Kay, this was all I could manage during this horrible depressing time of the year.

I hate it. DX

To celebrate, enjoy jumping from character to character! DX

Humbug.

Chapter 38: Jump Around

When the girls showed up, Naibun wasted no time whipping out the photo album. She immediately saw the irritation in Quatre's face and distinctly recalled what had gone on when they were at Wufei's house the other day. She knew it was 'distraction time'.

Fortunately 'The God of Distraction' was there to help out. Duo began thumbing through the shots of the girls dolled up Harajuku-style. "This kicks ass!" he declared. Quatre commented on the colorfulness of all the folks in the shots too. Though it was a weekend trip, not a convention, they spared no expense on clothing. The only down side was when Duo showed sadness at the difference of Naibun's hair length in a shot taken earlier in the year.

Kinsei looked up from her quiet phone and quickly swooped in. "She donated it to a friend and it's been made into a wig. So it's not gone, it lives on," she said, cheering them up nicely.

Duo nodded in approval. "A good cause."

"Good cause?" Quatre repeated in question format. He turned to his sister, "You made them outfits for tonight, right? Does it hold a candle to any of this?"

"Not by a long shot," she said staring admiringly at the uber-accessorized photo's. "They're cute though; and probably a lot easier to move in too," she said with certainty.

"Let's go then," Kinsei suggested. "The sooner I'm out of this uniform, the better," she said and unbuttoned the school issue overcoat.

Quatre made sure to joke quietly to his sister in passing. "A good cause, right? No ulterior motives," he accused her of playing 'dress up' with the cute girls.

Shauna blushed and jerked her vision away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said in a phony tone and turned on her heel. She could hear Quatre share a laugh with Trowa. She was relieved that her brother took her news so lightheartedly. She assumed he would have, but the chance that he wouldn't understand, though minute, was still nerve racking.

As the girls were carted off to 'suit up' for the occasion, they noticed an extra with them. Duo was stealthily following close behind. "I hate to break it to you, but I only make girl clothes. You do have long hair though; I could make an exception..." she said with a chuckle. She had made girl clothes for guys on many occasions; hopefulness was abound.

"No-no; I was just making a bit of distance." Duo's tone suggested he was being conniving. "The mini-bar...can it come down here too? I noticed it was on wheels, is all."

"Kill-joy wouldn't let you take it, would he?" she assumed. Shauna pointed down the hall. "Ramp's that way. Pull the pin on the door to the den. Both doors need to be open to get it through." She wanted to get it earlier, but it was far too heavy for her to maneuver on her own.

"Tha~ank ya'," he said and made distance with a pleased stride. Sake was great and all, but he wanted something with a sweet twinge to it. Asking Quatre didn't guarantee the response to be 'go and get it'.

Shauna guided everyone into the changing area. It served as her bedroom and studio. Kinsei and Naibun received their outfits first and each went behind a divider to change.

In that isolated moment, Missy made a motion to check the scent in the air. "The obvious 'cover up' aroma: Patchouli."

Shauna could see the skepticism on her face. "Yes," she said with embarrassment. The room hadn't been aired out since her previous 'session'. "Please, don't tell me I'm busted now."

Missy laughed. "Not even. Why would you be?" she asked while touching a gorgeous dress hanging on the wall.

"I know you're a therapist and all, but, earlier, Duo mentioned-uh, where you worked exactly. The school, following my brother, all that stuff," she said, hoping to keep the gossip away from the other two changing only than ear shot away.

"That? You see, really, I'm only making observations. I can offer my advice, but I have no authority over them."

"That seems pointless though...or...maybe not," she spoke too quickly. Having someone like her following her brother around to map his behavior seemed strange at first; but it occurred to her that it may have been because he was one of the gundam pilots. It was still a hard thing to grasp the image of her brother at the helm of such a machine, let alone fighting a war. She stayed on guard. "You can't just be watching. What's going to happen when you're done making observations?"

Missy shook her head, "I honestly couldn't tell you. Even I don't know exactly. Nothing bad, I'm sure of that."

"Then-" She was impatient.

