[SE] buzz cut season

Astaroth

i think i'm the devil in disguise, here's my state of mind

Completely relaxed and back under the parasol on the beach, the butcher has been drying off for a little while. Danta’s gone off on a little exploration of the cave system nearby while Astaroth preferred to at least try and capture some amount of a nap on the warm beach. He’s leaned back, one leg bent while the other remains stretched out, dark red swim shorts adorning him, and surprisingly? No floral shirt to be seen.

It’s still folded beside him, right next to an empty glass that had once held a mojito that’s now full of ice and a mint leaf that looks like it’s seen better days. The sunglasses have slipped down his nose, that book open and against his chest like he’s fallen asleep reading it, and hair that had been slicked back from the sea salt water, curls against the dark horns protruding from his skull.

His back is to the board still dug in the sand, comfortable enough to sleep against the hard surface but keep him mostly propped up. Even despite it, the only part of him exposed to the sun right now is the butcher’s tail as it waves slowly across the sand in his dozing.

give me destruction, tell me i'm scrumptious
i'm a fucking delight

Isla

As the two Ancients on the beach have already surmised, once the sun peaks past midday and into the lazy stretch of a Longheat afternoon, the coastline is surprisingly empty but for those who can withstand the temperature. (So Ancients, basically, or any Attuned in a suitable shift). Isla has come to look forward to it, honestly - and with the clinic closed for the hottest parts of the day and due to open again in a few hours for an evening stretch, she is also free to enjoy the sand rippling with heat and the golden light beaming overhead.

Dressed in a white bikini today, paired with wide brimmed sunhat and a bag over her shoulder, the Remedy is of course the exact sort of woman one might expect to see on a tropical beach, her soft blonde waves already curling further on the breeze. She's headed for her usual spot - which happens to be a few dozen feet away from where another Ancient is snoozing - and only on her way past does she notice exactly who it is.

Well, she notices after double and triple checking, because never has Isla expected to see Astaroth napping under a beach umbrella.

Grinning to herself, unable to help it, she watches him for a few seconds over the top of her sunglasses, before gracefully trotting across the sand until she's close enough to see him properly. And when that doesn't serve to wake him up, she leans down to tickle a finger against the sole of his foot.

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Astaroth

i think i'm the devil in disguise, here's my state of mind

Unaware, completely, with how many times the Remedy has taken a good look to make sure she’s messing with the right man, he remains just as casually lounging in the warmth, trying his best to not get sunburned and overly confident that he’d wake the second that he felt his skin burn. It’s that strange half step between full on sleep and one that isn’t, light enough that a hard enough breeze could wake him, yet deep enough that any sounds evade him.

It’s that which allows Isla the closeness to run her finger along the sole of his foot. Which, no one has realized just yet (aside from the butcher himself), but he’s ticklish there. And so the second it starts, his tail thrashes, the butcher jolting up with a spark of flame curling around both of his arms, sunglasses askew with the way he’s woken in such a rush.

A hiss escapes him before he can recognize the beautiful blonde before him, sank back into an elbow as the book slides off his scarred chest. “Isla?” He asks through a somewhat sleep hoarse voice, head cocking slightly before he puffs out a sound and runs his hands through his hair carefully, extinguishing the fire. “Wha—” He damn well nearly asks her what she’s doing here.

Like she doesn’t live here or anything.

give me destruction, tell me i'm scrumptious
i'm a fucking delight

Isla

Forced to hop back, Isla almost has to bite the smile off her own face as if that might help her to contain it. Instead she does allow herself a soft laugh in the end, straightening up enough that she can see Asta properly over her glasses while still benefitting from the shade of her sunhat. "Hi, Asta," she greets him warmly. "I didn't realise you were visiting Torchline. Sorry for waking you - I just spotted you as I was walking by, and I had to say hello."

Besides, the sun had been starting to creep its way towards his bare arm, so given another few minutes, he might find himself starting to burn. "I didn't think I would ever see you on a vacation," she remarks with an almost impressed raise of her eyebrows, as if he's managed to follow some stellar medical advice by getting away to the beach.

"Are you here by yourself?"

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Astaroth

i think i'm the devil in disguise, here's my state of mind

It takes his brain a few moments to catch up, such that he only registers what she says when he’s finished brushing his hair back from his face, straightened his sunglasses, and sat up a touch more — curling his legs in underneath him to subconsciously protect them from her. “Apologies.” He says on a huff of a laugh, as if he can still smell the slight singe of the beach towel from the fire that erupted from him. “Ha, yes, I was told I needed one.” He announces, flashing her a wink before he shifts a little to make space for her.

