Chapter 43: The Angel of the Bar

Late in the day, up on the moon...

In the comfort of her lunar palace Lunis laid back in a soft white chair and thumbed through a book about two-hundred pages thick. Her emotions went from smiling to shocked at the turn of the page. There was a gripping narrative unfolding before her squinted eyes.

An explosion of light white went off in front of her and she briefly heard her rowdy brother yell "SHIT!"

Then came a red explosion, whipping fire through the air as shockwaves. "Hmph!" grunted Riku, who retaliated with a few blasts of his own.

The wind from their impact made Lunis pressed her thumb down on the page but nary a twitch of her eye went away from the book.

The roar of a flame pillar went off in the distance, followed by the clean slice through the air.

"Hm hm hm...!" Lunis turned the page and let out a gasp, "Oh no! How could he?!"

Solaris collapsed onto his back and lowered his armor, his usual clothes soaked in a drying sweat. Riku dropped out of Light Form and went onto one knee, breathing with a similar weight to his sparring partner.

"I think that's...good for day." He murmured.

Solaris threw his upper body upright and weakly waved his right hand in the air, "I-I can still go a few more rounds!"

"Heh...!" Riku smirked and stood up, gliding through the air to grab Solaris' hand and pull him up, "You're doing good. We both worked up a good sweat today."

Solaris looked at his right hand and squeezed it tight. His muscle surged, making him cock a grin, "I'm feeling an improvement already...!"

"You still need to land a solid hit on me." Riku critiqued quietly.

Solaris lurched his head back and swung his hand out, "You're too fast in that form, gimme a break!"

"That's for you to figure out. For now, lets rest." Riku patted him on the shoulder and walked towards Lunis.

Solaris pouted and muttered "That's for you to figure out" then grunted like a bull and said, "Thinking's a pain..."

He made his pace faster than Riku's and grabbed a chair next to his sister. Beside him was a glass of hot water as big as his head and below that, the card he got from that strange girl on the beach.

He glugged down all the water while eyeing the card, then slowly picked it up when he was done. He stared at it, flipped it over, flipped it back, then stared at it some more.

"What's that?" Said Lunis as she snatched the card right out of his hand.

"Hey!" He leaned out and nearly fell out of the chair trying to get it back. Lunis held it up a couple inches from her face and began to get one of those annoying, assuming smiles.

"Samantha...J.?" She turned to him and said, "Brother, did you find a girl...?"

"AH!" Solaris lunged out, grabbed the card, and dragged the chair down by his feet. He then quickly got back up and stuffed the card behind his hip.

"Don't go making shit up Lunis! I got a score to settle with that annoying woman, that's all!"

"Its been a few weeks since the beach, why haven't you?" Inquired Riku.

"B-Because...!" Solaris' boastful attitude couldn't withstand the judgmental gazes of his peers for long, "Oh fine! I don't know how to get to this 'Bar'...Whatever the hell one of those even is!"

Solaris gestured his hand out and said, "You've had your head stuck in these books for weeks Lunis, tell me about bars!"

"Ummm well," Lunis bookmarked her current read and then frantically flipped through the stack of books beside her, "It might be a rod made of metal used to support buildings?"

"Bah that's bullshit." Solaris wagged a hand up and tapped his foot on the ground.

"I don't know what a 'Bar' is either but it sounds mature. Maybe...ask Auris?"

Riku's suggestion made a lightbulb go off in Solaris' head and he snapped his fingers, "Yeah. Yeah...Now that you mention it your dumb brother said something similar back then. Fine you know what? I'll go there right now! She'll never see it coming!"

"I'm sure she will..." Murmured Lunis as she resumed reading.

"Well I'll go and grab-" Before Riku finished his sentence Solaris had wrapped himself in fire and headed of, "Her..."

He lowered into the chair with a sigh, "Well hopefully his presence in Sancturia doesn't cause a riot."

Down in Sancturia...

Solaris hunted down Auris' house via instinct and pounded loudly on the side of the door, "Hey Auris, come here!"

He turned aside and saw a bunch of Aurians eyeing him funny from behind their houses. He crossed his arms and wondered, "What's with them?"

He heard the cloth door move and turned to see Auris poking her head out in surprise, "Solaris...? What are you doing here?"

"I ain't got time for questions when I need answers!" He forced himself into the house and sat right onto her couch, "You're apparently an expert on 'Bars' so come on!"

He snapped his fingers up twice and proclaimed, "Hop to it! Tell me all you know!"

