Somehow, only a few minutes later, Cass found himself cleaned up, out of the alleyway, with Lucian holding his hand and leading him through the streets once more. Lucian was all smiles, in a better mood then he had been in before, while Cass felt a little dazed.
Honestly, he felt like he’d had a big meal, and that alone made his face warm. Lucian truly had fed him lunch, and now...Cass felt it was his turn to feed Lucian. Only, he didn’t thrive on uh, cum, like Cass did, so there was the next best thing.
Meat.
Lucian seemed to think the same way as the place that Lucian was taking him to appeared to be a...pub of some kind? Cass wasn’t quite sure. He didn’t know much about food places in this era outside of the fact that most taverns were also usually inns for travelers. Like the place that Cass and Lucian had stayed in when they first got to the capital because he didn’t want to be embarrassed by his grandfather and his people.
Either way, as Lucian and Cass crossed the street towards the rather bustling building, Cass swore he could feel someone watching him. He turned, glancing around to see if he could catch anything when Lucian tugged on his hand.
"Don’t." Lucian said quietly. Cass jerked, glancing towards the dragon curiously.
"You could tell?" Cass asked and Lucian let out a chuckle. He squeezed Cass’ hand as they continued towards the restaurant. From what Cass could tell, it was huge, and similar to the place that had been attached to the inn that they had stayed at before. Or wait...was this the same place?
"Cassy Baby, of course I could." Lucian joked, gently tapping near his eyes and Cass watched as his pupils flickered from human to reptilian and then back. Cass swallowed, looking away.
"Right. Sorry." Cass muttered, embarrassed. Lucian pulled him close, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and giving him a squeeze.
"It’s alright, Cass. No harm done. Just don’t look around too much. I don’t know who exactly it is, but I’d rather them think we’re unaware, alright? Just focus on our time together." Lucian told him warmly and Cass felt the tension slowly fading from his shoulders.
"You aren’t worried?" Cass asked, glancing at the other man. Lucian snorted.
"Why would I be? I’m a fucking dragon, and you’re one of the best mages in the country. You can go toe to toe with me. That’s impressive, Cass." Lucian told him. Cass felt a little foolish all over again. Right.
He kept forgetting that he could use magic like that. Damn it, he needed to remember that. Everyone else used it effortlessly but it was taking Cass a lot to remember. He was so used to doing things with his own hands it was hard for him to rely on anything else. Including magic. And...the others around him.
"Is this the same place we stayed when we first came to the capital?" Cass asked, changing the subject. Lucian grinned at him, glancing at Cass as if he knew exactly what the other man was doing, but he didn’t scold him. Instead, he squeezed his shoulder, the duo coming to a halt at the door as they stared at the time ahead of them.
"Close, but not quite. This is a branch location." Lucian told him. Cass was a little surprised that they could have a branch location. Did...pubs during this time do that good for themselves? Then again, the other location had plenty of wealthy clients. Lots of noble sons and daughters and nobles themselves. A place that upheld discretion would be rewarded handsomely.
Cass took in all of the heavy woodwork, the smell of smoking meat and the rich tones of the decor and felt that this was more like a smokehouse or a men’s club then it was a restaurant. Lucian didn’t say anything, nor was he moving his arm.
He kept himself wrapped around Cass, and Cass realised it was up to him to push him away. Lucian was going to take every inch that he got today, and Cass was already feeling a little sleepy from eating earlier. He wasn’t as harsh or rough around the edges, even as he could tell that people were giving them strange looks.
"We didn’t make a reservation, right?" Cass asked, a little sleepy as he looked around at all of the people around them. Lucian chuckled.
"You’re the heir to a dukedom, Cass, and I eat people. Who is going to deny us entry?" He was so self-assured that Cass couldn’t help but smile. So cocky, so arrogant. Cass chuckled.
"I think you need to brace for impact, because if a place is this busy and nobles frequent the other location, the likelihood that we are going to get a spot is low." Cass told him Lucian gave him a strange look while Cass could feel the others looking at them with worried expressions.
"What? Why? You’re a noble too." Lucian said and Cass could feel the dots beginning to connect for those around them. Cass gave a wry smile.
"Lucian, I’m not that familiar of a face here. I rarely spent time out in the limelight, the king happens to have all of his balls when I can’t attend them, and I find that I have very few things in common with most nobles. After all, I spend most of my time busy with work or studying." Cass was being polite.
He wanted to strangle most nobles, but he was in public. He might be a little sleepy, not stupid.
"Plus, I live, we live far away from the capital. I may own several properties here, but someone else manages that for me." Cass corrected himself as he felt Lucian’s expression shift. That was a close one.
