Wash certainly had no intention of getting on board with that plan as he set his jaw squarely while working the cards between his fingers. There wasn't enough booze on all of Sirca for that. But Samael wasn't pushing it any more than York, the dumb redneck only looking delighted at the teasing as York hummed along to the swing number belting out from the speakers while snatching up a plate of mini-tacos they'd 'liberated' from the community fridge. Wash had no doubt they were long cold by now...but he also had no doubt no one at the table would care. Not even him at this point.

"Oh, hey, speaking of girls," York called out around a half-eaten taco while flopping back into his chair, "when the hell we gonna talk about Ashley and Nelson??"

Samael grinned toothily while Andee snorted from behind the impressive towers of chips he was constructing. Wash only made a face while shuffling the cards smoothly despite his inebriation. "Ugh, how 'bout never?" he suggested...before shaking his head as his disbelief overrode his need to avoid gossip. "I mean, seriously, how does...why does that work...how...how long have they been...ugh."

The dumb redneck was giggling away, giving a flippant wave of a hand as the other swung too and fro with the jar of moonshine. "Oh lawwwwd, I been holdin' it in fer years now, I cain't believe they done such a good job hidin' it!!"

"Y-years?" York stammered before jamming another taco into his maw to chew noisily. "What the hell?"

"Mmmhmmm, they was together 'fore Q-Base-One got hit!" Samael replied with a chuckle, holding out a hand to York, into which the larger chupa quickly slapped a taco. "Y'all behind the tiiiiimes!"

Wash rolled his eyes while York frowned in thought before suddenly gasping and shaking a fist playfully at Samael. "Hey, wait! I still remember that first damn day I met you! You told me you couldn't imagine Nelson with anyone, oh dang. You started our friendship off with a dirty, dirty lie!"

"Well yeah, I didn't know you yet, can't just go blabbin' about Mama like 'at!" Samael fired back before leaning forward with a wink as he took a big chomp from the taco. "Made it up to you few hours later, anyway, didn't I?"

The grin York gave told Wash everything he needed to know about the subtext. He wanted to be disgusted but he was starting to feel fuzzy, only managing to sniff disdainfully while dealing out the pocket cards. "I'll tell you what you did to him, Samael. You made him...worse, because now he has twice as many things to have sex with!"

"Ay, what're you complainin' about?" Andee retorted before giving his own broad grin as Samael dropped in the small blind. "One'a those things he has sex wit' is you, apparently!!" York tittered childishly but gave one of his frustratingly tender smiles to Wash, pulsing with enough warmth that his legs felt like melted butter. "You should be fuckin' grateful Fiffy dragged his giant ass across the gay finish line!!"

"The only thing I'm grateful for is the fact that your stupid puppy gives my stupid puppy something else to hump since I don't have enough time for all of that," Wash mumbled while Andee cursed and pointed at him across the table.

"Don't you go stealin' my words for him, too, he's the only puppy allowed at the table!" Andee hollered.

Wash scowled and then picked up his beer to sip from it while grumbling around the rim: "I'll steal what I wanna steal, you can't stop me." When Andee squinted at him, Wash squinted back and then gave a mocking smile. "Hey, it's your turn to put the big blind in."

"Aw fuck, these stupid fuckin' chupa-rules, aimed at cripplin' the most successful bastard at the table!" Andee protested before reaching over to poke a finger into Samael's arms a few times. "Spot me, Fiffy!"

"Shit naw, sweetie, I'm the one runnin' on charity now. You hush up that cute li'l mouth'a yours 'n put the damn chips in 'fore I go get a magnet 'n make you wish you ain't had more metal than me!" Samael shot back before jamming the rest of the taco into his jaws with a grin.

Andee made a big show of groaning and smacking at his companion a few times, but eventually slung the requisite chips into the middle of the table. "I ain't bailin' you out again, shortstack, so you watch that ass!"

"Yeah, or I'll watch it for you!" York threatened, Andee immediately agreeing if only because of the tone before his senses caught up with his stupor and he spun around to whale on York's arm instead while the massive chupa laughed and fended him off.

Wash swore he wasn't smiling. But...god, this really did feel like one of those rare, golden moments of the past. When things hadn't been going completely to shit...when Lina was still alive, and she'd be sitting in York's lap as the two of them laughed at CT's story of how damn incompetent her last contact was, or North's yarn about the latest crazy hit his sister had undertaken, when even Wash found himself chuckling against all odds because he was among friends. It didn't matter if York had a new partner, or how much better she was. It didn't matter that Carolina was the envy of every other agent, or that CT was nailing all the best assignments while Wash was being shoved into dusty vents and faulty furnaces. They were friends, and even with all the teasing and all the mocking, even with the puffed chests and boasts of talent that Wash could only ever dream of achieving...they treated him as one of their own. He wasn't the outsider or the loser or the failure in those singular moments, he was part of something, no matter how fleeting.