"-what I can tell you is that our involvement won't hinder his progression. It's all off record. Neither his file at the school, nor will his personal information change, unless consent is given."

"Why?"

"I'm assuming the whole project is precautionary, in case we start to see-" she stopped short when Kinsei appeared from behind the movable blind. Going off topic momentarily, "Nice," she said with a bright tone.

Shauna gushed over her own handiwork. "You're kind of tall, so I knew the semi-sleek look was the way to go."

Kinsei's outfit was a light-caramel colored tube-top that fit snugly past her hips. Vibrant, marbled, cyan paisley pieces, zig-zaged with gold thread, clustered heavily near her right shoulder. They fell diagonally, dispersing lightly, until the tapered end of the knee length parachute pants. A collection of the paisley droplets collected at the hem of each leg. It was quiet eye-catching. Kinsei commented, "If autumn turned the leaves blue, this is so what it would be like." She gave a twirl. "Sold." she pinched the fabric near her collar bone. "What material is this?"

"Rayon 85, spandex 15," Shauna said. "It's sturdy, but there's give to it." She looked to the other divider, "How about you Bunni? How's it coming?"

"It's beautiful...but-"

"Buuuut?" Shauna said with a knowing feeling of what it was.

"I kind of...stick out."

She had called it. Shauna snickered a bit, "People are going to be in bathing suits. Compared to that, I'd say you're overdressed."

Naibun sighed with worry. "I suppose." Coupled with the booklet Quatre found, she felt this attire would make her look sleazy. Or worse: Desperate. But it had such beautiful craftsmanship, she had to sport it, regardless of her own insecurities.

She appeared in a halter top with an umpire waist. It trailed down and fanned out lightly at her hips. Her pants were more of a snug fit, but they sported a tie to adjust the waist tightness. A similar pattern was in play. The paisley pieces were smaller and rained down in sun set colors from her neckline. The paisley dots gradually got larger and completely darkened, clustered and fully blackened the soft beige pants at the knee. "It's gorgeous, but a little showy-" she hesitated and poked the protrusions. Apparently her only beef was a prominent 'V' neckline.

"No offense, I'm just sayin'," she said to the room, who were not nearly as voluptuous as the bashful Bunni, "Not to be a bitch 'bout it, but at school, none of the chesty girls give you crap." Kinsei distinctly recalled a nasty comment someone made at Naibun a while back. The comment accused Bunni of having an augmentation to get them to that size; Kinsei knew it only took one comment to beat her down.

"You won't hear me pining for them," Shauna said. "I actually had a reduction. They kept knocking stuff over," she said with a chuckle and tapped her lovely flattened chest. "Enjoy yourself Bunni. My outfits look their best when my model's smile," she said, causing the girl to grin widely. "Excellent." She clasped her hands together.

"Seems like you aren't offending anyone," Missy added.

"That's a relief," she said with somberness.

Shauna held one last piece of clothing in her arms. "Indeed. Also: You're up," she said and handed Missy her outfit. Naibun swapped places with her.

The last piece was the only dress. It sat gingerly across her shoulders. The short, loose sleeves dangled a few inches past the elbow, where the material held light waves. Wide, pleated ties held the dress's waist from behind, displaying an hourglass. As the two before, it stopped shortly before the knee, save for the slit halfway up either side. Many paisley prints embellished with the same thread faded with their colors upward to the neck of the ivory dress. From red to pink, pink to white. The pink at mid dress range was strikingly similar to the faded red in her hair.

"Perfect. It matches the dye," Shauna said. She squeezed a large clip between her thumb and index fingers, making a loud clicking noise. Ever since she dyed Missy's hair months ago, the idea for a dress to go with it persisted in her mind. Not only was she relieved to have run into this woman again, but also because the project panned out nicely.

"I take it you want to put my hair up?" she said and removed the tie that held it in a coiled bun. The wavy locks fell to her mid back.

Wide eyed, "That's epic," Kinsei commented.

At that moment Naibun finally realized there was large quantity of pink in this woman's mane. "It does match," she said.

