[ME] summer lover won’t you treat me right?

darling, can't you see?

I'm a broken man with addictive tendencies

For all intents and purposes, the Hanged Man is closed for cleaning, which while it wards away the majority of everyone, it does not ward away the Flood and the Valkyrie from their approach. Given that Flora was Hotaru’s flesh and blood and practically as good as for the Flood these days, Sunjata is more than comfortable guiding them into the dimly lit atmosphere.

His arm wound around Hotaru’s waist, he’s clamped down on his side of the attuned bond, not wanting to give anything away yet wanting to seem somewhat normal. It’s hard to push away the brimming excitement and hope, but he plays it off as if he’s hoping Flora’s there for some of her specialty cocktails he liked so much.

He hopes it pays off.

“So I was thinking we could stay the night here and just enjoy the last little bit of Longheat, whattya say?” Comes the accented rumble as he guides her in, hoping to distract her attention long enough to not notice the decor before Flora comes to greet them.

and I think I love you

SUNJATA

REMI

the bastion

there's a light that you give me
when I'm in shadow

Having been told that no, he didn't need to hide in one of the backrooms, Remi had helped himself to a rather large glass of gin (purely so that he wouldn't need to get up for a refill and interrupt things, you understand), before reaching into himself for the golden key which would unlock the door, temporarily at least, to Mort's realm.

"Oh Enzo..." Remi called, his voice perhaps a touch more thickly accented for the emotions suddenly making his throat feel tight.

Having been dressed by Ronin for the occasion, the Bastion wore a collared white shirt with a few of the buttons undone leaving it open at the throat, and a pair of tan shorts. The Knight had teased his curls into submission before declaring that as far as being an engagement-second-thought went, Remi had cleaned up rather nicely.

there's a feeling you give me, an everglow

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

flora

Unable to say which she was more excited for—her mother's engagement or seeing her twin again—Flora flitted around the Hanged Man practically effervescent with excitement. Having sent invitations to those who Sunjata had opted to invite (Deimos, Melita, Kiada and her dad so that he could bring Enzo), she'd spent the majority of her day laying out the decorations that she, the Honeybee, and the Flood had chosen, as well as assembling the custom cocktail station they'd made to perfectly suit her mother's tastes.

Having spent nearly as much time selecting her own outfit as doing anything else, Flora had opted for a flowing backless cream silk dress adorned with pastel flowers that hugged her curves in a manner appropriate for the occasion (so, not skin-tight , but form-fitted).

Oh Enzo...

Still furious at Remi for the stunt he'd pulled at their family dinner, nevertheless the sound of his voice drew an immediate gasp from Flora's lips; more properly, hearing her twin's name, had. Waiting with baited breath for her twin to step through, the second Enzo was made flesh again, he'd find his sister's arms strangling wrapped tightly around his neck. "Oh my GODS I have so much to tell you!"

i scream for whatever it's worth
"i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

MELITA

The Honeybee, here for mutual support across bridges, demigods, and general bouts of chaos, flitted through the room with a very confident ease, before snagging one of the cocktails, and floating about to find a space. Placing her present amongst a designated pile, she eventually wound her way over to an area. One of the chairs near the bar seemed to serve her nicely, and she ensconced herself there – giving a wave to Flora and Remi, but not going over; she had no business in that family reunion.

Instead, her eyes were trained on the door; wondering if there was something they should be doing. Hiding? Wouldn’t it be funny for all of them to duck around and then leap out with screams? How much had Sunjata informed Ru of the matter at hand?

This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

I carried my own ashes to the mountains

While the Sword had debated coming to this party at all (on multiple occasion), in the end he still arrived. Despite the transgressions with Sunjata, and the loaded bouts of abhorrence, his promises to Ru meant more than his grudges. Armed with a small present laden in his pockets, and the inherent desire to disappear into the wall, he nodded his way through the already gathered attendees. Hoping to catch Kiada nearby, for she was a welcome solace, he jutted his jawline towards Remi as he strived to find the best area in the room to be completely inconspicuous (maybe a joke, considering who he was and his stature). They seemed occupied anyway, given Enzo.

Uncertain how to even meander through those lines, he simply avoided it entirely, eventually winding his way to a table near the back, slightly out of the way and barely noticeable upon first glance.

DEIMOS

Enzo

Being called to the living realm is like being tapped on the shoulder and then ripped into a daydream in the space of a blink. One moment his hands are in the soil, his nonna's laugh somewhere over his shoulder, and the next his dad's voice is in his ear and Enzo is blinking, wondering if he is younger than his hands in front of his face resemble - and then he is standing and stepping without knowing why or how, and the Greatwood disappears behind him to coalesce into a bar. Into Flora.

