3 o'clock things

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

"Maybe," Niki repeats in an exaggerated (and very poor) attempt at Sunjata, the necromancer left laughing at his own attempts as the lounge slips away for good and semi-familiar flooring and hallways appear. "D'you not get dizzy all the way up here?" he wonders. Granted, Niki's view is absolutely skewed by the positioning right now, but the point remains - does Sunjata not suffer from regular nosebleeds at this altitude?

"Well good job," he says, patting the other man's back again at the confirmation that he tries his best to smell good. "The whisky an' smoke I expected, but the sandalwood's a nice touch."

As for wherever they might be and how his legs are, at first Niki replies with a bright thumbs up that the other man won't see due to their positioning. He follows it, cryptically, with a cheerful, "What legs?" Which should tell Sunjata everything he needs to about the necromancer's current state.

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

Huffing a snort at Niki’s attempt at his accent, Sunjata’s grateful for the positioning so that it might hide the stupid grin on his face. But it vanishes with the barked laugh that leaves him to hear the question, shaking his head in a way that has that dangling feather earring brushing against Niki’s face or shoulder in the process. “Not dizzy. The weather’s different, though, if you were wondering.” The joke slips easily out.

The pat to his pack is a surprise, but he snickers as he reaches the top stairs. “Sandalwood’s always been my favorite.” He admits as his cheeks heat up again, because he’s not smelled like sandalwood often to anyone else, and it was precisely the thing he strove for when it came to colognes and scents for himself before Frey’d blessed him with the magic.

Taking a steadying breath to try and set Niki down, the what legs comment has him hesitating and drawing Niki back up against him to make the trek across the hall to the room, shuffling slightly to open it and take him in. “Are you a merman now?” He asks once they’re in the room, trying to figure out how to change it to better allocate a comfortable spot for Niki. He opts for something similar to his new home, but with a plush and comfortable emerald green bed that he sets Niki down on officially, no longer needing to worry about legs being made of jello.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

"I hear altitude sickness can be quite problematic. You should be careful with that," Niki agrees about the weather being different, grinning like an idiot at a joke that Sunjata has probably made hundreds of times at this point. And he'll likely be able to make it again in Niki's presence given how unlikely it is that he'll remember this, but for now the amusement is real and stupid and childish enough to keep him entertained all the way up to his allocated room.

"Noted," he mumbles into Sunjata's shoulder as he's almost put down and then (wisely) not forced to bear his own weight. "Another birthday gift for you on the list." (Again, that he probably won't remember one bit, but it's a nice gesture).

"How embarrasin' would it be to be a merman who can't swim?" He huffs, his legs kicking just a little as if to make sure they are still present, if not thoroughly useless. "Oh, you took me home!" he then announces of the room, though whether intentional or otherwise, Niki's subconscious is already tweaking the base that Sunjata has set out. The sound of pouring rain arrives through a window looking out onto the Greatwood, and he stretches out on the bed as if wondering how his own has gotten so big. "Thanks," he says, beaming up at the other man. "Second time you've taken me to bed now."

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

“Really? I didn’t know that.” Sunjata answers playfully, even if he did know it. He’s beginning to realize that it’s unlikely Niki will remember much of the rest of this conversation, so he’s happy to play along whenever the opportunity presents itself. And as it turns out? It’s a lot of opportunities.

Snorting to hear about another birthday gift, he’s wisely stopped arguing against it – content to let Niki continue to spew all kinds of ideas he might have for him with the hopes he might forget all the gifts he’s come up with while he’s been like this. He doesn’t need them, but after Niki’s response with Sunjata gifting him a house, he finds it’s easier to just nod and agree.

It bolsters him as he sets him down on the bed and laughs softly. “Ohhhh, right. I forgot about that.” He admits, withdrawing from Niki enough that he can get a better view of the other man’s face. “Funnily enough, I can partial shift as one.” With his orca shift, that is. It gets him close enough to do the job as far as he’s concerned. But Niki’s focusing on the room, making tweaks and adjustments he isn’t sure he’s aware he’s doing.

“Sure did. And I don’t mind if you need me to take you to bed a bunch more times.” He tacks on with a wink, his smile crooked as he leans against the edge of the bed while Niki gets comfortable.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

"Forget about it all you like, just don't ever throw me in a pool without those water wing things," Niki says, sounding all too reasonable for a man drunk out of his mind and laying flat on his back on a bed that has no business being so enormous or soft or green. "But also never make me wear those water wing things," he adds, just in case Sunjata gets any ideas. Niki may drown without them, but he'll drown with his dignity intact.

