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Glinain's Hold

Myrka

Two weeks later

Zroc and Harmond sat in a plush, navy blue colored sitting room. The pair kept their distance, but still elected to sit on the same large sofa. Even though they had been sitting here for the better part of an hour, the Golden Retriever was still blown away by how much wealth was openly displayed in this room alone. Part of him wondered how the Baron, a portly Ermine named Nohol, could dare to leave it out in such public view. The two stern faced Wolf guards that stood at the door answered that question. Harmond looked back at Zroc, who's claws rapped impatiently against the soft exterior of the sofa, with a low chuckle. Zroc was awfully cute when he was worked up about something. Harmond knew that the older male hated waiting; but this wait was particularly damning.

The usual routine consisted of Zroc and Ennrion discussing employment opportunities, planning expeditions, and running the day to day necessities of the group together, while Harmond and the other members of the party enjoyed the time off at whatever inn or brothel had open beds, cheap drinks, and decent looking whores. This marked the Golden Retriever's first foray into this part of adventuring. He had never even been given the option to go into a castle before. He was more than willing to jump at the chance, even if he only got to sit on the comfiest couch ever. Part of him hoped this would become a regular occurrence. Now that he had been trained at the sword by Ennrion and Zroc and heavily studied the magical arts, he was sure Ennrion would let him take a more permanently active role in party business.

"This isn't good," Zroc frowned, "That fat prick must have a real doozy of a job he wants us to do."

Harmond whined softly as the two guards tightened their grip on the hilts of their swords. One of them pulled up on the hilt, showing the decorative inlay on the blade. The Golden Retriever nudged the Kobold softly and reached over to squeeze his hand. There was no sense in risking life and limb over Zroc's ego.

"Easy Zroc," Harmond replied, "Let's not disrespect the guy inside his own home. Especially if he's gonna be paying us."

Zroc rolled his eyes and looked up at the guards with a furrowed brow and a snarl. His tail tip twitched violently behind him as he made eye contact with the Wolf with the half-drawn sword. The Canine looked to his companion with an eye-roll and a growl.

"Did I say something offensive?" The Kobold asked, "Last I checked your job was to guard his shit. Not defend his honor behind his back. That still the case?"

The guards relaxed with a grumble and a huff, returning the Kobold's glare with a simmering rage. Harmond glared at the Kobold. Now the older male was just being a giant dick.

"What's your problem?" Harmond asked, "Just relax and enjoy this. Didn't that servant girl say she'd be back with some snacks for us? I bet it's going to be amazing food."

The Kobold huffed and crossed his arms. Food was clearly the last thing on Zroc's mind.

"I just don't like being stuck out here," Zroc shook his head, "Like what in the actual fuck? Ennrion may be in charge, but I'm clearly the brains here."

Harmond rolled his eyes.

"You're being too sensitive," The Golden Retriever replied, "Maybe he's trying to do something for the greater good of the party and not for our funds. You know, something you wouldn't let him do?"

Zroc scoffed.

"The greater good of the party?" Zroc asked incredulously, "The greatest good of the party is making money. We need to eat, we need to buy supplies, and we need to keep up a good image. Who in their right mind would hire on a group that flakes out after one job?"

The Golden Retriever put his paws up.

"All of our jobs have been one off jobs," Harmond began, "Why does whether or not we stick around to do another one for this guy in particular matter at all?"

The Kobold put up a finger and reached over to a small mahogany coffee table. He picked up a golden colander and two large, jeweled gold goblets. Harmond shook his head. He knew better than to trust Zroc's taste in booze. The Kobold had burned him more than once before. Zroc poured two large helpings and set the heavy vessel back down.

"This is why," He held out a goblet, "Take it."

Harmond shook his head. This region, for reasons unbeknownst to the Dog, was locally renowned for its wine. Zroc, even though he thought the same of any bottle of swill from any shithole that could grow fruit, agreed with this sentiment. The Kobold had finally got the Dog to try some of the sickly sweet wine last week, and promptly pressured him into getting way too drunk. The majority of the party was so sick the next day that Ennrion was forced to book another night at the dilapidated roadside inn they had come across on their travels into Myrka.