He suddenly felt a tight grip on his fingers as Auris dragged herself in closer and was projecting a terrifying aura around her closed-eye smile.

"You can't just come here unannounced you idiot, did you forget that you set this whole city on fire not even two months ago? I ought to take out my shield and smack the stupid out of your head do you understand me boy?"

"Y-Yes mommy..." Whimpered Solaris.

"Good," She let him go and sat across the couch from him, "So...what's this about a 'Bar'?"

After a very, very brief rundown of events...

"Snkkk...!" Auris hunched over and snickered.

"What's so fun-"

"Hahahah!" Her mouth burst open with laughter and she slapped her knees twice.

Solaris grumpily crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch. Auris stopped. Eventually. Then she wiped her eyes dry and said, "Oh my sweet naive child..."

"What what what?" Solaris barked for answers.

"Oh never mind," Auris smiled wide, "You've still got a lot of growing up to do."

She sat more upright and laid her hands over her legs, "A bar...yes. That's where people of a certain age go to gather and drink themselves silly into the night. But its also a place of recreation, and relaxation."

"Sounds dull." Solaris groaned.

"Maybe it is...at first. But have a few drinks and-"

"Lady Auris, please don't turn the living sun into a drunkard." Came the familiar gruff of one Gabriel at the door.

He walked inside and Solaris looked at him over shoulder, "Drunkard? The hell's that?"

"Bars primarily serve alcoholic beverages, which is why you have to be an adult before you can go in."

"...And alcohol is?"

"..." Gabriel huffed one of his big sighs and waddled over to take a seat next to Solaris, "Alcohol is a kind of...drug. Simply put, consuming it can dull your senses, impair your judgment, and damage your body."

"Oh, so its a liquid that can put up a fight eh?" Solaris began to grin, "Ok, ok...You got my attention."

"Haaaa, the true purpose of alcohol isn't to get drunk, but to enrich the flavor of certain drinks. It should be taken in moderation according to a person's body and-"

"Yeah yeah I get it," Solaris stood up and crossed his arms tight, "I know everything I need to know now! All I have to do is go to this bar and show her up!"

As he rounded the couch he heard a creak coming from it and Gabriel grabbed him firmly on the left shoulder, "I will be coming with you."

Solaris swatted his arm off and said, "No way! I don't need the Big Green Buzzkill anchoring me down!"

"I'm just in the mood for a drink. And besides..." Gabriel raised a smirk, "You don't know how to get there."

"Bah, you got a point," Solaris grunted, "But you keep out of my business. I'm going to defeat this woman in a final arm wrestling contest and that's that!"

"Of course. You won't hear a peep from me," Gabriel turned him around and gently shoved him out the door, "But first we're going to get you into some more normal looking clothes."

"Oh yeah, cause the man 2,000 years out of time has fashion sense..." Solaris' rough response made Gabriel stand there and cough.

He then turned back and gave a gentle shrug towards Auris, who laughed it off and waved him a fond farewell, mouthing "Good luck" for good measure.

One trip to the Big and Tall store and a favor call to the noisy purple-haired girl later, the two took a portal close to where the bar's address was.

Solaris was decked out in a tye-dye shirt resembling a solar flare with a black vest over it, along with some brown pants that somehow managed to fit his legs.

Gabriel meanwhile went for a simple, tuxedo approach with green tie and combed back his usually messy hair.

They walked out of the alleyway and the portal shut behind them. Solaris then whipped out his card and remarked, "So its supposed to be around here...?"

He looked up and saw tons of flashing lights and distracting signs posted up everywhere, "Well how the hell am I supposed to figure it out with all this unnecessary clutter in the way?!"

"Ahem...!" Gabriel coughed, and gestured to the left.

Solaris looked up to the left and saw a flashing sign that looked exactly like the icon on his card. It was attached to a building with a rustic European design. Not that Solaris knew about or could appreciate that kind of aesthetic.

"Finally...!" He grit his teeth and dropped the card in his pocket, making his way towards the fateful rematch with that strange woman.

He planted his hand on the door and shoved it open, a loud "Ring!" coming from a bell above. Once he walked inside he saw that everything was dimly lit. There were a few tables around, with a big rectangular one with eight corner pockets in the back corner. There were some bright machines lined up on the wall, a couple TVs hung from the ceiling whose size would make Mew green with envy, and a bunch of people dressed up in leather jackets, sports uniforms, etc that were now staring straight at him.

"...What?" Solaris looked at them funny and shrugged.

"AAAAAAAYYY!" The people raised their mugs in cheer, "Fresh meat!"

