[center][h2][color=#3366CC]ᚠᚢᚦ [b]Aksel[/b] ᚱᚴᚾ[/color][/h2]
[@KactusPunch][@Adeline][@Azure Bubbles][/center]
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	[color=00746b]“I got the rest,”[/color] Anastasiya said without looking. [color=00746b]“You pay for the shots.”[/color]

	She immediately threw back one of the shots. Aksel felt what had been a swelling anticipation suddenly become a sort of familiar relief.  
He couldn’t wait for her to take her shots—though he had [i]no idea[/i] why he cared so much—followed by the satisfaction of her finally ingesting it.

	She went down the line, chasing one shot with the next. It was impressive—unexpected, to say the least.

	[i]And kinda hot.[/i]

	When she got to the whiskey, she simply slid it toward him. He looked down at the offering, slightly surprised, though more at ease after watching her down the vodka. Still, he was glad for the gift. It wasn’t why he’d done what he had for her, and part of him felt like paying for the shots [i]and[/i] the whiskey.  He thought better of it, knowing how he’d feel if someone denied him the giving of a gift; and right now she seemed—she [i]felt[/i]—much more at peace than she had since he’d scooped her up after the freak storm.

Beside him, Anastasiya took in a breath and straightened herself.

	[color=00746b]“Damn,”[/color] she hummed thoughtfully. [color=00746b]“Everyone came here, it seems.”[/color] She took a sip of her final beverage.

	Aksel, realizing he’d been staring into the dark fluid a little longer than intended, took the gift in hand and looked around the place.

	[color=#3366CC]“Yeah…”[/color] he started to say.

	He trailed off once he caught a glimpse of JJ. The guy was seated next to one of the cleanup crew—the ray of sunshine even the taskmaster couldn’t dim.

	[i]Skye? Skye.[/i]

	Aksel had only just met him, but something was different. Sure, he’d only had one or two interactions with JJ prior, but the two men he saw now were like two peas in a pod. Granted, JJ had come off as positive and friendly before—if a little uncouth—but their energy was [i]way[/i] too similar.

	[i]It was kinda creepy…[/i]

	JJ caught his eye and threw him a big thumbs-up. Aksel lifted his whiskey slightly in return, raising his eyebrows with a faint smirk—pretending to understand whatever JJ was trying to say.

	[i]Truthfully, he didn’t.[/i]

	Aksel turned back toward the bar.

	Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Aksel reflexively sipped the whiskey, enjoying the aroma, flavor, and burn as he sightlessly stared passed his companion toward the bunch around the bar. He could feel something—from each of them.

	It was chaotic. But [i]something[/i] was happening.

	Skye felt like—well, Skye. Aksel wasn’t totally surprised by how [i]he[/i] felt. Even before whatever this was, Aksel could already feel something similar from Skye. But JJ was [i]not[/i] like this before. Aksel didn’t have a way to compare, but even just relying on his long-honed knack for reading people… 

	He decided this was too much for him right now and took another drink, looking straight ahead over the bar once more.

	[color=#3366CC]“Hey,”[/color] he said warmly to the girl beside him. [color=#3366CC]“Thank you.”[/color] He lifted the drink toward hers, offering a sincere smile of gratitude—tinged slightly with whatever seemed to be bleeding over from JJ and Skye.