Secret Mission

Secret Mission
by Tsutsuji
Pairing: Gwendal/Yozak, mentioned Conrad/Yozak
Rating and Warnings: Mature adult. PWP, explicit m/m sex, solo m sex, voyeurism. Not beta'd so any stupid mistakes are mine alone.
Oneshot. Word count: 5124
Disclaimer: Characters and settings are the property of Tomo Takabayashi, the Maruma franchise in Japan and its licenced partners outside of Japan. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm not making any money for writing this (c'mon, where would be the fun in that??)

Summary: Written for the Fox_and_Lion kink meme for "Yozak x Gwendal, Conrad watching." Pretty much just what the kink meme asked for. Not quite as out of character as it seems?

Notes: First fic in my new favorite fandom! So it probably is terribly ooc but I hope it's not unbearable. Sorry for the dumb title. I thought of calling it "Spy in the House of Love" but decided that should be saved for some other more Yozak-centric story. Besides, I wouldn't want anyone to confuse me with Anais Nin or something (hahaha).
Comments are brain food, please feed my brain!

* * *

Conrad tried to convince himself to enjoy the period of rest and inactivity that unexpectedly presented itself, but he quickly found that it was no longer in his nature to do something as passive as sit and read a book, if it ever had been. With the book open and forgotten on his lap, all he really did was stare down at the small corner of the garden below the window: a small, hedged-in courtyard containing a few flowers, a bench by a stone wall, and nothing but trees beyond. It was a nice, private place for nobles to get away from the press of life in Blood Pledge Castle for a private word or a moment of solitude, but mostly forgotten; a quiet place to let his mind wander for awhile, thinking of nothing.

A flash of color caught his eye, a flutter of red and blue darting into the garden; for a moment Conrad thought it must be one of the maids, but none of them had hair this color. The not-so-delicate maiden pausing in the garden below was actually Yozak in a bright blue dress, lightly made up and adorned like a shop-maid or any other girl out for a trip to town. A moment later, a shadow of dark green and black that briefly hid the flowery vision from Conrad's sight. He frowned; Yozak might have any reason to cross the secluded corner of the grounds, but it was not likely to be coincidence that Gwendal was there as well.

Yozak leaned back against a wide tree trunk, arms folded across his chest. Conrad couldn't see his brother's face, but he guessed Yozak was getting some last minute orders before being sent off on a new mission. He wondered if he'd even get a chance to speak to Yozak before he left, or if something urgent had come up that required his immediate departure in full ... uniform.

Conrad frowned at the thread of concern that curled up in his gut. He should've long since ceased to worry about Yozak's safety on his spy missions, and even less so over the fact that someone else gave Yozak his orders these days. But the world had changed, now that the new Maou had appeared at last, and although he had faith in Yuuri's promise to bring peace to the land, he knew that things were more unsettled now than they had been before. At this point, Yozak's skills in particular were essential to creating that reality, and that put him at even greater risk than usual.

He distracted himself from those thoughts by watching Yozak. It was amazing, he thought, how casual the man could be even around Gwendal, whose scowl he could easily imagine. No one else but Yozak would think of lounging against the tree so casually while Gwendal gave him marching orders! Conrad's eyes widened when Yozak pushed off from the tree and stepped up to Gwendal, one hand on the low stone wall next to Gwendal's hip. Yozak grinned as he leaned closer, head tipped and lips moving as if he was asking some impertinant question. Gwendal's shoulders stiffened when Yozak moved even closer, but then, to Conrad's utter amazement, his brother tipped his head forward, and actually turned toward Yozak when Yozak slipped a hand toward him - which disappeared from Conrad's view, somewhere inside Gwendal's long coat, it seemed.

"I can't believe this," Conrad muttered, squinting at them and trying to make some other sense of what he seemed to be seeing. He gasped when Gwendal leaned back against the low wall and actually pulled Yozak toward himself with a hand on his shoulder. Yozak, still grinning, moved right up against him - and then Gwendal lifted his hands up to either side of Yozak's head to pull him into a kiss.

"Gwendal?" Conrad gasped. Yozak tipped his head further to the side, obviously deepening the kiss, and Gwendal responded in kind. Conrad could see Yozak's arm moving although his hand was still out of sight somewhere in Gwendal's clothing. "Yozak!" The name was little more than a choked sound coming out of his mouth.

