"Now then... what shall i do today.." Zaren pondered to himself after sorting Gaius' equipment. Gaius was out on what he called a 'Secret Mission' and no matter how much Zaren asked for details, his master would not budge.

"Tch... Master Nassau better tell me everything when he comes back." Zaren said as he left the building, locking the door behind him. "I'm going to go pay Laris a visit."

"Aw geez, seriously?! You just beat me five times in a row!" Laris said as he planted his face onto the desk in front of him.

"That's what happens when you go against a triple triad expert!" Anna laughed as she playfully pet Laris on the head.

"I give up. Anna, you're so talented." The miqo'te looked up and began to smile again.

"Why thankyou, cutie. Your praise means the world to me." Anna smiled back.

"Good evening." said the young elezen as he walked in.

"Zaren! H-hey..." Laris said as he awkwardly got out of his seat. "Whaddya want?"

"I want you." Zaren replied bluntly.

"Woah- i mean... i... yeah? um. uhhh.." Laris' reply made no sense.

"Do i need to leave you two alone or something?" Anna asked, with a big smirk on her face.

"That would be nice, i didn't mean to interrupt your game though. I apologise." Zaren replied.

"Have fun." Anna said, as she grasped Laris' shoulder for a moment then left the room.

"So..." Laris said as he nervously looked around.

"What i meant was, i want you to tell me more about yourself Laris." said Zaren.

"O-oh... ha.. yeah of course.." Laris awkwardly replied.

"Anna honestly didn't have to leave but i suppose us being alone is kind of fun. I do enjoy some personal story time." Zaren snickered.

"Nobody in The Dragon's Scales knows about my past.. except Gaius.. kinda." Laris said.

"Wow, you're almost as mysterious as myself." Zaren chuckled.

Laris lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind his hair.

"I've never seen you look so serious, Mr Aranai.. it's okay if you don't want to tell me." Zaren said as he reached to adjust Laris' hair out of his face.

"Promise me you'll believe what i say and you won't laugh?" asked Laris.

"I promise." Zaren replied.

"My family.. they are a bunch of wealthy people. I lived with my parents and my little sister, her name is Lisa. My sister was a child prodigy, quite the opposite of me. The Aranai are known for their knowledge and skills, and well... i don't have that. Some say that i had no right to be born into that life. I struggled as a kid and i still struggle to do anything now. I was helpless, and basically known as the family embarrassment according to Lisa." said Laris.

"Oh dear... Laris, i had no idea.." Zaren said as he sadly looked at his friend. "Did they ever find out about well.. y'know, your preference?"

"Coming out was the last straw for them actually. The moment i admitted i was attracted to men, they kicked me out of the house and i was never allowed to return." Laris replied, as tears welled up in his eyes.

"I had no intention to bring up such an emotional subject for you." Zaren said as he got up to hug Laris.

"It hurts... but it doesn't matter anymore. I'm really happy living here with you and everyone else. I can be myself." Laris said as he buried his head into Zaren's chest.

"Speaking of, how did this lead to you joining The Dragon's Scales?" Zaren asked.

"When i got kicked out, i immediately went on a search for a new home. A place where i could be accepted. I walked for hours, failing to find any person that was willing to take me in. All the people in my hometown had connections with my family and knew that i was no longer a part of it. At that point i realised it was pointless to be there anymore, so i traveled to a different area. It started to become really late, so i had no option but to just give up for the time being and find a place to sleep. I found what appeared to be a large empty building and decided to try sneaking in. There was an open window, so i went for it. All the lights in the building were off and no one seemed to be home, but that was quite an understatement.. haha.." Laris smiled.

"So, let me guess. You tried to infiltrate the company building, and people were actually in there?" Zaren laughed.

"As i leapt into the window, a large figure began to swing a big sword in my face. I decided to fight back, because i had no where else to go." said Laris.

"You're almost decent with those fists, infiltrator. I'm impressed." The man told me, as he walked over towards what seemed to be a light switch.

He flicked the lights on, and Laris was finally able to see the man's face.

"My name is Gaius Nassau, and this is my company building."

"You were just tryna kill me a second ago and now you're introducing yourself?!" Laris yelled at the au ra in front of him.

"That is correct, although please keep your voice down.. um.. what is your name?" Gaius replied calmly.

"Laris... Aranai." Laris answered with a bit of hesitation. Surely this important looking guy knew his family.

"Laris. okay, would you like to join me? I believe you have some sort of.. talent. If i teach you more then you could become a very capable fighter. Even more so than you currently are." Gaius asked.

"W-what?! i just came here to sleep! wait... you don't know who i am?" said Laris as he cautiously stepped back.

"No. But i do know you are quite the idiot for trying to break in here without me noticing." Gaius sighed.

"Maybe this is my new beginning.." Laris thought to himself.

"And uhh... yeah. I accepted Gaius' offer and he's been trying to train me ever since." Laris said.

"So you haven't gotten any better at fighting since then?" asked Zaren.

"Nope! But for some reason Gaius still keeps me around." Laris laughed.

"Perhaps you are a good source of entertainment." Zaren smirked.

"Hey! i do.. important stuff! sometimes!" Laris playfully slapped Zaren's shoulder.

"Well, to me you're the most entertaining guy i know." Zaren said as he stared into Laris' bright blue eyes, then placed his hand on the miqo'te's stubbly chin. "How would you feel if i kissed you right now?"

"Y-you mean.. like... when we were drunk?" Laris replied, as his face began to heat up.

"No... i just. I don't know. I really enjoy your company, and i never forgot that moment. I feel like teasing you with my words isn't enough anymore. That kiss made me so happy, even if i was intoxicated. I want to experience it again." Zaren admitted.

"I... don't know what to sa-" Laris' words were cut off as Zaren leaned in and gave Laris his second kiss. It was short and sweet, but still enjoyable.

"I'm sorry, i love listening to you but i just couldn't wait for you to stop talking." Zaren chuckled. His words left Laris completely speechless.

"Well, unfortunately i need to go. I have other matters to attend to. It was great chatting with you Laris. Let's do it again sometime." Zaren winked at him then quickly left. Laris sat there for a good few minutes in silence before coming to a sudden realisation.

"Did that really just happen?! Oh god, what do i do now? Are we dating? Does he really like me?" Laris said as he paced back and forth in his room.