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 Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2022 5:05 pm
It seemed a miracle to have surprised, or embarrassed, Waru into silence, but there it was and Aelius couldn’t help his grin from widening. All quiet and slightly flustered, while certainly not what Aelius was already coming to expect from the man, it was endearing. And appreciated. And that little blush…. Hmm….
“Honestly…I don’t mind talking about it. Some of it, anyway.” There were several…instances, that Aelius honestly never wanted to relive or bring up. “But anything pertaining to Faustite is on him. I am not going to betray any trust. If it’s something he wanted you to know about, he’d tell you.” He took another swig of his drink, lips pursing together as he swallowed. “Honestly, sometimes the past should remain in the past and not brought back up.”
Still, he felt he owed Waru a little bit. The man looked genuinely interested and certainly came across as completely devoted to their General. “Faustite was…” He paused, trying to come up with he right words as his eyes focused on the liquid in his glass that he gently swirled around. “He was difficult to understand and honestly showed very little of himself, at least to me. Things were very much on his terms. I am not sure the exact reasoning behind it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with our team and Schorl. Maybe even his home life, but even that he never talked about. But in those rare moments that he opened up…” he smiled as the memories came. “Well, I came back to him for a reason.”
Damn, Eion for wiggling his way into places that Aelius honestly wished didn’t exist within him. Their half-youma General was just endearing. In so many ways. “He’s protective and loyal. That hasn’t changed. And despite the s**t I put him through, s**t that honestly he should have pulled my star seed for and been done with me, he stayed.”
Aelius shifted his weight from against the bar and downed the rest of his drink. He caught the attention of the bartender to indicate another as he heaved a sigh. “Anyway.” He cleared his throat. “I am glad the two of you ran into each other. He needs people who aren’t going to hurt him at his side.” And it was obvious how pure Waru was with his emotions. A man who laid his heart on his sleeve from what Aelius could tell.
“Actually, I wanted to ask someone about this. Faustite mentioned to me he had a sister but we didn’t get a chance to go into detail about it. She was part of the team? Can you tell me nothing about her?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 11:09 pm
The moments between he stole to listen, aptly, body and soul entwined with catching snippets of what Aelius relayed about all the things that had been. It shaped a better opinion in his mind of the man - imperial purples - blue blood - a loyal friend. A necessary component for their team. What little albite knew of loss? The kind that led to hunting heads and pulling souls - well, it’d become his least favorite sort. It was a ******** pleasure to be reassured that he wouldn’t have to worry about it with this one. Interesting to know that Faustite attracted people cut of the same cloth; sometimes. He only ever caught stolen snippets of the kind of tapestry that’d made up the team his boy’d had before. Wondered if there were comparisons worth measuring…
"He’s pretty close vested for an open flame, isn’t he?” He shrugged, wondered if it would’ve been different had Ei’s past simply stayed dead n buried? But no - all his ghosts lived in him; vicious undying things. “I appreciate all this, really. Especially since I'm trying 'not' to do the hurting thing. Not intentionally, at least?" it seemed to happen as easily as tripping over his boys ghosts did. The way he personally lashed out when he hit brick walls and dead ends that he (lacking a finer tooled box of tricks for) inevitably went wrecking through; causing all sorts of lingering little harms, however unaware he was of them at the time. Was impossible to miss the flinches later n' wonder from when n' where they'd come.
"Which’s hard when I’m such a sucker for getting into damn near everything! Honestly, we aren't fighting we're...well..." innuendo and leer that lingered until it became something softer around the edges for the way Aelius offered up praise. The way he probably didn't deserve some of it. Not when he was an ever present accelerant to some of their boys most incendiary desires. When he teased at burning down offices, people shaped irritants, *enemies* who were sometimes on sides that were their own?
When he loved the world so much, but could've also stood to see it burn? It was the most contradictory of feelings to house within himself. He couldn't deny the flare of warmth that settled in his center, to hear someone else approve -- of Faustite? Of them?
Oh, and he wanted to know Lysi too!
