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During the Brighton clubbing Saturday night, and specifically, during this scene, Shinobi goes and chats with Jono and Angelo. They are drunk. They are cute.

The tabletop felt wonderfully cool under Jono's forehead as he leaned against it, clutching Angelo's hand under the table. No matter how bloody unprejudiced the people around here were supposed to be, he'd still rather hide any and all marks of difference. Not that he was thinking that clearly at the moment, the lovely and missed buzz of alcohol filling his headspace.

Angelo was faring slightly better - well, he was still upright at least, but was leaning suspiciously hard against the metal back of his chair.

Hands tucked neatly in the pockets of his leather trousers, Shinobi emerged from the dance floor, unawares of the three geeks zoning in on Sarah and Amanda. Glancing around, he spots Jono and Angelo at their table, briefly looking amused before he wanders his way over. He waves at an empty chair, cocking his head at Angelo. "Seat free, mate?"

Angelo blinked up at him, then grinned. "Shinobi, hey. Sure, sit down."

Jono turned his head to settle his cheek against the table instead, and looked blearily at Shinobi. "Leather," the thought was fuzzy and odd. "What's up with everyone wearing leather here."

"Ta," Shinobi replied, grinning as he drew the chair out, spun it around, and sat himself down, folding his arms across the back. Looking to Jono, he shrugged. "Sarah made me. I don't argue with her."

"At least she wears it well," Jono closed his eyes, flexing his hand on Angelo's wrist. "With the horns.." And the rest was an incomprehensible mess of images and words.

Angelo looked sideways at him and started to laugh. "The sharin' thing really works", he told Shinobi with the gravity of the drunk.

To his credit, he felt, Shinobi supressed the desire to kick Jono in the shin, and instead, smiled wryly at Angelo. "Apparently so. Should I hide you two from Paige when we get back?"

Angelo shrugged. "She'll probably be asleep. It'll be okay."

The pictures Jono had been projecting turned lighter at the mention of Paige. He didn't even seem to notice he was doing it. "That's all right, I'll just let go and I'll be okay."

Skeptical, Shinobi glanced between the pair before he finally shrugged, propping his chin up in a hand. "As you wish."

Angelo turned to glare at Jono. "Oh no you don't. That's not fair. If Paige catches us, you're gonna be as drunk as I am. Not that she will."

"Haha. Ha," Jono hauled himself into a sitting position, squinting against the flash of lights. "What're you gonna do? Handcuff me to you?"

Angelo seemed to give that question serious thought, then shook his head and slurred, "Nah, man, where would I get handcuffs this time of night?"

"Sure as hell not borrowing mine," Shinobi observed innocently, his mental shields making it very difficult to tell whether or not he's joking. "I might need them."

"Hell," Jono observed, wiping hair from his eyes. "Knew you had a pair."

"Just *one* pair?" Shinobi countered, batting his eyelashes at Jono. "Have you no faith in us?"

Angelo found this exchange inordinately amusing, chuckling quietly to himself as he listened.

"Pardon me," Jono said, almost managing to sound sober in his particular way. "You've got several pairs and you won't borrow one?" He'd already managed to forget what was exactly the reason he was arguing for being handcuffed to Angelo.

"One pair for each bedpost is only practical," Shinobi replied, his tone of voice too serious to *be* serious. "Alas, I left them all at home. But mate, this is Brighton. I'm sure you could find some for cheap without having to go too far."

Angelo pushed himself upright, preparing to argue the point. "It's past midnight. Where would be open?"

"Ask the bartender?" Shinobi suggested helpfully, jerking a thumb over his shoulder towards the woman in question. "Reckon she'd know."

Jono blinked, considering this. "That's a pretty good idea, Shaw."

Angelo shifted to look at him. "Are you sayin' you're gonna let me now?"

"I do have them now and again." Now it was Shinobi's turn to watch in quiet amusement, chin resting on the backrest of his chair as he looped his arms around it comfortably.