"I'm never having any Colbanese Wine again," The Dog put his paw up, "I should have learned my lesson the last half-dozen times you've asked me to drink whatever crap you put in front of me."

Zroc rolled his eyes.

"You think Nohol drinks that Coblanese piss?" Zroc began, "Just smell it. This stuff is special. All the way from the Racapo Monasteries in Trsmia."

Harmond's jaw dropped as he snatched the wine from the Kobold's hand. The violent motion nearly sent a small portion of the glossy berry colored wine sloshing over the side of the goblet. He brought his nose down to sniff it and let out a low whine. Racapo wine was famous. The island's grapes imbued such nuanced flavors that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. Rumor had it that the monks that lived there enchanted the soil generations ago. This wine in particular smelled of ripe blackberries.

"This is a Racapo?" Harmond shivered with bliss as he sipped a barely tasteable quantity, "But that's-"

"Half a world away?" The Kobold offered before downing his glass, "One of the hardest bottles of booze to get your little golden paws on? Worth more than its weight in jewels?"

Zroc chuckled and poured himself another glass.

"This guy has enough money to fill his sitting room with the stuff, and just look at the two assholes he's providing it for." Zroc continued, "He's probably got enough to last the both of us for life down in his cellars."

Harmond blushed and took a bigger drink this time. He let it linger in his mouth; regailing his taste buds with waves of blackberry and Millane plum. The Golden Retriever swallowed with a blush, his tail wagging hard behind him.

"This is why we need to do more jobs for this guy," The Kobold sighed, "He'll take care of us."

He set his full goblet down and took the Dog's free hand. The black-scaled male looked into Harmond's eyes and softly stroked the fur on the back of Harmond's paw.

"Once we get established, maybe...," Zroc took a deep breath, "Maybe we could even get some property. A house for the two of us when we aren't out on the job."

Harmond blushed. A house with Zroc? Truthfully he'd never even thought that far ahead. Thinking ahead in this life usually ended with thoughts of poverty, a painful death, or some horrific, nigh unimaginable end worse than a painful death. A domestic life seemed quaint in all the best ways. His tail started to wag again.

"I like the way that sounds," The Golden Retriever squeezed the Kobold's hand, "I really like the way that sounds. I-is that a possibility for us?"

Zroc smirked and scooted a little closer.

"All that and more my love," He replied, "If we do get property, it only makes sense for us to get married. I want you to have an equal share of it."

The Dog let out a chuckle.

"Really Zroc?" Harmond asked, "You expect me to believe that you just want to marry me for practical benefit."

Zroc blushed hard.

"Well," The Kobold rocked shyly, "Maybe I want more than the practical benefits. Maybe I want you for me and me for you."

The younger male smirked.

"Really?" Harmond asked with a little chuckle, "So no more whores?"

Zroc put his hands up and scooted back to his side of the sofa. The Golden Retriever rolled his eyes. Some guys just never changed. Harmond didn't mind. He was more than capable of striking out on his own if the Kobold left him alone too often.

"Whoa there!" Zroc began, "Maybe only for part of the time say... 50 percent?"

Harmond rolled his eyes.

"75 percent," The Golden Retriever stuck out his paw, "That's my final offer."

Zroc looked the Dog in the eyes and smiled.

"Deal," The Kobold shook the Golden Retriever's paw, "Now for the fun part. Who gets to tell Ennrion that we want to get paid with a house and an elaborate wedding?"

Harmond chuckled.

"Seems kinda silly to have an elaborate wedding," Harmond began, "Who's gonna come, like five people?"

"That's, uh, tough" Zroc chuckled, "Ennrion and his family aren't exactly on speaking terms anymore. That means I can't invite any of the Kobolds I worked with... What about your family?"

The Golden Retriever rubbed his arm and gulped back a reply. He hadn't spoken to his parents ever since he had run away to study in Redcking. His father was a jeweller in the neighboring town of Bournemouth, and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. While Harmond was sure his mother would just be relieved to see her son alive, his father would be a different story entirely. The older Golden Retriever was stubborn and set in his ways. With all the travelling, he hadn't really thought about his parents. This was not the time to start. The last thing Harmond wanted was to start crying in this fancy sitting room.