Waru perked up at the sound of her name, the poor umbrella became a mangled bit of stick between busy fingers while he went *on* -
"Anna - ********, but I miss her. She was literally the best human being I've ever met, not a spot of meanness in her, not a speck... Kickass healer, makeup grade glitter n good times for days. She was my sister too, but different? Adopted, of the stars. I mean, we share an orbital system, technically? Our resident 'Princess' gone free went on about this whole 'Jovian’ thing, all court n kin. It checks out as true."
He hoped he wasn’t rambling while he plucked out which things to say. How best to describe Eions sister of choice, his family of a team. All the ways that’d wound together into people worth having.
"She had good taste in cookies, bad taste in — people to listen to." at least by his own reckoning she did. Waru could've spat the word Knights, but there were only so many ways he could speak directly without getting looks; even amidst the endless buzz of noise and - youma were one thing? Hell, six months back the news was full of aliens, demons, and every other creature that’d crawled out of a sewer drain; but he couldn't start seething about backstabbing Senshi and Oath wielding assholes without looking just a little crazy- thanked all sorts of goodness that no one ******** bothered him *here*.
It was why he liked the place so much, exclusivity had its endearments. Just like sound snatching lyrics and a bartender who got good tips for pouring strong drinks while leaving peoples business alone..
"Sometimes, people choose their own families, and sometimes? People *make* them; there was a whole hell of a happening -- months back -- parts of people scattered cross hillsides n fires as far as the eye could see." Miracle of miracles, he learned to turn his own volume down, to hisst about this more quietly. It’d been war, and it was glorious to have been let free without repercussion -- while heads quite literally rolled. He still felt the ache of a Princes hail in his bones, found loose bits of shrapnel and half imagined ink stains in his drain catcher.
He was happier then than now - not immediately after, naturally, but ********, in the weeks following? When everything finally fell together, into place, congealed into them really just 'being'! One whole team, a whole family, how Nemb's loss was truncated by the induction of Lysithea. Brightest sister star, beloved elder to Faustite.
"N the kind of ichor that took a body --" terse little hisst of breath, because Albite just didn't ******** condone somethings. In the middle of a triage moment one did what they could with what they had. So, they made due. Swept all the negatives that came with corruption, with it's gaping loss, right under a fat smiling rug. Minded very little the crunch of glass and dust that poked through the gaps in it's imperfect weaving. "-- that took Ei? After he came back, whole n alive? Think he started doing things differently. Saved her a**, for sure. Whatever anyone else thinks, or says? Loving Lysi' was the kindest thing any of us could've done."
That Faustite had been a good brother went without saying. That he’d scraped together every bit of humanity n full stop *tried*, even to his own detriment?
“I am, beyond biased, though. I love too easy…”
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 1:28 pm
”He’s always been closed off.” Aelius bit a lower lip as he swirled the drink in his hand watching the liquid fizz softly. “Honestly, he’s a lot more open now then he was before. Very little ever got past his walls. It’s…nice to see that he’s grown warmer towards others and is willing to share parts of himself. It definitely wasn’t the case before.”
Waru was full of passion. It practically oozed from him as he talked about Faustite and a bitter pang of jealousy, very unbecoming, tightened in his chest. He’d lost time here. A lot of time. Waru and the rest of the team were the perfect example of everything that Aelius had missed and it bothered the young man in a way he couldn’t describe. A mix of emotions in a boiling cauldron that were too well stirred together to decipher the exact ingredients, but Aelius didn’t like it. Not one bit. For a multitude of reasons even he wasn’t ready to dive into yet.
Still, knowing that he shared a part of this teams, of Faustites, history was like a balm to the hurt. He had a part to play in all of this, even if it likely wasn’t the most desired of roles if looked at from the outside.
Then Waru made a comment that ignited that jealously to full bloom. A leer and knowing look was enough to solidify an assumption that Aelius had tried to ignore. damn it/.
He took another swig of his drink, rolling the liquid around in his mouth. A solid buzz had begun to take shape, and at that point Aelius was willing to nurse it into something more. It wouldn’t take much to push him over that edge.
“She was a healer?” He questioned curiously as the topic switched. Healing magic could possibly make it easier for him to track the girl down assuming her abilities hadn’t significantly changed when she was corrupted.
