Axl Low manned the bar with as much elegance and care as he did his sickles. Cleaning and polishing the top of the maple structure,making sure the glass mugs were cleared of any dust and sand and that the beer tap was to be worked thoroughly this night. It was a special evening after all.

"Axl Low, The first rounds on me!"

That was three months ago, the battle with Arelis Valentine ending in their victory. It almost hadn't, they almost lost the chief and his lady, just after him getting her back.

"That was probably the first time anyone saw a true smile from him." The time shifter chuckled as he poor himself a mug. Taking a gulp, before breathing out.

"Out of all things to make it to the future, I'm so glad beer was one of them." Axl exclaimed savoring the taste, when he heard the bell jingled as the top of the bar entrance pushed it.

"You couldn't wait, Low?"

Axl chuckled as he saw his friend walk towards the bar, Junkyard dog in his left hand and a red and silver hair lady on his right arm. "Just making sure it was up to par, chief."

Sol grinned as he took his normal seat, the fourth stool one out of nine, a direct shoot to the tap. The woman took the seat next to him, scooting it a little closer.

Axl raised an eyebrow as she gazed at the bounty hunter with adoration, the second one followed when the gear hunter gave her a 'gentle' smile.

'Kind of hard to look gentle with a face and demeanor like Sol's, at least he's trying...Failing, but trying'

"Is the first round still on you, chief."

Sol turned to the english man, giving him a slight nod." Yeah, yeah."

"And for you, miss?"

".I'll have what you two are having."

"Three drafts it is." Axl grabbed two more glass mugs and ran the beer tap into them, filling them just to a slight overflow of foam, never spilling a drop of golden-brown elixir as he placed the mugs before the two. "Cheer, mates" Axl lifted his mug with a chuckle.

"Cheers." The woman grinned following Axl's example.

"Tsch" Sol stoically did the same before clinking his mug with theirs.

"So Chief, you're going to introduce me?" Axl nodded towards Sol's companion.

"As much times as you looked into my past, you should already know who she is, Low." The bounty hunter grumbled lightly as he took a swallow of brew, getting an exasperated sigh from Axl.

"Really, you have no manners, Chief."

"Tsch!"

The woman chuckled at the two antics as she took a sip of the beer.

"Aria...Aria scale"

"Axl low..A pleasure to finally meet the chief's lady.".

The smile she gave him was small but warm, gentle, and welcoming. A smile of a good woman. He could see the resemblance between her and the first king's wife, Dizzy.

"Aria Scale.." Sol chuckled "That's what you going with?"

Aria punched the man beside her in his arm. "That's what I'm trying out, don't like it?" She grinded her fist on his skin playfully "Thought you would appreciate the musical callback." She grinned at his slightly annoyed look.

"Ok, enough." Sol took her fist off his arm and pulled her close to his face.

Axl was amused as her grin broke Sol perpetual annoyed look into a relaxed smirk.

"It's charming and you know it." Aria insisted

"Maybe." Sol retorted.

"It rolls off the tongue."

"You damn well do."

Aria inhaled deeply as she pointed at the now grinning gear, cheeks a bit red as she took another gulp of her beer. "200 years and you're still a cad when you flirt."

"It's charming and you know it."

Axl laughed quietly as Aria's face showed her inner struggle between kissing the hunter smug face or kicking the hunter smug face. He stopped when he realized the two were taking notice of him.

"I'm sorry," Axl raised his hand in surrender, his natural grin still on his face, "It's just, never get to really see this side of the chief."

"Now that's an interesting topic" Aria piqued with interest. "What stories can you tell about my monster here."

Monster..heh" Sol poked her hip. "I saved you."

"And He." Aria pointed to Axl "saved us, right after." She turned her attention to the blond brit, looking appreciative. "Thank you for that."

"It's nothing."

"It's not'nothing', Low.." Sol turned his liquor color eyes towards one of the few people he considers a true friend. "You really stuck your neck out and paid a steep price," He lifted his glass in honor of the blonde "I'm grateful."

"To Mr.Low." Aria added, following Sol.

Axl scratched the back of his head as the duo drank to him. "Ah come on, As much time as you put your own hide on the line for the planet, it was about time someone looked out for you."

"I'm glad, you know...That he has a few people who would." Aria spoke with a cheeky tone, her voice a bit muffled by the glass. "With his demeanor and all."

"He can be a bit of a wanker, at times."

"Here, here."

The two clinked their mugs smirking like old friends, to Sol's dismay.

"I think we're gonna get along swimmingly, Mr.Low."

"Oh, of course and please, Aria..It's Axl."

"Axl, it is then."

"Let me top you off before we regale you with tales of your 'monster' here."

"Please." She handed the mug to Axl who turned to Sol holding his hand out.

"Come on."

"Yeah, definitely gonna need it with you two gossips." Sol smirked as he gave Axl the mug.

