"Well, seems someone's enjoying themselves."
Deighe's voice rang throughout the small, if roomy church dining hall; the familiar tone and inflection attracting the attention of the platinum-haired man seated at the table empty and furthest from the rest.
"What can I say?" Veikh replied with a satisfied sigh as he finished chowing down on a fresh wad of bread, wiping his lips free of any crumbs with a napkin as he leaned back into his seat to gaze at his approaching friend. "Haven't felt this refreshed in a long while."
The bowl atop the table before him, once filled to the brim with stew, had been fully voided of its beefy contents. The quality was not exactly what he would consider the best, though given Ithulmia's environmental state and the like, he had no right to really complain, more so with the church granting him hospitality. It served its duty well as a meal, and was certainly a breath of fresh air compared to his and Deighe's previous 'meals,' which tended to consist of nothing more than the same old salted meat and dried, stale bread. Anything more to the common traveler was a delicacy, through and through.
Granted, this too was but a temporary respite.
...And one that he figured he'd prolong as he retrieved another wad of bread from the basket at the center of the dining table, tapping idly at the wooden floor with the clawed digits of his Corrupted limb.
Deighe exhaled as he pulled a chair out from his companion's side, removing the shortbow at his back and setting it atop his lap. "You know, you’re holding up pretty well for someone barely managing to escape with their humanity intact."
"No need to rub it in, dumbass." Veikh muttered as he finished swallowing the bread, before just as quickly retrieving and shoving another wad into his mouth; apathetic to Deighe leaning back to glimpse his scaled leg beneath the table.
"...Well, I'm glad you're okay at least." His black-haired companion smiled after a small bout of silence, stretching the string of his bow and letting it snap back with an idle twang. "I'll admit, I did get just a little worried when I saw those eyes of yours close after we found you. Then I got real worried after I saw all the blood, and scales, and-"
"Do I look dead to you?" Veikh gave a light jab to Deighe's shoulder, barely stifling his snicker. "You keep acting all mopey and I just might be. Besides, we both know I’ve survived worse."
"Man, you couldn't have done that a little lighter?" Deighe murmured sensitively, massaging his jabbed shoulder to his friend's amusement.
"Hey, not my fault for thinking an archer would have arms of stone from all that gripping and pulling you do." He smirked upon brushing a few strands of hair from his face, though the smirk became a scowl as he reached into the basket of bread to find it was empty. "...Dammit."
"Says the swordsman who tears through any meal in front of him." Deighe grinned coyly at Veikh's comeuppance, grasping the back ends of his black locks of hair before tying them back into a ponytail.
"Only 'cause the 'food' you get tastes like ass." The crimson-clad man grumbled as he rose from his chair, instinctively reaching down towards the legs of the seat to where he'd often place his sword and shield to realize he didn't actually have his equipment with him.
"Oh, that's right," his bow-wielding companion exclaimed as he too rose to his feet, "I took that old shield of yours down to that blacksmith in Makei this morning before you woke up. The White Hawks said they'd cover the expenses since you more or less risked your tail for them."
"Well, if that ain't nice… and my sword?"
Deighe scratched nervously at the back of his head, the motion rather uncharacteristic to Veikh's growing dread as he turned to face him in his silence.
"It, uh… broke."
"It broke? The hell do you mean it broke?"
"Look, I don't know, alright? I took a look at it for maintenance after we brought you out of the sewers, and the damn blade fell apart right in front of me." Deighe struggled to explain, almost appearing hesitant to do so. "How about we just chalk it up to you slicing through all those Corrupted beasts, huh?"
"Well that's just swell." Veikh hissed in subdued anger as his gaze dropped to the floor, lifting his head as he exhaled. "So, the damn rebel group gonna cover that too?"
"They are, actually--the church, I mean." The archer stammered, slinging his bow across his back. "Both for compensation and as thanks for what you did. Saving that maiden and all." His lips curled into a small teasing smirk at his last sentence. "A shiny new sword, sure sounds nice."
"I guess, yeah." Veikh sighed almost dejectedly, adjusting the baldric over his shoulder before tensing up as he recalled Ariesia. "How is she? The maiden--I mean." He asked as he turned to face Deighe.
His companion's expression grew unusually solemn, his amber eyes averting to his gauntlet-clad forearms as he adjusted them. "Out like a light. According to the healers, might be out for the rest of the day considering what she's been through. We really couldn’t have been more lucky with our timing of the operation."
"...I see." He nodded slowly, feeling an unusual twinge of guilt. "So, what else happened exactly while I was out? Any big plans for what's next?"
"Uh, yeah, kinda…" Deighe's gaze continued to linger at his forearms, refusing to meet Veikh's own. "I uh… don't think you'll be too happy though."
"Alright, don't even bother explaining. I'll guess what happened." Veikh scowled with narrowed eyes, the claws of his Corrupted appendage clicking against the dining room floorboards as he began pacing. "The leader of these 'White Hawks,' as a result of my, and by extension, your outstanding performance, want to recruit us 'wandering mercenaries' to join their cause, because in their eyes, we would be an invaluable asset. But because I was out cold all morning due to almost getting my throat torn out, they went to ask you instead. And you, being a total sissy when it comes to shit like this, said yes."
Each word appeared to make Deighe only shrink further and further into himself, the nervous sweat across his brow evident even as he tried to hide it behind an even more nervous smirk.
"So," halting in front of his bow-brandishing friend, he crossed his arms almost expectantly, "am I right?"
"...You uh, got a bullseye that's for sure…"
"You know, I really, really fucking hate you sometimes." Veikh snarled, glaring daggers at the sheepish grin across Deighe's face.
"H-Hey, look, the pay is good. Real good, trust me," Deighe tried to reassure, his hands raised in the air, "and uh, there's kinda a reason I said yes…"
"Don't fucking tell me."
"...Y-Yeah, because we basically worked in collusion with 'enemy forces…' we're uh, technically outlaws…"
Veikh uttered a string of short, barely audible curses under his breath at Deighe's reasoning, his sheer lack of foresight that aiding in what would more or less amount to overthrowing the current monarch in the long run, dictatorship aside, would cause a bounty to be placed upon his and Deighe's heads. He was less pissed at that, and more at himself for acting so careless.
"Fine," he breathed quietly after a moment to calm himself, shooting his companion another glare, "what next then? We got some little private audience with the leader of this group of freedom-fighters? Have a little fancy chit chat? Maybe even a nice cup of tea?"
"Yeah, actually…" Deighe scratched idly at the back of his head, glancing away. "They actually sent me to see if you were up, and you are… so…"
"Well, maybe we shouldn't keep our new employers waiting then," Veikh grumbled, walking past his companion, though not before stopping for a final comment. "And this time, let me do the talking, alright?"