"Mike the man! You've been awfully quiet bro!"
Some unfamiliar masculine voice boomed from behind him. Slightly annoyed- Mike spun around lazily- propping a fake smile on his face.
"Pardon me, I've been a little under the weather."
His own voice was almost drowned out by the chimes of silverware cutlery on plates- and howling laughter from tipsy nobles.
"Under the weather? What–? You on your period or something?"
Mike winced. The jab went straight to his overly sensitive ego.
"I wish that were so, that way, I could take three days off every month. . ."
He answered with a shrug trying to make an even lighter joke; ". . .Alchemy isn't the easiest job you know. . ."
But it completely backfired. The vulgar man- slightly drunk- replied him;
"Oh come off it! Don't be a wuss–" he hiccuped; "–can't you see Nexus? I don't hear him complaining. . .that young man is–"
