honestly  ,  tristan  was  in  a  completely  𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓  world  .  as  the  festival  went  on  ,  he  managed  to  pull  himself  further  and  further  away  from  reality  .          (     aka  ,  he  was  crossfaded  as  fuck  .     )           the  worst  part  ,  the  male  𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐘  believed  there  was  some  breathing  room  for  𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄  .  that  he  was  able  to  keep  stacking  up  on  an  already  intense  load  .           ⏤          when  destiny  grabbed  at  his  wrists  as  an  attempt  to  get  him  to  dance  along  with  her  .  tristan  stood  there  for  a  second  ,  his  brain  slow  to  the  process  as  he  finally  started  to  bop  around  a  bit  .  despite  the  fact  that  the  male  couldn't  dance  to  save  his  own  life  .  he  wasn't  thinking  too  much  about  it  in  the  𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓  moment  .          ❛      i'm  ready  ,  i'm  ready  .  spin  me  !     ❜           swaying  their  hands  back  and  forth  ,  he  bent  down  in  order  to  fit  underneath  their  arms  and  began  to  spin  .  thinking  the  idea  was  genius  despite  him  being  a  lot  taller  than  her  .

*˖  ⊹              of  course  tristan  matched  her  energy,  though  destiny  was  certain  she  was  much  more  solidly  planted  on  planet  earth  than  him.  she  could  tell  because  of  the  seconds  of  silence  that  stretched  between  them  as  his  brain  slowly  came  to  terms  with  her  request  (  and  from  the  glossy  look  behind  his  eyes.  )  rocking  up  onto  her  tip  toes,  destiny  tried  to  stretch  her  arm  out  so  tristan  could  duck  underneath  it  in  his  spin.  unsurprisingly,  they  got  tangled,  and  she  had  to  slip  her  hand  free  from  him  to  be  able  to  pull  it  back  in  towards  her.  "  don't  spin  too  fast.  i  don't  know  if  your  brain  will  like  that  very  much.  "  she  informed  him  with  a  snort,  though  her  gaze  did  soften  with  concern.  this  was  the  exact  kind  of  situation  where  he  might  go  over  the  edge,  and  even  though  she  was also  having  fun  and  letting  loose,  destiny  was  a  worrier  at  heart.  "  are  you  having  fun,  tristan  ?  are  you  drinking  water  ?  you should really drink some water. "   

*˖  ⊹              "  obama  ?!  "  ken  stared  at  her  in  confusion,  repeating  the  name she dropped.  "  like...  the  former  president  ?  i  didn't  know  that  former  presidents  got  to  do  stuff like that.  isn't  he  like,  old  ?  wouldn't  we  see  members  of  the  secret  service  ?  unless  they're  dressed  in  plain  clothes...  maybe  obama  is  wearing  a  mask  so  we  don't  KNOW  that  he's  obama.  "  the  statement  sent  him  on  a  tangent  and  he  considered  it  deeply, before concluding.  "  i  hope  obama  is  having  fun...  or  as  much  fun  as  an  old  guy  can  have  at  a  festival  like  this.  " 

        with  the  music  pounding  in  her  ears, despite the distance between herself and the heart of the festival, yujin was fairly oblivious to her surroundings, focused instead on enjoying the current performance. she bounced on her feet in time with the music. when a hand rested on her arm, she started with a gasp, spinning around quickly.   ❝ omg ! were you trying to scare me? ❞ a light accusation at best, softened by the giggle that tumbled off her lips.

*˖  ⊹              when  she  jumped,  sebastián  withdrew  his  hand  from  her  arm.  instead  it  raised  in  surrender,  his  lips  twitching  in  an  charming  smile.  "  no,  no  !  "  he  apologized  quickly,  moving  his  hands  instead  to  touch  his  chest  earnestly.  "  sorry  if  i  did.  that  wasn’t  my  intention.  you  just  dropped  this.  "  in  his  other  hand  he  raised  the  paper  festival  bracelet  he  had  found  on  the  ground.  holding  it  between  his  index  and  pointer  finger,  sebastián  extended  it  back  out  towards  her.  "  it  looks  like  it  tore...  but  you  probably  want  to  hold  onto  it.  " 

mikayla  sources  down  the  first  person  on  their  path,  hands  going  up  to  stop  their  tracks  with  a  charming  smile  on  her  features  "  please  —  "  she  drops  the  hands  and  her  breath  slows  from  the  fast  pace  it  was  before  "  tell  me  do  you  by  chance  have  glitter  on  you  ?  i  swear  i  had  it  but  turns  out  i  actually  don't  and  this  look  just  won't  be  complete  without  it.  " // @nepofmstarters

