[SWE] curb your enthusiasm

last couple of months kinda been a disaster

He’s a bit later than anticipated to the gathering that everyone else already seems to be at, but Thorn pays it little mind. He arrives into the heat of the edge of hell it seems like, but he’s got everything figured out accordingly. His air magic helps to breeze around him and even if the heat makes the wind warm, it helps against the sweat that’s already beaded up against his skin, leaving him somewhat sticky to the touch.

It doesn’t stop him from reaching the bonfire, though, having no offering found but reaching it and offering a little dip of gratitude to the Longheat deity, he offers a little paper mache fire with its ‘flames’ made from flowy little colorful strands that move with each movement. He’d thought it was a nice addition as he tosses it into the fire and watches the strands of the flame begin to vanish under the curling, intense heat.

Then, with the offering and quiet prayer done, Thorn turns to spot Zavien and Koa and a few others nearby that he breaks into the ‘Breaker Reunion’. “Hey guys!” He offers, stepping over and bumping Koa’s shoulder with his own and offers a bright grin.

Hawthorn

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

// nothing is as simple, I worship, you're my temple //

The donut that’s vanished in what feels like record speed has the butcher glancing behind them to see if perhaps it had been dropped at some point while the Maverick begins to work on the second one. Finding nothing, he turns his attention back toward the now-blonde Thalassa in the distance only to have his surprise ushered out of him to see the flash of fangs and the bouncing eyebrows that already have him playfully exasperated. “I doubt that, darling.” The butcher drawls with a sigh, a roll of his eyes.

He pays attention again when they’re at the next stall, though, just as Danta comes away with two corn dogs and offer them out to him. He takes one, his teeth slicing through it with relative ease, stuck on the sweet taste of the breading. “Ooh, look at these.” He says once he’s swallowed the bite, distracted himself by the stall they walk past currently with all of its sparkling, glittering gems on display – everything from the Climb and more it seemed. A stone matches Asta’s antlers, just as one matches Danta’s, and a lighter sun infused sapphire that seems to mimic the bright blues of his lover’s gaze. Snagging those for trinkets and whatever else Danta would like, the butcher begins to drift down the rest of the vendors stocks, pausing each and every time when Danta wishes to see something and pausing here and there for his own choices, knowing full well they’ll come away with pockets full of trinkets, gems, and food.

Astaroth

// and heaven, hold your gates open, all the hell we've been through //

NOAH

The shout from the vendor earned a brief, sidelong glance, narrowed and unimpressed, but Lyra’s quick apology and redirection smoothed the moment before he could bother replying. "Lead on." he said. "I won’t argue with shade." Used to Halo as he was, being in the Climb at this peak of Longheat was near torture. When her hand slipped into the crook of his arm, he stiffened for half a heartbeat on reflex, then relaxed and just let his arm fall to his side gently, her hand slipping from it. he swallowed and he tried to hide the way his jaw feathered, his eyes lifting to look out to see where Marcus had gotten to, something inside of him twisting tightly with fear that his son may have noticed something.

Guilt moved in the quiet spaces between moments, sharper than grief sometimes. Noah noticed every small kindness from Lyra -- the easy smile, the nearness, the casual touch on his arm, and each one warmed him and hurt him in the same breath. It had only been two years. Some days that felt like a lifetime. Others, it felt like yesterday’s echo still hanging in the air. Part of him leaned toward the light of simple connection. The rest held back, stubborn and loyal to memory, to the touch of Cordelia against his side.

I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm

Thalassa

A flash of fireworks explodes from the bonfire and Thal raises an arm to block the force that pushes out at her. Surprise widens her eyes, but she won't complain about a little extra chaos, even if she can't agree with the fashion choices of the woman who seems to have thrown them in. Before she can snipe a comment about good taste, there appears to be an altercation between the living embodiment of light and some wet blanket standing next to the fire. 

Deciding she'd rather not waste her energy getting involved in whatever that is, she turns away to find something good to eat. Her survey of the stalls brushes over a handsome couple glued at the hip. She immediately brightens, a knowing, fanged grin traveling easily over the distance to land on Astaroth and Dantalion. Unaware of the topic of their discussion, she gives a congratulatory dip of her head but lets them have their space, not wanting to encroach on the newly engaged couple. 

Her feet take her instead to the opposite end of the festival, finding a particularly delicious looking miniature cheesecake stand that she lingers at, trying to decide on a flavor, and slowly leaning towards the option of 'one of each.'

As long as I'm here,
no one can hurt you.

I'm gonna take what comes my way

Marcus stood for a beat too long with half a smile still on his face and nothing to anchor it to.

The space where conversation had been filled quickly—by passing bodies, drifting smoke, the bright interruption of festival noise—but not by them. Nina’s shoulder disappeared into the crowd beside Deimos amd Erebos, their motion easy and continuous, as if Marcus had never quite merged into their orbit at all. 