"That doesn't surprise me one bit," he says of the other man's partial shifting, Niki wiggling back now in bed to kick off his shoes and to reach fumbling fingers for the buckles on his leg brace. And it's a valiant effort, truly, but not one he stands a chance of seeing through, the necromancer eventually swatting at it as if to tell it to be that way, then before focusing on trying to worm his way out of his sweatshirt.

"Now you're just teasin'," he calls, voice muffled inside the sweater, arms stuck and flailing.

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

Laughing lightly, Sunjata’s gaze are bright with amusement and warmth, the steel focusing on the necromancer as he tries to imagine him wearing those water wings in question. “Well, you’re in luck that I’ve probably got the most water magic in Caido.” He had been the Flood, after all. And if there was anyone that would be better equipped to keep the other man afloat regardless of his abilities to swim, Sunjata’s confident it was him.

As Niki fights with his shoes and his brace, Sunjata doesn’t mind dropping back down to a knee beside the large bed, reaching up to deftly unbuckle the necromancer’s brace, helping him slip it off to set it beside the dark oak bedpost.

It gives him ample time to look up at him and see him trying to get out of his sweatshirt and hear the muffled response, huffing another soft laugh. “I swear on Frey.” He offers like it upped the stakes of just how much he minded helping Niki to bed. "You want help with your sweater?"

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

"Should've become a lifeguard," Niki informs Sunjata all too reasonably, though the conversation is somewhat ruined with the way he's continuing to have a wrestling match with his sweatshirt. And it's because of that temporary blindness that he doesn't realise, at first, that the Heartless has leant down to help, so on Sunjata's head be it when the necromancer kicks him (out of surprise, not anger, OK) in the ribs for his trouble. "Ooop - sorry," he blurts, waving the sleeves of the sweater as if to try and help with his own idiocy.

He achieves nothing.

"I swear on Frey I'm gonna get fire magic and burn this off in a sec," he grumbles, before huffing out a long breath and redoubling his efforts. "No, no. I got it." Rolling a bit to release the back of the sweater where it's been trapped under his body, Niki manages to pull it off at last, revealing his flushed face and desperately messy hair - and, at last, the mass of scars on his chest that he keeps hidden away.

It's still partially obscured now by the sweatshirt balled on his chest, but the gnarled lines of autopsy scarring can be put together too easily - a V from shoulders to sternum that plunge down towards his navel, the scar tissue thick enough to suggest that these have been repeated cuts rather than marks from a single occasion.

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

“I think I’ve heard that before.” He admits, amusement flaring for a few brief moments – however long it lasts before Niki’s kicking him in the ribs. And to be honest? For a man who’s legs are akin to jelly right now, he packs quite a force and nailed him in a spot that will take the breath out of his lungs. Sinking back onto his heels, Sunjata coughs a little and his hand rests on the edge of the bed to additional support, straightening back up after a moment. “I’m fine, it’s okay.” But if he sounds a little wheezy, well, you did a great job Niki.

Though, he supposes, nothing prepares him for how breathless he is when Niki continues to fight his sweatshirt. Eventually, though, he manages to get it off, and Sunjata comes face to face with the very likely reason Niki isn’t comfortable with his scars. Because where Sunjata’s were obviously ones that occurred in fights or survival efforts, the Heartless knows what autopsy scars look like and precisely how they’re done.

And he also realizes that these scars aren’t just the one and done, but done over and over again.

Wisely, his gaze doesn’t linger long – it’s branded in his mind for the moment, though, and likely all night and the next morning, letting a lopsided smile cross his face in a mask to hide the sorrow that burns suddenly in him as his steel gaze focuses up at the necromancer. “Look. No fire magic needed.” He touts a little playfully, proudly and amused. “Comfortable?”

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

It's a shame that Niki most definitely won't remember kicking a demigod in the ribs and winding him, because that would be something he'd take to any two truths and a lie icebreaker in the future. But with his shoes off, his brace unbuckled and his head free from his shirt, the necromancer is comfortable now, and he swipes a hand up his face to push his dark hair out of his eyes before rolling to lay properly in bed atop the blankets.

"No fire magic needed," he agrees, tossing the shirt off the bed to let it land somewhere in the room. "And I am, actually," he continues of being comfortable, face half buried in one of the pillows already. "Thanks again for this. If I wanna make it so there's no lights do I just... oh." And just like that, the room plunges into twilight, making the Heartless impossible to see properly but also, perhaps blessedly, removing his extensive scarring from view.

