Hello, hello! My very first Shounen Ai! Can you believe it? I am so nervous! But may I fist say...TheShatteredRose inspired me to write this! I read all the stories...I'm just to shy to comment...ahem. Oh with the story!

Lotus: Aaaaand, Angels101 doesn't own Etrian Odyssey!~

"Hello, Kirtida!" The bar keeper turned to see a cheery Lotus practicly skip up to her, a smudge of blood from a battle still on his cheek.

"We took care of that baboon problem!" the boy sang, collecting their reward. Kirtida took another look at the male.

"Um, you have a bit of blood on your face, Lotus." at that, Lotus's face morphed into one of confusion.

"Zohar told me he'd take care of it when I get back...maybe he'll get Emil to look at me!" Kirtida smiled at the younger's naivety, but frowned when he sat down.

"I do hate to disturb you, but...should you keep Zohar waiting?" Lotus paused in thought.

"But I wish to discover what 'booze' is..." Lotus sighed. Kirtida smiled slightly, an idea taking root in her mind. This could be good. She'd always had a grudge she wanted to fulfill on Zohar...after the incident with the moth eggs...Kirtida shivered as the memory of Zohar showing her the moth eggs right after she told him of her dislike of bugs burned her memory. Ah revenge.

"What kind would you like?" Kirtida smiled, grabbing the strongest alcohol she had.

"There are kinds?!" Lotus said in awe. This'd be easy. So, so easy.

"Kirtida." Zohar greeted cautiously. Girls were dangerous when holding grudges-oh so dangerous. His sister, Faerie had certainly taught him that. So he supposed after the whole thing with the moth eggs, Kirtida would be hatching a plan of her own on him. Suddenly he felt nervous. She wouldn't take it out on Lotus...

"Where's Lotus?" Why did Zohar suddenly feel so worried...? Usually the boy'd be there, talking off Kirtida's ear to show he had absolutely no sense of time, but he was gone. It was almost terrifying.

"Hm?" wondered Kirtida playing innocent. She had actually kept a close eye on the boy, who apparently did not have the ability to 'hold his liquor', making sure the innocent arcanist didn't get stolen or something. The nightseeker wou;d kill her, and the guilt would eat her up if Chao's youngest fell off the map. If he died, it'd be in the labyrinth, not because he was drunk. "I don't know. He was here a second ago." Now Zohar was suspicious. Why wasn't his Lotus where he should be?

"You did something to him, didn't you?" Zohar accused, the blonde nightseeker going on pure instinct. Kirtida put her hand to her chest, as if wounded.

"Why would I do such a thing?" Now Zohar knew the bar keeper had done something, rushing off into the bar of the dancing peacock to find his poor, naive, innocent Lotus before something found him first.

Zohar'd kill Kirtida if something happened to the white haired, scrawny acanist...scrawny! Lotus was no physically strong...he couldn't fend anyone off...Zohar hurried even more though the bar, searching for the boy unaccustomed to human life.

Lotus didn't like 'booze', he decided as his stomach turned in an unpleasant, almost painful way. His head spun, and he felt...spinney. Was spinney good? Lotus didn't know anymore. Oh was that a unicorn-whale-dog? The Baboon king? Lotus started giggling at the fact. Stumbling over his own feet as he watched the odd creature float by.

Zohar heard amused giggling, a very familiar giggling...running like a chicken with it's head chopped off, he was met with the odd sight of a young, thin arcanist giggling at the calling as if it were putting on a full comedy act. Zohar got a better look at the arcainst's face, which was flushed a light shade of rosy pink, and his violet colored eyes were glazed over. The blood was still on his face. He looked like a murderer who got high.

Zohar sighed, in a mixture of frustration and relieve, picking the drunken boy up with one arm, as he turned to give Kirtida-who looked particularly smug-a seething glare. No one messed with his Lotus-it's on. Zohar made a signal of a head being chopped off then pointed at the Bar keeper, who pointedly ignored him. Stupid woman...

Zohar looked the younger over, finding no damage, or sign of anyone touching him. Good. Like hell would he let anyone touch Lotus. Ooh, Damn that woman...

Zohar pressed the smaller closer to him as he exited the establishment, Lotus giggling, and pulling his hair, and-ow! that hurt!-and it was like handling a baby!

Well, with that thought, Zohar sighed and wiped the blood from Lotus's face with his thumb, silently cursing Kirtida once more as he nodded stiffly at Dalla, heading to their shared room. As Zohar laid the younger on the bed, he headed to the window, watching the moon rise as he thought about Amber, and Faerie and the others who were exploring the Golden lair as he blinked, before looking over at the now sleeping Lotus, before looking back out at the moon and stars.

Well, there went tonight's plans...

That was more friendshippy, wasn't it? Ugh! I'm still new at this romance thing!

Ah, Please review anyway! (I REALLY need the advice!)