Axl snickered as he turned to film the mugs again. "Sol, you remember the hunt in phantom city?"

"Hehe. Yeah.. That was annoying."

"Sure, that's why you're laughing." Axl slid them their mugs, refueled with brew.

"What happened in Phantom City?" Aria arched an eyebrow seeing Sol smirk and chuckle as he took a sip.

"You wanna tell it, Chief?" Axl sipped before looking at his mug. "Damn good."

"You're free to tell, Low..I'll correct you when I need to."

Aria turned attentive towards Axl, excited for the tale."Come on, Axl."

"Alright, so…"

Twenty minutes later, Aria was in tears banging on top of the bar with her fist.

"Oh no! That's horrible!" Aria howled in pure hilarity.

"We tried to warn him. Well I did." Axl chortled."He didn't want to believe it was a damn doll given a soul.."

"Even less a murdering doll." Sol added with a smirk.

"So you two just let your friend continue to date her."

"It didn't last long, we saw Mito the next day running for his life..What did he call her again.

"His twilight butterfly." Axl answered with a smirk.

"Though with those limbs coming out her body and the way she was crab walking on the walls. She was definitely more of a black widow….Which is what the bounty called her."

"My god. " Aria chuckled. "So what happened then."

"We were just gonna watch it unfold and step in at the last moment." Sol answered with a smirk.

"Really?" Aria turned to Axl who nodded.

"He made good bait, and he didn't want to listen so.." Axl shrugged.

"You two are horrible friends." She cracked into a fit of laughter

"It didn't get that far though." Axl chuckled. "You see, Sol was about to get some breakfast."

"A Bacon, egg, and provolone cheese sandwich on a raisin roll, light on the mayo..." Sol looked at Axl expectantly.

"Right...That sandwich." Axl shook his head with a smirk, before taking a gulp. "Anywho. From what the chief told me, because I wasn't there for this part. Anji ran by turning the corner Sol was at, screaming for help. Now while he was running his 'lady' shot a spear of silk web at him. The spear missed Anji..and got Sol's left hands and his sandwich."

Aria turned to Sol, who nodded before taking a drink.

" I'm just walking out of the inn, finish talking to the receptionist."

"Flirting you mean."

"You saw her, Chief."

"Yeah..,"Sol nodded with a grin,'' I'm not saying anything."

"Uh-huh." Aria took a drink side-eying Sol a bit. " So you walked out after trying to get into the receptionist pants."

"Skirt...And I did." Axl gave her a victorious smirk as he lifted his cup. " But yeah I walked out and got hit with all this heat, like desert heat and this is fall in Phantom city. I'm talking about thirty-five degree weather, as the high. That's normal Phantom city fall."

Axl took a gulp " Not this morning...This morning felt like like two fifty. So I turned west, cause that's where the damn heat is coming from. Down the road, a few blocks down..A whole intersection is burnt, melted, blacked..These are streets of marble i'm talking about melted, the air bending..It looked hazy past that point."

Aria took a gulp looking as Sol who started to laugh lightly as he took a gulp.

"And all I hear is this guy screaming,Pay for my breakfast MITO!" Axl continued as he started to laugh. " I run down and turn the corner and look like a napalm hit the alley,"

Axl put the mug down before talking with his hands.Shaking them and waving them to emphasize the scene. "I'm talking a completely blackacked alley far as the eye can see, Sol in the middle holding Anji, who somehow did not get burned; by his collarbone shaking him.Pay for my breakfast MITO!"

"What?!" Aria leaned on the bar completely shocked. "What happened to the black widow?"

" A lightGunflame." Sol answered easily.

"In other words, She..or what ash was left of her, was in the burnt black.. But wait, I call out to him and he has the audacity to look at me and say…'We're gonna get our bounty payment after breakfast. Go scrape up the east wall.'"

"Nohoho OH NO!" Aria laughed as she wiped her eyes.

"Yes! For a breakfast sandwich, can you believe this!" Axl took one last gulp of the beer before he shook his head. "You always seem to eat that sandwich literally every breakfast..you're not hunting for it, why?."

"I know why, the big softie."She turned to Sol before leaning up kissing his cheek. "That's the breakfast he always made for me during our old days. Actually that's what you made me today."

Axl eyes widen at that. "Wow..You are a softie."

"Tsch!" Sol kissed his teeth as he took the last of the beer.

"A good partner would do that to you though." Axl stated as he took their mugs and fueled them up again. "Make you free to be soft, gentle, kind..While making you better than you ever thought you could be. Enables you to withstand even the most hellish condition." Axl slid them their mugs of beer before holding his mug up. "You two are those types of partners...So a drink to you chief and to you Aria...Two hundred years apart and you two are still in love with each other." Axl gulped the beer taking the whole glass full to the head. With a satisfied breath he smirked at the two holding up the empty glass.

"Good liquor and good love, beautiful things to have in these savage days."