By gods was Timaeus desperate for a drink.

It had been a little under a week since the Colchian Feast and so much had happened in the Baron’s life that he could have sworn that a whole year had passed before him. Of course, there had been the political drama that had unfolded regarding the monarchy, but Timaeus’s personal life had been thrown into turmoil as well.

Maleos might have seen at the feast how his best friend had an extreme stroke of luck in getting to spend the evening with Nana of Leventi. A Leventi of all people. That sort of thing was simply unheard of for a lowly Colchian Baron like himself. After all, the Taengean dynestia was well known for being picky in their suitors. That was how two of the girls had ended up on a throne and if how close Prince Vangelis and Lady Selene was any indication? A third daughter would be joining the ranks of her sisters soon. Timaeus had thought himself the luckiest man in the world when the fourth daughter of Georgios and Evelli had shown an interest with him -- even going as far as to indulge the Baron in a do-over meal after the fiasco of the feast. The Valaoritis was certain that he had been struck by Eros’s bow, blessed by Aphrodite, or had some other sort of divine intervention to be so lucky.

Though, that was before he had discovered the catch to Nana’s affections. She had thought that he had been one of the Kotas brothers. He couldn’t exactly blame her for making such a mistake as it was well-known that Timaeus shared an uncanny resemblance to Vangelis. (By pure accident, of course. All of the Valaoritis men have always had similar appearances to the royals for some unknown reason.) It also didn’t hurt that Yiannis was in Athenia at the time of the Feast, so there had been an empty seat at the royal table. So, he could understand the confusion. However, what he couldn’t understand was her reaction to what was ultimately her own mistake. Instead of laughing it off or maybe politely ending any sort of flirtation at the moment that the truth had been revealed, as any normal person would, Nana had unceremoniously dumped him on that beach. Timaeus had spent a week sending her letter after letter, begging her to give him another chance. Or at least not blame him for not knowing that she was mistaken… but there was nothing, but silence. It was like Timaeus was dead to Nana.

But that did nothing to stop the quickening of his own pulse when he thought of the blonde noblewoman. She might not be keen to reciprocate them, but Timaeus couldn’t deny that there were feelings blossoming within him for the girl that wanted nothing to do with him.

Oh, how could the gods be so cruel?

As Timaeus entered the tavern that the two soldiers had previously agreed upon as a meeting spot, he could only hope that his friend would not inquire about how things were with the Leventi. The Baron had not divulged to anyone how quickly things had fallen apart. Not when he had other things to worry about rather than fixating on a girl who was too self-absorbed in how she looked with a tiara on her head. Things like his brother. Good gods, things were just as bad with Silanos, especially given that the lordling was now Vangelis’s slave. Maleos would probably want to discuss that as well.

The Baron hoped that he could delay the conversations about these sorts of things as he caught sight of Maleos across the room and eagerly crossed over to the other man. A wide beam crossed his face as he greeted the other man. “ Maleos! I almost thought you would abandon me here in favor of prepping the men. Good gods, that could not have gone better could it?” Timaeus exclaimed as he referred back to how well the Armory meeting had gone for Maleos and himself. His best friend would be at the forefront of the action, spearheading a plan that he had helped devise. Maleos had much to be happy about this evening. Timaeus too, but this was really his friend’s night.

He was pleased though that the night hadn’t started early for Maleos as the Baron spied the full krater and water pitcher right next to it. A sly smile crossed his face as he slid into his seat, quickly commenting on how Maleos had waited for him, “ I am glad to see that you haven’t touched the wine yet. Let me handle it, we’re not having any of that watered-down shit tonight.”