They then dropped their spilled mugs onto their tables and resumed chatting with one another.

"Fresh meat?" Murmured Solaris.

"Oh boy..." Whispered Gabriel behind him.

"What?" He tried to ask, only for the samurai to shrug and walk past him.

"What? WHAT?" Solaris followed him past the first few tables towards a counter where rounded seated chairs rested just below it. On the wall behind the counter were rows and rows of different bottles and a couple machines that might have something to do with them.

Gabriel took a seat and Solaris waited a bit before doing so himself. He then leaned in and pounded his fist onto the counter.

"Hey! You there!" He yelled towards an orange haired person wearing a ruffled white shirt, with a big roaring dragon inked on the back and the words "Hell's Angels" written in a wild, flaming font within its mouth, "I'm looking for some crazy woman by the name of 'Samantha J.' Where is she?"

"Oh ho ho! I recognize that scrotum sucking growl anywhere!" The person boasted in an aggravatingly familiar tone as they flipped around and flashed their ferocious smile his way, "Took you long enough to come crawling back to me, flame head!"

"You!" Solaris' eyes lit up. The woman may have hidden herself well behind that buttoned-up suit shirt and strapping charcoal overalls but the moment her eyes met his triggered his memories, "I finally found you!"

"Not like I left complicated directions," Samantha leaned against the counter with her elbows and hovered an inch away from his face, "What'd, you get lost in your muscles for three whole weeks?"

"Heh, you'll drop the cocky attitude once I finally beat you in arm wrestling!" Solaris dropped his elbow hard on the counter and grit his teeth, "Now put 'em up...!"

Samantha leaned back with a wry smirk and said, "Love to. Can't."

She rolled her hand around and then whipped it out beside her head, "I'm on the job. Maybe later."

"Wha-"

"Yo! Black Frost!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered to a tall dark-skinned man dressed in a dark gray business suit with frosted gray cornrows and shades covering his eyes, "Toss me two Bombastic Specials for the fresh meat!"

The man's arms moved with the speed of an arrow and the grace of a bird, pulling two mugs down under in one hand, while pulling a silver bottle off the shelf behind him in the other. The mugs slid out of his fingers onto the counter and an equal serving of liquid poured from the bottle as they glided over them. Not a single drop was wasted. He then caught the bottle in the over hand, put it back, then pulled out another one, masterfully popping the cork off with his thumb.

The cork stayed suspended in the air as he poured a few drops into the mugs, and whisked them with a spoon he had grabbed at some point during all this. He then held the bottle upright and the cork popped right back on. Then he tapped the mugs with the bottom of the bottle, sending them sliding into Samantha's hands.

"Toughen 'em up, Fire Fist." He said in a suave, baritone voice.

She slapped the mugs down in front of her new guests and smiled, "These bad boys'll have you feeling like you've been sipping hot magma from Satan's bathtub after he rubbed his taint over it. Go on, enjoy!"

Gabriel sat there with wide eyes and could be heard muttering to himself, "This girl's tongue could give Noel a run for her money..."

He then reached for the glass and raised it to his chin. Solaris stared at it, then up at Samantha, who laid her elbows down and fiddled her fingers on the sides of her face.

"C'mon. Take a sip. Live a little."

"Ha, she thinks I'm going to back down from a challenge?" Solaris grit his teeth, gripped the mug tight in his hand, and then threw all of it contents down his throat in one massive gulp.

"Whoa ho ho! Hell yeah! Look at this one go!" Samantha backed away clapping her hands loudly, then pumped her fist in the air, "Chug chug chug!"

Solaris slapped his mug back down on the counter and made sure his tongue licked every last drop from his lips. There was a slight burning sensation in his throat, but it felt amazing.

"That all you got?" He grunted.

"Niiice, you passed the test!" Samantha crossed her arms, "But you're the first I've seen down the whole thing in one gulp!"

Meanwhile Gabriel slowly went through his drink and ended it with a pleasant gasp, "Ahh...that's good."

He gently set the mug down and looked Samantha in the eyes, "I sensed a delicate smoky flavor. Hint of lime too. Custom brew?"

"You got it gruffy beard! We're home to the most unique beer brews on the entire West Coast!" She bent down and picked out a couple laminated menus to slap down in front of them, "But I ain't gonna bore you by listing them all. Explore to your heart, stomach and liver's content!"

"Gladly!" Proclaimed Solaris as he snagged the menu and opened it up, "Beer's some good shit!"