...He knew all too well it was probably just the alcohol speaking. But he felt okay about listening for now, at least. Samael and Andee were normally the furthest things from friends he'd ever consider -- individually, everything about them seemed geared toward getting on his nerves and pissing him off...or at least it felt that way. He still figured they were stupid for trying to force some pointless, irrational relationship, he still found the mere thought of their personalities grating, and yet...yet York's words burrowed into his mind. These two understood what Wash and York were going through. They wouldn't give them bewildered looks, they wouldn't mock whatever unconventional emotions flit between the two best friends. Well...Andee might, but Wash hadn't gotten drunk enough yet to forget the way the stupid bat had pulled his punches when York acted so hurt after Wash insisted there was nothing between them.

He also knew York certainly hadn't been acting and that it was cruel to insist otherwise. It wasn't hard to read him, not when he chose to leave his true emotions uncovered by any of his masks. Anyone else would have seen it, but they wouldn't have all reacted the same way as Samael and Andee. There would have been no guarantee of the soft, emotionally-drenched gazes from the redneck...or the fact Andee hadn't taken advantage of their vulnerability and torn into either one of them. He wasn't ready to admit he and York were lucky to have these two here instead of anyone else...but perhaps it was fair to say they could have done a lot worse.

And now to make matters worse, he had Ashley and Nelson to think about. He made a bit of a face as he started to pass out the pocket cards to the table. He certainly didn't want to think about them...but knowing they had not only some sort of relationship, but one that had been going on for years, was strangely illuminating. It was more than just the fact that nothing about Nelson seemed capable of showing real affection for another living being; it wasn't that Wash thought her completely removed from such flaws, since it was obvious how much she cared for Samael. But that had always been a kind of stupid tough love, a drill sergeant going out of their way to be extra harsh to one particular recruit due to some desire to see them succeed. To imagine Nelson in love, though...christ, it went beyond strange.

But Wash had been granted a glance past her stony carapace that night in Xulod. He still wasn't sure if it had been thanks to the alcohol, or if she'd simply allowed him to see that sliver of tenderness, the flicker of the torch she clutched fiercely for the wild pilot in spite of how vastly different the two were in every imaginable way. It certainly forced him to consider all his posturing and protests about why a relationship was a bad idea, why he didn't want to get close to anyone, why his 'fling' with Tex needed to just be a 'fling', regardless of the truth...why his wandering thoughts of York scared him so...maybe his firm refusal to accept these emotions wasn't the only choice. If Nelson could do this, carry the burden of caring intimately about someone while being the toughest, angriest bitch on the face of the ring, while shouldering one of the pillars of the entire resistance...what leg did he have to stand on insisting he couldn't?

He realized York or Samael would have cracked a bad joke at the thought and he smiled faintly despite himself, barely paying attention as York slid a couple of chips forward to meet the blinds. The last thing he ever wanted to do was draw parallels between himself and Nelson...but some of their similarities were clear as day. They both knew the looming responsibility of their place on Sirca, their positions within the Movement. And they both balked at the thought of letting emotions rule a decision.

Wash took a moment to examine his hole cards, making a tiny grimace at the Two and Five he held. He should have folded, but...he didn't want to. He pushed in his own call of the blinds and then scrubbed at his muzzle. Ultimately, comparing himself to Nelson was a terrible, uncomfortable ordeal...but it made him consider things he otherwise wouldn't. Was her relationship with Ashley purely for selfish reasons? Was it a matter of convenience, due to the fact they were both crazy bitches who both had a fair chance of dying on a regular basis because of their jobs? Or was there a different reason, something Wash wasn't sure he wanted to dig into. Did Ashley give Nelson...purpose? The woman was all about the resistance, about carrying on the legacy of the dumb bastard who'd pulled her into the Movement, it was her life. But now Wash couldn't help but wonder what drove her...and if it was worth it.

He was pulled from his swirling thoughts by Samael's wistful sigh. "Sumbitch...fellas, I'mma say it straight --"

"You ain't ever said or done nothin' straight ya whole life, ya thin-blooded tasb-reku," Andee interrupted before poking York's wrist a few times. "Gimme one'a them tacos!"

"I swear, Andee, one day we're gonna teach you some manners," York admonished even while chuckling and passing the bat one of the now-soggy snacks. His eyes drifted back to Samael when Andee busied himself with devouring the taco, and the redneck smiled, matching the rest of the blind and then looking at Wash joyfully.

