After Tessa calmed down, Greg asked if she'd be interested in playing pool, since there really wasn't much else to do. She agreed, and they headed to Victor's place to grab him as well, since Greg figured the more the merrier, which led to Tessa stabbing him again for some reason she didn't bother to explain. Carlos was there with Victor, since the two of them had been hanging out together, so he joined as well.

Once they arrived, Carlos and Victor went to claim a pool table, while Greg and Tessa went to the bar to buy drinks and get the balls. "Two Vodkas, a lemonade, an orange juice, and two hours of pool." Tessa told the bartender as she handed over the coins. He nodded, placing four bottles on the counter, along with the balls. Tessa's hands morphed, each one wrapping around two bottles securely. "Get the glasses." She told Greg, tilting her head at a table by the bar full of glasses.

Greg grabbed the balls, raising an eyebrow at her. "We're drinking? Aren't we… you know, a little young?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "According to who? There's no government anymore, Greg. The drinking age is whatever you want it to be."

Greg paused. "Well, that's fair." He shrugged, turning to grab a stack of four cups and following Tessa to where Victor and Carlos had staked out a pool table. Tessa and Greg set the glasses and alcohol on a nearby counter, the balls on the table, and they all took a break to pour themselves drinks. Greg poured himself a glass of vodka and lemonade, and took a sip, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "This… just tastes like lemonade."

"Yeah? That's what vodka does. It just blends with whatever you put it in." Carlos shrugged.

Greg frowned. "That sounds… dangerous."

"That's why you pour your own drink." Victor chuckled. "So you know what you're getting."

Greg looked down at his drink. "What am I getting? I've never actually had alcohol before."

"How much did you put in it?" Tessa raised an eyebrow at him.

Greg looked down at his glass, before looking back up. "Half and half?"

"Jesus." Carlos shook his head.

"Yup, that'll get you drunk." Victor nodded. "Or at least most of the way there."

Greg looked down at the glass again, frowning. "Should I make a new one?"

"No, just pace yourself. Sip it, and then don't make yourself a new one for a while." Tessa explained.

Greg nodded, sipping at his glass. Once everyone had their drinks, Victor clapped his hands. "Alright, teams. Who wants to be with me?"

"Me, duh." Carlos answered before Greg could. "If me and Tessa were on the same team, you two wouldn't stand a chance!"

Greg shrugged, not really caring who he was with. "Guess I'm with you then." He commented, turning to Tessa.

Tessa just nodded, grabbing her cue stick. Since Carlos had racked, they had the first break, which Greg insisted Tessa take. He'd barely ever played pool before, and he knew from last night he wasn't all that great at it. As he watched, he took another sip of his drink, enjoying the flavor. Besides the fact that it wasn't cold, it tasted just like lemonade, and Greg absently kept taking sips until the glass was empty, before it even got to his turn. Placing the empty glass down, he took his turn, failing to actually sink a ball, and refilling his glass with a sigh as he returned. He absently sipped at it until he finished it again, before his next turn. This cycle repeated a few times, until Victor noticed how much he'd actually had at this point, shooting him a concerned look.

"Uh, Greg, are you feeling okay?" He asked.

"Yeah? Why?" Greg replied, raising an eyebrow as he finished his latest glass.

"Because I'm pretty sure you've had close to half a bottle of vodka at this point, and we've only been playing for like twenty minutes." Victor responded, pointing at the mostly empty bottle of vodka on the counter.

Greg's eyes raised slightly, looking at his glass, then back at the bottle. "Huh… I don't feel anything though?"

"Dude, it takes time for the alcohol to get into your system. Hold off and wait for a bit." Carlos sighed, shaking his head, before turning to Victor. "If he pukes, you're cleaning it up."

Greg was going to protest, saying he'd be fine, but… well, the others definitely had more experience than he did, so he should probably take their advice. He set his glass down and focused on the pool game.

As he missed yet another shot, a ridiculously easy one which he really should have made, Tessa shook her head. "You have to keep your stick straight." She commented.

"Huh?" Greg asked, confused.

"When you shoot, you have to make sure your stick moves in a straight line, and follow through." Tessa elaborated.

Greg flushed slightly, scratching the back of his head. "I… thought I was…" He muttered.

Tessa smirked slightly, shaking her head. "Not with the way you're standing. Your body is in the way. You have to lean over more. Watch me." She continued as her turn came up, taking aim. Greg watched as she shot, noticing how she positioned herself before shooting. "Got it?" She asked once her turn was over, sinking the first ball, but missing the second due to a poor angle.

Greg nodded slightly. Once his turn came up, he tried to position himself like she had, moving his body out of the way of his stick. Once again, he had a pretty easy shot, but this time, he actually made it! "Ha, first ball in!" He cried happily.

"Yeah, but you scratched." Carlos pointed out, taking out the cue ball, which had followed the other into the pocket.

Greg frowned. "Scratched?"

