Policeman and the cat

42 - Not flirting

"I didn't consider this before, but the three of you only take up one person's place," Collin said, sitting on Ian's right, while Lorelei took his left. 

Madison sat right across, "very convenient in these settings."

"Ian is a good chair," Chilli said and Nelly nodded, as she picked up the menu to look through it.

Ian felt privileged to be a good chair, but he did not voice that, although his expression gave it away. 

"I remember you two talking a lot simpler three weeks ago," Lorelei said to Chilli. "You spoke in the third person."

"Ian lives by himself, he doesn't watch TV or talk to himself and he couldn't see us, so we didn't get much practice," Chilli said.

"And the girls were more into--" Ian closed Nelly's mouth.

Madison used the chance to switch the topic while some others were trying not to laugh or sigh - "You started saying something about methods to stay sober at those parties."

Chilli nodded. "Drink something already, be in the middle of kissing, pretend to sleep."

"And Police secret," Nelly added. "They will tell us in a year."

"Hah, I see," Madison noted. "And you are against kissing your big bro?"

Kissing Lorenz-- mhm, actually, as bad as it sounded it didn't even feel like anything he couldn't do if asked, same with Kenneth, or Jayden, or Adrian because they were strong enough to borderline slip into attraction zone, but - "I'll be drinking and probably going around picking fights again, so I can't help."

Madison seemed to be pondering something, so Lorelei asked - "You are a fighting drunk, huh?"

"One hell of a fighting drunk," one of the ex-killing intent guys said. "How many people did you fight in the end."

"Grisham said it was 136," Ian replied. "135 losses, one win, I caught my brother by surprise, but we were all drunk, so I don't know how seriously you can take it."

Penelope spoke up - "I recently read that ambrosia can be used as a short-term ability boost. Clumsy people tend to become less so and mages who mess up their spells tend to improve."

Oh-- so rather than bringing them down it was - "Doping, huh?"

"If all of you were drunk, then it doesn't count, I think," Penelope added. "More importantly - what did you talk with Roy about?"

Ian didn't think that was all that much of a secret, so he didn't mind telling, after that they asked him about all the top rank mythical beasts and Ian found he knew some little bits about eight of them when the guys started giving more details about some people other than just names, Ian realized he could fill in a bit more about those too. Like vague shapes details filled in and he started to get a sense for the people who had posted 'I fought Ian too' in their replies to the thread. The way these people walked came first, that was how Ian told apart strong from the weak. And that made him biased because it only spoke about their ability to use their bodies.

In a couple of hours Ian had more or less figured out 82 people he had fought. Riveria's kick blew the soul out of him, Leum had just tripped them over 'too weak to bother with,' Albus didn't bother either and just shot them as soon as he had picked her as a target, the ticklish part of Bermont didn't come from the fight but elsewhere, Tiamat had just taken them by the scruffs of their necks like they were kittens and had them drink with her, but Ian had no idea what they talked about or any of that, the dwarf who cut Ian's head off was Noren, son of Hiron from Iron hills and he had a deep laugh, he fought Lafayette Silverwood, an elf who used a light elemental and wrapped him up in grass, then did him in with arrows of light. Ian also recalled her advice - 'you move faster when you merge, if someone attacks from the distance, do that and get close.'