Patting the space beneath the shade for her to join him if she wishes to, he closes up the book, having lost his place. “No, I’m here with Danta. He has snuck off somewhere so I took the opportunity to catch a quick rest.” Which evidently hadn’t been that quick with how he’d reacted being woken up.

Though it wasn’t often anyone woke him, and it’s a good thing she hadn’t been anywhere near his face when she did. As such, his smile is sunny as it is brutally sharp as he flashes it to her. “Are you taking a break?” From the clinic?

give me destruction, tell me i'm scrumptious
i'm a fucking delight

Isla

"No need to apologise - I'm the one who interrupted your nap," Isla points out with a playfully fanged smile, the Remedy watching as he successfully straightens himself out. She's about to say that he doesn't have to entertain her - she had only stopped to say hello - but then Asta is patting the space beside him and of course she relents, setting her bag down in the sand before ducking beneath the umbrella to sit with him. "You do need one," she agrees with a warm laugh, "so enjoy it for all it's worth."

Taking off her sunhat now that she's protected by the shade, Isla ruffles her fingers through her sunkissed hair, eyeing the book he puts down. "Anything good?" she asks.

Nodding her understanding to hear that he's come with the Theocrat, she can't help but smile to herself. "That makes sense - it's probably nice to make some different memories here, compared to last time." Because of course, the last time Isla had been aware of Danta and Asta visiting Torchline together, he'd been in quite a state.

As for the Remedy, she nods and settles back against the board beside him. "Mmhm. In Longheat a lot of the businesses close down in the afternoon - it's too hot for anyone to be working. The clinic does the same, though we do keep a supply of healing water out front for emergencies. So I usually come down to the beach to relax."

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Astaroth

i think i'm the devil in disguise, here's my state of mind

She had been the culprit that had woken him from the nap, and it’s precisely why he keeps his legs tucked in and away from any more surprises that she might have in store. She doesn’t, thankfully for him, and gods is he eternally grateful Danta isn’t around to have the realization that the butcher can be quite ticklish. Instead, Astaroth invites Isla into the little space, shifting just enough to give her room beneath the parasol as he closes up the book he’s lost his place in.

Immediately, he’s shaking his head with a huff of a laugh. “Not particularly. It was supposed to be a murder mystery and while it had started out well, it has become unsurprisingly predictable.” Squinting down at the book as if annoyed by the fact he could guess the plot twists, it really shouldn’t surprise him given the way his own mind works.

Straightening up his back and ignoring the book, he casts his dark gaze toward her with that same too sharp grin, each scar still on display albeit more pale than the rest of his skin from the dash out in the blinding sun. At least he hadn’t burned. “It is quite nice, actually.” But had it not been for Flora and his talk, he might have felt a little less inclined to return to Torchline. Like the Queen might have Safrin smite him on sight.

Leaning back to where his arm brushes against hers against the board, the butcher peers out into the heat he can see radiating from the sand in the distance, warping the view of the water as it crashes against the shore. “With how warm it is, it is perfect for us.” And only them right now, given how hot everything is. And he relishes it, not unlike a snake wanting to bask in the glow of a sun hot rock. “So,” he pauses, turning toward her as his grin twists a bit more playfully. “What have you been up to? Aside from your profession, darling.” Because if he knows Isla as well as he thinks he does, she’d simply tell him work, work, and more work.

give me destruction, tell me i'm scrumptious
i'm a fucking delight

Isla

As the epitome of no surprises here, Asta will be pleased to note that, other than sinking down comfortably beside him in her bikini, Isla has no other mischief to offer. Indeed, with a smile to her fellow Ancient, she tilts her head at the book he mentions. "Oh, that's a shame," she says, tilting her head. "I have a few others in my personal library that I can recommend." One has been particularly good, one she's ashamed to say she and Cal had started once upon a time. But that's water well under the bridge now.

Eyeing the tells on display - the relaxation, the tan and the scars scoring white marks against his skin, Isla nods her approval. "I'm glad to hear it," she says openly, reaching across to give his forearm an affectionate squeeze. "Make the most of it before you head back, yeah?" Because who knows what lurks around the corner. It's one of the reasons Isla makes the most of her breaks when she gets them.

