The door bangs open and hits the wall with a thud that Evin is fairly sure can be heard all the way in the Lower City, but he still doesn't get up from behind his desk. It's a reasonably sturdy piece of furniture, and he has a few daggers lashed to the back- just enough to fend off an irate Lady Knight.

The Lady Knight in question is the Commander of the King's Own, and she is angry.

Evin quickly yanks his feet from where they had been resting on top of a pile of unfinished paperwork and tucks them neatly behind his desk. He smoothes down his hair and straightens the collar of his shirt from where it is resting beneath an unwashed tunic. He beams at her, his best smile firmly in place.

"Won't work," Kel says, "you idiot." It's a statement, and Evin pretends to be shocked.

"Why Lady Sir Keladry!" he gasps theatrically. "You wound me to the quick with your harsh words!"

"Save it for the practice courts," Kel growls. "You owe me money, Larse."

"I do not owe you anything," Evin says, sweeping his hands up. "Extortion is a crime, you know."

"I won the cursed bet, dammit," Kel says. "You owe me. The Own beat the Riders mostly fair and square."

"Mostly fair, exactly. Your marauding group of thugs in shiny silver mail cheated!"

"We are not thugs. We are a finely honed, extremely well trained fighting unit. On horses. And your group of Riders cheated more. "

"We did not."

"Evin, you did!" Kel crosses her arms across her chest, exasperated. "You got caught eight times in comparison to our five! You cheated almost twice as much as the Own did."

"I refuse to listen to this defamation of my character," Evin says as he gets up. "You are an insolent person and I am leaving now."

"Larse, it's your own office for Mithros' sake."

He storms out.

Two weeks later, the King passes down a resolution that the King's Own and the Queen's Riders aren't allowed to hold poker tournaments anymore unless they want to pay for all the damages done to the barracks. And the mess hall. And the training courts.

A week after that, Evin finally pays Kel what she's due.

They aren't seen for a good three days.