[ Contractors? Keeping each other company for drinks? The concept is laughable. There'd been an illusion of camaraderie in Hei's team, during Heaven's War. Fellow soldiers watching each others' backs, guarding each others secrets. ]

[ It ended in deceit and disaster. ]

....Hm? [ His blush deepens at her question. ] Me? Drink? [ He scrubs an awkward hand across his nape. ] S-Sometimes, I guess. But never before noon. [ eep! ] Not that it's my business what you do with your time, Miss! [ But if she wants a drinking-buddy, that's a good way as any to keep an eye on her. Like a high-wire act, Li will concentrate and calculate, grinning through his routine, face turned toward his audience. ]

[ And like any jaded performer, he's in it for the benefits, not the thrills. ]