Fists clenched weakly, Conrad leaned toward the glass. He didn't want to see this, but he felt unable to look away, unable to do anything at all but stare down at them. The next gasp caught in his throat when, a moment later, Yozak simply dropped to his knees.

Gwendal let his fingers slip from Yozak's head, leaned back and braced himself on the wall, so Yozak's face was in full view, though little more than a blur through the glass and the distance as he pressed it against Gwendal, half-hidden by the folds of Gwendal's coat. Imagination and memory supplied the details to Conrad: the sight of Yozak's blue eyes open and unfocused as he concentrated on his task, the heat of his mouth and the perfect, swirling pressure of his tongue that Conrad remembered all too well...

Conrad leaned his damp forehead against the cool glass, realized he was panting for breath with his heart pounding. "I never thought you would do something like this, Gwendal!" he muttered. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing; when he looked up again a moment later, Gwendal's hands were in Yozak's thick red hair, and Conrad clenched sweating hands, remembering the feel of it gathered in his own fingers. Gwendal bent forward, head low, hips bucking. Conrad still couldn't see his face, which he thought was probably just as well; he could imagine the lowering brows and lips stretched over bared teeth anyway, but more sharply, he imagined the cause of that - the incredible sensation of Yozak's throat constricting around him to swallow... Conrad groaned, shaken by the memories his mind added to the scene.

Yozak leaned back, licking wet lips curled in a smug grin, blue eyes sparkling, while Gwendal's shoulders shook. Then, a second later, Gwendal grabbed the front of that blue dress and pulled him to his feet. The redhead's familiar, jaunty grin broke into wide-eyed surprise when Gwendal pushed him back against the tree he was leaning against earlier. One hand was on Yozak's shoulder, the other between them, and Conrad groaned on what was left of his breath when Yozak bucked and threw his head back, eyes wide open staring up at the sky, while Gwendal reached under the frilly blue skirt and took him in hand.

"I can't ... " Conrad gasped - can't believe what he's seeing, can't bear to watch, can't look away from his brother's firm hand around his lover's hard cock. He hardly had time to choke out an unheard word of protest before Yozak let out a yelp he could hear even from behind this glass a floor above them. Yozak came hard and fast, fists pounding against the tree trunk behind him - surprisingly fast, Conrad thought, knowing how long Yozak could go for. Taken by surprise apparently, for once, and by the firm hand of Conrad's steadfast brother, of all people.

Gwendal stepped back, whipped out a handkerchief and briskly wiped his hands, then tugged his clothes back into place while Yozak bent over, hands on knees, catching his breath, as if he'd run a marathon in full armour. Gwendal spoke to him; Yozak wove a hand dismissively before pulling out a kerchief of his own and cleaning up a little, turning away slightly while he got himself and his girlish disguise back in order.

Gwendal waited, shoulders stiff again after he straightened his own clothing. Yozak was already grinning again when he turned back to face Gwendal, although his jaunty expression was a little sheepish now. They leaned together - for another kiss, Conrad thought with a startled whimper, or maybe only a word in the ear, as Gwendal nodded curtly and then turned and stalked away. Yozak ran a hand through his hair, shook his head as if amazed, and then slipped off in the other direction.

Conrad sank back into the wing chair, vision swimming, heart pounding; he realized he was soaked in sweat and starting to chill. He rested his head against the side of the chair and closed his eyes.

"Yozak - the things you get away with - you never cease to amaze me," he murmured, wincing as images of the encounter swam and blurred in his mind. "But this! I don't know what to think of it..."

Suddenly all strength left him, and he dropped off into a sound sleep.


~~


By the second day, shock had given way somewhat, allowing arousal to creep in as the scene was repeated, only with a few variations: Yozak appeared in his usual tunic and leggings this time, no less at ease with himself either way, and Gwendal made himself more comfortable on a bench while Yozak attended to him. This meant that Conrad could see his brother's face in profile, and watched with reluctant fascination while the familiar frown deepened into a grimace of pleasure. Conrad's own face grew hot; it was shockingly arousing to see his stoic older brother struggle for control against his lover's talented oral technique. Much more arousing than that, however, Conrad also had a clearer view, not only of Yozak's bobbing profile (except when his head plunged out of sight between Gwendal's thighs), but also of Yozak's hand hard at work on himself. Once again, the details Conrad couldn't make out at this distance came clear into his mind. His empty hand clenched on the remembered shape and texture of Yozak's shaft, and his nostrils flared as if filled with the musky, erotic scent of his lover's arousal.

