A Single Question

Ash

Ash had halfway hoped that his statement would throw Kai off a bit, but the other simply nodded, his lips tightening almost as if humming, though no sound could be heard. Kai took a moment before responding, his voice soft in volume but hard in tone, as usual, “Alright. Next, we must discuss payment.”

Biting his tongue, Ash stopped himself from making one of his automatically snide remarks. He had a feeling that neither of them had the energy to deal with his smart mouth at the moment, and he certainly didn’t want things to end up as they had the week before. “How much?”

Kai’s eyes narrowed, surprising Ash. He was not ready for the hard, analytical look in them as Kai stared at him, though he couldn’t say that having the undivided attention of those dark, nearly black eyes didn’t give him at least a little bit of pleasure. He only wished they weren’t so cold. “How much do you believe the lessons to be worth?”