[ME] Be Merry and Be Dazzled

JACK

"Seems so," Jack rumbles to Nova, falling almost unnervingly still at the kiss she smooches against his cheek, before he's corralling himself to the safety of having the bar between himself and the youths. Apparently even here he's not going to be entirely alone, though, and as 'Jeff' the wine spider is plonked tipsily down to join him, the captain merely shrugs a shoulder, pours the arachnid a shot of liquor, and gets on with it.

Having poured himself a drink, offered a quiet nod to Hadama and attempted (failingly) to wipe the glittering kiss mark from his cheek, only at a familiar crackle of unhappy thought does Jack turn to face the prickly looking dragoon in his ridiculous suit. Vesper and Nova are already chirping up, the captain-turned-bartender surrendering whatever sweet monstrosity she'd like to the latter before he inclines his head to Kaisel.

"Sure am," he rumbles. "What can I get you? White lightnin'? A dark 'n' stormy? Ride the lightnin'? All sorts of cocktails I can prob'ly whip up back here."

Alas, he doesn't even give Kai the courtesy of his full attention, because soon enough Theea has sidled up to the bar, and he glances across at her with a raise of a brow and a swift nod. "Never forget a face that's helped feed my crew," he drawls, grabbing a glass and fussing with a few of the bottles before setting a crisp whiskey sour on the counter for her. "A classic, but it'll knock you on your ass if you enjoy it too much."

romancing yourself is possible, narcissistic
and recommended

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Lately we've been covered by the past

“Ooooh, thanks, dad!” Caly chirps as she snags the bottle of greenish tinged tequila, practically beaming a vibrant smile when she notes the briefest scent of spicy jalapeños that would give it an extra twist. It’s absolutely perfect, even if she’s slightly distracted by it to hear the other gift that’s for later when they’re on their own. Content to leave that in the box for later, an amused smile flits to the wine spider that scurries with immediate recognition from Nova.

But she’s beckoned to the floor and not the bar, letting Jack take it over right when more people filter in — gifts offered by a pretty blonde that she takes note of when she focuses warmly mostly on her brother, as well as @Mateo’s arrival (and a part of her glances back at her brother with a knowing look). She doesn’t continue the thought process (ooh the drama!) When Hadama arrives and she flashes him a bright smile. “Hi Hadama!” But she leaves the answering of where to place the gifts to her glittering sister.

A stranger appears on the blonde’s side, though, drifting immediately to Mateo which reminds her to give her brother mental shit only to have him drag her the second Kaisel appears and steals Calypso’s attention like a moth drawn to a lamp. Her grin brightens, even as he seems pale (and maybe it’s because nobody’s told her that Jack and Kaisel had a rather electric display), but as Vesper answers, she childishly sticks her tongue out at him as she does bolt to Kaisel’s side, snatching his arm and pressing against him with ease. “C’mon, we’ll have fun. Ignore ‘em. It’s what I do.” She announces mischievously, like her brother couldn’t tell what she was saying by the way she’s slanted her face into Kaisel’s arm to speak. “Sorry I didn’t tell ya before, shit’s been busy.” A part of her hopes that he’ll forgive her, even if the other part of her finds that she wouldn’t care one way or another if he did or didn’t. She’s eyeing the cupcakes he’s brought with a curious intrigue, even as she tries to guide him further into the party toward her father, blissfully unaware.

Oh, but then Theea arrives and Calypso’s smile spreads sunnily across her face as she turns toward her. “Theea!! Oh my gods, this is amazing, thank you!” She chirps, taking the bag. “I’ve got a huge sweet tooth.” She tries to reassure her - because yes, she’s noticed that there are multiple sweets, and Caly doesn’t want to make her feel bad for having brought more. Her and her siblings would absolutely devour it either way.

But then Theea’s swanning away toward her father and Nova’s leaning against the bar, which leaves her to curl into Kaisel once more. “So! You gonna tell me what all this is?” She asks innocently and sweetly, not referring to the attire nor gift that Kaisel’s brought, but the tension lingering in the Hanged Man between him and Jack.