*˖  ⊹              "  glitter  ?  "  ken  echoed,  blinking  at  the  woman who had flagged him down.  his  hands  flew  to  the  pockets  of  his  shorts  and  he  patted  them  down,  as  though  he  was  searching  for  some,  despite  the  fact  that  ken  KNEW  that  glitter  hadn't  been  part  of  the  look–  though  maybe  that  was  something  him  and  arlo  should  have  considered  when  planning  out  their  outfits.  “  shit,  sorry.  was  i  supposed  to  have  glitter  ?  is  glitter  like…  a  festival  thing  ?  i’ll  be  honest,  this  is  my  first  music  festival.  i’m  still  a  rookie.  “ 

               she   should've   stayed   in   the   comfort   of   the   green   room.   the   noise   from   the   outside   was   muffled,   and   the   air   within   the   confined   space   all   belonged   to   her.   it   was   as   close   to   shutting   out   the   world   that   she   was   going   to   get   for   now.   the   come   down   from   a   panic   attack   was   a   feeling   she   knew   well.   every   part   of   her   body   felt   like   a   twenty   pound   weight,   her   head   thrummed   with   a   dull   unwavering   pain,   and   the   light   in   her   eyes   washed   away   with   the   tears   he'd   cried   earlier.   nevaeh   knew   she   should   have   stayed   where   she   was,   but   she   needed   to   be   sure   that   was   his   voice.   it   had   been   awhile   since   she   heard   seba   sing   any   kind   of   melody.   the   few   videos   buried   in   her   albums   remaining   a   bruise   too   tender   to   touch,   but   she'd   heard   it   then.   she   ventured   back   out   and   followed   it   to   the   stage   he   stood   on   with   his   sibling   and   though   it   wasn't   his   set,   he   was   the   only   one   she   was   watching.                as   he   exited   on   the   opposite   side   of   the   stage,   nevaeh   had   stayed   in   her   spot   watching   luna   perform   and   wondering   how   things   would   have   been   different   if   she   hadn't   pushed   him   away.   would   he   have   come   off   the   stage   running   straight   to   her   ?   or   would   it   have   been   just   as   doomed   because   she   was   who   she   was   ?   she'd   lost   count   of   the   amount   of   songs   that   had   past   before   she   decided   she   had   enough   of   torturing   herself   over   things   she   couldn't   change.   if   she'd   decided   that   sooner   she   may   have   been   able   to   avoid   the   collision   with   the   man   she'd   just   been   daydreaming   about.   ❝   um...━━━   i'm   not,   gemma   she...━━   ❞   at   the   reminder   a   sad   smile   and   pained   expression   crossed   her   features   as   she   looked   past   him   and   to   the   stage   before   looking   back   to   the   ground.   ❝   ━━━   she   asked   me   and   i   can   never   say   no   to   gem   bug   so.   ❞   with   a   deep   breath   she   looked   back   to   him   and   put   on   an   expression   that   was   much   more   polite   even   if   forced.   ❝   you   were   really   great   out   there.   ❞   with   the   compliment,   her   smile   softened   with   sincerity.   ❝   it's   been   awhile   since   i've   heard   you   play   or   sing   so   it   was   nice   to   hear   it   again...━━   how   did   it   feel   out   there   ?   ❞

             "  okay.  "  he  answered  plainly as she explained her appearance, not  wanting  to  pry  open  a  conversation  that  was  no  longer  theirs  to  have.  his  plan  was  to  be  curt  with  her,  though  he  couldn't  hold  her  sad,  puppy-dog  stare  for  longer  than  a  few  moments  at  a  time.  shifting  his  weight  uncomfortably  between  his  feet,  he  rubbed  at  his  chest  with  his  free  hand.  "  it  was  good,  yeah.  i  don't  perform  much.  "  he  shrugged  off  her  question with a vague answer.  maybe,  in  another  universe,  he  would  have  come  off  stage  reeling  with  excitement,  and  he  would've  eagerly  told  nevaeh  all  about  how  good  it  felt  to  be  up  there  with  luna  for  once.  this  was  their  universe,  though,  and  he  didn't  want  to  tell  her  all  that.  he  didn't  want  to  tell  her  anything  again.  she  HURT  him. sebastián was still recovering the damage nevaeh had inflicted on him.  "  but  it  was  cool,  i  guess.  i  saw  you  on  stage  with  gemma.  she  did  great.  you  did...  great.  "

        ❝  it  is.  ❞   out  of  all  the  events he'd been expected to attend in the past six months this was certainly one of the best.   ❝ but sadly, i have two left feet. ❞ though whether his lack of coordination on the dance floor was intrinsic or due to a lack of practice was debatable. nate had always preferred being a spectator. face to face with destiny, however, that might not be an option. he glanced down at where she held his wrists and then saw her pout.   ❝ . . . i'm not going to get away with saying no, am i? ❞

