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Patia's eyebrows went up when she opened her door and saw Laerryn standing on the other side. "It's two o'clock in the morning," she said dryly. "Is it important?"
Laerryn crossed her arms in front of her chest, her body practically vibrating with energy in a way that Patia was fairly certain didn't bode well. "I'm getting a divorce," she said, her voice like ice.
Her face was all but expressionless, cold and unfeeling in a way that most people assumed meant a lack of emotion on her part. Patia knew her well enough, though, to tell that Laerryn was clearly on the edge of a breakdown. There were a thousand different emotions dancing in her eyes, anger and heartbreak and love and hate and confusion all mixed together, carefully hidden beneath a mask that was slowly starting to crack.
Patia resisted the urge to sigh out loud. She'd honestly been expecting this conversation ever since her friend had excitedly told her she was getting married in the first place, and the only thing that surprised her was how long it had taken for the relationship to fall apart.
Well, that and Loquacious's atrocious timing in doing whatever he'd done this time. Why was it always the middle of the night when things went wrong?
"Come inside then," Patia said, moving aside and gesturing for Laerryn to stop standing in the doorway. "I'll get us some wine."
*
The two of them had been lovers once upon a time, when they'd been younger and more foolish. Well, they'd frequently had sex with each other at least. "Lover" wasn't quite the right word for the relationship that had existed between them, but there wasn't truly one that fit. It hadn't been love, at least not anything of the romantic kind. They'd been acquaintances, and then they'd become friends, and then it had been simpler for a while to go to each other for more physical needs than trying to deal with partners who wanted more than either of them were willing to give.
They both knew what the other wanted, and neither of them pressed for more. For a while, it had worked. They'd both had goals. They'd both had needs. It had been the perfect solution.
They'd drifted apart as they'd grown older, at least in some ways, their friendship shifting and changing as the years turned into decades and moved on towards the century mark. That's just how life went. The more physical aspects of their friendship had faded as time passed, relationships with others coming and going more often.
Still, they always seemed to find their way back to each other when they needed it most.
That's just how it went.
*
Patia wasn't surprised when Laerryn kissed her, not really. She tended to wear a mask in public, keeping everyone around her at arm's length, but she wasn't a fool. She could read others just as well as anyone most of the time, at least when it came to people she knew, and she'd known the moment her friend had shown up at her door that she was there for comfort. And, well, what was more comforting than sex?
It wasn't the first time, after all, and it most likely wouldn't be the last.
One kiss led to more, as it always did, Laerryn's lips pressing against every bit of Patia they could reach and Patia returning the favor moments later. Clothes were pulled off and tossed aside, bare skin against bare skin bringing back memories for both of them. They both knew the other's body as well as they did their own, no matter how much time had passed since the last time they had explored each other.
Electricity sparked across Laerryn's fingers as her hand slipped between Patia's legs, the sensations that followed shifting slowly between pleasure and pain. Patia gasped, her back arching, before she called ice to her own fingertips.
Two could play at that game.
*
"I've decided that I'm not going to kill him," Laerryn said decisively, her gaze focused on the ceiling. Her voice was calm, not a hint in it that they'd just spent the last several hours distracting each other quite thoroughly.
Patia blinked and glanced to her side. "I hadn't realized murder was potentially on the table," she said. "Are you sure? I'd be glad to help get rid of the body. It's not as if it would be the first time."
Laerryn laughed. Or, at least, she made a sound that Patia was fairly certain she intended to be a laugh. It came out a bit too much like a strangled sob to properly be one. Still, she knew better than to bring that up.
The two of them lay there in silence for several minutes, neither of them feeling the urge to break it with unnecessary talk. Patia simply breathed in and out while Laerryn quietly cried, until the moment had passed and they both had themselves under control again. Neither of them commented. What was there to say?
"We should probably try to take some time to trance," Patia said finally, careful to keep her voice aloof. She knew better than to tell Laerryn what she should or shouldn't do, and actually telling her that it was time for them to get some rest was more likely to convince her to stay awake for a week straight out of spite.
Judging by the huff that came from beside her, Laerryn knew exactly what she was doing.
"Fine," Laerryn said, sounding more amused than irritated. "I suppose it wouldn't be the worst idea you've ever had."
*
Patia wasn't surprised to walk into her kitchen and find Laerryn already there, the pot of coffee in front of her well on its way to being emptied. She wasn't prone to wasting more time than was needed for trancing, but she'd never been able to get by on as little rest as her friend could.
"Who won the bet?" Laerryn asked, not even glancing up from whatever it was she was reading. There was a hint of what sounded like actual curiosity in her voice.
"What bet are you talking about?" Patia asked as she walked over and poured herself some of the remaining coffee.
Laerryn looked up at that, an unamused look on her face. "When I first told you that Quay and I were getting married, your exact words were 'are you out of your mind?' before you started checking for signs of foreign magic," she said pointedly. "Clearly, you knew it wasn't going to last, and if you knew then everyone knew. So who won the bet?"
Patia took a long sip of coffee. Then she sighed. "Cerrit," she said. "Are you surprised?"
The corners of Laerryn's mouth turned up in what looked suspiciously like a smile. "Not in the least bit," she said, shaking her head. "Why does he always win?"
Patia shrugged at that. "I think he cheats."
Laerryn snorted before turning back to her reading.
For a moment, Patia stood there watching her. Laerryn wasn't paying her any mind, her attention clearly focused elsewhere. It felt right, the two of them sitting there drinking coffee first thing in the morning, the events of the night before showing on their skin if anyone took the time to properly look at them.
It wouldn't last. It never did.
For the time being, though, it was more than enough.