Calypso

But don't you think that we are made to last

COLT

Nova is like an unhinged unicorn in her party hat, which ought to have been some comfort to Colt, but she's always kept a healthy amount of respect for those animals, and looks like she'll need to do the same with the glittering sister. Before the grating sound of lady can fully land, she is wreathed in the most absurdly loud scarf. "Oh—" she starts to protest, even taking a half step back with palms beginning to rise in a gesture of disagreeing surrender. "—in Longheat?" she attempts to reason, but to no end with either attempt as she's wonderfully wound in the sparkling fluff of a pink scarf that has already begun to shed sparkles down her back and shoulders like heatproof snow. A light laugh meets Nova's approval though as she reaches up to fluff her hair out from under it, "thanks."

She cuts a glance towards Vesper that might have been a quiet plea for help, but he's tilted towards Mateo, and more guests arrive through the door in celebration of the triplets. With Hawthorn blending into the group with all his natural charms, Colt decides a drink would make the insufferable itch of the scarf more tolerable.

Sliding in next to Theea at the bar, Colt leans against the cool counter like it's an old friend, one hand propped under her chin while the other taps a quiet rhythm against the top. Kaisel's entrance is abrupt enough to earn a turn of her head, and the attention lingers when he muddies the cheer a bit. Colt's gaze swings back towards Jack where the stare seems directed, curious as she tilts back onto her hand, but not enough to ask. At least, not until Vesper adds to the mix, dad dropping in with all the same surprise as mom had. Well, maybe not quite. Hard to compare Jack to Safrin honestly, and Colt had an inkling this time. "Hmm, bartending at his kids' birthday party, but doesn't own up to being dear ol' dad next to a well?" Colt drawls, one 'brow lifting in a look of disappointment, though it's hollow. Would've been nice to know she'd been thinking true back then, but good to know it runs in the family, those dangerous eyes and the trouble behind them.

"Paloma."

Everything I hold dear resides in those eyes
You got that power over me
The only one I know, the only one on my mind

Everybody sour like a lemon tree

There's a stark dryness that fills his mouth as the seconds whittle down into half-seconds, to milliseconds, to nothing. It's just stillness of Jack standing in the middle of a party, immensely at odds with the dark figure he's come to be in Kaisel's life, as lingering as a shadow at dusk and as bitter as sun-bleached rinds. It's bad enough every time he's with Flora that Jack breaks in somehow, but now, even here too? So much for the hand's off father he was led to believe.

Vesper's voice smashes against the frozen moment and spills time back into motion, earning a flick of Kaisel's crisp gaze. He's unruffled by the jeers though, not bothered by anyone but the one man smiling back behind the bar like it's casual happy hour and nothing more. Nova's more chipper response and the acceptance of his box causes him to blink and register her a bit better before she flits away, his hands still holding the air where the box had been. Only when Calypso's at his side does he seem to remember how to bend, his arm pulled up into hers, her body jolting against him with a warm that seeps in steadily against the chill that had set in.

He allows himself to be swept along by the persuasion of Caly's hand, reluctantly taking his eyes off Jack, though he's hesitant to do so since this isn't the first time he's seen Jack remain cool before landing devastation. The stiffness eases faintly as her verbal eyeroll and the all too easy mischief slides in, like this isn't something that could get dangerous. "Yeah," Kaisel agrees, even if the hair on the back of his neck is still on end, a jagged scar starting just beneath it. "No, no worries. I just wish I had more time to prepare," he admits with a faint smile as he kisses the top of her head reassuringly.

When Theea swipes her attention, Kaisel throws a narrowed glower over at Jack's overly polite bartender show. He doesn't trust a damn thing about him, "I don't want anything you got to give," he mutters, frowning over at the trade of poison being led by Jack of all people.

"Hmm?" he says as Caly's pressure returns more intently, chin tipping down towards her. He tries to offer her a smile, wants to even, but it lands a little false when he tugs it on. He keeps them walking, headed for a section a bit further away from the distractions of the main gathering. "You mean the fact we look like a gender reveal party since I guessed your dress color wrong, or the fact your dad lit me up and nearly killed me?" Maybe she'll focus on the first part and the happiness will just naturally start to come back if he presses down on it long enough.

Kaisel

I'm just smiling down upon my enemies

Theea

yla

“Happy birthday again,” I call to Calypso with a grin.  “Hope the sugar rush lasts longer than the party.” It’s an easy little joke—gentle, just enough to feel like I belong in the space without pushing too hard.

Then Jack speaks to me and—he remembers. My face lights up before I can stop it. “You do remember,” I say, a little thrilled. “How’s Lazarus?” There’s real affection in my voice. He's been fun to work with.

Then Colt slides up beside me, and I half-turn to offer her a smile to introduce myself—just in time to catch her say dear ol’ dad. I blink. Glance at Jack. Then at the glitter twins.

