9-1-1, my emergency is my woman

// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //

He used to avoid sky ships altogether, happily grounded in Stormbreak, as weird as that idea is. Now he's been on so many in the past week he feels like he could safely captain one. It's not a good place to be, sailing slowly through the air, when you need something to do to keep from losing your mind. That's what it feels like is happening to him anyway as he anxiously bounces a leg against his seat, nervously smiling back at the annoyed glances he earns from other passengers, one of which is sitting beside him and huffs loudly as she leans further away from him. "So anyway, that's why I have to make sure it goes off perfectly," he tells the old man across from him, who is clearly only listening to be polite, and is not at all invested in Kaisel's romantic babbling. "What do you think?" he asks as he leans forward and crosses his hands beneath his chin, staring intently at the old man. The stranger just shrugs, lifting his hand to display a bare ring finger—no help there, either. Kaisel sighs and slouches back against his seat, pulling his hood over his hair and playing with the drawstrings for the remainder of the flight.

He steps off the ship and onto the port with a deep inhale of the crisp, cool air. The smell of wood smoke is strong and pleasant, and the late morning of the day is brilliantly blue and cloudless. His sweatshirt strings are lopsided and at this point, hopelessly tangled with each other from all his fidgeting. He shoves his hands into his pockets, giving a cursory glance to the people here, unsure if he'd arrive before Caly, but it looks like he has. He'd come up with some half-formed plan after all his incessant begging on the ship, which only proved to him no one's got a fucking clue, which fills him with a weird mixture of hopelessness and relief. He slips into the crowd, breaking for a vendor shouting about delicious treats. After some deliberation he settles on a kabob of chili-dusted cherries soaked in rum and one with vodka brined strawberries drizzled with chocolate.

Doing his very best not to eat them yet, he heads back to the main entrance of the port and hops up on a railing, legs dangling freely as he just nibbles the corner of one of the strawberries while he waits.

Kaisel

// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //

the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
and she is gold, gold, gold

Her trip on the Skyship isn’t as exciting as Kaisel’s. For the majority of the time, the young blonde remains seated, watching the clouds pass with both indifference and comfort, close to the stars as she is. She’s bundled up, though it doesn’t stop a few people across the ship from staring at her in all the garb. It had been hard to find in Torchline at this time, but she’d scrounged up some of her winter attire and slipped into them the second the air got colder. It’s a cream fur coat she wears, bundled over a yellow sweater and pale jeans. Black boots accompany it, matching the gloves on her fingers and the dark knitted beanie she wears that tucks most of her blonde away, nestled in beautifully with the stunning golden sunny hairpin that Vesper had given her.

It glints with the golden disc in the shape of a sun as she tilts her head as they come in to land, her leather bag slung over her shoulder as she stands once everyone’s ready to depart, and then Caly’s eyes are peeled for Kaisel. She’s half expecting his excitement to outweigh the cool guy chic, leaving him in the main group to await her arrival. But she comes up empty until she’s scanning the outskirts, seeing him sitting on a railing just outside off it, chewing on something he’d snagged presumably on the way,

So she makes her way toward him, stepping with purpose until she’s peering up at him from where he sits on the railing. “Hey you.” She hums, before her gaze is dropping to the goodies he has. “Hope ya weren’t waiting too long.”

Calypso

and she is scorching the skin of my heart

// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //

If she’s the daylight, he’s the daisy—grateful, stretching, unfurling beneath the lavish warmth of her attention. Such is the wide spread of his grin as she suddenly appears, his sudden joy nearly costing him his grip on the treats as he flings his hands out with the enthusiasm. "HEY!" he crows, sliding off the rail to land just before her, head dipping down to seal a strawberry-touched kiss to her mouth, and then the tip of her nose.

"You took the jacket notion seriously" he notes with a lift to his 'brows as he gives her an exaggerated once-over, lopsided grin in place. Typical Torchliner, he thinks affectionately, so put off by the cold she dressed herself in every layer imaginable. He's doing okay with his sweatshirt, thicker black pants, and boots, though he does have a knit cap stuffed in his hoodie pocket—it keeps his hands warmer when he puts them inside too.