Something bothered him though. “Do you know why he took Anna in as his sister specifically?” It seemed odd, to pull a random stranger in as a family member, when the connection didn’t need to run as deep as familial. A friend, or even a more distant relative would have worked fine if needed. Aelius had lost all connection to family and there had been no attempt to soothe that painful loss when he’d been corrupted. Not that he remembered the corruption itself, but still he knew it had happened.
The numbness in his lips bode well. The alcohol was doing it’s job, but that annoying ache in his chest didn’t subside. How obnoxious. “He took another gulp, the strength of the drink going unnoticed now as it slipped down easily. It was probably a good thing he didn’t have a car, there was no way he’d be driving home tonight.
“I wish I could say the same.” He remarked softly, more to himself than Waru but one’s understanding of quiet when drunk could often times be miscalculated. He’d learned to be wary and calculated. Physical affection was easily separated from the emotional and he had been fine with that until his return brought up emotions he’d thought long snuffed out. <******** he needed to be drunk. Aelius drained the glass. Drunk was easier sometimes.
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 10:30 pm
How much warmer could a guy on fire really get? Like, temperature wise? He'd always figured his firebrands personality had plenty of sizzle n spark! But maybe he'd simply missed out on Faustites more brisk moments, mistook the silent stares and seething pauses for something else when he'd started getting to know him?
It was possible.....
Though equally possible was the fact that he took every friendly '******** off' as a 'come hither' sorta challenge that he couldn't turn down, and closed doors didn't mean much for someone who would've kicked them down soon as knocked on 'em. And? There was a flashbulb afterthought of Faustite, suffering through him going on - going off - in the middle of his office. Scrawling out care in the shape of ketchup packets on paper with a metal nibbed pen, wanting to make sure he could afford to eat...survive....
He'd bristled in offense, until the meaning behind it all'd clicked on, like the blurry edges of strobe that haloed behind Aelius; cast his royal shades n leather matt in a flattering glow. Then Waru could only feel warm, throat to core, a welcome contrast to the clutch of cold glass he toyed with in his fingertips while he intently sorted out answers for Aelius asks.
"He didn't say, and I didn't ask. Didn't seem like he had one before her, so --?" of course Faustite had strayed from humanity for so long -- knew he was missing large important 'chunks' of himself, of the things that made being a person bearable. Meant he could only hazard guesses as to Faustites reasoning behind it all and he hadn't questioned any of it so much as he'd embraced it all, full tilt, was willing to -- for Ei's sake, for his own, *selfishly* -- pulled in as many people to their orbit as seemed necessary to patch gaps so wide that even he felt threatened by them.
"Unicorn, healer, sister. It must've been cause he cared, knowing him," his body a shrug, while his features morphed into a sharper sort of interest; a rove of gaze n press of lips that became a noncommittal humm. Cause Aelius didn't seem like the sort that'd be hard to love, easy on the eyes as he was. Maybe he was choosy with where he set his affections, or had a real particular type, or.."I mean, you could always love *hard*. S'just as good as 'easy'. Guy like you really shouldn't uhmn, limit himself, yeah?" a warm jibe soaked in curiosity, because what if Aelius had that 'special someone', or had a whole range of 'someones'! Learning how different people defined their loves had always been fascinating to him; a coinsure of all, a wine drinker who didn't give a damn about the label - let alone the number of bottles that wound up congregating on his shelf.
So long as everyone was happy, because good was good was....
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:11 pm
Unicorn? How curious of a description for this Anna. It was impossible to tell if Waru was being direct with his description or hinting at something else entirely. The man was hard enough to follow when Aelius was sober, and his now sluggish mind was more interested in loosing itself to the pleasant hum of drink and the constant beat of music.
He towed with t he rim of his glass, running a his middle finger along the edge as he tilted it, watching the ice inside shift and tumble over each other. His mind wandered about Faustite’s choice for Anna. Brining someone in as his sister felt like too close of a connection. Too risky for Faustite.
Unless his dear General had changed much more than Aelius had come to realize. That was incredibly hard to wrap his mind around at that precise moment.
The bartender made his round again and Aelius pushed his glass out indicating another. As the bartender reached for it, Aelius stopped him. “Double shot of whiskey, house is fine. Put it on ice, please.” The man nodded, and glanced at Waru to see if the other young man needed anything before walking off.
