Wanderlust (mxm)

Chapter Fourteen

Roan asked a lot of questions, most of which Tanden was perfectly comfortable answering. Soren seemed uneasy the entire time, but Tanden was very careful not to say something that could lead to the men figuring anything out.

They bought food eventually, when Tanden was tired of talking about himself. Co was, of course, famous for seafood. Tanden bought the whole table the most expensive food the tavern offered, breaded oysters and a large tray of crab legs. The food easily distracted the men, who weren't used to buying such pricey meals.

Once they'd eaten everything, Tanden got to his feet. His back, which he had finally been able to ignore, stung in protest. Tanden tapped Soren's shoulder. "Let's go, mate. Gentlemen, it was a pleasure. I'll order you another tray of crab legs on the way out, shall I?"

"Aye," Roan grinned. "Never eaten so well in my whole life!"

"If you didn't spend all your money on drinks maybe you'd have enough to buy food like this," Jerios taunted.

"Don't see you buyin' it," Roan shot back. "Much obliged, Cap'n."

"Not a problem," Tanden said with a smile. "I'll see you later. Enjoy your vacation."

Soren stood and the two of them made their way to the main floor of the tavern, which somehow wasn't any emptier than it had been before. Tanden leaned closer to Soren to speak, having to do so because the tavern was so loud.

"Does this place have rooms?"

Soren nodded. "Likely all booked by now."

"Go ask." Tanden took out his money and pressed it into Soren's hand. "Might as well. We'll just have to ask somewhere else otherwise. And send some more food up to the lads. I'll wait here."

Soren didn't move to accept the money. "I know your back hurts."

Tanden shrugged. "We'll be careful. Go on."

With an indulgent sigh, Soren walked over to the bar. It took some time for one of the barmaids to make her way over to him. Tanden was delighted to see Soren pass her a handful of coins after a moment, and to see her drop a key into his hand. Soren slipped it into his pocket and made his way back across the room.

"We've got to go through the back door," he said, and began walking towards the front door. Tanden followed. They left the Kipper and walked through a narrow alleyway to the back of the building. There was a burly man standing guard by the door, but he stepped aside when Soren showed him the key.

They had to walk up a creaky staircase and down a hallway before finding their room. Inside, it was actually quite nice. The bed was large and looked clean, there was a small dresser for extended stays, and a jug of water sat on the dresser with a stack of glasses. Tanden leaned against the wall, instantly regretted it, and stood up straight.

"The backdoor had me a little concerned, but this is one of the nicer tavern rooms I've seen," he commented.

"Aye, well, it's the Kipper. It's famous. Can't have bad rooms." Soren crossed the room to light the candles on the dresser.

"I suppose you make a good point. Help me take my tunic off."

Soren stepped closer to gingerly pull Tanden's tunic over his head. "You have to be careful, Captain. This needs a chance to heal a bit."

"I'm going to be careful," Tanden promised. "How does it look so far?" he desperately wanted a mirror, but there didn't seem to be one in the room. He turned around so Soren could get a look.

"Good," Soren said after a moment. "It's a little puffy right now, but that's normal. Where's that ointment?"

"It is really necessary?"