Rethais shuddered as he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He had been calmly working at his desk all day, reading through a large number of peace agreements between the Banikans and the Temthans. The peace treaty had little to do with the Rethavok, but since the Rethavok were the race currently ruled over by a large, powerful deity, most of the other races wanted to appease them in some way. This meant that the Rethavok were now looking over most treaties.
And because High General Kenon was a busy leader and deity, a lot of the reading and tedious work fell onto his team of Vice Generals. Who did all the boring stuff.
That was what Rethais was currently doing, but at least this treaty wasn’t too much of a pain. As long as he didn’t get distracted, he could have finished the initial review before the end of the day. Sadly, the heavy hand on his shoulder was the exact sort of distraction Rethais feared.
“What are you doing here, Ser?” Rethais asked, still scanning lines, barely looking up.
“I came here to check in on you!” The High General seemed eerily cheerful today. He may have been a quarter of a ton of darkness, armour and void energy, but that quarter of a ton very rarely seemed genuinely happy. Kenon also still hadn’t removed his hand from Rethais’s shoulder. “How is your work going on?”
“I am working as hard as possible…” Rethais grumbled. “A lot of things need reading through.”
“Good, good. Say, are you busy tonight?”
Rethais tutted. “I have plans. Lysar and I are planning a meal out together. The first we have had on our lonesome for a while.”
“Hm, so you are not free to join me and my fellow deities for a meal?”
Rethais paused, stopping what he was doing and turning to face his boss, confusion in his eyes. “You… are inviting me to have dinner with the gods?”
“I am.”
“Just me, I assume?”
“Just my Vice Generals. Yourself included.”
“But not my partner Lysar?”
Kenon frowned. “No. Just my Vice Generals. Well, only if you accept. If you do not accept for tonight, I shall arrange for another time.”
Wigh a sigh, Rethais pushed all his paperwork to one side to better look at Kenon. Kenon kept his hand firmly on Rethais’s shoulder.
“Do you need or want something currently? I am desperately trying to work so I do not let Lysar down by being late home again. Please may I just do this work and head home, and perhaps we can arrange this meal together for another time?”
Kenon though simply shrugged. “I find it interesting how you are willing to put your partner above literal deities.”
Rethais shook his head. “Deities are forever. Lysar is not. He and I are mortal beings, and thus we must spend as much time together as possible, before we are parted.”
“Hm…” Kenon fell silent, then grunted. “Very well. You make a fair point.”
“May I finish my work, please?”
“Of course.”
With a smile, Kenon squeezed Rethais’s shoulder, perhaps a little too hard. Rethais ignored the brief prick of pain and pulled away.
“I do hope you will reconsider our meal though…” Kenon grunted as he headed for the door. “It would be nice to have you alongside me, along the gods…”
“Perhaps another time…” Rethais muttered, rubbing his shoulder as he went back to his work.