"Exactly. There was no advantage-taking." And Duke drank more than almost anyone else, something he was starting to consider - was it a problem? Did he need to do it less? Would that fix anything? Was there anything to even fix?
"Ha ha," Duke rolled his eyes with the sarcastic, pronounced laugh. "I always get myself into that situation. First it was Tau, now him. It's a terrible addiction." He let out a sigh as he listened to the rest, knowing it was true. "That doesn't work well for me. If there's something, someone, I want then I'm not going to stop trying. It may not be the best, but hey, at least I'm not a quitter."
Giving a genuine laugh, Duke reached over and draped his arm around her shoulders, giving a shrug. "Just taking preventative measures. One Harry Potter said he'd take you dancing, but he thinks of you as family because your sister is his uncle in another world or something. Doesn't sound like it counts to me, and then there's another bloke who I haven't talked to much. Mostly I just got girls wondering the same thing." That was even more hilarious to him, but he kept that to himself.