"It is, indeed, not bad," he murmurs his appreciation, already downing half his glass.

"Thank you again for today, Ze. You have no idea how much that meant to me." I feel compelled to let him know again just how much his gift impressed me. From that first stab of a knife, a sense of freedom unlike any other had enveloped me, making me feel light and carefree for the first time...ever?

He smiles into his glass as he takes another sip.

"You are very welcome. I assume this gives me bonus points?" He raises a brow.

I roll my eyes at him. Of course he would bring that up. But not even his outrageous demands can ruin the marvelous mood I have right now.

Taking another sip of my ale, I nod.

"Yes, you can have a thousand points." I giggle. "You deserve them."

His eyes momentarily widen in disbelief before he empties his drink, slamming it on the table. Determination shines in his features as he gazes at me.

"You cannot take it back. I am in possession of a thousand points now and they are mine to use as I see fit," he declares. "One hundred are going toward my debt, which means I now have nine hundred left, which amounts to nine boons. And I will have my boons, human," he warns.

"Of course." I smile lazily. "What do you want?"

He bites his lip as he considers my question.

"I will think about it."

I nod, the same languid smile perpetually on my face now. Maybe I shouldn't have drunk the alcohol so fast and on an empty stomach. My limbs feel like jelly.

Somehow, time passes without me realizing it, and the drinks flow just as easily.

Ze grabs us second rounds, then a third and fourth.

At the fifth round, I'm close to sleeping on the table but still a happy idiot.

My arms are cushioning my head as I rest my entire upper body weight on the table, my eyes fluttering closed before I open them and remember I'm not in my bed and thus not allowed to fall asleep.

"Say, Ze," I slur my words. "Do you know what A.S.L. stands for?"

He frowns.

Placing his arms on the table, he props his head on his hands, suddenly at my eye level. The distance between us has suddenly shrunk to the point that my nose almost touches his.

Heat climbs my cheeks.

He appears unbothered by the proximity as he stares at me.

"Where have you seen that?"

"Some document in the library," I mumble a small lie.

He nods pensively.