"It's when the white ball goes into one of the pockets. You lose your turn, the ball you made comes out, and we get ball in hand." Victor explained. "I just ignored it last night, since you're new."

Greg sighed. "Ah, damnit."

"You hit the ball too high." Tessa explained. "When you have a straight shot like that, you want to hit the ball hard and low. Hitting low puts a backspin on the ball, while hitting high makes it roll forward more. To the sides puts spin on it in either direction."

Greg frowned. "Wait, so I need to pay attention to where I hit the ball too? No wonder my shots are inconsistent."

As they continued to play, Tessa continued to give Greg advice, and he slowly improved. He still didn't get good, but he got better. After the third game, he noticed Victor giving him another strange look. "What?"

"Are you still not feeling anything?" Victor asked, looking him up and down.

"What do you- oh! The alcohol, right." Greg was confused for a moment before he remembered he'd been drinking. "Uh… no, not really. Not at all actually. I mean, I've never been drunk before, so I'm not really sure what I should be feeling, but I just feel normal." Greg explained.

Victor frowned. "That's not right… you had way more than I did, and I'm definitely buzzed by now." He muttered.

Greg shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Maybe it's his smoke bullshit." Carlos interjected. "Making him all immune and shit."

Greg frowned. "Wait, so I can't get drunk?!? Man, this ability takes all the fun out of life!" He grumbled bitterly. "I bet I can't get high either."

Tessa gave him a weird look. "Do you really dislike your ability that much?"

Greg paused, considering the question for a moment. "Well… okay, so, for like fighting and not dying, it's great. I can't deny that. Plus, it has a few convenient features for daily life, like not needing to take a shower, but… well, I don't like it when things are completely unavailable to me, even if I didn't really want to do it in the first place. It feels limiting, and I hate being limited. I hate the idea of not being able to do something, even if I don't really want to do it anyways."

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Victor nodded along. "I get that. I get the same way when people tell me I have to do something. Like homework. Utter bullshit."

"You do realize that homework is the only reason you're a C student, and I'm an A student, right?" Greg replied. "Literally, it's worth like twenty percent of your grade."

"That's my point!" Victor exclaimed. "You and I both get the same test scores, but just because I don't do the homework, something that's supposed to act as a study aid to help you do better on the test, I get C's! It's ridiculous!"

"You both realize college isn't a thing anymore, right? Why waste time complaining about a system that no longer exists!" Carlos asked incredulously.

Greg and Victor shared a look. "How did we get there?" Greg asked, confused.

"Uh, hold on… Right! Things people say I have to do for no apparent reason." Victor replied.

"Ah, yes. You have to get over that." Greg commented.

Victor shot him a glare. "Make me, bitch."

Greg frowned. "I'd need to find a shock collar… maybe a cattle prod."

"I think positive reinforcement would be more effective in this situation. You want to incentivize behavior, not disincentivize." Victor commented.

"Yeah, but you're not really reward motivated. You have to adjust the treatment to the person as well as the situation." Greg responded.

"I'm totally reward motivated! You just don't know what I consider rewarding." Victor retorted.

"This conversation has gotten weird." Carlos muttered.

"This conversation has gotten interesting." Greg countered.

Tessa snorted, shaking her head. "Alright, enough. Victor, it's your turn."

*

"Okay, this ishn't fair. You two are perfectly sober! How're we shuposed to beat that?!?" Carlos complained as he and Victor lost the third pool game in a row.

Tessa shrugged. "It isn't our fault you can't handle your alcohol." She commented blandly, taking a sip of her drink.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask. Why are you still sober?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow at Tessa.

"Enhanced metabolism." Tessa explained simply. "I can speed up how fast my body processes alcohol, letting me maintain a slight buzz, without drifting into the realm of drunk."

"Ish not fair!" Carlos grumbled again.

"May have a point… rooms a bit spinny." Victor muttered, leaning against a wall, looking like he wasn't going to move any time soon.

Greg shrugged. "I guess we can stop… we have been playing for a few hours now."

"I suppose. What should we do then?" Tessa asked.

""Sleep."" Victor and Carlos groaned at the same time.

Greg frowned. "Guys, it's only like eight. Little early, isn't it?"

"Not when you shtarted drinking at five." Victor retorted. "Need water… and horishontalnesh. Mmmm, horishontalnesh."

Greg sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, fine. Let's get you guys home then."

"Feh! I can get home myshelf." Victor grumbled, waving slightly as he began trudging out the door, swaying slightly, followed by Carlos.

Greg went to stop them, before being stopped by Tessa. "Leave them. This isn't their first time doing this."

Greg glanced at her. "You guys do this a lot?"

Tessa shrugged. "There isn't much else to do."

Greg thought about it for a second, before nodding. "Yeah, that makes sense. So… what do you want to do then? Play more pool?"

Tessa shook her head. "Let's do something else… we could head to the dance hall? They have a live band."

