Lyra hauled herself up, facing him as she stood and for a moment she was just standing there, one hand in his, the other on his arm as an excuse to touch him rather than for balance, because it was so nice, it was so nice being out with him around people, looking like a couple. "She'll live," Lyra winked at him, and grinned a little harder when, behind her, Mackenzie said "I won't."
"Sameth's cool, he doesn't trapeze, but he knows Viv... somehow? Dance class? Circus stuff? He's a ho. I was gonna try set him up with Armaan once but that was pre-Freddie. He might hit on you, he might hit on me, c'mon," Lyra kept her hand in his, tightening her fingers so he wouldn't let go, and pulled him behind her as she spun to follow Fern. That’s what he asked once, right, for her to take him with her? And it wasn’t into some proper-magical strangeness but just into the adventure of an IT-grunt-cum-circus-perfomer’s home brewed beverages, but it still felt great that he was right there behind her.
The kitchen was a long bench pressed against one wall, and a kitchen island, both covered with offerings, bottles, takeaway boxes, hot sauce, mixers. A lava lamp, of all things. Mismatched bar stools at the island, one of which Fern sat delicately at, while Mackenzie launched herself at Sameth who caught her with his circus performer arms and gave her the squash she was craving. He was tall, dark skin and thick hair and wide mouth in the middle of a just-as-thick beard, bangles and tattoos decorating his bare arms. Hot, definitely, not that Lyra was looking, she just wasn't blind.
She made introductions, and when Sameth grinned his teeth shone in one of the blacklights. "An unequaled pleasure to meet you," he said to Avery with a warm easiness, and passed them both a bottle, plain brown glass with a screw cap. "Try those, my sexy little guinea pigs."
"He's also a witch," Lyra told Avery, as she twisted off the top. "So like, careful."
"Hey now," Sameth said, wide hand spread across his wide chest. "My magic's only for the willing."
"We're willing, ain't we?" Lyra flashed her eyebows up at Avery, and tapped her bottle against his before taking a drink.