The sweet smells of booze and liquor always put a smile on Alice's face.

She stirred her finger along the rim of her glass, the beverage devoid of the usual stinging burn that left her in blissful relief. Her father's orders. Even if she wanted to change that, she knew as well as the bartenders how little her opinions mattered. As long as she had the stupid chip in her head, she might as well have been his lap dog. Mom certainly thought so.

"Is there a problem?"

She shook her head, finally taking up her drink in what would have been an easy shot. Whoever invented non-alcoholic booze could go get stomped by a demon. They tasted awful.

"I take it you're still new to the twelve steps."

She snickered. "Twelve steps?"

Eric shrugged. "Best explanation I could come up with. You don't seem me the type to not indulge. Am I off base?"

She went back to stirring her cup. "Only a little."

She didn't have the exact measurements, but she knew it had to have been at least a couple months since Dad activated the chip. Since then, her body had been essentially on autopilot. Every time she reached for a booze-filled glass, there'd be a small jolt sent through her brain. Not anything painful, but enough to stop her nerves dead so her hand would never reach it. The same thing happened if she tried drinking without her hands. Using her feet. Waterfalling. She'd tried several different methods when she was younger, none of which succeeded. Even with someone else holding the bottle, the chip commanded her body to move away.

It was one of many reasons she stopped going to parties. At least not until she'd gotten old enough to leave the house. Or so she'd assumed.

"I just can't drink anymore," she said. "Not by choice, but...Let's just say my parents frown upon it."

She expected Eric to push the subject further. Questions about her folks were all too common, her father especially. But the mage gave a small nod of acknowledgment, picked up his cup, and continued drinking without another word. It was one of many reactions that made Alice question if he was really just a robot.

"You're not gonna ask why?" she asked.

"Would you tell me?"

"No."

"Then why bother?"

"Uh. Curiosity. Common sense."

He just kept drinking. Was he even listening to her? She rolled her eyes, throwing back another diluted drink. Why did she think this was a good idea in the first place?

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

After a long day at work, the topic of destressing had naturally come about. Going back to her guard-infested bedroom filled her with dread more powerful than any demon could muster. And though he didn't say so directly, she got the impression Eric wasn't as eager to return to wherever he stayed either. Thus, in the spirit of avoiding their home lives, they'd agreed to hide out in a bar for a few hours. At the very least, she'd assumed it would be better than being watched the rest of the day.

Given Eric's reactions, the jury was out on which scene she preferred.

"You're not the least bit curious," she asked.

"Not particularly no." He sipped at his glass. "You never asked about my home life either."

"That's-" She had no rebuttal, instead groaning. "Alright. What's your home issue?"

He glanced her way, which made her more furious than she cared to admit. At least with Felissa, she expected to get toyed with. Eric was harder to read. Just like a r-

"My kid's in a coma."

Her thoughts dropped away.

"H-huh?"

Eric shrugged, taking a long sip of his drink before setting it down on the counter.

"Has been for a few weeks now," he said. "No one knows when she'll wake up. I stopped asking."

She could only stare back at him. You have a kid was the first thought that popped into her mind. The second was how terrible she felt for thinking so. To have worked with this man for weeks and never had even the hint of something like...that. In the silence that fell between them, she immediately regretted bringing up their home lives. And more than ever she desired the painkilling properties of the strongest liquor around. For both of them.

It was Eric who changed the subject.

"Your father is Senator Morino, correct?" he asked.

She didn't look up from her drink. "Eyebrows are that obvious, huh?"

It brought a smile back, the man giving a small shrug. Even if she deliberately kept her parental ties hidden, it was hard for anyone not to see the resemblance if they were looking for it. No matter how much Uncle Brown tried to pretend otherwise.

"I suppose we're both in complicated situations," Eric said. "The world really is a strange one to live in."

"More like flippin' annoying."

He laughed. "That too."

The mage raised his glass, Alice doing the same. Though his wasn't a position she envied, she was more than happy to leave all the messy bits to the wayside. They had come to stew away and forget their problems, after all. What good would bringing them up at a bar do? As she washed the last of her non-alcoholic drink away, she found herself somewhat enjoying herself. Almost forgetting about the outside world entirely.

That was, until she and Eric's phones started to vibrate. Alice groaned at the sight of a PIC message across her screen.

A new mission for us? Perfect.

She rolled her eyes as the bartender was refilling their glasses. As expected, the mission was nothing crazy. There was an influx of cats roaming the streets of Angelas. More than likely the result of some monster squatting in their territory. She looked to Eric, who gave a shrug, finishing up his cup and leaving a few dollars on the counter.

"We've got work to do."

She sighed. "Yeah. And I was just starting to semi-tolerate you too."

He smirked at that, Alice following him through the door.

They were barely outside when they first heard the chorus of meows.