AU Fic: Cracked 11
Title: Cracked 11/19
Author: Dria
Rating: PG
Previous Chapters: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
Summary: Their expedition rendered defenceless again, Tuti hatches a plan that somehow involves him not doing much except drinking a lot of wine...
Author's Notes: Finally, chapter eleven! And, as you can see above, I've worked out the structure for the rest of this story - only eight chapters left!!! Huge amounts of thanks and hugs are due to kooriyoukai for sitting in Starbucks with me for two hours while I worked that out ♥
Though the lantern in Captain Washio’s hand was swinging back and forth, Tuti didn’t require much light to see that the soldier’s announcement had been as accurate as it had been unexpected. Barrels of wine, crates of food stuffs and rolls of linen surrounded the trio, but there was an obvious absence of spears, swords and bows in the Isis’s well-packed hold.
‘I don’t understand this,’ Captain Washio said as they retreated back up the ladder and shut themselves into Tuti’s cabin. ‘The weapons were brought onboard, I watched Manabu, Yasuda and Tachibana stagger up the gangway with them, how could they be gone again like this?’
‘Clearly someone’s determined that we should be defenceless,’ Takashi answered the fretful soldier, leaning back against the closed cabin door with his arms folded and a frown on his face. ‘And there’s no way we can pass this off as coincidence either.’
Trying to settle himself in a chair, Tuti nodded his agreement. ‘We’re past coincidences now. Takashi, will you find Daiki, I’m going to need all of your help to decide what we do next.’
Once Takashi had slipped out, Captain Washio asked hesitantly, ‘Is there no one else your Highness wishes to consult?’
‘You suggesting I call Souta? Or Kimeru?’ Tuti snorted a little at the idea of the manicurist, who he still hadn’t seen since his return, making a practical contribution to their dilemma. ‘No, Captain, I want only those I know in my heart I can trust in on this.’
Captain Washio bowed but didn’t pursue the matter, and the two of them waited in tense silence until Takashi ushered a pale-looking Daiki into the room.
‘Whatever’s going on?’ was Daiki’s first question and Tuti had to take a deep breath before he could bring himself to answer it. He tried not to embellish the facts with any speculation, but it was hard when Daiki kept asking questions. Takashi loitering silently in the background didn’t help either, chewing on his lower lip and fidgeting as Tuti explained their predicament to the shocked, scared and suspicious scribe. Captain Washio wasn’t silent though, and when Daiki asked the question Tuti had been trying not to contemplate himself, “So who got rid of the weapons this time?” it was Captain Washio who jumped in and answered it.
‘That’s what bothers me most, Highness, who removed our weapons from the hold? And when? I don’t see how a stranger could have had the time to do it.’
‘Not unless they were keeping a very, very close eye on us,’ Takashi added quietly.
Captain Washio glanced at him uneasily but persisted, ‘I think your Highness should question the crew, someone must have seen something suspicious, might know something, or, with appropriate persuasion, might confess -’
‘You think we have an enemy onboard?’
The suggestion made Daiki’s eyes widen and even Takashi looked nervous as Captain Washio answered, ‘I don’t think we can rule it out.’
‘Well I think we can,’ Tuti announced, deciding to ignore the way Captain Washio was already opening his mouth to protest. ‘I don’t believe my soldiers, my servants or my subjects capable of plotting against me. You’re not just talking about treason, attempting to kill a future Pharaoh is blasphemous too and I think my father’s made it clear how little patience he has with those who disrespect the gods.’
‘With all due respect, Highness, you’re not immortal,’ Captain Washio pointed out.
‘Or invulnerable,’ added Daiki, re-discovering his voice. ‘Being the next living Horus doesn’t mean spears bounce off you!’
‘My point is, why look for an invisible internal enemy when we all know there are those beyond our borders who’d happily see me come to harm?’
When neither Captain Washio nor Daiki responded, Takashi’s voice rose from the back of the room. ‘You’re thinking of the Hittites.’
