when i see the devil's eyes

stay your pretty eyes on course

The couch turns into a bed, Flora has informed him, and Niki is considering more and more as the night goes on that he might well take advantage of this feature. A lightweight by anyone's standards, having settled himself beneath the enormous monstera plant that frames him overhead, he's nevertheless enjoying his people watching and the way there are servers to continue to bring him drinks despite it being a good idea to have stopped a good two or three cocktails ago.

He'd been a ghost again tonight - albeit in Kaisel's dream, but that had been fun - and he's spent some quality time with the birthday girl (the birthday girl who finds him attractive, which would be delightful if she weren't engaged and also a birthday girl), and then a lot of drama had broken out. There had been no fighting though, as far as he can tell, and things have since simmered back into party mode.

Niki, though? He is kind of sleepy now that he thinks about it, the boy sighing softly and propping an elbow on the side of the couch to rest his cheek against his knuckles.

Niki

I guess I never really faced my fears before

you should know, that i'm a ticking time bomb

and you're getting close

It’s a rush of a party and with alcohol enough that he can feel a bit of something which is a lovely addition. It isn’t enough to get him inebriated, but buzzed? A little. And gods it’s been so long since he’d had that feeling.

He mingles, he takes pauses here and there to greet those personally he knows that he isn’t an enemy of. Even checks in with Flora about the whole drama surrounding Colt and how she’s dealing with that, once she has a free moment.

And now? Well, now, Sunjata’s flitting through the house when he spots an all too familiar shape slumped comfortably on the couch, framed by a beautiful monstera plant and with the faint buzz of the party filtering in.

He doesn’t announce himself as he takes a seat on the edge of the couch armrest. “Quite a party, huh?” He asks, his accent wrapping around the words as his steel gaze drops from the party to Niki’s form.

so better watch your step, because i'm about to blow

and where the pieces land i guess we'll never know

SuNJATA

stay your pretty eyes on course

The curse that spills from Niki's lips is in a different tongue and yet still manages to sound a bit slurred, the necromancer jolting back into a proper sitting position in his surprise. He has to tilt his head almost the whole way back to spy the owner of the shadow that has fallen across him, though the accented words ought to have been enough of a giveaway. "And it is not even our birthday," he agrees, entirely reasonably were it not for the hazy look in his slate blue eyes as he smiles to Sunjata.

"If Flora sent you over here, you can tell her that I am entirely satisfied with my own company," he continues, huffing out a long sigh and slouching further into the couch. "Where did she go, anyway?" She's right there if he looks hard enough, still glittering through her party like a spotlight is following her around, but hells if Niki can keep track of anything right now.

Niki

I guess I never really faced my fears before

you should know, that i'm a ticking time bomb

and you're getting close

Sunjata doesn’t move despite realizing very quickly he’s scared the fuck out of the necromancer. Short of ensuring he hadn’t given the other man a heart attack, Sunjata’s smile is a bit apologetic as he tilts his head up to look at him. “Mine’s later this season, so I can count it I think.” Comes the easy tease, the passive way he shrugs his shoulders.

Niki’s next statement has his brows lifting, though, his head tilting dog-like to hear that he thinks Flora had sent him over. “She didn’t. Found you all on my own.” He offers, glancing back up and out at the buzz of the party. “She’s right in the middle of the party enjoying herself.” He assumes, hopes, anyway. “Can I tell you a secret?” He asks, shifting so he can lean into Niki’s space whether or not the necromancer agrees or doesn’t. “I selfishly snuck away so I don’t have to keep trying to stay opposite of my ex in the main room.” The words drop from him slowly, every bit a whisper loud enough for Niki to hear even if it’s blanketed in amusement and the confidence that nothing would happen here even if Hotaru wasn't overly pleased about his presence.

It only really mattered what Flora thought. And he was still here, so, seems to answer that.

so better watch your step, because i'm about to blow

and where the pieces land i guess we'll never know

SuNJATA

A broad shadow passes lazily across the sand, soft-edged and slow-moving, despite the absence of clouds overhead. Looking up reveals the source: a single Cloud Manta drifting through the air above, its vast, translucent body undulating as though swimming through an invisible sea.

It moves with an almost playful ease, banking gently as it catches unseen currents, its long fins trailing wisps of vapour behind them. Every so often it dips lower, close enough that the air stirs faintly beneath it, before rising again in a wide, looping arc. There is no urgency to its movements, only a quiet curiosity, as though it is enjoying the simple act of being seen.

After a time, the Cloud Manta begins to climb, its pale form thinning against the sky until it becomes little more than a suggestion of motion. Whether it lingers overhead or drifts on beyond sight is impossible to say, its presence as fleeting and gentle as a passing breeze.

