campfire at the cove {ft. corb + koda}
What: Corbin and Koda’s Bday Celebration 2.0
Where: Rocky beach by the docks
When: Saturday, March 25th - After the Games
Who: @kxdapaync​, @claytonboyd​, @mitch–douglas​, @felix-tee​, @cvnstantin​ (and maybe some stragglers)
[[ Settled beside Koda and with Constantin on the other side of his friend, Mitch is already starting to feel a little more comfortable and a little less like a convenient chaperone. He’ll probably regret sitting on the ground for any length of time tomorrow, particularly after the Games put them all through their paces today, but that’s a problem for tomorrow. For now, it’s nice to feel a part of things.
Talk shifts to the Games, which is both comfortable and unsurprising. People can complain about the compulsory nature of them all they like ( and god knows people do ), but this is one of those occasions where the unifying aspect is easier to see. They’ve all got something to talk about, when in reality most of them might have little more in common than a friendship with who invited them.
He can’t help but chuckle when Costin mentions going up against Alex and Mei Zhu. ]] Listen, I think having the guts to attempt that at all is commendable.
I may be friends with both of them– [[ At least, he’d like to think he and Mei Zhu had put some measure of a patch on things after the previous round of Games. ]] –but I wouldn’t even dream of it. I’d be running in the opposite direction, which is probably the only reason I made it as far as hour three. [[ Mitch smiles and shakes his head. ]] All I got was robbed, at some point. Couldn’t hold on to a sponsor kit to save my life.
[It’s nice to see Dougie in this context. Chilling by the fire, pulling up a spot on the ground, smiling and chatting like just another regular misfit. In a way, it’s a good reminder that the Elite don’t necessarily have it any better than the civilians. Obviously, Pax is already a reminder of that (though, the privacy of the Elite suites will always be an undeniable plus….), but especially someone in Mitch’s position—he’s Infected, first of all, and though he’s still an Elite, he was demoted. A beloved, ‘founding father,’ if you will, was given a swift kick in the arse and gracelessly punted from his position of Head of House, where he had at least some semblance of influence over the goings on of the Colony. All because he was ‘one of Them’ to the Reformists. An Infected. Contaminated. Unpredictable and Untrustworthy.Â
It must really fucking suck. And everybody knows Dougie actually cares about this Colony, and the people in it, so to be booted to a position where you have to watch a community you helped build crumble around you, while you’re powerless to do anything about it to help? For someone who has such a hard-on for helping, Corbin is sure it’s practically agony for the man.
Maybe this is another step in the right direction, though. In getting Mitch’s help with their planned moves against the NWRF. Maybe ‘his hands are tied’, but what if people like Corbin and Mouse and Pax make it their business to incinerate the rope?
He snorts at the running commentary about Alex and Mei Zhu.] Yeah, Donovan may call himself a Calyset, but he fights like a bloody Torren. And paired with Mimi? Brinks are fuckin’ savage. Don’t let that quiet-sophistication bollocks fool ya, Lupei. So, yeah, reckon ya shouldn’t take it too hard—you were set up for failure with them two, plain and simple.
Trick is to know yer enemy, ain’t it? [He glances at Clay beside him, smirking and giving him a slight nudge with his elbow.] Me n’ Clay here ambushed Carrington, which was right fun, wasn’t it? With the help of that uh, Torren Unfriendly Giant… Bode, I think? Anyway, like takin’ candy from a baby. But Dante ain’t such a tough guy when you strip him from his blazers and ties and yank him out of his office. [He shoots Costin a look and a wink.] Next time stick with me, mate, and I’ll see to it ya get yer revenge. Unless we’re playin’ Houses, ‘course.Â
[Koda is never an extravert, but he seems particularly quiet tonight. Constantin hasn’t realised yet that this is just how Koda is in crowds, and instead he searches his mind for reasons – it leads him to the conclusion, too late now, that probably the group being addressed as ‘boys’ was bothersome to him.
He feels stupid for not realising sooner; the conversation is moving quite fast and it’s not easy for him to keep up, so he’s not fully processing the things that are being said. A quick glance at Koda reveals a relaxed enough expression, and quiet as he is Koda is no coward; if something bothered him, Constantin thought he would say something. Koda doesn’t need him to cause a scene. In fact, that would probably be embarrassing. So he doesn’t comment, just readjusts his arm around Koda’s shoulder to pull him a little closer.
His mouth curves up in a smile as Clay comments on what a highlight it is seeing Corbin run. He’s not really thought about it before as he doesn’t know Corbin particularly well, but it is quite difficult to imagine him running. His performance at the party have proved he was certainly athletic, but that was for fun and spectacle. There’s something very earnest about running that doesn’t quite align with Corbin’s snarky cockiness.
And of course Mitch is a supportive figure among the jokes, managing to make Constantin’s cock-up into a commendable act of bravery. That’s certainly putting it kindly, but of course Mitch is endlessly kind.]Â
Revenge? On those two? Fuck no. Next time I hide in the bushes and wait for end. I know I am not coward, I don’t have to prove anything. [No comment on the ‘Mimi’ thing. He can’t imagine someone as serious as her being called Mimi, and he also is intimately acquainted with just how savage she can be. It’s not really funny to him any more, and he no longer finds her ice queen routine charming or endearing.] Besides, I can really think of it as revenge? Very stupid idea, I know it get me ‘killed’. Cannot blame Alex and Dr. Fitrei for taking easy points. In fact I blame this Adrien person, he convince me is a great idea, so maybe I get revenge on him next time. Mitch, he is in your house if you have any advice on killing him.
