“You are a very stiff person.”
Rethais remained where they were, staring at the ceiling, not quite sure what had just happened.
“Stiffer than most.”
Why were they out of breath? They hadn’t done anything.
“Honestly, you seem to go stiffer than even standard-caste Rethans.”
It was hard to unclench. Whatever had just happened, Rethais didn’t know if they liked it or not.
“I suppose, it makes sense, when I am your first more permanent partner.”
Rethais was taking too long to breathe normally.
“Still, it is good to see that my old techniques still work. It has been a long time since I had someone confident enough to let me try.”
That sentence suddenly snapped Rethais to their senses. Or, at least, it caught them off guard enough to calm down and awkwardly look to their side, where their forever-partner-to-be was lying, a hand gently placed on Rethais’s thigh.
“You…” Rethais tried to speak. It took too many attempts. “You have… done… whatever that was… to other people?”
Lysar shrugged. “Well, of course. My early twenties were very adventurous. Most higher-caste Rethans go around having fun for a few years after finishing school because we are generally not burdened by the desire to serve and protect straight away. Surely you did some silly things?”
Rethais sighed, but didn’t answer. They waited for their breathing and their pulse to go back to normal, for the unwilling shudders and the feeling in their groin to stop.
“I… I did not have those years.”
Lysar blinked. “You did not do the after-school break?”
“No. I immediately signed up for the 247th Legion in Threpria, to an administrative position, and started working my way up the ranks. I needed to get a job as soon as possible, I needed to prove that I was an all-powerful Rethianos, so did Relkir, so neither of us took any time off.”
“Really?”
“Unfortunately. I was not even aware that other Rethans took time off after school until I was promoted to captain and was told that other Rethans my age were still doing their after-school breaks.”
Lysar blinked some more. “Hang on… how old were you when were you promoted to captain?”
Rethais thought for a moment. “Um… 22, I believe.”
“Damn…” Lysar frowned. “You basically had no life.”
“I was of a Bloodline Tradition. I had to prove that. At the same time, I needed to protect Relkir, and the sooner I could get myself into a position of authority, the sooner I could make sure Relkir could live a half-decent life.”
Lysar went back to inspecting Rethais. They had settled down now. But, unusually, they were also willing to talk. What confused Lysar though was just how many times Rethais had brought up their sibling. So Lysar decided to ask.
“You have mentioned Relkir a few times now. There is… some guilt there.”
Rethais grunted. “Before Retvik was exiled, they asked me to do one thing, to protect Relkir, because they could no longer do so. So that is what I did. I have at least kept that promise. And I… I eventually kept my promise to Relkir as well, that we would be free and able to find love.”
Lysar was confused now. “Sure but… why did you wait until halfway through your term as High General to start trying to kill the bloodlines? Because clearly, the Traditions have literally ruined your life.”
“I… I know… I took too long… But I was scared, and I had other promises to keep. If I had ended the Bloodline Traditions straight away, I would have looked… I would have seemed no better than Photis, working on myself first.”
“Fair…”
Lysar trailed off and fell silent, as did Rethais. However, as they laid there in silence, as Rethais closed their eyes and tried to relax, Lysar quickly realised something. Rethais had never had a normal life. They had worked and worked and worked and never stopped to smell the roses. Even the brief holiday they had shared at the end of the previous year, Rethais hadn’t really taken the time off or anything. They had spent half of it working, as always.
“Lysar?”
“Yes?”
Rethais’s sudden words did admittedly catch Lysar off guard.
“What… what did you do on your after-school break?”
“Eh, the same old. A bit of travel. A bit of eating nice food. A lot of sitting on the beach. Some sleeping around. Well, maybe more sleeping around than most.”
“Is that… how you… learned to do whatever… whatever you just did to me?”
“Yes.”
“Did you… have lots of poten-partners?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…”
Rethais fell silent again. Lysar wondered for a moment whether Rethais was upset about their blunt answer. Despite trying to be as open and modern as possible, Rethais was still very much a traditionalist in many ways. Not by choice.
“Are you bothered by that?” Lysar asked.
“No. It is just… different, I guess. Admittedly, I find it hard to relate, because most other Rethans who were interested in me, they just wanted to dominate me and get me egg-ridden. You have always liked me for who I am, you never saw me as a prize to be won, as someone to be overpowered and conquered.”
“Ah…” Lysar frowned. “Alright, Rethais, be honest with me… I am not your first, am I?”
“No. But you are the first who… actually cares about how I feel. You are the first person I feel I can be weak and honest with…” Rethais took a deep breath, then shifted to one side, so they could face Lysar and snuggle up to them. “I cannot put into words just how much you make my life better.”
“I appreciate that, my dear…” Lysar held Rethais tightly. “You do seem a bit stressed right now though. Maybe you need a holiday.”
“Hmph. Taking a holiday is so damn hard.”
“Still, all we do is work.”
“I am the High General and you are the General of Hidden External Affairs.”
“Still.”
Rethais sighed, closing their eyes and falling silent. They were enjoying Lysar’s warmth. “Perhaps we can… work something out… In the mean time, I think I need to sleep.”
Lysar smiled and stroked Rethais’s head. “Alright, you do that. I will be here when you wake up.”
“Thank you, my beloved partner…”