Missy turned around and let Shauna fix her hair. "Do you need me to sit down?" she asked.

"Nope; tippy-toes," she said and strained a little to get the clip in the correct spot. "There."

"Thanks." Missy fluffed the waves.

A touch of envy struck Kinsei. "I can't wait till graduation. I'll finally be able to dye my hair again," she said and pulled her dark hair out of its ponytail and straightened it. It went a little past her shoulders.

"The folks won't let you?" Shauna assumed as she rooted through a dresser drawer for footwear.

"Nah, coach won't let me; said I'd look trashy during competitions. Pff, ass. He's mad 'cause he's old and couldn't pull it off." She folded her arms and gave a cocky smirk. They giggled.

"I want 'real' purple streaks," Naibun said and adjusted her ever-present, yellow headband, "But same deal: I have to wait. We can get away with a few colorful extension hair clips, but a full head of dyed hair is hard to fake."

Kinsei nodded. "I'd need a wig. Plus, I'd have to cut my hair super short to fit it under the thing comfortably," she said with longing, "I've got no choice. I wait. Sigh." They laughed again.

Shauna came back to them. Her sung black tank top now sported a vest with the same paisley theme. Evenly spread, turquoise in color, flecked with gold. "And flip-flops," she said and laid out some shoes for everyone. "Small, medium, medium, small. Non-slip. Cute as a button," she said and slid on the last pair. "Are we ready for this?"

"I have to ask," Missy began.

"Hmm?" Shauna hummed.

"Quatre isn't cross with my being here?"

Shauna looked quickly at the other two and then back to Missy. "Uuuuh," she didn't know what to say.

"They know all about me. We can talk," Missy assured her. Her cover had been blown at Wufei's; lucky for her, the girls agreed to remain silent.

"That's good," she said with a sigh of relief.

"I love the dress, and I'd hate for it to go to waste...but if I'm a bother..." she trailed off.

"I think if you keep the conversation 'party friendly' and forget what we talked about back then, Quatre should stay 'plain ol' friendly'," she said with certainty.

"Easy enough." Wrong. That would prove to make things difficult for her. She was planning on squeezing them for more info that night.

On the way back, they ran into Duo carefully gliding the mini-bar back to(what was soon to be) party central. He wore a satisfied grin. "Lookin' good ladies," he complimented the lot.

"I have a streak for it," Shauna said and buffed her nails on her vest. "That wasn't too heavy, was it?" she asked and walked everyone back to the bath.

"Hardly." Duo flexed an arm whilst opening the door.

Several more people had shown up and were already in proper bath attire. All seemed well. Duo announced the bar's arrival and got a couple of them to let out a cheer. Quatre smiled and instructed him where to put it so they could plug in it's fridge. They were both relieved he wasn't upset that it was there.

The next large group that arrived was the culinary class. A few of them noted the divine smell in the air and immediately inquired what was cooking. Quatre told them Italian wedding soup and home made fish hash was on the go. Barbecue skewer ingredients were in the fridge for later if the first two courses weren't enough.

"We should get started on them now," one of them said. He had tried the exact same soup during a school festival and wanted to sneak a bowl. Being in the kitchen seemed like a choice decision to get what he wanted. Offering services seemed to compensate for the 'sneak' aspect.

"I couldn't ask you to do that. You're my guests," Quatre said. "You're supposed to be enjoying yourselves."

"We would be," another girl assured him. "Prep is when all the funny stuff happens."

"But hey," another girl chimed in over her shoulder, "It is a party after all. Why don't we share a traditional cup of sake before we get started?" She pointed to the bottles off to the side.

Another guy added in, "I can even use the sake to make us some beef Yakitori over rice. If you have it, of course. We'll be 'doubly traditional' that way." They laughed.

"I like the way this guy thinks," Duo said to Quatre with a smirk.

"Alright then, you win. Let's get something to drink out of," Quatre waved to his sister who was already on her way over with the proper number of cups. Drinks were poured. "Kempai," he announced with the others. They excused themselves to do kitchen work for a little while.

"That didn't take long," Shauna said candidly and handed out a pile of trays to the others. "Let's get to work."

