neal walk away. "What does he think he's doing?" Kel asked.
A grin spread across Dom's face. "I do believe he's trying to show off his language skills," he told her.
Merric's and Owen's eyes slid back to watch their friend.
Kel snorted. "Five gold nobles says he gets slapped."
Dom's smile widened while Owen choked and spluttered on his wine. Merric nodded. "Deal."
They didn't have to wait long before a very loud smack caught their attention. Neal made his way back to them, looking like a dog with his tail between his legs. He held his palm against the red hand print on his cheek. "I may have over estimated my abilities," he mumbled.
"I'd say. There was a reason we stopped practicing," Kel stated. She turned her eyes to Merric and stuck out her hand. Merric sighed before counting coins.
Neal gaped, his hand still pressed to his face. "You bet I'd get slapped?" He asked incredulously.
Kel shrugged and her lips twitched into the smallest of smiles. "You're lucky I knew you didn't mean the insults you said to me. I would've had you on the practice courts for hours." The others laughed when Neal's face paled considerably, making the hand print stand out in stark contrast. "Let's just say, there's a lot that gets lost in translation."