"Naw, I'm just real glad we's doin' this. I know we's all busy, an' I know we ain't had the best time gettin' along, all these differences we got 'tween us 'n stuff, but..." Even Andee paused in his chomping to glance over at his companion. "Life's too short to not enjoy some good times. Who knows what tomorrow's gonna bring, y'know?" Wash shifted a bit, not sure how he felt about Samael looking so genuinely jubilant while focused on him. Felt weird not yelling at the guy.

"Gonna bring you a sore butt after I'm done gettin' my payback for havin' to join this dumb gay shindig," Andee proffered around a mouthful of food as he swayed a bit in his chair. "Makin' me drink this dumb gay chupa beer 'n eat this dumb gay chupa food 'n spen' time with all your dumb gay chupa friends. 'S a real transvesty."

Wash started to automatically correct the bat, but Samael giggled and spoke up first. "Y'mean travesty, hon -- a transvestite's what y'all got when you 'n Mutt made me put on that skirt last week!"

Andee squinted at him for a few seconds before giving a crooked grin. "Whatever it was...it was fuckin' hot."

York chortled and shook his head. "I bet it was...man, we really gotta make more trips out to those caves." Wash scoffed and placed down the flop even as he frowned to himself. Every time he thought back to the celebration in Xulod, beyond all the confusing emotions and uncertainties, it felt like it had been a crest. A peak they'd reached, for better or for worse, and now they were barreling down the other side. Maybe it was because he'd been forced to confront himself, for the fact he did care about Tex...and the fact York wasn't just his best friend anymore, either.

Inevitability had started to creep into his thoughts, like they were all doomed to keep tumbling down this path together. They hadn't lost control, no. They could still make decisions, try to avoid the sharp rocks and sharper outcroppings, they could still decide to hold fast to one another, or shove apart and take their chances alone. But one way or another, they would hit the bottom and reach the end of this road. Maybe it'd be a HADES dropship, the way Nelson had experienced in Qoppa. Maybe it'd be a mission gone wrong, leaving them battered and bleeding in the middle of a House research facility. Hell, maybe they'd make it to the gates of perdition itself, have their showdown against the ruler of this godforsaken ring.

He just knew that there was no longer any turning back...and as he looked slowly around the table, at Andee's horrible scowl as he traded some insult with York, at York's cheerful grin as he defended himself against the lashings of the bat's hat, even at Samael's amused smile, the stocky chupa somehow both watching his friends while still gazing curiously into Wash's soul...Wash knew the same was true for them all. Whatever future was laid out at the bottom of this incline, they were all gonna end up in the same place.

...The booze really was getting to him.

A gentle poke in his bicep made him blink and refocus, turning to look owlishly at York as Andee's assault on the burly chupa at last subsided. "You still in the hand, Wash?"

"Hmmm? Oh..." Wash looked back at the table, and to the cards he'd dealt out. Five, Nine, Eight. "Ugh, I guess." He peered at the pot for a second or two. "Uh. Did...did anyone raise?"

York's smile became softer. "Nope -- you all good? Got somethin' on your mind, little buddy?"

"Probably 'bout how he can't hold his liquor good," Andee announced from the opposite side of the table.

"Oh, yeah, yer one to talk," Samael teased before he stared in what might have been actual shock when Wash huffed and reached over to grab the jar of minty liquor. "Well I'll be damned."

Wash wasn't a huge fan of the thoughts he was having...but he wasn't a huge fan of half the occupants of this table, either. So more booze seemed like the way to go. "I like...drinking," he replied obstinately to Samael, taking a second to have a swig of the moonshine and trying not to wince as the oddly-cool liquor raced down his throat. "Anyway, um. I dunno." He looked down at the jar as a moment slipped past. "Just. The future and stuff." He remembered he was the dealer, grunting and tossing out the fourth card -- a Jack.

York's smile was still tender as his eyes locked with Wash's. "Thinking all about how we're gonna take these two to the cleaners?"

Andee's huff was kind of hilarious with the numbing inebriation. "I don't think so! We's gonna empty out both ya banks...an' then me 'n Fiffy gonna fuck right on top'a all them chips!!"

Wash made a face and then gave his own huff while Samael slid a small raise into the pot. "Ewww, no. Even if laying on all those chips would finally make Samael's hide worth somethin'," Wash mumbled, though he knew there was no real bite to his words at this point, made even more evident by the redneck's cheeky grin in response. "No, it's past that. The...the real future. Not tomorrow but...tomorrow."

He was surprised that Andee didn't have some mocking response. His yellow eyes fixed on Wash for a beat before they flicked down to his chips so he could meet Samael's bet. Andee was silent, though, leaving York to match the raise as well while he looked at Wash with undeserved affection.

He put York through so much...and he knew he would continue to put him through even more. Even at his most lucid, Wash couldn't pretend he knew what he was doing, not with Tex, not with York...half the time, not even with this whole damn war. He didn't have any easy answers for his best friend because he was still trying to figure out the questions.