Conrad was disturbed to catch himself whining with need and licking his lips, staring down at the two men as if caught in a spell. His own shaking hand fumbled in his lap. He wasn't sure he had the strength of heart or body to follow through with the movement, but he found he had less strength of will to either turn away from the scene or deny the effect it had on him.

Once acknowledged, his arousal peaked with an urgency that surprised him and left him gasping for breath. Needs that had been pent up for too long exploded in his body, and he bent almost double with one hand on himself, the other clutching the windowsill to keep from toppling out of the chair, sweat dripping into his eyes from the hair falling over his face. Eyes locked on the scene below, squinting to stay focused when his brother's climax spurted onto Yozak's lips and dribbled down his chin, Conrad's hand flew over his own hardened length in time with the Yozak's movement. All he could think of was that his own touch is never as good as Yozak's talented mouth.

He instantly regreted the timing of this thought; his vision whited out with the force of his own orgasm, so he missed seeing Yozak follow. He pried his eyes open a moment later, just in time to catch a glimpse of his red-headed lover sprawling back on the grass on his elbows, licking his lips and laughing up at Gwendal, who was bent forward, elbows on his knees, dark hair falling forward to curtain his face.

Conrad's head drooped to the side of the chair as fatigue swept over him, and he barely managed to cover himself with shaking hands before dropping off again into the oblivion of sleep.

~~

On the third day, he was already at the window, watching for them. Even so, he didn't see Yozak enter the garden, and grinned with admiration for the spy when Gwendal spun around, eyes wide and startled when Yozak revealed his presence.

Yozak's outfit of the day seemed to be a sort of compromise, neither a disguise nor his common clothes. This time, he wore a woodland-green tunic that was softly draped enough to be called a dress, gathered at the waist by a darker green, leaf-patterned sash whose long ends fluttered as he moved . Conrad's heart clenched; he remembered giving that ridiculously long sash to Yozak, half as a joke in honor of his mastery of disguises, although Yozak had turned the joke back on him by finding much more creative uses for it.

Once again they began with Gwendal's back to the low stone wall and Yozak falling to his knees, but almost immediately, Gwendal pulled him up by the arm and spoke to him. Conrad frowned, caught between relief and guilty disappointment when it appeared that his brother had called a halt to things this time. But then Gwendal pulled something from his pocket, and Yozak flashed a surprised grin, then turned around and bent forward over the low wall, feet planted apart and back arched. Conrad's breath utterly stopped when Gwendal stepped up behind him, and, after a heartbeat's hesitation, lifted Yozak's skirt to bare his ass.

Conrad winced at the erotically charged sight of Gwendal's large (but surprisingly delicate) hands caressing his lover's firm-muscled ass, and even more so at the melting look of pleasure on Yozak's face, eyes falling half closed as Gwendal's fingers, gleaming with oil from the vial he held, slipped between the perfectly shaped mounds.

Conrad thought nothing else could be more painfully arousing and terribly beautiful to watch than what he'd already seen between them, but this left him breathless; he was alarmed by the intensity of his own reaction. However, this time, his hands didn't shake as he gave in to guilty, conflicted need and joined them, even if it was only from the far side of this glass.

Caught up in the sight of his brother's face softening into pleasure against his lover's shoulder, and with that gift from his own hand pressed between them, Conrad paused, grimacing at the twisting sensation in his gut and in his heart, fingers pressing white-knuckled against the window glass while his cock jumped in his other hand. Throat constricting hungrily, he stared down at the scene below: one muscular arm that so perfectly justified Yuuri's designation of "Miss Biceps" braced against the low wall, the pale green skirts swept up over Yozak's arched back, and the dark green sash which Gwendal unlooped from Yozak's waist and draped over his shoulders instead, so that it dangled beside Yozak's face. When Gwendal leaned forward and Yozak turned his head to meet him, the sash was caught between their faces, as if nuzzling in to share their kiss.

Conrad groaned, remembering the feel of that fabric sliding over Yozak's heated skin under his hands, or stretched taut against his own bare skin. He stared until he had to close burning eyes at the sight of his brother's firm lips pressing the fabric against Yozak's cheek.