‘It’s a Hittite plot?!’ Daiki jumped at the suggestion.
Captain Washio was already nodding his head though, ‘They’d be the first suspects, there’s no doubt that destabilising Egypt would benefit the Hittite Empire immensely.’
‘And what better way than by killing off the heir to the throne.’
‘That’s all very well, Tuti,’ interrupted Takashi. ‘But if it is the Hittites, why haven’t they been more successful?’
Daiki frowned. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Think about it, all this stuff has happened with the weapons and that ambush and the ransom note, but it’s all suspicious and unnerving rather than out-right threatening. If we were a normal party of travellers, most people would say we’re just unlucky.’
‘Maybe the Hittites are biding their time? Waiting for us to reach a deserted stretch of the Nile so there’s no chance of anyone coming to our aid?’ Captain Washio suggested.
Takashi nodded slowly, ‘It’s possible but... I don’t know, there’s still something about this mess that doesn’t feel right.’
‘Does it matter?’ asked Daiki. ‘And am I the only one thinking we should scrap the mission and go home?’
‘Impossible; I refuse to let something like this stop me from completing my father’s business.’
‘So what do we do, Highness?’
Tuti slumped back in his chair, frowning at no one in particular, while his three friends waited in silence for his answer.
Eventually, Tuti asked Captain Washio, ‘If your soldiers were armed properly, do you think they could repel an attack on the Isis?’
Captain Washio nodded slowly, ‘The men are well trained, they could hold off a force five times greater than their number if they had their weapons.’
‘But we don’t have any weapons!’ Daiki’s voice rose a little in anxiety and only Takashi placing a hand on his shoulder stopped him taking the complaint any further.
‘No, we don’t,’ Tuti agreed. ‘So we need to get some.’
‘And how do you intend to do that, Highness?’
Tuti shifted in his chair, grinning a little at Captain Washio, as he began to explain. ‘Say someone means me harm, it’s safe to assume that they’re watching the Isis, agreed?’ Barely waiting for his companions to nod their agreement, Tuti ploughed on, ‘We’ve tried to acquire weapons by clear, open means and had our efforts thwarted - the weapons vanish before they can be distributed - so I suggest we go for underhand and sneaky instead.’
‘Meaning?’ Takashi was giving Tuti a look that said quite plainly he didn’t trust his prince at all, but Tuti only grinned wider.
‘Meaning we continue on our voyage south, pretending that everything is fine. We make a lot of noise, drink wine, play music, whatever, anything to make ourselves look innocent and unsuspecting and vulnerable. With luck, any watchers will be deceived, and what they won’t notice is that as soon as it’s dark tonight four of our company slip ashore and head back to the nearest military outpost. Captain Washio, I’m assuming you know the location of every fort down the river?’
‘Of course, Highness.’
‘Then I suggest you give clear instructions to Manabu, Kohei, Tecchen and... let’s say one of the sailors, they’ll need help managing a boat between them. Give them money and a letter of introduction to be addressed to the commander of the barracks, don’t tell them why they’re going, but make sure they know its to be kept secret. It’ll be up to the rest of us to maintain an air of normalcy, their return will probably alert any watchers that we’re on to them, but it should be too late by then.’
‘That’s your plan?’ Takashi asked, as Tuti finished.
‘You don’t like it?’
Daiki blurted out ‘It sounds crazy!’ but to Tuti’s relief, Takashi disagreed with the scribe.
‘It does sound risky, but it’d be far more dangerous for us to continue on our way, knowing that there’s a threat against us and doing nothing.’
‘I know that -’
‘It’s better than sitting around and doing nothing, right Daiki?’ Tuti pushed himself out of his chair, turning his attention to Captain Washio who, though he didn’t look very happy, was at least keeping his reservations to himself. ‘I leave the preparations in your hands, Captain, remember secrecy is our best weapon at the moment. And you’ll have to have a quiet word with Besshi too or else he’ll be tearing the Isis apart looking for his friend the moment he realises Tecchen’s vanished.’
