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Flins arrived in Piramida for his periodic check-up with the Starshyna.
He has been delaying it as much as he can, since he knows that Nikita knows he can very well handle the Wild Hunt attacks by himself now that their forces are dwindling down after the crises in Nod-Krai have passed. But, since Flins has started dating his adoptive son, the calls from the Starshyna could now mean more than just regular check-ups. Even though the fae knows for a fact that the Young Master and his squad is probably currently in their regularly scheduled patrol manning the Cliffwatch Camp, Flins can't help the small whisper of worry springing up at times inside himself.
Dating the Young Master also means he can’t be on Nikita’s bad side henceforth, for fear of losing Illuga’s favor—which itself was quite a hard-won battle for Flins. So now he makes it a habit to go to the headquarters exactly after the third summoning letter, which arrived at the door of his lighthouse two weeks ago.
Flins knocks on the door of the Starshyna office, since it’s still bright outside and many Ratniki loiter around the building. He can’t enter through the window when so many eyes watch his movement—so playing a regular human it is.
“Come in,” the gruff voice calls from behind the metal door and Flins lets himself in.
“I’ve come per your summon, my good Starshyna.” Flins puts his hand on his chest and bows down. He adds as an afterthought, “I also brought my reports.”
Nikita visibly lights up at the sight of the Ratnik. “Oh, Flins. I’ve been waiting for you. Come, sit down.”
As Flins drags a chair forward and sits in front of the Starshyna’s desk, which seems to be perpetually flooded by papers, he finds the other man smirking at him. The fae looks at Nikita questioningly.
“You seem to be in a good mood today, my friend,” Flins pointed out.
“Hmm. I have heard from a certain birdie that you finally adopted a pet. A pup with brown fur.”
Ah, that. It’s not that he adopted the dog, but rather, an equal exchange. The stray puppy has learned that it can get food if it brings bones to the scary man who lives alone in the middle of the graveyard. Eventually, it seems to have overcome its fear and ask for more than food from Flins—for example pets.
“Oh, the dog. Does anything matter regarding it?” Flins asks as he frowns. He doesn’t think an animal attaching itself to him is such a grave matter that the Starshyna would call upon him on it.
The other man only smirks. “See? I told you it’s better to have a pet or two. That’s why I keep insisting on sending you one.”
Oh, so he just wants to say ‘I told you so’ to Flins. Well, Nikita does earn that privilege, but Flins being Flins, he just can’t give that satisfaction easily to his friend.
“Yes, indeed you are right, my good friend. But that puppy is the second.”
The smirk is gone from Nikita’s face, replaced with confused looks. “What do you mean? You have another one?”
Nikita is the first few friends he made upon waking up in Nod-Krai, attributed to the Starshyna who has always been able to see through his elaborate words. So the rare moments he actually gets a rise from Nikita counts as a win for Flins.
“Well, Young Master Illuga is rather adorable, don’t you think so?”
“D-did you just call my son a dog?”
The duel between the Starshyna and Sir Flins, known as one of the strongest Ratnik in their ranks is indeed as legendary as it sounds. Someone even bets their salary for the entire month. Alas, the whole thing is called off when Captain Illuga of the Nightmare Orioles arrives at Piramida in a hurry after being informed of the fight. One thing that Flins learns—despite being confined to a desk job, Nikita can still hold his own in a serious fight. And the old man isn’t afraid to play dirty.
Flins smiles watching his Young Master fuss over his old Pops. Ah, this indeed has been quite a fruitful journey.