For the first busy hours, things were great.

Heero did take notice to Quatre's erratic behavior. "You don't seem to be yourself," he said.

"This-this is years of practice. You wouldn't believe the soiree's I've been to with the rest of the family. And dozens of office parties, as well. I don't know why I was worried, this'is nothing," he said and placed his empty glass in front of Heero. After a quick discussion with Heero and Shauna, he ended up walking away with a bottle of water instead of a cocktail.

After welcoming even more guests, Quatre took a seat near the edge of the tub where Trowa was. He was still relaxing after the earlier mishap. "Can you believe this?" Quatre said, hoping his complaint would be well received, "She's giving me grief for having a drink. Hypocrisy at it's finest, right here," he said, cracked his water open and took a large swig.

"Maybe she's beginning to understand it better. There's also the possibility she doesn't want you to have to go through the same sort of embarrassment. Do you recall me having to drag her out of the tub last Friday?" He acted as though they didn't know one another at the time, but now the ruse was up. He even suggested to Shauna that 'that' be the moment they took an interest in one another. He did have an eye on her, but it was too one sided to pursue.

"I should be thanking her..." he said with a warm smile. "Nah. It's annoying. Oh. What are you going to do?"

"Hmm? About?"

"About that one?" he said and nodded in Missy's direction.

"I don't feel comfortable giving out my medical records."

"That doesn't explain why you don't talk around her." Quatre's suspicion was ignited when he noticed Trowa clamming up every time she was within ear shot.

'How did he notice?!' Straight-faced, "Silent protest," he said. "The school shouldn't have sent her to us. I imagine the people she's involved with are looking for signs of PTSD. There are services we can seek out ourselves for that sort of thing, aren't there?"

"Yes," he said, sounding skeptical.

"Then I see no point in communicating with her. When and if the time comes, I'll seek it out the proper program then. As I said to Heero earlier, I'm not registered with the school's job placement program; I'm no concern to them after I graduate."

"You still have a year don't you?"

All the courses he wanted didn't fit in a one year span. Even after challenging and completing three of them right away, there were still some mandatory courses with no open slots. When the time came to hire, personal experience would only account for so much. With no formal schooling under his belt, he required quite a few subjects if he wanted to complete the private school's diploma program. "I am staying another year...not the full year."

"What if you need this done to attend next year?"

"Then-" he thought.

"Then?"

"-I'm going to have to talk to her, and, or, get it done myself," he said with a sigh and melted down into the bath. "I don't want my information in the school system. Duo was able to hack into it in less than an hour. My faith in their security has significantly waned."

"That's true I supp-oh, hang on," Quatre said, catching Missy talking to Heero out of the corner of his eye. He hopped to his feet to investigate.

Fortunately, it was nothing serious. Quatre even shared a funny story about the time Duo dozed in class and mauled a mannequin. He insisted that they not talk about it now, and to save it for tomorrow. He even struck up a deal with Missy about his info. Not to get out of finishing the record, but to buy him some time. After what he had said to Trowa, Quatre admitted wholeheartedly to himself that he was only stalling; it gave him more time to think about the whole ordeal in depth. That was all he wanted.

'Live a life you're proud of.' Those words carelessly fluttered into his train of thought. He was coming to realize his disorder wasn't going to go away over night, or at all. He had to live with it. Hiding it from his friends, he felt, denoted shame.

The words, 'Don't forget: He's special,' also came to mind. He had heard them so long ago, and as faded as time had made them, they still hurt. Though he'd moved past all the struggles of childhood, he was afraid with the admission of his condition, it would cause his friend's opinion of him to 'skew' somewhat.

It seemed nothing in his life was ever going to be under his control.

Meanwhile, Shauna was silently communicating with Trowa via sign language. Quatre looked like he was deep in thought, so he wasn't going to see them talk. "Do any of your friends know about you and Missy?"

"No. And they never will."

"Why not?"

"Heero said if she's caught being inappropriate with any of us, the plug is pulled on this project. It could possibly affect his position for an upcoming job; I'd rather not be responsible for that." Heero told him there's a chance Missy might be able to put in a good word for him to get bumped up on the hiring list.

"That's pretty serious. You should give her your info just to keep her away then."

"I'm reluctant, but I may have to. A couple things worry me; is the information going to be enough? And is it going to be safe where ever it's going to end up?"

"I don't think you can worry about that. But I'd throw something personal in there. Make it worth her while."

Trowa ran his fingers through his shortened hair. There was an old scar near the back left side of his head. The injury was a result of Trowa wandering into the territory of some hard-hat owls during mating season. He barely escaped with his life as dozens of screeching owl's swooped and clawed at him. One was accurate enough to clock him in the head, rendering him grounded and immobile. If not for the nearby soldiers, he'd have been shredded to ribbons by the birds. "I'll tell her I'm afraid of owl's," he sighed.

"No way. Get out." She didn't believe him.

"I'm not. But it makes sense for someone who went through what I did to be perturbed by the creature." He had long since shared the story with Shauna; he prayed she remembered.

"Oooooh, yeah. Good thinking." She did.

"Hey Trowa," the guy who suggested the skewers quick completion tapped him on the shoulder. "Do you mind testing something for us?" Everyone else seemed too busy.

"Sure," he said and got up from the tub. Towel around waist to dry off, he followed the guest to the prep station that had been set up next door. He was briefly accosted by Missy and the group near the mini bar. He held up a finger, signifying he would be right back. After sampling the soup, sauce and a shot of sake, he was back. He scribbled a few things down on paper, handed it to Missy and passed the torch to Duo, who was next in line to disclose. She seemed content with the information. He was off the hook and Duo was on instead.

"That worked out well," he signed to Shauna a way's away.

"Shame you don't get bragging rights. Bedding an older woman is one of those things some guy's go for, isn't it?"

"It was on my bucket list."

"Brilliant," she said to herself and gave him a nod. Quatre accosted her to help light the barbeque. She accompanied him.

Off in the other direction, Naibun and Kinsei were on a constant mission back and forth from the kitchen. The guests quickly polished fish dish and soon they'd be spooning soup out.

"Take a few ladies. We're finishing up the Yakitori now. Then we bowl up." The 'kitchen staff' were done simmering the sauce for the beef and were now assembling the skewers.

"Kay!" Kinsei said from across the room they were exiting.

Walking into the bath area, Naibun held out the material of her shirt. "We get to keep these right?" she said and lounged back in a soft cushioned seat. A dome hair dryer hovered above her head.

Kinsei took up the spot next to her. "Believe so. I hope she meant the flip-flops too." Kinsei was convinced she was going to take a spill on the wet floors, but to her delight, and despite her best effort at one point, she couldn't slip on the floor at all. "I'd love to take these to swim practice." Kinsei noticed the tired expression on her friend's face. 'No, wait,' she thought. 'That's, worry!' Momma bear Kinsei quickly noticed those things. "Something up?"

Naibun nodded. "I haven't spoken to Quatre much tonight. I hope he doesn't think I'm being rude."

This was an easy one. "Nose to the grindstone Naibun didn't notice. Hehe. He's been looking your way quite a bit tonight. Remember, we're working and he's tending to some-thirty-odd people right now. Trust me, no one's feeling's are getting hurt." Kinsei was beginning to see a bad mood arising from her friend. "Are you sure that's all? You're carrying a whole lot tonight."

"And uh...girl day's, I think," she said with a hand on her tummy.

"Such an emotional time."

"I saw chocolate sauce in the fridge. It took everything not to guzzle it."

"Proud of you," Kinsei said super-sweetly.

"Don't be. I may go back for it."

"I don't know who'd be more miffed. Your mom, or coach."

"Both are equal forces to be reckoned with." Naibun looked around the room. "Where did Quatre go?"

"Shauna too. I gotta let her know the soup's gonna be done soon." Just then, through a window to the back, a large fireball shot up. "..."

"..."

Kinsei squinted in thought, "...I'm going to fathom a guess-"

"-barbecue?"

"Yup."

One of the guys from the kitchen came through the bath carrying a large tray of skewers. The back exit, where the patio and grill were, had been opened for easier access. On his way back, he happily talked to a group in the sitting area. He trotted merrily off to the kitchen with a couple more hands. Kinsei overheard a few things in passing. "You catch that? Quatre gave 'em free range of the kitchen."

"I got lost in thought. What?"

"Free range kitchen food. And this is one of those situations where you shouldn't space out. With all the people here, it's the best time to pick up gossip and story ideas. Turn the radar on, girly," Kinsei insisted.

Naibun had an uncanny ability to tune the world out. While it tended to cause her more harm than good, keeping her out of the loop at times, she still felt it was the safest route. When she did tune in, everyone came through clear as a bell. Everyone. Everything. Regardless if she wanted to hear it or not. She was a sponge when it came to information gathering. The problem was, turning it off again. Another difficult thing to deal with was the motor function degradation. When she listened, she had to remain still, or at least nearly still. A simple motion like shading art, cutting a vegetable or ringing her hands was all she could manage during the process. It made the tactic rather obvious if she were to be out in the open. But a room full of people, like that night, was perfect to blend in. "Alright," she said.

As Naibun began, so did the mayhem. In through the door strutted none other than Dorothy and the rest of her entourage. They had seen the karaoke machine in the hall and she accosted the nearest server, Kinsei, for assistance. "I intend to rock this house," she said jokingly. "Prepare yourselves," she warned everyone with a sweeping finger motion.

Kinsei led her into the hall where the machine resided so she could pick a song. Quatre made a reappearance and announced the desire to show off his peacock in an amusing manner. Naibun, along with a few others, tagged along down the long hall.

Kinsei came back around to find Naibun nowhere to be found. "Shauna," she said, having finally located her, "Soup'll be a few more minutes."

"Still?"

"Yeah, the pasta is still a little tough they said."

"Cool. If you want to take a load off for a bit, feel free. We've been on the go for nearly three hours." It was nearing seven in the evening and darkness was abound.

She spotted the hot tub with Duo and Trowa chatting away. Neither of them had a drink. It seemed like a good opportunity to mingle with some of her star roles. "Sounds good." Kinsei knelt down next to them and held out the sake bottle and cups. "Care for a round?"

"Bring it on," Duo said and tapped the water.

"I don't think I can get wet in this." She took off her sandals and stuck her feet in the water. "Kempai," she said and consumed her first ever drink of alcohol. It had a smooth taste like bread, and was warm like a freshly baked loaf too. It was soothing.

It wasn't too long before her phone rang. Taking the call didn't help ease her nerves. While all the ink work she had given her friend Minori was complete, it didn't shield the blast of the bomb shell he dropped on her about Quatre. Not even the colorful peacock that was now strutting around could wane her worry. And even though the gun Quatre later hauled out was phony, it only served to cement her concerns. "Naibun," she said.

"Yes?" she replied cheerfully and scratched under the bird's chin. Kinsei's true words had put her in a much better mood and she was really starting to enjoy herself. The soup was gone and the skewers were laid out for the taking. Naibun guarded them from the antsy peacock.

"I was wondering...if...um...there one was, uh, if there was one, uh," she tried to say, but her words failed.

"What's wrong?" she asked and looked at her friend with concern. "Kinsei, why's your face so red?"

"I don't know-I don't know," she stuttered. "I...think I need some air." An hour had passed since she heard the news from Minori and she gradually began to feel worse and worse. When the time did come to tell Naibun, how was she going to react? She was worrying herself sick.

"Okay. I'll tell someone where we're going." They ended up on a deserted part of the patio. Quatre directed them to the area where there was a compost pile on the ground below. "There it is," she said, peeking over the rail. "Don't miss," she laughed lightly.

"I don't feel that bad." She sat in the designated spot anyway.

"What were you saying in there?" Naibun went back to being cautious.

"Can't remember," she lied, "Wasn't important."

The back door opened to reveal Heero, and Quatre.

"Ooh, there he is," Naibun beamed. Now that enough of the guests were taken care of, the work load was pandering. She could finally hang out with Quatre and his friends, but Kinsei had to come first.

They made their way over and Heero started with, "How much did you drink?"

Kinsei held up a single finger, "One, 'bout an hour ago. Why? You think I'm wasted?"

"No. But you are fading," Heero said.

"I'm tired. That's all."

"And you're all red," he continued and drew attention to her shoulders. He then turned a little red when he accidentally brushed one. Lucky for him, it was dark and no one noticed.

"And?" she said, feeling the 'queasy' creep up on her.

"Have you ever drank before?" The questions continued.

"No. What's with all the questions?" She was confused.

"Heero's excited at the prospect of being able to drink more than one of the girls," Quatre said and loudly sipped his cocktail. He got a bland sideways glance from the guy. Quatre pretended not to notice.

"I'm saving her the grief of having to deal with being too intoxicated."

"I had one! I swear," she wined.

"What's going on out here?" Duo peeked around the corner. He was apparently going to try and be everywhere that night.

"Explaining something." Heero stabilized her and calmly explained the condition he was guessing they shared. "If you only had one and it's doing 'this' to you," he said, "Chances are, you have it too."

"Oooh...there's a story idea in that, I can feel it," she said and rested her head on the railing.

Heero turned to Naibun, "How about you?"

"I didn't drink anything yet, but I've had one in the past. It didn't do this though." She looked worried again.

"One third of the population has AFS," Quatre thought aloud.

"Hey, maybe that's why Wufei kept falling asleep at the bottle." They had seen him pass out with a bottle in his hand before; if that was the reason, his alcohol consumption was no longer a worry. "Hmm..." Duo was thinking. "Hey...if he's a lightweight too, how come his basement was full'a booze cans and bottles? We only ever saw him drink sake...where in the world would the rest have come from?" Duo was speculating deeply.

"Maybe he's throwing parties," Naibun suggested.

"Nah, Wufei ain't the 'people' type," Duo assured her.

"We'll have to ask when he get's back," Heero said.

"Are you going to be okay out here?" Quatre asked. She was a guest, not just a server, so he felt he needed to make sure she was going to be okay.

"Sure-sure," she said. "Thanks for lettin' me know about that stuff."

They let the girls be and said they'd be back in a half-hour to check on them.

"Look's like it's time to get to work," Duo said.

"Work?" Heero was confused at the statement.

"We need to work on your alcohol tollerance. Little by little, it will become stronger," he said, determined, with a strong, clenched fist.

"That's not how it works Duo," Heero said. "That's like telling someone with lactose-intolerance that they can overcome it if they put their mind to it."

"Is it?"

"Roughly."

"Well damn..." Duo thought, "I'm sorry then."

"Sorry? Why?"

"If a single drink can do that to her, I can only imagine what you must have felt like last week. I feel like a big jerk now," he said with regret.

Heero didn't want Duo in a bad mood. No one would. He got rather dark. "Duo don't worry. It was an accident."

Quatre also spoke up, "If it makes you feel any better, I kind of feel like a jerk now too," he said and shut the door behind them.

"Oh?"

Quatre knew that height and weight factored in to how someone handled alcohol. What with him being shorter than the others, and slightly more slender, he assumed his tolerance was going to be nonexistent in comparison. "I thought I was going to be the only one who couldn't handle their alcohol. And, I'll admit, I'm kind of relieved."

"I still feel like an ass," Duo assured him.

"Tell you what," Heero began, "To show you there's no hard feelings, I'll let you take a crack at my low alcohol tolerance."

"Really?" Duo said with hope, "You really mean that? No repercussions?"

"As long as they're lighthearted and not intentionally hurtful," he said.

"That's do-able." He seemed in a better mood.

"Aww, Duo get's a crack and I don't?" Quatre joked.

"'Drink more than one of the girls', huh?" he repeated.

"That didn't count," he said with folded arms and a light chuckle.

It didn't count because it was half true. "Fine. You all get one."

Quatre had a few quips in mind. "Great. I'll be right back."

"What have I done?" Heero smiled.

And that is all you get.
Bla.