"I think a small wedding would be fine," Harmond replied, "I uh, don't think they'd want to come."

Zroc squeezed the Dog's paw.

"Oh come on," He began, "I'm sure they would come. Why wouldn't they?"

The door to the sitting room opened before Harmond had to think of an answer. The Dragonborn scowled and stormed through the sitting room with an enraged huff. The guards moved out of his way before he threw open the door and let it slam behind him. Zroc let out a low groan and downed the rest of his wine in a large gulp.

"Well," Zroc chuckled as he got back to his feet, "That's a good sign. Come on, let me see if I can talk him out whatever's got up his butt."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two hours later

The Gold Hammers

Harmond picked at his roasted pheasant and potatoes with a sigh. The whole business with Ennrion really had him worried. He had never seen the Dragonborn that angry before. What did that mean for them? It really made the Golden Retriever scared for what they were going to do next. Zroc looked over at his mate and nudged him with an elbow. The Kobold elected to skip dinner and start in on drinks. His attempts to talk Ennrion down had been met with failure. All that was left was for the older male to cope the only way he knew how; drinking. He was already two pints of beer deep and numerous goblets of wine deep.

"What are you so worried about?" Zroc asked, "We've worked for some real assholes in the past. That little tiff you saw was nothing! By the gods, I've seen Ennrion really flip his lid. One time he melted a guy's desk just for looking at us the wrong way."

The Golden Retriever looked over the table. The party, with the exception of Ennrion and Warren, were tucking into their meals. The food at the Gold Hammers was the best the Golden Retriever had since before he left. Unfortunately his appetite was ruined. He couldn't help but feel anxious about what the coming days had in store for them.

"I don't know love," Harmond replied, "I have a really bad feeling."

Zroc huffed and crossed his arms.

"Then go check on him," The Kobold grumbled, "I bet you'll get his head right. One way or another."

The older male downed his third pint of beer. Assorted empty goblets littered the table space in front of the Kobold. Harmond looked over the scene with a low whine. Zroc showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. He raised up a black-scaled hand and waved it urgently at the waitress.

"Just don't take all night," Zroc continued, "And be sure to come back to our room. I don't want to waste the good mattress cause you're too busy bouncing on his dick."

Harmond shoved his plate away from him and stood up from the table.

"Just because Ennrion had the nerve to make a decision without you doesn't give you the right to be an asshole," Harmond glared at the Kobold, "Now eat something. You're a fucking dick when you drink before supper."

The Golden Retriever turned his back to the table and headed towards the stairs. They were the only people in the tavern space. The other patrons, three city guards, had already retired upstairs with the inn's prostitutes.Harmond always enjoyed the quiet inns, loud and crazy ones always set him on edge. Unfortunately for the Dog, Zroc had done just that. As Harmond started up the stairs, he looked down at the Kobold who for a brief instant,sat up and prepared to launch himself after the Dog. The vixen waitress bearing two pints of beer, stopped the older male in his tracks. Zroc was going to keep drinking. The Golden Retriever shook his head and walked up to the second floor. As he rounded the corner, he nearly ran into Warren. The Rat was waiting outside the Dog's room with a nervous expression.

"Warren?" The Golden Retriever asked, "What are you doing here? I figured you would be down eating dinner with Uvoc."

"Uh hey Harmond," The Rat chuckled nervously, "I actually wanted to ask you something."

He looked over the Dog's shoulder.

"Urm Zroc...," He blushed, "He's not coming up behind you is he?"

The Golden Retriever chuckled. This was going to be an interesting question. He leaned against the wall and looked over the blushing Rat with a good natured smirk.

"No," Harmond replied, "He's downstairs drinking his share of the pay away. I doubt I'll even see him until the morning."

"Oh urm good," Warren rubbed the back of his head, "Cause I have a sort of... embarrassing question. Zroc would never let me hear the end of it if he ever found out I asked it."

Harmond raised an eyebrow. While Warren had always been decent to him, the Rat had never showed any trust in the Golden Retriever or anyone else. He straightened up and transformed his smirk into a friendly smile.

"Sure Warren," The Dog replied, "What did you want to ask?"

The Rat chuckled nervously.

