Going Once, Going Twice, Going Never.

XX - Who Doesn't Love Dragons?

I plopped onto the bed and then regretted it immediately when one of the teeny tiny crystals on my bodice decided to poke me in the belly. My belly full of champagne. My alcohol belly. It should be round and it should provide a protective layer to take the impact of physical attacks. But no, it failed to do so.

I'm so disappointed in my belly. You would think it would help you in some way, but it just makes the dress feel tighter.

I pull myself up again, even though my body had gone into a nice equilibrium with the stabby crystal, my skin had made itself comfortable around the region, but I knew that pajamas would make my body feel like heaven on earth.

As soon as I get up, I feel woozy. The vertigo of the champagne had finally began to hit and I hate it. I hate life. But I like the painting of sheep that is currently stashed in the Cadillac in Marina Towers. It's giving me three hundred grand after all.

As I am about to pull my zipper down, my door opens and Rey walks in casually. Has she not heard of knocking?

"What?" I ask curtly.

"Watch the tone sis. Some of us wanna go grab something to drink. Maybe grab a bite while we're at it. You in?"

Wasn't I just making fun of my belly full of champagne? 

But then, I do miss that scotch I drank a few days ago. That shit was smooth.

"Who all is coming?" I ask.

"Yuri, Kai, Alby and Cassandra tapped out and are sleeping already. Everyone else is on board. Oh well Pandora is still considering."

"I'll make her come," comes Ariadne's voice from outside. Oh well considering Ariadne's powers of persuasion, Pandora is definitely coming.

I sigh and look down at my dress, "I'll change into something more comfortable."

"Oh honey everyone's gonna wanna hookup with you in that dress though," Ariadne decides to poke her head into my room along with Rey. Very subtle appreciation of her work.

"True, true, you look hot," Rey adds.

"Maybe I don't always wanna hook up with people Aria," I say exasperatedly.

But then, all of us have learnt over the years, that Ariadne is always right.

So I leave the dress on.

****

"Bourbon is much better than scotch," Pandora said to me as soon as I ordered my drink.

"Oh hell no, Tequila is the God of drinks," Minji says, and then proceeds to drown her glass of tequila like she was drinking a glass of milk. How is she not feeling it.

"Okay, okay, let's raise a toast," Monique holds her drink up, "To a job well done."

I raise my sixty dollar drink, "To a job well done!" And then I clink my glass with Dharuna's.

The bartender looked over at me, Larry, I think, "Hey! Good to see you again!"

Did I mention we ended up at the same bar as the one I had previously attended.

"Hello Lawrence," I say sweetly.

"Please, it's Larry," he says then slides a Pina Colada towards me, "On the house."

I grin at him and finish my scotch before taking the glass of the yellow coloured drink which makes you float in a tropical paradise, where the sunset is always the backdrop and the birds don't shit on you.

"Okay, so tell me all about the food at the auction," Minji asks me, while sipping on her own little cocktail.

We need to have extremely mundane conversations in a public place like this so I smile at her and start, "There was a shit ton of champagne, in so many flavours. And crab cakes. And tiramisu. And those cute finger sandwiches."