‘Yes, your Highness.’
‘Good. Well then, let’s see if we can manage normality.’
Tuti made a point of clapping Daiki on the arm as he passed him, giving Captain Washio yet another grin and winking to Takashi before he reached his cabin door, but it didn’t do much to calm the churning of his own stomach. Forcing himself to leave his wooden sanctuary was far harder than he was willing to admit, climbing the stairs to the deck made the bare skin between his shoulder blades itch and strolling out across the exposed deck to the awning made Tuti want to bolt for safety. He had to fight to keep his limbs under control, curb the impulse to hide when his own plan dictated he swagger about in full view of anyone watching, either secret or not, to flop onto the cushions and summon his servants with a loud call.
Takashi and the others were following his lead as best they could, but only Takashi was remotely convincing. When Besshi scurried off to bring wine and prepare food, with Captain Washio close at his heels, it was Takashi who called after him, ‘And drag Kimeru out of his cabin while you’re at it, we could do with some music up here.’ On Takashi, at least, the warm smile he gave Tuti didn’t looked strained and Tuti hoped his own effort wasn’t as sickened and weak as Daiki’s.
The scribe was probably doing his best, but the combination of Daiki’s naturally high anxiety levels with the knowledge he’d just been given was making him fidget and he kept looking around, scanning the far river banks and the fields beyond. His twitching got so bad that after a while Tuti had to reach over with feigned casualness and tug on his elbow, ‘Daiki, you’re acting like you’ve never seen a few fields before. Relax, will you? It’s not that different from Lower Egypt.’
‘Yes, your Highness,’ was Daiki’s stiff reply.
‘I didn’t think my secretary was so easily impressed that he stared at mud and villages. What are you going to be like when we’re within sight of the wonders of Thebes?’
Daiki gave Tuti an annoyed glare that helped fuel the laugh that bubbled out of the prince, but Tuti couldn’t sustain the cheery noise when their party was joined by Kimeru and Eiji. Kimeru had his harp under his arm, and required little prompting to begin playing. He soon lost his attention to the vibrations of the strings his fingers were running across, so much so that Tuti wondered if the manicurist would notice if he tried to grope Takashi.
The thought made him chuckle, especially because Takashi was sitting so primly beside him, tanned legs crossed in the classic scribal position and face serene as though their little group had nothing to worry about. But of course they did, and the reminder drove away whatever good humour Tuti had been trying to distract himself with. The music was doing nothing to soothe his own fretful fidgetings, the clear notes of the harp and Kimeru’s voice only accentuating just how quiet the land surrounding them was, and when Tuti shifted his position on the cushions for the fourth time, Eiji passed comment, ‘Are you uncomfortable, your Highness?’
The man sounded mildly worried, but Tuti thought he saw more curiosity than concern on Eiji’s face. The scribe’s eyes were flickering between the three of them - Daiki, Takashi and himself - far too often for Tuti’s liking and the cup of irritation this added to the swirling stew of emotions in Tuti’s belly made him laugh louder than ever. ‘Uncomfortable? No! I’m tired of waiting for my dinner, that’s all! Daiki, go find the servants and hurry them along, would you? And make sure they bring up a few more flasks of wine than they did last night!’
Daiki looked half-grateful, half-frightened at being sent on an errand alone, but he went anyway, tripping over his own sandals and fumbling for the handrail when he reached the stairs.
Tuti didn’t miss the way Eiji watched Daiki go, and the shadow of a frown on the scribe’s face made him snap a question at the man. ‘Don’t suppose you sing, do you?’