Reaching for the krater that the serving girl had put down for the men, Timaeus was quick to pour a minimal amount of water into the mixing jug. Most men, if they wished to avoid getting drunk would have poured at least three-quarters of the amphora into the decorated container of strong wine, not the half that the Baron did. It was clear that the younger man had every intention of having a fun time with his best friend and he wasn’t going to let Maleos sidle out of this chance to get shitfaced with Timaeus. That was only solidified when Timaeus took the water jug and placed it closer to him so the Captain couldn’t reach it as the Baron took the two kylixes and dipped it in the lightly diluted wine.

He passed the now full cup to the military leader with a small wink and the slight reassurance, “ Go on, we have much to celebrate. No point in staying sober throughout it.” The slightest giddy smile slipped onto Timaeus’s face as he spoke, but it was more to set the other man at ease than anything else. Timaeus knew how strait-laced Maleos could be and normally this wasn’t a bad thing -- it was this trait of his that had encouraged Timaeus to name the man as his successor when he retired to focus on the Barony. However, that meant that it wasn’t as easy for the man to let go as easily as Timaeus could go. He was no stranger to his drunk self, he had no reservations of letting that side of him come out. Especially when they were here to talk about happy things, not the usual memories that Timaeus fixated on when a kylix was placed into his hands.

It was true, the men did have much to celebrate that evening. Both of them had emerged from the Armory meeting with a newfound reputation for being excellent strategists. Or at least Maleos certainly did. Timaeus didn’t know if his suggestion of concealing the troops was on the same level as the Captain’s plan, but the Valaoritis man was going to count it as a win -- especially after how it was coming on the heels of Damocles’s shattering his own standing in the art. Seven Hades, that alone made Timaeus feel as if he had won the whole war after how disrespectful the other Captain had been in Timaeus’s house. Given that Maleos also did not hold a high opinion of the man, it was clear that this was probably a subject that the men would be toasting before night’s end.

However, Timaeus already knew that Maleos, the dutiful sober captain, was unlikely to request to meet the Baron here if he wished to discuss the failures of their common pest. No. the Baron knew his best friend too well to ever let himself be fooled by that notion. No, there was clearly something on the Eubocrisian’s mind, but Timaeus didn’t have a clue what this could be. Certainly, Maleos wasn’t the political type and the Captain already had full command over everything related to the Men of the Heights. So, whatever it was, it probably wasn’t directly related to the war effort. It was likely to be something else…

As Colchians were not ones to beat around the bush, Timaeus took a long sip from his own kylix before being frank with his friend. “ I have a feeling that there is much on your mind besides celebrating, dear friend. Go on, what is it?” His tone was jovial, teasing even as he goaded the man into divulging whatever was plaguing his thoughts enough that he would agree to get drunk with his friend. Timaeus even went as far as to joke about how eager the Baron was to have an excuse to drink by continuing, “ It’s better that we discuss it now before I find the bottom of this cup or who knows what kind of state I’ll be in?” A hearty laugh escaped the Baron’s lips as he chased the first swallow down with a second.

Little did he know that this drink that Timaeus so clearly loved will soon enough become very unappealing the moment Maleos divulged the truth of how the sister of Magnus had been plaguing the Captain’s mind. Yes, the knowledge that his best friend was falling in love with the slimeball’s sister would be very unappealing indeed….

Timaeus was grateful that his friend had decided to not wait to share his happy news until a later point in the evening. After all, had Timaeus been several glasses in, he likely would not have believed the words that tumbled from Maleos’s on account of how outlandish the whole notion truly was. Maleos? In love?? If wasn’t for the giddy look on the captain’s face when he divulged such information, Tim would have called him a liar. Not when Tim had spent the last four years joking about how Aphrodite was so repulsed by his friend that she cursed him to fall in love with his sword instead -- all in good fun, of course.