Aelius turned his attention fully to Waru and sighed. “Loving hard isn’t the problem. Sometimes I think I love too hard and set myself up for more pain because of it.” He shrugged and fell silent, letting himself focus on the music that had picked up tempo. His thumb drummed softly to the beat on the bar top as he watched the bartender return with a new glass with his whiskey. Funny enough, he’d never been a huge fan of whiskey, but every now and then he opted for it. Usually when he was on the cusp of tipping over the edge of buzz to drunk or wanting to ruminate over a certain fiery boy.
He sipped at the amber liquor.
“I envy you, Waru. You seem quite happy with where you’re at.” Aelius commented genuinely, golden eyes settling lazily on the brunette. It was not at all surprising that Aelius found the other man’s broad shoulders and muscular frame attractive. Waru’s personality alone would typically be a turn on and Aelius would have found himself pursing the other man with earnest if it wasn’t for the circumstances of the other being a fellow teammate, and the repercussions if any sort of interest went poorly. It was complicated, and honestly, Aelius was already too confused.
Still, as he sipped at the whiskey, he let himself enjoy the view.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 11:37 am
fm Waru watched the pour with interest, and then the man who asked for it. Was delighted for every new bit of info Aelius offered up as he fell further into sipping amber liquid that couldn't quite outmatch the gold in his eyes. How the drink looked delicious on its own, and downright sinful each time Aelius took a sip; guy was all well defined lines and a long slender throat, mulling over two shots on the rocks while going on about love.
So it was that kind of night?
More likely that he'd turned it into one by running on as he had, he could feel the edge of distance - where talking about people he'd known in the past and people as they were at present gained a gap made by time. Course, enough personalities had been thrown at Faustite since his joining, hadn't they? ********, might as well have been a claiming, what took place, how many people were foist upon that burnt down door while the rest followed willingly into the very warm fires tucked away behind it. Faustite might've called them all fools, except now? It had some warmth to it, was familial and friendly, any caustic glaze or acidic remnants were well dulled beyond bearing hurts.
Which made Waru thirsty -- a curl of digits brought the bartender back. Left him with something cold and bright. Whiskey Sour, and he liked his pretty, something about orange rind and a lemon bite, made him think summertime. A quick whisper and thanks got another additive plopped between them and a playful warning.
A tiny stone bowl with a few maraschino cherries that smelled absolutely drunk.
"Try one, s'like a fruit shot. It's terrible," It was ******** amazing, but he liked moonshine cherries. Never more than two, learned that lesson around the same time he'd learned that there were real consequences to eating 'just the candy' outta the bottom of a vodka jar, no matter how delicious it was going down, the aftermath was just -- not to be remembered, "but it'll make you feel better."
"You're too hard on yourself, is what you actually are. Should be able to love people as fiercely as you want -- specially since it means you get to mourn them fiercely, too." Waru wished he could've said there was a reprieve from pain; that loving people easily and letting them go at whim, when they were done with him, somehow made the aftermath gentler on a body, but? That seemed to be the price a person paid. Their whole damn heart, every single time.
Was he happy where he was at?
Now that he had a goal and team and -- He shot for happiness daily, he tried, and it was so much easier now that his happiness had a purpose that stretched beyond himself. He hadn't remembered having that before, "M'happy now, but it's work. M'sad just as often as I'm pissed or confused, and...People, especially our people? They come n go, they chose to forget me when I couldn't bear the thought of forgetting them. S'ah choice. Sacrificing the personal for the better of the whole, and sometimes? Their happiness hurts. Specially when I know I can't be a part of it....but then I remind myself how much I loved them because they were happy. Ask myself if I could love their misery too, could stand being the cause of it?" there was a shrug there, and he wasn't sure if it was some feedback loop, if he was one of those jellyfish in a lake that only ever needed sun to survive --- except with other peoples happiness..
The drink gathered condensation that spilled onto the bar top beneath it, beaded and ran with the chill, Waru waited to touch it, felt Aelius eyes before he came to a sudden decision, and smiled like the orange slice settling at the bottom of his glass.
Aelius deserved to be happy.
