Page 223 of Phoenix's Fire

"C'mon, pretty boy!" another guy yelled in Rymar's direction. "Qavan says you can suck - "

"Enough!" Rymar snapped, pulling away from his guy.

"Shit," Saveah grumbled.

"Baby," the red guy was saying. "He's just joking."

"And I think you've all had enough," Rymar said. "C'mon. Time to call it a night, guys. I have customers trying to have a meal here. If you want a bar, there's one down the street."

"Yeah, but they don't have free booze," the loudmouth shot back. "I mean, Q's dating money now, right? Got himself a hot piece of ass with cash to spare."

"Galson!" the red man snapped. "You're drunk."

"I'm right, though," Galson, the loudmouth said. "We all know Rymar's just down to fuck."

Rymar pushed away from the bar as if he was about to leave, but the red guy caught his arm. "Rymar?" he begged. "He's drunk." Then he pulled Rymar closer, wrapping an arm around his back. "Just ignore him, okay? Or maybe get him another bottle. He'll pass out soon enough."

Then the guy leaned in to kiss Rymar again, but before their mouths could connect, Rymar pressed a hand to Qavan's chest, holding him off.

"I'm suddenly not feeling it," he said.

"Q, don't piss off the money man!" Galson taunted.

I saw the red man say something else, but couldn't hear it from over here. Again, he tried to lean in. This time, his hand caught Rymar's neck, pulling their faces together, but my friend was tense. He wasn't trying to lean in. For the first time, I understood what Zasen had been telling me about how the way a person reacted showed if they wanted to be kissed or not.

And then Rymar pushed. "I said no!" he snapped before thrusting his arm out, pointing towards the door. "Time to go."

"Aww, man!" one of the men at the table grumbled.

"We're just having fun," Qavan tried.

"And I'm not," Rymar said. "So go home. Sleep it off."

"I need another bottle," Galson whined.

"Right now, you can leave without owing me a thing," Rymar said. "Keep begging, and you'll get the whole check." He stepped back from Qavan a little more. "Out. All of you."

"Rymar..." the red man tried.

But Rymar just lifted his hands between them like a shield. "I'm not your boy toy," he said, "and I'm certainly not your sugar daddy."

"Fuck you, Rymar!" Qavan stepped into Rymar's face. "I was trying to have a little fun."

"And I'm not," Rymar said, standing taller and leaning in. Behind him, his tail whipped furiously. "I thought we had something, Qavan, but it seems I was just a piece of ass. At least I know I'm a good enough fuck to brag about. Now it's time to go."

Behind the bar, a few employees were gathering. I felt bad for my friend, wondering how I could help make this better, but it seemed the employees weren't trying to gawk or gossip. They were moving in, and as soon as Rymar backed away, three men came to escort the group out.

"Hey!" Qavan called back at Rymar. "Remember how you said no one wanted to date you? Well, this is why! You need to fucking relax, asshole. Bright colors and a big dick don't make up for shit like this."

"And there'll be another guy just like you!" Rymar yelled back.

The employees were pushing the group of men towards the door, herding them almost. Around the dining area, everyone seemed to be watching, but it was as if Rymar didn't notice them. At least that was the impression he gave right up until he dropped his head and sighed.

It only lasted one second, but I saw how his shoulders slumped. I could see him clenching his fists tightly in frustration. I couldn't count how many times I'd had that moment myself, when my best attempt to keep my polite mask wasn't enough and I had to reset.

"What do I do?" I asked, looking over at my sister.

"Go," she told me. "We can worry about this letter later. Right now, I think he needs a friend, and you're it."

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