Totrium

Chapter Five: Cost of Living

The bartender named Alphy approached their table, setting several tankards down while other bar staff brought their food.

Adrian was delighted to see a plate of mixed bulgar with a side salad and yogurt placed in front of him. He had grown very fond of the dish; his thoughts turning to when he cooked it side by side with Boden. The memories lifted his spirits as he dug in.

Boden taught him how to slouch a little more while eating. Before, his rigid posture and delicate manners would have surely turned heads. He was finding himself repeatedly grateful for the older man.

The others dug in as well, Jacques immediately going for the alcohol.

"What are the plans for tonight then," Adrian asked between bites, looking at Jacques who frowned in response. "Are we leaving in the morning or—"

"Listen, Sweetheart," he cut in, "take a breather. We just got here and you're already wondering when we're leaving? We've had a stressful day. Unwind a bit, won't you?"

Adrian only stiffened at the suggestion. "Oh...sure." He ate another bite of food then began downing his ale with gusto. He'd drunk plenty of alcohol during his days as king. Now that he thought about it, this was probably his only way of unwinding.

When he set the tankard down more than half empty, three pairs of eyes blinked at him.

"What?" he inquired, wondering if he had something on his face.

Andre, who sat on his right, patted him roughly on the back, booming with laughter. "Alright! I like you better and better, Ian! Finally, a man who can hold his liquor."

He blushed slightly, strangely flattered by the compliment. Zuri was laughing as well, but Jacques...Jacques had a slight pink in his cheeks as he looked at him, trying to hide the obvious jealousy behind his eyes.

"Hey, I can hold my liquor too!" the leader protested, folding his arms.

"Oh, yeah?" Andre mused. "I distinctly remember carrying your ass out of the last bar."

"Woah, hey!" Jacques hissed, leaning towards his adopted brother. "Don't tell him that!"

Zuri burst out laughing. "What happened to all the bluster?"

Jacques's face fell then a determined look replaced it. "You know what, fine." He picked up his tankard and began chugging away. When it was empty, he slammed it down, his cheeks flushed. His glare was directed straight at Adrian who only blinked in confusion.

"Woah ho ho!" Zuri exclaimed. "You're really going for it, Jacques! I can't wait to see you embarrass yourself again."

"Again?" Adrian asked, eyeing him.

"Hon, you may have gotten us out of prison," Jacques said, the liquid courage already taking hold, "but I'm still the leader here, make no mistake."

Adrian blinked again. "I never said you weren't. Aren't you taking this a bit too seriously?"

He scoffed. "Maybe you're not taking it seriously enough." He flagged down one of the bar staff and asked for more drinks to be brought.

"Jacques," Zuri asked as soon as the waiter left. "We're running low on coin. We'll need more soon."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. I already talked to Alphy and he had some work lined up for us. I have some spare change I've been saving up anyway that we can use for a bit. If all else fails, we can always pay some water lords a visit."

Adrian felt increasingly more guilty with every word said as he realized he could easily cover all of them with the money he'd brought. He didn't know if he should make them aware of that level of cash just yet though, since he had only met these people the day before.