Jude's suggestion actually wasn't half bad. While the swap IOU was useful, actually having help learning to work out efficiently would have better long term benefits. Cooking had not exactly aided him in the muscle category, and his thin frame was purely from bunny metabolism. Not that he wanted to get quite as muscular as some people, but maybe not looking so prey-like could have advantages.

"Actually, the gym session wouldn't be a bad idea. While the IOU could probably have a million fun uses, I probably could use help in the working out department." He momentarily wondered if Jude would appreciate him being a little more muscular. That was not something he would discuss in front of a stranger though. He did give his boyfriend a sideways glance as if wondering. He had always been trapped in the 'cute' category, he wondered if he would ever lean more toward hot with effort. The idea amused him a little and he had to draw his mind back.

Then Jude spoke in French and his brain went right back that direction. Zaid pouted slightly, muttering to himself and deciding it was horribly unfair how attractive Jude's second language sounded. He was fairly certain Japanese didn't compare, and nudged into his boyfriend as if in protest of how seductive he was being. There would be words later, clearly. He didn't want to be teased horribly for saying much now.

The ting of glasses drew attention to the toasts happening. That felt like a much more normal wedding procedure, and Zaid listened, smiling to himself a little at the spectacle. Despite all the hiccups, there was the warm vibe of romance in any wedding setting, and that made it nice. And certainly, easier to enjoy now that he was a bunny again.

Rhia’s swap offering was met by a different idea by Jude. A gym session. Zaid seemed onboard with that as well. Rhia thought about it for a moment before saying, ”Why not both? If I just did a gym day with you… Well, I enjoy teaching people to lift too much. It’s not much of an offering if I would have wanted to do it anyway. I only charge when they want me to lift for them.” Not to mention Rhia felt a swap mistake was best fixed by a swap remedy. A little hair of the dog in that regard.

Then Jude spoke French and Rhia swooned just a little. She took the moment to recompose herself while Jude was looking away. People shouldn’t just drop French like that. At least warn a girl! She did manage to catch a look at where Jude had looked. The old man. His wife was fussing but his touch was all she needed to melt. It was cute and sweet. And Rhia’s attention was drawn back to their little group by Jude speaking in English again, albeit with an accent.

”I guess while I’m apologizing… You shouldn’t have swapped him with him being so old… but… I think you’re right. The moment of youth might inspire him.” You can’t argue with a French accent and not just because it might surrender at the first sign of resistance.

There was the sound of someone tapping a glass with silverware. Someone was drawing everyone’s attention for a speech. Rhia looked around for a moment and caught sight of who was trying to give the speech.

The man looked similar to the groom, and he introduced himself as “Chris brother”. Someone yelled, obviously they were groom side… The pack of hyenas… ”His name’s Graham.” The brother, Graham, smiled at the callout. Rhia guessed it was some silly joke.

From there the best man gave a speech. He seemed the most normal of the groom’s side. More adjusted to civilian life. And he told some funny stories. Everyone was laughing and cheering until the sound of someone retching cut through.

---

Noel said she would get better at bonking. Ranger nodded. That was good. Bonking heads was a skill they needed to not be stuck as each other. Noel put the straps of the heels in Ranger’s hand and closed her hand around it. Ranger quickly got distracted from the heels and let go. Noel tried again. Ranger asked, ”Wait.. Don’ heels go on the feets… Feet...That’s the one… Well… Two. Two feet t’ a feet.” and dropped a heel gesturing to his feet. Ranger saw the heel on the floor and giggled a little. Noel managed to stop the other heel before it joined its mate on the floor. The third time Noel put the heel straps in Ranger’s hand and closed it was the time it stuck. ”I got ‘em.” Ranger waved the heels around a little, grip staying closed on the straps.

Then Noel said the magic words.

Ranger’s face lit up like it was Christmas morning and someone had put a bow on an Abrams for her. ”Yes!” Ranger used the not heel holding hand to grab at Noel’s. It only took two swipes. Success. ”Never miss an opportunitys t’ dance.” A slight stumble as she tried to pull Noel along toward the dance floor. Then she remembered, ”Phone!” Ranger looked at the ground where there had been bonking. Noel’s phone lay on the floor.

By the time the phone was collected, slid back into the purse, and Noel had slid the purse onto Ranger’s wrist for safekeeping a toast was happening. Ranger pouted slightly at the lost danceportunity as Chris’ brother Graham gave a speech.

Ranger knew it wasn’t going to be a good time when first rattle out of the hat Graham introduced himself with an inside joke from BlacTac. Instead of his name he said he was “Chris’ Brother”. It was something he was known as but not actually his name. Ranger tasted the half truth. The speech kept going. The half truths kept flowing. Those were not so much an issue though. When King was handed the mic and gave his speech it went okay. Until it was disgusting.

