"We didn't expect to see you here either," said Soda, sighing.
"Hey, is that any attitude to be showing your teacher?" said Xinyi, but there wasn't much heat to their words. Rather than waiting for his answer, they flagged down a waiter and ordered more drinks, rattling off a list of them that made the poor man's eyes widen in alarm. "And this guy will be fronting the tab," they said with a grin, jerking their thumb at Soda.
The waiter looked between them uncertainly, but Soda merely groaned and wilted forward onto the table. After a moment, Alex said, "I'll pay."
Maybe Alex just looked a little more put-together than Soda. Whatever it was, that seemed to satisfy the waiter at last, who bustled off like he couldn't be out of there fast enough. "Rough day?" Alex said, arching a brow at Xinyi.
"Well," they said with a shrug, "if Soda's so enthusiastic about these drinks here, I figure I might as well give them a shot."