Wash stiffened up when he felt the light pressure around his tail as York's curled briefly around it. He swallowed and York tilted his head a bit before murmuring: "You know I'll be there with you, buddy. Hell, we all will, even if ya don't want it."

"Ayyyy, don't fuckin' pencil me in for nothin'," Andee responded irritably, flailing halfheartedly at the hand Samael reached out to clasp into his shoulder.

Wash focused only on York for that moment, though, searching his features and wondering yet again what York saw in him to make him deserving of this. It would never be fair. But Wash supposed being drunk meant he could spout off his dumb concerns with that much more ease. He puffed out his cheeks before glancing at the cards on the table. Tell a drunken truth, maybe he could pull off a drunken bluff. "Ugh, I don't want it, but you keep leaving the doors unlocked and they keep getting back in," he mumbled, earning a snicker from Samael.

"Awww, c'mon, hon -- y'know I'd just jump through a damn window, anyway!"

"There's that, too," Wash replied neutrally before he rubbed at the back of his head. "Don't you guys...don't you feel like no matter what we do, it won't...matter? That this whole rebellion is just a shot in the dark, anyway? All this pressure to...fucking...change the world. And we're here playing cards." He paused long enough to double the amount Samael raised. "Doesn't it make things like this feel kinda...pointless?"

Samael's eyes were on him instantly and Wash tried not to flinch, though he wasn't all that surprised when Samael added the same number of chips to the middle. "C'mon, now, these li'l get-togethers are like the Himroc, jus' smaller. They's just as important, 'cause we're celebratin' what we do have, 'n all the reasons we do what we do."

Andee squinted at Wash, though apparently his bullshit-detector wasn't as solid as Samael's considering the way he sucked on his teeth and shoved his cards forward. "You fuckers ain't gettin' all my chips again..."

York's smile nearly mirrored Samael's, however, the damn bastard matching the bet himself as he nibbled on another taco. "Yeah, Sammy's right...this isn't so bad, is it? Just a few hours, spending some time with friends where we're not worried about all the pressure of saving the whole ring from damnation."

Wash forgot to protest the designation of the other two as his friends, instead grumbling at the failed bluff and pulling the next card from the deck for the river. It was another Eight. Two pairs. Just like -- how did Andee put it? -- the participants of this dumb gay chupa card game.

"Yanno...ya keep talkin' about pressure o'er there..." All three chupas turned their heads curiously to Andee as the bat propped his head up with one hand and took a slow, long guzzle of his beer with the other before smacking his lips with a grunt. "Ol' Juwo told me a li'l somethin' about that, stupid ol' geezer..." Wash frowned preemptively, not at all sure he was in any mood to hear whatever advice Andee, of all people, had to share. Andee seemed to pick up on his wariness, though the bat only scratched at his nose for a moment before his expression grew uncharacteristically staid.

"Said pressure's just...just some ol' bullshit," Andee began as his eyes darted to Samael for a few seconds. Wash wondered what he was thinking about. "He told me you c'n fight it...or you c'n ride with it. Harder you push, harder it'll push back." Wash didn't particularly like the fact he kind of understood -- he wasn't supposed to be on the same page as a stupid annoying bat rapidly approaching three full sheets to the wind. "But if you don't wanna push...you c'n jus' go with it." He held up his bottle of beer and sloshed it quietly for emphasis. "Go wit' da flow."

Wash scoffed. Easy for him to say, the guy with no responsibilities, the guy who clearly didn't actually care about his...special friend. Seemed pretty clear still that Samael was still just a useful toy to him, someone Andee could use to get what he wanted, the way Andee always did. Wash tried to think of the most tactful way to say that, but was unintentionally interrupted by Samael's gentle voice.

"Heh, tell you somethin' I learned, m'self." His eyes drifted from Wash to York. "Even the darkest, coldest tunnel still gonna have a light at the end if ya got somethin'..." Wash watched as his rich azure gaze settled on Andee, a hand sliding partially across the table toward the bat. "Or someone to keep pushin' forward for."

Wash nearly grumbled again, though he found himself stunned into a temporary silence when Andee actually reached out to briefly grip into Samael's fingers, even if he mumbled disagreeably through his drunken haze. York smiled at the display of affection, however temporary, since Andee was quick to yank his wing away and instead snatch up a cookie to chew grumpily at...but his eyes told their own story as they continued to wander back to Samael. "Ya dumb redneck story probably 'bout a train comin' to run ya dumb redneck ass down," Andee complained.

