Now we one, two, three, four, five shots deep

the rumpus and ruckus are comfortable now

The smile Calypso flashes is like a coin spinning into a wishing well, shining and warm with a promise of something magical. Caly. He holds her name like a gift, pressed in this thoughts. His eyes track her movements as she unwinds herself from the bar, his appraisal unhidden when she steps free and is in full splendor. His mouth hangs ajar for a moment, caught off guard by the sheer radiance she gave off. Blinking, he realizes she said something, and he hurries after those words before they leave him for good. 

"No shit?" he asks with raised 'brows, surprised to learn she is not only known by Flora, but trusted. The bar means a lot to her, he knows. He glances over for the Torchline Crow, catching the tail end flash of her glitter and jewelry as she slips into a separate room with two Ancients on her tail. His attention refocuses on Caly with a rogue's grin, "well, then it seems the bar's in excellent hands." 

Kaisel glances over as Mateo offers his expertise, unable to contain the wide grin that stretches at the sight of Flora's brother bedecked in gold and neon. "Mateo!" he chirps, saluting with two fingers and accidentally jostling the wig in the process. "Now that the professional is here, we can party to maximum potential!" Muttering some profanity under his breath Kaisel works to re-straighten the wig again, lipstick the least of his concerns at the moment despite Koa's insistence. 

At the feeling of Caly's arm slipping across his shoulders, as if they've done this dozens of times, Kaisel's eyes turn to hers. He only checks for a beat, ensuring she didn't accidentally bump him, that it's real. He might have stood there, snared in her stare for the rest of the night, if not for the pressure she set into her touch, directing him, Koa, and Mateo into a wonderful cluster of chaos. In response slides his own arm around her lower back, fingers curling against her hip with an ease which is at odds with the quickening of his pulse.

A glance is afforded to Theea whom Koa calls over, and Kaisel silently approves of the addition for his cousin. "Shots! Shots! Shots!" Kaisel chants, reaching over for the tray that makes its way to them with their collected beverages. Lifting it up in a cheers, his eyes gleam with a pledge of mischief. "To a night worth remembering, but we probably won't!" He laughs and tosses it back, sticking his tongue out as the burn drips down, settling with a continual heat low in his belly.

---

Breakaway from [ME] one shot, two shot, coppertone-red

Kaisel

everybody come hang, let's go out with a bang

why icarus thought he'd find his place a little higher

“Sure is.” The young attuned boasts proudly to Kaisel’s surprise, snickering lightly. People shuffle and flit through, and their little group grows bigger as she indulges in a hint of the spotlight for the moment, her dress picking up the way the lights flicker against the gold sequins of her hips.

“Hi Theea! I ammmm, after tonight that is.” Caly chirps back to Theea as she joins them, peering past Mateo and Koa, a parroting sound of the former to hopefully help the accepted with the shyness that feels almost palpable in the air. “Oh yeah, easy, a Torchline Float comin’ right up.” Flashing her sunny smile to the accepted, Caly looks over to Vesper to ensure he’d picked up the order (and the extra pineapple) before some shots are already sliding their way. The golden liquid within shimmers as she slips one over to Theea, then indulges for a moment in the warmth of Kaisel’s hand at her hip, shifting her weight slightly so that it felt a bit more natural with the way her arm’s slung around him. Her heels help the height difference, but he’s tall in comparison, so she certainly manages her best.

The rest of the shots are divided up amongst them all and laughs a chimed sound alongside Kaisel’s toast, slamming her shot back and setting the glass on the table with a giggle as it burns. Her hand returns to her lips briefly, tapping at the corner to clean up some of the liquor that had tried to escape when she’d taken the shot, before she’s beaming her amber gaze to Koa. “I can getcha somethin’ stronger if you still need it. I've been playin' around with new drinks.” She teases the dragoon, before she’s snagging one of the mojitos to hand to Kaisel and the extra pineapple Torchline Float for Theea, before settling with a big gulp of her own mojito.

Calypso

it's curious, the flame of the fire

maybe smoking one more cigarette won't turn your lungs to ashes

Vesper polishes off the rim of a glass with the hem of his sleeve, watching the party spiral outward with all the predictable grace of a firecracker in a birdcage. There’s laughter, glitter, the clink of glass, the hazy blur of high spirits—but beneath it all, the hum of minds churns like an undertow he can’t ignore.

