"Come here often?"
Ezra heard himself say it before he could stop himself.
He settled more firmly against Aurien's back as another blade glanced off his own. The warmth through the layers of fabric was distracting.
Steady.
Grounding.
Aurien chuckled softly.
"Not often enough," he replied smoothly, knocking a strike aside with minimal effort. "If this is the first time we are meeting."
Ezra's lips twitched.
Not irritation.
Not disbelief.
He wanted to laugh.
'Absolutely not,' he told himself. 'Not in front of them.'
Internally, he let himself enjoy it. The ridiculousness of the moment. The fact that they were surrounded by armed men and still trading jokes like this.
Another knight rushed in from the right. Ezra stepped forward, breaking the back-to-back position only long enough to intercept the strike. He twisted his wrist and sent the blade flying from the man's hand.
Aurien moved seamlessly into the space Ezra left behind.
They adjusted without speaking.