...Huh.

“Oh,” I say, mostly to myself, the dots connecting in a little mental sparkle trail. “Did not see that coming.”

Without thinking, I grab the drink Jack made me and take a big, unprepared gulp.

Mistake.

The whiskey sour hits like a sunflare—citrus first, then a burn that drop-kicks my lungs. I blink hard, breathe through it, and try to look like my organs aren't rearranging. There’s a moment where my expression goes completely blank while my soul resets.

Then I nod once, like I approve of whatever just exploded in my chest.

“...Yeah, alright.” A smaller sip this time. Still burns. Still feels weirdly great. I'm starting to get the appeal.

I glance at Colt, then up at Jack again, deadpan: “So... triplet dad. Should’ve figured from the cheekbones.” I raise my glass. “Not a bad legacy.” A beat. “Let me know if I’m crowding the drama. I can slip out with the wine spider. We’ll make our own party.”

Know I'm gonna get there somehow, take it all in and breathe out
I got everything I need now, think I'm done looking down,
got my head in the clouds

JACK

With an expression that's so practiced at being neutral that it might as well be painted on, any amusement Jack feels at living rent-free in so many minds is kept entirely for himself. (And perhaps a whisper for Vesper, if the demigod cares enough to prod about against the surface of his magic and the small window into it). "Shame," he drawls to Kaisel. "Well, let me know if you change your mind - I'll be here all night."

Turning back to his duty to get everyone as wasted as possible, apparently his role as daddy to the Marin triplets is causing quite a stir, and he scoffs a laugh that's directed at both Colt and Theea. "Just 'cause they call me their father doesn't mean I call 'em my kids," he says. "They were a business expense from a deal with Safrin - an' I only originally agreed to that one." He nods at Vesper.

Reaching for a bottle of tequila for Colt's paloma, he eyes up Theea to see whether they're about to see the whiskey sour for a second time, offering a barely-there nod of approval when it doesn't come back up to say hi. "That bein' said," he continues, fussing with some grapefruit soda and lime, "it's always wise to stay on their mother's good side. So here I am."

Setting the paloma down with a pinch of salt and a wedge of grapefruit for garnish, he leans on the bar. "Lazarus is sad that his kitchen porter disappeared, but otherwise fine."

romancing yourself is possible, narcissistic
and recommended

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Mateo

Should'a seen what I wore
I had a cane and a party hat

"I never kiss and tell," Mateo purrs back to Vesper with a salacious bounce of his eyebrows, and he collects up one of the drinks that's been premade and set on the bar to go and get himself a seat. It's a lie, of course - he does kiss and tell, just like he can't keep a secret to save his fucking life, but he doubts Vesper cares much about that. Even less, in fact, if he does decide to find the botanist in the cupboard later.

Trilling a note of gratitude and splendour for Nova's compliment - and gushing about her own outfit in return, of course - by the time Mateo has gotten himself settled, a smoky voice draws his attention and, as he turns his head, it's to spot Hawthorn leaning against the bar nearby. "Fancy seeing you here," he says with a broad smile, scooting his bar stool closer so he might speak properly with the other man. "How do you know the birthday girls and boy?"

I was the king of this hologram
where there's no such thing as getting out of hand

Lately we've been covered by the past

She’s certain it won’t get dangerous, if only because it’s her birthday and she’s confident that nobody would stride in here with less than perfect intentions. But those thoughts settle in her stomach as she feels the way he’s still so tense, so off, that even the kiss to the top of her head that’s meant to be reassuring feels more like a placating gesture.

But she thanks Theea and listens at the mutter that leaves Kaisel, easily roped into drifting further away from the festivities so that they can talk more privately. Her focus is wholly on him and the smile he can’t quite aim her way, drawing her brows together and an almost hazardous glint to her amber gaze.

And when he starts with the mention of it being the attire, well, she’s already got the words loaded on her tongue to tell him how handsome he looked, how it never really mattered to her what he wore because she only found she cared about what was underneath, when it dies on her tongue.

“What?” Leaves her first, a breathy question that at least bypasses some time for her mind to wrap around it. “What do you mean?” She isn’t going to let it lie, not when she’s been so unaware and wrapped up in the Hanged Man to really know what went on outside of it. Jack not telling her didn’t surprise her, because he wasn’t that hands on when it came to her life and interactions and relationships.

