“I … I didn’t mean to offend. I was simply making a statement,” he muttered, hugging his knees in a bit closer to his torso and pressing his chin down firmly into them. Malta mentioned how much other soldiers within their ranks would enjoy making him scream. He had no doubts that the military man’s statement was the unadulterated truth. After all, he’d seen what horrors the soldiers he’d been in charge of cutting down had been subjected to. He wondered how many of the gashed across their slipping skin had been for the purposes of drawing out information, and how much had been for the mere pleasure of fucking up a foreigner. By that point he’d always deduced that it didn’t truly matter, they were dead as doornails and the damage had already been done, so he’d chosen not to dwell on it. Now, however, he couldn’t help but think back to those ghastly wounds and wonder how many would be inflicted upon him in his time within the northern realm.<br/><br/>The little elf was once again jarred from his thoughts when Malta moved from the space he’d been settled in making the tea. The aroma of it flooded the small tent now, it smelled vaguely sweet, though it wasn’t nearly as aromatic as the teas that his brother often gifted to him when he came for visits. Malta settled down onto the edge of his fairly barren cot, and Nikodem noted that within his hands he held a pair of old, dented tin mugs. He pursed his lips thoughtfully at the sight of them, his brow furrowing as he curled in on himself whilst gazing warily at the man. The massive man was being kind to him, or at least as kind as he was capable of being to a filthy little<i>khry.</i>It made Niko all the more uneasy. He didn’t see any alternative, however, when Malta offered him a cup of tea, and so he slowly released his legs and moved up onto his knees.<br/><br/>He paused there for a few moments, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He knew what was coming, of course, it wasn’t as though he was dense or under any sort of illusion. He was going to get fucked this evening, most likely brutally, and he’d not have any say in the matter. It wasn’t as though his body hadn’t been used before, when he’d first found himself upon the streets as a young boy he’d been adopted into a sex workers program, but this was quite a bit different. The Alrian sitting on the cot before him was massive, and despite his gentle attitude Nikodem was fairly suspicious that the coupling that was going to ensue would be an angry one. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but he was more or less resigned to the fate for at least the evening, and he had to believe Malta when he said that he was lucky that it was him, and not one of the many other soldiers that had found him and gained access to his svelte form for the evening.<br/><br/>Niko dragged himself to his feet, standing still to steady himself for a moment before shuffling slightly over to Malta’s side. He settled down beside the much larger male, swallowing firmly as he reached out to take the offered cup. He brought it to his lips and closed his eyes for a moment as warm, aromatic steam wafted up over his feminine features. He let out a long breath before pressing the edge of the little mug to his lips and tipping it backwards, taking in a small sip of the relatively bland, but comfortably warm and pleasant tea. He hummed softly against the rim in an almost involuntary manner before lowering the cup and holding it in close to his abdomen as though it’s warmth would seep into his core and drive away the chill that had settled there.<br/><br/>“Thank you, for the tea,” he whispered after clearing his throat lightly, glancing over at the giant settled beside him. He wasn’t sure precisely what would happen next as he quietly sipped at the liquid he’d been gifted. He was fairly sure he knew what the northerner’s end goal was, but he found himself wondering how exactly they’d get there. Would he simply be forced down into the bed and forcibly entered, or was the Alrian interested in attempting some sort of foreplay? Which one of those two options was better for the little elf who didn’t really wish to lie with the brute beside him, Nikodem wasn’t entirely sure.