He sounded grim, like he expected to pronounce a death sentence. He always sounded grim. If Gwendal actually allowed himself to be optimistic the seas would boil and Anissina's inventions would work and the universe would snap like a stressed rubber band.
"Oh?" Yozak reclined easily against the door and was visibly unimpressed by the grim promise.
There was a stand-off then: Gwendal hunched over his desk and apparently determined to impress the gravity of this situation upon his subordinate, and Yozak slumped and informal across the room and apparently oblivious.
It was broken when Yozak said casually, "Hey, Taichou," and a heartbeat later Conrad made the turn into the hallway. The redhead leaned back slightly to toss him a welcoming grin, quickly met with Conrad's amiable smile.
Conrad took a few steps into the room, pausing near the entrance to process the tension. "You wanted to see me, Gwendal?" he said, unfazed.
"It's been brought to my attention that in recent months the two of you have..." Gwendal scowled further, clearly uncomfortable. "That the two of you may have developed a conflict of interests."
The words rang grimly in the air.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean by a conflict of interests," Conrad said politely.
Yozak said thoughtfully, "I wonder if he wants to know if we're fucking?"
Gwendal slammed a hand down on the desk, a flush barely visible over his cheekbones. "Don't play games, just answer the question!"
"Since you asked so nicely." It was all the tall redhead could do to keep from smirking. "Why, yes, we ARE sleeping together."
"I don't see how it's relevant," Conrad added. He wasn't blinking at the topic any more than Yozak.
Perhaps it was the fact that neither of them were in the least bit ashamed of sharing this information, or the fact that they even exchanged a smug look while the Mazoku lord seethed, but either way Gwendal demanded in his calmest voice, "Really? Neither of you see any possibility for complication?"
All the usual arguments were boiling up under the surface, what if it gets weird, what if you have to make a choice...
"You're seeing too much into this, Gwendal." Conrad was apparently taking the slower, gentler response. He would ease Gwendal into an acceptance of their relationship and soften the blows as much as he could.
There was a much better way to go about it, in Yozak's opinion. "Sex is natural, Your Excellency." He barely kept himself from adding, You should try it sometime.
"You," Gwendal snapped, apparently aware of the irreverent thought. "I'm assigning you to-- Cabalcade."
"Why?"
"I'll think of a reason!"
"Can Taichou come?"
"No."
"That's too bad," Yozak mourned. "The women there wear the cutest outfits. I could've modeled them for you... in private, right Taichou?" Conrad's smile twitched subtly wider.
Gwendal was going to lose this one, and he already knew it. He just didn't want to know as much as Yozak was happily willing to share about their sex life.
KKM, Gwen & YozCon: "The Best Policy"
He sounded grim, like he expected to pronounce a death sentence. He always sounded grim. If Gwendal actually allowed himself to be optimistic the seas would boil and Anissina's inventions would work and the universe would snap like a stressed rubber band.
"Oh?" Yozak reclined easily against the door and was visibly unimpressed by the grim promise.
There was a stand-off then: Gwendal hunched over his desk and apparently determined to impress the gravity of this situation upon his subordinate, and Yozak slumped and informal across the room and apparently oblivious.
It was broken when Yozak said casually, "Hey, Taichou," and a heartbeat later Conrad made the turn into the hallway. The redhead leaned back slightly to toss him a welcoming grin, quickly met with Conrad's amiable smile.
Conrad took a few steps into the room, pausing near the entrance to process the tension. "You wanted to see me, Gwendal?" he said, unfazed.
"It's been brought to my attention that in recent months the two of you have..." Gwendal scowled further, clearly uncomfortable. "That the two of you may have developed a conflict of interests."
The words rang grimly in the air.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean by a conflict of interests," Conrad said politely.
Yozak said thoughtfully, "I wonder if he wants to know if we're fucking?"
Gwendal slammed a hand down on the desk, a flush barely visible over his cheekbones. "Don't play games, just answer the question!"
"Since you asked so nicely." It was all the tall redhead could do to keep from smirking. "Why, yes, we ARE sleeping together."
"I don't see how it's relevant," Conrad added. He wasn't blinking at the topic any more than Yozak.
Perhaps it was the fact that neither of them were in the least bit ashamed of sharing this information, or the fact that they even exchanged a smug look while the Mazoku lord seethed, but either way Gwendal demanded in his calmest voice, "Really? Neither of you see any possibility for complication?"
All the usual arguments were boiling up under the surface, what if it gets weird, what if you have to make a choice...
"You're seeing too much into this, Gwendal." Conrad was apparently taking the slower, gentler response. He would ease Gwendal into an acceptance of their relationship and soften the blows as much as he could.
There was a much better way to go about it, in Yozak's opinion. "Sex is natural, Your Excellency." He barely kept himself from adding, You should try it sometime.
"You," Gwendal snapped, apparently aware of the irreverent thought. "I'm assigning you to-- Cabalcade."
"Why?"
"I'll think of a reason!"
"Can Taichou come?"
"No."
"That's too bad," Yozak mourned. "The women there wear the cutest outfits. I could've modeled them for you... in private, right Taichou?" Conrad's smile twitched subtly wider.
Gwendal was going to lose this one, and he already knew it. He just didn't want to know as much as Yozak was happily willing to share about their sex life.