The streets of Bangkok bustled as we made our way to the club just across our hotel room. It was almost midnight but our immediate vicinity was still filled with people, some of whom were walking in the same direction as us, towards M.Y.X., which was the first club in our list for tonight. Yes. The first. Gab and Rei wouldn't have it any other way. "It is our last night," they said. "Well, it's your liver," I countered, seconds before the back of my neck itched. From the glower of an irate husband, no doubt. 

"Why did we have to take him?" Gab surreptitiously whispered to me, pointing a thumb towards Gio's direction. 

Leaning closer, I replied, "He is paying for everything." 

So left with no other choice and being a broke fucker, Gab put his hands in his pants pockets and swaggered down M.Y.X. with Rei in tow. From the sign on the door, we learned that today was Ladies' Night. All girls get to enter for free with free cocktail drinks to boot. 

The blast of music hit us as the door opened, a piece of upbeat party music that had the people inside already grooving to its rhythm. The strobe lights flicker in time with the beat, enhancing the party atmosphere. 

We all sat at the booth that was within a respectable distance from the dance floor already filled with gyrating people. Rei was seated in between Gio and Gab while I sat across from them. Gio had a possessive arm around Rei's shoulders, which Rei didn't seem to mind. She had been conversing with Gab about everything under the sun since we got out of the hotel. 

I already texted Anton, Quin and Ran where we were. They all said they would drop later.

Rei and I immediately availed of the free drinks because we were cheap-ass fuckers like that, while Gab wasted no time spending Gio's money on vodka shots. Within minutes from being seated, the table filled up with our choice of alcohol. 

Everyone, and I mean, everyone, groaned when I took out the Q&A Cards. 

"Hey, they aren't very hard questions," I said louder than normal, my voice competing with the noise and music inside the club. 

"Fine, fine," Gab waved a hand in my direction. "Ask me the questions so I can lit this party up already."  Gab distributed shots to everyone.

"Pfft. Since you're so eager, Death has a question for you."

"Shoot." 

"Top or bottom?"

Gab roared in laughter at the question. "I walked into that one, didn't I?"

"Well?"

Gab shrugged. "Whatever I'm in the mood at."

Rei clicked her tongue. "I'm disappointed in you, Gab. The top, always." 

Gab rolled his eyes. "Says you. How many partners have you had again?"

Rei smacked Gab's arms. "Low. Very low, you fuck." 

Gab just burst into more laughter.  "Give me advice when you got to past five, at least." 

"Hey, I'm right here." Gio glowered. He then faced me. "Seriously, I am starting to question the company you keep." 

You and me both, buddy.

"Okay, this next question is from Sara. And my God, we have a proper question for once."

Somewhere, somehow, confetti burst and rained down on us like divine providence.

"It's for you, Gio. Sara asks, and I'm paraphrasing here, 'What motivated you to help Quin and Rei? Was it really because of the guilt?'"

Gio cleared his throat. Then he took his shot of vodka. Then mine. Then Rei's. "It wasn't, I think. Because I really had no idea that I was ratting Rei and her mom out. I thought it was just an innocent question then. But because of how things that night turned out, I guess it has always been on the back of my mind. I would have helped Quin and Rei even if that didn't happen though."

"Mhmm." I nodded at him in assent. He is a proper good boy. "Rei, Sara also asked what your relationship is with Inspector Eugene."

Rei, who was in her second cocktail mojito, snapped her attention to me. "Inspector Eugene? Well, how do I put this. Inspector Eugene is like the second Master Shao in my life, except that instead of teaching me how to fight, he keeps me within the bounds of the law. Don't worry, he fails most of the time."

"Rei, I think Sara got more confused with that answer."

"Oh, well, you see, the Inspector is Master's best friend. Almost two years ago, the Inspector was tasked to catch the Reaper. I would have got away from him but Master betrayed me. I struck a deal with the Inspector then--he would not take me into police custody, provided I work for him."

"And stop thieving," Gio supplied.

Rei sighed. "And stop thieving." 

I nodded absent-mindedly. As if that would ever happen. I shuffled the cards and took one.

"It's not like you need to still thieve. I heard you and Quin are loaded," Gab said as I continue picking out questions. Man, there was a lot.

"Psh. Sometimes, it's not about the money. It's the thrill, Gab." 

Gab shrugged his shoulders, another shot at his lips. "I get it if you put it like that."  Then he leaned into Rei and whispered something which I could not hear given the distance and the loud music which caused Rei to laugh and nod her head. Gio, who perhaps deduced what the secret conversation was about, glared at the pair. 

 With my author's powers, I knew that Gab suggested that he could accompany Rei the next time she decided to rob someone, starting with one of Gio's manors somewhere in the countryside. 

"Hey, Gio, Joe has a question for you," I said once I finally decided on a proper question.

The billionaire shifted uncomfortably. "Can't you just email them later?"

"Why, so you'd get Anton to give me filtered answers? Still rattled by the earlier question?" I smiled at him slightly.

The billionaire rolled his eyes. I snickered. "Joe asked, 'Are you ready to be a father? What will you name baby Rei or baby Gio?"

Gab suddenly sprung upright and clutched Rei's shoulders. "Oh my God! Are you pregnant?" he shouted loud enough that people seated on the other side of the room snapped their heads towards us.

"What the...No!" Rei answered defensively.

Gab stared at Rei, his scrutinizing gaze intensifying.

"No. Stop that!"

"Hmmm."

"For fuck's sake, seat down! People are staring!" Rei dragged Gab down by his cuffs to his seat.

I turned my attention to Gio once again. "Well?"

