[ME] The Ride is Worth the Fall

Thalassa

Her darting hasn't damaged shit, but perhaps her race and profession have put a dampen on anything that doesn't draw blood. Still, she throws Colt another sharp grin, the raise in her eyebrow conveying her undisguised disagreement. "Sure, but I doubt those barrel dancers have a similar level of risk." Her free hand indicates flippantly to the cluster of giggling girls in hats and spurs. Those disgustingly bright and cheerful women who'd pranced around and around random barrels on their horses hadn't given her the impression their lives might be lost. 

But her attention is quickly grabbed by the show at hand, watching Danta dart off the hydra in an elegant display of loss that makes her laugh, particularly when the gentlemanly creature attempts to place the hat back on the rider's head. Taking a victory swig of her beer, she leans back, smug as can be and proud of her friend for his impressive performance. "I never had any doubts."

I'm in love with my future.
Can't wait to meet her.

Noah

Crooked souls trying to stay up straight
Dry eyes in the pouring rain

Noah stood at the edge of the arena a moment longer in griffin form, chest heaving, feathers slowly settling back into place. Zavien had managed to pull a few along with a good clump of mane on his exit. The absence of Zavien’s weight felt strange now — the contest finished, the storm spent. Victory hummed through him, but there was still concern lacing through it as he watched Zavien in the dust.

With a slow exhale, he shifted. The transition left him warm and slightly breathless in the Longheat sun, hair damp at his temples. Noah crossed the arena in long strides, offering a steady hand once he reached him. His glacier eyes searched quickly for signs of real injury before settling into something softer, the edge of a sheepish grin tugging across his mouth. “You alright?” he asked. “Tell me that was still fun, and that you’re not planning revenge already.”

He huffed a quiet, breathy laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as they walked back towards Deimos and Erebos, pace unhurried.

While the shadow proves the sunshine

JACK

Caly leans in and Jack leans back automatically, the movement as casual as the arm he's thrown over the back of The Ark's chair and the drink he sips at while they chat. He's both involved and not, keeping a casual eye on the rodeo in case of drama or injury (or anything else interesting) while half listening to the conversation. Only the flicker of sudden irritation from the redhead under his arm has him locking back in properly, and it's far too late to do anything about it by that point.

Not that he'd have dared interrupt any troublemaking on her part, regardless of the target.

"Mm, that's gonna leave a stain," he says, almost under his breath as the slushie gets dumped all over Flora and Kaisel, expression a mask of careful indifference. He hadn't noticed Kaisel or his wiiifene drunk girlfriend on purpose, magic locked down for any whisper of thought that might belong to them. But it opens now, enough to feel the briefest sting of hurt that, quelle surprise, is being blamed on him, and he scoffs into his drink.

"You're gonna get me in trouble," he mutters to The Ark, before glancing at Caly. "Not that it wasn't a good shot," he concedes.

you wanted perfect, you got your perfect
but now I'm too perfect for someone like you

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I'm still comparing your past to my future

Having been formally introduced to the not imaginary ghost of Nikandr Volkov, Danta has only a few more moments to enjoy easy company and strong liquor before his name is indeed called and he departs with a cheer and a restless laugh. He isn't gone for long though, as it happens, though it's the longest few seconds of his life on the back of a hydra. And when the dust settles, wouldn't you know it? He comes out victorious.

So with his shiny new belt buckle gleaming in the light and his hat safely back upon his head, Danta's swagger is as close to a real cowpoke's as it's ever going to get - mainly because he's actually had to use his muscles to keep himself upright on the hydra's back. Either way, he doesn't bother to use those muscles again as he gets into the stands; he can see Asta still sitting with Niki, opting to dart! his way through the crowd until he reaches them again.

"Did you see?" He beams, breathless with exertion and delight.

Dantalion

it might be your wound but they're my sutures

everything I let go

Things coming down to Colt’s decisions made sense – the reign of a ranch seemed permissible to the boy, if one got to survey over all this chaos. He’d probably make some ridiculous rules, just for amusement’s sake, or even let some participants be eaten if they wanted the more daring route. His questions ended though when Noah left, granting the man a high five and a thumbs-up, before his attention went to all the other motions.