"Here," he says brightly, holding out the chili dusted cherry kabob. "I thought you'd like this. I also have this one," he says, giving the strawberry one a playful little joust, though he's certain it suits him more than her based on her candy preferences he's learned thus far.

Kaisel

// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //

the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
and she is gold, gold, gold

He greets her like it’s the first time he’s seen the sun in weeks, and it really goes a long way to making her feel special. After all, she isn’t stupid. She heard the broadcast, she knew that he was from Stormbreak. She knew he was a Dragoon. She’s certainly able to put two and two together in the fact that he’s been busy. But he hadn’t died, asked for a date, and still greets her like nothing could shake him. It’s sweet in a way that she doesn’t expect that has her sidling up against him when he kisses her, strawberry sweet.

Letting him look her over, she snickers lightly as she peers up at him from beneath her lashes. “Told ya. Brought out my winter clothes so I definitely wouldn’t freeze my tits off.” She touts playfully, winking from the eye that boasts the star tattoo beneath it. She steps back a fraction to make more room so that he can hand her the treat he’s carrying and her amber eyes light up, her grin brightening as she snags it. “Oooh!! Kai this is great.” She chimes, already taking a bite of the cherry from the kabob, feeling the light sweet burn of rum and the spice of heat from the chili. Each chew of the cherry brings more sweetness, heat, and liquor burn, and for that, Caly finds herself already warming up tenfold. “Mm, what did you get?” She asks, brow lifting as she peers up at him, stepping to his side so that they don’t take up too much space by this portion of the Skyport.

Calypso

and she is scorching the skin of my heart

// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //

Kaisel has always moved through life with a certain self-assuredness that everything will be ok. Maybe not now, but in the end, eventually, because it has to be. Maybe it's the generally peaceful life he's lived thus far, rather at odds with a family of fighters, but he hasn't really found something strong enough to break 'ok' for good. Ok is strong. It doesn't demand too much, so even when you've got a few worn edges, it's easy enough to fold those in and still call it ok. Not good, that's not the aim.

Even now—exiled from his home by the Family, run ragged with terror and exhaustion as they fled and regrouped, a definite low point for him—he believes it’ll still be ok. Either they’ll beat the Family one day, like Ronin believes, or they’ll all die and it won’t matter anyway!

All this to say, it's why you go in for the kiss with the girl, even if you aren't really sure what you are to each other. Attracted—that's enough of a label for now.

Her joy echoes in him, every bounce like a beam of light through a crack. He wants little more than to bring her all the happiness he can, because we all deserve someone in life who would love to see us smile more. Rather pleased with himself that he managed it, his grin broadens, and his heart floats a bit lighter.

He threads his arm through hers, tucking her tight to him as he strikes out for a blind tour of the city with her, the skyport just the start. "Mine's vodka-strawberry with chocolate drizzle, want some?" he offers as he pulls one off with his teeth, holding it like a dog offering a ball, for her to take from him or if she declines, he'll be happy to keep it for himself.

Kaisel

// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //

the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
and she is gold, gold, gold

It’s a self assuredness that Caly also shares - but in the way that’s more akin to being more calculating and distrusting of others initially. Everything is ok because it had to be, because she’s not willing to let anyone but her siblings see her when it isn’t okay. But, luckily for her, that hasn’t fully happened just yet. Disappointments, sure, but anything actually bad? She’s been lucky so far.

And with Kaisel at her side, ever present and stalwart, the young attuned beams. She radiates a certain sunshine happiness that typically was a mask, but she finds it slipping in his presence. She doesn’t need to lie to him, because there was nothing to gain from it. She didn’t need to be stealthy or sneaky, because he was so genuine with everything he did that she can’t fathom the idea he might not be.

Or maybe she likes him more than she’s admitted to herself.

