Chapter 250 - 248: Siblings At Heart.

Chapter 250: Chapter 248: Siblings At Heart.

​"Not so easy huh, Loac?" Khobi snickers, once he’s calmed down a bit and Binny’s managed to salvage the batter.

And get most of the flour off his face. It’s still all through his hair. Loac doesn’t seem to have realised that he’s got flour on his face, and both Binny and Khobi have, by unspoken agreement, decided not to tell him.

​"Shut up," Loac grumbles, for approximately the hundredth time since entering the kitchen this morning.

It’s losing some of its bite after so many repetitions, and the heat of the kitchen must finally be getting to him because there’s sweat starting to bead on his forehead and his dark skin is starting to take on a red hue.

"I’ll get you back for this. Just you wait."

​Khobi has a snarky retort ready on his tongue but Binny gives him a pleading look.

​"Khobi, please don’t wind him up when he’s got a knife."

​He decides he can be gracious just this once, so instead of responding he just lifts his mug and takes a long, gloating swig of ale.

And when Loac glowers at him from across the bench it tastes like victory.

​The honeycakes themselves are a different matter.

​Even with Binny’s supervision they come off the heat looking kind of the wrong colour, and when they’ve finally cooled enough that they’re safe to eat they’re way too sweet, super dense, and really, really dry.

​Edible? Mostly.

​But not good.

​It takes Khobi a long time to finish just one, and by the time it crawls down his throat there’s barely any moisture left in his mouth and he has to prematurely down most of his second mug of ale to wash away the remnants.

Binny sensibly takes the one he was about to eat and puts it back.

​"They’re bad aren’t they?" Loac says grimly, and well, Khobi’s not gonna sugarcoat it for him.

​"They’re not great," he states, and Loac scoffs, like that was the answer he was expecting.

He still doesn’t seem pleased about it, though.

​Khobi still takes a second one.

​"You asked for it," he points out, and Khobi knows that but he can’t say it because his mouth his so dry and the honeycake so crumbly.

Loac makes a face as he struggles to swallow, adding, "Hey, what’re you doing?"

​"I’m not wasting good food," Khobi finally manages to splutter, and asks the servants to bring him water instead of ale.

If he keeps washing these things down with alcohol he’s going to be plastered in no time flat.

​"You sure this counts as good food?" Binny remarks, nose wrinkling as he eyes the wrinkled texture of the honeycakes with equal measures of disdain, confusion, and fascination.

Khobi’s not too sure what he’s getting all high and mighty about it; he was meant to be supervising, after all.

Although as per agreement, he had little hand in the actual making and had been there more in an instructional capacity. And on cleanup duty.

​Khobi doesn’t really know what’s happened either.

Out of interest he’d tuned in to Binny’s instructions and from what he remembers of the steps they didn’t seem all that difficult.

How Loac’s managed to butcher a simple recipe is quite beyond him.

​By the time he’s finished the fourth one, he’s feeling uncomfortably full.

Not from the honeycakes, but from all the water he’s had to wash them down with.

So when Loac makes a grab for one, he doesn’t even try to stop him.

​He takes one bite, spits it out, and then decisively throws the rest of the batch in the fire.

​Khobi is honestly kind of relieved.

​He would’ve eaten them all out of principle, but he’s really, really glad he doesn’t have to.

​" Gross ," Loac growls, and leans across the bench to steal the rest of Khobi’s water, "Why the fuck would you eat any of those?"

​"A deal’s a deal," Khobi reminds him, even though he’s pretty sure that eating them was never part of it.

Loac could’ve made him the most delicious tray of honeycakes the castle has ever seen and he could’ve fed them to Montrel’s horse.

That would’ve probably been pretty satisfying, come to think of it.

​" Ugh ," Loac grimaces, smacking his lips and gesturing for a refill, and ale this time –presumably to get the taste of defeat and his abomination of a sweet treat out of his mouth.

One immediately appears at his side. Another materialises by Khobi, which he didn’t ask for but he’s glad of.

​"It’s a shame," he remarks offhandedly, taking a sip as he watches the honeycakes slowly burn to black on the fire. They smell just dreadful.

"If they’d been any good I might’ve let you steal a couple for your cousin." Mug halfway to his mouth, Loac pauses.

​"...Yeah, well, they sucked," he says, voice so flat that Khobi can’t help but snicker into his drink.

For once, he doesn’t bother arguing. What he does do, however, is thank Binny for his help since Loac hasn’t made any effort to, and the servant dips into a generous bow.

​"You know me," he chirps, "Always glad to be of service." Khobi makes a face, because if that isn’t one of the worst lies Binny’s ever told him.

​" Are you ?"

​Binny just winks at him, and promptly vanishes, the way these servants always seem to vanish.

Khobi peers after him for a time but as usual, finds no sign of him.

He’s would’ve liked if he’d stick around for a few moments more to maybe share a drink with him, especially since he didn’t even get a honeycake.

(Although that was probably for the best.) It feels kind of wrong that he was one of his first allies in this place yet he’s the one he hasn’t had the chance to do something like that with.

He’s even wound up drinking at the same table as Loac here in the kitchen –which sure, isn’t quite the same as drinking together, but it’s not exactly far off –and they don’t even like each other.

​"Sorry Khobi, I know you’re his master and all, but I have to borrow Binny for a bit," a dry voice pipes up from just beyond his elbow as if summoned by his thoughts, and Khobi nearly spills his drink all down his front as he jumps.