In between there was much to watch, and while Erebos was certainly enamored, there hadn’t been any major rush or crush of dangerous exploits. He whooped and hollered with the rest regardless, polishing off another sugared drink Deimos would regret purchasing (soon). “Do you think they’ll have some merch? Like bulls and stuff on shirts?” But by then, Noah and Zavien had already finished, and several others too, and he cupped his hands around his mouth to announce his amusement towards the Sentinel. “Good job!”

Erebos

has claw marks on it

DEIMOS

Deimos granted Noah another steadfast nod as the man dissipated into his venue, listening to Erebos continue to scream and ask the litany of inquiries. Pretending he didn’t hear about the merch, because gods knew the child had more than enough clothes and he didn’t especially enjoy the thought of Erebos going around wearing Sunjata’s hydra heads on a shirt, he watched instead, maneuvering underneath the child as he constantly strived to launch and leap in excitement.

But then there was the end, and the Sword arched his brow as they witnessed Dantalion conquering the rodeo aspects; laughing at the notions but hardly surprised. He granted the Ancient a nod of approval from afar, then the same to Noah as he approached, Erebos’ congratulatory aspects already filling the air.

think about this
you have the ability to survive anything

do you feel like a young god?

Infinitely charmed by what The Ark has to say, her warmth only seems to bloom with the fact she’d done fine cleaning. The comment that sticks with her is the fact she’d been more interesting in her day to day and gods if that isn’t an ego boost. Trying to tame it, her bright grin shifts toward a playful amusement – knowing, calculated, as if she can determine precisely which parts of the time she’d spent on the Ark might have been the most fun.

Those thoughts fade surprisingly quickly, though, with the nod toward the lower rows – where Flora and Kaisel sit, two people whom she’d been trying her best to avoid acknowledging their presence. Her nose wrinkles slightly, her own irritation blooming shortly like ink in water as she watches the display below.

“Oop.” She breathes, looking away the second she sees the spillage and the aftermath, her hand coming up to run through her golden hair as if she was nothing more than indifferent to what’s occurred below and certainly didn’t have a hand in it. She’s insanely pleased with the result, though, and as Jack mutters to the Ark and then to her, she snorts softly and beams a smile toward them. “Was a great shot. Two birds ‘n one stone.” She praises brightly.

Calypso

there's an angel on your story and a demon in your bed
feels a bit surreal, feeling bad, don't feel it yet

Parting from Danta with his own cheer following the Maverick, Asta leans in a bit toward the necromancer as his fiancé sweeps down toward the rodeo spot to take up a position on the hydra’s back. Luckily, people approaching and blocking vision prevent him from seeing that Sunjata is the owner of said shift, making small talk in between each dip and curve, the dart! utilization causing praise – and an explanation to Niki that it was an Ancient ability in case it wasn’t obvious.

Which it might be – it isn’t an ability the butcher has, anyway.

Either way, Danta blows it out of the park and is met with quite a bit of cheering before the belt buckle is snagged and the Maverick makes his return. Shooting a wink to Niki as he stands, his tail twitching like a canine’s tail wag as Danta darts! to them and asks if they saw. “I did not take my eyes off of you, darling.” The butcher begins, immediately sweeping his arms out to pull Danta close in a hug that presses a fair amount of his body against the Maverick’s. “You were absolutely brilliant!” Letting all the dramatics chime in, he cups his face to indulge in a kiss that’s equally as congratulatory and promising for later.

Astaroth

it's a roulette kinda deal, black and red is what you get

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

Luckily for Kaisel, he isn’t paying enough attention to read between the lines of the very-near slip up. And honestly? He’s not that deeply involved with Flora and Kaisel, having met them a few times overall in ways that they were around each other more than directly interacting. Honestly, he doesn’t even know that Flora and Kaisel are dating let alone married.

And besides, he’s so distracted by the fact Kaisel’s lost his socks somehow that the courtesan can’t help but to follow along partially bewildered – breaking out of it long enough to flash Flora a bright grin. “Hey Flora.” He greets the queen politely, taking the seat that Kaisel doesn’t, and settles in to watch the show.