"You know this already," He began, "But Uvoc and I are together. Have been since the jail in Nizaharaq. But, um, there's something we want to do that, well, we haven't been able to figure out."

Harmond bit back a chuckle and shot the Rat a reassuring and understanding nod. The Dog was already sure what the other male was going to ask.

"You and Zroc seem to have sex a lot," He continued, "And you both seem to enjoy it... I just wanted to know... urm, how?"

Harmond blinked.

"How what?" Harmond asked, "How to have sex?"

Warren shook his head and chuckled nervously.

"N-No I know how that works," Warren replied, "How do you make it feel good? Uvoc and I, we try but...I can't go through with it. It uh hurts."

The Golden Retriever nodded and cleared his throat.

"Urm, okay," Harmond began, "You know you have to prepare the person getting it right? Make sure they're relaxed. Slick them up. Get them ready you know?"

The Rat nodded slowly.

"Okay," Warren replied, "Now how do I get Uvoc to do that?"

Harmond put his paws on the Rat's shoulders.

"Look, I've got a little vial of some slick stuff in my pack, it's just a mix of some oils. It's the only opened glass vial in there," The Golden Retriever replied, "Go ahead and take that. Next time you and Uvoc get down to business. Have him give you a massage, finger you till you're begging for more, and let him go to town. Trust me. It'll work."

Harmond looked over his shoulder towards the Dragonborn's door.

"You should get some dinner," The canine continued, "The food is really good here. Just don't get too drunk. You might have a whole different set of problems if you try to fool around."

Warren nodded and turned away from the Golden Retriever. His tail perked up and swayed with each step he took down the stairs. Harmond hoped his advice would work for the two of them. He was happy for the Rat. Warren may have had his issues, but he still deserved a good relationship. The Dog just hoped this would work out just as well for Uvoc. Harmond had no idea how his culture viewed relationships. From what he had read, relationships in his tribe only lasted as long as it took for the pups to be born. He walked forward and knocked on Ennrion's door.

"I'm not changing my mind Zroc!" Ennrion replied with an uncharacterstic anger, "Fuck off!"

Harmond shrank away from the door. He almost ran back downstairs. The Golden Retriever took a deep breath. It sounded like Ennrion really needed an ear to rant to.

"It's uh, Harmond," The Dog replied, "I wanted to see how you were doing. You haven't come down for any food yet."

There was a pause, followed by a muffled curse in Draconic.

"Oh Harmond!" Ennrion replied with a saccharine tone, "Yeah, I'm okay. I'll be down in a little while okay?"

"Can I come in?" The Golden Retriever said with a whine, "I have some stuff I want to talk to you about."

Harmond took a step back from the door as the Dragonborn walked forward and pulled it open. His free hand was sloppily bandaged and soaked red with blood. The Dog's jaw dropped as Ennrion moved out of the doorframe. Anything that wasn't larger than a sofa or bolted to the wall or floor had been tossed around and smashed to bits. Harmond stepped in and closed the door behind him with a whine.

"I told the innkeeper I'd pay for the damages," Ennrion began, "Don't worry. It's coming out of my share."

The Dog shook his head and looked around the room. He didn't believe Zroc's drunken ramblings about the Dragonborn's temper. The stories appeared to be all too true.

"I should be able to fix most of it," He replied, "I've studied enough transmutation over the last couple of weeks. Repairing stuff is easy."

Ennrion chuckled.

"You're going to be here all night," The Dragonborn chuckled, "You've finally got a night off, and a morning without sword drills or sparring. I don't want you to spend the whole time picking up my mess."

The Dog shook his head and raised both of his paws. He closed his eyes and slowly stretched out his fingers. Transmutation had always been tough for him. It took him a little over a month to master Prestidigitation. Once he overcame that, it was just a matter of building up the mental fortitude to really use those skills. The Golden Retriever focused, pushing the energy through his arms and fingers and out into the room. His eyes opened.

Sheimaz!

The broken debris on the floor shuddered and slowly rose up into the air. Pieces of plant pots, mirrors, chairs, and other assorted knick-knacks floated towards their neighboring shards and fused back together. Harmond shuddered as he released the final pulse of energy to fully set the fuses. The Golden Retriever lowered his arms and let out a shaky gasp as the fully formed items softly clattered to the floor. Ennrion chuckled and drug a chair over to Harmond's side.

