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That comment erupted another laugh from him, the corner of his eyes crinkling with a genuine smile. “That would mean he would have to follow me back to my home country. Maybe I’ll do that just to make sure he visits,” he chuckled. “But no…no, I wouldn’t do that.” He lowered and shook his head.
Cadmus laughed, nudging Levi with his shoulder. "I know, dumbass." He didn't know if he was lying or not. "This is banter, I'm not really gonna send Fi after you." Hopefully. "You're too nice to steal my shit, and anyways I trust you to give it back when the time comes."
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“Ha! Of course, of course,” he lightly nudged Cadmus back. “But do I have to give the collar back?” He snickered—as if he wanted a reminder of being a slave. In reality, if they didn’t ask for it back, he would turn it over to one of the silversmiths in his hometown to melt it into another piece of jewelry, perhaps a necklace pendant, and offer it to Johan.
Cadmus laughed softly as he was nudged back and shook his head. "Nope, that's the only thing in the world that belongs to you forever. At least… until you get freed." He gave Levi a crooked smile. "You're lucky your is so nice, it means you can sell it for big bucks on your way home."
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Levi nodded, “Hah, yes, this is true. I could do that, I suppose.” It wasn’t like he needed the money; he could get along just fine with his wealth at home. But the money might also be helpful if he had to stop somewhere along the way back home too. Inwardly, he decided to make the decision later. At this point, he wasn’t freed yet to even take action on his choice.
"Silver gets good money, and anyway, it's not like the damn thing's got any sentimental value." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I say sell it and be done with it, you can take a better keepsake at the festival tonight."
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“That makes sense,” he nodded, “But I don’t know, though.” He lifted his hand to touch the collar around his throat once again. “I don’t need the money, and I think it would be emotional payback to give it to my brother in the form of a necklace,” he softly snickered. “A nice thought.”
Cadmus laughed at Levi's indecisiveness and then laughed even harder when he said what he wanted to do with it. "I changed my mind, you have to give it to your brother! He's the fucker who got you into this mess, right?" Or… maybe not. Levi was a Widonian prince, an enemy. Who knew what had brought him here?
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Levi’s snicker strengthened into hearty laughter at Cadmus’ positive reaction. A smile spread across his face in return. “Yes! Yes, that’s the one,” he bobbed his head, his laughter dwindling into a mere smile. “Even if I can’t do the same thing to him that he did to me, at least I’d still have that satisfaction.”
"I'd say dramatic irony is a solid revenge tactic." Cadmus grinned at him. "Besides, you'll be able to put the little fucker in his place once you get back. I dunno what the penalty for selling your brother into slavery is, but its gotta be pretty hefty."
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Levi eagerly agreed, “Yes. Dramatic irony is also much more civilized than anything he could come up with.” Johan’s plan did seem to be well thought out, but it was damn bloody too. “And Widona doesn’t have a law that specific— we might after this. He would most likely be sent to the prisons.”
Cadmus laughed, swept up in Levi's eager enthusiasm despite his reservations. "Use whatever punishments you have for kidnapping times 10. Oh! And if you have dungeons under your castle you should lock him up there, that way he's below you the same way he tried to put you below him."
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Levi kept smiling and chuckling through Cadmus’ ideas, making note to remember that when he returned back home. Johan would regret his actions, there was no way around it. His smile waned a little bit at the end. “Wait, wait…” the corner of his eyes crinkled in a confused squint, but not quite suspicious yet. There could be a reasonable explanation, right? Maybe he was just thinking generally, how Johan would be underground and Levi above. At least that’s what he hoped. “Why would you think I’d be above him if he’s in the castle dungeons?”
Fuck. Cadmus swallowed, barely catching his smile before it slipped right off his face. "Oh, y'know, nobles send their kiddies up towards the castle, right? Trying to catch favor by living near the royals and all that shit?" He was reaching. "I mean, we do it over here! Oodles of nobles have their own chambers in the castle, that's why I've got so much work all the time, I've gotta feed hundreds of people every day."
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“Oh, I see,” he blinked. That made sense, and it put his mind more at ease. He lightly shook his head, “But no, that’s not as common in my country. The royal family lives in the castle, including more distant family like nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. The only nobles that live in the castle are the royal advisors or the nobles that happen to be family.”
"Really?" Cadmus could feel every muscle in his body relax as Levi accepted his explanation and he smiled. "It's such a good networking opportunity! Really good for nobles looking for favor and upward mobility, I thought for sure it'd be a hit in your country full of power-hungry snakes."