It shouldn’t sting. Festivals were chaos by nature with threads crossing, separating, and tangling elsewhere. He knew that. Still, the quiet after being overlooked settled heavy in his chest. He’d come in open, smiling, ready to belong to the moment with them, and now he felt like an extra wheel left spinning after the cart rolled on.

Around him, laughter burst bright and careless. Someone brushed his shoulder without apology. A pair of strangers cheered as a firebreather sent sparks skyward. The world was loud with togetherness, which somehow made the sudden solitude sharper. Marcus exhaled slowly through his nose, jaw tightening, then loosening on purpose. Don’t make it bigger than it is, he told himself. Even so, he felt unmoored, like he’d stepped into a current expecting to swim with others and found himself treading alone.

He turned to the closest food stand and ordered the cheapest, sweetest thing, then started walking back towards the bonfire in the center.

Marcus

Wren

The moment snapped without resolution.

The man left in a confused, wounded huff, his expression still stricken as he turned away. A pale, horned Ancient girl hurried after him, calling his name, her voice thin against the swell of festival noise. Wren--Jesse--Wren--watched them go, her stomach knotted tight, the unanswered questions they left behind rattling in her ribs like loose stones.

His eyes were her eyes.

She swallowed hard and dragged her gaze away, but the echo of it lingered, crawling under her skin. Around them the festival surged back into focus too quickly—too bright, too loud—like nothing strange had happened at all. Sohalia stepped towards her and she shook her head slightly, blinking and trying to force a smile. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine." She could feel her head start to throb, the scar beneath her thick hair tingling. "I, uh, that probably happens to a lot of people." She tried to laugh, but it came out shaky and full of breath.

More people filtered in, drawn by Zavien and Sohalia. Wren shrank a fraction without meaning to, shoulders folding inward, even though she remembered the soldier from the skyport docks. The circle tightened and she felt herself grasping for breath in the overwhelming heat. A slow burn crept up her neck. She tugged at her lock of hair she had been fiddling with.

"I think -- I’m going to find something to eat." she said, unsure if Zavien or anyone else even heard her through the overlap of talk. The words felt flimsy. She needed movement. A task. Something simple and immediate that didn’t involve names she didn’t remember and faces that looked at her like they did.

Food was safe. Food was normal.

He had her eyes.

Here I am, a rabbit hearted girl
Frozen in the headlights

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Popping a taffy into her mouth, Aithne simply shrugs noncommittally. "Mmph," she starts to say around her mouthful, and then sighs heavily at the inconvenience of having to chew. Once she swallows, she tried again. "Oh, the usual. Jumping through bonfires, throwing shoes, I think somebody tried to start a fight?" she rattles off, trying to remember if she'd seen anything remarkably chaotic. "I mean, it was my first time, so I dunno if it was better or worse than usual, but it was just a lot of random shit happening.".

Her dark gaze flits over the crowd. People have segregated into little pockets, and while she recognizes some, many are unknown to her. There's dancing, and fire, and food, along with more eclectic items available for purchase. When Aithne turns back to Melita, it's with a wicked glint in her eye. She lowers her voice and leans in conspiratorially. "How's that gift coming along?"

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

Noah stiffens briefly beneath Lyra's casual touch, and when he subtly moves his arm to drop her hand away, she doesn't press the matter further. She has no reason to suspect that the poor man is at war with himself; instead, she simply assumes that he is not as free with touch as she is. She'll keep that in mind for future interactions, but she is not offended in the slightest.

Instead, she leads the way towards the canopies, ducking into the shade with a soft sigh of relief. "Here we are," she says, voice light and pleasant. There is a small selection of tables tucked away from the fire, hidden from view of the majority of the party. The food vendors are near enough that they can grab something if they want, and a water station is right next to the table that Lyra selects. She nabs a cup before settling, taking a sip and enjoying the chill of the liquid sliding down her throat.

Once both she and Noah have taken a seat, Lyra peers at him from over her cup. "Have you ever been to this festival before?" she asks. "It's a new experience for me. I have to say, it's a lot to take in."

Lyra

spent my whole life trying to put it into words

flora

The exaggerated pop of that P pulls a devilish grin across Flora’s mouth, her eyes lighting with mischief as she hums, thoughtful and teasing all at once. "Oooh," she says, wrinkling her nose as if genuinely searching her mind, "if only I can remember what they are! They're on the tiP of my tongue." She leans just enough into the sound to make it a challenge, the letter exaggerated shamelessly before she laughs and lets the moment breathe.

When the conversation slides back toward Koa and Sohalia, she very deliberately does not rise to the bait about anyone’s oral abilities, huffing instead, defensive in a way that comes from instinct rather than calculation. Protecting Soh is reflex, automatic, and she’s just opening her mouth to say as much when her gaze flicks sideways and catches movement near the fire where Koa just joined Sohalia and Zavien

"Sohalia is basically an angel," Flora says, flat and certain, "which means she would never call Koa out on his bullshit even if it bit her." Her mouth twists as she glances back again, frustration threading through her tone. "And she’s for sure still in love with him. She told him so last year, and he basically conjured a magical zipper for her mouth and said he didn’t want to hear it." The words come sharper now, edged with hurt on her friend’s behalf, and she exhales through her nose before sighing. "It matters," she adds quietly, gaze lingering on the awkward cluster by the fire, "because I don’t want to see her heart get broken again. Least of all by someone who doesn’t even seem to notice—much less care—about the damage he’s doing."

Then, suddenly, her whole expression changes. Flora gasps softly, lashes fluttering as feigned realization strikes, and before Kaisel can react, she throws her arms around his neck, tugging him close with playful urgency. "Oh! I’ve just remembered," she breathes, rising onto her toes as she leans in, lips brushing the shell of his ear. Her voice drops, conspiratorial and delighted, her body pressed fully into his, the soft weight of her breasts warm beneath the sundress where there’s nothing at all in the way. "I got such a good deal on gummy worms at the market earlier for our camp-out," she whispers, satisfaction curling through the words.

I want to be when you fall on me like night
I wanna kill the lights

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sohalia

Zavien seemed just as perplexed as Soh, but fortunately, Jesse/Wren seemed to take it, if not in stride, then at least better than she could have. As Zavien calmed her and Anani continued to chime soothingly, Soh looked after Liam and Maea, wondering what information they were missing. Clearly, there was more going on with this interaction than they were aware of.

A familiar voice pulled Soh's attention back to their little group, and Soh smiled shyly as Koa appeared. She was glad to see him, even if she still wasn't quite sure where they stood. Perhaps she could steal him away for a moment of privacy. As Jesse departed, Soh tried to catch Koa's eye. "Can I borrow you for a few?" she asked softly, then flicked her gaze towards the canopies nearby, where they could hopefully find some solitude amongst the shade.

there's no life without you here

this is the reckoning

While Erebos learned and completed the transaction with his usual aplomb and youthful confidence, Deimos’ ears twisted and turned, catching all the sounds, the stories, the explosion of noises flickering around; pointedly pretending he didn’t see Nina glance his way at the mention of his compulsion for fires. Though, it wasn’t like it was a secret.

She didn’t seem bothered by Erebos’ endless questions though, so once the lad had grabbed the burgers and parsed one towards him, he snagged at it with relish; listening to the acquiring companions story. Erebos had heard how the rest of the Ignatius family had snagged theirs – though the Sword wouldn’t put it past the youth to be mulling over possibilities of getting his own.

DEIMOS

wolf image credit

Handing the burger over to his dad, where it was consumed and gobbled (he couldn’t help but laugh), he did try and bite through his with relative ease, chomping large bites into the burger and listening as Nina described her tale. Swallowing down meat, cheese, and some other amazing sauce mingled amidst the buns, he gasped, eager for the tale. “Neat! Like a little piece of it all!” He glanced at Ember in awe and admiration. “It was worth the burn, right?” Because, as Deimos had already reflected inwardly, such a concoction of notions and possibilities were running and rambling through the boy’s mind. Hadn’t his father gotten Zuriel through a traumatic but rewarding experience? Belial was a different situation, and so was Micah…but still. Ideas.

Mulling over another thought and taking no time to do anything other than disperse it, he took another bite and persisted. “Can he shoot flames at your enemies?”

erebos

and then we dream so much

You can’t stop the change,

any more than you can stop the suns from setting.

Concern mars Zavien's previously bright features, uncertain for what to do or how to help Jesse (Wren?). She's obviously rattled, and Liam had been similarly disturbed by whatever misunderstanding had occurred, but there's nothing he can say without knowing more, and when the woman excuses herself, he isn't sure whether to follow. 

The decision is interrupted by the appearance of more people. 

Zavien is a very social person, but it's suddenly feeling like too much, too many people to keep track of as Koa and Hawthorn join the shifting group. He throws his friends a shaken smile, not even getting a chance to say anything before Sohalia's drawing the fellow Breaker away and leaving Zavien still reeling next to Thorn. Stunned and still very confused about what just transpired, an awkward bit of laughter is the most he can produce, running his hand through his hair as he turns to the courtesan. "I have never been happier to see your face. You up for a cold drink?" Maybe it would clear his head, or just give him an excuse not to continue worrying over the state of everyone. It helps that it's been way too long since he had a chance to chat with his friend.

Zavien

And when that sky rains fire on you
And you're persona non grata

"It was," Nina agreed readily enough, before realizing that perhaps Erebos was asking for more than just informational purposes. "But it is important to respect fire. Elementals are rare, and burns are difficult to treat properly," she warned quickly, glancing sheepishly to Deimos in apology. "Just as you have learned that you must respect the tundra, I am sure."

She had just taken a bite of her kebab when Erebos continued his line of questioning; Nina promptly choked on the piece of meat and coughed as Ember popped and sizzled nearby, amused. When she'd recovered, Nina glanced helplessly at Deimos, as though imploring him to do something, but then said, "Ember could spit fire if it wished to do so, but it has not had reason to since I have been bonded to it."

I'll tell you how I've been there too
And that none of it matters

Nina