"Thanks," Harmond panted as he fell back into the chair, "I'll leave you to tidy everything up."

The Dragonborn looked around the room and smirked. Harmond had done all of the difficult work. It was just a matter of moving everything back to its proper place.

"That won't be a problem," Ennrion replied, "I owe you one."

The Dragonborn put a hand on Harmond's shoulder.

"So," The older male continued with a gentle squeeze, "What did you want to talk to me about Harmond?"

The Dog blushed. He still wasn't used to being this close to the Dragonborn.

"Well, that depends," Harmond replied, "Can we talk business? Or should we skip ahead to a more light-hearted topic?"

Ennrion snorted and pulled up a chair. He sat backwards on it in front of the Dog, his head resting on his elbows.

"We'd better talk business," He sighed, "What did you want to know?"

"What are we doing?" The Golden Retriever asked, "What did you and that Nohol guy talk about?"

The Dragonborn growled and shook his head.

"He wants us to be his mercenaries," Ennrion replied, "He'll pay us well, but he wants us to be fully available whenever he needs us. I didn't get in this life to become some rich bastard's personal death squad."

Harmond blinked. As far as he was concerned, they were mercenaries. They hadn't done much of anything that required any real soldiering, but now that Harmond was actually somewhat proficient with a blade, a little soldiering wasn't outside of his comfort zone.

"It can't be that bad," The Golden Retriever began, "Isn't that what you trained me for?"

Ennrion shook his head.

"I trained you so you could take care of yourself," The black-scaled male sighed, "Not to be a hired killer. Not to assassinate people."

Harmond's eyes went wide. A battle was one thing, but killing someone else in cold blood? That was something the Golden Retriever wasn't sure he could go through with. Ennrion's frown showed that Ennrion felt the same way.

"Is that what he wants us to do?" Harmond asked, "Assassinate someone?"

The Dragonborn sighed and put his head in his hands.

"The guy's another baron," Ennrion slowly looked up at the Dog, "A political rival. He ran off and hid in some old fort in the islands. He's likely paid off the guards stationed there to protect him. Nohol wants us to take care of him, preferably with the garrison still intact. He thinks that the baron's corpse will remind his political rivals who's in charge."

The Golden Retriever let out a low whistle.

"There's no reason we couldn't sneak in and take him," Harmond said softly, "I understand he broke the law, but wouldn't it be better if Nohol did the uh, dirty work himself?"

Ennrion chuckled and nodded.

"Maybe, I'll bring that point up when I meet with him tomorrow," He replied, "We aren't getting the other half of our pay until we take care of this baron thing. Besides, we desperately need that money."

Harmond smirked and chuckled. A blush formed on his cheek.

"Then I guess it's a bad time to bring up what Zroc and I want to do," The Golden Retriever replied, "If we're strapped for cash, I'm sure there's no room to entertain ideas about houses and weddings?"

The Dragonborn beamed and straightened right up. He looked over the Golden Retriever and stuck out his hand. Harmond blushed and took the offered hand.

"Congratulations," Ennrion squeezed the Golden Retriever's paw, "I'd love to entertain those ideas. I'd much prefer it actually."

"Okay," Harmond chuckled, "I don't want much. I think it's going to be a small wedding regardless."

The Golden Retriever let out a quiet sigh and hung his head.

"Really small actually," Harmond continued, "Might be just the six of us. Not much of a point throwing that much coin at it."

Ennrion frowned and got down on his knees in front of the Golden Retriever. Harmond kept his head low, not reacting even as the Dragonborn's hands rubbed over his paws and squeezed them tight.

"That won't be a problem," Ennrion replied, "You are worth it, even if you and Zroc are the only people in the room. The two of you deserve nothing more than all the happiness money can buy."

Harmond sniffled and nodded. The older male's words helped, but it still felt like a waste. He didn't want to take up all that time and money. Not when there were better, more important things to spend it on. Ennrion straightened up slightly, his knees still bent as he moved in to kiss Harmond softly on the lips. The Dog reciprocated with a light smack, but kept things chaste for now.