Calypso ’s thoughts are sun-soaked and sharp-edged, a giddy, golden thing wrapped around the thrum of Kaisel ’s arm at her waist. That one, Vesper notes as he watches Kaisel raise the tray with boyish bravado and that glitter-eyed grin, is in deep already. There’s hunger in it, bright and foolish and real.

Koa, meanwhile, is trying like hell to look effortlessly cool—like the kind of man who doesn’t glance twice at the girl with the wind-chime laugh and ocean eyes. But Vesper feels the sharp swing of Sohalia in his orbit, the flare of attention, the nerves she probably thinks are invisible. Not to him, Vesper thinks, lips twitching. Definitely not to me.

Mateo ’s mind is less of a surface and more of a starburst, thoughts sliding through every corner of the room like pollen on a breeze. The way he laughs, the way he leans too casually against Koa. The tug of amusement and curiosity he keeps aimed Vesper’s way like a magnet pretending not to know it’s already caught.

And then there’s the other room. Theea ’s nerves are a hum, high and bright, but Vesper can handle nerves. What he doesn’t want to handle is the crimson throb behind the far wall. It hits like heat lightning—sweaty, breathless, escalating by the second. The kind of distraction even his shadows find embarrassing.

He sets the cleaned glass down with a sharp click and lifts his chin above the noise, glancing towards a pale blonde locked in conversation with a guy with a funny accent.

"Sohalia —" The name cuts through the music like a bell. Not loud, but pitched just right to carry. When her gaze flicks toward him, he'll flash her a lopsided grin and tips his head toward the space behind the bar. "You mind comin’ back here and givin’ me a hand?" he drawls, voice casual as sin, but warm with familiarity that feels older than the one time they’d met. "These fools are orderin' faster than I can make 'em." Should his sister look at him, Vesper will tip her a wink that very much suggests he's not in need of any actual help, so she's free to just stay put.

He flicks a glance toward the gaggle forming—Caly and Kaisel, Theea and Koa, Mateo needing no one—and raises an eyebrow. Then he looks back at Sohalia, grin slow and genuine. Because he’s young, but not young enough to pretend like he doesn’t notice when someone’s left on the edge of things.

But all it takes is gas to burn a city down with matches

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

Sohalia

In the midst of her conversation with Tal, Sohalia's name rang out - not loud, but familiar, from a voice that Soh had not expected to hear calling her. Vesper met her gaze across the bar, his grin genuine enough to bring an answering smile to her face. After making her excuses to Tal, she slipped behind the bar, coming to stand beside Vesper with one hand on her hip. "I'll do my best to keep up," she said in a tone that wasn't quite flirtatious - or at least wasn't intended to be. She wasn't yet sure if she was grateful to be included in the group of young people forming, but she was at least pleased that someone had thought to invite her into it, even if only tangentially.

She glanced over the group - Kaisel and a blonde she didn't recognize, Mateo, and, she noted with a twinge of jealousy, Koa and Theea. She gave each of them a smile - yes, even you, Koa, even if there was a shadow of sadness in it that perhaps only he would recognize for what it was. Then she thanked her lucky stars that Flora had been teaching her how to mix drinks, and turned her attention decidedly back to Vesper. "So, what do you need me to make?"

if all of the days have no more light and all of our dreams are lost tonight

Theea

Yla

At first, seeing someone leaning over the curly-haired man made of glitter had me leaning back, but I quickly realize how friendly he’s being.

I’m halfway into smiling at Koa, ready to say something smooth — or at least not entirely awkward—when someone throws his voice into the sky like it’s a flare, chanting like he’s summoning spirits (pun intended). He’s got the enthusiasm of someone already several drinks in or just naturally born for chaos. Maybe both. A tray materializes overhead like divine intervention, and before I can politely decline or plan an exit route, a shot glass is slid before me.

Calypso — I think thats her name — just… smiles at me. Like this is normal. Like I’m not holding my very first alcoholic drink in the middle of a glittering whirlwind of strangers who all seem infinitely cooler than me.

There’s no time to back out — the guy tangled in a bikini with a crooked wig lifts his drink high for a toast. I panic.