[It’s all in good fun; he doesn’t resent Adrien at all for what happened. But… it would no doubt be satisfying to take him out in the next games.]
[This month’s savage displays of what some call ‘The Games’ had sucked as much as Felix had expected them to, if not more. In fact, he’s pretty sure he had a worse experience this time than he did last time, because last time he’d pretty much followed Charlie around all night, and having a friendly and sexy body guard did good work distracting him from how blatantly someone like Felix Tate Turner did not belong there.Â
Plus, at the last ones, he’d gotten to follow them up with his very own party—organized, designed and starring none other than Himself—Felix Tee. It was a treat for everyone, he’s sure, but no one could claim feeling so rewarded by it more than Felix himself. It’d been a glaring success—give or take a few… bumps in the road.Â
But this time, someone else is throwing a party, and all he has to worry about is attending—and looking fabulous, obviously. Which isn’t hard, and is a much better use of his time than running around in the woods playing a Madman’s game of capture the flag or whatever.Â
He’s proud to show up fashionably late and on Alois’ arm. They still haven’t… quite figured out what’s going on between them, but at least they’ve been open with each other, and Felix still feels much more secure at Alois’ hip. Of course, it takes absolutely no time at all to realize that this isn’t a party, so much as a… somewhat tawdry gathering of commoners in their civies—but aside from Alois, two of Fee’s closer friends are here tonight: Koda and Costin—and so for once he doesn’t feel horribly outnumbered and out of place. He will choose to see ‘tawdry’ as ‘rustic’ instead, ‘trashy’ as ‘trendy’.]
Evening, bitches, [he interrupts with a flourish as he crosses the rocky beach as gracefully as he can in boots that weren’t especially made for walking off-runway. He flashes a performative smile as he unlinks his arm from Alois’ elbow to grab the Calyset’s hand instead. He throws a wink in Koda and Costin’s direction, and a scarce, icy and thin smile in Corbin’s, before continuing to soak up his moment in the spotlight.] Oh my God, loving the homey, rural vibes of this! And there’s even a fire! What’s next—roasting marshmallows? [He carefully steps over a driftwood log and lets out a tinkly laugh, as if everyone is in on the joke and they know it.]Â
Sorry we’re late! We… [he gives Alois a wry grin, making a show of sharing a secret and feigning modesty.] Lost track of time, [he intones. Only there is no secret, and his false modesty is even more contrived, because the cringey innuendo is a facade. They’re not late for fun sexy reasons as he’s leading people to believe—they’re late because Fee had insisted on being late, and because he’d had to wait for the third coat of his ruby red nail polish to dry. ]
[ He’d carefully selected a matching red lip stick with which to paint his full lips—something he doesn’t do too often, actually—and he’s wearing rough-washed boyfriend-cut jeans rolled in thick cuffs over his boots, over a fitted and revealing lacy black bodysuit with a plunging neckline, and a large puffy coat over top. He delicately sits down on the driest piece of log he can find, tugging Alois down with him.] Oh—and Happy Birthday darling! [he says Koda, his smile more relaxed this time.] I didn’t know early enough to get you a present, but I’ll definitely find you something nice at the shops this week!
Exactly. [He drawls back as Corbin’s elbow touches his own. This type of camaraderie feels familiar, it feels warm and the generous broiling feeling of fire against a cold face is mirrored in the pit of his stomach. Being surrounded by this many people, talking in the way that they are, does nothing if not highlight how much he’s missed having proper...friends. Even if these friends were purely circumstantial, it feels nice. He’s glad he didn’t just stay in with Stacey tonight, doing what they do most nights, sitting arm by arm, in near silence with next to no new things to talk about, until one of them yawned too many times and moved off to bed.Â
One thing he can’t do here mind is sit in near silence. That would make him seem weird and aloof. Which technically, he was, but nobody other than Corbin was really allowed to know this.Â
But a scrunching of stones under slight feet stole his attention and he moved his face from the group to a duo moving quickly into the light. The orange licked shadows across their faces, split them into shards, his own cheek tiger striped by the wavering arms of fire. He really liked Alois, the sort of person who’s personality seemed to need no maintenance. He was simply him and it fit him like a perfectly tailored suit. Clay offers him a smile and a head nod, moves over slightly in a way to allow the two to take space if they wanted but not enough for it to be embarrassing if they didn’t. Fee though, he was Alois’ antithesis in many ways, much louder, in both voice and look. But to be fair, whilst Clay wouldn’t be caught dead with a neck line that low (like fuck his nipples must be freezing) Fee worked it. He had that type of special self confidence that worked well with an outfit like that. There was nothing but respect he could give to someone like that. Even if he did silently say something about trying too hard. Being less judgey was this years resolution.Â
Clay listened as Fee spoke, tried to think of a way to muscle his way back into the conversation.] My presence is your present by the way. [He says softly behind a soft smirk in Corbin’s direction before pausing for a beat.] But uh okay...[Softly he claps his hands together. This is a little out of character and his tongue feels a bit too dry because of it. But he’d sat round many a campfire and this experience would be rude not to share.] Does anyone know any good campfire games? I’ve got a few ideas. [He leans forward on his elbows.] Although most do go better with liquor, so don’t be too cynical.Â