only flesh and bone

/// come close to midnight, hell fade me down
and then my eyes got used to the darkness

So, perhaps he’s taken a detour before immediately marching back toward the Hollowed Grounds to go and annoy the Maverick. It’s fine, though, given the fact that maybe it’s better to let him think he’s gotten away before he arrives to become a raincloud on the other Ancient’s parade.

That and it feels good to stretch his legs, even as he wanders along the multicolored road, feeling familiar to the lava rock that settles beneath his feet. He’s put together now, Astaroth sporting a beautiful maroon jacket, a nice set of pants, dark boots, hair well combed and in place, sunlight glittering from his pronged horns that curl back from his temples in a mirrored effect to the rockery beneath him. It’s even more of a look of being put together when he stands beside one of the geysers that starts to announce it’s bubbling explosion, head tilting slightly as he peers at it to see the multicolored hues explode from it when the sunlight sparks rainbows through the falling rain.

Rain that he does have the mind to step back from getting blasted with. After all the work of being put together, the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it immediately.

Astaroth

and everyone that i knew,
was lost and so long forgotten after you ///

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

Jude is on his normal jogging route on the Rainbow Road, but his head is far away from the geysers and the array of colors blending beneath him. Normally jogging helps ease thoughts out of his mind to achieve a level of peace and silence his anxieties don't allow any other time. Today, he is stuck ruminating on the remainder of his quest for Safrin. His encounter with Zavien in Stormbreak had left him guilt-ridden and contemplative, but equally had opened his eyes to a darker side of things that has left him...well, even more contemplative.

He's not sure how to hurt someone with words. He's not sure he's close enough with anyone anymore to hurt them that way. He refuses to let his father count if only out of pettiness, and Jude has so few close friends or family left that he doesn't want to lose them, even to earn Safrin's favor.

Consumed by his thoughts, Jude runs mostly on habit, and while he's quite accustomed to the geysers and their warning signs he's not used to men randomly spawning out of their mist within a few feet of him. Yelp-cursing, Jude veers to the side, nearly knocking shoulders with the stranger and scrambling to cut his momentum enough to swing his head around and check he hadn't bowled him over. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't see you," he pants, slim shoulders heaving as he tries to catch his breath now that his rhythm has been broken. "I didn't hurt you right? Did you get burned?" If he'd bumped him into the geyser...Jude shudders, the gore sickening even in the confines of his imagination.

but you drain me out if I get too much

/// come close to midnight, hell fade me down
and then my eyes got used to the darkness

He’s mostly distracted, but not entirely. He can hear the footsteps of the Accepted as he runs, the heavy footfalls a dead set ring for just how close the other man was, and with the cloud of the multicolored hue of clouds, well… Astaroth imagines his horns blend in well enough, if not the rest of him.

Apparently he entirely does, though, with how close the young man comes into barreling into him. He steps to the side, carefully measuring out just how close the other man would come, and little happens aside from the air displacement ruffling his slicked back curls, practically punching a hole in the steam from the geyser as the Ancient turns toward him with a raised brow, listening to the apologies that fall from the kid’s lips.

“I can’t get burned, my dear.” He drawls with a fanged grin, inclining his head down toward the young man to reveal the rainbow hued horns that sprout from his head. His tail is seen as it lashes out behind him, ridding some of the water that’s soaked it, but Astaroth’s dark gaze is entirely fixated on the younger man. “Deep breaths.” He offers helpfully before he glances back toward the geyser that had spurred this entire ordeal.

Astaroth

and everyone that i knew,
was lost and so long forgotten after you ///

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

He's put-together in a way that makes Jude wilt and wither, the embarrassment deepening into a yawning hole that threatens to swallow him. Only the reassurance that nothing dire has happened soothes the prickling sensation of guilt, and though he still has his hands perched on his thighs to try and swallow down air faster in the vain hopes of matching the stranger's debonair gravitas, he realizes it's all for naught when the man speaks.

