Shimmering Fireflies

Drinks

Mizuiro and her teammates were used to being separated for the last few months. It wasn't intended, but their abilities and interests were contrasting so much that they were hired for dissimilar missions. Kyousuke was often sent on guarding missions, Emi specialized in healing while Mizuiro usually concentrated on spying missions. The three of them applied for jobs so different that they didn't get the chance to do one altogether for a while.

It's when Kyousuke noticed it that he booked them a table at his favorite restaurant. He was the one in their team who had the most initiative about these types of plan. Even if Mizuiro's thoughts were all over the place, she was happy to finally spend time with them. Trying to figure out how to deal with the recent events took more energy from her than expected. A change of mind could be beneficial.

The three of them sat around a table, looking at the menu. They were quite enthusiastic about their dinner; it was one of those restaurants where a grill took place in the middle of the tables. They could order what they want and cook it themselves. Their booth was right in the middle of the restaurant. It was really crowded tonight, and when the owner came to their table with a nervous smile, they were afraid she would inform them about a lack of food.

"You probably noticed it's a six person booth," the owner hesitantly began. "Ehh... it never happened before, but in the eventuality of another small group coming -I'm very sorry to ask- would it be ok to let them sit with you, perhaps? Again, I'm terribly sorry for this. It's this new promotion... ah... I should've picked a better date!"

Kyousuke shrugged quickly after hearing this. Mizuiro was looking forward to this meal, so she didn't mind.

"I don't know-" argued Emi. "Maybe we should look at another place?"

"Aw, come on Emi!"

Kyousuke immediately put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It's gonna be fine!" He insisted. "You need to meet new people anyway."

"Wh-what are you implying here?"

Seeing that the owner became visibly confused by their exchange, Mizuiro smiled at her and nodded. The woman bowed to them quickly and gave them a menu before going back to the kitchen.

As the evening went on, they talked about their recent assignments, how little time they spent together and how they missed each other. When Kyousuke ordered drinks for them, Mizuiro knew they would be there for a while. Because they didn't like strong alcoholic beverages, lemon and soda based drinks seemed to be the perfect match. The catch with these kinds of drinks was that because the alcohol wasn't the main detectable taste, they were often consumed without moderation.    

Alcohol always transformed Emi into a blabbermouth; her recent mission implied someone very annoying, or at least, according to her. She wouldn't stop joking about how she had sent him evident signs of discomfort without him noticing.

"Aaahhh, that guy doesn't sound so bad..." sighed Kyousuke while stealing one of the vegetables in her plate. "You're exaggerating again."

"Hey!" She pointed him with her chopsticks.

"No, seriously!" He added. "I've had worse! I just came back from a mission with two Ninja that were obviously into each other. I felt like a third wheel with people I didn't even know."

"Yikes."

"My thoughts exactly!"

"What about you, Mizu?" Asked Emi before taking another sip of her drink.

"Uh? Hum yeah... I've been a third wheel once or twice."

Kyousuke put his arm around his friend's neck. If drinking resulted in a talkative Emi, it made him more relaxed around everyone. In Mizuiro's case, she would usually be more absentminded and confused. He knew that perfectly.