Enzo catches her because he always will, because it's second nature, and his laugh is bright as he buries his face in her golden hair. Remi is close at hand too, and Enzo reaches to snag at the man's elbow to drag him closer and into an embrace as well. "You sure you aren't abusing your powers lately pops? I swear I just saw you," he teases, as if his heart doesn't long anew for the drudgery of daily visits with one's father.

His eyes seek out the last remaining person still missing in the equation (well, Mateo aside) and his arm - which had wrapped around Flora's waist and refused to budge, whether she'd grumped about Remi's closeness during their hug or not - tightens to bring her back to his hip as he leans in to her ear. "You couldn't have made dad bring me sooner? I'm as surprised as she is," he whines. As much as someone can whine with a grandiose, accented tone that is a diluted clone of Remi's. Propping his chin on Flora's shoulder, he grins across the room at his mom and decides to initiate the whole surprise part of this thing. If anybody groans about it he'll be gone within the day and won't catch flack for it. "Hey ma, other people exist you know!"

you'll play the artist and I'll play the thief
'til I just let you down

Hotaru

I remember the night you said ‘I think I’m falling in love with you'
igniting a great unendurable belongingness, a match in a forest fire

Hotaru is not normally easy to fool, but there's a well established weakness that comes with love that forms in the shape of blinders and vulnerable heels. Often these vulnerabilities are only discussed in the wake of tragedy or betrayal, but today there is a far more promising end that Hotaru is blissfully unaware of. How could she be, when visiting Flora is so commonplace that it provides the perfect cover?

If his voice weren't so distracting - especially when paired with a proposition - Ru might have noticed the decor, but her eyes only care to see Sunjata on the best of days. "That sounds perfect. We'll have snow sooner than we'll expect, whatever will you do then?" Her grin is aimed up at her lover, hoping to wheedle an agreement of increased trips out of him despite the fact she hardly has to ask. 

The murmuring and shuffling of other people is a given in a bar though it's rather suspiciously quiet given how raucous the Hanged Man usually is. Except - wait -

Hotaru's awareness finally settles in, recalling the closed sign and flimsy explanation that she'd snorted at as they'd arrived. Her head rises and begins to turn right as she hears her son's voice. Then there's no stopping how her head snaps fast enough to have smacked Sunjata with her hair if he were nearly a foot shorter. "Enzo?" She finds him, his green eyes bright and laughing soundlessly from Flora's shoulder. Remi - and Deimos? Melita? 

Their faces quicken her heart, some deeply concealed weakness and eternal longing to be loved cracking like spring hoarfrost and leaving her winded. Her hand blindly searches for Sunjata in some way shape or form, clenching and clinging to the person who represents the earth under her feet so that she might find stability. Her eyes can't leave the twins, but her side of the Attuned bond glitches and sparks like fireworks as confusion, excitement, and concern fight for dominance inside her. "Hart koning? What is this?" Her grin is so immediate and dazzling that her cheeks hurt, the symphony of her euphoria loudly broadcasted to all Attuned who can feel it. A birthday surprise?

I burned so long so quiet you must have wondered if I loved you back
I did, I did, I do

KIADA

burn it into my collar, hollowed onto your wrist

Don’t worry Deimos, Kiada is absolutely here to be a welcome solace. And any reason to get to enjoy the heat of Torchline during Longheat was precisely another wonderful factor to her arrival (not only because her aunt was being engaged, of course, but it did make a nice excuse). So she’d snagged two drinks, lovely as they are, and joins Deimos over in the inconspicuous corner, wondering whether they should shout a surprise or not the second the couple enters.

Ah well, for now she focuses on everything else around – including the familial gatherings across the fold – of Flora, whom Remi had mentioned she should meet at some point and she makes a mental note to greet Torchline’s Queen when the chance was given, but for now she settles and flashes Deimos a playful smile. At least they could sit there in their quiet judgements together, right?

heaven knows i don't follow, but i believe in this

darling, can't you see?

I'm a broken man with addictive tendencies

“I might just die. Or live in blankets for the rest of the year.” Sunjata says playfully, humming an accented laugh before he wrinkles his nose to truly sell the point of how much he hated snow. Luckily, she already knew, as did many people both in attendance and not. At least the conversation distracts her enough to not notice the oddities to begin with.

