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"Nice," Zell commented, loudly impressed with Miss Data Consultant's disappearing act.

 "This cloak of mine isn't just for fashion. I woke up with it. Seems to bend light in a way to make me as invisible as possible. It's not perfect. I can still make noise and if I move too fast, anyone with a sharp eye will see it distort. That and I can only use it a few times a day, but hey, I'm not complaining."

"And why would you?" Zell tacked on.  It was less of a question and more an awe-filled compliment to the powerful cloak.  Zell's eyes followed Alison as she went back around the table to her chair.  "Unseen Alison, sitting in a tree..." he sang.  It took him a moment to think of some more words.  He managed it before the nursery rhyme was ruined.  "...Draws her dagger, swoops down, R.I.P."  He leaned his chair back onto two legs, clearly proud of himself.  Nailed it.  "Ha!"

James gave him a tap and Zell realised it was his turn to get medical treatment, so he scraped his chair backward and turned slightly to face his best friend.  "You're a diamond, bruv... ow!"

While the cleric worked, Zell listened to the talk at the table.  His eyes flicked around but landed on the close-up of James, who had a face of concentration.  Zell had to wonder just how many more times James would bail him out with his healing.  The swordsman was a total fucking damage sponge.  He'd had his insides shredded by a magical direwolf, his ribs broken, his arm almost cut off by a wraith, skewered through his abdomen.  He'd had Clive's corpse thrown at him, he himself had been thrown by an ogre into a solid wooden gate (and now thrown into a wall by a vampire,) stabbed twenty-odd times in quick succession with ninja-turtle daggers.  James had healed him through most of it, saving his life on several occassions.

Zell grinned at the Mexicano when he was done and gave him a wink.  "Ppreciate'cha."

...

Eventually, Frederick came around and took orders, even making a suggestion that they try his new dish which was inspired by James' tacos from last week, looking to MacKensie to back him up about how good it was.  "I'll give it a go, Fred.  Cheers, mate."

He was glad when all the serious talk was over and they moved on to general chatter and banter.  It wasn't that the serious topics weren't necessary, it was imperative that Alison be caught up on the situation, but it was nice just to hang out all together for an hour.  The last week had been nothing but busy preparations and everyone had been split up, for the most part.  Zell felt like he hadn't sat and shot the shit with James in ages, not to mention all the stressful paranoia and drama that had took up space in his head.

"Clive, does that horse of yours need feeding?  Where does it go when it's not around?"  And then, with a mischievious twinkle in his eye.  "Hey James... have you ever ridden a horse?  Something tells me you'd be a reckless bastard on one.  Just a hunch."

"Ha, that reminds of this one random time that I had to save my dumbass mate.  The idiot had fallen down a well."

Fun times.

Zell's attention was drawn to the back room, behind the bar, where he spied Fred emerge with the first plates.  So he got up and asked around for who wanted a second drink, commited the requests to memory, repeated them back and nodded.

"Clive, fancy giving us a hand?" They went over to the bar where they were served by Frederick's assistant.  "Hey, thanks, by the way..." Zell said to the Texan.  "... for upstairs.  For understanding and - you know - not making a big deal about it."  Clive seemed the type that might have had to smack a friend around the head before, or at least wouldn't be afraid to, if it was necessary.  Fight it out and shake hands after, that sorta thing.  "To be honest, I needed some sense knocked into me.  Kass did me a favour."

He started putting the drinks on the trays as they came.

"So... are you enjoying Valhiem, then?" Clive hadn't seen it, the first time, on account of being dead during their initial visit.  "Pretty nice, ain't it.  S'even better when it's not surrounded by the undead.  You'll see, after we've given Saladin a slap."