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Casseth woke up to a dull pain. His brows furrowed together as he tried to push himself up but grimaced as a sharp pain spread through his right arm. “Damn it,” he muttered as he fell back down onto the cot. The events of his match came flooding back to him as he forced his eyes to open. He’d been placed in a holding room for those who had been tended to but were still unconscious. Using his uninjured arm he pushed himself up into a sitting position and glanced around the room, half expecting Lithian to be sitting around and waiting for him to wake up. His shoulders sagged, however, when he didn’t see his friend. He knew it wasn’t reasonable to expect Lith to just show up out of nowhere but damned if he hadn’t wished for it.

Turning his attention back to his injury he glanced down at his arm, undoing the wrappings around it. It seemed as if the healers had either done a better job this time around or the wound hadn’t been as bad as Casseth had expected it to be. He had lost so much blood, though. Surely it had been deep. Grunting, he stood and gathered his things sitting on the table to the side. Beside his pack was a quickly scribbled note. Cas frowned and picked it up.

I stayed in the room with you and made sure the healers did the job. Good work on the match today. Work on not getting yourself killed next time so I don’t have to rescue you.

--Tak

Casseth shook his head, smiling despite himself. So he hadn’t imagined Tak taking out the last beast before it could maul him. It was good to know he had someone looking out for him in this place at least. Shrugging the pack onto his shoulder but frowned as he looked around for his ax. Casseth muttered as he stepped out into the hall and made his way back to the healers’ rooms, hoping to find his weapon in there. Why hadn’t Tak made sure his ax was with them when he had been moved? He gripped the handle of the door and froze as he heard a noise coming from the other side. Were they healing someone at the moment? Casseth hesitated only briefly before pushing his way into the room. He needed his ax, it was the healers’ fault if he walked in on a healing session.

As he stepped into the room all he could see, at first, was dark skin, the color of coffee, being bent over the table. “Lit…” He snapped his mouth shut as the pair looked up and heat flushed into his cheeks. Not Lithian and someone but two other men. “I…” He jerked his gaze away as hit bit the inside of his cheek. “Sorry, I was just…looking for my weapon.” Cas fled the room, slamming the door shut behind him. As he leaned against the wall out in the hall he could hear muttered curses and rustling around in the room he’d just left.

He grit his teeth as he took a deep breath. The only thing his mind had thought about, in that instant, had been Lithian and how nice he would have looked in that position. H leaned his back against the wall, pounding the back of his head up against it as he forced those images out of his head. He liked women and Lithian liked men. So why, then, did Casseth keep thinking about him? He was about to push away from the wall when he heard his name called. “Casseth! There you are.” Venara smiled wide as she jogged up to him. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Here.” She held his ax up and Cas took it by reflex as he stared at the female he was currently in a relationship with.

“Thanks” Casseth muttered as he hooked the weapon back to his side.

“No problem.” Venara reached up and planted a kiss on Cas’ lips and he instinctively pulled her in closer and kissed her back. He felt nothing from it, not a jolt of pleasure or even happiness. Maybe it was because he was still slightly flustered from the sight in the room. “Let’s do something,” Venara said, interrupting Casseth’s thoughts.

He shook his head, not in the mood to do much of anything but head home. “Not tonight Venara.” Casseth bent and placed a kiss on her cheek and said his goodbyes. He had fully intended to head back to Taliuma and home after leaving the Pit but somehow, Casseth found himself on the beach. He plopped down onto the sand and stared out over the water. “Damn it.” His thoughts seemed to be filled with Lithian lately, no thanks to the man himself. After his friend’s confession, Cas’ brain had been on overload. He remembered all the times with Lithian that had seemed normal. Until now.

He remembered that first time on this very beach. He remembered desperately wanting to protect Lithian each time he had moved in front of him. He remembered the pain in his leg, remembered the panic that had set in the instant he had broken the surface of the water and started to sink. He remembered the weight of his friend and the joke. The joke that Casseth looked back on and remembered Lithian’s cheeks had burned red with embarrassment. Surely Lithian had just been joking, right? He’d said so himself.

He closed his eyes as his thoughts shifted. Though they remained firmly stuck on Lithian. He remembered all the little things. The touches, looks, flushed cheeks. All of it. Was there more meaning behind those small things or was Casseth just reading too much into them? Lithian was always there with him, going on adventures. Whether It was climbing rocks, going after baowi or taking on twenty dragons at a time, Lithian was by his side. Surely that was just a sign of a good friend. Lithian was that, too. Casseth couldn’t have asked for a better friend than Lithian.

Something was missing, though and Casseth was almost a little afraid to admit what it was he wanted. Was afraid of what it meant. He dug his fingers down into the sand, gripping at the loose earth as a part of him came to terms with what it was that he really wanted. A part of him struggled, though, and was even angry. It wasn’t fair. Casseth cursed as he brought his hands up out of the sand and sent the granules flying into the air. He screamed as he pulled at his magic and stood. Chunks of earth rose from the ground and he sent them flying towards the nearby cliff side that still bore the same hand and foot holds from that first day they’d been her.

Rock crumbled to the ground, from the impact, as Casseth stumbled backwards. He had Venara and Lithian had his own romantic interest. He liked Venara, there was no doubting that. So why, then, did she not seem like enough for him anymore? Why did he feel as if a part of him was missing? He growled as he sent another chunk of earth hurling through the air. It wasn’t fair. With anger and confusion still coursing through him, Casseth faded and melted into the ground itself, becoming one with the very element he controlled. He took off out into the open desert, trying to expend as much energy as he could. After what felt like hours, Casseth came up close to Taliuma, hot and exhausted. As soon as he reached his home and his room, he collapsed. Still, the last thing on his mind as he faded to sleep, was Lithian.