"Do you got any more appointments to get people drunk today?" he wonders.

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

Don’t worry Niki, Sunjata will definitely be there to remind him about the fact he’d winded him with that one singular swift kick. He might even go so far as to not heal himself with his rain magic if only to prove the fact he’d managed it and bruised slightly anyway. But that’s neither here nor there as Niki agrees and gets comfortable in the bed and the Heartless does his best to try and keep his eyes above Niki’s collar lest he get the idea he’s staring.

“Yeah, just like that.” Sunjata says with a soft laugh as the room suddenly becomes dark, like all the lights have just gone out like when you blow out birthday candles. “You’re welcome, by the way.” He tacks on, now freely able to scan him over without Niki realizing it – because all it takes is a little partial shift to something that had better sight in the dark and the necromancer would likely be none-the-wiser.

Either way, he doesn’t get too much more of a look, withdrawing to stand and sit at the edge of the bed with his back halfway away from him as he hears the question and shakes his head. “Nope. Kept my schedule free today.” Then, with a little amused smile, he twists a little more toward the necromancer. “Why, you want me to stay?” It’s clear in his tone that he wouldn’t mind sticking around if that’s what Niki wanted.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

The addition of the darkness is a cool relief at first, before Niki grumbles suddenly and a couple of lanterns light up around the room, leaving them still very much in shadow, but soft enough to see by. "The room started spinnin' when it was all dark," he explains with a frown, rolling onto his back and running both hands through his hair like that will help to keep his head steady.

"If you want," he adds of Sunjata staying. "Wouldn't be the first time you took a nap on my bed. Though I guess this is technically your bed this time." Given that it's the property of the House of Midnight and all. Either way, Niki manages a lopsided smile up at the Heartless as if to prove that he means it, one hand flapping out to pat at the bed for good measure.

"You don't really like being around all the people, d'you?" he says, and though it's technically a question he phrases it like it's a statement.

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

Before he can fully realize it, a few lanterns begin to pop up to life with light that has Sunjata squinting – having accidentally stared in the direction of one when the necromancer had decided to light them. Blinking away the blue spots left behind, he hums a low and soft laugh as he shifts a little. “Yeah, makes sense.” He murmurs.

But then Niki is telling him he can stay and Sunjata stands to settle onto the bed on the other side of where the abandoned is in the far too large and perfectly plush bed, but not before he snags a glass and utilizes some more of his water magic, ensuring it’s cold before he fills it and sets it on Niki’s nightstand. Then, finally settling on the opposite side of Niki on the bed, the question (statement?) has him stilling a little, back to Niki.

“I don’t.. Not like being around all the people.” He decides to start with, kicking off his shoes and starts to relax, shuffling back into the bed so he can look over at the necromancer. “I, hmm.. I like to be around people that I have a connection to, I guess? There’s nothing worse for me than being in a room full of people and still feeling all alone as everything moves on around you.” He hopes the darkness of the room hides the wince that leaves him, knowing fully well that his words aren’t exactly working out for him right now, but not sure how to describe it either.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

Mumbling his thanks, if Niki wasn't already very much horizontal and almost definitely unable to sit up, he might have reached for the glass of water now. Alas, it will have to wait until later. The bed shifts only slightly as Sunjata sinks onto it and gets comfortable, the necromancer having opted to rest the back of his hand over his face; the light is enough for him to see through his fingers so the world stays put, but it's also strangely grounding.

"Mm, I can understand that. I'm not often in a room full of a lot of people, but I'd prob'ly feel the same if I was." Granted, it has become a lot more common in recent seasons thanks to his friendship with Flora, but it isn't as if he owns, say, the House of Midnight. "Never figured you to be someone who got lonely, though," he adds, though if he really thinks about it, it probably makes a lot of sense.

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

He sees the half little cage he’s made with the back of his hand over his face, and it keeps the vast majority of Niki’s face and the blues hidden in the shadow of the dark. It also hides the way his gaze sweeps over the other man again, like he’s trying to scan those scars briefly before he’s distracting himself to sit back, shoulders resting against the dark oak headboard of the green bed, humming a note of agreement, accented and a touch relieved to know they were similar in that regard.

But then Niki goes and says that he never thought he’d get lonely and Sunjata’s gaze flits back over to him as he snorts a soft sound. “No?” He asks, though he’s not sure he really wants the answer. “Not to brag or anything, but I’m pretty sure I’m one of the loneliest demigods Caido has. Not for lack of trying or anything.”

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu