immediately ceased to be relaxed:
“Sorry, I just said so.”
He walked over and hugged her:
“You're my queen!”
“No! Don't kiss me! Lipstick smudges!”
And Lis obediently pulled back
Lis laughed, throwing his head back, so sincerely, absolutely relaxed, with his so bright red hair untied in a ponytail, disheveled. He laughed, and Tol hugged him and shouted:
“Al, brother! Don't be stupid! Let's drink quickly! Al, you are my soul! Don't be slow, brotherly! Do you remember how we… and you know how frightened I was for you, when, do you remember, they cut off your Necker’s legs, and you fell off your horse straight to Bey under the sword! Remember?!”
“I remember,” Lis smiled, “you saved my life then.”
They drank and smoked everything that was at hand. Tol happily and actively shared news from the Black City, while not forgetting to lean on snacks from the Fort’s storerooms: meat ham, smoked fish and all kinds of sausages and cheeses. For dear guests, Lis ordered to bake fresh pies and rolls. Tol was on fire, today was his finest hour, because his usually haughty friend listened to him with interest and didn’t interrupt him. Karina was bored, Tol, as always, constantly bragged and attributed all the achievements to himself.
“And I ordered to plant trees in Lower and on the Market Square, in the very center, to plant an oak! So that it grows huge! And we'll make a nest there, and put an eagle there! It will be so beautiful! Yes, Al?!”
And Lis laughed and nodded.
“How lonely my Lis was in the Black City, if this one became his best friend…” Karina thought bitterly: “They are like heaven and earth. To what despair and loneliness you need to go to make friends with Tol! My poor Lis.”
Tol enthusiastically said about how they had restored the Lower City destroyed by the confrontation with Bey, and Lila intervened in the conversation and inserted remarks, echoing Tol with her, as it seemed to Karina, disgusting squeaky and cutesy voice. Lila got drunk and interrupted Tol more and more often, adding even more meaningless and unnecessary details to his already stupid story. But Tol didn’t get angry with her, even if she cut him off in mid-sentence, pressed him to him with tenderness and didn’t shut her mouth. Moreover, from time to time she tugged at him and intervened simply so that he poured wine or served her a pie. And Tol was interrupted, distracted and did what she asked, while losing the thread of his already chaotic narrative.
They moved to the large bed of Lis and Karina, and Karina, leaning against the pillows at the head, drank wine and, looking at the capricious Lila, upset she thought that she would never dare to behave like that with her husband. Lis was now sitting next to her very cheerful, he listened to Tol’s ramblings without any irritation and even with some pleasure and smoked cigarette after cigarette, shaking off the ashes into an empty bowl, where before that there was bread.
Tol and Lila sat opposite them. Tol hugged Lila with one hand, and in the other he held a cup, sipping from it, and didn’t shut up for a minute, describing what a fine fellow he was. Tol was very tall and big, and Lila was so small and fragile that this difference was immediately apparent and they looked funny together.
Lila seemed very happy, oppressing Karina with this, who involuntarily continued to compare the relationship in their couples and saw that Lila didn’t follow what she said and did. And Tol never even pulled her back or raised his voice at her. Karina understood that she could never be like this with Lis, and how relaxed Lila was! And Karina was tense and watched her actions and words, while still, at any moment, expecting an outbreak of discontent from her beloved. The only thing that made her happy was that Lis didn’t turn to Lila at all. During all this time, he didn’t say a word to her and didn’t comment on any of her phrases. Lila was absolutely uninteresting to him, and Karina was reassured. But at the same time, she was very offended that Tol was so delighted with his fool, and she was so fondled by him.
Lila, apparently, understood Karina’s views in her own way, she reached out to her, clearly wanting to hug and kiss:
“Karina, you have such a beautiful hairstyle, can you do it yourself or is it a maid’s work? Are there any good maids who can do hair?”
Karina not rudely, but clearly expressing her intentions, pushed her away:
“Lila, go to hell!”
“No, Karina, don’t send me to hell,” Lila stretched capriciously, “better say ‘fuck you’!”
“You’ll do without it,” Karina laughed, “if I say fuck you all the time, there will be no cocks left!”
Lila, Tol and Lis laughed. Lis opened another bottle and poured wine for everyone.
“I don’t go to Upper,” Tol continued to chat, “the moron Vil pisses me off, he runs the Castle there. I just don't like him!”
“Me too,” agreed Lis, and Tol was delighted.
“Do you know who he is with now?!”
“No.”
“Oh! I'll tell you now, you sit here, you don't know anything! And here such things are happening! Vil has found himself a woman again! A dancer again! A rotten whore who dances naked in a diner in Lower. Imagine? Why is he always with some dancers? They are all whores, I always said that! And her name is Zara.”
“Yes, he wrote about it in a letter, I have completely forgotten.”
“Well!” And Tol was a little upset that his news was not new.
And Karina remembered:
A small poor room on the border of Lower and Upper and Zara, with a mug of some cheap booze in her hand:
“Well, so which of my friends did you come to talk about? I have nothing to hide.”
“Do you know Atley Alis?”
“ Mmm…”
“He is calles Lis,”
“Ah! Lis! He’s a scum! But charming! No. He is not my friend! And not even a buddy. He dropped in a couple of times, gave a long song and dance. He promised that he would promote me and make me the King’s mistress. He said he had influential friends in the palace, everything was a complete chatter! Where is all his promised?! Chatterbox! There’s only one benefit from him – at least he fucks well. Beautifully takes a woman…
“He beautifully takes a woman,” Karina whispered.
But Lis, who was sitting next to her, heard that and looked at her, stunned:
“How do you know?!”
“I know.”
“But from where?!”
“I visited her once on the occasion. So she told you so too?!”
“A-ha-ha, Zara! What a fool!” Lis laughed. “She told me this when I fucked her, so surprised: “How beautifully you take a woman.” What an idiot!”
“And I say!” Tol intervened happily in their conversation again. “She's a whore!”