Tucked tight against his side, she leans into him as they walk, listening as he answers her question and already offers her a taste, and how can she resist? "'Course I do." Mischief flickers in her amber gaze for a brief moment before she’s tugging him down, deciding not to take it with her hands (one’s occupied anyway with the chili dusted cherries) but with her mouth instead. But fuck, he’s tall, so it takes a moment and interrupts their steps, but she manages to steal it with the briefest press of her lips against his, biting down on the sweet, dessert fruit and humming her appreciation as she’s momentarily silenced by the snack in her mouth.

Calypso

and she is scorching the skin of my heart

// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //

His step stutters beside her, catching ahead of her for a beat before he spins back towards her, the planted anchor of her arm something he'd not dare let go. As he turns, 'brows quietly questioning, he can only oblige her unspoken request, bending at her tug like she's got a string attached to him and can puppet him anyway she'd like. The brush of her lips leaves a chili-dusted sizzle on his mouth. She’s always more daring than he expects—leaping past any line he might have drawn, fearless in a way he longs to mirror. "Hang on," he murmurs after a beat, faux-concern flashing across his face. "You got a little something—right—there." His thumb brushes across part of her bottom lip, tugging away a chocolate flake. He licks it clean with a lazy grin. "Perfect."

He falls back alongside her as they continue down one of the main pathways of Halo's Citadel. "So what have you been up to while I was not dying?" He glances from the bustle of the town to her, bright with the ease of spending daylight beside someone so radiant they could release sunlight into the night. "Has the bar been busy?" The thought of that brushes uncomfortably close to something he's actively trying to avoid thinking anything about, but he knows it'll be a big part of her life now.

"Also," he states commandingly with a flourish of his remaining kabob, its days numbered with how delicious it is. "We're going to play would you rather, so I can find out exactly who you are when it comes down to the tough questions, like would you rather only eat burnt food, or always bite your tongue when you eat?" He glances at her expectantly. "If you decline to answer, or skip, you are susceptible to a dare that you cannot back out of."

Kaisel

// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //

the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
and she is gold, gold, gold

It’s because he’s got long as fuck legs that the Dragoon has to match pace with her - not exactly willing to double her step count when they could simply meet in the middle. So she increases her strides until it’s time that she stops and makes him turn toward her, an innocent grin on her face as she steps up on her tiptoes to snatch the vodka soaked strawberry from his very lips.

She goes very still, like a predator might, when he says she has something on her face, looking up at him with bright amber eyes questioningly before he’s swiping away the chocolate left behind. Her nose wrinkles with her smile and she swallows down the bite to flash him an even brighter one before they can continue their little self tour of the Citadel.

“Bar’s been real busy. We’re redecoratin’ so we had t’get some new fabric ’n lights. I commissioned a stained glass window to go next t’where I work.” She beams up at him, quite content and pleased with the result of such a thing. She’s been busy, but good, and the Hanged Man is thriving because of it, she thinks.

Hearing the commanding tone he has, her brows lift toward him as she snickers a vibrant sound, nodding as he explains to her. “A’ight.” She pauses, nibbling on the chili dusted cherry on her kebob before she’s answering him. “Bite m’tongue. ‘Cause at least that way I can still eat ice cream ’n keep the pain at bay a lil bit longer.” Confident with her answer, Caly peers up at Kaisel as she thinks. “Would y’rather have the hiccups forever or feel like you’ve gotta sneeze constantly?” She asks with a small smirk.

Calypso

and she is scorching the skin of my heart

// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //

He's a bit caught off guard by her answer, so he repeats it back, just to be sure. "Redecorating?" He'd thought they were just looking after the bar for Flora, not that they had taken over. It gives a sense of a finality he hadn't expected to care about. Like a bit of her had been erased, smudged out under new lighting and fresh stitching—her marks on the world casually undone. He blinks, swallowing it down with a nod and a smile, because Caly is positively vibrant with the joy of it and he can't deny her that. Besides, Flora built the Sugar Tide into something all her own, so maybe the Hanged Man doesn't need to carry her name any longer. Maybe it's meant to be the blend of sugar, sour, and spice now, a new place for them. "I'll have to come by and see it," he says with a thoughtful hum, bumping her shoulder a bit with his. "Get the grand tour of the newly redone designs, and see this window."