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Levi’s lip twitched, “Hah… I’d like to think most of us aren’t power-hungry snakes, but I know there are few and far between.” He shifted in his seat, “But our parties and festivals are a great way to make connections rather than everyone living in the castle.”
Cadmus laughed. "Yeah, but it's just not the same. When you live in the castle, the opportunities are… endless. The only reason you haven't run into anyone yet is 'cause nobody knows where Fi's rooms are. A s soon a he gets back to his regular quarters, he's gonna be swarmed."
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Levi’s eyes widened a bit. Inwardly, he was very glad that Nord Widona did things differently than here. He would hate being swarmed with people in his own rooms and quarters, even if he had a secret room. “Damn, that sounds wild,” he laughed, “The royal family doesn’t strike me as being quite that social. We all like our privacy.”
Cadmus nodded enthusiastically. "Oh it's awful. I've gotta be Fi's bodyguard half the time because he's too nice to ever tell them to fuck off. Kid's a real sweetie when he's allowed to be, and I've never got the heart to make him go all hardass on them."
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“Really?” Levi grinned, intrigued with this bit of information. “I wouldn’t have thought that. When I first met him, I took him as a real hardass. It’s not so surprising now that I’ve known him for a few days, but… as of a week ago, I never would have thought that.”
Cadmus laughed, leaning in a little. "Yeah, it takes him a while to really open up. And even once he does you don't really realize for a while. It's 'cause he's so stoic, y'know? You don't even recognize all the little things he does for you until someone else points them out."
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Levi glanced off to the side, nodding, and then looking back. “I’ve noticed a couple nice things he’s done for me over the last couple days, but I may have missed some. So yes, I see what you’re saying.” He lifted up a hand to scratch his nose.
"Oh yeah, I didn't even realize we were dating until he introduced me to someone else as his boyfriend. Now that was an experience." He laughed softly, smile dipping into something private and fond. The smile he gave Fi sometimes when the other wasn't looking. "He's such a good guy. I mean… guess it's not surprising that I love my boyfriend, but still. And… I've been talking about him for too long now, haven't I? Why don't you tell me about yours, maybe we can swap stories or something!"
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Levi listened with a content smile, his mind conveniently jumping to Mordecai just before Cadmus suggested taking about him too. “Oh, well, yes, I’d like that.” His smile brightened, and he glanced off to the side as if to search for a story to tell. It seemed like a hundred ran through his mind at once, and it was hard to pick just one. Maybe how they met?
Cadmus gave him a considering look as he fell silent, unsure of what had Levi so silent. He had agreed to share, he was probably just… thinking. "Alright, tell me how you met your boy! Was it love at first sight? Or was it just mild annoyance at first sight? Did you think he was cute?"
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Levi laughed softly at the fond memory. “I think it was mild annoyance for him especially. We were dancing at one of the parties, and I was taking too much for his liking. I didn’t like how quiet he was, so that just made me talk all the more.” He rubbed his hand up and down his arm. “Eventually he shut me up, and the night went better when we danced in silence after that.”
Cadmus laughed, trying to picture the memory in his head. Levi, a tad younger than he was now, talking too fast for some grouchy faced, dark-haired stranger. "That's adorable, I always pegged you as a chatterbox. How'd you manage to snag a second date with the guy? And what does he look like?"
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Levi laughed at that and nodded, confirming the fact. “Yes, I admit I am a chatterbox, moreso in my own kingdom. And we kept meeting at parties, my parents kept insisting that we spend time together, eat dinners together, et cetera. I think they just meant for us to be close friends, not lovers,” he humored. “He has darker hair than I do, almost black. It’s shorter than mine, and he keeps it tied in a single braid. He wears a lot of deep reds, and his eyes are dark, almost brooding at first, but also soft and intelligent.” He grinned affectionately. “He’s better muscles than I am, and he would do well in the arena too, I think. But he wouldn’t stand a chance against Fiori, not like my brother would. Mordecai doesn’t devote his life to fighting.”
Cadmus laughed, raising a hand to his mouth to stifle it. "Oh my god, that sure sounds familiar! Fi's father bought me to give him someone to spar with, only I was shit at it because look at me." He gestured to his frame, slim and wiry, with only the barest hints of muscle. "I'm a kitchen boy, through and through, but anyways, then his mom took me in as her servant and she kept insisting I hang out with the lug and then… we kind of got closer than she meant us to." He shrugged, quieting down so he could hear what Mordecai looked like. "So you've got a thing for his eyes, huh?"