And she couldn’t really blame Kaisel, either, with the fact that he’d just lost his home, so obviously he didn’t want to linger on the other bad parts that happened. So rather than chew him out over it or Jack, Calypso instead nibbles on the inside of her cheek, situating herself directly in front of the dragoon, waiting for the explanation of just how the fuck that happened.

Calypso

But don't you think that we are made to last

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper lets the noise and sparkle roll on around him, lets his sisters carry the chaos and his father deflect attention with practiced precision. But his attention is honed, precise as a scalpel beneath the smooth drag of his half-lidded gaze.

He catches the way Mateo slips onto a barstool with casual grace, that lie about not kissing and telling curling sweet around the air like citrus on the rim of a glass. And gods, does Vesper want to follow—wants to trace that smirk to wherever it leads, wants to press the weight of that heat into the dark between shelves and coats and leave the scent of sin on both their collars.

But—

His gaze slides to Colt without turning his head. She’s leaned against the bar like she’s trying to become part of it, rhythmically tapping out something that sounds like restraint. She hasn’t said anything to him directly, but the edges of her thoughts crackle with a dry thundery tension, and gods he's sure that despite the lack of label on whatever they are, she'd not be pleased with him slinking off for a quickie with someone else. Still, the mental image flickers of Mateo ’s breath against his jaw, the heat of his hands on bare hips, the sweet drag of pleasure wound through a birthday high—and then Vesper exhales slow, presses a palm against his belt buckle, and lets it go.

Instead, he saunters to the bar with deliberate ease, catching the glimmer of what Jack 's mind has to offer and he offers his father a smirk that borders on intimate mischief, all teeth and implication. "Careful," he drawls low, "if you keep bein’ generous, Nova's gonna get you one of those best daddy mugs."

Then his hand drifts to the bar, fingers curling around the gift Colt left for him—the bracelet still nestled in its box. He picks it up, gives it a soft, almost ceremonial shake, as though expecting it to rattle like bones. "Hm, so it isn't an IOU.." he muses aloud, glancing sidelong toward Colt with slow amusement. "Feels like...a snake." His voice lowers to something honey-dark. "Or maybe a mini lasso?" He sets the box down again with the same reverence one might give a grenade, and he's halfway to lifting the lid when the tension shifts—not in the room exactly, but in the thread that links him to his sister like gravity.

His gaze flicks, sharp and sidelong, toward Jack with a slight smirk before he's pivoting toward where his sister has dragged her puppydog bf away from the group. Vesper snorts softly under his breath and leans slightly toward Colt, close enough that his words won’t carry far beyond the bar. "Oh, this oughta be good," he drawls, tone low and bone-dry, amusement rippling just beneath the surface. He gives her a sideways nudge with his elbow, gesturing faintly with the box in his hand like it’s a remote that might somehow rewind or fast-forward through this drama.

And yet—for all the humour, his eyes linger on Calypso just a beat too long, protective instinct flickering low in his chest like a warning flare. Kaisel had better have good answers. Or a damn good exit plan.

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

COLT

She doesn't expect much from people usually, but there's a stroke of surprise that she can't keep reined in when Jack so casually refers to his children as a business expense. Given her trade with livestock, dealing in babies isn't exactly new to her, just never extended past animals before. "Three for the price of one? Sounds like a bargain," she humors him, but she can't quite find it in her to laugh at it. Then again Jack is here, so maybe there's more than the value of a trade here after all.

Theea's abrupt stiffening widens Colt's eyes, cracking an open-mouthed grin at the woman. "Atta girl," Colt cheers with a thump of encouragement on Theea's back. "Just keep it down and you're golden." Her hand slides across the bar to the Paloma Jack delivers, a look spared his way in equal parts gratitude and agreement. She swipes up the pink drink (Nova would be proud) to meet Theea's toast with a clink of glass and a quick tilt back of the liquor, determined not to get out-paced already. "Hell no," Colt snorts. "Crowd it all honey. You make room for yourself, always. You try scurrying away and I promise to drag you back. Besides, you don't wanna miss any of that, it's the best part. Especially when you got the luxury of watching and not participating." The thing about parties and bars, they make friends out of strangers.

Vesper slides up the way a cat's tail wraps around its toes. She turns her head towards him, leaning heavier on her hand as she does, like she's getting ready to look for a while. Since purging him from her mind had been a fool's game, much like trying to not think about something makes it all you wind up thinking about, she's aiming at keeping him suspended now. The trick will be making sure she doesn't let him sink too deep.