But the damage was done and Wash was forced to admit that no matter how one-sided their relationship looked...Andee was still making some semblance of an endeavor. Wash's eyes slid down momentarily as a trickle of guilt rolled along his spine. No matter how little he felt he was worthy of York's affections, the giant lap-dog deserved at least the same modicum of effort that the most selfish asshole on the ring was willing to give to Samael. Maybe he and Andee were just both miserable bastards who'd somehow caught the eye of Sirca's two happiest...god, they were both puppies, weren't they?

It made no sense, and Wash still didn't know where to even begin drawing the line of delineation between friendship and...something more. Hell, he still wasn't sure what to think about Tex. It was getting harder and harder to pretend there was nothing there, no matter how brusque their intimate moments. Being with her still gave him so many intense emotions, things that he couldn't quite put into words, but things he wanted indulgently to cling to.

York's voice pulled him back from the hazy thoughts and Wash found himself blissfully lost in the pools of emerald that settled upon him. "The guys are right, little buddy. No matter what happens, no matter the cost to finish this fight, it'll be worth it." Wash's eyes wanted to shift away, full of doubt as he was with York's sentiment. But his best friend's gaze held him as tightly as it had in that hayloft, and he was helplessly drawn closer as he felt that same gentle pressure around his tail. "It'll be worth it because of the people, our friends, from the past, the present and the future. The ones we've lost..." He hesitated only for a moment and Wash envied his bravery as a hand graced the key before clutching into the container of moonshine as a soft smile lit up Wash's cold world. "The ones we've lost deserve to be remembered, to be honored. And we should fight hard for the ones we still have. They're the reason to see whatever it is tomorrow brings."

York turned his head long enough to beam toward Samael and Andee before he glanced back at Wash with a bright expression. Wash's claws scraped against the bottle and he swallowed thickly. This was still unfair, but he never wanted it to stop. He hadn't lied telling York he wanted him at his side all the way to the end, because he did. And the truth was, he always had, from the moment their silent, uncomfortable, forced partnering had become a true friendship in the sanitized room of that Freelancer medical ward.

...And if that meant he'd occasionally have to deal with Andee and Samael, well. He supposed there were higher costs to be paid. Not many, but at least those two didn't live at the base, goddammit.

The quiet puff of air he gave must have been the signal York was waiting for, since the big tan bastard broke into a cheery grin while flipping over his pocket cards and then crossing his arms confidently. "Anyway, enough of all that fluffy stuff, how 'bout Trip Eights to break everyone's heart??"

Wash blinked and then groaned as he turned over his own cards. "Goddammit. Two pair." He scowled and chugged the rest of his beer as Samael gave a delighted giggle next to him.

"Oh my precious, precious boys, I gotta thank all'a y'all fer this repeat round of donations!" He revealed his hole cards and Wash squinted before huffing and slumping even further as York snickered and offered a playful middle finger to the Six and Seven Samael held.

Andee threw a wing into the air in mock frustration. "I don't fuckin' get it! Das th' second straight dealt right into the hands of the table's faggiest homo! This room haunted by the bastard who used to sleep here or what?"

Wash finished off his beer before flicking his tail and waving the empty bottle around in what was becoming a more comfortable inebriation. "Oh, puh-leeze, remind me how many straights yer whore of a redneck's gotten off in his hands? Isn't that his thing??"

Samael burst into laughter as Andee blinked and then nodded several times. "Fuck, the fuckin' squirrel's right!"

York gave his own grin as Samael pulled the pot toward himself. "And goddamn if North wasn't one of his biggest, straightest catches, too! He's probably tossing Sammy a little extra luck tonight to thank him for how good those hands were to him!"

Wash puffed his cheeks out and then grabbed a handful of pretzels to chew on, adding sullenly around them: "Probably waddn't juth his hanth, either."

Samael's grin was infectious as he winked easily. "Hell naw, ol' North got hisself a complimentary upgrade to the Magic Maw Express, don't you doubt it forra sec!!"

Wash screwed up his muzzle, though even Samael's most candid comments were becoming easier to deal with. "Oh god, gimme more'a that stupid redneck jet fuel if you're gonna keep talking sex stuff." Samael cackled but was quick to nudge the mint-infused liquor close while he gathered up the deck to start shuffling.

The strangely-cool taste was even smoother going down this time and Wash felt his confidence build in spite of who his company was. Or maybe it wasn't confidence, maybe it was just his inhibitions shrinking...but fuck it, what did he have to lose at this point? He grumbled and cradled the moonshine to his chest before jutting his chin out stubbornly. "You know, you're not the only one who can talk about...'bout sex things."

...Yeah, fuck it. York was right...hell, Samael was right. This was a chance for them to take a few hours and...not care what anyone else thought, not worry about being judged, because who at this table wasn't drenched in their own flaws? Everyone else had been taking advantage of it, the jokes and insults were being spread ...and Wash wasn't an outsider here. He was one of them, too.

Samael was no longer bothering to hide his enraptured grin at Wash's melting boundaries -- he wasn't even mad that the guy had pretty much claimed the minty 'shine for himself. He was far happier seeing Wash's interactions, guarded as they might have still been. This hadn't all been for nothing. "Oh yeah? You gonna give us somethin' saucy, hon, make us do the blushin' this time 'round?" he gently teased.

Andee made a disgruntled noise and smacked his arm with a wing, but Samael just laughed and poked back at the bat's leg with a toe-claw. "Hey now, ya cute li'l bumbershoot, ain't just you 'n me who get to slam down our dick-tales, let ol' Wash have a turn if he wants!"

Andee clucked his tongue and then thrust his opposite hand toward York. "Yo, were-mutt! Wash ain't the only one gonna get so drunk he's gonna forget all this gay shit, gimme that fruity-tutti redneck juice!" York flashed an amused grin, all too happy to acquiesce as he handed over the other container of moonshine while swiftly pilfering the rest of Andee's beer to guzzle from; either the bat didn't notice or didn't care. "Gawd, bet it ain't even gay shit, he's prob'ly gonna talk 'bout that super-bitch Tex!"

Well, that was enough to make Samael's smile rapidly fall as he and York simultaneously shifted to look at Wash again, York's hand already partially-extended around the corner of the table. But they both stared in muted surprise when Wash grit his teeth...and then shrugged slowly while taking another sip of his coveted moonshine. "Well, uhm. Yeah. Yeah, I am," he replied, a little slurred and a lot blunt.

Blunt enough that even Andee was left speechless, the bat's muzzle opening and shutting once as Wash sniffed a bit before scrunching his shoulders and giving what might have been the suggestion of a guilty look at York. "Yeah, that's right. I. I have sex with Tex." Wash's face was a stoic sculpture, a monument to the sheer fortitude he was no doubt calling up to have such a conversation...right until that chiseled rock face cracked and then broke into a goofy snort. "That...that, um. That rhymes."

Samael masked his smile behind his shoulder as he kept shuffling the cards, catching York's eyes across the table; his best friend looked torn between wary and entertained. Samael didn't blame him -- he'd admitted with only a tiny amount of coaxing that he really was jealous of Tex, after all. But Samael also guessed there hadn't exactly been a lot of honest conversations between the two on that subject, and even fewer regarding any lurid details.

Overall, though, York seemed...relieved. That didn't surprise Samael. He knew all too well the comfort that came with any kind of honest outpouring from Andee, regardless of the setting and regardless of whether or not it hurt to hear. Kinda funny that the two guys who wore masks all day long wished for nothing more than a peek behind the guarded facades that surrounded their partners. A drunken game of poker seemed like as good a place as any other -- where else did you get so many chances to call a bluff, after all?

"But yeah, yeah, we. We have sex. And like. Pfff, whatever. You know? It's no big deal." Wash puffed his chest out a bit. "But I guess I do pretty okay 'n stuff, since she keeps, y'know. Sexin' me. And havin' me sex her."

Samael silently extended a leg to nudge York with what reassurance he could offer beneath the table, and the grateful smile he got back was compensation enough. Miraculously, Andee remembered to post the small blind -- it seemed like way too many chips, but neither Samael nor York were going to correct him as the latter only chuckled and placed roughly double the amount into the pot as well.

"So whassa point, ya damn squirrel?" Andee called out while licking at some of the excess liquor that had run down his muzzle from his last gulp. "Yous two fuckin', but that ain't no big thing, me 'n Sammy does the fuckin', 'n Sammy 'n York does the fuckin', everyone in here's doin' the fuckin', 'swhat makes us fuckin'...fuckin' livin', breathin', fuckin' creatures, yanno?"

Wash pouted for a moment at the interruption, then leaned forward somewhat to exclaim: "But you got it, Andee! Tha's the point right there!" He gestured vaguely with the jar and sent a splash of moonshine onto Samael's arm, though he only smiled quietly and leaned down to lick it up while watching Wash inquisitively. "It's...it's just sex. Y'know, we just...that's what we do, since some of us didn't get fuckin'...neutered when we coulda, so we got these urges and we do this thing and, pfff, so what? It's not a big deal."

Samael felt a weird little pang and glanced over to York, who reflected a similar half-hidden smile that was oddly...hurt. He supposed he and York always had considered the physical act of passion more important than most, though. Wasn't very nice to expect everyone else to hold it to the same standard. But before he could try and numb the jab, Wash added in a quiet voice: "'Cept...'cept I guess sometimes it is a big deal. 'Cause...'cause sometimes you want it to mean summin'."