It just didn’t seem possible that there could be anyone that could be capable of capturing Maleos’s attention. As far as Timaeus knew, the man was already practically married to his job. If the man wasn’t eating, sleeping, or doing the gods only knew what; Maleos was with the men. His sheer dedication to his role as a leader was one of the chief reasons why Timaeus had chosen him out of all the Lietenuants in the Unit to be his successor. There was literally no one more dedicated to the unit and quite frankly, Timaeus doubted that there ever would be another quite like Maleos when they were all dead and gone. So the whole notion that his best friend had even met a girl, let alone fell in love with her, seemed to be so improbable that Timaeus felt encouraged to swallow down another mouthful of the wine to make sure he was actually awake as the only explanation he could fathom for all of this was that this was some sort of twisted dream.

Even though Timaeus was having a difficult time accepting the validity of the whole affair, he was indeed happy for his friend. That much was made clear through the exuberant grin that crossed his face as Maleos divulged not only how he met the girl, but his plans to marry her if they make it back from Egypt in one piece. The grin broke into a fit of laughter when Maleos admitted that he met her in a sword shop. That really shouldn’t have surprised him, but at least it wasn’t one of the archers in the unit. “Of course you did. Tell me though did you fall in love with the girl or the sword first?” He lightheartedly teased. As excited that Tim was that his friend was finally getting to properly see how grand women could be, there was no way that Maleos was going to get out of this without a few jokes at his expense.

However, there was something less pleasant feeling that was creeping up the back of his throat. Even though Timaeus was genuinely happy for his friend and was eager to let the man talk to kingdom come about this girl that had managed to complete the Herculean task of capturing the captain’s heart, it reminded Tim of how he almost had similar news to share with his friend. Or at least he did before the girl who had his heart all aflutter decided that he wasn’t good enough for her. That wound was still a little more than fresh and was half the reason why Tim had no qualms with drinking barely-watered wine. He wanted to have fun and forget about Nana.

It seemed to be that speaking of Leto would be an excellent start.

By this point, Timaeus had nearly a full glass in his system. He was still fairly sober, but soon enough he would be well on his way to being a drunken mess. Maybe that was why he didn’t make the connection between the girl and the slimeball who was currently chasing after Tim’s cousin. However, there wasn’t the faintest glimmer of recognition somewhere within him which spurred the Baron to Maleos more about her. “Leto of Chaossis? I think I’ve heard her name before… have you talked about her before?” His words were only slightly slurred as he spoke, but he was still coherent enough to be understood. Not wanting Maleos to be left out of the giddy fun, Timaeus motioned for his friend to down his own goblet with the help of a little gentle encouragement, “Drink, Maleos. Drink. This is good news and that should be celebrated.” His words were punctuated with a little laugh as he reached to refill his glass.

As Tim not-so-wisely refilled his goblet, the Baron thought over his friend’s intentions to marry this Leto girl. Maleos would need his formal approval for such a union as this was one of the powers that he held as the leader of Eubocris. In truth, this aspect of his job was usually the most laborious given the amount of time he’d have to spend listening to petitions and sorting through data to ensure that any bride price paid was fair and just. Although, when the time came, they would have to make another request with one of the girl’s family members present, Timaeus could make a promise to his friend here in this bar about how that petition would go. “Well, whoever she is… You have my blessing Maleos. You deserve to be happy and not so damn lonely all the time.” As heartwarming as the moment was, the current state of the man speaking almost made it comedic. He hoped that his friend would not mind as this was a happy occasion.

Little did they know how quickly this could turn if Maleos mentioned that Leto was the Master Informer’s sister or asked questions about Tim not-so-secret paramour...

