"I'd always gotten the impression you were hard to approach, Zephyr, but when you're with Cardinal Pater, you're just another, regular boy. I think I saw you smile for the first time the other day." -Random Woman. No. Really. Just some chick on the street. Bumped into her just talking to NPCs. But she inspired this, so, credit where credit's due.

He was a weird guy. There was no denying it. It was like being trailed around by a big, happy go-lucky puppy, though, and really, not even Zephyr had the heart to be cruel towards that. Pater was weird, yeah- some people even said kind of creepy, and that was true, too. Zephyr suspected there Was Something Wrong with Pater, up top. But even if there was- well. He didn't really have a lot of room to talk, did he? And out of the pair of them, frankly, Pater was not the one to be worried about.

Sh-hit, even if what had happened hadn't happened, Zephyr was still the one who made a living off other people's dying, and did it well.

No. Pater wasn't the one to look at cross-eyed, here. And Zephyr was a whole hell of a lot of things, good and bad, but self aware was one and hypocritical wasn't. So even if there was something not quite right with Pater- and he'd bet every single penny he'd earned that week that there was- to be blunt, Zephyr didn't give a shit.

What really got him was that Pater? Didn't ask questions. Ever. No, why are you doing this? No, how come you three live together, how did you met, who were you what where you before? The most he ever asked was if he and Leanne were together, stuttering and shy, and Zephyr had nearly spat his tongue out in his hurry to deny it.

We're just friends. Just friends. Just- she can't- I don't-

And even then- no why. No questions at all.

And in the end, that's why Zephyr liked him. Pater just accepted, blindly and trustingly, and he all but kissed the ground the three of them walked on. It was strange, but kind of nice, having someone look up to him. He wasn't certain how he felt about it, really; irritated sometimes, amused mostly, and sometimes ashamed because he knew he didn't deserve it, really. Not someone like him.

But sometimes, he didn't feel any of those things. Like now, when he was laughing himself sick and Pater was grinning at him, lop-sided and goofy, clearly delighting in his little victory. He pushed a hand through his hair, leaning back on the railing of the lift.

"She's going to be so angry." He drawled, catching his breath at last. "I'll catch hell."

The smile wilted. "Oh. Oh, you can tell her it was my idea, Zephyr-"

"Nah." He chuckled, looking at Pater again- naivety, gentleness, innocence all looked back eagerly, and the grin twitched back on his lips. I should pat his head and give him a cookie. Was I ever like this?

"Besides, I talked you into it, and she'll know that. I'm mean like that, you're not." He waved away the spluttered protest. "It's just a caricature, Pater, it's not like you stole her panties and hung them up somewhere. Hey, I didn't know you could turn that color red."

"I-would never-"

"I might. Hey!" He rubbed his arm where he'd been flicked. "Oh, come on, it'd be funny-"

"It would not!"

And he was laughing again. It felt good- really good. He didn't laugh, a lot. Vashyron and Leanne made him laugh, and he knew that got that same little smile when they did; like they'd just won a prize. He'd stopped being annoyed about it ages ago. It just was, and as far as quirks went, it could be a lot worse, he guessed.

"Alright, alright." He twisted so that he was right-way-round on the bridge's railing, leaning over to peer down dangerously far. He'd always liked heights. "It's starting to get late. You should head home." Oh, geez, could I sound any more like his mother?…Friggin' lift's five feet away from us.

"I guess." A soft sigh. "Thanks for spending the day with me, Zephyr." Surprisingly soft, and when he turned to look, he realized, abruptly, that Pater knew. It was easy to think he was oblivious to what people sometimes thought about him, that he was perpetually happy, but there was something sad touching his eyes and almost keen, back there, almost sharp; like a knife that just needed to be worked with a little to regain it's edge.

"Hey, nothing better to do. Besides, uh," He added, quickly, when Pater looked away- "I like it. No, really. We're- friends, right?" And shit, did those words taste strange. Zephyr was not happy-cheerful-friendship- yay!, not even with Leanne and Vashyron. He wasn't optimistic and springy. He was a cynical, snarky, aloof, sarcastic bastard with an attitude problem. In all of Basil, he'd always through he'd had all of two friends, and it had taken a long time before he'd used the term freely.

But damn if he didn't realize it was true the moment he said it. He was Pater's friend, and he did enjoy being with him.

"We are?"

"Well duh. You think I spend all day running around with some guy I don't like?" He grinned crookedly, and got a warm smile in return for his-uh, rather awkward efforts. So he was doing something right- right?

He'd never had to worry about it, with Leanne and Vashyron. They'd just- clicked. Just fit. Neat as a puzzle piece. Leanne had been slightly more difficult; for one, she was a girl. For two, they'd been able to think about her…with Zephyr himself…well. He couldn't say for Vashyron, but for at least the first few months he'd barely been okay, let alone worrying about how to properly socialize with a strange guy you were suddenly living with. And when he was more in a state of mind to worry about it, there hadn't been anything to worry about. By the time the worst of the storm had passed, it was like they'd been brothers for as long as either could remember.

Of course they fought. And argued. And bickered and screamed and occasionally did very nasty things to each other out of spite. But it always blew over and settled itself, no need to work at it.

He had to work at it with Pater. There wasn't that easy, just-comfortable-with-each-other sense that he had with the other two. But that made sense in a way, too; he was someone else, around Pater. He acted differently, he thought differently, he even spoke differently. He didn't mind it; but he was aware of it. He felt lighter, somehow.

"-listening to me? Zephyr?"

He jolted, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, sorry. I don't know where I went, there."

"I said 'I'm glad we are'." Pater smiled, slapped the rail lightly. "You don't think she's….going to be too angry, do you?"

He chuckled. "No. She'll flounce around with her panties in a bunch for a little bit, but she won't take it to heart."

"Good." He sighed in relief- which was funny, because it was going to Zephyr who had to live with her, and she was all-too-willing to hit him when she was displeased-and pushed off the rail. "I'll see you tomorrow, Zephyr, if you're not busy."

He lifted a hand, shoving back himself. "Yeah, maybe tomorrow. 'Night." He watched Pater vanish, turned back to the city and stuffed his hands in his pockets, taking a last deep breath of the rapidly-chilling air before he opened his eyes and shucked off the person who'd been talking to Pater like a snake sheds skin.

If he'd known that was the last time he'd ever get to be that person, he might not have done so quite so quickly.