Food, in Ber’s opinion, was one of the best things in the world, and from what he’d heard, Dresmondi food was hardly the exception to that rule. “They traveled in caravans and moved all around the kingdom,” He explained, idly leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. Though it was still far from anything he had ever experienced, the concept of living entirely on the move instead of settling down in one place was no longer quite as mystifying. It had become just one of those differences between Nevermere and Dresmond he might never understand unless he lived it himself. “So they did a lot of their cooking over the fires they would make at each new place they stopped at. They ate a lot of stews and roasted meat, though I think Zevran really enjoyed…”

As he explained the meal to Temperance, a thought struck him. “A cooking fire behind the cottage,” He agreed with a nod. “Or maybe one in the woods? In a clearing, maybe.” Ber scratched his chin thoughtfully, remembering another recent camping trip. If they ended up venturing a little ways into the wilderness for this, the company promised to be infinitely better. “He might like to get out of the city a little bit, and there’s more than enough wood for a campfire out there.”

The conversation moved on to Zevran’s fighting ability, and Ber nodded in response to Temperance’s question, before grinning at her later words. “What’ll you give me in return for my silence?” The humor was evident in his tone, and he raised his eyebrows. “He really is charming. Got the king to go to war on his behalf,” Ber pointed out with a shrug. “Not everyone can say they’ve done that.”

Talk of having to check if Zevran had permission to venture into the woods had Ber’s excitement fading a bit. He hadn’t completely forgotten about the two guards who followed the Dresmondi everywhere, but they were unobtrusive and constant enough that the soldier had grown accustomed to their quiet presence. Even if Temperance didn’t mind, the thought of them intruding on an otherwise pleasant evening sparked a little annoyance. Zevran had spent months here and done nothing wrong. Hadn’t he proven himself trustworthy and capable of following the rules? There were Nevermerean soldiers who got into more trouble than he did. However, Ber could only sigh and nod at the wisdom in Temperance’s words. “I don’t see why not. But,” He agreed. “I guess we should probably check first.”

The flickering irritation faded away as the witch crossed her arms and eyed him. Waiting to hear her counter offer, he kept his eyebrows raised expectantly and bit the inside of his cheek to keep his face straight. The new book was perhaps not as an attractive deal as Temperance might have hoped, but her additional offer of Artos for a day had him tilting his head slightly in consideration. “Okay, well first off,” He began in mock offense. “What does Zevran have to do with me blackmailing you? I’m perfectly capable of extortion on my own, thank you.” A pause as he made a show of thinking over her offer. “Alright. If you can convince Thom to let me have Artos for a day, you’ve got yourself a deal.” Another moment passed before he thought of something else. “Oh, and also some of Melody’s blueberry muffins.”

Temperance’s words about convincing a rattlesnake not to rattle had Ber grinning again. He was struck by a sudden thought as he considered now the two most charismatic people he’d ever met. “If there was a competition in that, charming a snake or anyone else, who do you think would win between Zevran and Thom?”

Mastermind? Not remotely. But criminal? Technically, if one considered the entirety of his life, not wrong. Ber had lost track of the number of times he had acquired something that hadn’t strictly belonged to him prior, but it wasn’t as if he needed to admit to anything - at least, not in any way that would be believed.

Meeting Temperance’s gaze, he nodded gravely. “I’m afraid you have,” He said, doing his best impression of Woodwick in order to keep his face straight and tone suitably serious. “The poor, innocent soldiers are the worst of all. They prey on your emotions, earn your sympathy, and then betray you when you least expect it.” When she gave in to his demands, he was quick to drop his own act, and a satisfied grin replaced the sober expression, as if he had successfully bargained for something they wouldn’t have willingly provided anyway. “Deal. Artos and muffins.”

In retrospect, Temperance’s siding with Thom was hardly a surprise, but Ber still tilted his head slightly to the side. “Wow,” He observed. “No hesitation at all.” An amused exhale. “I don’t think you’ve spent enough time around Zevran. I’ll admit Thom is very charming, but Zev could definitely give him a run for his money.” His lips twitched upward in a smirk. “Besides, it’s not that hard to have Melody wrapped around your finger. Artos has done it, and he doesn’t even have fingers.”