He's delighted that she's agreed to his terms without complaint, so he looks expectantly towards her as she muses around the cherry. "Ooooh, good call," he grins, "especially the ice cream part. What's your go to ice cream flavor? Mine's strawberry." He shakes the kabob as if proof, claiming another bite from it as he considers he question now. "I think hiccups forever. The sneeze that never comes is a truly terrible experience."

"Ok, ok. Would you rather be cursed forever with very mild inconveniences, or have all your dreams granted BUT with a small chance, like ten percent, of instant death?" Some days it already feels like he is cursed with mild inconveniences, especially whenever his fucking belt loop catches on a door handle, which only seems to be whenever he's in a hurry.

Kaisel

// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //

the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
and she is gold, gold, gold

For all intents and purposes, Caly had made sure that the pieces of Flora that needed to remain in the Hanged Man did stay within the confines of the bar. But the rest? With them being the new proprietors of it, they had to make sure that it was different enough to prove it. Otherwise, she might get sick of hearing the well, I’ll wait ‘til Flora’s back, when they all knew damn well that the Hanged Man deserved to have it full as possible by any means. “Y’should. I’d love to show you.” She murmurs a touch softer, flashing him a grin before she’s answering his question.

“Strawberry? Never took you for bein’ basic.” She touts playfully, the tease a gentle one that rolls off her tongue. “If I had to choose, pistachio an’ salted caramel.” She finally answers, flashing him a wink as if to say that at least he could pick something to mix with the strawberry so it wasn’t so plain. Like a strawberry cheesecake, for example.

But as he answers her question, she takes another bite of the cherry, swallowing it down and dragging her tongue across her lips as she considers, snickering softly and squeezing his arm. “It’s like when someone tell’s ya bless you before it comes so you’re just stuck. Good choice.” She can get behind that one. Because at least it wouldn’t be all the time.

“Oh! Definitely the ten percent instant death.” Perhaps it goes to show how lucky she thinks she is, or maybe it’s a reflection of the danger that really gets her blood pumping. Or maybe it’s the fact that she thinks she might actually be at risk of killing someone if she had to live day after day with mild inconveniences. “Would y’rather get ONE song stuck in your head for the rest of your life – like, I’m talking forever - or yell every time y’talked?” Peering up at him with a light batting of her lashes, she leans into him as she takes another bite of the cherry kebab to chew on while she hears his answer.

Calypso

and she is scorching the skin of my heart

// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //

"All about balance," he asserts, completely unabashed by his basic bitch tendencies. "Sometimes simple is best, other times, you need wild." A bit of each once in a while makes the other better appreciated too. "Although, I will say, that flavor sounds good. Admittedly... most ice cream flavors do." He’s the type who can’t be trusted with a pint—just one spoonful after another until the whole thing’s gone. Strictly bowls and portion control, or it’s game over.

Her squeeze draws his gaze, and for a moment he just soaks it in—a good day, a beautiful woman, and the rare clarity to recognize both. Kinda makes it seem like life isn't actually so terrible after all, not if he can gather more days like this and have the mind to recognize them when they happen. "Exactlyyyy," he exclaims, discovering a new, inexplicable passion for stuck sneezes. "Why do people do that." He tuts at the idea of the 'bless you' criminals, clearly an organized crime group given how deeply they've infiltrated everywhere.

He's not too surprised by her answer, though he laughs faintly at her excitement in the claim of it. "I'd definitely pick the same. What's the point in dreaming if you don't reach for them?" Her next questions earns an immediate answer, "yell!" Partly because he definitely would not want only one song stuck in his head, but also because he's eying the cherry she's taking. He tugs her into him, trying to unbalance her a bit as a distraction while he leans over and chases after the cherry with his mouth, attempting to claim it for himself before she swallows it.

Kaisel

// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //

the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
and she is gold, gold, gold

Ice cream was always a win in her book. Even if she didn’t get the flavor that was her favorite, she was still a fan of plenty of various flavors - basic ones included, even if she was resigned to talk shit about how basic they were. It was a simple pleasure amongst a world that seemingly had everything against it at the moment - something she chooses not to think about much, given the ability to avoid it. She was safe, Torchline was protected against the void. And she’d promised her mother that she wouldn’t get involved if at all possible.