As it stands, he doesn’t know anything about the drama happening above – what he does know is suddenly Flora’s jumping and there’s a splash of red and Thorn panic nearly out of his skin. “Oh shit-fuCK.” He gasps, having to take a second to think about whether or not he’d knocked the slushie over. Drawn back with whiplash toward the rodeo still happening, he watches as Koa eats shit from his ride, wincing a little both because of the slushie and the fact his friend hadn’t lasted all that long.

Watching Zavien’s briefly, he’s pulled away by the Doubletake and ex-Dragoon, his arm in Flora’s as she snatches him up too, happy to be carted wherever she’d like. “Yeah, for sure, hey uh, you good?” Thorn says with a slight laugh to Flora, deciding then and there that rodeos were cursed – if it weren’t a slushie falling over unannounced, it was him getting pantsed which is the whole reason he'd worn the suspenders this year.

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed

No way you can deny, you feel the most alive when you are terrified

The sudden addition of the slushie to the party causes a ripple in each of them. Flora ’s cry and abrupt retreat is its own shock, hitting Kaisel before the residue of the spill splashes over his feet. The bold contrast of the frozen drink against the heat of the day, coupled with the unexpected nature of it all spooks a shout out of him, ”AY! He also dances back, though the liquid has already painted his feet with its sticky red, and the dust and dirt of the area happily coats over it. Hawthorn ’s outburst rounds them off, and Kaisel’s left glancing around for the fuck just happened. ”Fucking yuck,” he grumbles, picking his feet up one after the other like a horse that’s been made to wear boots for the first time. This is far worse than sand.

”Your shirt!” he protests then as he glances over at Flora, but he catches her line of sight and the group of people at the end of it. Surprise flares briefly, expecting strangers, an accident, not the dark cut of Jack and especially not the shine of Calypso there. It shouldn’t surprise him, he supposes, not since the bar had burned down, but all this time he’s easily been able to villify Jack, and has always tried to keep Calypso beyond the wreckage of everything. It’s a bitter thing to swallow, knowing someone you’d once been close to, once cared for, could will hurt upon you. His disgust curls deeper, sticky feet the least of his worries now.

Kaisel’s gaze lingers even as Flora spins around, shaking it off like nothing, though the slushie still drips off her shirt. Her cheering pulls him back and he follows her lead as surely as she’d taken up his whisper. ”Aww, Koa!” he groans, the shout dramatized, but he focuses on the sight, the feeling of disappointment at the show. ”And mock Koa,” Kaisel tacks on as he’s swept into the current of Flora, trying to keep his cousin in the forefront of his mind.

As they arrive by where Sohalia and Koa should reappear, Kaisel spots movement in the crowd and wordlessly glances at Flora before stripping his shirt free. He tosses it at Koa with all the effect of a tomato on stage.

---

3/6 clothes

Greeting Koa & Sohalia with Flora and Thorn

Kaisel

I'm a daredevil on the highway to hell

slow down, you're doing fine

Flora huffs out a laugh at Hawthorn, waving a dismissive hand as though this is nothing more than slapstick timing. The burn in her cheeks feels warm and traitorous, but she refuses to let it linger there long enough to root. "Guess someone was being clumsy, huh?" she says lightly, wringing the hem of her shirt between her fingers as red syrup drips stubbornly toward the dust.

Kaisel ’s disgusted prancing beside her earns a crooked grin despite everything. The stickiness, the eyes on her, the deliberate nature of it all, she smooths it down with humour like she always does, folding it small and tucking it somewhere private for later dissection and letter writing.

They hover near the exit where Soh and Koa should reappear, dust curling in the wake of movement and applause still buzzing from the stands. Flora shifts her weight, hands on her hips, crop top clinging damp and ruined against her skin. Then she sees it—the same ripple in the crowd Kaisel catches—and her gaze lifts instinctively. As aqua finds copper, for a heartbeat the world narrows; noise dulls, the sticky red on her shirt cools against her skin, but her smile does the opposite. It turns slow. Sharp. Absolutely shit-eating.

One brow lifts as Flora casually shrugs. "Oh well," she says easily, as if this is nothing more than laundry misfortune. "The shirt was ruined anyway." And before Kaisel can protest, despite this having been his idea, she hooks her fingers into the soaked fabric and peels it up and over her head in one smooth motion, tossing it aside without ceremony. The white cotton lands in the dust at her husband's feet, abandoned.

She stands there in nothing but her short shorts and boots and a pair of bold nipple pasties catching the sun; no tan lines, no hesitation, shoulders back and chin high like she has just made a perfectly reasonable decision in perfectly reasonable weather. The air feels hotter against her skin, but she does not flinch, instead turning slightly toward Kaisel, back toward the stands, smile bright and feral and entirely unbothered.

---

Flora is standing with Thorn and Kai waiting for Soh and Koa!

Clothing 5/6 (not wearing a shirt, only nipple pasties).

Flora

you can't be everything you wanna be before your time

Sohalia

Soh returned after her round, breathless and excited, because however concerned she had been for Koa a few moments before, she was positively gleeful to have won. But the smug smile slipped from her face the moment she saw Flora - a now shirtless Flora - with Kaisel and a man Soh didn't recognize (Hawthorn). A shirt pooled at Flora's feet, and Soh thought she saw a mess of something bright red in the folds of fabric. "Uhhhh," she said as she slipped out of the gate, pointedly ignoring the nipple pasties and very near nakedness of her best friend. "Whaaaaaat happened here?"

She looked between Kai and the other man, as though they might explain Flora's sudden state of undress. Maybe she didn't want to know, actually, so she shook her head and hastily added, "Never mind. Did you guys see that?" she asked, practically jumping in place with excitement. "It was so fun!"

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

ISKRA

Melita is all the confidence boost one needs to try something obscenely dumb, although she might caution against certain inevitable stupid choices if there was little gain in them, she certainly would stoke a fire on most occasions. He’s certain if asked, he’d be gleefully directed to the back of a bull, but he’ll stick with his daring churro straw instead. She doesn’t hesitate, only coaxes him further, her lashes waving sweetly in response. He popped the half into his mouth, held out like an impressive cigar, before dunking it into the lemonade.

Admittedly, a milkier drink might have been a better pair, the fried dough and sugar a bit at odds with the spiked lemonade tang, but the concept works just the same. The citrus blooms sharp and sudden across his tongue as he slurps it up, and his free hand jazzes out beside the cup in show before his head lifts. His lips smack, sugar-dusted, and he grins over at her. ”Worked like a charm!” A bit of a large straw, admittedly, so he’s already drunk half his lemonade.

Beyond in the arena, he sees the hydra shape of Sunjata burst forth, following after the short display of Koa on a pegasus and a solid attempt of Zavien on a griffin. Danta pops around the multiple necks, lasting the longest despite Sunjata’s ferocity, and Iskra nudges Mel excitedly. ”Ooooh shiiiit, he got him off right at the end!”

Yippee-ki-yay

You can’t stop the change,

any more than you can stop the suns from setting.

The moment he comes to a stop in the dirt, Zavien taps against his ring, letting a small pulse of golden healing pass through the bruises forming. By the time Noah reaches him, he's already grinning again, propping his hand in the dirt to stand. The steadying grip helps as he takes his feet, his laughter coated in dust that plumes around his head. "No no. It was all in good fun."

His eyes search the arena for his hat - not quite sure when he'd lost it. "I might be a little sore later, but my ring took care of the worst of it." Both to verify it himself and prove it to the man, Zavien swipes a few hands down his body, rolling shoulders and neck to check the joints. When nothing immediately screams or cracks, he throws Noah another sunshine smile, the adrenaline coursing through him at full speed. "You were a tough opponent." He claps him on the shoulder, the motion cut short when he spots his hat across the ring. 

Swiping it from the dirt, he dusts it off the best he can, giving a small cough through another cloud that sucks the moisture from his throat. "I think we both deserve a drink after that performance. I'll be back." He places the hat back on his head and throws a wave to Deimos and Erebos before slipping into the crowd to find himself and Noah a drink for their efforts. They might not be the victors, but he's proud, nonetheless.

Zavien