***
By the time Daiki returned with four flasks of wine in his arms and two well-laden servants at his heels, Tuti had organised Takashi, Eiji and Kimeru into singing for him. The mix of voices worked reasonably well and, as Tuti always enjoyed hearing Takashi sing, it wasn’t too hard to pretend he was enjoying himself. Not that this stopped the burst of relief he felt when he was able dispense a large quantity of wine into his cup, passing the flasks round and making sure Eiji had plenty of the strong stuff Daiki had accidentally selected. The wine also made it easier for him to swallow his food, enabling him to stuff a good deal down his throat and convince even Eiji that he’d been restless earlier because of hunger rather than anything else. Naturally, Takashi barely drank a drop and ate just as little, but no one noticed enough to comment on it because Tuti wasn’t letting anyone hold an empty cup. Even Daiki’s appetite returned after he’d had a drink, and before long he was joining in the laughter eagerly, his face flushed from the alcohol and his body slipping against Eiji’s.
The party was so merry and loud that even Takashi didn’t seem to have noticed how much the Isis’s motion had slowed as night began to descend. By comparison, Tuti had been waiting for it; he’d kept half an eye on Captain Washio as the soldier had moved about the deck from one coil of ropes to the next, making little adjustments, and he excused himself from the group once nightfall had become complete.
‘Where you off to, Highness?’ Eiji asked with no small amount of slurring.
‘To take a piss,’ Tuti laughed back. ‘What else?’
The others laughed at him, returning to the platters of food Besshi kept refilling and the cups of wine that everyone was now topping up for each other. None of them, not even Takashi (who was carefully looking elsewhere), observed the way Tuti didn’t stagger across the deck to the prow. None of them saw him being met there by Captain Washio, or the way Tuti slung an arm round the other man’s shoulders. None of them saw Tuti shake hands with cloaked figures or heard the whispered words of encouragement and dismissal he gave them. In fact, no one paid Tuti any attention at all until he reappeared in the circle of lamplight, flopping back down beside Takashi in such a way that he could use his friend’s thigh as a pillow.
‘S’pose you’ve drunk too much to play in tune, haven’t you Princess Kime?’
***
Tuti’s attempt at being funny and good-humoured lasted until the stars were fully out and the moon was shining low and full in the sky. Pretending to be amused and carefree was difficult when he’d drunk more than he should, eaten far less, and Takashi’s thigh was tense and felt about as soft as a boulder of limestone, which meant using him as a cushion wasn’t all that comfortable. One yawn from his rock-like cushion was enough, therefore, for Tuti to lift his head and declare himself exhausted.
‘You’re tired already?’
Numerous flasks of wine hadn’t dented Eiji’s curiosity but Tuti responded with a laugh he turned into a fake yawn that echoed another from Takashi. ‘What can I say; ambushes and attempted kidnappings take it out of me. You coming Takashi?’
Takashi required no extra persuasion than that, hauling himself to his feet after Tuti and waving goodnight to the rest of the group with a smug ‘I hope you all have hangovers tomorrow!’
Their cabin was warm and dark when they reached it. Tuti’s sandals caught on the threshold in an attempt to trip him up that only failed because Takashi’s arm had made its way round his waist without him noticing. Tuti bumped his forehead against Takashi’s temple after their inelegant entrance, muttering as he did so, ‘You need to get me into bed before I fall down, Takashi.’
‘Nothing new there then,’ came the soft reply as Takashi slowly used his free hand to light a second lamp from the one Besshi had left burning.
Depositing the second lamp nearer the bed, Takashi pushed Tuti upright and laughed when the prince swayed on the spot. ‘Are you really feeling the effects of the wine that badly?’
Tuti grinned lopsidedly, arms now slung lazily over Takashi’s shoulders so that he could run his fingertips up and down his partner’s spine. ‘Maybe I am, maybe I’m not, you’ll have to get me into bed and find out.’
One of Takashi’s perfectly kohl-painted eyebrows rose at the suggestion, though Tuti now couldn’t remember when his companion had had time to apply make-up, and a slight grin slipped out as he blindly reached down to yank the bed covers back.
The action brought a mischievous smirk to Tuti’s face that lasted until he had to ask, ‘Takashi... why are you hissing at me?’