---

Cloud Manta Areas Found: Torchline, Maria Mundi — Common These plantimals have flattened, ray-like bodies, narrow, delicate heads with two large dark eyes, and flowing-finned or leaf-like tails similar to bettas. They are equally comfortable underwater and flying through the air. Large green splotches across the upper surface of their bodies are filled with chlorophyll and photosynthesize both food and oxygen. They also make meals of mosses and lichens. As they age a colorful crystal grows in the middle of their foreheads, comprised of excess minerals that they purify out of their bodies. If worn pressed against the throat these crystals are rumoured to allow someone to breathe underwater. Challenge Rating: Moderate | Mythical HP: 1,078 | To Hit: +25 | Dmg: 25 Movement: Swim 40 ft.; Fly 40 ft. SPECIAL SKILLS Breathstone: a harvested forehead crystal worn against the throat may allow underwater breathing; Oxygen Bloom: in bright light they enrich nearby water/air with extra oxygen, easing exertion for companions; Buoyant Escort: can support a small creature beneath their fins, aiding calm passage across waves

TRAITS Amphibious Drift: equally comfortable underwater and in open air; Photosynthetic Patches: chlorophyll-rich splotches produce food and oxygen in sunlight; Silent Glide: broad fins move with near-silent grace through water and sky; Moss & Lichen Grazer: gentle feeders that favour simple flora over live prey; Crystal Growth: a mineral crystal slowly forms at the forehead as impurities are purged ACTIONS Updraft Sweep: fans fins to raise a soft updraft or current, nudging companions and clearing mist; Shade Veil: spreads fins to cast a cool, drifting shade over travellers beneath; Mineral Purge: releases trace minerals that encourage reef growth and subtly purify the surrounding water

stay your pretty eyes on course

"Oh, it is? Wait, it is. I am sure you told me this before. Happy Birthday, Sunjata. I am sorry, your present is still packed away with all of my things ready for the move." Niki smiles sunnily back to the Heartless, and his quip about getting a gift for him seems entirely sincere. He scoffs to hear that Sunjata had found him of his own accord, though, gesturing lazily up at the monstera arcing overhead. "And here I thought I had camouflaged myself," he says.

Then the other man is leaning in and talking of secrets, and for a second the world is all steel grey eyes and the scent of sandalwood and freshly brewed coffee; hopefully the Heartless will give him a second to parse what he's actually said out of it all. "Oh, I seeeeee," he stage whispers back, despite not needing to. "Well I have never met your ex, so I do not think she will have a reason to come over here. Hey, but can I tell you a secret?"

Niki leans in further, just enough to spot a cloud manta - the cloud manta from earier, he thinks - hazing past a window outside. "That manta is following me." It isn't the secret, but suddenly this feels incredibly pertinent to the conversation.

Niki

I guess I never really faced my fears before

you should know, that i'm a ticking time bomb

and you're getting close

“You got me a present?” Sunjata asks, surprise lacing through his body briefly as he stares down at Niki as if he’s trying to spot the lie in the quip. He can’t see anything yet, though, so it leaves him uncertain. Luckily for him, though, Niki’s already moving on and based off his slurred accented tone, Sunjata’s got the perfect response on the tip of his tongue as he looks up at the monstera. “I think you might need another Blue Torcher to match the monstera.” He snorts.

Ah, but then he’s offering out a secret, one that has him leaning into Niki’s space. The stage whisper back has him snorting, unsure whether or not he should explain it. Maybe it’s for the best, just in case they do cross paths. But before he has a chance to say anything in regards to Hotaru’s relation to Flora and attending the party, he’s getting a secret in return, and he leans closer too – a few breaths of space between them. “What?” He asks with a huff of a laugh, turning his head to go and peer at the windows where he sees the cloud manta float past the window.

Turning back to Niki with a lopsided smile of amusement, still just as close. “You want me to take care of your stalker?”

so better watch your step, because i'm about to blow

and where the pieces land i guess we'll never know

SuNJATA

stay your pretty eyes on course

"Do you not like presents on your birthday?" Niki asks (yes, still stage whispering). "If you do not I can always put it in a different wrapping and you can pretend it is a housewarming present instead." The dots connect easily in his mind, despite the fact that it ought to be him receiving housewarming gifts, given that he's the one, you know, moving house. Never mind that, though.

He glances down at his empty hand as if realising suddenly that there's no drink in it, Sunjata's suggestion of another Blue Torcher landing very easily indeed. "I thought I did have one," he says, peering back up at the demigod curled over the seat of the couch close enough to topple onto him at any moment, or so it seems. He's too focused on the cloud manta at that point, though, to realise it.

"Do you think it is stalking me?" His eyes narrow at that. "I heard they are meant to be placid creatures. What does this one want? And how will you take care of it?"

Niki

I guess I never really faced my fears before

you should know, that i'm a ticking time bomb

and you're getting close

That makes even less sense, though, to make it be a housewarming present to him when he was very settled in King’s End with no plans to move – even if he had moved back into the House of Midnight, to the loft above it where he’d kept all of his things now, the house he and Hotaru had lived in sits empty. “No, no. I do. I just wasn’t expecting a present.” He offers, just in case Niki’s next offer is to take it back.

He’ll selfishly take it, though.

But as Niki looks down at his empty hand with no Blue Torcher to be found, Sunjata glances around as if he might be able to find it too – with very little luck on the endeavor. Instead, he finds a cloud manta hovering by the window like it’s got Niki’s number. “Sure seems like it.” He admits, squinting over at the window, settled easily on the arm rest and not at risk of falling into Niki’s lap if only so he doesn’t injure the other man.

