Chapter 148: Say aaahhh

Irin led the way outside. The sun felt nice against her skin as she tried to soak up its warmth. Nenhir's story had left her feeling cold. She called for Noodle and he came flying, looking smug, a feather still sticking out of his mouth.

"Did you catch the birdie?" Irin asked as he landed on her shoulder and she scratched his head.

"He is beautiful," Nenhir told her.

"He is," she agreed. He took a cup, covered in what looked like a thin membrane, from his robes.

"Can you ask him to open his mouth? I promise he won't get hurt," Nenhir asked. Irin nodded.

"You heard him, Noodle. Open up," she said. Noodle looked at her, and then at Nenhir. His tongue came out and tasted the air. Then he decided to listen and obediently opened his mouth wide. Irin looked expectantly at Nenhir. She was curious about what the next step was. He was just staring at Noodle, then at Irin and finally at Koth.

"Are you joking?" he asked. Irin was confused and when Koth chuckled, she looked at him. He understood why his friend looked so bewildered.

"What?" she asked.

"He has no fangs!" Nenhir pointed out.

"Oh," she said. Koth just laughed. "You need fangs?" she asked.

"Of course I need him to have fangs," Nenhir told her.

"Watch the tone," Koth reminded him. Irin waved his warning away.

"Don't mind me, I don't take offence. If I did, I couldn't live with such a grump," she reassured Nenhir.

"I don't use a tone like that to you!" Koth objected.

"But you grumble," she reminded him. "Noodle, show this nice man your pretty fangs," she then said. Noodle, still with his mouth wide open, obliged. Nenhir gasped as he saw the fangs extend.

"That little trick saved me a lot of money," Koth told his friend proudly.

"Amazing," Nenhir whispered. Then he held out the cup towards Noodle. "Would you please bite down on it?" he asked the snake. Noodle didn't hesitate. He bit down, held his bite for a second and then withdrew. Apparently happy with his little show, he curled around Irin's neck and went to sleep. Nenhir took the membrane off the cup and looked into it.

"That's an impressive bite," he told them and tilted the cup to let them see. Irin could see a pool of clear liquid at the bottom. She leaned in a little closer and sniffed. Immediately she recoiled and rubbed her nose. The smell of the venom almost had her eyes watering.

"Are you okay?" Koth asked, worried, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's not dangerous to smell, is it?" he asked his friend. Nenhir shook his head.

"No, it's just not a pleasant experience. Sorry. I should have warned you," he said.

"No, no. I shouldn't just go around sniffing things. I should know better," she told him, still rubbing her nose. She felt a little silly but at least she had learned never to do it again.

Koth took his friend up to the workshop; they had some ideas about how to use the venom in spells for their trip to the stone circle. Irin let them do their thing and went back to her garden and resumed the work she had been doing that morning. Noodle curled up in her lap and enjoyed the sun.

"What are you doing?" Nenhir asked. Irin hadn't noticed how late it was. She must have been working for a couple of hours.

"Koth needs new handkerchiefs," she told him. Then she looked behind him.

"He is making lemonade. Apparently it's the only suitable beverage option for you," he told her before she asked. Irin smiled.

"I like lemonade," she told him. He chuckled.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked.

"Not at all." Nenhir sat down next to her.

"He is different," he told her out of the blue.

"Who? Koth?" she asked.

"Yeah. Not in a bad way. He seems at ease, like he has found his place in life. Don't get me wrong, he is still a grumpy sort, but happier."

"Is it a good thing?" Irin wanted to know. He chuckled.

"It is. Most wizards live for the craft. We obsess over magic and spells and new ways to craft them. When a wizard finds someone that can look past all of that and see what is beneath, it is always a good day," he told her. She smiled at him.

"He's an amazing person. I knew it from the start. Okay, maybe not from the start. I may have thought he was a jerk and an idiot when we first met," she confessed and Nenhir laughed.

"Sounds like him," he agreed, and Irin laughed as well.

"What are you laughing about?" Koth asked as he came walking with a pitcher and glasses.

"None of your business," Nenhir told him as Irin took the pitcher from Koth so he could sit down as well.

"Lemonade, my favourite. Thank you," she told him and kissed his cheek.

"You are trying to distract me so I won't ask about the laughing," he pointed out. She shrugged.

"Maybe. Maybe we were just talking about you," she said.

"I don't think so. You are just trying to confuse me," he grumbled. Nenhir laughed and took the pitcher from Irin and poured the lemonade. They spent another hour in the garden. Talking, laughing and trying to stay away from sad or serious topics. Noodle got restless after a while and set off to see what he could hunt. They watched him for a while until he got tired and flew over to the horses and landed on Glima's back.

"Meghart and Milar will arrive in the morning," Irin said as they got ready to head inside.

"It has been a long time since the three of us met at once," Nenhir said. "I'm curious if being a mentor has changed him."

"Don't count on it," Koth chuckled. "Maybe Nenhir and I will cook tonight," he then added.

"I was looking forward to another amazing meal, but I'm happy to do my part. Would porridge work for everyone?" Nenhir asked. Irin laughed.

"I'm more than happy to cook. I enjoy it. But Koth will set the table and do the dishes," she said.

"Why me? Why can't he help?" Koth asked, looking like a kicked puppy. Irin gave him a quick kiss.

"Because he is a guest," she told him.

"I knew I liked you, Irin," Nenhir said as he chuckled. Irin found she really liked the wizard. He was a little rough around the edges, but he was a good man. Just like Koth. She could feel there was a sadness underneath his grumpy exterior. She didn't ask about it. He had a right to his own secrets. Whatever they were, she felt like she could trust him. The three of them continued to talk as she cooked, Koth set the table and Nenhir teased him about it.

When they finally went to bed, Koth pulled her closer and kissed her.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?" she asked.

"For accepting my friend as your own. I know we aren't always fun companions. When we start talking magic, we tend to forget that not everyone finds it as interesting as we do," he told her.

"You forget who you are talking to. The magical discussions are amazing," she said. "And I like him. He is sweet and a good person."

"I forgot that you are perfect," he said and kissed her again.

"I'm not perfect, Koth," she objected.

"You are perfect for me."