"Let you what?" Jono frowned, staring hard at Angelo. "Mate, you've got something.." He swept awkwardly at Angelo's face with his free hand. "Oh. It was just hair."

Angelo blinked and laughed. "You can't've forgotten already - I haven't, and you're no drunker than I am. Handcuffs", he reminded him.

Absently, Shinobi shifted in his seat enough to retrieve his pack of cigarettes and his lighter from his pockets, watching the pair from beneath arched eyebrows as he lit up. "You're being cute," he warned them.

Angelo snapped his head round to stare at Shinobi. "We are not", he said, affronted.

"Not padded ones, they're pathetic," Jono replied, glaring at Angelo first, then Shinobi. "Just because I'm holding his hand doesn't make us cute, Shaw." He lifted their hands on the table to emphasize the point.

Angelo dragged their hands back under the table. "Stop it before Angie sees. She'll get her camera out again."

Shinobi's thumb shifted slightly on his still-open lighter, and he made a note to thank the patrons for the ruckus that hid the quiet 'click' of a photograph being taken. "I stand corrected."

"Bloody right you do," Jono folded his free arm on the table, and leaned on it, staring at the empty glasses in front of Angelo.

Closing the lighter/digital camera (bless you, thinkgeek.com), Shinobi tucked it and the pack of cigarettes into his shirt's breast pocket for safe keeping. "Spot you two another drink?" he offers, waving his cigarette towards the empty glasses. "I'll ask about open shops while I'm there."

Angelo brightened. "Another drink! Good idea!" He nodded enthusiastically. "An', yeah, open shops."

"Killing us with your kindness here," Jono declared, waving a finger.

"I do what I can," Shinobi beamed, rising to his feet. "What's yer poison?"

"Scotch, I think", Angelo decided, grinning unrepentantly. "Might as well try it for once, since I'm not payin' this time."

Jono snorted. "You weren't paying the last time either, remember?."

"That's the spirit," Shinobi grinned. "Back in two shakes, gents." Cheerfully, he turned and began squeezing his way through the crowd between the table and the bar.

Angelo thought about that. "No, but you chose the drink. An' I paid the two times before that."

"I meant the business with the credit card," Jono glowered up at him. "I- well, my dad paid for all of that." He went silent and closed his eyes again.

Angelo nodded, though Jono couldn't see him. "No, but you were buyin' drinks for everyone, then. All night. Only fair that you chose what to get."

Jono rolled his eyes behind his eyelids, and squeezed Angelo's wrist a little tighter. "Hey, if you didn't like what I got you, you could've said something."

"Never said I didn't like it", Angelo countered. "An' how did we get onto this topic anyway?"

A glass in one hand, Shinobi squeezed back through the crowd, reaching over to set the scotch on the rocks down in front of Angelo before reclaiming his seat. Jono is passed a napkin, with a name and phone number on it. "Rosalyn-the-bartender likes you," he says simply, waggling his eyebrows. "I promised to convey the message."

Angelo glanced over at Jono with a faint grin before picking up the scotch and starting to drink.

"Buggered if I know," Jono muttered, staring at the napkin too close and not making out at all what it said. Then he focused on the new drink. "Thanks," he told Shinobi.

Angelo glanced up, suddenly realising he hadn't said anything. "Yeah! Thanks, man", he said, taking another gulp of the scotch and barely reacting to the burn.

"Anytime," Shinobi replied, grinning around his cigarette and inclining his head to each in turn. "Least I could do."

Angelo glanced back up suddenly, remembering something. "Oh yeah. Did you ask about the shops?"

"Yeah, you just want to see us in handcuffs," Jono mumbled, wondering if Shinobi would mind him hitching a ride on his cigarette as well as Angelo's drunkenness. Probably. "He did," Jono waved the napkin.

Shinobi nodded once, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, towards the exit. "'Bound & Gagged' is open for a few hours yet, s' a half-dozen doors down. Hang a left out the door."