Lucian still didn’t look pleased and Cass could feel how the tension in the room was rising. The waiting room was tiny, and neither Cass nor Lucian had spoken to the host at the door either. A rather concerned-looking human who-
Cass felt his nostrils flare, his eye twitch as both he and the host realised the same thing at the same time. His mouth fell open and a soft gasp left his lips before he twitched.
"Um, f-forgive me for a moment. I’ll be right back!" The nervous man escaped and Cass had the distinct unpleasant realisation that he had a problem. He resonated with the man, but Cass had resonated with a few others as well. He didn’t know if the man was a fairy, or if he was a demon. If he was a fairy, well, that was a better outcome for Cass. If he was a demon?
Cass wasn’t exactly sure what kind of privileges that would afford him.
While Cass was mulling over the terrible situation he found himself in, the chatter of more people approaching filled the air and Cass was able to pick up on a familiar voice. Cass turned before the other person could call out to him. He stared in surprise at the bespeckled man who was accompanied by another man.
Mr. Collins was practically hand in hand with a taller, much older man compared to the younger maybe early 20s man and Cass felt himself start in confusion. That was something he certainly wasn’t expecting, and as Cass watched the other man approach, Mr. Collins took several seconds to realise what and who he was seeing.
Cass watched as he frowned, staring at how Lucian was holding Cass, Mr. Collin’s expression was full of worry as he scanned the two well dressed men. He even glanced over Cass’ features, more worried that he was staring at two men for a long moment before Cass watched him jerk to a stop. Cass felt his gaze jerk back to Cass’, his eyes expanding to a comical size before he gasped.
"M-My Lord?!" He practically shouted and Lucian flinched next to Cass. Lucian spun, grumpy as he stared at the man who had nearly split his eardrums. He kept his arm around Cass’ shoulder, spinning Cass so that the two of them could stare at Mr. Collins and his companion.
It was clear his companion was confused, maybe a little scared that Mr. Collins had gone sheet white, but Cass just felt his lips curl up slightly. The man he was planning to look for.
"Mr. Collins. I truly didn’t expect to see you here." Cass said with genuine warmth in his voice and Lucian huffed.
"This is the hussy?" Lucian asked and Cass reached up and smacked the man in the gut. He knew exactly who Mr. Collins was, he was just doing this on purpose. Mr. Collins’ jaw dropped, his eyes still comically wide.
"H-H-Hussy? What have you heard?" The man sounded aghast. His partner actually looked hurt and Cass knew he needed to nip that in the bud immediately before he jeopardized another relationship.
"It’s nothing you did, Mr. Collins. Just...uh, one of my other employees got jealous over how close you were working with my aide, Byron, recently. No harm done, I promise. We’ve smoothed it out." Cass said with a smile. Mr. Collins did not look like he believed that.
In fact, he looked even more terrified. He looked like he was going to faint. His companion wrapped an arm around his shoulders, supporting him as he glanced between Cass, Lucian, and Mr. Collins.
"Evan? Is there something going on that you aren’t telling me?" Mr. Collins looked even more ill at the soft words that his partner whispered. Words that Cass wouldn’t have been able to hear if he was a normal human. Cass smiled.
Mr. Collins looked between the three of them, sighed, and then glanced towards the host who had come back, trembling slightly.
"W-We had a reservation for a late lunch. If you wouldn’t mind, would you care to join us so that I can explain myself?" Mr. Collins asked, glancing between everyone. Cass gave a warm smile.
"I’m not upset, Mr. Collins." Cass told him and he closed his eyes, looking like he was in pain.
"I understand that, my Lord, but I think you’re the only one who isn’t." He muttered quietly. He gently extracted himself from the arms of his companion, looking ill doing so, and then headed for the host. Whatever Mr. Collins said it was easily accepted and Cass could feel the hosts gaze boring into Cass.
Well, whatever the reason, Cass’ presence was making this easier for Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins turned and gave a tired look towards the others.
"I had already booked a private room so there wasn’t much to worry about. Come on, my Lord, uh, Lord Draken and...Christopher." Mr. Collins looked embarrassed while Cass was intrigued. Someone else’s love life?
Cass loved that shit.
"Are you okay with that?" Cass turned to Lucian and asked and Lucian narrowed his gaze. He glanced at the other two nervous humans and the nervous other humans around them. He closed his eyes and shrugged.
"I’m fine anywhere you go." He promised and Cass felt a smile touch his lips.
"How kind and thoughtful of you." Cass said sarcastically. He shrugged again, a charming smile touching his lips.
"I know. You should reward me later." He said with a wink. Mr. Collins gasped, slapping his hand over his mouth as he turned to the host. He looked horrified at his own actions, his face pink and Cass snorted. He had no idea what Lucian was going to be like in that room. The man might have a heart attack.
Then again, Mr. Collins probably understood that they had far more in common then they had ever vocalised before now. He was going to get a clear glimpse of that now since Lucian wasn’t going to keep his hands to himself.