Focused so intensely on the Valkyrie and ensuring that she took in everything revealed to her precisely as she should, the Flood doesn’t really notice the multitudes of those invited already within, drinks in hand and quiet conversations. Though he should have guessed that Hotaru would – especially when the unfamiliar voice of Enzo distracts her. It’s something he didn’t account for – after all, Enzo had been the one that Sunjata unfortunately hadn’t met, unless one counts before being born.

Either way, her head snaps toward the sound and the ball is suddenly rolling quite fast and it really doesn’t help to have the glitchy fireworks of Hotaru’s side of the bond so vibrant that he, for once, stumbles over the things he intends on saying (things he’d planned on saying for months now). “Happy birthday, liefde.” He murmurs softly, squeezing her gently against his side.

“There is something else, though.” He bounces a brow and continues to try and keep his side of the attuned bond restrained, quiet and muted to let her fireworks be the show. He really isn’t trying to prolong it out in anticipation – after all, it wasn’t just a birthday party even if that was partially the guise and the reason he’d wanted to do it this season, and he might as well get the cat out of the bag so it didn’t loom over the rest of the party, trying to find a perfect interjection.

Moving slightly to where he blocks her view of everyone gathered – mostly where her eyes were previously trained on Flora and Enzo, the Flood doesn’t block the view for long. He drops to a knee, letting his steel gaze peer up at her, feathers of dark navy fill out around his neck from nervousness that surprises even himself. “Hotaru,” clearing his throat, the Flood keeps her hand in his even as his other slips into a pocket to retrieve a jewelry box. “You and I have been through so much over the years, ever since that day we met in the basement of the Advocates so long ago. We’ve had lots of lows and lots of highs, but I think we’ve managed to figure it out.” It’s an understatement, but true, nonetheless. “You make me a better person. We both know how shitty I am with my words, but you know exactly what I’m trying to say whenever I’m struggling to say it. I have always loved you, even when it wasn’t at the forefront of my actions or my mind. But I want to change that. Just like how we had planned so long ago with Nate.” Only this time it would be just them and their memories, however heartbreaking or beautiful that ended up being depending on the day and season.

Taking a deep breath and flashing a vibrant smile, Sunjata pops open the box and reveals two rings – one she would recognize, a matching one to the one that had been made to match his and Nate’s from when they’d asked her to marry them the first time. The second, a beautiful gold band, adorned with a good sized diamond, flanked by emerald on one side and light blue topazes on the other. “So I’m asking again, liefde. Will you marry me?”

and I think I love you

SUNJATA

Hotaru

I remember the night you said ‘I think I’m falling in love with you'
igniting a great unendurable belongingness, a match in a forest fire

The evening can't possibly get any better, but Sunjata's voice crooning softly in her ear as she looks out over all these people she loves and who love her in return makes her think she doesn't know the limits of her own happiness. Her laughter escapes her like a fountain, rainbow droplets that rain upon them all before she can extend a hand to reign them back in. Already she glows like a drop of sunlight stolen from the source, but the radiance of her joy makes every shade of gold seem all the brighter. She scarcely wants to blink, to breathe, lest the tableau fall away and she awakens in Sunjata's arms back in the quiet of their bedroom.

Sunjata does it for her, as he does all the hardest things for her sake. Hotaru's eyes blink away from Enzo and Flora for the briefest of moments, ensnared anew by the Flood. She doesn't think she can stop smiling, but as he goes down on one knee her face transforms into as many circles as it possibly can, eyes wide and mouth falling slack. Her hand in his tightens instinctively as her heart double-times so fast the room sways around her.

The tears come somewhere in the middle, laughing wetly at the understatement of their tangled history. She doesn't feel them when they come nor as they continue, dripping diamonds in the tasteful low lighting of the bar. Yes, yes, yes, her heart sings, though he's yet to ask. There is sorrow and regret and a place between them that will always be empty, but their arms have found each other around that space and it will live with them forever as they make their way forward. Lovingly cradled in the roots they grow together. The two rings in the box are evident of that; Hotaru may be a different woman now than she was when the first ring was crafted for her, but she can't imagine not wearing it now.

Though surely there are people waiting on her, Hotaru couldn't care less - though she doesn't make them wait either, because her answer is as easy as breathing, as certain as sunrises and tides. "Yes. Yes, of course - always," she blubbers nonsensically, free hand rising to cup Sunjata's face as she leans down and kisses him firmly, laughter and tears making her lips tremble against his as she seals the vow that hides in her answer.Love you, yes, forever, forever and always - I love you, I love you, I love you, rings in cascading circles to anyone who doesn't have the good sense to shut her out. But it's her party - her birthday and engagement party - so she'll cry if she wants to.

