[SE] the charm of long days

// you knew who I was //

Danta has had a very exciting day so far. Between napping, fucking and swimming on the beach with Asta to a sneaky exploration (and a resulting fight over a ramphire) within Rae's Fingers, the Maverick considers his vacation quite a grand one, scrapes and bruises and all. He's wandering back through Haulani now, towards the inn he and the butcher had checked into that morning, the afternoon sun positively baking the ground beneath his bare feet.

He's not the only one out, of course - when is that ever the case in Haulani - but he's probably the only one covered in blood and wearing nothing but a pair of shark-adorned swimming trunks as he meanders through the streets. Raking blond hair streaked with red out of his face and adjusting his sunglasses, if any of the injuries sustained (not to mention a suspicious mark on his neck that looks like some very sharp teeth) are bothering him, he absolutely doesn't show it.

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

daydream about me, and i know that you hate the nights without me

It’s very true that the Maverick isn’t alone in the streets of Haulani. People filter in and out of shops and buildings at all hours of the day, and today is no exception. Sunjata’s just departing from a shop, actually, tall enough to peer over the crowd briefly before a blood streaked blonde immediately captures his attention.

And as they say, curiosity killed the cat, right? Hopefully Danta keeps his claws to himself, which judging by the content look on his face, Sunjata’s almost positive he’ll be fine. So he drifts through the throngs of people until he’s gotten to the Maverick’s side, shooting a crooked smile down toward the other leader. “I was gonna ask who won, but you look pretty content, so I have to assume it was you?” Bouncing a brow playfully, the Flood gives him a good long look.

SUNJATA

// you knew who I was //

Curiosity has killed a lot of things, Jata, but not you. Not today, anyway. Having been licking a bit of blood from his thumb - he can't really tell if it's his own or not - the Maverick's mouth and fangs are occupied, at least, when the Flood ambles up beside him. And so sue him if his eyes light up at first at the familiar tall shadow that falls over him, but of course as he glances up and over his shoulder, it's a different lanky individual who has sauntered over to say hi.

Not that Danta is any less pleased to see Jata, but of course both of them find themselves in quite different circumstances compared to the last time they'd seen each other. "It was a draw," he purrs around his thumb, continuing to head along the street and peering at the Flood from over his sunglasses. "You're looking well, Sunjata," he says. "Long time no see. How's the lady?"

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

daydream about me, and i know that you hate the nights without me

“A draw, huh?” He says, flashing that lopsided smile toward the Maverick. Circumstances are different this time around and he does notice the shift in the light of the Maverick’s attention, wondering why perhaps that might be (and who might harbor a height and shadow similar to his own to create such a reaction). But alas, he’s not that invested. They were friends, sure, but he’ll let Danta keep his secrets.

“Thanks. She’s doing great, actually.” Humming a soft laugh, the Flood shrugs a tattooed shoulder. “You look good, too. Happier than I’ve seen you, which is really saying something.” Nudging him with his elbow, he tries to punctuate the point. “Gotta be Torchline in Longheat, huh?” He smirks, because gods as much as he likes the sun and the heat, this time of year has him almost always running the risks of sunburns and heat stroke.

SUNJATA

// you knew who I was //

They can both keep their secrets, as far as Danta is concerned, but it doesn't stop him from appreciating the Flood's good looks as usual. He'd been the first person the Maverick had encountered upon leaving The Climb, after all - and you don't forget a fuck like that. "Very glad to hear it," he drawls of Hotaru, tipping Sunjata a wink and sliding his sunglasses back up properly; it had been the Valkyrie, after all, to invite him explicitly to The House of Midnight to visit.

"Me, happier than usual? It can only be Torchline at Longheat," he agrees with a wicked laugh, happily jostled and letting his hand drop to tuck into one of the pockets of his shorts. "I am on a vacation," he announces with a bounce of his eyebrows. "And I have to say, if you haven't taken one recently, I can highly recommend them. You and Hotaru should whisk yourselves off to The Climb for a bit."

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

daydream about me, and i know that you hate the nights without me

“Exactly.” Sunjata says with a hum of a laugh. The mention of vacation has his brows lifting, the scarred one especially as his lips quirks into a smirk. “Vacation, huh?” He makes a show of thinking long and hard about when the last time he took one was, and coming up empty he shakes his head a little. “I probably should take a vacation sooner rather than later.” Given the whole Starfall thing.

As for the Climb, though, he drifts alongside Danta, carving the path through the crowd toward the Inn that Danta is evidently staying at. “Got any places in particular you’d suggest?” He asks, with a curious gleam to the steel of his eyes. He’s been to Frey’s Breath pretty consistently, but the rest of it has eluded him mostly.

SUNJATA

// you knew who I was //

"Mmhm. I don't blame you for not realising - I'd probably walk around like this if I were on official Grounds business," Danta says with a smirk, gesturing to the blood, the bare chest and feet, the shark shorts. "But yes, you absolutely should. I didn't even know they were a thing until recently." Vacation was just a word he'd probably spell wrong twice before giving up, honestly.

Rounding the corner onto the street where his inn is situated, Danta only pauses to barter for a pack of cigarettes from a stall, exchanging a few small gems in his pocket (he'd found them in Rae's Fingers, and finders keepers, right?) before glancing back to Jata. "Frey's Breath is the obvious choice," he says with a grin. "But if you don't mind the blood, the Mountain's Roar is great. And Soulfire Reach is the best place to go to be close to my favourite lady." Dygra, of course.

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

daydream about me, and i know that you hate the nights without me

Chuckling a laugh under his breath, he shrugs his tattooed shoulders and pins the Maverick with a playful look. “It wouldn’t surprise me.” And it wouldn’t, really, given just how much Danta seemed to ride that line of serious business and can’t be fucked. Truly awe inspiring, and if he hadn’t already cemented his own leadership abilities, he might’ve tried to learn a thing or two from the Maverick on not letting it weigh so heavily.

But vacation was the true reason, and he flashes a crooked smile even if the scarred brow that lifts seemed to be in question. “Really?” He says, not exactly realizing Danta’s history enough to know that vacations weren’t things back then (whenever then was). “I used to go on them as a kid.” Back in Korofi. It’s how he’d fallen in love with the ocean from such a young age.

He trails alongside the other man as they round the corner toward the Inn and Sunjata takes note that their conversation would be coming to a close soon – he doesn’t want to impact whatever plans the Maverick has, especially when it comes to finding time to relax, and joins him in snagging a pack of cigarettes from the merchant as well (because gods it’s been a while and he’s been trying to be good for the Valkyrie). “Obviously.” Sunjata drawls, as if he wasn’t living breathing proof of Frey’s perfection (being their demigod and all that). “Mm, maybe I’ll give Ru the choice and she can decide which she’s feeling.” Silently grateful he doesn’t say the Obsidian Cathedral, given how many times Sunjata had ventured there with Nate in the past, he makes a mental note of the rest of them.

“I’ll let ya know which we decide.” And how it went, of course, because that’s what friends do, wasn’t it?

SUNJATA

// you knew who I was //

"Oooh, lucky you," Danta croons of Sunjata's childhood vacations. "Really, yeah. They weren't really the done thing where I'm from." Or maybe they were - the Maverick genuinely has no idea; if other Ancients had been disappearing to enjoy themselves across Caido for no other reason than rest and relaxation, he certainly hadn't been involved or invited. But that's a story for another time, and certainly not one to tell the Flood out here in the sunshine.

Pausing to light a cigarette with a whisper of flame from his fingertips, he offers to do the same for Jata once he's procured his own pack, inclining his head to hear that he'll leave the specific location up to Hotaru. "Wise decision," he drawls; not just from the generic keep your lady happy perspective, but he knows the headstrong Valkyrie is more than likely to have her own opinions. And let's be honest, they're probably better than any ideas from either Sunjata or Danta.

"You do that," he adds, smirking around the cigarette before falling to a halt outside the inn he's been walking towards. "This is me. So unless you're very keen to see the inside of my room, I might have to catch you later." Once upon a time, Danta would have already been trying to ferry the Flood inside by the front of his pants, all hungry lips and greedy hands, and whilst he can absolutely still appreciate the way Longheat looks on the already handsome demigod, something seems to be holding him back. For today, anyway.

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

daydream about me, and i know that you hate the nights without me

“Huh. Well, I’m glad you’ve gotten to experience one at least once.” Though his knowing grin seems to suggest that it wouldn’t be the last for the Theocrat to take. And he certainly doesn’t blame him in the slightest either for already wanting to go on more.

As he snags his own pack of cigarettes and Danta’s lighting his with that neat little trick of summoning it from his fingers, he snorts around the mouthful of smoke and nods to the drawl – because he certainly intended on keeping Hotaru happy, especially so this season later on down the line.

As Danta stops, Sunjata glances up to the name of the Inn before looking back down to the Maverick, flashing that same crooked grin before he’s lifting the cigarette back to his lips (admittedly, a touch surprised that he isn’t being offered in from more overt reasons, but yet again finds that he’ll let the other man keep his secrets). “I’ve got something I’ve gotta take care of, anyway.” He says, waving Danta off as the cigarette hangs from his lips. “Enjoy the rest of your vacation, Danta.” So saying, the Flood gives him a wave and a nice long look up and down before he’s stepping away and vanishing within the remaining groupings of people in this stretch of Haulani.

- FIN

SUNJATA