When she moved to the other side of the wing he shifted in the water making sure he was covered by the bubbles or by his hands. ”So a boyfriend ya can’t bring home to daddy.” Carrick summed up nodding his head trying to follow it. Sounded like a bum deal for the concubine unless they didn’t care either. Carrick hadn’t been in that many relationships in fact his one and only ended with him being ghosted. She ended up moving before he even found out he was dumped.

”Marriage is for politics.” he repeated, that made more sense he knew as a princess she’d probably already have someone lined up for her. Why was he thinking about this now? He closed his mismatched colored eyes and leaned his head back while she continued to groom his wings.

”Sounds a bit lonely. Fer the concubine at least.” he said finally. ”Ma and Da were married, didn’t stop him from disappearing fer decades at a time.” he said thinking about it. Did his Da have concubines? That was something he didn’t want to wrap his head around.

”Wait… am I yer concubine?!?” he asked jerking forward in the tub shooting his wings out in surprise at his own thought. They certainly didn’t have ‘harmless fun’ as she described it but he did consider them friends and friendship was a form of companionship.

Carrick paid rapt attention to her musings about relationships. Amethyst had never really put words to any of it... it was just the way things were in her word. It was strange to talk about it out loud, trying to explain marriages and concubines and relationships to someone from a completely different world.

>>"Sounds a bit lonely. Fer the concubine at least. Ma and Da were married, didn’t stop him from disappearing fer decades at a time.”

The princess shrugged. Concubines never really complained. Mostly they were people from the lesser nobility, or occasionally even from the common demigods, who found it very lucky to be invited to be the companion of royalty, and they enjoyed it while it lasted. Her only non-Atlantean concubine, Sam, did his own thing and lived his life freely apart from their encounters.

She was jolted out of her musings, and tucking in the last few feathers, when Carrick sat bolt upright with a sudden realization.

>>”Wait… am I yer concubine?!?”

The princess almost lost her balance on the edge of the tub as the wings snapped open, and she turned to look at Carrick, raising her eyebrows.

"You're... what?"

The shifter stood up without realizing he was naked his face more red from the realization of what he had become. ”ya said a concubine someone who isn’t just fer sex. Companionship.” he had to remind himself he turned the job down as a pet. Did that mean he was a concubine now?

”I said we’re friends at least. You said we have different ideas of relationships.” he stopped, ”People.” he corrected himself. Now clearly in his head more than anything. ”Ya said you got to pick them.” he looked down and realized he was standing. Naked in the princess’s tub.

His face turned beat red and he quickly covered up and plopped back down into the water. ”That why ya suggest I come use yer tub? One of the perks? Of being a concubine I mean.” he said his face still beat red.

Carrick stood up all of a sudden; he was flushed, and seemed strangely excited about something. Amethyst looked up at him; the thought of averting her eyes never crossed her mind in the moment. She felt amused about the whole thing. Somehow, Carrick had concluded he was her concubine.

>>”ya said a concubine someone who isn’t just fer sex. Companionship.”

"Right." she nodded. It was also very much for sex, but she'd let him teach the end of his train of thought before she pointed that out.

>>”I said we’re friends at least. You said we have different ideas of relationships... People. Ya said you got to pick them.”

Amethyst tilted her head curiously. Carrick plopped back down.

>>”That why ya suggest I come use yer tub? One of the perks? Of being a concubine I mean.”

Amethyst let out a little laugh.

"I suggested you use my tub because you really needed to get cleaned up" she pointed out. "And no, being friends... doesn't make you my concubine. It's not just the companionship alone, you know." she smirked, looking down at him as he sunk back into the bathtub. "Why? Would you wan to be?"

The moment he could puff out and beat his chest was over. He was exposed and not the princess was asking telling him he was wrong. The shifter wished he kept his mouth shut and just stayed sitting down. There was no end to this conversation now and the fact that he had to dive into his own feelings about the situation and the princess made things more awkward for him. His wings shook and puffed up slightly, some of the work the princess had done vanished. Good.

”Told ya before, I had a shower. I was gonna use it eventually.” the shifter lied. He was planning on flying for a few hours and enjoying the sun before falling asleep outside in a tree somewhere. Instead he was here naked and he was pretty sure the princess saw everything again.

”So ya have friends then.” he scoffed. ”Sounds like ya got some relationships like everywhere else.” Carrick said before looking down at the water when she asked the question. Did he? He didn’t’ know the first thing about… ”I’m just a gorgon.” he mocked shaking his head.

She did say they wouldn’t be seen in public together. Carrick’s wings opened back up so the princess could get back to grooming him. ”Rather take ya on a date.” he muttered, ”Was that a job offer? Imagine ya be disappointed. Part cat.” he asked allowed trying to play off what he just said by laying his bushy tail on her lap.

