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Lazarus couldn't help but grinned widely as he clinked his glass with Melisande. "Cheers!" Although he and Xiu had been together for a while, it was still really nice to get his friend's blessings on the matter.

The attention was then shifted towards Rivener rather quickly, but the incubus did picked up on Pasha's discomfort to discuss about her work and what happened today. Perhaps they could come back to that later, when she relaxed a bit more from the alcohol. It was a pity that she doesn't sing in that pub anymore though, it was a nice and cozy place.

Then it was time for Rivener to look uncomfortable. Lazarus don't blame Rivener though, being friends to both parties of the scorpion's relationship, he understood the predicament he is in and his hesitance to declare it to Pasha. Though why Rivener was unwilling to divulge Zul's name escapes him at the moment. Perhaps he should play along.

That's why it was no surprise to the Sigel that the topic would circulate back to him rather quickly. Ordering another Singapore Sling when Ash dropped by, he finished what's left from his glass and sighed softly, before continuing. "Xiu is doing well, the usual." He smiled happily. "Last week, Xiu dropped by the Lab and we baked a cake by following a recipe I found online. It was a Tres Leches cake! It was so hilarious, Xiu didn't know how to operate a mixer because it was his first time baking, and splattered some of the batter onto his face!" The Sigel couldn't help but laughed at the image in his memory. "You should have seen his face! We redid the batter later on of course, but we added too much sweeten condensed milk and the cake turned out a little too sweet for my taste. Xiu took half back home and Kyou finished the other half in just two days. So it's all well." It was no stranger to Rivener that Lazarus becomes talkative when he's having alcohol, and just as he finished their newly ordered drinks arrived.

Taking a large sip from his cup, he looked at Pasha with a slightly drunken grin. "Had you baked before Meli? What kind of cake you like?" It's time to throw the baton around again.

Thank youuuu Lazarus! Rivener sighed internally, so grateful that the other Sigel had diverted the conversation to cakes. Pasha took the bait and off they went, though Rivener was still laughing about Xiu's cake-face when the Muse began explaining her favorites. Wiping a tear from his eye and trying to stop imagining Xiu looking like a kicked puppy with half a cake splattered over his head, Riv sat back in his bench and finished off his drink, then knocked back another vodka shot he'd ordered. The world was kind of tipping on its own now, and everything felt fuzzy and cotton-covered... One more Ceasar. Yes, that was a wonderful idea. He flagged down Ash.

Meli offered her ribbon and Rivener blinked at her owlishly before taking it. When had her hair gotten so... cascady? Was she giving him the ribbon straight from her hair? Oh wow. "Sure, thank you," he said, reaching across the table with a broad grin. He took the ribbon and stared at it a little while, then reached over and put it in his jacket's pocket. He didn't want to forget it! He'd give this to Zul. Then they'd BOTH have something of hers, that smelled like those lovely flowers in her hair!

"I know Cesc. Good ki-... kid." Riv now stared at the finger in Meli's mouth, and the way her lips molded around it. Mesmerizing. The silence dragged on a little too long and the Scorpion shook his head to break the spell, clearing his throat and laughing at his own helplessness. He tried to split his stare between his two friends, not just the gorgeous blonde. "I like coffeecake best. If Cesc can bake cakes, we really should take lessons! Xiu definitely needs to go too. But if Laz learns how to make cakes, Kyou's going to get fat!"

Riv truly must be drunk, because that last made him crack up. He laughed hysterically, bent over the table, tears in his eyes again. "Kyou! Fat! With that-... that Afro! Fat Afro Kyou! HAHAHAHAH!!!" The mental image was just so hilarious! "Laz! Laz! Can you imagine? Oh god! He'd look like... like a human snowman! Oh man!"

Melisande laughed as well, though not at the image of Kyou being fat. Her mind refused to even imagine such a thing. But Rivener and Laz looked so happy that she was enchanted, and suddenly the room seemed a little bigger than it had before. The open beams of the ceiling arched over head, and the distance across the table widened gracefully. She trailed off with a gasp of an inhale at the end of her laugh, and tilted her head, watching Rivener laugh. She'd never seem him so genuinely carefree before! From this distance...not hidden behind rows of clothing, not sheltered under his wing...she could truly see him.

Pasha hiccuped, and covered her mouth with her hand. Her mind went instantly blank with embarrassment. What had they been talking about? "Cake...cake lessons?" She took a sip of her drink, stealing a few moments to think. "Oh, with Cesc! Do you think he would teach us? Kyou could be the judge!" She glanced sidelong at Laz and flicked a wing, ruffling his long hair playfully with the tips of her pale feathers.

"You're his favorite though. Maybe two judges." She took another tiny sip, and marveled at the way the alcohol taste seemed to have faded. When she glanced back up at Rivener, her eyes were still warmly narrowed by the mystery of her drink. "You pick the other judge. We'll have a cake off!" She leaned back and accidentally tilted her glass, splashing just a bit over her hand and wrist.

"Oh~!"

Lazarus smiled dreamily as Melisande played with his hair, the light shade of red on his face grew just a little bit darker as he watched his hair twirling around her delicate fingers. For the moment, he was content, just by looking at Melisande from his seat. The little spill however, jolted him back to earth.

Where was he just now? He blinked, like he had just woken from a dream. This must be an effect from the alcohol. Blushing again, this time from embarrassment, the incubus tries to rejoin the conversation. "I agree, Cesc and Vivi should be the judge." After all, it's only natural that their teachers be the judge right? Avoiding eye contact just for the moment, he took another large gulp of his drink, thus missing the scene where Rivener licked Melisande's finger.

When his red eyes trailed towards Rivener again, he was already ranting on about how baking is difficult. While the fire Sigel felt a little bit disappointed that he and Rivener won't be baking together, he respect the other's wishes. At the moment however, his mind was pondering about something else as he took another sip from his cup.

"I wonder how it will feel like when we do grow legs? Would we feel more rooted to the ground? Heavier? Would we even be growing legs?" His mind wandered, picking out a few Raevans that would fit the bill. "Like Delia and Basil, they came from snakes. Maybe they might grow a snake-like lower body, who knows?" There's also Anya, who is a spider... what if her lower body turned out to be...? No, that's a very disturbing thought. His face frowned a little bit as he took another sip. "I mean how confident are you that you are going to have regular human legs?"

Rivener raised an eyebrow, eyes going a little unfocused as he imagined Melisande's skirts not falling flat. He remembered her mimicking her curves with her hands, and... yeah, girls should definitely have legs. Men, maybe not so much. But Meli could definitely rock a set of pegs that would leave everyone drooling, the Scorpion was sure. But she'd never flaunt it. She'd be modest and naive and it was all an act wasn't it OHHH that sneaky Muse! Riv snickered at her like he'd just caught on, eyes narrowing in a I caught you! kind of grin.

She was up and moving now though, getting up to look at her missing legs and suggesting ROOTS of all things? Rivener laughed, a hearty sound, though he nearly choked on his own spit as she spread her wings out so wide. She NEVER did that, and he'd never quite seen her wings as being that big! At most she fluffed them and rustled them or flapped demurely, but look at that wingspan! The red eyes were wide, though they went wider as she plopped to the seat beside him instead of Lazarus. Those eyes looked about ready to pop out of his skull. He grabbed at a last shotglass and brought it to his lips, tilting it- empty. He looked down. All empty! ...Well, that would explain the fuzziness in his head then. And so much for added liquid courage.

Something Meli said had him looking over with a laugh, face scrunching. "BAT legs? Why would we have bat legs? I dunno about you, Laz, but I'm no bat. I'm a SCORPION! If anything, I'd look like... I'd have like, a big black chinininous-... chinitous... a buggy-butt and eight black legs. And a stinger! Though they're on my wings, so I don't know how that's... Anyway, I wouldn't want legs. For girls it's fine, but Laz, Man... Man... You do NOT want legs. There's thing thing that comes with it. It looks like an old sock. It's really not flattering on anyone. So you know. If I could pick, I'd want no legs. I'm fine being the way I am!" He WOULD have gone into great detail about that horrific side-effect of having legs, but not with Melisande present. She was a lady and she didn't have to hear about that stuff. Oh, she had her hair-... Riv reached out with a finger and hooked that stray blonde curl, pulling it off her lips and tucking it behind an ear with a grin. There, that was better!

"You know, I don't think I've EVER been this damned drunk this quick before." He giggled, putting a hand on his own head and looking at Lazarus with a questioning frown. "Have I? ...Ugh, it must be about time to go."

Men's...junk? Pasha's blue eyes were wide as she listened, more than a little puzzled. Why were they talking about junk, and showers, and...in between the legs? As soon as the vaguest idea of what they were discussing dawned on her, she blushed, and covered her mouth with both hands in shock. Suddenly, the room shrank back in around her, and Melisande realized she was in a bar, more than a little tipsy, with two equally drunk Sigels that were discussing private parts very much in public. Cheeks kissed pink, Pasha made herself drop her hands, and tucked her wings in tight against her corseted back. It was definitely time to go...but how could she explain that she had no where to go?

"You...don't need to escort me." She said in a small voice. Between her fight with Alain, and Aki's call, she definitely couldn't go home. And after what had happened at Vi's shop...

"I can find my own way!" She tried to smile, but it was a tiny attempt. Hopefully they just thought she was shocked at the language. "Would you...my jacket? ....how much are drinks?"

Lazarus's cheeky grin disappeared immediately when Rivener hushed him. In his drunken state, even he could see that Melisande was upset. "I-I'm sorry." He muttered softly, feeling a little bit embarrassed now as he began to move out of the booth with the rest and putting on his hoodie too.

The incubus only managed to nod as Rivener paid for the bill, waiting quietly beside the muse. It seemed a little odd though, as she looked kind of worried now instead of being upset like just now. Lazarus had been trained to be more observant with expressions and body language since he had been going out with Xiu. So even at his drunken state he is more observant than most. Though whether or not he will remember his observations in the morning is another matter.

As they head back out into the streets, the fire Sigel opened the pub's door to let the other two exit first. "No Melisande, we insist!" Lazarus said as they stood in the middle of the walkway. "I don't feel right letting you go home alone. It's not safe around these parts." He was sure that Rivener would feel the same. This area after all, is full of pubs, discos and even some shady motels. The only things missing are the ladies on the streets, although he heard that they stand just a few blocks away from where they are too. Then at that very moment, a drunk man who was leaning against a lamp post not too far from them vomited audibly onto the pavement, as if to emphasize Lazarus's point.