Page 110 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
“Rufus,” Brownie started by pouring a glass for her crush and then one for herself.
“… Yes?” The beastman hesitated but picked up his glass and returned her mock toast.
The bard looked Rufus in the eyes before downing the entire glass of mead. Then she gently placed her glass down, moved her elbows onto the table, and rested her chin on her now interlaced fingers.
“Let’s play a game.”
CHAPTER 67
My Constitution Was Kicking Me in the Assets
Rufus
The bimbleberry mead was fruity and nutty but smooth. The unique undercurrent of honey brew meant it had a natural light sweetness that went down easy. It was like drinking freshly pressed berry juice without the bitter or tart flavors so commonly mixed in. It was also strong enough to give my Constitution twenty-four a challenge.
Still, my greatest vice was a fine glass of wine. Or mead, as the case may be. I enjoyed a long sip before setting the glass down on the table. My fingers played with the rim of my glass.
“A game?” I asked. Brownie eyed my hand, distracted. The mead had already hit her, I could tell, causing a rising blush to creep up her neck and flush her face. Her prominent cheeks, often dusted with glitter, were bare save for the heat.
Settle down, tail. I was lucky she was even still talking to me.
“Yes.” Bronwynn wagged a finger at me.
I liked her fingers.No, concentrate. “What kind of game?”
“Fifty questions!” she stated. “Actually, twenty questions. I don’t want to be here all night.”
The hair raised on my arms and my tail curled, but I remained poised. The show of a confident general was a skill that came in handy in all areas of life, but more so now than ever. “I don’t think we have the time—”
“You can ask meanything. And I’ll answer the truth,” Bronwynn whispered seductively. Or maybe she was just speaking normally, and I was overthinking everything.
I took another sip. Somehow, my glass was already almost empty.
The facts remained, I’d lied to her, stalked her, and taken advantage of her hospitality. I didn’t know if she would be able to trust me again, even if sheunderstood where I was coming from. Which it sounded like she did. And there were so many things I wanted to know …
Still, better to play it safe. “Ten questions each.”
“What … is your favorite song?” Bronwynn asked so quickly that she almost cut me off.
The answer was obvious. “Any song you sing.”
She slapped the table. “That’s not a real answer!”
“Fine.” I thought about it. “‘Balthorn Rose.’”
“Really? Why?” Bronwynn raised an eyebrow, then quickly waved her hands in front of her. “Wait, that wasn’t my second question! Hm … When did you first hear me sing?”
“The first time I heard you sing was in Peldeep last year. You were playing at Herman’s Club,” I recalled, remembering the night my entire world had changed. “And I’ll tell you this for free: I love ‘Balthorn Rose’ because, even though I can barely understand half the lyrics, I love the harmonies and the melody. It gets stuck in my head all the time, and it drives me crazy that I won’t get to hear you sing it until hopefully the next concert.”
“You could always ask,” Brownie pointed out.
I was spoiled. And I was an idiot. Because I’d been asking for specific songs all the time, I’d missed out on hearing the songs that Ididn’tknow about.
She offered and after I nodded, Brownie refilled both of our glasses.
The second glass hit harder than the first, but I had impressive stamina. I’d accepted the second glass, but I wouldn’t accept a third. My king was always talking about my monstrous Constitution; little did he know I didn’t min-max my stats. I had a healthy amount of points distributed among my attributes.