"Feh! You was right the first time," Andee retorted as Samael started to deal out the pocket cards. "Sex is just sex, man!" The pang was a bit sharper as Samael shifted his gaze to his companion and Andee looked back at him before he jutted his chin out and then reached up to tug at the ring in his ear. "I mean...whatever, sex is just usually sex," he mumbled sullenly. "Not like I fuckin' care that me 'n Fiffy's first time was out in some fuckin' stupid field or nothin'..." A smile slowly worked its way back to Samael's maw as Andee's features grew the tiniest bit flushed. "God, don't gimme that look, puppy..."

Wash again surprised Samael by replying first as he pointed at Andee with the lip of the glass jar. "You...you know what I mean, though, y'know? Sex is...it's nicer when it...means summin'..."

Andee's shoulders rolled a bit and he self-consciously pulled his poncho up, only for it to slide back down along one slim arm after a few seconds. "Fuckin'...y-yeah, guess you's right 'bout that..." he admitted, looking at Samael again. A tender swell rolled through him and he smiled affectionately at his partner. Andee huffed and then pointed back at Wash. "But whazzit gotta do with Tex?"

"Oh." Wash blanched before his eyes crept toward York, who tilted his head with a warm smile of his own. "Uhm. Well...Tex is good 'n stuff at...sex. But..." He hesitated and his gaze swung between York and Samael for a second or two. "She isn't always very...nice, or doesn't always, uh. Stick around. After."

Samael smiled slightly, his own eyes moving briefly back to Andee. Some of their more recent moments echoed some of Wash's fumbling sentiments. He didn't mind all that much, he knew Andee wasn't really as obsessed with, ah. Cuddling as he was. "But...but, I mean...wh-whatever," Wash babbled, interrupting Samael's thoughts as the wiry chupa huffed again and took another drink of the moonshine. "That's, uhm. That's fine if yer jus'...havin' a fling, right?"

Wash seemed embarrassed by his own half-question and he shuffled his weight on his chair, setting down the liquor long enough to peek at his hole cards. York was already leaning toward him, though, the same kind smile stretching across his features. "Yeah, it is...but do you want it to just be a fling?" he asked softly.

Even Andee sobered up long enough to cast a curious look to Wash. The undertone was subtle, a specialty York and Samael both deployed with frightening ease, though Samael saw in the stare Wash gave up to York that he grasped the unspoken clarification. Wash's tongue passed carefully along the end of his muzzle before he shifted his eyes to the side and gave a faint but genuine smile. "I dunno. 'M all drunk. Not gonna make good decisions."

York's own compassionate smile persisted. "Maybe not. But you'll make honest ones."

Samael knew if he'd had an egg to crack on Wash's cheeks, that sum-bitch would have started frying. "I, uhm. I dunno whatcha mean," Wash mumbled, his tail curling shyly around the leg of the table for a moment as he stared intensely into York's eyes. "I...dunno if I'm ready for a...a not-fling. With, uhm. With...whoever...'m havin'...one with..."

York's benevolent gaze thrummed compassionately as he simply smiled and reached out to squeeze Wash's shoulder. The smaller chupa squirmed a bit but otherwise continued looking resolutely at him.

"Lookit...lookit that cute li'l squirrel o'er there, he got trouble lyin' when he's drunk," Andee exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to his own swaying. "I'mma good liar. Watch this, Sammy, watch, watch." He cleared his throat as Samael turned to face him with a slight grin, propping his cheek up curiously. "Hey. Hey, Fiffy." He beckoned drunkenly with a finger and Samael leaned closer. "Ya. Ya very handsome an' I like you." He nodded once as Samael's heart thumped quietly, not giving a damn about the fact that liquor was the universal lubricant at this point. Andee then turned sluggishly toward the other two while extending one wing to whisper loudly behind it: "See, that was a fawkin' lie, I don't think none of that stuff 'bout Sammy, he's all short 'n gross 'n I hate 'im a bunch."

York glanced over at Samael, though it wasn't hard to tell York saw through Andee just as easily as Samael, the two chupas sharing a wink. "Mmm...yeah, yeah!" Wash piped up again as he raised his jar. "I hate Tex, too! She's always bein' so mean 'n...sayin' stuff that sounds nice, but it's also not nice 'n she's...never there 'cept when she is there an'...an' she makes me do stuff an' I do it 'cause I'm a good listener but sometimes I don't wanna..." Samael's heart took a moment to step away from its elation and go out to York, though the big guy still looked at peace. Samael thought he understood why.

"Oh, oh, and I hate York, too," Wash continued blithely. "He's...always there for me, always...always bein' my best friend 'n never lettin' me be sad 'n alone 'n stuff, always tries to have really good sex with me 'n then he acts like he's gonna take a big dumb bullet for me or-or-or turn into a big dumb werewolf, 's stupid, he's a big dumb stupid bastard..." His eyes never left York as he rambled and York only stroked his thumb along Wash's arm, not a single drop of affection escaping his features. Wash looked flustered for a few seconds, licking his lips and hesitating before at last squinting at Samael. "An' Sammy, I hate him the most. He turned York gay 'n...he made this dumb party happen 'n now I'm here agreein' with Andee which is dumb, just like trying to be in love, that's dumb, too. In fact, I think...I think all relationships are dumb."