"I haven't really thought of names. I guess we'll cross the bridge when we get there," Gio calmly replied. He was not fooling me though. I knew for a fact he had a hundred baby names saved in his phone, fifty for girls and another fifty for boys, arranged alphabetically and complete with their meanings. Also, that rhythmic slight flicking of his crossed feet betrays his excitement on the matter. Dogs wagged their tail when excited. Gio unknowingly flicked his feet left and right.

The music got rowdier as more people entered M.Y.X. The dance floor was almost filled to the brim. Gab and Rei unconsciously moved their bodies to the rhythm of the music as they sipped their respective drinks. I shuffled the cards some more. 

"Hey, Rei, Mansi has a question. And what do you know, another sensible question."

Confetti blast overhead once more, littering our booth with shiny cut-up plastics. 

"Mansi asks, 'You and Grandpa Shao left on a sour note but if you could see him again for ten minutes, what would you say to him?" 

"Oh," was all Rei managed to say before diving into silence. She sipped her mojito in contemplation. 

"I would have said sorry but Master hated that. Waste of time and breath, he would say. He wasn't much on talking either. So, if I could be with him again for ten minutes, I would spend it sitting with him watching the sea from where we used to train and lean on his shoulders." Rei's eyes glazed over a bit. "He let me do that after training when he knew I was sad or frustrated with myself." Rei smiled softly as she continued to sip her drink. When she finished with that, she took a shot of vodka. 

Geez, I know. I miss the old fucker too.

I turned to Gio. "Wei has a question. If you were to buy Rei lingerie, what would you buy her." 

The corner of Gio's lips curled upward ever so slightly as he sip his drink. He took his fucking sweet time at it too. 

"Anything in red. Lacy," was his curt reply as he put his drink down. He then looked at Rei and the intensity of his gaze made me wish I was twenty countries away from here.

"Oh, stop that!" Rei kicked his shin. 

Gab burst into laughter. "Rejected!" 

Gio glared at him. 

The door of the club opened and Ran, Quin, and Anton walked in. They had spent the good part of the day visiting temples and other tourist spots. Gab waved at them and they promptly beelined towards our booth. Anton found his seat beside Gab. I scooted to the farthest corner of the couch to give room for Quin and Ran, who sat without further ado. 

"Onee, we visited a lot of temples and rode a Ferris Wheel at Asiatique," Quin excitedly remarked while showing Rei the pictures in her phone, leaning across the table to do so. 

From the several high-end shopping bags which Ran was carrying, they visited a lot of places indeed. 

"Good! You're here! The next questions are for you!" 

All the newcomers groaned. 

"Oh, come on! These are easy ones." I shuffled the cards. "Anton, Joe asked, 'Are you being paid enough?'"

Anton averted his face from Gio, cocking an eyebrow. "Of course, I am." 

Somewhere, I heard Gab snort. Riiight.

I then turned my attention to Ran. "Joe asked, 'Would it be possible for things to return to how they were when you, Gio, Rei and Quin were all children? Was there a time where you stop to reflect if this is the right path for you?'"

Ran tilted his head as he looked at me. "Easy questions, you say?"

"Just answer, dude. And consider your words carefully. I am trying my damnest best for readers to warm up to you."

Ran crossed his legs and folded his arms across his chest. He had that contemplative look in his eyes. "If it makes any difference, tell the readers that I never acted out of impulse. Do I let my emotions get in the way? Yes. I'm a very emotional being. I just don't usually show it. Did I think that my actions were the right ones to take when I made them? Yes. Do I regret things now? Some of them, yes." Ran very slightly shifted his gaze where Gio was. "Do I think things can return to how they were before? Honestly, no. But that is not something for me to decide, right?"

Yeah, the fucker had a point.

I shuffled the cards some more and came up with a question for Inspector Eugene. "Yo, Rei. Do you have the Inspector's number?"

Rei, who was still engrossed in a discussion with her sister about the places she visited, turned to me. "Inspector Eugene? Of course." Rei showed me the number and I dialed on my phone. It rang for several seconds before it was picked up. I put it on speaker and turned the volume up. 

"Inspector, how be things?" I greeted.

A grunt was all the reply I got. I made a note to myself to make less grumpy characters next time. 

"Hey, Inspector, we're doing a Q&A and there is a question for you here."

Another grunt.

I sighed. "Joe asked you, 'How do you feel to have only been mentioned but never actually get screentime?'"

For a while, no answer came. And then, "Keep it that way." Then he hanged up. 

Wew. Yep. Less grumpy characters next time, RF.

Gab stood up and swayed a little. "Hey, Rei, let's dance now. The night is being wasted." 

I glanced down at the table. The duo had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol at this point. Rei readily took on Gab's challenge and stood up as well. "Sure. I dance quite well." 

"You do?" Quin and Gio said in unison. 

"Pfft. How hard can it be." Rei waved them both away as she sashayed towards the dance floor followed by Gab, both holding a beer in hand. 

Gab sure can dance. Rei sure can...jump. Both seemed to be having the time of their lives.

I pocketed the Q&A Cards. "You know what? Why don't we all dance? 

Gio snorted but stood up, strode towards Rei, and gripped her waist. The latter just beamed a tipsy smile at him, which he returned.  Rei continued to...jump, while Gio, swaying slightly with the music, was mostly content to watch her.

Anton found Gab and monopolized him. 

Quin and Ran continued to sit in the booth. They clicked beer bottles and drank, all the while watching the pairs on the dance floor. 

I let the babies have their fun, going to two more clubs that night, before we all set-off to another adventure. 

We missed the flight the next morning because we were all hangovered.

-End-