*˖  ⊹              "  no,  you're  most definitely NOT.  "  she  informed  him stubbornly,  lightly  tugging  on  his  wrists.  would  destiny  consider  herself  a  good  dancer  ?  she was friends  with  so  many  talented  musicians  and  performers,  so in good faith she  couldn't,  but  that  didn't  stop  her  from  having  fun.  she  was  a  firm  believer  it  shouldn't  stop  anyone  else,  either.  "  i'll  teach  you  !  or  at  least,  try  to  teach  you.  it's  not  like  it's  a  waltz  or  anything.  if  you  can  hear  the  music  then  you  can  probably  figure  it  out.  "  moving  his  arms,  somewhat  ungracefully,  destiny  grinned  and  bounced  in  place.  "  see  ?  easy  !  " 

      manuel was enjoying his drink, but as soon as he spotted the other, he nodded. he was surprised though when she came over to him && grabbed him. " oh shit, okay. so i have no choice, i see, " he said. but he finished his drink, && before following destiny. " yea, the energy is very C O N T A G I O U S . and this is some really good music, so i'll give you that. " he responded. manny started to dance, enjoying the vibe.

*˖  ⊹              "  absolutely  not  !!  what  were  you  even  doing,  standing  over  here by yourself  ?  shouldn't  YOU  of  all  people  be  out  breaking  a  leg,  or whatever  they  say  in  show  business  ?   "  destiny  prodded  him  with  her  hand,  her  voice  cheery  and  playful  as  she  teased  him.  "  surely  you  have  moves  that  will  just  blow  everyone  away  ?  or  do  you  need  your  own  stage  for  those  ?  " 

*˖  ⊹              "  i  can't  either.  but  that's  kind  of  like,  the  fun  of  it,  don't  you  think  ?  "  she  stopped  moving,  her  feet  planting  firmly  against  the  grass  as  she  glanced  over  her  shoulder.  "  finding  all  these  new  artists  and  like,  exploring  music  and  sounds  that  maybe  you  hadn't  heard  before.  or  if  it  isn't  your  thing,  then  at  least  you  only  have  to  listen  to  it  for  like,  an  hour  before  you  can  move  onto  the  next  set.  "  her  lips  parted  in  a  laugh,  and  she  took  the  opportunity  to  open  the  water  bottle  she  gripped  in  her  free  hand  so  she  could  have  a  sip.  swallowing,  she  looked  back  towards  wren.  "  if  you  weren't  just  standing,  what're  you  doing  ?  if  you  don't  mind  my  asking  !  " 

standing still with his arms folded, sage arches as brow as the dancing figure approaches him. "i'm watching the set," he points out, as though multitasking would be impossible, which — well, it would be to sage because he doesn't dance. already being crammed into the crowded pit alongside what might as well be every other person on the planet in the heat, and then moving around constantly holds no appeal for him. "can't do both."

*˖  ⊹              "  UM,  you  absolutely  can  do  both.  "  her  pout  seemed  to  stop  just  shy  of  destiny  stomping  her  foot  against  the  ground  in  front  of  him.  "  that's  literally  like,  half  the  fun  of  music  ?  dancing  ?  especially  at  a  festival  ?  "  her  hands  stayed  locked  around  sage's  wrists.  even  with  his  arms  firmly  crossed  over  his  chest,  and  the  man  stubbornly  staying  put,  she  tried  to  push  and  move  his  body  so  he  could  be  considered  dancing.  "  shouldn't  you  know  that  ?  you  are  the  music  expert.  " 

xavier  chuckles  at  destiny’s  theatrics  ,  knowing  he’s  about  to  be  dragged  into  some  wild  dance  moves  .  “  hey  ,  hey  ,  hold  up  !  ”  they  exclaim  ,  their  hands  flailing  in  mock  surrender  .  “  you  caught  me  in  the  middle  of  a  ‘standing  and  contemplating  life’  moment  …  but  who  am  i  to  deny  you  the  pleasure  of  dancing  with  a  fabulous  fool  like  moi  ?  ”

*˖  ⊹              xavier  started  to  wave  his  arms  around  him,  and  destiny  laughed,  letting  her  hands  come  to  rest  on  her  hips.  "  i'm  like, so  sorry,  but  this  isn't  the  kind  of  place  where  standing  and  contemplating  life  moments  are  allowed...  you  have  to  save  those  for  university  campuses  and  important  science  conferences.  "  she  informed  them  playfully,  a  teasing  grin  playing  on  her  features.  "  this  is  a  music  festival,  which  means  the  ONLY  thing  you're  allowed  to  do  is...  dance.  and  drink,  maybe,  if  you're  into  that.  "  holding  her  hands  out  again,  destiny  opened  and  closed  them  :  an  invitation.  "  come  on  then  !  i'm  waiting  to  be  impressed,  fabulous  fool  !  " 