Greg frowned. "Not a big fan of bands… I mean, the music is better on- ah, damn it." Greg sighed. "I forgot I don't have a music library in my pocket anymore."

Tessa grinned at him. "Sucks, huh?"

"Quite a bit." Greg nodded with a bitter expression.

"So, band?" Tessa offered again.

"Eh, sure." Greg nodded with a shrug. "Let's see what this new world has to offer."

They left the bar, heading to a different building, which had also had its entire first floor converted for a single use. It seemed that the safe zone had decided that all business would be done on the first floor, leaving the upper floors for residences. In the building, a few people were playing a mishmash of various instruments. Guitars, violins, pianos, saxophones, pretty much anything they could get their hands on, all working together to create a unique melody. Tables and chairs were set up along the walls, where various people sat and listened, while a large empty area was left open for dancing.

Greg and Tessa made their way to a small table in the corner, taking a seat and listening to the music. Slowly though, Greg got bored. It wasn't that the music was bad or anything, but… it wasn't substantial enough to keep him occupied. He needed something else to accompany it, like a book or game or something.

"What do you think?" Tessa asked as the band took a short break.

"It's fine." Greg shrugged. "The music is… interesting, but it's just music. Not really enough to grab all my attention."

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked, cocking her head.

"Well, before all this, music was always an addition to something else I was doing. An accompaniment. Like, music and video games, or music and reading. Just listening to music on its own is a little… I just can't stay in it. My mind wanders and I start getting itchy, looking for something else to do." Greg explained.

Tessa frowned at him. "Please don't do something weird like making a giant fort out of all the tables."

Greg paused. "I wasn't going to, but now that you mention it…"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Have you tried dancing? I believe that's a pretty classic answer to what to do while music is playing."

Greg frowned. "I guess, but I don't really know how to dance… plus, who am I going to dance with?"

Tessa gave him a bland look. "Are you really this stupid, or are you being purposefully obtuse?"

"Eh?" Greg asked, confused.

"I will teach you how to dance." Tessa sighed, shaking her head.

Greg was startled. "You know how to dance?"

"Of course. Everyone does by this point." Tessa explained. "Come on, I'll show you the basic steps before they start again." She stood up, waving for him to follow her. They walked to the edge of the dance floor, finding a relatively clear space. "First, we'll start simple, with the swing. It's a basic four step dance. We start by holding hands, then you…" Tessa explained the basics of a swing dance, showing Greg the steps, explaining the basics of keeping time. "Right, like that, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four." She counted off as they went through the steps.

Greg frowned as they fell into the rhythm. "Wait… this is dancing? Really?" He asked incredulously. "Isn't it a little too simple?"

Tessa shook her head. "You're missing the point. There are more complex moves you can get into, but unless you want to become a professional, it sort of defeats the point. Dancing is about an excuse to remain in close contact with another person for extended periods of time. It's simple so that you can talk and get to know that person while you do."

Greg frowned. "Do we really need to dance to do that? Pretty sure we could have talked back at the table."

Tessa shrugged. "It's different. Dancing forces you to pay attention to your partner. Besides, dancing is more for people who aren't comfortable with each other. When a guy asks a girl to dance, she's only committing to a few minutes of interaction. If he asked if he could sit and talk with her, he could be there for an indefinite period of time. It's like a test."

"That makes sense, I suppose…" Greg replied, still frowning slightly. "I'm guessing you have a lot of experience with this?"

Tessa shook her head. "Not really. I'm not exactly the most… approachable person."

"Well, maybe if you weren't so eager to stab people all the time." Greg commented with a grin.

"Maybe if people didn't deserve to be stabbed, I wouldn't feel the need to all the time." Tessa retorted. "Besides, it's more of an aggravated poking than stabbing."

"I clearly remember you flat out cutting open my arm literally the first time we met. I hadn't even done anything yet!" Greg countered.

"That's different." Tessa shook her head. "That was experimentation. Science. Completely justifiable."

"Whatever you say, Josephina Mengele." Greg shot back.

Tessa tsked. "Rude."

Greg snickered. "You're just angry cause I'm right."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Shut up and dance."

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?" Greg replied, grinning. "Remember, dancing is simple so you can focus on your partner and talk." He commented, before yelping as needles came out of Tessa's hands, stabbing into his. Her grip tightened, not letting him let go.

"Don't be rude." She growled, glaring at him.

Greg sighed, shaking his head as they continued to dance. "And you wonder why people have a hard time approaching you." Tessa just snorted and rolled her eyes.

They continued dancing for a while, slowly getting more comfortable with each other, chatting idly, joking together, stabbing Greg when he made a particularly bad joke, complaining about being stabbed, the usual. Of course, at this point, the stabbing was more of a joke than anything. They both knew it meant nothing to Greg. He dealt with worse injuries every night. But Greg felt like it'd be wrong if he didn't get threatened with a stabbing from Tessa every now and then. It was like him and Victor calling each other friend or buddy, then denying it. It was just how they worked, and he liked it.