A smile beams wide as he shakes the package, secretly delighted to be the one in charge of the surprise for once, and glad to be able to give something to him for a change. "An IOU?" her 'brow kicks up, "thought you said I didn't owe you nothing." She smirks as she takes another sip of her drink, trying to hide the laugh behind the ice at his next two guesses. "A mini lasso isn't a bad idea. I was shootin' for a saddle, but unfortunately, I didn't have your measurements."

It all pauses though, and at first Colt isn't sure why, so that usually means something like a tempest is coming in. She straightens up a bit, catching the sudden shift in him like the change of the wind. He hates it, the only reason she can gather on such short notice. She stiffens, her head lifting from her hand as she readies for something sharp. It's there on the edge of his eyes, flicked back and forth like a pocket knife between the box and Jack. Although he has never turned something so pointed towards her, habits aren't so easy to drop, especially the ones you never meant to form.

She slightly flinches when he leans in, but nothing wicked comes, just a tone low with conspiracy, not cruelty. The drama Theea had just been mentioning, the kind Colt had just been rooting for. Nothing more than his attention turning, that's all.

His elbow looses an exhale from her and she grips the drink for security, smoothing out all the ruffles of her past with a wash of grapefruit and heat. It's over in a blink, just the echo of a ghost, but the cold that lingers makes her lean into him more. Her head tilts against his arm and her hand curls against the crook of his elbow, grabbing for his warmth like a better reminder. Praying her slip goes unnoticed, she feeds into the dramatics a bit to hide it all, "oh? He about to get dropped?" She cranes her head around his chest, peering over at the couple.

Everything I hold dear resides in those eyes
You got that power over me
The only one I know, the only one on my mind

last couple of months kinda been a disaster

Catching Mateo’s gaze is one that Thorn immediately brightens with, an equally easy smile aimed the botanist’s way, even as he sidles a touch closer to him when he scoots the barstool closer. “I don’t really.” He admits with an easy laugh, rolling a slender shoulder in a shrug as he reaches for one of the premade drinks as well. He glances back over toward where Colt is - now huddled with Vesper like a gossip ring - before slipping his gaze back to Mateo and twisting to face the party, back pressed against the edge of the bar.

“She does, though. I was tagged along. Glad t’see ya here though, otherwise I’d be lost.” Flashing a playful wink, the courtesan settles in and pauses to take a sip of his drink. “How d’you know ‘em?”

Hawthorn

tell all my friends i'm asleep if they ask ya

Theea

yla

“If you ever take passengers again,” I say to Jack , still smiling, “maybe I’ll hitch a ride. Lazarus might miss the extra hands. Or at least a porter who doesn't flinch if he barks.”

It’s light, but I mean it. There’d been something kind of steadying about those hours in the galley, even if I’d almost lost a finger and had definitely lost count of how many socks I washed.

I manage to keep the drink down again, no coughing or blinking or anything else dramatic, and Colt ’s hand lands solid on my back. I let out a quiet laugh, wearing a grin that’s part proud, part sheepish. My cheeks are warm now, not just from the drink but from something looser inside me. A little more glitter on my hands. A little less reason to care.

Then Colt says “Crowd it all. You make room for yourself, always.”

I turn the words over like a coin in my head. That’s not something I’ve really considered. Not in so many words; I always had my place growing up with only my parents around. I knew who I was, where I stood, I was secure. I’ve felt adrift for a while now, unsure of where I fit.

But while just about everyone’s said it in so many words (“You’ll figure it out, it’s alright, don’t worry.”), this is the first I’ve thought of it that way. Like I shouldn’t be waiting for the right place to just show itself now that I’ve finally made it to Torchline, met my family. If I want to be here, I have to commit, right? I wish I could ask my mom how she did it. How, after everything, she went to Northaven and made a life for herself.

I glance at my drink, then around me. Maybe it’s the alcohol that makes the friends around here. I’m not sure I want that to become a trend, but why not for tonight?

“If I drink enough of this,” I say, lifting my glass and swirling what’s left with a crooked smile, “I have a feeling taking up space won’t be a problem.”

The bar is warm beneath my arms when I lean in again, settling low on my elbows. My legs feel floaty, my face feels soft. What I’ve noticed so far from last time and this time: drinks hit me fast.

