Once outside Dilan breathed a deep sigh of relief. It felt good to be out of the stifling smell of flowers and into the fresh air. "It smelled like a funeral home in there."

A light spring breeze whispered by and ruffled his thick poof of long curly black hair; tied back with a ribbon much like how Even kept his out of the way. He momentarily pondered whether he should get it styled somehow so it wouldn't poof into a borderline Afro when it was down. Maybe braids…

"Totally." Arlene brushed past his arm and took a seat at one of the glass patio tables set up around the area. From her place she had a full view of the large garden and hedge maze in back of the castle. "The flower guy had a complete bitch fit at me when I said that."

Dilan chuckled and followed in suit, taking the seat across from her. "Ah, you mean Lumaria. Yes, he's quite sensitive about his plants. Strange, strange man…"

"You're telling me. From the way he was glaring at me I'd probably be plant food right now if that Aerith girl hadn't come over and calmed him down." Arlene eyed one of the four filled champagne flutes in the center of the table. The other tables had identical sets ups. She reached out and took one, swigging down half of it in one gulp. Dilan took one himself and started to take a small sip. "Hey, you think something might be going on between those two?"

Dilan paused, holding his glass in mid-sip. The two stared at each other for a long moment before they muttered, in unison no less, "Naaaah." The apprentice went back to his drink as his cohort laughed, causing him to shutter slightly.

"So," Arlene twirled the flute stem between her fingers idly. "I take it you're one of Ansem's apprentices."

"How'd you guess?"

"The lab coat and the purple ascot kind of give it away."

Dilan laughed and grinned at her. Horrid as her voice might be, he was actually enjoying her company to an extent. She wasn't like some of the other higher-class women he'd met. She was smart, sharp as a whip, sarcastic and, to be honest, not too bad to look at either. "Yes, I'm one of his six apprentices. I work in meteorology and-"

"Yes, yes, fascinating." Arlene rolled her eyes in complete disinterest. "I never was much of a science geek in school. I was a jock."

"How ironic." Dilan arched an eyebrow at her petite form, drawing a glare from the blond sitting across from him.

"I was captain of the archery team. I could hit a bull's-eye at three hundred yards." She drank down the rest of her drink, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"What, you don't like champagne?"

"No, I just wish they'd set out something stronger."

The dark-haired scientist grinned and reached into the pocket of his white lab coat, pulling out a small green bottle. "I figured I'd need this at some point to make it through tonight. Even gave it to me a few weeks ago for safekeeping from his little roommate Myde." Arlene grinned and eagerly held out her flute, which Dilan filled generously with the liquor in question. He drank down the rest of his champagne and filled his own glass, holding in up in a toast. "To surviving social occasions from Hell."

Arlene tapped the rim of her glass against his. "Here, here." They drank down the contents of their glasses. The archer blinked and shook her head at the sudden rush she felt as the alcohol took effect. "Wow, that stuff packs a real wallop."

Dilan nodded, his head already starting to cloud from the strong alcohol. He'd forgotten how long it'd been since he'd actually drunk the stuff. "Yes, it's quite strong."

"…Tasty though."

"Certainly."

There was a brief silence as Arlene held out her glass to be replenished. The two champagne flutes were quickly filled and emptied once again. A few minutes later the scientist and the archer were laughing like old friends. In the short time span, Arlene had moved into Dilan's lap and was idly toying with his curly dark hair.

"You-you know, you've got great hair…you should do something about the poof though." Arlene slurred as she pulled his hair free of the violet ribbon containing his wild hair. Dilan blinked at her, wondering how that horribly pitchy voice of hers had somehow become so bearable.

"…I'm going to kiss you." He said slowly, staring at her seriously and reaching up a large hand to touch her cheek. She scowled and slapped his hand away as if offended.

"Hey! If anyone's doin' any kissin' around here, Doctor Dilan, it's gonna be me!" An instant later her warm mouth, still tasting like the sweet liquor they'd been drinking, was planted firmly on his. Her hands were pressed against his chest to hold him still. Although surprised, Dilan's usually logical mind didn't protest to the new sensation and, once his brain registered that a very pretty woman was kissing him, returned the kiss as his hand rested on her lower back.

Through the glass door, a lone cell phone was snapping photograph after photograph of the couple. "Ohohoho…I told you, missy. No one insults my flowers…"