Jude's cheeks darken against his will, thoroughly charmed now that the panic has passed. Being told to breathe by someone devastatingly handsome and composed ensures you can't, but Jude is nothing if not obedient. "That answers my next question of why you're standing so close to the geyser," he laughs awkwardly once his lungs no longer ache, straightening and moving slightly closer - cognizant of his own far more delicate racial constitution. "I was going to assume you were a tourist." He pauses, eyes flickering over the man once more. Ancients aren't uncommon in Torchline given the climate, but they're a close-knit group, and he's privy to their names more than most given Edmund's relation to them. "Um...but are you? I don't think I've seen you around. I run through here every day." Though that doesn't mean the stranger couldn't simply be changing up his own routine.

but you drain me out if I get too much

/// come close to midnight, hell fade me down
and then my eyes got used to the darkness

As the young man starts to relax, Astaroth can spy the slight shade darkening Jude’s cheeks, something that only spurs the Ancient’s smile even more. A small snort leaves him while Jude laughs awkwardly, a shoulder rising and falling in a small shrug before the cane taps against the ground again. He’s half tempted to interject and explain that he does crave heat, and he certainly is a tourist, but the older man is patient and waits idly until Jude’s questions appear to be mostly finished.

“I am.” He admits, before deciding to delve into it a bit more. “It’s my first time here, actually.” He steps a little closer toward the Accepted, invading his space a little as he continues to peer down at Jude with that wide smile. “I don’t intend to stay long, as I have other priorities to attend to, but perhaps you might know and point me in the direction of some place I certainly could not leave without seeing first?”

Astaroth

and everyone that i knew,
was lost and so long forgotten after you ///

JUDE

you're like the sun, you wake me up

Jude straightens immediately, feeling his Maman's sharp eyes examining his posture the moment the stranger affirms his lack of nativity. It's ridiculous to think he of all people represents Torchline in any way but who else is present?

"You picked a great first place to visit, it's one of the prettiest parts of Torchline in my opinion," he compliments sincerely, "it's why I run through here every day!" His ears go a bit pink, his thoughts finishing unspoken with usually without nearly shoving someone into a geyser. "It's hard to beat, but I guess it depends on what else you like. Not to be blunt, but I promise it's important - do you like people?" His cheeks flush again. Good gods why is it so hard to talk to someone so composed and clearly above him? "Um, I mean like crowds of them! The port is a favorite for tourists, but I don't like how crowded it is personally, so I wouldn't recommend it to you if you feel the same way." He's certain the man has finer tastes than what the merchants provide at the port anyway, given they usually overprice their wares for tourists intentionally.

but you drain me out if I get too much

/// come close to midnight, hell fade me down
and then my eyes got used to the darkness

The eagerness with which the young man speaks of his region sparks something in his chest like the warmth one sees when looking at a kitten. “I heard ‘geyser’ and ‘rainbow’ and certainly had to take a look for myself.” He responds with a playful jest, inclining his head slightly toward the shorter man.

However, as for places to visit? He lets his dark gaze linger on Jude as he starts to question whether he’s a people person. Now, that’s a question that could be answered a few different ways, but the grin widens a bit – toothier in nature as he nods his head. But don’t worry, he won’t be a monster here. He’s learned his manners and how to be polite, after all.

The cane shifts slightly as he looks toward the direction where he thinks he remembers the Port to be, and he steps back toward the geyser and its heat to soak it up as he nods. “Perfect. That shall be my next stop.” His hand lifts to gesture lightly when he continues to speak. “Don’t let me keep you from your running. And thank you for the suggestion.”

So saying, he keeps that playful smile wide as the two men make their departure, Asta suddenly realizing that he hadn't asked for his name. Ah, too bad. Perhaps they'll cross paths again one day.

- FIN <333

Astaroth

and everyone that i knew,
was lost and so long forgotten after you ///