Given the type of work Sideshow and King had done, King couldn’t tell a truthful context for his humorous anecdotes. One of the anecdotes got too out of hand. “... when we got on the yacht, Chris turns to me and said, ‘is this the ocean they like?’ I couldn’t hold in my laughter and the uh… staff came in to tell us to quiet down. Michael dealt with them while Chris… I cannot believe you did this… Chirs stands there like a doof moving his hips to the rocking of the yacht. The staff were stunned by Chris’... Movements when they came in.”

The story was proving too much. There was some truth to it but so much was a vaneer spread over the events that it just was a growing foulness in Ranger’s mouth. Ranger grabbed at Noel for a moment and put her wrist over her mouth as she cast her eyes around the room in a panic. The room swam and blurred in her alcohol filled vision. Spotting a trash can Ranger pat Noel quickly on the arm in an attempt to communicate that she was going to run off.

Ranger made a valiant effort sunning to the trashcan. However it was not to be. One last lie hit mere yards from the trashcan and Ranger felt the drinks coming up. She stopped, leaned over, and painted the floor with cosmo and whisky. Party foul. Maybe Ranger could have made it to the trashcan, but maybe not. Stopping was the only way she managed to not get vomit all over herself.

Things were wrapping up and that was all Jude could ever ask for. He got a hip bump from his boyfriend and bumped his hip back. Japanese for French, French for Japanese. They had almost nothing in common from languages to mutations. But Jude was unapologetic. Yeah. He knew better than to hijack the Elderly now. And yeah, a little romantic language did wonders for getting him out of trouble. And dropping pants.

For now, he settled for watching Graham eek through his prepared speech. It wasn't bad. The peanut gallery "helped" like they usually did. No one died, which legitimately was an option. Jude grabbed Zaid's hip and saluted with his empty hand. He was being a good boy and playing by the rules. Today, anyway.

The next speech started up and it was hard not to think of how some, all, or none of those things might apply to the man he'd brought as his wedding date. Afterall, they had met once. If Jude had a wedding someday... who would come? Who would make speeches?

He turned to pose the question to Zaid when an unholy retching caught his attention. Jude shuddered despite that not taking place anywhere near them. Ugh. He could still smell. No doubt Zaid could as well. "THat our exit cue?"

---

And just like that the game 'drunk or toddler' made a hell of a lot of sense to Noel. "No. Y' hold it. In y'r hand. This is y'r hand." No matter what he said, she had some mutterings of her own about feet and feets and... yeah. This was not going real well. And the one thing he knew for sure would get her moving was shut down on the spot by social propriety. Speeches.

Oh. But speeches were a good thing, right? Noel was remembering that speeches meant they could leave afterwards. A drink was offered to Noel's body and Noel grabbed it before Michael could. There was a toast and he sipped gingerly. Weren't they supposed to shout 'oppa' or something? No? Not that kind of wedding?

The next speech started and Noel was totally and utterly lost. Almost none of it made sense so it was probably funny to someone else. But not Michael.

"?" Two steps and spew. He probably should have stopped to help first, but knowing what made her puke Noel couldn't help but glare at whoever was at the mic. Two fingers, two eyes. There was pointing and glaring and eyeball threats. Liar.

"C'mon, uh, Noel." What did he call her? No terms of endearment or pet names came to mind so he'd lamely settled on her own name as he grabbed napkins and tablecloths to cover the sick and mop up Michael's face. Eugh. It was in the hair a bit. He stopped to scrape that out. "We've overstayed our welcome."

Zaid relaxed as he listened to the speeches, finding it hard not to let his brain run off with the 'what-if's he could think of. On the flip side, he was already looking forward to being home and having time with just Jude to talk to. Rhia wasn't bad, but Zaid had to behave when there was so much extra company, French be damned. Also, he wanted to be free of this suit. After all the body switching, he was finding it incredibly stifling now.

Somewhere near the end of the second speech, Zaid's ears got a louder than necessary sound of retching, and his nose caught the awful intense reek of it. Combined with the previous vomit in the trashcan, he had to cover his sensitive nose. Now that he had experienced what it felt like to throw up, it made it even worse. Oh, it made it soooo much worse.

"Yeah, my nose is at it's limit. Uh, phone numbers. Gym. Next time!" Zaid frantically waved, noticing a paper and pen abandoned on a table. Probably one of those 'leave a message for the couple' things. Whatever. It was now a 'here are our phone numbers, shenanigans sometime, okay?' card. Quickly writing out two phone numbers, he had to pause to fix his name after writing it in Japanese first, then correcting it into English. His nose was making it hard to concentrate. Then he passed it off to Rhia.

"We'll talk soon!" Then he scurried for the door with Jude and bolted for fresh air.