“But what is she like Maleos? Certainly, you did not fall in love with a brick wall…” He quietly muttered, directly asking his friend to divulge the reasons that he fell in love with the girl. After all, in case things didn’t work out with Leto, Tim would know what had caught his friend’s eye. Maybe then the Captain’s best friend could help steer a few girls (or priestesses of Aphrodite) Maleos’s way and not have them sent back to him like they always had been…

Timaeus knew that the man before him was not the touchy-feely type. Emotions were a complex and distant thing for Maleos, which in many ways was the understatement of the year. After all, up until this point, Tim was fairly certain that his best friend would have spent his whole life without ever entertaining the thought of settling down. It was just inconceivable to think that the Captain would do anything else. The mere fact that Maleos himself was confessing to this now being a reality made this whole moment feel like some sort of surreal fever dream and the two goblets worth of wine in the younger man did not make this situation seem any more tangible. There was a very real chance that tomorrow morning Tim would not recall a single word of this conversation. Even if he managed to piece his memories back together, the Baron would not hesitate to write this all off as a drunken falsehood. Maleos would likely have to retell this to the Baron at a later date and there was little doubt that Tim would call his friend a liar for developing any sort of feeling that wasn’t directly related to honor or duty.

However, that would be dealt with later. For now, the two friends could enjoy this moment with a sense of drunken giddy. That was probably what caused Timaeus to practically roar with laughter when Maleos confirmed the man’s suspicions about who had captured the Captain’s heart first. Maleos was most certainly a soldier to his core, wasn’t he? Tim was half tempted to make some sort of joke about forgetting the girl and just marrying the sword instead, but stringing words together in a clever way was a task that required too much brainpower this evening. If his friend was serious about possibly marrying her, Tim would certainly have plenty of opportunities to make later on down the road. It would be smarter to save any wit for then. Otherwise, such quips would grow fairly tedious very quickly and Timaeus would rather not be hit upside the head by his close friend for annoying jokes anytime soon.

“You’re such a downer Maleos. Have a little faith, the gods will see through to victory, I am certain of it.” Tim was quick to counter when the Captain tried to bring a harsh dose of reality into their light-hearted conversation by reminding the drunken man that there was a chance that they could all die in the sands of Egypt. This wasn’t a reality that any man wanted to face, let alone one in either of their positions. They both had families that would miss them, people who would be irreparably shattered should their breath be snuffed out. It was far too terrifying to think of the impact that this would on those left behind. This was an explicitly forbidden topic in Tim’s mind as he knew how easily a death could tear this family apart and he had no faith in his brother’s leadership qualities. Silanos was a danger to himself at best. Tim didn’t want to think about how quickly the family name could be run into the ground if Silanos stood at the helm. It helped that Tim would take an advisory position, hopefully keeping himself out of the line of fire, but that didn’t mean that the Baron would be completely safe. No one would be in the sands of Egypt.

Even though Timaeus would rather not think of such things, these dark thoughts began to creep into his mind. The Valaoritis under Silanos would be a disaster under his brother and the fear of this possibly becoming a reality was enough to spur the Baron to make an unusual request of his friend. “Maleos?” He started to say, summoning all the sincerity that a drunk man could muster, “If something happens on the front and I… I don’t come back, can you help him. Push him to make the right decisions?” Tim had no idea what his friend would think of his sudden request, especially as it was more than obvious that Silanos did not like Maleos. This was a promise that would be an absolute uphill battle at every turn as his little brother could be as stubborn as a mule sometimes, but if anyone could take it on… it would be the man across from him. Tim half-heartedly wished that there was a way to name Maleos his heir instead. Both Eubocris and the Valaoritis name would be in safe hands if the Captain was at the helm. Seven hades. With the workaholic in charge, Timaeus had no doubts that both would be raised to a level of greatness previously unseen.

It was impossible though. There was no blood relation between the two men and Tim had no sisters that he could marry instead of Leto. The best Maleos could do if he agreed to this promise would keep to an advisory position. If he made this promise to Tim.

Given what it entailed, that was a pretty big if.