Then I pretend I’m not panicking and lift the glass like it’s just another task, another test I’m too stubborn to fail. I down the shot, and it’s worse than I expected. It hits the back of my throat like molten lightning, and I cough hard enough to make my eyes water. The back of my hand presses to my lips.

"Gods, is this what fun tastes like?"

Before I can properly wheeze, a much larger glass is set down by Calypso in front of me with a tropical little flourish — the other bartender made the drink, thank the gods. The Torchline Float, complete with extra pineapple and a hint of mercy. I take a long, deep gulp.

It’s good. Really good. Cool and sharp and sweet in a way that settles the burn from the shot and replaces it with something... warm. Pleasant. Heavy, even. Like heat blooming under the skin.

I lower the glass and finally, finally manage to catch my breath.

“Theea,” I say hoarsely, blinking at Koa. “Hi. That was my first drink. Like—ever. So if I end up face-down in the sand before midnight, kindly prop me up somewhere and pretend I’m stargazing?”

Then I catch sight of Sohalia behind the bar — not just passing through, but stepping in like she belongs there. My lips tug into a surprised little smile. She’s the one who offered me a place to stay, after all. The reason I’m not currently sleeping on a beach wrapped in my coat.

“Hey,” I say with a grin, relieved to see someone I know (since Flora did, in fact, disappear), “you gonna have a shot too?”

occupation: aspiring beam of light

maybe smoking one more cigarette won't turn your lungs to ashes

posting order is for losers who can't sit on the site all day at work

---

Vesper doesn’t move when Sohalia joins him. He waits until she’s close enough to catch the scent of her—saltwind and citrus, maybe something fainter underneath—before he shifts, slow as syrup. One arm braces against the shelf to her left, the other slides to the right, effectively caging her between long limbs and the wood-smooth curve of the bar. He doesn’t touch her. He doesn’t need to. At 6’2", his presence is a shadow that leans into hers, all heat and stillness and faint-smirking mischief. 

His mouth is near her ear now, not so much whispering as making space for just the two of them in the riot of music and laughter. She'd gotten herself all dolled up for tonight and it'd be a damn shame if she thought no one appreciated the effort she'd put in. "We’re makin’ what Caly calls the Marin Flight." He says it like it’s a secret. "Three drinks, one for each of us. Nova’s is bright and sweet and’ll knock you sideways. Caly’s is golden and sharp with just enough kick to keep you from thinkin’ straight. Mine?" His breath ghosts close to her temple, lips curving. "Dark and strong. You’ll know it when you taste it."

He might’ve said more, but Theea ’s voice lifts over the din, asking Sohalia if she’s having a shot too. Vesper straightens just enough to flash a grin toward her—slow, wicked, and very, very sure of the answer. "Oh, absolutely she is," he says, drawl thick with amusement.

With fluid precision, he grabs two cut-crystal shot glasses and pours a syrupy peach and starfruit mix into the base, topping it with high-proof vanilla rum and a swirl of edible glitter that catches the light like constellations. Two maraschino cherries plunk into the glasses last, sunk like secrets in the summer-sweet gold. He slides one toward Sohalia, the other to Theea. "Sunshine in a glass."

But all it takes is gas to burn a city down with matches

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

No better version I could pretend to be tonight

Oh, well, scratch that- Kaisel doesn't seem to need any help, not with Calypso melding into him like they're two bananas in a single peel. Koa's more than happy to leave him to his devices in picking up the ladies - gods know one of them deserves to get some, and for the past while now it hasn't been him. His grin softens a little as Theea all but recoils, the same way one might relax when faced with a frightened cat. He wants to tell her that they don't bite-- But then there are shots being passed around, and a voice rising over the din, calling a name that at once has Koa frozen and burning as a flush grazes his cheeks.

And who can blame Koa if he throws back the shot, quickly snagging another one before inhaling and turning to face the responsibility he's been ducking like a kid in a water balloon fight?

But much to the Dragoon's surprise, Sohalia doesn't stop to chat. Rather she slips behind the bar, leaving Koa feeling rather bemused and perhaps a little stung, though he knows he has no right to be. Swallowing down what feels like wounded pride and definitely not jealousy, Koa turns her attention back to Theea, though half of it remains on the pair at the bar.

His copper eyes widen in surprise and some alarm as the girl makes her revelation, mental recalculations suddenly whirling in his head. "Your first? Really?!" Koa laughs, incredulous, because she seems old enough to already be deep in the partying lifestyle. Or maybe Koa spent too much time with Mateo as a kid, and his view of what is and isn't normal is skewed toward the #YOLOSWAG "What a way to start! Don't worry, I promise to keep an eye on you," he adds gallantly, scooting around Mateo to better be heard. "You should probably pace yourself - do you need some water? Or food?"

He glances instinctively back to Soh, but she's wrapped up in her lesson, the pretty bartender's arms all but caging her against the counter, and nope, Koa, you don't get to be jealous, now uncurl your fists like a good boy. Forcing his gaze to unlock from Sohalia, he instead looks up at Vesper's smug face. "D'you think you could get some waters going?" Koa asks with a smile that is placid and even, one those closest to him would recognize as his Dragoon customer service look, because it's not like he wants this guy to get his hands and body back into their appropriate space and off the Luminary, definitely not- he's just looking out for his newest friend.

k o a

Mateo

yeah yeah yeah I see how it is

---

With Koa's arm around his shoulders, a shot pressed into his hands from Vesper and the rest of the group bobbing along nicely around him like bubbles in champagne, Mateo lifts his glass to his lips and neatly shoots it back, basking in the glow of the already quite drunk. (And his stalwart catch-up-companions, of course). Setting the glass down and leaning easily into the Dragoon at his side, he raises his eyebrows at Kaisel and, either oblivious to or not giving a fuck about (guess which) the  fact that he's cozying up to Calypso, produces a tube of lipstick from only the gods know where.

"We are not at a whorehouse, and you are dressed as my sister. And my sister would never suffer her makeup to look so sloppy," he announces, zoning in on Kaisel and grabbing him by the chin - coincidentally just as he's putting down his own shot glass - so he can expertly apply the lipstick and ensure he's no longer doing a piss-poor impression of Flora. Only when he's finished does Mateo release him, gesturing a chef's kiss and tipping Kaisel a wink.

"You are welcome," he says. But then - but then - Koa is trying to order water, and Mateo rounds on him with eyebrows raised so high they disappear into his curls. "I am so sorry, papa, I did not see you standing there. I was not aware we were being chaperoned." He flaps a hand at Theea. "Do not listen to him - you will be fine."

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sohalia

Before Sohalia had a chance to do or say much of anything, Vesper shifted, and she suddenly found herself with an arm on either side of her, effectively caging her against the bar. She looked up at Vesper with round eyes, but her gaze quickly flitted to Koa, something perhaps a little panicked and beseeching there. If it wasn’t for the fact that she’d told Koa she’d wait for him, maybe she’d have liked the attention - after all, Vesper was attractive, and he’d been kind to her when they’d met before. She could see herself getting to know him better.

Except there was Koa, who had sort of rejected her, but she was still hung up on him. And she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.

But Vesper leaned in enough for his breath to ghost across her cheek, and she immediately reddened, goosebumps raising on her arms at the proximity. Then, blessedly, Theea broke in, and Soh turned to her newest friend, a smile on her lips even as her heart raced in her chest. She was about to decline a shot - last time she’d done shots with Flora, she’d ended up very drunk - but Vesper cut in again, and she glanced up at him with a raised brow. ”She is right here,” she quipped. ”But how could I say no to sunshine in a glass?”

After all, it was just one shot. What was the harm?

Besides, Theea shouldn’t have to take them alone - not that they were in danger of that, really, but in Soh’s mind, the girl should have someone she knew to take shots with. So the Luminary picked up the shot glass and toasted Theea - then downed the drink. It was everything that Vesper had promised it would be, and Soh sat the shot glass down on the counter to smile up at him. ”Bright and sweet,” she agreed. ”Just like Nova.”

Then she turned her gaze to Koa. She might have a whole lot of complicated emotions where he was concerned - and she desperately needed to talk to him - but for now, there was little she could do about any of that. Instead, she could play bartender. ”Waters coming right up,” she agreed. This, at least, was something she could do. She set to work grabbing some glasses and filling them with water, setting them out along the bar, within reach for anyone who might want to grab one. She suspected that they might go to waste, but it was something to keep her busy - and out of Vesper’s arms.

if all of the days have no more light and all of our dreams are lost tonight

the rumpus and ruckus are comfortable now

Eyes bright with merriment, Kaisel glances down at Calypso as she giggles through her shot, the sound delightful and delicious. Yeah, he'll need more of that asap. Her movement draws his attention to her lips, and he has half a mind to offer to clean them up for her. He's not quite that brazen though, especially not only after 1 shot, but give him some time and he'll shoot his shot for real—her easy touch only inspiring his confidence, which is already inflated more than necessary from a wig and shorts that require some frequent adjustments to keep his balls from popping free.

He lets his pinky brush over her fingers as he takes the Mojito from her. "Yes! Get him that please," he agrees to Caly getting something stronger for Koa. Especially because Sohalia just rang out behind him. Uh oh. Sucking down a good bit of his Mojito, he cuts a glance over to Vesper who has summoned her, watching as she slips behind the bar. Though Kaisel is friendly with Soh, he's 100% worried about his idiot cousin and his stupid heart. Fortunately, Theea's popped cherry seems to have Koa locked in on her, although it's brings out his white knight side a bit too strongly.

Mateo is upon him before he can blink, a tube of lipstick raised like a deadly weapon in the man's very capable hands. "Wh—" Kaisel begins to argue, to explain that Flora herself is the one who applied this marred mark and found it satisfactory enough to send him loose. It's too late though, because Mateo's fingers snare his chin and tilt his head just so. The authority of it quiets him instantly and he puckers for the application, resigned to the task at hand. He blows a kiss back to Mateo's wink once he's released, glancing down to Calypso. "What do you think, is this my shade?" all while trying to chase the straw back to his tongue without breaking eye contact with her.

"Yeah Koa, if you're gonna swap to water so fast that's gonna be a party foul and you'll have to take a shot off someone's body as payment," Kaisel barks, gesturing with his mojito hand for extra emphasis. "If you argue then you don't get to pick who," Kaisel threatens with a smile. "Although that raises an excellent point that we need more shots!"

Kaisel

everybody come hang, let's go out with a bang

Theea

Yla

I feel my face flush when Koa reacts, that sort of warm, startled embarrassment that hits fast and leaves me laughing under my breath. “Yeah, really,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck with a sheepish grin. “And I’m pretty sure my mom could get tipsy from sniffing rum cake, so… odds are not in my favor. I’d like to remember my first drink without also remembering falling face-first into someone’s lap.”

Which, of course, is the exact moment Mateo swoops in with a lipstick intervention that leaves Kaisel puckering like a model and me blinking through the chaos. “‘Kay,” I say, squinting between them, “honestly I don’t even know who to listen to anymore. This whole bar is suspiciously good at peer pressure.” I pause. Wait. Mateo… as in—

Then Vesper ’s adamant about Soh’s shot before I can finish that thought, conjuring two glittering, hypnotic shots that look like they were made by sunlight and poor decisions. I glance at Sohalia, flash her a grin, and tap my glass lightly against hers. “Cheers.”

This one goes down stronger, the burn more pronounced, and I wince—just a little—but it’s not bad. It’s warm. Pleasant, even. Like lighting a candle behind my ribs. I breathe, blinking fast. “That tasted like an enchanted mango and also a dare.”

And then Kaisel — who apparently does not have a verbal filter — drops the phrase shots off someone’s body like it’s the most casual suggestion in the world.

”Wait, what?” I blink at him, slowly. “How—where do you even put the shot—? Is that a thing people actually do or just something you made up while high on glitter?” I glance at Sohalia like she might confirm this is real, then take another sip of water. “I’m already two shots and half a float in for the first time, I can’t be processing anatomy-based drink logistics right now.”

The buzz is hitting—soft but noticeable, like someone turning the volume down on all my usual nerves.

occupation: aspiring beam of light

maybe smoking one more cigarette won't turn your lungs to ashes

Vesper doesn’t flinch at the customer-service smile. Doesn’t even twitch when Koa ’s voice flattens around the request for water, too perfectly pitched to be anything but a leash yanked taut. He just sets the glass down he'd been holding, and leans forward on his elbows like he’s settling in for a story.

But he doesn’t bite. He’s a telepath after all, not a drama club extra, and he’s been on the receiving end of colder glances from warmer people.

Still, the static flickering at the edge of Sohalia ’s mind is... disappointing. Not in the way people are when they’re cruel or bitter, but in the way that unspoken grief turns things inward. Whatever she’s feeling about the little cluster of chaos beside the bar, it’s folding in on itself like a burned note, and the taste of ashes is not one he finds particularly palatable.

"Water’s already covered," he says mildly, a flick of his fingers indicating the pitcher and glasses Sohalia’s reaching for. His eyes flick lazily toward Koa, one brow arching like punctuation. "But since you’re so invested, maybe you oughta help her pass 'em out."

The grin that follows is slow and sharkish, but there’s no real teeth in it. Just a dry flick of amusement and the subtle nudge of a point being made.

He doesn’t need Koa to look at Sohalia again. Doesn’t need to press. He’s already heard the way his thoughts skipped when her name was called. Already felt the flicker of jealousy when Vesper leaned in close. No sense rubbing salt in a wound no one’s ready to admit is bleeding. It is boring, though.

Instead, he lets his attention drift—toward Calypso’s shot-slick laugh, Kaisel’s sugar-rimmed boldness, the burn of Mateo’s lips against the party’s pulse—before lining up another round of shots so that Mr. I'll Shoot My Shot When I'm Ready can stop tugging at his balls.

But all it takes is gas to burn a city down with matches

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

why icarus thought he'd find his place a little higher

She doesn’t need to be a telepath to know that there’s drama afoot. Such that when her brother calls over Sohalia, there’s a glimpse from the younger attuned toward her, toward what kind of game her brother’s playing - before she’s focusing back on the gathered group. A sunshine smile is flashed to Theea as she hands her the Torchline Float, content to see how the young woman takes it, gasping along with the rest of them to hear that it was her first drink. “Well, y’found one helluva party to dive in!” She chimes to the young woman.

Her brother’s already well on the way to making the Marin Flight, to which the young attuned is infinitely pleased to see her recipes bloom into reality. But her view is suddenly interrupted by Mateo reaching forward to snag Kaisel by the chin, applying the lipstick in a better way than the smeared portion previously had allocated for. And when he angles his head down toward her with the question, Caly’s brows lift as she inspects the shade, made a touch more difficult with the way he’s chasing Rae’s Green Caido for the fucking straw in the glass.

“Think it should be a lil bit more red.” She says matter of factly, shifting her weight so that her hip bumps into Kaisel’s with a playful wink from her eye that has the star tattoo sat beneath it.

If Kaisel’s really paying attention, he’ll see that Caly’s lips are painted quite the deep, bloody red. If he’s unsure how to be so bold, she can certainly help prove the point that she isn’t against whatever blunder he’s worried he might make.

Oh, but then there’s body shots being talked about, her amber gaze warm as she glances back toward Theea with that same sunshine grin. “It’s def a thing!” She chimes to the Accepted with a snickering grin, her gaze sweeping to Mateo next. “I volunteer Mateo an’ I for bodies.” She boasts proudly, her amber gaze flicking to Vesper’s with a wicked gleam of amusement before landing on Mateo with all the playful challenge the tide jaguar attuned has.

Calypso

it's curious, the flame of the fire

Mateo

Groaning as a round of waters is produced despite his protests, Mateo bypasses them entirely to reach for another shot because he ain't no bitch. Shooting it back in time to hear the words body shots and his own name, it's with a dimpled grin that he spins back and offers a roguish little bow to the group at large. "I second that," he trills, already twisting and reaching for the clasps and ties of his obnoxiously jingly coin shirt, until he can tug it off his body and let it clink heavily down onto the bar next to the Marin flight of shot glasses.

"Bartender - tequila, if you would be so kind." Winking to Vesper and reaching over the bar to snag a salt shaker and a few lime wedges, he places one between his lips and shakes a line of salt down his chest, waiting expectantly for someone to take said shot - and waggling his eyebrows at Calypso to tell her she'd better get a move on if she wants to keep up.

if anything could fall at all, it's the world that falls away from me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!