Cutie remembers to hold his breath.

…after the first breath.

It’s not as bad this time? His head does feel a little dizzy. The warm coils, the relief of Alcideo’s escape, they’re suddenly so, so tempting to sink into. And he’s distractedly aware every time the lady in the autumn dress takes an elegant step closer. But he can still think. He can remember to keep holding his breath. He can piece together that a faint whiff from far away must not be as bad as getting the full blast up close. He can see what’s going to happen if this Nagi has to fight two on one.

(Well. Nothing for it, then. Just one step in front of the other, Hazel.)

“Excuse me, could you please let me go? I can help.” He spends his stored breath to free himself. He doesn’t take another just yet. Cutie is a professional of [i]Cafe la Faune[/i]. Never late to a shift, can’t be kept down by the odd spilled drink. With a one and a two and a zip and a bop bop bop, off goes his shirt, on goes his vest, and it does take him a little longer to remember how to properly tie a shirt into an impromptu mask. Then, he breaths again. And his head only stays a little bit dizzy. “I think her perfume does something if you smell it too much. It made me feel really loopy when she grabbed me. This seems to be helping?”

Funny. He’d asked for this shirt on day one. Some of the other hosts went about their jobs with only the vest and the very very very short shorts, but thank everything that wasn’t a requirement. Miss Yaz had told him so, told him that he was doing just as good a job in a shirt and vest. That he didn’t need to be [i]that[/i] daring to make the customers happy. He wasn’t sure there was enough encouragement in the world that would make him wear that to work.

He stepped behind the Nagi, and took up his post. Between her and the autumn lady.

Well it’s a good thing he’s not working right now, isn’t it? If there was supposed to be a uniform for dueling, then his got lost in the mail.

“If you go ahead, I’ll hold her off as best as I can. Maybe try and get some distance too? I think that’ll help your head. Miss Yaz - I mean, the Nagi with the bow, is a friend too, she should back you up.”

Another crash of magical arrow meeting magical hammer.

“I practiced a bit with Yuki, no worries. If we’ve got them outnumbered, we might as well take advantage of it, right?”

He hopes that’s a good enough reason for the plan to be a good one. He can’t think of a better one. Squinting into the light, he puts one foot back, holds his hand ready, and focuses on the silhouette before him.

“Could you please just leave, then? I’m pretty sure nobody would get hurt that way.” His wrist itches. Now is probably a bad time to scratch it. “And, besides, I’m not really interested in being King? Or transforming anything? Really, it’s neat enough to be here.”

Thank goodness he practiced talking with Yuki while practicing with Yuki.