Though with the sheer amount of wine sloshing in their bellies, it was nearly impossible for the men to be glum and gloomy the entire time. Especially not when Maleos broached the one topic that would have them both hunched over double with laugher by the time it was done; the shut-down of Damocles at the war meeting. Even the mere memory of it was enough to coax a small fit of laughter out of the Baron as he sputtered out, “Did you see his face? He looked like he was two seconds away from murdering the General.” It was no secret that the two men from Eubocris held no love for the Captain from the far reaches of the North. Their dislike was not strong enough to be considered hatred, but it was still enough to take joy in how quickly the man had been humbled. Timaeus, in particular, had a certain bone to pick with Damocles as the other man had shown him nothing, but disrespect within his own household. In an honor-bound society like theirs, this was a grave insult and it would likely be a long time before Timaeus would ever have a kind word about the man. Although Tim did not know Maleos’s feelings about Damocles, but he suspected it would be fairly similar.

“He’s not so much of a strategist now, is he? I say we drink to that.” Tim said with a large grin as he lifted his wine glass up again. It was not a secret that Damocles prided himself on his ability to come up with brilliant military plans that could send any enemy running for the hills. Though, now it seemed unlikely that any of these would come to fruition now that Prince Vangelis halted the warrior in his tracks with a simple no. This was not just some small embarrassment either. Damocles had been shamed in front of the entirety of the military leadership. Clearly, this was not something that the Captain would easily recover from and Tim could not say that he felt the least bit sorry for him. If you asked the bitter man who was fully intent on never letting that man step foot into his home again, Damocles deserved it. After all, it never hurt to remind the Captain that he was just a mortal.

However, that was just Tim’s thoughts on the matter. He knew that there was a rather personal element to his distaste for Damo. That made him curious where Maleos stood on the issue as it was likely to not be as strong as his comrade. He couldn’t wait to hear what his friend would have to say about the man who had made a fool of himself at the war meeting.

Timaeus was all too aware of the fact that there was precious little that Maleos would be able to do if the worst was to come to pass and Silanos was left as the Baron. His younger brother was the sort of man who listened to no one, but his own fleeting whims. Sil was the King of stubborn fools and it was more than likely that any personal grudges that the little lordling held against Maleos would become the grounds for dismissing the man outright at any attempts to offer counsel. Timaeus knew this. The Gods only how many times he had already lived this narrative with the young man. The Baron had tried practically every method he knew in an attempt to break through to the boy and impart on him the gravity of what he had been born into. All of it had failed. There was no reason for the current Head of House to think that was going to change any time soon.

Of course, a part of him held out hope that Prince Vangelis was going to knock some sense into the fool. However, that was a fairly minuscule part of him. Timaeus had worked with the man in the past and he knew that their future king was not the sort to hold Sil’s hand and gently point out what he was doing was wrong -- especially when the honor of his sisters were on the line. Call the Baron paranoid, but he was fairly certain that the prince had only taken Sil under his wing to wait for the lord to slip up and give him a justification to kill the braggart without needing to cause a scandal that could affect both of their houses. Which would eventually happen. Silanos was Silanos and there was no way that he was going to change his ways; even if it was his own neck on the line. Timaeus knew his brother well enough to know that the kid was never going to change.

Maybe it would bring the captain across from him some sort of somber comfort to know that it was unlikely that Sil was going ever going to see any sort of leadership position. Not that Maleos was ever actually going to know this. There weren’t many secrets between the brothers-in-arms, but this was one thing that Timaeus had elected to obscure from the man he trusted with his life. It wasn’t a decision that was made lightly or some sort of reflection of possible distrust -- the crimes his brother committed against the royal family were just so grand that it was the sort of thing that should be brought to the grave by the only three men who knew the truth of what had happened that night. Timaeus would have loved to confess what had really spurred him to lock his brother in his room until Maleos agreed to take him into the unit, but it was just too dangerous. This was just the sort of thing that no one was to be trusted with. Not when Prince Zanon already made it clear that murder was far from being off the table for this crime.