I follow Colt’s gaze, and I sip again, slower this time. Still burns. Still good. “Okay,” I say to both her and Vesper , “what pieces am I missing, exactly? I’m exceptionally new around here. That’s to say, society, not just here here.”

Know I'm gonna get there somehow, take it all in and breathe out
I got everything I need now, think I'm done looking down,
got my head in the clouds

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper doesn’t look at Colt directly even as he feels the flicker of that old storm shadow across her thoughts when he leans close. He doesn’t flinch from it, just lets it pass like wind brushing over deep water, before watching her settle again. He feels the press of her head against his arm, the curl of her hand in the crook of his elbow like she’s grounding herself, not to the bar, but to him. His grin flickers, sly and knowing, but not unkind.

He chuckles low under his breath, voice like velvet over coals. "Sure. I said that." He pauses before his gaze cuts sideways, grin sharpening. "But who knows, maybe you wanted to offer me somethin’. Y’know...just to be cashed in later." He bounces his brows once—quick, suggestive, ridiculous on purpose—but the warmth in his tone keeps it from veering too far into dangerous territory.

Vesper’s smile lingers only a second longer before it flattens into something more familiar: brotherly irritation cooled into dry amusement. He exhales through his nose, and when Colt doesn’t pull away, he shifts just enough to drape an arm over her shoulder, stretching it across the bar in a way that looks more casual than it feels. His back rests against the bar, angled so he can keep an eye on his sister without being too obvious about it.

Theea leans in, curiosity bubbling beneath the alcohol haze, and Vesper glances her way with a crooked half-smile. "Alright, since y’asked," he murmurs, the drawl in his voice dipping into that storytelling cadence that makes every bit of it sound like a campfire rumour. "Romeo in the blue suit over there?" He jerks his chin toward Kaisel and Calypso, still mid-drama. "Caught a thing for my sister at the last party this bar threw. Which—fine who wouldn't. But then he goes and runs his mouth at our dear ol’ dad." He lifts his drink like a toast, then adds, "And gets himself electrocuted."

Vesper shakes his head. "Jack pulled his punches, with him so the kid didn’t die. Just got a little crispy." He shrugs, grin twitching. "Problem is, he never told Caly what happened. So now she’s over there lookin’ at him like he just kicked a puppy." He leans in slightly, dropping his voice to something more conspiratorial, eyes gleaming like a man passing secrets in the dark. "And the cherry on top? The reason he mouthed off in the first place is ‘cause he’s real friendly with Jack’s ex-girlfriend. Which, y’know, just adds to the drama of it all."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Everybody sour like a lemon tree

He doesn't really want to tell her this way, not on her birthday, a day that should be focused entirely on her and the celebration of her. It's just, seeing Jack had been such a shock, he hadn't had the time to put a lid on his response, although probably even if he had tried it would have been obvious. He's not the best at keeping things close to his chest. Although, he's more than happy to put Jack behind him and not lay these particular cards down, but the fucker just keeps managing to pop up into every corner of Kaisel's life, as indestructible as a cockroach. It's a wonder how he went from never having met the man to being unable to hear his name almost every week.

Calypso's earnest question and the glint that's in the edges of her gaze with unflinching demand shake out a relenting sigh from Kaisel. "Yeah, not long after the last party here," Kaisel begins with a ruffle of his hand to his hair, skimming the spot where the lightning hit like it's a tingle he can feel coming on again. "He struck me with lightning, almost killed me. Had to spirit away and my cousin, Koa, had to heal me in the Torchline fountain." It's not really his favorite story to tell, not the kind of campfire talk he'd been aiming for, so there's none of his usual enthusiasm to this. Just some mutterings that sound a bit like failure and regret.

"I miiiight have started it," he admits after a pause, and he had always freely owned up to that aspect. "He hurt my friend, so I wanted to pick a fight," Kaisel shrugs a bit, like that's the least important part. He'd pussied out when shit got hard with Flora, left her a complete mess, so yeah Jack deserved a lot more than what Kaisel had managed to deliver. "Just thought it'd stay fists, but he overreacted." Kaisel snorts, because Koa had certainly not been wrong about that line of thinking. Just Kaisel didn't want him running around crowing about it to everyone, not that it had stopped him getting in hot water with Flora or his folks anyway.

His gaze flicks back towards Jack, a frown deepening his features before his attention returns to Caly, the only person he's here for, after all. "He's a massive cunt," which is really the moral of the story.

Kaisel

I'm just smiling down upon my enemies