Last spark from the ashes

He should've figured that. That Siri would give them a heads-up. It's still probably more visceral seeing someone than hearing that they exist. He gives a shrug, and smiles at her. "They have yet to find something to make me stay down, apparently."

That's true of more than one universe, no less. "Shoulder's a little messed up, still, but I'm fine."

Sitting next to Ghost, he rests his hands on the table and has to bite his lip to keep from laughing at Penny's suggestion. "Definitely don't recommend that M.O.," he tells them.

"If you're tasting liquids, you can do it like a wine tasting, though," he suggests. "Put a little in your mouth and swish it around and spit it back out." Obviously he'd need a spare glass for that.

Glancing back at Blaze, he hesitates for a second, reluctant to ask her to get him anything, but after a moment he relents. "I could go for apple juice," he says. "Lots of ice. I don't really do alcohol right now."