Page 286 of The Wishing Game

"Of course." I smile lazily. "What do you want?"

He bites his lip as he considers my question.

"I will think about it."

I nod, the same languid smile perpetually on my face now. Maybe I shouldn't have drunk the alcohol so fast and on an empty stomach. My limbs feel like jelly.

Somehow, time passes without me realizing it, and the drinks flow just as easily.

Ze grabs us second rounds, then a third and fourth.

At the fifth round, I'm close to sleeping on the table but still a happy idiot.

My arms are cushioning my head as I rest my entire upper body weight on the table, my eyes fluttering closed before I open them and remember I'm not in my bed and thus not allowed to fall asleep.

"Say, Ze," I slur my words. "Do you know what A.S.L. stands for?"

He frowns.

Placing his arms on the table, he props his head on his hands, suddenly at my eye level. The distance between us has suddenly shrunk to the point that my nose almost touches his.

Heat climbs my cheeks.

He appears unbothered by the proximity as he stares at me.

"Where have you seen that?"

"Some document in the library," I mumble a small lie.

He nods pensively.

"I do not know exactly what it stands for, but it is how Supremes sign themselves in official documents. The first letter is the House, the second letter stands for Supreme, and the third letter for their given name. But there are three Houses that start with the letter A, including Arche. As for the last letter, I could not say unless I had the document in front of me to peruse."

Damn, how is the man still so eloquent after so many drinks?

I squint to make out his features. But is it any wonder that he's immune to alcohol, too? After all, he's immune to poisons and his own blood is a poison. There's probably nothing that can hurt him.

"I see."

At least it's something. Why would a Supreme send me a letter hundreds of years ago? Maybe they could see into the future?

Before I can blink, Ze slides yet another round in front of me. My nose scrunches in disgust as I eye the foul concoction. Sloppily, I shake my head at him.

"No more."

He shrugs, downing his drink with ease.

A few noises erupt in the background, barely penetrating my close to nonexistent focus. Glancing up, I blink a couple of times as I take in Ze's appearance, convinced I'm too drunk for this.

His tattoos flicker in and out of sight, his hair growing and receding in the blink of an eye as well.

"Ze..." I murmur.

He's still drinking the ale.

"This is, indeed, a very good drink," he mentions as he sips.

I spare a glance to my right, rubbing my eyes for more clarity. Sure enough, people are staring at him, ready for attack. Another glance to my left and the same thing happens.

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