TBC
Author: Dria
Rating: PG
Previous Chapters: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
Summary: Their expedition rendered defenceless again, Tuti hatches a plan that somehow involves him not doing much except drinking a lot of wine...
Author's Notes: Finally, chapter eleven! And, as you can see above, I've worked out the structure for the rest of this story - only eight chapters left!!! Huge amounts of thanks and hugs are due to kooriyoukai for sitting in Starbucks with me for two hours while I worked that out ♥
Though the lantern in Captain Washio’s hand was swinging back and forth, Tuti didn’t require much light to see that the soldier’s announcement had been as accurate as it had been unexpected. Barrels of wine, crates of food stuffs and rolls of linen surrounded the trio, but there was an obvious absence of spears, swords and bows in the Isis’s well-packed hold.
‘I don’t understand this,’ Captain Washio said as they retreated back up the ladder and shut themselves into Tuti’s cabin. ‘The weapons were brought onboard, I watched Manabu, Yasuda and Tachibana stagger up the gangway with them, how could they be gone again like this?’
‘Clearly someone’s determined that we should be defenceless,’ Takashi answered the fretful soldier, leaning back against the closed cabin door with his arms folded and a frown on his face. ‘And there’s no way we can pass this off as coincidence either.’
Trying to settle himself in a chair, Tuti nodded his agreement. ‘We’re past coincidences now. Takashi, will you find Daiki, I’m going to need all of your help to decide what we do next.’
Once Takashi had slipped out, Captain Washio asked hesitantly, ‘Is there no one else your Highness wishes to consult?’
‘You suggesting I call Souta? Or Kimeru?’ Tuti snorted a little at the idea of the manicurist, who he still hadn’t seen since his return, making a practical contribution to their dilemma. ‘No, Captain, I want only those I know in my heart I can trust in on this.’
Captain Washio bowed but didn’t pursue the matter, and the two of them waited in tense silence until Takashi ushered a pale-looking Daiki into the room.
‘Whatever’s going on?’ was Daiki’s first question and Tuti had to take a deep breath before he could bring himself to answer it. He tried not to embellish the facts with any speculation, but it was hard when Daiki kept asking questions. Takashi loitering silently in the background didn’t help either, chewing on his lower lip and fidgeting as Tuti explained their predicament to the shocked, scared and suspicious scribe. Captain Washio wasn’t silent though, and when Daiki asked the question Tuti had been trying not to contemplate himself, “So who got rid of the weapons this time?” it was Captain Washio who jumped in and answered it.
‘That’s what bothers me most, Highness, who removed our weapons from the hold? And when? I don’t see how a stranger could have had the time to do it.’
‘Not unless they were keeping a very, very close eye on us,’ Takashi added quietly.
Captain Washio glanced at him uneasily but persisted, ‘I think your Highness should question the crew, someone must have seen something suspicious, might know something, or, with appropriate persuasion, might confess -’
‘You think we have an enemy onboard?’
The suggestion made Daiki’s eyes widen and even Takashi looked nervous as Captain Washio answered, ‘I don’t think we can rule it out.’
‘Well I think we can,’ Tuti announced, deciding to ignore the way Captain Washio was already opening his mouth to protest. ‘I don’t believe my soldiers, my servants or my subjects capable of plotting against me. You’re not just talking about treason, attempting to kill a future Pharaoh is blasphemous too and I think my father’s made it clear how little patience he has with those who disrespect the gods.’
‘With all due respect, Highness, you’re not immortal,’ Captain Washio pointed out.
‘Or invulnerable,’ added Daiki, re-discovering his voice. ‘Being the next living Horus doesn’t mean spears bounce off you!’
‘My point is, why look for an invisible internal enemy when we all know there are those beyond our borders who’d happily see me come to harm?’
When neither Captain Washio nor Daiki responded, Takashi’s voice rose from the back of the room. ‘You’re thinking of the Hittites.’
‘It’s a Hittite plot?!’ Daiki jumped at the suggestion.
Captain Washio was already nodding his head though, ‘They’d be the first suspects, there’s no doubt that destabilising Egypt would benefit the Hittite Empire immensely.’
‘And what better way than by killing off the heir to the throne.’
‘That’s all very well, Tuti,’ interrupted Takashi. ‘But if it is the Hittites, why haven’t they been more successful?’
Daiki frowned. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Think about it, all this stuff has happened with the weapons and that ambush and the ransom note, but it’s all suspicious and unnerving rather than out-right threatening. If we were a normal party of travellers, most people would say we’re just unlucky.’
‘Maybe the Hittites are biding their time? Waiting for us to reach a deserted stretch of the Nile so there’s no chance of anyone coming to our aid?’ Captain Washio suggested.
Takashi nodded slowly, ‘It’s possible but... I don’t know, there’s still something about this mess that doesn’t feel right.’
‘Does it matter?’ asked Daiki. ‘And am I the only one thinking we should scrap the mission and go home?’
‘Impossible; I refuse to let something like this stop me from completing my father’s business.’
‘So what do we do, Highness?’
Tuti slumped back in his chair, frowning at no one in particular, while his three friends waited in silence for his answer.
Eventually, Tuti asked Captain Washio, ‘If your soldiers were armed properly, do you think they could repel an attack on the Isis?’
Captain Washio nodded slowly, ‘The men are well trained, they could hold off a force five times greater than their number if they had their weapons.’
‘But we don’t have any weapons!’ Daiki’s voice rose a little in anxiety and only Takashi placing a hand on his shoulder stopped him taking the complaint any further.
‘No, we don’t,’ Tuti agreed. ‘So we need to get some.’
‘And how do you intend to do that, Highness?’
Tuti shifted in his chair, grinning a little at Captain Washio, as he began to explain. ‘Say someone means me harm, it’s safe to assume that they’re watching the Isis, agreed?’ Barely waiting for his companions to nod their agreement, Tuti ploughed on, ‘We’ve tried to acquire weapons by clear, open means and had our efforts thwarted - the weapons vanish before they can be distributed - so I suggest we go for underhand and sneaky instead.’
‘Meaning?’ Takashi was giving Tuti a look that said quite plainly he didn’t trust his prince at all, but Tuti only grinned wider.
‘Meaning we continue on our voyage south, pretending that everything is fine. We make a lot of noise, drink wine, play music, whatever, anything to make ourselves look innocent and unsuspecting and vulnerable. With luck, any watchers will be deceived, and what they won’t notice is that as soon as it’s dark tonight four of our company slip ashore and head back to the nearest military outpost. Captain Washio, I’m assuming you know the location of every fort down the river?’
‘Of course, Highness.’
‘Then I suggest you give clear instructions to Manabu, Kohei, Tecchen and... let’s say one of the sailors, they’ll need help managing a boat between them. Give them money and a letter of introduction to be addressed to the commander of the barracks, don’t tell them why they’re going, but make sure they know its to be kept secret. It’ll be up to the rest of us to maintain an air of normalcy, their return will probably alert any watchers that we’re on to them, but it should be too late by then.’
‘That’s your plan?’ Takashi asked, as Tuti finished.
‘You don’t like it?’
Daiki blurted out ‘It sounds crazy!’ but to Tuti’s relief, Takashi disagreed with the scribe.
‘It does sound risky, but it’d be far more dangerous for us to continue on our way, knowing that there’s a threat against us and doing nothing.’
‘I know that -’
‘It’s better than sitting around and doing nothing, right Daiki?’ Tuti pushed himself out of his chair, turning his attention to Captain Washio who, though he didn’t look very happy, was at least keeping his reservations to himself. ‘I leave the preparations in your hands, Captain, remember secrecy is our best weapon at the moment. And you’ll have to have a quiet word with Besshi too or else he’ll be tearing the Isis apart looking for his friend the moment he realises Tecchen’s vanished.’