“Maybe it just really likes you?” He suggests, before the steel gaze skates back to Niki with a raise of his scarred brow, still invading his space. “Well I can shoo it away. Or I can use it to get you your very own crystal to swim without drowning?” The options are there – peaceful or destructive. Dealer’s choice, really.

so better watch your step, because i'm about to blow

and where the pieces land i guess we'll never know

SuNJATA

stay your pretty eyes on course

"...Why? It is your birthday." None of this seems to make any sense to Niki, and he's not nearly sober enough to realise he might have misstepped when it comes to his friendship with Sunjata. If a man who rules a region personally comes to help you move your belongings into your new home, surely the least you can do is get him a birthday present, right? (Right?) "Anyway, I will need to give it to you at your party instead of Flora's anyway." This is her night, after all.

As for the cloud manta, Niki hums out a sigh under his breath and considers the creature. "It is not so bad," he decides, especially when both of the options presented to him involve Sunjata getting up from the couch. "No, no. You stay," he says with a drunken wave of his hand, glancing back across the room only to spot a server with a tray of drinks. "There is the Blue Torcher," he announces. "Though I think I may need to reconsider another drink. I am very tired, suddenly. And I cannot get up from this couch anyway."

Niki

I guess I never really faced my fears before

you should know, that i'm a ticking time bomb

and you're getting close

Humming a laugh, the Heartless nods, before there’s the quiet realization that he never holds a party for himself for his birthdays. A fact that he might have to change this year just so Niki would be comfortable enough to give him a gift. “Alright, sounds like a plan.” He offers to the necromancer, wondering if Melita might actually be serious about throwing a party for him for his birthday and if he might be able to use that as an excuse.

Ah, but in terms of the cloud manta stalking Niki, the surprise of the no, no. You stay. Has enough of a command in it that the demigod doesn’t move, doesn’t even think about standing from where he is. Instead, he spots the server about the same time that Niki does, glancing between the drink on the tray and the next statement that leaves the other man. “Uh huh.” He pauses with a tilt of his head. “You’ve got a room here, right? I can get you upstairs.” Comes the easy offer he’s already anticipating the denial of.

so better watch your step, because i'm about to blow

and where the pieces land i guess we'll never know

SuNJATA

stay your pretty eyes on course

"Good," Niki announces, his smile sunny and his decision - that he'll absolutely forget about tomorrow - set in stone about Sunjata, the gift and the party. Shifting a little more to get comfortable on the couch, the offer to take him upstairs doesn't surprise or fluster the necromancer as much as it typically would, and he snorts out a boyish laugh and lets his head flop back against the cushions. He's still upright for now, though, if not barely.

"What are you going to do, carry me?" he says through a scoff, closing his eyes as if that will stop the room from being vaguely fuzzy and too colourful. "I do have a room here, but Flora said this couch can turn into a bed if I want it to. I think that might just be an act of imagination, though." Not that it will stop him from simply sliding onto his side eventually, left to snooze under the monstera while the rest of the party bobs around him.

Niki

I guess I never really faced my fears before

you should know, that i'm a ticking time bomb

and you're getting close

“Thinking about it.” Sunjata decides to say, boldly, as Niki’s eyes shut and he seems to melt into the couch. He’d rather the necromancer didn’t succumb to the drunken exhaustion of the couch, even if it was a possibility that the couch could turn into a bed. And least of all, knowing how much Niki tended to portray a prim and proper man, he imagines he’d hate to wake up in the downstairs couch in the morning with what he assumes will be an intense hangover.

Hearing that was the reality he was thinking of, though, Sunjata hums a note of understanding – all a lie, really, because he stands from the edge of the couch cushion, and with a good amount of protest he’s sure will happen, Sunjata picks the necromancer up as if he weighs next to nothing. He’s cautious, of course, of the brace to not jostle his bad leg in the process, but before Niki likely knows it, he’s swept up in his arms. “Now don’t make the spirits attack me. Which room’s yours?” He asks, heading toward the stairs.

so better watch your step, because i'm about to blow

and where the pieces land i guess we'll never know

SuNJATA

stay your pretty eyes on course

"tHiNKinG aBOuT iT," Niki retorts under his breath, the words framed by his smile. He's just settling into that gently swaying darkness of a drunk succumbing to an imprompu nap when, all at once, the world yanks itself upwards. "WH-" Cut off by the way he's succinctly lifted from the couch and into Sunjata's arms, Niki's eyes flutter open just in time to see the floor disappearing, forced to clasp hold of the other man's shoulders despite there being zero chance of him slipping out of his grip. #demigods

"What are you doing," he hisses, feeling his face start to heat up especially as he's essentially marched away from the main area towards the stairs. (A prim and proper man also doesn't let himself get seen publicly whisked up to his bedroom by the sex-Frey demigod either, Sunjata, did you know that?)

He isn't even thinking of the spirits right now, too busy fretting about where to put his hands while his subconscious files away every bit of Sunjata's heat and closeness to pick apart over and over again later. "I... it is down a corridor on the left. But you do not have to take me to bed. I am fine."

Niki

I guess I never really faced my fears before