"Why is it that the couple always kisses in the middle of a battle?"

M21 glanced at Tao curiously, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Tao gestured to the TV. "I mean, look! A big battle is going on, and they're in a life or death situation, yet they take the time to kiss! Doesn't that seem useless?"

M21 was silent, glancing back at the movie. Just as Tao had said, the main characters were not only locked in battle, but also in locking lips. M21 shrugged. "Maybe they feel as if they are going to die, and they want to express their affections before they lose the only chance they've got."

Takeo scoffed. "If that were the case, then they will certainly be dead in a real life situation. If you have time to kiss, you have time to shoot."

"Exactly!" Tao exclaimed. "You don't see us locking lips with anyone when we are close to dying!"

M21 grimaced. "That, and who wants to kiss someone when they're a bloody, sweaty mess?" That...was not appealing at all. What woman wanted to kiss a shirtless guy in the heat of battle?

"It seems pointless to go around giving someone a smoochy-smooch when you're about to die!" Tao continued.

"If you are about to risk your life on a pointless activity such as kissing," Frankenstein commented, startling everyone. "Then it better be more than a 'smoochy-smooch', as Tao put it. Best to be a hot kiss if it's to be your last."

M21 swallowed fearfully. The fact that Frankenstein was even participating in a pointless conversation caused him to grow wary. Even Raizel was glancing at the blonde human oddly.

"But if any of you decided to do something as foolish as that," Frankenstein continued. "I will feed you to Dark Spear myself."

Smirking, Tao leaned forward. "And what if it was Sir Raizel who decided to...do a little pucker up?"

Silence. And M21 was wondering if Tao had lost all sense of his intelligence.

Raizel's look of pure confusion vanished, his pale cheeks turning red. "I would not…" he mumbled into his teacup.

"I would tell you to form a protective circle around him," Frankenstein interjected simply.

Raizel choked.

Tao hummed. "You don't have to worry about us, Boss. I mean, M21 and Takeo wouldn't be brave enough to kiss anyone anyway. Especially during battle."

At that moment, Takeo and M21 focused their glares on Tao. "And what does that mean?" Takeo demanded, indignant.

Tao shrugged, appearing disinterested. But M21 knew what he was doing. The hacker was baiting them, trying to lure them into a deceptively innocent discussion that would make his victims look like fools.

"You guys just don't have any experience, that's all," Tao stated with a careless sigh.

And M21 fell for it. "Says who?" he sputtered.

Tao smirked, his dark eyes turning to glance at the werewolf. "Oh? You've had experience? What was it like?"

M21 sputtered. "I...well…"

"I bet it was like this!" Tao declared, turning around so that his back was to them. Wrapping his arms around himself, he moved about. M21 could detect the sound of kissing noises coming from the hacker, as if a make-out section was taking place.

M21 turned red. "No! I...I never said that I-"

"You're right," Tao concluded suddenly. "It was probably like this." With that, he turned around and pursed his lips, closing his eyes. The impression he was giving off was that of a pucker-fish.

M21 growled, tossing a pillow at the hacker. Takeo chuckled, only to freeze as Tao glanced at him. The sniper was still, as if any sudden movement would make him fall victim to Tao's words. But Tao just hummed, focusing on the movie instead.

M21 frowned. "What? Takeo gets a free pass?"

Tao shrugged. "Eh. Takeo's as bad as you. So why beat a dead horse?"

"And how would you know, Tao?" Takeo retorted. "I don't remember including you in on my love life."

"Because you don't have one," Tao stated.

"And you do?"

Tao hesitated. "Well, no," he admitted.

"Isn't that odd?" Frankenstein said suddenly.

All eyes turned to look at him, but Frankenstein merely shrugged. "Granted, your time as Union agents did not give you the opportunity to open yourself up to anyone romantically. But, you have been with us for a few months. Surely you have seen someone that interests you?"

Uncertain glances were traded between the trio.

"Have you all been oblivious to the amount of female attention you have been given?" Frankenstein demanded, genuinely shocked. "Are you blind? Surely you cannot be so oblivious!"

"Frankenstein, you're one to talk," Raizel stated. At Frankenstein's befuddled expression, the Noblesse just sighed.

Tao blinked. "Wait, what does that mean?" But Raizel just shook his head, and they all could have sworn that they heard him mutter something distinctly familiar to 'hopeless.'

Frankenstein cleared his throat. "Anyway. You boys have the opportunity to live a normal life. Romance is one of the experiences life has to offer."

M21 shifted uncomfortably. "How...how do you know...if you picked the right person?"

"Well, you will certainly know her for more then a week," Frankenstein stated. "Unlike these deceptively simple movies the industry is spitting out. Plus, if the Master and I do not approve, then she is not the one."

Takeo coughed. "Good to know."

M21 frowned thoughtfully. "How can you tell if someone is interested in you? Does that mean you have to be interested in them to spare their feelings?"

Takeo thought about it before shaking his head. "That would be deceptive, and that's the last thing I want in a relationship."

"Maybe it has something to do with our appearance," Tao piped up. "Maybe we don't stand out enough."

M21 cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe we aren't appealing to girls at all. Don't you notice how their faces turn red and they stammer whenever we talk to them?" Tao pointed at M21. "Even M makes Yuna nervous!"

M21 blinked. "I…I do?"

"Duh!" Tao exclaimed. "Every girl we come into contact with stares at us, their eyes wide and all that. They can't keep a conversation, and they scurry away rather quickly like we are the plague."

Takeo's eyes widened. "You're right! Do we come across as offensive?"

As the chatting continued, the movie all but forgotten, Raizel sighed. "Hopeless," he murmured.

Frankenstein smiled into his teacup. "You're one to talk."