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Though by now he’d known for some time, It was still hard to believe that the man sitting across from him was the second in command of the Gralsritter and that the irritant he’d worked with at Thors was…subterfuge.
Instructor Thomas Lysander had been practically a living, breathing cartoon, though clearly an intelligent and highly capable instructor, to Neithardt he’d seemed wildly out of place at an institution so dignified as Thor’s Academy.
Dominion Thomas Lysander was something else entirely. To be sure, the quirky humor and often playful demeanor wasn’t entirely a put-on but as it was in his natural personality, with the old flamboyance curtailed, it was almost endearing.
The evening was drawing to a close. Over his glass, Neithardt studied Thomas, his long legs stretched in front of him, one ankle over the other, his own glass swirling on his hand as if a meditation as they discussed some obscure point of Calvardian military history. Then his hand stilled, he took the last sip of his wine and settled the glass on the table.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to pick this up another time,” he said as he stood and for just a moment, Neithardt paused, taking in the measure of him in his uniform coat, so different from his old instructor’s getup. “I’m due back in Arteria in the morning and I need to get a few things done on the ship before I leave.”
His smile was almost rueful and Neithardt stood. Clasped his hand and wasn’t quite surprised when Thomas reached out with the other, cradling his jaw just long enough to lean forward for a brief kiss, ghost of the wine they’d just been drinking lingering in his lips.
“Do let me know when you’re back in the country,” Neithardt entreated. “I am most interested in continuing this discussion.”
“As am I,” Thomas smiled and Neithardt didn’t miss the appreciative look that slid over him, as he settled back down to finish the last of his own drink and Thomas slipped out the door.
Playing over the look in his mind, he couldn’t help but recall some of the old admiring comments that Thomas had made back at Thor’s.
It seemed those had also been genuine.