"You two.." he moaned, clutching the base of his cock to quell its urgent throbbing, afraid of racing so far ahead of them that he'd miss all that followed.

Yozak's bare flank glistened in leaf-filtered sunlight, moving at first slowly into Gwendal's shallow thrusts. Gwendal broke off the kiss to concentrate on his action, his face bowed so low over Yozak's shoulders that Conrad couldn't see his expression, further hidden by strands of black hair falling loose over his shoulder. Yozak's face and body were more than enough to focus on, with his eyes slowly closing and mouth open on a long sigh of pleasure that Conrad could hear all too well, if only in his mind. Slow and easy at first, gradually building up speed as Yozak twisted and thrust his hips, encouraging Gwendal to quicken the pace and increase the length of his thrusts.

When Gwendal straightened up and planted his feet more firmly, Conrad caught a glimpse of his face, flushed and determined, staring down at Yozak's bucking body like it was an unruly beast to be tamed. Conrad knew better: taming Yozak would be an impossible task, as he was certain Gwendal was about to discover. But Gwendal did something neither he nor, obviously, Yozak expected. He looped the loose end of the sash around his hand and pulled it down under Yozak; his hand disappeared from Conrad's view, but his touch was made visible in the way Yozak suddenly jerked, head thrown back and eyes wide open and staring, unfocused, fist clenched on the wall and musles straining.

In response, Gwendal's face twisted, teeth bared briefly before he ducked his head low over Yozak's back again, hiding his expression from Conrad's view. All he had left to watch was Yozak, who mouthed a single word Conrad only heard as a glass-muffled shout, and then dropped his head, mouth pressed against his arm out of his habit of keeping silent, leaving Conrad to imagine his ragged gasps from memory, and echo them with his own.

Conrad was determined not to black out this time, not to loose sight of them for an instant, but his own climax had him bending forward again, groaning sharply, need and relief coursing through his veins and leaving him drained a moment later. He lifted his head from the windowsill after a few seconds, swallowing hard as if that would keep his racing heart from bursting, and forced his eyes to focus on the garden below once again. Yozak was pushing himself up from the wall, stiff and unsteady, while Gwendal stepped back, face still hidden behind his hair. He held the scarf out to Yozak, who took it from him with a raised eyebrow and a shaky grin. He slowly wound it through his hands, looking down at it with a fond, rueful grin, then rolled it into a ball and tucked it away inside the bodice of his dress.

A moment later, with clothing and hair neatly rearranged, the two men stepped back and regarded each other for a few seconds. Gwendal's lips twitched, Yozak tipped his head, but neither spoke another word before walking away in their separate directions.

Conrad sat back heavily in the armchair, but with his pulse already returning to something near normal, this time he was not ready to close his eyes and forget the scene he'd witnessed so quickly. More relieved than he would ever admit that Yozak hadn't been sent away on some urgent, dangerous mission without a word between them, he was still not sure how much more of this he can take. Of all the dangers his imagination could supply, it never would have occured to him to worry about the spy seducing his older brother.

"Damn," Conrad said to himself after they've left the yard again. "This can't go on. I have to find a way to talk to Yozak, at least! But I can't imagine what I'm going to say to Gwendal..."

~~

On the fourth morning, Conrad had just settled into the chair by the window when a loud tap at the door nearly jolted him out of his seat. Gisela opened the door and stepped in, her expression unreadable behind the kerchief that covered her face up the eyes. After a quick look at his startled face, she pulled the kerchief down off her chin to reveal a brilliant smile - the first he'd seen in over a week.

"Good morning, Sir Weller!" she said brightly. "You look much better today, as I expected. I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that you're officially out of quarantine as of today! Do you feel up to having your first visitor?"

Conrad opened his mouth, but before he could reply, Yozak's face appeared behind her, peering around the doorframe.

"Hope so," Yozak said, but he eyed Conrad dubiously. "Are you sure it's safe to go near him?" he asked Gisela.

"Absolutely!" she said. She stepped aside so Yozak could come in, but he stopped in the doorway. Leaning his hip against the frame and crossing his arms, he watched Conrad with the corners of his lips twitching, blue eyes sparkling like sunlit water.

"Well, you look better than you did last time I saw you, anyway," he observed, "actually sitting up on your own; that's good!"