Clear as day thought in that moment.
Aelius was rough, on himself, on his heart, needed something --"What would make you happy? Easier love, a good night?" caught the edge of bright liqour that touched the rim with his tongue and took another long swallow. "Cause - y'know what I like best about *our* team. No one bleeds alone - there's twelve different sets of beings we can reach out to on a whim that'll get *this*, our lives outside, and our lives within."
If he needed a shoulder to cry on, a bed to sleep in, a person to go hunting with. He had it.
Aelius deserved a taste of that.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 1:47 pm
”Or make me feel like death in the morning.” Aelius commented as his eyes slid to the second cherry left waiting in its little dish. He didn’t reach for it immediately and instead left it sitting there as he took another sip of his whiskey. In honesty, he was already pretty well set up to feel like utter s**t when he woke up. The numbing of his lips had spread to his entire face. That soft tingling sensation was both soothing and a warning sign that intaking much more would put him over that tipping point.
The whiskey would do the job.
He twirled his glass slowly, watching the amber liquid shift back and forth and around the cubes. The ice clinked every now and then against the glass with the motion. Waru’s words were heard but not commented on. The thought of mourning someone as strongly as you loved them tore at heartstrings that were already bruised. It was unpleasant to say the least. As much of a high loving could be, the low of loss felt too unbearable, and Aelius would never forget how much the pain of loss could hurt.He envied Waru though. The ability to love with no restraint and just put oneself out there was…remarkable.
Bitterly, Aelius wondered of Waru’s past. How rough had it been? Was his history as turbulent as Aelius’s? <********. No. He corrected himself. The last damn thing he was going to do was start comparing.
He snorted at Waru’s question. “To be honest. I don’t even know anymore.” He stopped twirling the glass, setting it on the table palmed within both of his hands. Eyes drifted to Waru. “I am glad that the team is so…” He paused, his mind too sluggish from the alcohol as he search for the right word. Damn it wouldn’t come. “That you all help one another.” Good enough. “It’s refreshing. You all deserve it, having each other to lean on. Faustite deserves it.
“I just have to figure out what I need.” He offered a tired smile to the man. “Honestly, being here, with all of you, will help. I just…well, I’ve never been a part of a true team.” He paused before correcting himself. “A team that cares and works together.”
He reached over and nabbed the cherry. Not even thinking about the consequences he plopped it into his mouth. The alcoholic burn was more than enough to make him wince, almost coughing, as he chewed and swallowed as quickly as he could. “That’s going to hit hard.” He remarked as he chased the moonshine-soaked cherry with some whiskey.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 3:14 pm
Good.
Prevailing thought for the way Aelius looked while taking his medicine. Guy deserved to have a good time without having to worry too much about tomorrow. Maybe even needed a hard hit or two. Wasn't that the way things were meant to be? No kid gloves for the real world, no soft blows and padding outside of the bodies and blankets one chose to fall into afterwards.
"Well then, here's to a little death come daylight," a nod to cheers before the swallow, and no amount of chemical sweet could cut through the hiss-worthy sear that came with peeling bright red flesh from the shine soaked stem. Waru savored the drunken cherry the same way he had sour apple-cider-vinegar as a child. Except this treat held no mother approved health benefits. It was all detriment, mule kick strong, and yet? He was utterly delighted for it. That little bit of comradery for sharing something silly as this with Aelius, "promise that I'll hold your hair back, n you can send our team terrible pics of me, cause apparently my phones easily gotten into?"
Not that he'd ever cared what of his was gotten into by those he held close, the surprise next day was always tempered by some sort of amusement on his end.
"All the s**t you've got to puzzle out," he felt for the man, hazy empathy that settled into drunken determination. Waru made his drink disappear, let it light him up from the inside just right; like matches burning to his fingertips, or a firm finger running rough along the masochistic streak that pulsed lifelike under his veins, "I've got some ideas for how to start?"
And the ground hadn't abandoned him, even if his sense of balance needed the slightest bit of adjustment; standing, it was a whole thing! But he could manage it as he reached for the blunette.
"Step one! *Up* , cause we're not solving anything sitting here, pretty as you are exactly like this."
They'd figure it out. Eventually. Together.
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