The weather is perfect for them, and the Remedy takes a moment to bask in the heat even in the shade, taking a deep breath and letting it out again. "Me? Well, I took a jaunt out to King's End as a little holiday myself, but it's mostly been preparing for whatever might happen with Starfall," she admits. "What about you?"

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Astaroth

i think i'm the devil in disguise, here's my state of mind

Snorting a soft sound as the butcher glances back to the book with a melodramatic sigh, he nods and slides his gaze back over to her. “It is such a shame.” He agrees, voice airy enough to hint at a sigh, until of course she mentions that she has her own recommendations. “I am all ears for recommendations, however. Evidently my own personal preferences are rather boring, or so I am told.” Lifting his hand to gesture alongside his tone, it lifts into his hair as he shoots his sharp pearly grin toward her.

He doesn’t intend on making her work, of course, but he can see the calculating gaze her pebble blues take, and Astaroth doesn’t block anything from being seen. He lets her take him in, and he silently files it away to brag to Danta about later. A seal of approval, if the squeeze to his forearm is anything to go by, along with the approving nod. “I most certainly intend to, my dear.” Comes the accented drawl, smile widening a fraction.

And then, he’s hanging onto every word she says, nodding until his gaze drifts to the little violet island in question, and his smile turns a touch too sharp and too violent with the thought – nose wrinkling before he shakes his head to rid himself of it – slipping the sunglasses up onto the top of his head just in front of the pronged horns that curve from his skull. “I hope you find more time to enjoy yourself in between the Starfall prep.” He admits, before he’s nudging her lightly with the very same arm she’d just squeezed.

“Mm, well.. Quite a lot, actually? There was a void wickerwoman in the Grounds that Flora, Danta, and I got rid of. Flora did the majority of the work. Safrin had to heal me.” The tone of his voice is almost flat, as if the reminder of the starry thrum of healing energy still felt wrong, before he shakes his head to rid himself of it yet again. “I went on two dates with Flora, which is now a relatively sore subject so.. Perhaps best to let her bring it up, if you two converse.” The smile softens and turns a touch apologetic before he’s shrugging and reaching up to rub at his collarbone, over a stretch of scar tissue that spiders out from there. “Ah, and I am nearly completely done with building a shrine to Dygra in the Temple, if ever you need to see our Dark Lady.”

give me destruction, tell me i'm scrumptious
i'm a fucking delight

Isla

"Boring? You? I don't believe it," Isla says simply, peeping over her sunglasses to catch the title of the book he's put down before she settles back again. "I'll do you one better - if you drop by the clinic before you head back home, I'll lend you a few of my favourites to take back with you." Flashing him a sunny smile, she's already got a couple of books in mind that he might enjoy. "If you don't like them, though, please lie to me," she adds with a chuckle.

Glad to hear that Asta doesn't plan to get himself into any trouble on vacation (then again, who the fuck does), Isla sits back to enjoy the hush of the waves crashing against the ocean and the heat rippling up from the sand, as well as the good company, of course. "Oh, I find time to enjoy myself every day," she assures him, chuckling at the good-natured nudge he delivers. "That's what I'm doing right now. I just need to take tiny breaks each day, rather than a long vacation, evidently."

But then the conversation moves on to what Asta has been up to, and although the Remedy has realised he hardly lives an unexciting life in the time she's known him, to say that she doesn't expect the casual list of chaos - and the two dates with Flora??? - is a fucking understatement. Blinking in shock and lowering her sunglasses to raise her eyebrows at him, she spends a couple of seconds waiting for the punchline only to find it very much lacking. "Asta, what?" She barks out a laugh. "Fuck, are you okay?"

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Astaroth

i think i'm the devil in disguise, here's my state of mind

He’s also positive he isn’t boring, but he supposed Danta needs to get the ribbing in when he can. So at her offer, the butcher is already filing it into things to do before he leaves again, if only to keep the Maverick from complaining further about histories and aqueducts. And he hums a deep, dark laugh to hear her request to lie to her should he not like it, as if he’d do anything else. “Of course, darling, I will be eternally grateful to borrow them.” And they had to be good, if Isla claimed them to be her favorites, right?

But he insists that he intends on taking time for himself to the fullest, to relax as much as he can while also ensuring that she does the same. Nodding to hear that she prefers to take smaller ones more often rather than larger ones, Astaroth understands.