‘Yes, your Highness.’
‘Good. Well then, let’s see if we can manage normality.’
Tuti made a point of clapping Daiki on the arm as he passed him, giving Captain Washio yet another grin and winking to Takashi before he reached his cabin door, but it didn’t do much to calm the churning of his own stomach. Forcing himself to leave his wooden sanctuary was far harder than he was willing to admit, climbing the stairs to the deck made the bare skin between his shoulder blades itch and strolling out across the exposed deck to the awning made Tuti want to bolt for safety. He had to fight to keep his limbs under control, curb the impulse to hide when his own plan dictated he swagger about in full view of anyone watching, either secret or not, to flop onto the cushions and summon his servants with a loud call.
Takashi and the others were following his lead as best they could, but only Takashi was remotely convincing. When Besshi scurried off to bring wine and prepare food, with Captain Washio close at his heels, it was Takashi who called after him, ‘And drag Kimeru out of his cabin while you’re at it, we could do with some music up here.’ On Takashi, at least, the warm smile he gave Tuti didn’t looked strained and Tuti hoped his own effort wasn’t as sickened and weak as Daiki’s.
The scribe was probably doing his best, but the combination of Daiki’s naturally high anxiety levels with the knowledge he’d just been given was making him fidget and he kept looking around, scanning the far river banks and the fields beyond. His twitching got so bad that after a while Tuti had to reach over with feigned casualness and tug on his elbow, ‘Daiki, you’re acting like you’ve never seen a few fields before. Relax, will you? It’s not that different from Lower Egypt.’
‘Yes, your Highness,’ was Daiki’s stiff reply.
‘I didn’t think my secretary was so easily impressed that he stared at mud and villages. What are you going to be like when we’re within sight of the wonders of Thebes?’
Daiki gave Tuti an annoyed glare that helped fuel the laugh that bubbled out of the prince, but Tuti couldn’t sustain the cheery noise when their party was joined by Kimeru and Eiji. Kimeru had his harp under his arm, and required little prompting to begin playing. He soon lost his attention to the vibrations of the strings his fingers were running across, so much so that Tuti wondered if the manicurist would notice if he tried to grope Takashi.
The thought made him chuckle, especially because Takashi was sitting so primly beside him, tanned legs crossed in the classic scribal position and face serene as though their little group had nothing to worry about. But of course they did, and the reminder drove away whatever good humour Tuti had been trying to distract himself with. The music was doing nothing to soothe his own fretful fidgetings, the clear notes of the harp and Kimeru’s voice only accentuating just how quiet the land surrounding them was, and when Tuti shifted his position on the cushions for the fourth time, Eiji passed comment, ‘Are you uncomfortable, your Highness?’
The man sounded mildly worried, but Tuti thought he saw more curiosity than concern on Eiji’s face. The scribe’s eyes were flickering between the three of them - Daiki, Takashi and himself - far too often for Tuti’s liking and the cup of irritation this added to the swirling stew of emotions in Tuti’s belly made him laugh louder than ever. ‘Uncomfortable? No! I’m tired of waiting for my dinner, that’s all! Daiki, go find the servants and hurry them along, would you? And make sure they bring up a few more flasks of wine than they did last night!’
Daiki looked half-grateful, half-frightened at being sent on an errand alone, but he went anyway, tripping over his own sandals and fumbling for the handrail when he reached the stairs.
Tuti didn’t miss the way Eiji watched Daiki go, and the shadow of a frown on the scribe’s face made him snap a question at the man. ‘Don’t suppose you sing, do you?’