She hums a note of agreement to Kaisel at the mention of the sneeze thieves, snickering lightly as she also hears that he’d pick the same as her. Life with a bit of risk is what really god her blood pumping, even if she tended to be calm and poised. Caly was calculating, the way that’s unassuming to most. Without fully realizing that they’ve been studied. That’s how she preferred it.

Popping the chili dusted cherry into her mouth as she waits for his answer, it comes with speed, one that surprises her briefly, half tempted to ask him if he was even going to consider the alternative. But she doesn’t get a chance to, not as she’s tugged into him (gladly so), sent off balance enough to crash into his chest and into the thieving kiss. She concedes a portion of the cherry, swallowing the other bit stubbornly and amused as she surges back into the kiss, trying to prolong the shared taste of cherry in their mouths. Her arms slip up, wrapping around his neck to force them to stay together a bit longer, withdrawing with a playful nip of his lower lip and a wink from the eye with the star tattoo. “Aren’t you a menace?” She teases gently, amusement and happiness glittering in her gaze.

Calypso

and she is scorching the skin of my heart

// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //

He grins victoriously into the kiss, the portion of cherry puffed into his cheek like a greedy little hamster as he equally maintains the contact for as long as he can manage. The heat from the chili builds the entire time, but it’s the drag of her teeth that really does him in, an appreciative noise rumbling in his chest as his free hand fans out against the small of her back. There's never anything calm about kissing her—just spice and spark, a rush of throwing himself into something he already knows could undo him easily.

Reluctantly they part, and he returns her wink with a lopsided, lazy smile that's full of summertime recklessness. "How'd you learn my middle name?" he asks with mock incredulity. His hand slips from her back as he straightens them back out for their walk, loath as he is to remove any extra contact with her, the colorful flutter of kites further down the road has him curious. The heat of the kiss is still blooming at his ears and down his chest, making each stride a little crooked as he finds himself drifting into her, like she's got a pull on him.

“Alright,” he adds as they go, clearly not letting the game go that easy, although he is upping the ante a bit now, trying to make things uncomfortable enough to trigger the other rules. “Okay, would you rather have your dad or your brother be the one to accidentally walk in on you naked?” He pauses, throwing her a sharp, playful glance. “Unless you'd prefer a dare?” He offers as a reminder, an out should she so choose.

Kaisel

// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //

the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
and she is gold, gold, gold

“Oh, is that what it is?” She snickers at his lazy smile and reckless nature, swaddled in a blanket of good intentions. “Here I was thinkin’ it was rascal.” She touts, even as she lingers closer to him with the loss of warmth from his hand at her back. She’s also loath to lose the connection, and perhaps that’s why she tightens her arm around his, keeping them connected even as the walk continues to offer distraction and cool air. It’s enough to have her cheeks and nose glimmering a pink hue from the chill, even as she looks over at him with amber eyes of quiet delight.

Her dad, her brother, or a dare? Well, given it’s an easy answer, she lets the sharp smile bloom at Kaisel - pretending to consider it, even if her answer is immediate in the golden light of her mind. “C’mon, tryin’ to get me to dare for an easy answer?” She shrugs a shoulder briefly even if her smile grows more chaotic. “Dad, easy.” There wasn’t a markable note of connection between her and Jack, aside from the fact he’d helped bring her to life. Since then? Hands off, just the way she liked it.

“Would you rather be able to replay memories in your life like you’re actually there reliving it, or be able to fast forward?” She asks, a self indulgent question. Because for her, it’s certainly the repayable memories, but for him? Would he fast forward through all of this to get back home in Stormbreak?

And if that was the case, was she even still a blip on the radar or just a fun gilded time?

She lets him answer as they walk, eyeing the colorful kites in the distance - one that looks like it’s shaped as a cloud manta, glittering and opalescent in the wintry sun.

Calypso

and she is scorching the skin of my heart