thequarrelsome:

“ Oh… “

That was mostly what Lambert managed to say after his admission. Even that he tried to say in a casual way, trying to hide his own confusion as much as possible. He finally pushed himself off the ground standing up and walking over to his satchel, rearranging all the things Layne just casually dropped in there. Still he wouldn’t say thanks for doing the job. Casual gestures of civility was not really his style.

“ Yeah well…. “

His eyes were concentrating on the satchel and the contents inside. Layne might be very open with… basically everything, but this felt like something was not ready to discuss. He wasn’t even sure if the other held any secrets close to him or was basically an open book. He definitely had certain things that were not acceptable to talk about. Maybe this was something they should talk about eventually, especially if they continued working together, if Layne would continue to use certain gestures against him that he could consider… inviting, that might cause problems.

“ … well this is what happens when you bite my finger, you prick… “

A bit of anger slipped in there, but that was good. That was more like their usual conversations, when they constantly throw insults at one another. Lambert picked up his satchel, threw it over his shoulder as a sign that he was ready to take off. The sun was getting low at this point, but if they were fast enough, they could reach the nearby village and get their payment for both of the griffins. Then maybe after they split the money they could head to the nearest tavern he could drink himself into a state where he can completely forget about the strange happenings of today.

“ Are you going to sit there all night or do you actually want to get paid? “

He could tell there was some internal conflict within the other. Something he was thinking about and couldn’t just let pass. But, if he was being honest, he didn’t care. Lambert’s thoughts weren’t his own and they didn’t seem to be affecting him. Better left alone so he wouldn’t have to pretend he gave a rat’s ass. Though he did watch as the other shifted things around in his bag and properly packed what he’d dropped in. Next time he’d let Lambert get everything from the monster himself.

It wasn’t a surprise that he was hungry after a fight. That he wanted to eat, drink, and be merry for one more creature taken down. And to have watched a fight as good as the two griffins were beforehand was something he found joy in. Definitely the best fight he’d come across in a while. Though the waterskin was tucked away, he took out a piece of dried meat from his bag and chewed on the end of it. His possessions were moved around and organized - well, as organized as the cat school witcher could make it. So in a pile where he knew where everything was.

A smirk spread to his lips as the other mentioned him biting his finger. So that was what got Lambert going for physical confrontation. One act for another, though ‘eye for and eye’ didn’t so much apply when he got the shit kicked out of him for one bite. Still, now that he knew what set him off, he was going to use that information however he wanted. His bag was slung over his shoulder and he stood up. The end of the meat was bitten off as he walked over, the grin still there as he made his way towards the griffins. They had to bring the heads back to get payment and he’d severed them already.

“ Don’t put your hand near my mouth and I won’t bite you. ” That was a fair enough bargain, wasn’t it? “ Next time, I will be taking a finger with me. ”

He pointed over towards the griffin heads and finished off the piece of meat in one go. The salt from preserving it stung wherever there were open wounds but he brushed it off. Not important. He wanted to get paid.

“ You take the small head and I’ll take the big one. Only fair I get to carry the spoils of my bet. ”