The Trouble of Alcohol

After the fiasco with the new weapon and my not-so-secret-admirer, Loki announced that a celebration was in order. Placing a hand on my shoulder, she steered me toward the door with the rest of the group following.

I chatted with everyone around, the buzz of Ais's new sword keeping everyone in an excited mood. The sun was setting and passerbyers seemed to be setting into their evening routines. We made our way toward the Hostess of Fertility with Loki in the lead, and I smiled in recognition when I noticed the nice server from my last venture into the restaurant. A flash of a smile was the response as she headed over to the small group waiting to be seated.

A deep nod towards Loki showed her respect to the Goddess before she addressed me, and I stowed that formality away.

Syr: Hello Aelita! Welcome back! I hope you're finding the city to your liking?

She spoke as she gestured for us to follow, and glanced over her shoulder to hear my response.

Me: I am! We're actually here to celebrate my new familia. I'll be you can't guess which one it is.

I asked the question in an over exaggerated whisper, sending her a wink as Loki laughed behind her hand. Of course, she knew immediately who it was, but that didn't stop her from tapping her chin and playing along.

Syr: Hm... I have no idea! But I'm sure whichever one you find yourself in is very strong and high ranking.

We all laughed as we took our seats at the obvious humoring and flattery. I was sat between Ais and Loki, our arms brushing slightly as we joked and moved around. Trying to focus on the conversation in front of me was a bit difficult though when I felt a hand settle on the top of my thigh.

Keeping my composure, I turned my gaze to Loki, where she kept the conversation flowing with jokes and simple conversation. She showed no outward indication that she was feeling me up aside from the half smirk that lingered when she caught me staring. A blush crept up my face. As much as I was definitely not a virgin, having the attention of a goddess turned on you was a bit intimidating.

The fingers began to draw circles lazily against the fabric there, and the gentle tinkle of laughter from the System sounded in my mind. I shot back a panicked questioning thought asking what I should do.

System: {You are both consenting adults, and she's obviously attracted to you.}

I groan in my head.

Me: 'You're not helping, you ass.'

Abruptly, I raise my arm to flag down a server. Syr was nowhere in sight, but I needed this. We had already ordered food, but I barely remembered what I ordered in the first place. A perky girl in a green maid uniform stopped in front the table, smiling as the light brown cat ears on her head twitched in time with the tail behind her.

???: Hello, my name is Anya, how may I help you?

I splayed both my hands on the table and made intense eye contact.

Me: I need your strongest drink. It doesn't have to taste good, but it's been a long-

I choked off my word as a nail scraped up my thigh slowly. I play it off as a cough before finishing, ignoring the grin on Loki's face.

Me:- long day. Actually, make that two.

Anya looked amused before reading the table and nodding with a grin.

Loki spoke up and ordered the same before Gareth did too.

Soon, the whole party had food and drink. I slammed my first cup down, feeling the warm drink curl nicely in my stomach. I took the second one a bit slower, noticing how the drink encouraged me to lean more into Loki. She didn't seem to mind, instead moving her hand to wrap around my shoulders and occasionally run her long nails down my arm.

The feeling sent little shockwaves through my body and I couldn't tell if my warm face was from the alcohol or the attention I was being shown. I didn't care as much at this point though and embraced the flirting. It didn't come as naturally to me, but I did managed to make Loki grin a few times before we all decided to head out back to the house.

I slid out of the booth and as soon as I stood, the world spun in circles and my eyes felt like they were going to explode. Fuck. I haven't drunk this much in a while. A steadying hand on my forearm kept me from falling over, and I looked up to thank my savior. To my surprise, Ais looked back at me.

Me: Thank... you Ayesh. Wow you have pretty eyes? Thank you.

I felt my mouth babbling, but I wasn't quite sure the words coming out of them. I did feel the trill of amusement coming from the back of my mind. Sending a shush towards System, it wasn't until I refocused back on Ais's face that I saw her eyebrow raised. Oops. I must have shushed out loud.

Grinning at Ais, I patted her gently on the cheek before turning and walking toward the exit with everyone else. I only stumbled a little, and Loki laughed before she looped her arm through my own.

Walking home was more of a hover home. There were so many things to look at, I kept forgetting my feet existed, and then I would laugh and fix them so they walked right again. Next thing I knew, I blinked and was in my bedroom. I vaguely remembered telling everyone else goodnight before Loki showed me to my room, and I squinted at the lack of bed.

Me: Oh! Wait! I have that!

I laughed at myself before fumbling around mentally, unsure of where to look to find my wonderful, nice, cozy, perfect bed. Starting to sway a little, I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay standing when I felt a gentle nudge from an amused System.

Me: 'Thank youuuuuu System. I love you. You're my best friend. And my head friend. My best head friend!'

I pulled the bed out of thin air with much less grace than I normally had. The bed landed with a loud thud, and then I laughed and threw myself onto it face first. My arms were all askew and my ass was in the air, and it took a moment of wrestling with my own limbs to get them in a semblance of order before I turned to look at the amused Loki.

It hit me, though not as hard as it should have given how drunk I was, that I was in my room, alone with Loki, who had been hitting on me all night.

Whoops?