In Which Alina Has Plausible Deniability

February 12, 1203

"Sorry about that," Falidor mumbled as he joined Alina on the bed, each word short and hesitant as fit their insignificance. "I didn't expect that Darry would be here that long."

Alina sighed. She didn't dislike Darry, exactly--or, at least, she didn't want to. Darry had been Falidor's best friend far longer than she'd been Falidor's betrothed, and she didn't want Falidor's life to revolve around her any more than she wanted her own to revolve around him. They would have their couple friends, sure, but she'd still have her own friends and he'd still have his, and--when she looked at it logically--that was not a problem. It was desirable, even. Surely even the most perfect of spouses would have driven each other mad if no facet of their lives were free of the other person!

Darry, however, seemed rather needier than many friends were. There was surely some validity behind that neediness, Alina forced herself to keep in mind, but the fact remained that he had no qualms about showing up unannounced with some myriad of problems he expected Falidor to solve, even if Falidor had no business in solving them and no capability of doing so anyway. When such an occasion landed on one of the very few free days of Alina's senior year? She didn't think her annoyance unjustified.

"Don't get me wrong--I love that you're such a good friend--but I should hope that occasions such as today won't be a frequent fixture of our marriage."

"They won't. Darry will be getting married before we are anyway, and Arydath will be the first line of aid in any Darry-related problem--if she isn't already. But I don't think Arydath would have wanted anything to do with this particular thing.""

Alina raised an eyebrow. Arydath de Cervantes, if her Aunt Riona wasn't seeing similarities that weren't there and Alina's own memories weren't lying, was a woman rather like Alina's own late mother: not lacking in scruples, but not in the slightest inclined toward disinvolvement. If Darry and Falidor assumed that Arydath would say 'no' to whatever the hell they were up to, that was cause for concern. "Mind letting me in on what this particular thing is, and what Darry's roped you into doing about it?"

"I'd rather not, to be honest. I'd like to give you plausible deniability."

Something that Arydath would want nothing to do with, something that Alina was better off not knowing. If she'd been one for tattling, each man would have woken in the morning to find their suspicious mother at the front door. "Well, if that's not the most comforting thing a man ever told his betrothed."

"Well, that and it's... I don't know. I wouldn't help him if I thought anyone was going to get hurt, but it's a bit manipulative, and I'm sure it would be a while before you slept with me again if I told you." He smirked, apparently trying to lighten the mood.

To that, Alina shrugged. "You do know that I'm a Kemorin, right? Besides, sometimes the sex is better when I'm angry with you."

"Then for your sake, I resolve to be much more of a nuisance from now on--but I really don't think you'd approve of this. Especially since you're friends with Darry's sister."

"Aspen? She's more Viridis's friend than she is mine." And why on earth Darry and Falidor would be pulling some scheme on her, she had no idea--but suffice to say that Aspen would be furious. Now there was someone in desperate need of a good lay.

Not that she'd be in any less desperate a state herself if she spent the rest of the day brooding over her betrothed's activities. "You know, it might be worth noting that I'm a little angry with you now."

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