Either way, he was grateful that Maleos had indulged his request in this unlikely scenario. That was something that the former captain made clear with a quiet statement of gratitude, “Thank you.” The words were barely above a whisper and his own drunken state made it hard to convey that how much it truly meant to him that his friend would make this sort of sacrifice by subjecting himself to advising the twerp, but he was sure that Maleos would understand. “He might be a little shit, but he’s still a Valaoritis. We’ve got a terrible reputation to uphold.” A sly drunken grin crossed his face as he referenced the fact that most of his family was hated in the province. Eh, the people might not like them, but they got the job done for the Kotas and that was all that really mattered wasn’t it?

A sudden and strange feeling of guilt washed over him as he thought about how he was asking so much of Maleos, but offering absolutely nothing in return. He might be drunk and his thoughts were fuzzy, but he knew that he should at least offer the same. “May the gods keep us alive as we cut down the sand rats.” He started to say as he lifted his glass in a mini-toast, “But if you don’t come back and I do, you have my word that I’ll look after your kin too. Make sure they’re alright… might even chase off any suitors for this Leto girl for you...” Would Timaeus actually honor his friend in this way? Probably not. Or at least Tim wouldn’t be dumb enough to try once he knew who her brother was and why her name was so familiar, but it was more the thought that counted than the actual promises made by a man that was currently drunk off of his ass.

With a light bout of laughter to accompany his words, the conversation shifted away from more morbid subjects to the reason why they had gathered in this tavern in the first place. Poor Timaeus had made the mistake of trying to take a swig of his drink as Maleos spoke, causing the Baron to practically choke on the liquid as the Captain suggested that their common enemy should have taken up the garb of a poet instead. It took him a moment to recover as his attempts to breathe were thwarted by his own chuckles, but once Timaeus had recovered he didn’t bother holding back his thoughts. “As if anyone would laugh at you while he was in the room, blathering on about Alexandria of all things! Honestly, he was one fancy word away from being skewered by a dozen blades. Who does he think he is to disrespect Prince Vangelis like that? Or better yet -- how does he still have his head after that show?” Timaeus knew that Damocles was powerful in the province that he had come from, but that didn’t necessarily mean that his word was the only one that had to be considered like the man had seemed to think at the moment. Timaeus’s house had been commandeered in order for all the military minds in Colchis to come together -- not just so they could listen to the blabbering of one Drakos man.

“I will personally pay for his ticket to Athenia if he wants to take up the garb of a poet. Let him be their problem instead so us men could actually get the work done.” A sly smirk crossed his face as he made the insinuation that Damocles’s penchant for a larger vocabulary somehow undercut his masculinity. Though, in an odd sort of way, it did in Timaeus’s eyes. Now the Baron did not like the man. That was more than painfully obvious to anyone who had ever seen the two of them interact and this more than likely blinded him to any good traits that the man might have -- which if Timaeus was pressed to admit, there would be quite a few. However, the combination of the disrespect at the war meeting, the suspicious behavior during the murder investigation, and the irrational decisions he had made at the battle camp had a sour taste fill his mouth with every mention of the man’s name. The two of them did not get on and likely never would. That had been long established years ago.

“He’s not part of your group, right?” Timaeus asked, his mind growing fuzzy about who had been given to which commander. However, this grouping had also included the Eubocrisian Captain on account that he had been the one to suggest the strategy that the Colchians would be utilizing on the battlefield when the time came for them to kill some Egyptians. It was a good sign for his friend, especially if he wanted to move up in the world. After all, it was rare to see a Captain being given the duties and honor of a higher-ranked officer and it was something that even Tim could take note of in his drunken state of mind. “You know, they’re probably gonna make you a commander if we survive this…” There would be no reason for the Kotas not to do so if his friend’s plan worked. It was pure genius and that was the sort of skills that they needed on every battlefield, not just the ones that the Eubocrisian’s fought in. Timaeus was not keen on seeing his friend move away from the Men of the Heights, but if the gods decided that his friend was worthy of the honor, who was he to disagree with their will?

Though more importantly, Timaeus was curious about what his friend had to think about such a bold prediction…