>>"Told ya before, I had a shower. I was gonna use it eventually.”

"Right."

>>”So ya have friends then. Sounds like ya got some relationships like everywhere else.”

The princess sighed. Carrick looked... what annoyed? Frustrated? She was still not sure what she'd said to upset him, but whatever she did say about concubines way clearly not what he wanted to hear.

>>”I’m just a gorgon.”

Now, that sounded wrong. He was, technically, by Atlantan terms, but for the first time... it sounded wrong.

>>”Rather take ya on a date. Was that a job offer? Imagine ya be disappointed. Part cat.”

He flicked his tail at her. Amethyst looked down at it. He had animal parts, and a feral side; on Atlantis, he would be the lowest of the low. But he was not just that. He was a lot more. The princess looked away.

"It's not a job." she muttered, wrinkling her nose. That would have been prostitution, and she did not deal with that. But it was hard to tell if Carrick was making fun of her now.

"Is that what it looks like?" she asked, thinking back on the conversation they just had "You think I bully people?"

>>> "It's not a job."

The shifter laughed, he didn’t hear a ‘no’. Which for some reason made him happy it also turned his face a shade of red for a brief moment. Cat’s weren’t known to be affectionate and after last time he found it hard to want to get close with people. This situation was different.

>>"Is that what it looks like?” "You think I bully people?"

”Yer royalty. Part of the job innit?” the shifter said before adding, ”Yer less of a bully than yer friends though.” he went back to the day they were at the tent and her friends were calling Praxi those names. In their native tongue he recited a few of the names still not sure what any of those meant. Did he just call her a bully?

Carrick was confused now, the conversation changed topics again and his face was no longer turning red from embarrassment and more from frustration. He scratched his head again trying to think of a better way to say something all he managed was to shout, ”Fer **** sakes princess I just asked ya out and I told ya I don’t like bullies. If I thought you were a bully I wouldn’t even be here would I?”

His face filled and he brought his knees out of the water and rested his head on them. ”Christ yer difficult.” he muttered. Wishing he could just go underwater and stay there till the end of time.

>>”Yer royalty. Part of the job innit? Yer less of a bully than yer friends though.”

Amethyst folded her arms. She never really thought of royalty that way; it was their right... but deep down, she had to admit she did not really like the way the ladies talked about Carrick and Praxi. Did that make her a bully too? She was not even sure she understood the word right, but Americans used it a lot, to describe people who hurt and tortured other people. Sure, Amethyst had a healthy sense of superiority, but she did not enjoy causing pain. Unless it was to a personal enemy.

>>”Fer **** sakes princess I just asked ya out and I told ya I don’t like bullies. If I thought you were a bully I wouldn’t even be here would I?... Christ yer difficult.”

"You actually want to go on a date with me?" the princess blinked, looking at him again "Like, the time at the singing place?"

He had insisted at the time it was a date, even though she'd clarified it wasn't. And dates usually meant... romantic involvement. Did he want to be a concubine?... It was all terribly confusing.

"I'm not going to sing again."

With his head in his knees still he nodded his head slightly. ”Apparently.” he said loudly. That was why he was here in this super awkward situation. Because the princess suggested something and he went along with it like a lost hungry kitten. Something he never wanted to associate himself with. He was supposed to be a Gryphon.

”Similar situation sure.” he nodded his head again not looking up. Again he didn’t hear a ‘no’. Then again ‘asking out a Princess’ should have been enough information for him to know it wasn’t going to happen. He was a poor Irishman and she was a princess. He was also super impulsive because if he thought about it… he hated thinking ahead.

His tail left her lap and sank to the bottom of the tub. She already told him before he’d be something she couldn’t be seen in public with. His wings started to droop the more he thought about it.

>>>"I'm not going to sing again."

His tail reemerged from the water. ”Hmm?” his wings perked back up. ”But you were so good at it.” he said with a smirk getting out of his head. ”Not like I can go anywhere anyways.” he said lifting his leg and showing off the ankle bracelet.

”Didn’t hear a no.” he tilted his head to the side and grinned awkwardly then gave two thumbs up.

So, Carrick was asking her to go on a date with him. Kind of like the time they went singing. Amethyst wondered what the Atlantean ladies would say if they heard that. No doubt they would either think it was hilarious, or offensive. She looked at Carrick, looking kind of defeated with his head down. What was his problem? It just made her more frustrated with American relationship things. Concubines were so much easier than dating.

>>”Hmm?... But you were so good at it. Not like I can go anywhere anyways... Didn’t hear a no.”

He perked up eventually, and the look on his face made the princess both roll her eyes and bite back a smile.

"I will say yes if you actually clean up" she pointed at the water, standing from the edge of the tub and walking out of the bathroom "And you will have to let me know what this date is supposed to be. It better be interesting."