"Hear, hear!" Andee yowled as he thrust forward his own container, Wash immediately clinking his against it before they both took a deep guzzle from their respective reservoirs of liquor. Andee was the first to gasp for air as he flung his other arm into the air. "Who needs a fawkin' relationship? They's ain't good for nothin' but feelin's 'n shit! Jus' gimme that good dick 'n lemme be, man..." Samael wasn't going to hold Andee's words against him, not this time, not with the way he was nodding rapidly and looking at Wash like he was hoping for some kind of sign that he wasn't alone in feeling what Samael imagined were some of the most terrifying emotions the little bat had ever experienced. "We should...we should jus' throw the puppies out, Wash, know-what-I-mean? No matter...no matter how good they is in the sack."

"York's really good in the sack," Wash mumbled as he half-dropped onto the table. His eyes drifted to his chips for a moment and some part of him was lucid enough to push a few chips forward. "Um. I dunno whose turn it is. I'mma...bet." He paused before giving a silly grin over to Andee, whose own muzzle had dropped onto the table to send his chips tumbling across his features. "I'mma bet York's better in the sack than Sammy."

Samael and York couldn't avoid their muffled giggles as they slowly looked between the two. Andee didn't notice one bit, his eyes narrowing as he gave a slow shake of his head to send a few more chips scattering. "Nuh uh, squirrel-boy. You...you seen Fiffy's dick, you seen it, it's...it'sa good dick. S'got...s'got good stuff on it. Like...li'l speed bumps...speed humps..." He giggled stupidly as Wash huffed while thrusting an arm vaguely toward Andee.

"Your dumb fiffy's dick is...is blue. 'Cept...it's also got red." He paused momentously and both York and Samael leaned forward slightly. "Sammy's dick...is Sirca."

Andee's eyes widened somewhat. "'Cause of the reds 'n the blues!"

Wash nodded solemnly before groaning and throwing a hand over his head as Andee stared with bewilderment, his own head nodding a few times as his eyes began to flutter.

York grinned over at Samael and whispered loudly: "I, uh. I guess Wash did get drunk enough!"

"'M not drunk. 'M...'m gonna...win this hand..." Wash mumbled from under his arm. "Gonna get...royal flush."

Andee's voice trailed out from beneath his lopsided cap. "Gonna dunk ya stupid yellow head in th' toilet, ya...ya skinny...nerd. 'S gonna be th' only royal flush you's gettin'..."

"Oh god," York chortled, carefully pushing back his chair as Samael quickly did the same. "Aaaand I think that's that."

"Heeyyyy, tha's...not that," Wash protested, even as he struggled to even lift his head. "I...I want s'more mintshine..."

"Promise you I'll bring ya a whole crate next batch I make," Samael chuckled as he gingerly wrapped his thick arms around Andee to pull him up and against his chest...and he realized the bat's failure to give his own protest was due to the fact he was already quietly snoring away.

"'Kay, but give it t'York first, so...he c'n get all the...the gay redneck offa it," Wash murmured as York lifted him easily out of the chair to cradle against his broad chest. "Oh christ, yer...yer strong, York. Big strong York."

York smiled warmly down at Wash before glancing over at Samael again. "I better get him to bed." He paused and then tilted his head a bit. "Hey don't, uh. Don't worry about getting back to the caves if you don't want. How...how 'bout you two just take North's room for tonight, huh?" Samael immediately smiled back. "I think he'd like that."

Samael nodded while stealing a glance down at the snoozing bat, leaning down to nuzzle the top of his head. "Yeah. Think so, too. 'Ppreciate it, hon." The two friends shared a happy look before gazing around the room together. "Hell...I think this turned out a'right, yeah?"

"Yeah." York gave a firm nod of his own. "This was a damn good night, Sammy. We gotta do it again sometime." He took a step closer as Samael did the same, both lifting a fist carefully while keeping their respective partners held close.

Their knuckles bumped gently together before they traded a wink. "You got it, York. We'll host the next one." They laughed softly and Samael took a moment to look at Wash's peaceful -- even if inebriated -- features. "Tell yer man I appreciate him givin' this a shot. Think it was worth it."

"You tell Andee the same," York replied as he turned toward the door, tipping his head in farewell. "Because it definitely was." He paused to grin toothily. "We're all gonna be friends whether they like it or not, pal."

Samael grinned back. "Wouldn't have it no other way, hon."

.