"I'm sure it won't be just us." The Dragonborn knelt back down in front of the Dog, "Surely you have someone you want to bring. Some family or something?"

Harmond took a deep breath and wiped the tears that welled up at the base of his eyes. Of course this was going to come up again. He had only given the Dragonborn the briefest summary of his background. Anything more detailed would cause too much pain. Ennrion gave the Dog's paw a gentle kiss.

"I'm pretty sure they don't want anything to do with me," Harmond began, "When I left for Redcking, I uh, don't exactly have their blessing. I didn't have their blessing for most of the choices I made."

Ennrion sighed and took both of the Dog's paws into his hands. His fingers slowly rubbed over them, applying light pressure just behind the knuckles.

"I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear from you," The Dragonborn replied, "After all it's been what, five years?"

Harmond shook his head.

"It'll be four in a couple of months," He sighed, "And why would they? I ran away from home. Ran away from the life they wanted for me. Ran away from the girl they wanted me to marry. What are they gonna think when I ask them to come to a wedding a world away? When I've spit in the face of all they wanted for me? They probably hope I'm dead."

The Dragonborn smirked and started to laugh. Harmond growled and pulled his paws back.

"What's so funny?" He asked with a snarl, "If I wanted to get made fun of I'd go back down to Zroc's drunk ass."

Ennrion sighed and smiled at the Dog.

"I forget how young you really are," The Dragonborn chuckled, "When I was your age, you know what my father wanted for me? He wanted me to be a scholar. A historian."

He shook his head.

"When I told my father I wanted to be a fighter," He let out a low groan, "I thought he was going to beat me within an inch of my life. I don't think he was ever okay with the choices I made. Do you know what he cared about?"

Harmond relaxed and let the angry bristles on the back of his neck subside.

"What?" Harmond asked, "What did he care about?"

"His legacy," Ennrion shrugged, "And that's intact. We haven't spoken, but I know if I needed something, he'd get it done. He's ... driven that way."

The Golden Retriever let out a soft whine. The last words his father said to him were 'Get out of this house and never come back'. Those didn't sound like the words of a parent who wanted the best for his child. He didn't even get to share words with his mother. The Golden Retriever had locked herself in her room to sob after her son's confessions.

"You weren't there," Harmond said softly, "If I send them an invitation. They're just going to rip it up and throw it out."

Ennrion leaned forward and kissed the Golden Retriever on the forehead.

"Maybe they will," Ennrion chuckled, "Maybe they won't. How are you going to know unless you send it?"

Harmond looked down at his lap and smiled. Tears started to well at the corners of his eyes. He wasn't going to cry, not yet. He wiped his eyes and looked up into Ennrion's eyes.

"So what now?" Harmond asked, "Any chance you want a Dog in your bed tonight?"

The Dragonborn raised an eyebrow.

"We're in the nicest inn in the city," Ennrion replied, "And you want to spend the night with me instead of your fiance?"

Harmond blushed and looked down at his paws again. The Dragonborn stood up from his chair and pulled his hands away.

"He's, uh," The Golden Retriever began, "Drunk again. You know how he is."

Ennrion rolled his eyes.

"You can't use that excuse with me," Ennrion replied, "You know him far more intimately than I ever could. You know exactly how he can be and you still want to marry him. If you want that to work, you can't come crawling into my bed every time he acts like an asshole."

Harmond nodded and got up from the chair. Ennrion, of course, was right. This was never going to change if he kept running from it. The Dragonborn shot the Dog a reassuring smile and planted another kiss on his forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Ennrion continued, "Get some rest. And don't go to bed angry."

Harmond nodded and kissed the Dragonborn on the cheek.

"Alright Ennrion," The Dog replied, "Don't break anything else tonight."

The black scaled male smirked.

"I think I got it out of my system," Ennrion chuckled, "I'll order some food and hit the hay. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Harmond smiled at Ennrion and turned to walk out the door. He stopped, almost hoping Ennrion would proposition him again, but none came. The Dragonborn walked over to his dresser and put on a clean shirt.

"Good night," Harmond began, "Sleep tight."

"Good night," Ennrion replied, "Sleep happy."