Conrad scowled, vaguely remembering the moment when he'd toppled over like a wet rag into Yozak's arms. His reaction did nothing to quell the twinkle in Yozak's eyes.

"If you'd rather keep your solitude a little longer, that's -" Yozak shrugged.

"No!" Conrad said, and jumped to his feet. He managed not to grab the chair for support on the way up - if Gisela said he was well enough for visitors, he didn't want to give her any reason to change her mind - but her eyes narrowed anyway, and his heart sank a little. He knew both of them were too sharp to miss seeing the tremor that passed through him.

"You're still in the recovery stage, of course," she said. "Spells of weakness and fatigue are to be expected. It doesn't mean you're still contagious, Sir Weller. I extended your quarantine a couple days longer than necessary, just to be perfectly safe."

"That's fine," Yozak said, daring to step into the room at last. "All things considered. There's a reason it's called Curse of the Half-bloods, after all."

Conrad's scowl at the unpleasant folk-name for his illness was mild compared to Gisela's glare.

Yozak shrugged and spread his hands out palm upward. "That's the only name I ever heard for it where I grew up," he said.

"It's a myth that it only affects half-Mazoku humans," Gisela said curtly. "Mazoku contract a mild version that is hardly noticeable, and in humans it hits harder but passes faster, so they pass it off as something different. But," she said, turning to Yozak, "whatever they call it, it's a good thing you recognized the signs right away. In half-Mazoku, if it's not treated aggressively in the first few days, the fatigue and weakness can linger on for months - or even become permanent. In someone less strong than Sir Weller, it can even be fatal."

None of them mentioned the fortunate fact that the new, half-human Maou happened to be back home on Earth when Conrad contracted the disease. At the reminder of its lingering effects, it became Yozak's turn to scowl, and he studied Conrad even more sharply than before. Conrad stared back, momentarily worried in turn, although he'd already seen plenty of reassuring evidence that Yozak didn't have time to contract the disease before putting him in Gisela's care.

"I'm entirely confident Sir Weller will make a full recovery," Gisela said. "If not, he'd still be bedridden by this time. However -" she turned back to Yozak again, "he'll still need to take it easy for a few weeks, to prevent a partial relapse. No strenuous physical activity for another week at least! Understood?"

Even Yozak knew enough not to argue with the drill sergeant-doctor. "Yes, ma'am," he drawled, nodding respectfully. "I'll see to it personally!" he added, and then winked at Conrad in a way that brought a flush to Conrad's cheeks again.

"Sit, and relax," Yozak commanded, walking over to Conrad and nudging him back into the chair. He leaned down at his side and looked over his shoulder toward the window. "Nice view you got here, anyway," he said casually.

Gisela glanced out the window as well, and frowned at the tiny bit of garden and the trees which were all that could be seen.

"I'm sorry we couldn't put you in a room with a better view for all the time you've been stuck here, but we thought it best to isolate you on this side of the castle," she said. Far away from Yuuri's quarters, and well barricaded from the visit the young king would have insisted on making if he'd happened to arrive in the past week, of course. Conrad would have insisted on this measure himself, if he'd been coherent at the time.

"It hasn't been a problem," he said. He saw Yozak bite his lip, eyebrows twitching. Avoiding his gaze, Conrad picked up the book he gave up trying to read three days ago. "I've had plenty to occupy my mind," he added innocently. Yozak eyed the book suspiciously.

"That's good," Gisela said, " because even though I'm allowing visitors - one at a time and only for brief periods! - I'm still confining you to this room for a few more days, if only for your own good." Hands on her hips, she glared down at him challengingly.

Conrad smiled up at her. "I'll manage," he said.

"Good! In that case, Yozak, you can stay until the maids bring lunch - after that, more rest!"

"Yes, yes!" Yozak promised, throwing up his hands. "I promise I won't wear the captain out!" She was closing the door before he leaned down and said in Conrad's ear, "not right away, anyway!"

"Yozak!" Conrad winced at the unsubtle hint in Yozak's low voice.

After Gisela was gone, Yozak moved over and sat on the windowsill facing him, hands beside him on the sill and ankles crossed, at his ease as usual. Now that they had a chance to talk, Conrad couldn't decide what to say, but Yozak was obviously waiting for Conrad to speak first. After three days of watching and remembering what he couldn't touch, Conrad was intensely aware of Yozak's physical presence so close, but he couldn't forget what he'd seen, the sight of Yozak bent over and his brother's hands....