I burned so long so quiet you must have wondered if I loved you back
I did, I did, I do

I carried my own ashes to the mountains

Kiada was a welcome relief through the quiet and closed off thoughts coiling their way through his mind, and he nudged her a little with his elbow in the manner of jovial pursuits through the unwelcome mire soon to occur.

But then he flickered his eyes around the room, from person to person, before they fell upon Ru’s entrance – withholding his snort as she seemed to be caught unawares (a rarity) by the gathering.

And though as soon as Sunjata started talking Deimos had to restrain a long-suffering sigh and an eye roll, he kept himself composed, only half-listening to the diatribe. Only when Ru accepted (though it would’ve been hilarious if she hadn’t), and the flood of emotions rankle through Attuned measures, did he shake his head to free himself of them. But rather than sulk and pout, he raised his glass to the couple in the angles of support, intending to start the rabble-rousing. “Congratulations.”

DEIMOS

MELITA

Melita tuned out a bit during the speech – since Sunjata seemed to meander around a lot of shit – and hiding the inherent and inward frown that threatened at the mention of Nate. She wondered if that would be like a ghost between them – or simply another event where they prevailed over and over, not forgotten but not damaging either.

So she went back and forth in people watching instead, eyes flickering from Sunjata, back to Ru, back to Sunjata, to gauge reactions. All in all, there’d been no reason to ever fret over anything (not that she was much of a worrier anyway), as the Valkyrie accepted the Flood’s hand. Opting to be obnoxious in all their delight, she cupped her hands around her mouth and started with raucous approval through barely coherent whoooooing.

This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

flora

Glued against Enzo, Flora twines her arms around his waist, obnoxiously ignoring Remi in the process if only to silently communicate to her twin that we hate him right now. "SHHHHH." The queen hisses adoringly in response to her brother's sass, and had she been willing to give up even an inch of her hold on him, she'd have nudged him in the ribs as well. Instead, she opted to tug him away from Remi; while the Bastion might have been their father, Enzo was her twin.

"There's someone I want you to meet...at their wedding." She whispers quickly as their mother surveys the room. Biting at her lower lip, Flora glances up into eyes which have ever been her favourite shade of green. "I'm in love." She gushes softly. The rush of emotion has the blush she'd applied earlier darkening, and though this was absolutely meant to be their mother's moment, Flora wasn't above commandering Enzo's time whenever she could.

Sipping in a breath as Sunjata dropped down to one knee, the Doubletake tucks herself against Enzo's side, angling his body so that she could lay her head against his chest and still watch what was going on. Unlike some (cough Melita cough), Flora hung on each of the Flood's words, her mind artfully imagining the love story that had bloomed between the pair (with a few disney-like flourishes here and there), and when he'd finished and her mother said yes, Flora sprang forward, tugging Enzo with her, to wrap their mother in a tight hug.

i scream for whatever it's worth
"i love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Enzo

Enzo snaps his teeth in skeleton-grin play at the hissed reprimand. If Flora thinks she can get away with murder then Enzo thinks even more highly of himself; it’s his twin’s bar, his mom’s engagement, and he’s literally already dead. She won’t need an Attuned bond to hear the loud raspberry he mentally blows when he steals the “surprise!” thunder from everyone. 

She might not hear the record scratch of confusion as her gushing precedes the big moment, dazing him with her brilliant smile as he tries to wrap his head around not one but two active confessions of love. 

How much time has passed? Wasn’t she just broken hearted over some other impotent failure of a man? Gods, Enzo needs to find a way to vet these cretins from the grave. Or maybe just help them cross over like the kind soul he is. 

Murder isn’t very thematically appropriate for an engagement, but luckily nobody has to know - and his mom still says yes, so. Melita and her raucous cheering is met in kind as Enzo tilts his head back and whoops and howls - and since she’s cute too he throws a wink over his shoulder in appreciation too as Flora drags him headlong toward their mom. Laughing boisterously, he grabs both women in his long arms and squeezes hard, shaking them like an over-eager dog. “Three dads! Three dads! Three dads!” Enzo chants. Because he’s a shit like that. And because he desperately wants to talk to Flora (sorry new dad, brb) he frees a hand and waves toward the crowd and declares, “Drinks! Let’s party!” That will surely distract the new lovebirds while he tries to make the best use of the sand in his hourglass to interrogate his sister.

you'll play the artist and I'll play the thief
'til I just let you down