"Oh? Are you popping your beer cherry today with dear ol' dad here to watch you?" Said Samantha, resting her hand against her cheek with a taunting smile.

"What? Him?" Solaris gestured his thumb at Gabriel, "This guy's just a fly that followed me here."

"You can consider me his...'Damage Control'." Said Gabriel with a dry cough.

"Iiiii getcha," Nodded Samantha in turn, "But still, you're this old without having a beer? What, you been in a cage most of your adult life?"

"Yeah actually." Solaris said without looking away from the menu.

Samantha gestured a hand out with a side glance towards the black man, "This guy. THIS guy!"

She then threw a curious gaze towards Gabriel and said, "So then who's the tag-a-long?"

"Ah my apologies," Gabriel extended his hand out, "Gabriel. Its a pleasure to meet you."

She shook his hand hard and said, "Call me Sam. Pleasure's mine too!"

When she let go Gabriel's arm twitched and he stared down at his hand for a while. Solaris peeked over his menu and murmured, "What's with all the names? Samantha. Sam. Fire Fist? You tryin' to confuse us here?"

"People can have names and titles," Samantha remarked and nudged her shoulder to the left, "Black Frost over there? Real name Zeke."

The man tipped his shades to the two, "Honor's mine."

She then crossed her arms and glanced at Gabriel, "And I bet you got a title to go with that worn-down face of yours Gabriel!"

"A tale for another time perhaps," Gabriel picked up his menu with a smile, "Today is a night to drink and relax."

"Mad respect there. Pick your poison, we got beer for days!" She pinched and rubbed her fingers together, "But you better be ready to empty your pockets for me!"

"Yo Sam! Can we get a refill here?!" Proclaimed one from a rowdy group of three in the north part of the bar.

"On it!" She turned away and looked over her shoulder, "Decide by the time I'm back! And don't pussy out!"

"She's a feisty one." Gabriel said, while Solaris remained face deep in the menu.

"Yeah she's strange," He hastily brushed the conversation off without a care and laid the menu down, "So what the hell's the best drink they got here old man?"

Gabriel looked at his menu and murmured, "Can't say I'm familiar with a menu like this..."

Yes. Instead of sorting the drinks by categories, they are described by the tier with fierce words like "Grenade", "Missile, "Nuclear" and "Atomic". The "Bombastic Special" they had was a mid-tier "Missile" drink.

"Just tell me what the toughest thing on the menu is." Solaris demanded.

"Judging by the words used I'd say your best bet would be something under the 'Nuclear' category. But for your first-time-"

"Nuclear! Got it!" He picked up the menu and flipped to that page.

"I would sincerely advise against it."

"Seriously. Buzzkill. Cut it out. My body's made for this sorta shit."

He resumed looking over the menu while Gabriel muttered something about a "horse" and "water".

"The Solar Slum Slam?" A cheeky grin grew over his face, "Perfect! That's a drink made for ME!"

He banged his fist on the counter twice and proclaimed, "Hey! I'm ready for the next round!"

Samantha ran up to them and said, "No shit?"

She then waved her arms out with a smirk, "So, what Hell have you chosen to venture into?"

"Hit me with the Solar Slum Slam! I'm going to empty you of your strongest drinks before the night's done!" Boasted the god.

"Then you choose the path of Nuclear Flames eh?" Samantha's chest huffed with laughter and she slapped the edge of the counter, hitting him with a glare, "You better not burn, Icarus."

Whoever this "Icarus" was must've been a wimp to lose to nuclear flames.

"So how about you?" Samantha turned her head to Gabriel.

"Hmmm..." Gabriel laid his menu down flat, "Give me your best recommendation from the Atomic tier. And I feel like trying out your 'Nasty Nacho Fries'."

She turned around and shouted around the corner, "Chefs! One magma flow over logs, heartburn style!"

"And I'll go get your drinks." She turned aside and clicked her thumbs off her pointer fingers at them as she walked off.

She returned two minutes later with a mug in hand and her spirits looking pumped. She slapped them down before the two and then, a second later, was given a tray carrying Gabriel's appetizer.

The tray was exuding smoke and Solaris watched Gabriel's eyes water. But he lifted his head, took a whiff, and remarked with a tint of nostalgia in his voice, "Ah, this reminds me of an active volcano. I haven't had food this spicy in a long, long time."

"You been to a volcano?" Samantha remarked.

"Yes. A few of them actually." Gabriel gave as a humble brag.

"Neat! You'll fit right in here then!"

Solaris lifted his drink and gulped the whole thing down in a second, then slammed it on the counter. He grit his teeth confidently and his vision wobbled for a bit.

"There you go...! A-Another!"

Samantha whistled loudly, "Whoa! Not bad! But take a breather, these drinks take time to make anyways."

"N-Nah...I can take another right now!" He slapped the mug down a couple times and Samantha threw her hands up.

"Alright alright chill, flame hair. I'll get you your fix." She turned around to the many bottles and got to work.

Gabriel whet his appetite with the fries and alternated between that and the beer. As he did he glanced over his shoulder and made an odd comment, "This bar...there's a certain wildness to it but at the same time it feels...comfortable."

"You got it!" Hollered Samantha, looking over her shoulder while working, "We're here to serve while people just come to lie back, relax, and enjoy themselves as themselves. No masks. No fake personas."

She spun back with Solaris' next drink in hand and held up two...three fingers?

"There's just a couple rules to follow. No cussing each other out, and-"

"You cheatin' sack of shit!" Roared a gravelly voice from the upper right corner of the bar.

"Hold on." Samantha paused and her glare had Solaris and Gabriel looking where the voice came from.

Two big, burly men in biker outfits with bushy mustaches and goggles were tossing around a guy at the table with pockets.

"Thinkin' you could sneak that ball into the POCKET?!" The blonde man of the two shoved their victim into the protruding belly of his black-haired friend.

"Punk ass BITCH!" That man grabbed a stick and smashed it over the guy's head, causing them to collapse onto the ground.

The two men then slapped their stomachs and threw their hands towards the ground, one of them even spitting on him.

Gabriel's hand tensed up on the counter and he began to rise. Samantha slapped her hand down on his and remarked in a firm tone, "Nah. This ain't your job, sir."

She then vaulted over the counter. The moment she landed everyone but the violent two got out of their chairs and dragged them and the tables away, leaving a straight line between Samantha and them.

"Huh huh? What's going on 'ere?" The blonde man wondered.

"Hehehe..." Hummed Zeke behind Gabriel and Solaris, "A free beer and a show from the Fire Fist herself. You are two lucky mother fuckers."

Solaris' vision blurred as he took a sip of his next drink and he smirked, "Pfft, s-she can't beat those two. She's gonna be flattened."

"You might want to reserve your judgment there young Solaris." From Gabriel's point-of-view, he saw the woman strut with her head held high and her muscles pulsing her clothes. Yet, the most important detail was in how she kept her arms in close.

"She's not showing any openings..." He murmured.

"Hey boys I got a question to ask you." She said, flexing her fingers into her palm.

"Hehe funny that," The black-haired man flicked his hand out towards her, "So do I. How'd you like to come home and cuddle up with a real man, little girl?"

The two dopes smacked their lips mockingly. Samantha paused at the middle of the room and turned her head with a smile, "Cute. Do you believe in angels?"

"Pffft, who believes in that fairy tale nonsense?" The blonde-haired man chuckled.

"Damn, that sucks," Samantha whipped her head to the left then the right, her bones letting out a big, resounding crack. She fired up a big ol' grin and murmured ferociously to her company, "I'm the One God's Servant without Mercy, so you better start believin'...! Cause for the next two minutes, the only thing that's gonna be make-believe is the concept of gravity on your fat asses!"

The blonde guy looked to the black-haired guy and chuckled, "The cheek on this girl. Shall we set her straight?"

"Go right ahead." The man gestured out.

"Heh!" The blonde guy leaped off the pool table perch and the bar shook on landing. He stood a whole half a foot over Samantha and smirked, "I could use you like a toothp-"

She threw a punch right into his gut and he fell over atop her shoulder, exhausting all his hot air in a single massive huff.

"GGHHH...!"

She pulled right off and swept his legs to knock him onto his face, then planted a foot on his butt and slid him three feet along the floor.

"Ahh...!" Solaris' mouth gawked open and he felt an unknown warmth growing down between his legs.

Samantha rolled her head around as the other man lunged at her from behind. She pulled her head back with a smile and then slid behind him, letting him crash upon the ground so his fat wobbled up to his four chins.

"You ain't shit." Samantha gestured towards herself as that man stood up.

"You...!" The man grit his teeth and threw a punch straight at her head. She swerved aside, grabbed his wrist, pulled him in, and hammered his gut. Then, while stunned, she grabbed him by his fat and hauled him overhead, giving his face another meeting with the ground.

"Hraaah!" The other man had gotten up and tried to force their arms around her. She yawned and introduced his nose to a backhanded knuckle sandwich. Then she flipped around, grabbed both sides of his head, and brought it down to her knee.

Blood sprayed onto her overalls and chest and she smacked her lips tiredly. The guy behind her rose, blinded by rage, and made the tackling leap. The other man rose, and she used his shoulders to backflip behind the first, making the two combine into a fat heap on the floor.

"Interesting..." Murmured Gabriel.

The two men were allowed to stand and they threw their hands at each other in anger. Then the blonde one pulled a retractable knife and gave a sinister grin. The other man ran at Samantha and threw terribly aimed punches as she bobbed and weaved around them.

Meanwhile the other man ran at her from the side and plunged his knife towards her left hip. It punctured the overall and wedged itself into her leg.

"Take THAT you dumb bitch!" He proclaimed triumphantly.

"Heh heh!" Samantha grinned, letting it set in to the man's expression that there was, as a matter-of-fact, no blood leaking from her leg.

"W-What?" Was the last cry the man got edgewise, as Samantha stomped her foot on the ground and forced his hands off the knife.

She then swept that man into the gut of the other man and sent them stumbling away. She then pulled her arms back and lunged forward, pummeling the two violent customers all over with a flurry of fists.

"Is this girl even human?" Gawked Gabriel, watching as her fists blurred faster than human's could perceive.

"She's an angel of Hell," Uttered Zeke, "They say her fists move so fast, they blaze like comets in the sky."

Three-hundred punches later, when the two aggressors were suspended in the air, Samantha pulled away and leaped at them with a single kick.

The two man gagged as they were sent hurtling out the door, opened with perfect timing by Zeke, where from there they crashed into their motorcycles and broke them apart.

Zeke closed the door and clapped off his hands. Samantha, meanwhile, plucked the knife from her leg and flicked it back into the center of the dart board.

"Well?" She waved her hands out to the silent crowd, "Whaddya say we get back to the fun?!"

As she walked off everyone reassembled the room in an orderly fashion. She met with Zeke and the two exchanged a one-handed clap without breaking their stride.

"Smooth as always Fire Fist." He said.

"Killer timing there Black Frost." She replied.

The two returned to behind the counter and Samantha leaned in towards Solaris and Gabriel with her fists on her hips, "So! Need anymore drinks?"

Solaris' mouth was halfway open and a bit of slobber was coming out. His eyes began to glaze as he muttered, "H-Holy shit you're cuh-cuh-cuh..."

His face fell flat on the counter and spilled his mug over.

Samantha sighed and shook her head, gesturing towards Gabriel with a smile, "First timer's, mirite?'

"He is a work in progress..." Gabriel took one last bite from his fries then stood up, hoisting the unconscious Solaris over his right shoulder.

He then turned and bowed to their host, "Thank you for the food and drink. Here..."

He reached into his pocket and gave her more than sufficient pay for the meal, "Use the change to buy a new pool stick."

Samantha tucked the greens under her overall strap and said, "Gee thanks. You two don't be strangers now!"

"Oh! But wait!" She snapped her fingers and hopped over the counter, reaching into her overalls to slip a small book titled "Beer Drinking for Dummies" into Solaris' pocket.

"Make sure he reads that."

"Ha ha...I'll have someone get right on that." And on that note, he took the overachiever out of the bar.

Samantha returned behind the counter and smiled.

"So, this one eh?" Muttered Zeke with a wily smile. She nudged him in the side with her elbow.

The next morning...

"Mrrrghh..." Solaris creaked his eyes open and was assaulted by a seething flash of light.

"Aauughh..." He groaned in pain. His head felt like it was being pounded at by the Phoenix of Destruction again.

He turned his head to the right and thinks he might be in his bed? His brain was fried. What was the last few hours even like?

His vision tried to steady, and the first thing he recognized was his sister sitting in a chair beside him. She was flipping through yet another book, one he did not recognize.

"Hmmm...Lets see here...A hangover happens when you drink too much alcohol, and your body struggles to recover from it. Side effects include drowsiness, nausea, headaches..."

She poked her head up with a somewhat wicked smile, "Did you hear that Solaris? When you drink too much alcohol, it gives you a head-ache."

"Mmmmmmrrrrr..." He grumbled, tossing his body onto its other side and pulled himself deeper under the sheets.

"Oh brother..." She looked back at the book and continued thumbing through the pages, "Its ok. We'll learn a lot together while you're resting, and you'll get her next time."

He clutched his sheets tightly and muttered, "Samantha J...Ugh, that damn woman's going to be the death of me..."

Next Time: The Fragmented Unconscious