Super

18. sweet-talking

As Taeyong and Shao argued, Kai and Lucas were hard at work in the bar. Well, not really, but it's the thought that counts.

"I shouldn't have agreed to this fool's quest," Lucas grumbled as he squeezed through a crowd of smelly, drunken men to reach the counter, Kai following closely behind. "It's been so long, and we've found nothing of help."

"Will you calm down?" Kai rolled his eyes. He wasn't usually affected by other people's moods, but few people could survive having to stay in such close proximity with such a grumbly Lucas. "It's been fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, fifteen minutes too long in this sewer-hole," Lucas snapped, sitting heavily on one of the stools lining the bar counter. "It's not hard to believe that you spent your entire life here."

"I wasn't born here, if that's what you mean," Kai said. The bartender watched the two uneasily, wanting to come over but at the same time, not wanting to disturb a very upset-looking giant of a man. "And minors aren't allowed. Not tweens, anyway."

Lucas gave him a look of absolute disgust, then turned away without a word.

"What's so upsetting about this place, anyway?" The purple-haired man frowned. "Aren't you guys supposed to be able to handle all kinds of environments?"

"The loud music, the smell, the people," Lucas replied, scrunching up his nose. "I could go one and on."

"Hey, the people aren't that bad once you get to know them," Kai said, shrugging and gesturing the bartender over. "I mean, there are bad ones of course—there's the stoners, but they usually don't bother you if you bother them, and—" Here, Lucas started to get up, gaze trained on a point in the distance. "Hey, wait, where are you going?"

But Lucas ignored him, getting up and moving so fast that Kai barely had time to go after him before the crowd swallowed him up. He pushed off the seat and went after him, leaving behind a very confused bartender and a very lonely drink.

"Dude," Kai wheezed, elbowing a lot of potbellied men in the gut in his hurry to catch up with his very frustrating partner. "Lucas!" he called again, but the man was already making a beeline for a cut-off area. "Jesus, even superhero cardio isn't enough for this crap."

Thankfully, he managed to reach Lucas before he entered the section he was aiming for. Kai reached out and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back just before he reached the smoked-glass doors.

"You're not supposed to go there," he said, leaning his hands on his knees and exhaling heavily. "That's a reserved area. The doors are there for a reason, genius. If you're looking for the exit, it's the other way." He stuck his thumb out, pointing behind him.

"I'm not looking for the exit, you inane barbarian," Lucas replied, and Kai frowned, deeply offended. "I saw someone."

Kai raised two fingers. "First off, I'm not a barbarian," he said, lowering one finger. "And secondly," he lowered the other. "Who?"

"Someone from The Conspirator," he answered, and Kai snorted. Lucas scowled. "What?"

"You still read that stuff?"

"It has some insightful information."

"Are you sure you're a trained agent?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Kai raised his eyebrows, preferring to show his sarcasm through actions. "Okay, so, uh, this dude you saw in your conspiracy theory magazine—" He laughed. "Sorry, I'm having a hard time keeping a straight face while saying that. So, what does he look like?"