Alcoholic type of mood

Larkin watched with satisfaction as Tic drank, and smiled as he relaxed. He took the glass from the boy’s hand, whispering, “That’s enough for now. It’ll last you.” He waved over a servant and gave the man the two glasses. He ordered that they be kept, should he and the boy want another drink. The servant gave a quick bow, and looking annoyed once his back was turned, strolled away.

Looking back at Tic, Larkin draped his arm about the boy’s shoulders, and before he could suggestively question if Tic knew how to dance, saw out of the corner of his eye that someone was coming near. He turned, eyebrows creasing as a blindly spinning girl fell into him. Larkin had instinctively reached out and caught her, but seeing an unattractively freckled face and unkempt kinky hair, he shoved her away from him. He scrunched up his nose as she staggered away.

His eyes shifted elsewhere, catching the gaze from someone across the room. He immediately became concerned with himself and smoothed his hair with his fingers, and tugged at the wrinkles the drunk had put in his outfit. He glanced up to make sure Tic was still at his side, and seeing that he was, his smile returned to him quickly. Larkin did not know what to expect from the boy when he looked away, and felt that it would be best to leave him with a friend if he wanted to go find something else to do. It would be embarrassing to lose him and have to have him found again. They might think Tic didn’t like the Shrike’s company.

And it was just then that when Larkin had been too caught up in his thoughts about the boy, the only other person as drunk as the freckled girl was, found their way to him. This time the jolt of someone slamming into him was enough to tense Larkin’s muscles and clench his fists. But surprise was there to keep the oncoming outburst at bay for a moment. Matthias was the last person Larkin had expected to be seeing at his party.

“What are you doing here?” he growled, eyes narrowing. The question was more for the guards who had conveniently forgot to mention that Matthias had escaped and, apparently, been hiding away in his castle, under his very nose.

His nose that caught the happy-to-see-you-too punch from Matthias.

Larkin’s hands flew to his face, and after the pain subsided, were there to make sure nothing had been damaged. The hit had sent him to the floor, and he quickly got back to his feet, straightening his shoulders. Everyone was looking now; everyone was there to see what would be done about this. Guards had seen too, and were running from their posts.

But Larkin was going to handle it on his own. By the time the guards were there, Matthias was on the floor and shouting to raise regret from the ruler, who had turned to grab Tic and throw him into the arms of one of the governors. The woman grasped Tic by the shoulders and pulled him back into the lines of the crowd that were forming rather quickly.

The guards had kept Matthias on the ground while Larkin had turned his back, staves threatening to send a shock through him. Larkin lifted his hand and waved them off, “No, let him get up.”

And that was just what Matthias did, completely ignoring the spectators and charging at Larkin. The man turned himself slightly, and met the other with a lion’s swipe of his arm. It caught Matthias in the jaw, and spun him around in the other direction. Being Larkin’s favorite area of attack, the sole of his boot found Matthias’s back and put him right where he’d came from, on the floor.

There was applause and a wave of laughter. Larkin looked up at the ring of people around him. He gave them a modest smile and shallow bow.

Aiming to take advantage of the moment, Matthias leapt at Larkin’s legs and wrapped his arms around them. His weight alone took Larkin to the floor, and unfortunately for him, put his face in the way of the man’s feet. The first kick didn’t get him off and neither did the second, but the fifth to his head freed Larkin’s other leg. Standing, and looking rather annoyed, he kicked Matthias again, but in the side this time.

With one hand clutching his ribs, and slurring smart-ass comments, Matthias got to his hand and knees. But that was it before Larkin’s boot found his stomach and sent him back down. Again and again Larkin kicked him, and now the beating wasn’t for the crowds, it was for Larkin’s endless (usually) pent up anger.

Matthias rolled each time with the force of the kick, consciousness threatening to slip away from him soon.

“Larkin,” someone spoke. It was one of the governors. He was an older man, still very sharp, but graying. He’d enjoyed the beating during its first few moments, but saw that Larkin was having one of his fits again. There might have been something about this blue haired character he didn’t know, but if Larkin wasn’t stopped, he’d kick the man to death.

Hearing his name spoken with such ease caused Larkin to turn. He smiled brightly, as if to reassure the older man that he was still in control of himself. The look on his face made it obvious that he thought Larkin had done enough, and the mild scolding Larkin felt from the older governor touched a spot. He wiped his bleeding nose, and turned back to Matthias.

He reached down and gripped the front of the barely conscious man’s shirt, and pulled him up, giving him a kiss on the forehead. He threw him back to the floor, waving at the guards to come and throw him out. He wasn’t going to put the man back into his dungeons. He’d done that, what, twice now? It didn’t seem to help much. Killing him then and there would have solved the problem completely, but it didn’t enter Larkin’s mind. He’d had a little much to drink.

Then, they flocked around him. Women, mostly, come to offer their hankies for his bleeding nose. He accepted one and casually cleaned the blood from his face, chuckling and asking them if there had been any further damage to his good looks. Oh no, they said, not at all. Once his nose was clean, he gave the hanky to a servant, and waved them all back to their dance partners, all disappointed that no further attention was given to them by Larkin.

He glanced about to locate Tic and the governor, but before he could catch sight of them, he saw someone else. He’d caught her looking at him earlier, but didn’t stop to take a closer look at her. He did now, but it just wasn’t close enough. She looked nervous under his scrutiny and he gave her a wicked grin, lifting a finger and beckoning her closer.