Harmond chuckled and walked out into the hallway. The sounds of uproarious laughter rang from downstairs. From the sounds of it, the party had not slowed down on the drinks. The Golden Retriever rolled his eyes and stormed into his and Zroc's room. There was no sense in going down there now. Besides, the Kobold would have to come back eventually.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

5 hours later.

HARMOND!!!!

The Golden Retriever shot awake with a snort. He wildly looked around the dark, empty room. Loud bangs reverberated through the small space, making the Dog whimper with fear. He snapped his fingers and lit the candle beside his bed. The bangs were coming from outside the room. Once his heart stopped trying to burst from his ribcage, he let out a low sigh. That was Uvoc's voice Why was Uvoc trying to get into his room?

"Come on Harmond," Zroc's voice slurred, "Let us in... I wanna go-a-bed."

The naked Golden Retriever rolled his eyes and got out of bed. He had to let Zroc in, otherwise his Uvoc's urgent howling would wake up the whole damn city. Harmond unlocked the door and threw it open. Uvoc stood outside with the Kobold sprawled limply in his arms. Uvoc looked at the smaller canine with a grumble and walked into the room.

"Where put him?" He asked, "Needs sleep."

Harmond gestured towards the bed with an exasperated roll of his eyes. Uvoc walked past him and lowered the drunk Kobold into bed. Zroc clutched the Wolf's paw and leaned in to whisper loud enough for the entire room to hear.

"Don't worry," He looked at the Dog warily, "I won't tell Harmond that you and Warren fucked."

Uvoc smirked.

"Thanks," The Wolf replied, "You sleep now."

The larger canine walked back towards Harmond with a chuckle. Harmond was tempted to ask how things went with Warren. The bounce in the Wolf's step and the twinkle in his eye told him all he needed to know. He shot the Wolf a wink and stood aside as he walked back out into the hallway. At least someone got laid tonight. Harmond looked back at the sprawled out Kobold with a groan. He'd be lucky if he got any sleep tonight. The Golden Retriever walked back to the bed and sat down on his side of it.

"Harmond?" Zroc groaned, "Are you mad at me?"

The Golden Retriever laid down on top of the covers, his paws resting on his stomach. Zroc rolled over with a belch and a groan and put his head on the Dog's lap. He looked up at his lover with a frown.

"Cause," The Kobold hiccuped, "I think you're mad at me."

Harmond sighed and shook his head.

"I am mad at you, Harmond replied, "But I don't think it's good to talk about it now. You're too drunk. You probably won't remember any of this."

Zroc scoffed.

"I'll remember plenty!" The Kobold burped and visibly shuddered with discomfort, "I'll remember Uvoc carrying me. I'll even remember parts of this conversation! I promise!"

"Then we'll save it for when you'll remember all of it," Harmond frowned, "Now get some rest. You don't have to throw up or anything do you?"

Zroc sat up slowly and crawled up to his pillow. He lay on his side and looked at the Retriever with a lewd smirk.

"I'll be okay," The Kobold traced a claw down Harmond's arm, "I want a good night kiss first."

Harmond looked over the older male and wrinkled his nose with disgust. The Kobold reeked of booze. The last thing the Dog wanted to do was to kiss a guy who was one slight tilt away from throwing up in his muzzle. The Golden Retriever kissed the Kobold on the forehead and squeezed his hand lightly.

"Good night Zroc," Harmond said as he rolled over, "Sleep well."

Zroc wrapped his arm around the Dog. His fingers squeezed back. The force of the squeeze increased and then loosened. Zroc. in spite of his drunken state, figured out that tonight was not the night to mess with the Golden Retriever.

"Okay," He said with audible disappointment, "Good night Harmond. I'll make it up to you tomorrow. I promise."

Harmond smiled and moved that hand up to his lips to give it another smooch. He took a deep breath and focused on removing the unhappy thoughts from his mind. The Kobold drunkenly lurched forward and pulled the Golden Retriever close to him with a little groan. Zroc nuzzled into the golden fur on his lover's back and promptly started to snore behind him. Harmond giggled and closed his eyes, fighting the urge to wag his tail and bother his lover. Luckily for him, Zroc made it easy to go to bed happy.