#flescher

But by now, he was bored out of his skull, knew half of her life story but not one single helpful shred of information, had to listen to her whining about some weird headless guy and a stage magician or some shit both of whom she missed and had to watch how she gulped down one awful, prissy cocktail after another.

He could have had those!

No, worse, he felt like he should have had those, because he wasn't nearly drunk enough to put up with this bullshit yet, nor to at least find her hot enough to enjoy himself by pressing the mental mute button.

“Aaaye mean I thought about forffffffff-... forfeiting but I can't! With Kiti gone, are there even still heroes in there? I mean... nnno offense but... yoo dun seem like someone who could take on Greg or Bels! You're too...” Candy frowned as she tried to avoid saying something offensive. “Fluffeh!” Flescher made a face. Okay, she was right, he wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Bels or Greg – at least not in a fair fight. But it still felt like an insult, especially coming from a pudgy girl half his size.

He was about to suggest to her to just forfeit anyways when the Bartender stopped in front of them, smiling at Candy and apparently planning to strike up a conversation. Up until now, he had talked to a child that had arrived here shortly after them, but now – as Flescher noticed after checking the seat the little girl had sat on – said child was gone.

“Good evening, Miss Cane!” The Bartender greeted Candy with an attitude more cheerful than Flescher was used from him. At the same time, the party animal observed how Candys face scrunched up in an expression of displeasure he hadn't expected from her.

“No~!” She protested, raising her hands. “No! You don't-...” Taking a deep breath, she obviously tried to keep her tongue more under control for the next few words, so she would slur less. “I don't wanna talk about her tonight!” Oh~... this was about this demon thing she'd talked about, right? The one who gave her super powers? Hey, one second! Didn't she say just before that everyone hated her because of that thing? Why was the Bartender smiling then – correction: looking surprised and a bit sad at this announcement?

“Oh... alright...” He said, pulling Fleschers glass right out of his hand even though it wasn't even empty yet to begin cleaning it. Flescher was close to punching him right in the disappointed and slightly nervous face. “I just... have been wondering about her wellbeing, since she hasn't been here for a while...” The Bartender briefly glanced over to a book that stood between flasks and bottles on the shelf behind him, the cover showing the photo of what other people probably thought was nature being pretty (Flescher preferred strobe lights and scantily-clad dancing ladies as his view by far) and the words 'Fascinating Sights'. “Yeah, well... I don't know.” Candy replied with a surprisingly harsh tone. “Don't know, don't care! She's not in here anymore, maybe she hopped into the mirrors with Roamer or went away with that Italian guy she was flirting with-” She clasped her hands over her mouth as she became aware of Bartender's expression, obviously instantly regretting her words. Flescher felt as if he could hear the quiet echo of a laughter in the distance... or very close? Somehow all around him... “I-... I'm sorry, Bartender... I didn't mean it... I swear I don't know where she's gone, she's just not with me anymore.” She bit her lower lip.

Flescher stopped paying attention to her further stuttering and stammering. He had heard what he needed to: The magical girl had run out of magic, and therefore, even if she wasn't going to forfeit, their battle should be a piece of cake for him! Quite literally, too, as he mused while looking at her and licking his lips. Food was slowly becoming more scarce in the Abandoned City. A plump, big treat like Candy was just the right thing to get him through the next few days after the fight!

Why wait, actually? He could simply offer her to-

“... bring you home?”

Huh?

Flescher realized that someone new had approached them while he'd been busy fantasizing about a tasty, big meal. A young, bespectacled man with slightly messy, brown hair had put his hand on Candy's back, comforting her while her face was buried in her hands. The Bartender seemed to be suspiciously busy meddling with the bottles on the shelf behind the bar and Flescher could have sworn he heard some mumbling out of his direction despite the fact that the Bartenders mouth was closed – the lips pressed shut tightly, even.

“Sh, it's okay... you drank a bit too much, it'll be alright...” The soothing voice of the newcomer seemed to actually help calming the sobbing Candy down a little. He managed getting the attention of the Bartender for long enough to exchange a few words about the payment with him before he gently helped Candy off her seat and into her coat. She could barely stand straight, even though she seemed as if her mind had cleared up a bit thanks to her little shock about her own actions. For a moment Flescher considered intervening, and trying to score some alone time with the helpless snack, but then she dropped the guy's name:

“Th-thanks, Hot Chocolate...”

And remembering hushed stories about a superhero who could scorch his enemies with boiling hot liquids, Flescher decided to shut his mouth right after opening it.

Uh yeah, he'd rather wait until the official battle, when no big scary superheroes where there to protect his lunch.