***
By the time Daiki returned with four flasks of wine in his arms and two well-laden servants at his heels, Tuti had organised Takashi, Eiji and Kimeru into singing for him. The mix of voices worked reasonably well and, as Tuti always enjoyed hearing Takashi sing, it wasn’t too hard to pretend he was enjoying himself. Not that this stopped the burst of relief he felt when he was able dispense a large quantity of wine into his cup, passing the flasks round and making sure Eiji had plenty of the strong stuff Daiki had accidentally selected. The wine also made it easier for him to swallow his food, enabling him to stuff a good deal down his throat and convince even Eiji that he’d been restless earlier because of hunger rather than anything else. Naturally, Takashi barely drank a drop and ate just as little, but no one noticed enough to comment on it because Tuti wasn’t letting anyone hold an empty cup. Even Daiki’s appetite returned after he’d had a drink, and before long he was joining in the laughter eagerly, his face flushed from the alcohol and his body slipping against Eiji’s.
The party was so merry and loud that even Takashi didn’t seem to have noticed how much the Isis’s motion had slowed as night began to descend. By comparison, Tuti had been waiting for it; he’d kept half an eye on Captain Washio as the soldier had moved about the deck from one coil of ropes to the next, making little adjustments, and he excused himself from the group once nightfall had become complete.
‘Where you off to, Highness?’ Eiji asked with no small amount of slurring.
‘To take a piss,’ Tuti laughed back. ‘What else?’
The others laughed at him, returning to the platters of food Besshi kept refilling and the cups of wine that everyone was now topping up for each other. None of them, not even Takashi (who was carefully looking elsewhere), observed the way Tuti didn’t stagger across the deck to the prow. None of them saw him being met there by Captain Washio, or the way Tuti slung an arm round the other man’s shoulders. None of them saw Tuti shake hands with cloaked figures or heard the whispered words of encouragement and dismissal he gave them. In fact, no one paid Tuti any attention at all until he reappeared in the circle of lamplight, flopping back down beside Takashi in such a way that he could use his friend’s thigh as a pillow.
‘S’pose you’ve drunk too much to play in tune, haven’t you Princess Kime?’
***
Tuti’s attempt at being funny and good-humoured lasted until the stars were fully out and the moon was shining low and full in the sky. Pretending to be amused and carefree was difficult when he’d drunk more than he should, eaten far less, and Takashi’s thigh was tense and felt about as soft as a boulder of limestone, which meant using him as a cushion wasn’t all that comfortable. One yawn from his rock-like cushion was enough, therefore, for Tuti to lift his head and declare himself exhausted.
‘You’re tired already?’
Numerous flasks of wine hadn’t dented Eiji’s curiosity but Tuti responded with a laugh he turned into a fake yawn that echoed another from Takashi. ‘What can I say; ambushes and attempted kidnappings take it out of me. You coming Takashi?’
Takashi required no extra persuasion than that, hauling himself to his feet after Tuti and waving goodnight to the rest of the group with a smug ‘I hope you all have hangovers tomorrow!’
Their cabin was warm and dark when they reached it. Tuti’s sandals caught on the threshold in an attempt to trip him up that only failed because Takashi’s arm had made its way round his waist without him noticing. Tuti bumped his forehead against Takashi’s temple after their inelegant entrance, muttering as he did so, ‘You need to get me into bed before I fall down, Takashi.’
‘Nothing new there then,’ came the soft reply as Takashi slowly used his free hand to light a second lamp from the one Besshi had left burning.
Depositing the second lamp nearer the bed, Takashi pushed Tuti upright and laughed when the prince swayed on the spot. ‘Are you really feeling the effects of the wine that badly?’
Tuti grinned lopsidedly, arms now slung lazily over Takashi’s shoulders so that he could run his fingertips up and down his partner’s spine. ‘Maybe I am, maybe I’m not, you’ll have to get me into bed and find out.’
One of Takashi’s perfectly kohl-painted eyebrows rose at the suggestion, though Tuti now couldn’t remember when his companion had had time to apply make-up, and a slight grin slipped out as he blindly reached down to yank the bed covers back.
The action brought a mischievous smirk to Tuti’s face that lasted until he had to ask, ‘Takashi... why are you hissing at me?’
TBC