"How in the world did you get Gwendal to agree to that!" Conrad finally blurted out.

Yozak laughed, then scratched his ear and shrugged.

"I'm not sure, actually. He was grilling me about the Curse - I mean, the fever. He knew how bad it could be, and I could tell he was a lot more worried about his little brother than he wanted to say he was. So, just to reassure him that you weren't at death's door, I told him what you asked me to do to keep you entertained while you were stuck up here. He didn't seem to think it was a bad idea. In fact, he was the one who said he'd be glad to help."

"You're kidding," Conrad said flatly, not certain whether to believe Yozak or not, and not even certain if he wanted to, really. "Gwendal!" he shook his head, wondering at his brother.

"Yes, well, we thought having me dress up would help him get into his role, so to speak, but after the first day he decided it was more disconcerting that way, so... " Yozak leaned back and threw his arms out in a modeling pose. "What can I say, I'm too perfect just the way I am!"

Conrad had to agree, but decided not to say so at the moment. He also decided not to ask who's idea the scarf had been, or if Yozak had revealed to Gwendal any of its history.

Yozak turned and gazed down at the garden. "It was fun, actually - wish I could've seen you up here, though! Made it more interesting, since we couldn't even be sure if you were awake and watching - I guess you were, though? We waited until Sarge said your fever broke, at least."

"I nearly had a relapse," Conrad admitted. "That first day... " He shook his head. "The last two days, though, I definitely felt strong enough to appreciate the view, even if it did make being stuck up here alone that much harder to take!"

"Oh?" Yozak's eyes traveled down Conrad's robed body and back up to his face again. "I'm sorry I missed seeing you 'appreciate' it! Sorry we made it so 'hard' for you!"

"Don't be," Conrad said, smiling, and Yozak chuckled.

Yozak glanced at the limited view from the window, then at the door, then back at Conrad. He leaned forward to put his hands on the arms of the chair, penning Conrad in. "What do you think - are you sturdy enough for a private show, assuming we have time before the maids bring lunch?"

Conrad's heart speeded up and warmth flushed his skin, but it certainly wasn't the unnatural heat or pounding rush of fever. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over Yozak's.

"Just about," he said.

And this time, he promised himself he was going to keep his eyes open and focused on Yozak until the very end.
---

Epilogue:

Gisela finally released Conrad to sleep in his own room again a few nights later. He came down to breakfast the next morning to find only his older brother there ahead of him, back towards him as he entered the room.

"Good morning, Gwendal!" he said casually, the same as he would any other morning.

Gwendal stiffened for a heartbeat before turning to him, as composed and serious as ever. Conrad reflected that sometimes it was hard to believe even Yuuri can make his older brother smile. Then Gwendal bowed his head slightly and greeted him with at least less of a scowl than usual.

"I was glad to hear from Gisela that you've made a full recovery," he said.

"Thank you, it's good to be back on my feet again," Conrad replied lightly, but he gave Gwendal a warm smile. "I was glad when my fever broke, especially," he added, making sure to catch Gwendal's eye.

Dark eyebrows twitched, maybe in a warning not to speak of it any more clearly than that, but Conrad just smiled.

"And, by the way, thank you, Brother," he said. "I appreciate the extra work you had to do while I was ill."

Gwendal's eyebrow lifted, and then his scowl softened just before he turned away. "I sincerely hope you won't become so ill again any time soon," he said. "I have other duties to attend to, after all!"

Conrad opened his mouth to say that he had every intention of staying perfectly healthy from now on, but there was an interruption as a third person joined them.

"Gwendal!" Anissina stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Gwendal froze in mid-breath at the first sound of her voice, and shuddered as she marched into the room with a gleam in her eye.

"There you are, Gwendal! I've been looking all over for you. Where have you disappeared to every morning lately, just when I need your assistance?"

"On the other hand, there are certainly worse ways to spend a morning!" Gwendal muttered as he hurried past Conrad and escaped out the other door. He didn't even seem to notice Yozak standing in the hallway but rush past him as well.

Looking into the room, Yozak quickly took in the scene, caught Conrad's eye, and grinned.

"And there are certainly better ways to spend a morning, as well," Conrad said under his breath, and followed Gwendal out the door to where Yozak waited for him.

~end~