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Especially now that he was busy with his own squad, Yami didn’t always have time to go drinking with Jack and the handful of other friends he’d made back then. Everybody was busy these days. But on rare occasions, they managed.
And typically got into drunk arguments about combat tactics and old missions. They all were from the generation that’d been recruited straight into the last war with Diamond; there was probably even more blood between them than booze, and that was saying something. Tonight was no different. Until Livia made an offhand comment about uses for spatial magic that made Yami roll his eyes.
“Idiot, you can’t pass light or temperature through a portal. Newt Isaacton’s third law of spatial magic. Only particles of sufficient mass or mana can interact with the spatial field enough be transported. So you can’t light your way in the dark just by opening a portal to somewhere bright.” Yami took another swig of his beer.
There was dead silence from his companions. Yami glared at their stupid, stunned faces even as he mentally retraced what had just come out of his mouth. He slammed down the mug.
“What?” he demanded, using temper to mask any embarrassment in his tone.
Jack started laughing. “Yami, when did you become such a bookworm?”
The scuffle that followed led to several broken chairs, a smashed wall, and a long bill for damages. Pretty much the usual, for that kind of gathering. Looking at the charge list after, Yami could already see the vein that always twitched in Finral's forehead when Yami pulled this kind of thing. But this time, Yami decided, it was definitely Finral’s fault. He chuckled to himself.
I spend way too much time with that guy… I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I tell him he got me into a bar fight without even being there.
*
Finral had nothing against architects. Really. There was certainly nothing wrong with making or renovating buildings for a living. Just because he currently lived in a magical construct projected by a guy who was kind enough to make sure Finral never accidentally portalled into an altered wall didn't mean that Finral didn't appreciate the hard work of others.
Unfortunately, that hard work did not usually come with notices to unlucky portal mages. And it had been a few years since Finral had been to this town. It made perfect sense that some things had changed.
None of which made the pain when he stepped out of his portal and straight into a wall any better.
Thankfully the portal had shut before he stumbled back. Otherwise he'd have been knocked back on his ass at the base, and probably never lived it down. Gingerly, he got to his feet. Ouch. A couple of ruder words he'd definitely gotten from Yami hissed through his teeth. I pick up terrible habits from that guy. At least it was Sunlander...
There was a gasp behind him.
Great, someone did see that. Please let them not be a cute girl. Finral turned around.
Well. It was a girl. And she was cute, though in the waist-high-munchkin kind of way rather than the ask-me-out kind of way. She was also Sunlander. Any hope that she hadn't heard him or understood was negated by her shocked expression, the universal 'ooh, what you said,' look of kids everywhere. Finral winced.
“Oops. Sorry about that, please don't repeat what I said. Ever.” Especially if either of your parents are as scary as Yami.
The girl kept staring at him, and Finral was starting to wonder if she understood Cloverite when a harried looking woman- also Sunlander- came around the corner. The woman made a beeline for the girl, but hesitated when she saw Finral. There was a wariness in her eyes as she approached that made Finral's stomach clench. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
“I am sorry my daughter bothered you, sir.” Her accent was thicker than Yami's, and unless it was hidden she wasn't carrying a grimoire. She must have arrived as an adult. That would have made things harder for her. But before Finral could reply, the girl finally spoke up.
Breaking into an excited grin, she pointed at Finral's robe and exclaimed, “Kuro no Bougyuu! Okaa-san, Kuro no Bougyuu!” Finral blinked, mostly startled by realizing that he knew all of those words. Black Bulls! Mama, Black Bulls!
And here he thought the only Sunlander he'd picked up were curse words and dog commands.
The woman's eyes widened, and she took a closer look at his robe. Some of the tension left her frame.
“You are... Captain Yami's?” Did she have to say it like that?! Finral suppressed a twitch and tried for a reassuring smile.
“Yup, I'm a Black Bull. Ah, I should be the one apologizing; I think I startled your daughter.” Please let her not repeat what I said. Dammit Yami, this is your fault.
Thankfully the girl seemed more interested in his job than his language, and her mother just seemed relieved that Finral wasn't a jerk. They parted ways with a few more polite niceties, though the woman had to nudge her daughter a bit. When they were gone, Finral sighed. A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
I spend way too much time with that guy... I am never telling him about this, he'd be way too smug...