"Smashing," Jono slurred, not bothering to raise his head..

Angelo nodded, satisfied. "Good, then. If it's open a few more hours, it won't shut 'fore we get kicked out of here."

"Such an optimist," Shinobi chuckled, grinning towards Angelo as he perched his chin atop the backrest of his chair.

Angelo tried to look innocent. "What? We're bein' good", he protested, spoiling the effect somewhat by slipping sideways until he grabbed the table to steady himself.

Jono helped Angelo pull himself back up. "See, very good. Just a little drunk."

"Just a little," Shinobi agreed, running a hand back through his hair with a grin. "Your next drink is water, Ange. You have to be able to walk to the store, you know."

"I can walk", Angelo insisted. "Just... not gonna prove it right now."

Jono had his face buried against the tabletop, glad for a little while he didn't use a mouth for speaking. "I could, but that'd mean letting go and where's the fun in that." He paused. "Aren't you gonna drink anything, Shaw?"

"Nah. I got wasted last time I did a clubbing run, and while it was fun, I'm a bit of an obnoxiously happy drunk." Shinobi grinned. "Hangovers, though, aren't so happy. So I'm skipping it this time."

Angelo blinked at him. "Have you had anythin' t'drink, though?" he asked earnestly. "Nothin' says you have to get wasted..."

"Maybe he doesn't have any self-restraint," Jono offered, still face down.

"I've had water," Shinobi grinned, inclining his head towards Angelo. "If it makes you feel better, I'm soaking up Sarah's vodka via osmosis..?"

Angelo chuckled. "It'll do, I s'pose. Where is Sarah, anyway?" he asked, suddenly realising he hadn't seen her for awhile.

"You got her to wear her horns," Jono added, not particularly helpfully.

"Dance floor, last I checked," Shinobi replied. "Let Amanda cut in." He glanced to Jono, nodding slowly. "And I'm enjoying that fact highly."

"I remember when she had them the first time," Jono lifted his head to look at Shinobi. "She was so pissed off she couldn't get rid of them."

"I can imagine. Don't think she believes me when I say I like them." Shinobi shrugged, exhaling smoke through his nostrils.

Angelo just listened to the conversation quietly, having nothing particular to contribute.

"It takes a bit of convincing, yeah," Jono would've grinned if he could have. Now he just settled for raising an eyebrow.

"The fact that she can't cut me seems to help," Shinobi grinned.

"That must make her so mad," Jono sat up, rather amused and rubbed at his eyes. "Should we start heading out soon? It'll probably take a while to get to that shop."

Angelo seemed to wake up and looked over at him. "You want to leave before closin' time?" he asked, obviously disappointed.

"If it makes her mad, she has a funny way of showing it," Shinobi replied cryptically, grinning around his cigarette. "Oh, go on, Ange. Do some window shopping while you're there."

"God, who's Ange?" Jono stood up, a bit wobbly, the napkin in his hand, and tugged at Angelo. "Get up, there's handcuffs to buy."

Angelo complained half-heartedly, but let Jono pull him to his feet. "If anyone asks in the mornin', this was your idea. 'Cause it was."

"Have fun," Shinobi offers, beaming cheerfully up at the pair from his seat. "Be back in time for sunrise, hey? That was your idea." He points at Angelo with his cigarette.

"I'll deny everything and flee the country," Jono muttered.

Angelo brightened. "Sunrise! Yeah. If they don't let us back in here when we come back, we'll wait for you on the beach outside." He drained the last of his scotch.

"We'll be here," Shinobi promised, nodding once. "Go on, then, off with you. Go put that card to good use, if it still works."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll catch you," Jono waved at Shinobi. "Sooner or later. Or swim back home."

Angelo pulled a face at that idea. "We'll be there."

(Shinobi's digital camera can be found at ThinkGeek's online store - however, since he is a filthy rich bastard, his actually doubles as a functional lighter, and is just a smidgen bulkier to accomodate such.)