But then he’s talking about all of the shit he’s dealt with lately and it isn’t even including all of the Maea things — nor even the question of whether or not there were ways to make sedatives actually not taste like garbage, when his dark eyes watch the shock overcome her face. The sunglasses tilt down and he gets full view of her pebble gaze and all he can do is flash her that too sharp smile as he regards her with the honey dark ones of his own. But her laugh breaks through it, accompanied by his own again, twisting toward her to loop his arm around the top of the board they’re both leaning against. “Quite fine. I am here in one piece, am I not?” He asks with a playful smirk twisting his lips. “Though I will say I have required the occasional sedative to sleep. I am curious, is there any way to make them taste better than they do?” Purely for dramatics and to try and lighten the mood despite the seriousness in his question, the butcher lets a shiver race down his spine, quite visible, tail flicking out the rest of it like it could get rid of it solely if it tried hard enough.

give me destruction, tell me i'm scrumptious
i'm a fucking delight

Isla

"Then I'll keep them for you down at the clinic reception. Drop by whenever you like, even if I'm not working at the time. I'll leave a note to say they are for you," Isla says, nodding down at his reject of a book. "And if you want, I'll take that one off your hands, too. We can compare notes, decide if it's really that bad?" Is this the beginning of Caido's first book club? Stay tuned to find out.

There's still a little scrutiny in Isla's gaze, the medic unable to help herself especially when it transpires that Asta has needed a vacation for quite some time; luckily he seems completely relaxed, and so she does the same, reaching out and into her beach bag and drawing out a chilled flask of what looks like some fruit punch. "There's sadly no alcohol in this since I'm working later," she says with a smirk, "but you're still welcome to share a glass with me."

But then the butcher is continuing and they're talking about sedatives, and Isla's soft surprise gives way to concern to listen to his explanation. "I'm sorry to hear that," she says softly. "For the ones I make, I tend to use peppermint bark to mask a lot of the taste. But you can also dilute them in something with a strong flavour as well, if you don't mind having to drink an entire cup?"

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Astaroth

i think i'm the devil in disguise, here's my state of mind

Snorting, but finding agreement within it regardless, the butcher nods to her and flashes that same sharp smile. “Perfect. In the mean time perhaps we can find more to share.” Maybe it truly would be Caido’s first book club, but all he’s thinking about are the multitude of options to read, and if Isla harbors more creative finds then perhaps Danta might not find his choices in books so boring or lacking.

Either way, dark eyes watch as the flask is produced, he’s more than willing to participate, snagging the empty glass of the mojito, flicking his wrist to deposit the remaining melted ice and mint that remained at the bottom into the sand. He holds it out for her to pour however much she wishes to share of it, glancing up to her face as she answers his question. “It is not that often when I need it, but there are times it’s safer.” Casually letting his smile widen as if for proof (and she’d seen just how he’d reacted to being woken by surprise, it wouldn’t be surprising to figure out that he sometimes harbored less than savory reactions while sleeping).

“I had recently debated with Danta about mixing it with tea to mask the taste. I don’t think I would mind taking an entire cup.” But he hasn’t tried, so he wouldn’t know exactly. Maybe given enough practice and without knowing what was in it, he might be better off. “But peppermint would certainly do the trick, too. The one I have been getting tastes quite literally like dirt.” Snorting, he takes the glass with the liquid from Isla’s flask and lifts it to his lips, taking a taste and relishing in the sweetness of it.

give me destruction, tell me i'm scrumptious
i'm a fucking delight

Isla

Isla is of course as generous as one might expect her to be, and so she fills Asta's drink and her own cup in equal measure, reaching out to clink their glasses together in a cheers. "I'll keep an eye out. Though I daresay you might have better luck than me - you've got the Atheneum out in the Grounds." Torchline, for all of the things it does have, is still lacking any notable libraries. And whilst previously the Remedy wouldn't have even considered going back towards her old home for the sake of a few books, the Grounds is a very different region these days; she could be tempted, with the right novel.

Taking a sip of her punch and flashing Asta a wry look in response to his oh-so-sharp smile - safer, indeed - she gives him a gentle nod. "Tea would work, though it still probably wouldn't taste great," she agrees. "Where are you getting it from? I can give you something I'd prescribe if that's easier for you - I can either give you a powder or liquid solution." Suffice to say that Isla is particular (and proud) when it comes to her medicines, especially since she has no healing magic to speak of.

Well, besides Bloodboon, but that is for emergencies only.

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything