[SWE] bad moon rising

EVIE

There is plenty of reason to want to yell, but Deimos has never been the type, and it startles Evie so hard when he erupts at her side that her nails dig into his elbow - instinctively keeping him close even when he is the one who scared her. Abandoning her concerned oversight of Alys, she turns her head towards him, baffled.

What’s more confusing is he seems just as taken aback, muttering apologies immediately. “Clearly,” she manages to utter, looking over his shoulder at where a solitary man begins to dance. “But it…seems harmless?” For now. But how much longer? Then she sees Melita approach Talyson, all fire and rage, and she winces. She certainly won’t be the one to stick her neck out for the courier, might even enjoy seeing him lambasted, but it wasn’t going to turn out well. “Or maybe not.”

Don't look up, just let them think
There's no place else you'd rather be

Thought it was over, did you? Alas - there's more chaos to be had in the festival tonight...

Dantalion feels the urge to take off all of his clothes.
Lena has the urge to put her hand in the pocket of the person closest to her.
Jack has the urge to give someone a piggyback.
Deimos has the urge to skip and frolic across the grass.
Melita has the urge to steal someone's shoes.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dantalion

but you can't be free

Alright, let's be honest - Dantalion doesn't even really need to feel the chaotic urge to take off all of his clothes to do it. Having seated himself before the roaring bonfire, his shoes are already off so he can bury his toes in the embers when Alys goes leaping by, and he's about to consider joining her, but before he knows it he's shrugging out of his coat instead.

Shirtless beneath it, the heat licks across his skin deliciously, and given how good that feels, it's not difficult to shimmy out of his pants as well. Tanned, freckled and shrouded in the light of a crimson moon and amber flames, Danta stretches out to moonbathe beneath the starry sky.

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

it's not your fault that you're always wrong

Having followed after Melita almost on autopilot, Jack is quietly overwhelmed observing the thoughts of all those present, including the way strange and sudden inclinations spike through them. Between stifled screams, the sight of someone leaping through the fire (and getting naked?), and some guy dancing by himself, it's beginning to feel a lot like Torchline.

Indeed, he manages to swivel his attention back to Mel just in time to see her starting a fight, something which would ordinarily delight him, only as he watches things develop (and swiftly start to fall apart), the captain is seized by an urge of his own. "Hey," he calls to Mel, and although he'd prefer to piggyback her the fuck out of there, that requires a little more cooperation than he thinks she'll want to give.

So it's more like a fireman's carry, the captain trying to hoist the admittedly feisty, angry Honeybee over his shoulder. It looks like he's trying to help, probably.

Melita

I never had a chance to be soft
I was always bloody knuckles

Yeah, wipe that little smile off your face, Tal.

His protest fell on deaf ears, for the firebrand was already well into emboldened urges and stupefying means. “Oh sure, blame Tanau,” she sneered, food clenched tightly in her hands. The pieces of meat were once again in danger of being thrown, tossed, or lost entirely. “Can’t you take accountability, you dick-,”

The Honeybee’s tirade was cut off by Jack suddenly snagging at her and throwing her over his shoulder. Blinking stupidly, and not really asking for any explanation, she still set her sights of vitriol solely for the courier. Briefly releasing one of her fingers to point at his scowling face, she gave another feral hiss/screech. “And gimme your fucking shoes!”

and shards of glass
I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

Endless confusion abounds, and Deimos had no explanation to give to his friends other than the bewilderment – watching as more things began to unfurl. There were some high-pitched screeches nearby, Dantalion…streaking, and hordes of other ridiculous notions.

And then his legs began to move, an urgency, an emboldened notion, far beyond his realms of juvenility.

Frolicking? Skipping?

The Warden probably hadn’t done either of those since he was a very small child, and with all the impulses snagging at his mind, he dragged Evie along with him. “Come with me?” came along his rumble of perplexity again, brows furrowing as he began to lead them around in a wide circle, somewhere near Fox’s dancing. “This is not something I want to do,” he murmured and whispered, as if to explain the phenomenon and having nothing more to give.

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

Lena

hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul

Lena had stood there, eyes very wide, as chaos began to descend. Without explanation, she simply took in the antics – skipping, frolicking, some man streaking, bonfire leaping, very loud demands from some firebrand person nearby…

And in other circumstances, she might have quietly faded into the background and pretended not to exist. Or even better, escaped. But the same bizarre urgency came over her too, and there was no explanation for her wandering closer to Sohalia, save for her hand striving to sneak into the girl’s pockets.

“You have a bug,” she pointed out, snagging at a beetle, holding it up in the palm of her hand for the young leader to see with a vague, uncertain smile.

and sings the tune without the words
and never stops at all

Phoebe

Phoebe arrived late - fashionably so of course. And it seemed the party was in full swing...with people doing very strange things. And amongst the faces she recognized a few, but it was Hotaru that caught her eye. She hadn't seen her friend in a long time and thought this might be a good opportunity to catch up.

"Ru!" she called as she approached, a big smile on her face. The rubies woven into her hair caught the light of the moon, sparkling brightly. "How are you? It's been too long." she said, glancing around. "Why is the vibe so...odd?" she asked.

---

Leftovers - {se} a friend like me
Ruby crown - {SE} Jewels on Jewels on Jewels

she's changed, you can see it in her eyes

"It's the truth!" Tal tried to protest, miserable and increasingly grouchy as Melita turned to name-calling. He scuffed the ground with his booted foot-

And then a man showed up and picked up the little firebrand and started carrying her off and the courier was left blinking in absolute bafflement as she screeched her demand at him. "My shoes? Why...? What d'you need 'em for...?" But he wasn't about to go after her. Nope. Actually, as far away as possible was sounding pretty good, and Tal sidled away and started heading to the other side of the party.

He made it about six steps before spotting Fox doing the dry-land backstroke, which was about three seconds before he caught sight of the Warden of Halo skipping with all due gravitas around the party. Switching directions abruptly, he ended up near the bonfire and glanced down to see--

"What the fuck is in this punch?" he asked Dantalion rhetorically, staring down into his cup with growing horror and an increasing urge to flee the scene.

Sohalia

 
Chaos seemed to descend across the party, leaving Soh watching with a concerned furrow in her brow. What in Caido was going on? She saw several people she recognized, some of whom were doing things that seemed quite out of character, and that was before Lena approached her, reaching for her pocket with a smile. "What -?" she asked, though she didn't move away, trusting that her friend meant no harm, however strange the interaction may be.

A bug? Oh, well, okay. That made more sense than it didn't. "Thank you?" said Soh with a laugh, though she still looked around the party as though something was going to explode at any moment. Whatever she had been expecting of tonight, this was certainly not it.
 

Hotaru

I just wanna feel something, tell me where to go
'Cause everybody knows something I don't wanna know

Noah still seems very ill-at-ease, but his denials are all Hotaru has to operate on with the bond shuttered off like stone walls. Sparing Hadama a slightly helpless, confused look, her eyes alight on Deimos once more - this time skipping hand-in-hand with Evie. Okay, now something is beginning to take shape in her mind.

The suggestion of food has her nodding silently, sneaking a furtive glance at Hadama that asks him to accompany the two of them in case any further insanity happens. Midway to the collection of food Phoebe arrives, and Hotaru's tense shoulders relax slightly as she turns to smile at her friend. They hadn't had a chance to catch up as promised during the Hanged Man's reopening, so she's pleased to see her again so soon.

"Pheebs! It's great to see you, you look lovely." Unaware she's complimenting her daughter's handiwork. As for the weirdness, the fellow Frey follower's presence has her shuffling closer to confide quietly. "I think it's similar to Frey's visual appeal?" Altering on the basis of each individual, but not in terms of inspiring lust - "Perhaps they're giving in to secret desires, or worst fears? Either way, it doesn't seem willing." Deimos' reactions alone had tipped her off given how well she knows her brother, but she can only make so many logical leaps. "My next guess was trickster spirits or spiked punch, but I know Noah hasn't had any." And he's definitely influenced.

So I'll stay right here 'cause I'm better all alone

"Food would be welcome," Hadama agreed cautiously to Noah's deflection, meeting Hotaru's eyes with matching confusion but a willingness to support his friends. He walked with slow dignity beside them, focused largely on keeping his balance over the uneven terrain until the Nightingale arrived to give her regards to the Valkyrie.

"Phoebe," he murmured, giving her a deep nod of respect. "You are looking well." And lovely, though under the ruddy light of the blood moon they were all a bit off-color to his ocean-trained eyes.

There was mild chaos occurring around them, but the Tidebreaker forged ahead undeterred, calmly stoic and refusing to perceive the more uncivilized antics as he reached the food table and began to peruse the various leftovers upon it.

Eternum took in the sight of the festival, the festive atmosphere making him feel both eager and out of place. He had seen few celebrations like this in his lifetime. The sight of the Blood Moon hanging over the peak of Peekaboo Rise was a breathtaking sight that he knew he'd remember for a long time.

He held onto his ruby amulet, his fingers running over the crude shape of it, as if its presence could give him some comfort. It was a stark contrast to the polished rubies and gleaming obsidian used in the festival's decor. He could feel the wild energy in the air, the spirit of chaos and enjoyment that this night represented.

Eternum shuffled towards the food, the tantalizing aroma of well-cooked meals making his mouth water. The small box in his hand, containing a simple cooked rodent, seemed like a poor offering in comparison. Nevertheless, he held onto it, a quiet reminder of his life outside this celebration.

He looked around, his gaze passing over the crowds, the bonfire, the musicians. It was all a bit overwhelming, but there was a sense of joy in it that he couldn't deny. He didn't quite intend to misbehave or go wild, but he was open to the experiences this night might bring.

I was born into the light Under wide and open skies Noah discomfort was growing as the people around him seemed to be falling into the same weird delusions. Keeping himself closed off, however, Noah followed his friends towards the food table. He made sure to keep a distance from Hotaru that would prevent them from bumping shoulders or brushing hands — things that weren’t unusual to happen between the two of them. He was aware of Hadama’s presence and Hadama’s eyes, and he certainly didn’t want— Then there was Phoebe. Noah’s gut sank into his feet. If there was anyone who was going to be able to read right through the man, notice the heat behind his ears and the way his cheeks flushed even in the crimson moonlight, it was the freaking Demi goddess of Frey. ”Hey, Phoebe.” He said, despite it, taking a side step around her and offering her a warm, but guarded, smile before grabbing a snack from the table and stuffing it in his mouth. Noah Olson the sentinel of the north

style inso by odd and skylark