Party (7)

Something nice? Iris wondered about it for a moment and realized that Gale was actually the one to bring her sweets and spoil her like some friendly uncle you saw only once in a while. To lose him was going to be a greater loss that she had expected.

But she didn't regret knocking the beer from his hand. Although she didn't know what was going on, this group of people clearly hadn't come together to get wasted. Yet Gale sat alongside them with such a goal, and it wasn't in character, judging by everyone's surreptitious glances his way.

Right then, he decided to reach for another can, and Iris jumped onto the table. Her jaws snapped shut where Gale's fingers had been moments before he drew them back. It infuriated him, but she didn't back down and screeched at him in her high-pitched voice.

"Kyro! Take away your damn fox!" Gale shouted out. He waved his arms as if to shoo her away, but he didn't really dare to come close to her teeth or claws.

Jimmy stood up then and pushed Gale down, back on the sofa. "Calm down, man. Wait till they clean up and you'll be free to drink yourself under the table."

The glare Gale leveled at him was fever bright and filled with murderous intent. But he sat down, arms crossed over his chest. He looked like a petulant child refused a candy, and Iris couldn't help teasing him about it. She sat down and began cleaning her right paw, slowly, deliberately.

This shifted Glare's fury on her, and she realized that he was actually pissed. He wasn't just annoyed or exasperated, no, he was full of a simmering rage that was now aimed at her. Nothing besides his eyes moved, but a shiver ran down her spine. Just what was wrong with him? It couldn't be just because she spilled his beer.

No one would want to murder you and your whole family for a can of beer.

"Gale, move your feet away," the amazon woman demanded, pushing the table away. "I need to clean this mess."

He grumbled something and pulled his feet up. Now that his glare wasn't on Iris, she rushed off the table and out of his sight. There was something going on here that she wasn't aware of, and she wasn't certain she wanted to get more involved in it. That look before, she hadn't seen anyone this angry at her in her life.

Kyro helped Marge dry up the spilled beer while the rest just sat in an awkward silence. When he returned from putting away the rags, he knew that their get together was finished. Ted was speaking softly to Em, the two sisters were typing non-stop, while Gale was staring off into space, the old fury back in his visage.

"It's already this late, so I think we should start moving. What do you say?" Marge suggested, a fake bright smile on her face.

At first, no one reacted, too lost in their own worlds. They needed a long moment to grasp the thought, then another to look around them: the half-empty table, the glistening floor where the beer was spilled, the small groups that weren't interacting with each other.

"Right, right. That's a good idea," Ted agreed first. He stood up and pulled Em with him. She smiled awkwardly at Kyro, and he nodded in her direction. It wasn't their fault that this get together was going to end like this.

Jimmy stood up. "I'll drive you home since I'm the only one still sober," he suggested, not forgetting to send Marge a reticent look. She smiled beatifically at him and kissed him on the cheek. "My hero," Kyro heard her whisper, and Jimmy's countenance instantly softened.

"What?" The two sisters looked at each other, puzzlement on their faces. "But we were told we could stay here," one of them said.

"No," Kyro denied resolutely, not even glancing Gale's way.

"Yeah, pick up your things girls and I'll drive you to your place," Jimmy said.

"But it's far, we don't want to!"

"Yeah, Gale said we can spend the whole weekend here!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"And I'm saying no." Kyro leveled his death glare at them. "And this place is mine, so you either get yourselves out, or I'll kick you out myself."

He received a few weird looks from his friends, but they didn't say anything, and he was glad. It appeared that he was more annoyed with this sham of a get together than he'd thought. Or alcohol was giving an edge to his frustrations. Probably both.

The girls were still looking indecisive, so Marge went over to pull them up. They didn't resist and soon everyone was standing by the door, having collected all their belongings.

"I'll be right back, wait for me," Jimmy said, kissing Marge goodbye, and she shooed him away to hurry up. Since only four passengers could fit into the car, Jimmy was first going to bring Ted, Em, and the two sisters, and then return back. They also lived closest, so it was the simplest solution.

Once everyone was out, Gale stood up and left for the bathroom. Kyro in the meantime came back to the living room to clean it up a bit, and Marge joined him.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked quietly, motioning with her head toward the bathroom.

"Nothing? Everything? Who can say."