Ma Vlast
Having come without extra provisions of his own, Minoth was much faster to pack up the morning after their post-Jagron meal and accompanying fireside chat. He surveyed the group and noted the feeling - it was sure to become familiar. All the ingratiating he was willing to do had already been done. Now all there was left was to stand back and watch.
...and intervene before any more unnecessary stupidity took place.
"Remember your desert medicine, Addam." Because of course he'd forgotten already. While the others quietly conferred with one another and downed the stuff, Addam was blathering to an inhospitable, if not simply disengaged or disinterested, Aegaeon about ingredients for the day's meal. Lora probably found the bastard too busy to bother, even though the whole group seemed like the type to nervously check in to the leader and the playbook at every step.
Eh, good for them.
"Addam."
"Ah- what is it?"
"Your medicine?"
"Oh." Addam scowled, walking over and accepting the vial from Minoth's open palm. "Yes, dear."
The palm closed, and the eyebrows went up.
He scowled again, now at the bizarrely vegetal sweetness of the medicine, then noticed Minoth's quizzical posture.
"What?"
"How much sarcasm?"
"How much...oh, that? Suppose we say fifty percent."
Minoth gave a slow, appraising nod. "Aight. I can work with that. Now gimme."
"This? Ah, you would need some, wouldn't you? But I doubt you'll want it."
Sure enough, the last dregs of syrupy medicine were no treat to the taste buds, but Minoth didn't particularly relish fever, cancer, liver disease, or whatever it was.
When he'd finished and replaced the cap, he replied, "Just like affection. I'll take my lumps."
"You wouldn't know what to do with being cherished if it hit you on the head," Addam said with a fond smile.
"I hope it's not preparing to?"
Seeing Minoth's watchful eye now trained on his right hand, Addam rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "No, no such plans from the royal contingent."
And that, indeed, Minoth could work with. A little self-awareness never hurt anyone (actually, it had hurt him beyond measure, and that was with the awareness he merely thought he had but didn't actually possess - Architect save the man who knew the scope of his own faults in entirety).
"So you admit it. Never thought I'd see the day."
Addam shook his head, still smiling.
"I'd certainly rather be your prince than anyone else's."
"Glad to hear you say so."
"Oh, what? Now you're getting defensive - see, now I feel horrible." Addam paused, checked himself and his outward aggravation. "I shouldn't have pushed you about it, gah, I'm sorry."
"No need for all the theatrics, Prince. It's a pet name, not punctuation."