henri  takes  a  moment  to  realize  the  other  was  speaking  to  her,  she  slightly  shakes  her  head  to  get  herself  out  of  her  reverie  and  lets  a  smile  take  over  her  features.  she  was  probably  too  in  her  head  thinking  of  her  next  steps  and  it  took  the  other  to  speak  to  her  to  realize  she  should  probably  enjoy  herself  while  in  this  festival.  henri  chuckles,  "  that's  a  very  good  question,  i  have  no  answer  to.  "  she  jokes  and  lets  her  hand  be  taken  by  the  other  and  starts  to  move  along  to  the  song  slowly  still  "  i'm  sorry  i  could  never  do  that  to  you.  "  her  movement  starts  to  pick  up  pace  and  she  continues  to  hold  on  to  the  other  as  if  their  energy  is  being  passed  through  that  touch  "  it  definitely  is,  it's  been  way  too  long  that  i  had  a  space  to  have  this  much  fun.  who  are  you  most  excited  for,  though,  i  must  know  ?  "  

*˖  ⊹              destiny's  pout  faded  to  a  grin  as  henri  rolled  with  her  dancing,  pulling  them  both  back  towards  the  stretch  of  grass  where  there  were  other's  dancing.  destiny,  avoiding  the  stress  of  having  to  perform,  had  been  lucky  enough  to  just  enjoy  herself  over  the  course  of  the  festival.  in  turn,  she  had  made  it  her  mission  to  ensure  everyone  else  was  having  fun,  too  (  or  at  the  very  least  staying  out  of  the  medical  tent.  )  "  it  would  be  a  missed  opportunity  if  i  didn't  say  you,  henri  hart.  "  she  replied  cheekily,  offering  henri  a  enthusiastic  wink  before  her  expression  dissolved  into  a  fit  of  laughter.  "  no,  but  really,  i  can't  pick.  i  don't  know  how  the  crescent  festival  people  got  so  many  great  artists  playing  this  year,  but  i  feel  like  i'm  winded,  running  from  one  end  of  the  festival  to  the  other  just  to  see  all  the  sets.  "  she  flashed  another  bright  smile.  "  what  about  you  ?  excited  to  perform  ?  or  more  excited  to  see  someone  else  ?  "  

the familiar voice caught gemma's attention. she laughed as destiny danced her way over to the beat of the live music. "trust and believe, i been dancing my ass off. ya girl just needed a moment to hydrate and breathe." she grinned, going along with it and danced with the other. "how can i resist. no one's lookin' a fool over here today, not on my watch."

*˖  ⊹              "  you  can  have  time  to  hydrate  and  rest  afterwards  !  "  she  giggled,  swinging  her  arms  back  and  forth  as  she  started  to  pull  gemma  in  the  direction  from  which  she  came.  normally,  destiny  would  have  been  a  big  advocate  for  making  sure  the  festival  goers  around  here  were  drinking  enough  water  (  especially  in  this  new  york  summer  HEAT  ),  but  right  now,  she  wanted  to  dance.  "  come  on,  then  !  "  letting  go,  she  wiggled  her  fingers  in  gemma's  direction  and  started  walking  backwards.  "  consider it a warm up for your set, ms james ! you'll have to keep up with the energy already here.  "

she smiled, leaning back on her hands as she looked across the field. "well, kumquat ken, being smart doesn't seem to help when you're a creative." she didn't even know where to start. she didn't even know what she wanted to say. it felt childish to say to someone else that she was sad because she hadn't been painting properly. and it seemed the only two half-decent pieces were done after two accidental meet-ups with her exes. "i've just been feeling down," she finally admitted. "and i feel really stupid saying this out loud, but it's because i haven't actually drawn anything worthwhile. did you see the critics on my last exhibit? jesus, they really tore me a new one. almost didn't pick up the brush again." well, considering she hadn't done anything, really, since, perhaps she shouldn't.

             still,  she  had  asked  HIM.  that  meant  something,  right  ?  "  are  you  painting  for  them  ?  "  he  asked,  genuinely.  there  wasn't  an  ounce  of  malice  or  judgement  in  his  tone.  "  because  if  you  are,  then  maybe  you  should  listen  to  their  criticism  and  try  to  learn  from  it.  and  if  you  aren't...  i  know  it's  cliche,  but  like..  fuck  it  ?  "

it  was  like  the  blind  leading  the  blind  …  except  the  blind  person  in  front  was  pretending  to  be  a  prophet  who  could  see  perfectly  .  "  ken  ,  "  kellan  says  ,  tone  reassuring  and  certain  ,  as  if  they  are  about  to  announce  something  that  will  make  everything  perfectly  clear  .  "  we  can't  brind  the  clouds  from  the  sky  but  we  can  bring  the  sky  to  us  ,  touch  it  with  our  bare  fingertips  and  watch  the  replication  dangle  from  the  sky  until  our  senses  are  awakened  to  the  infinity  of  the  universe  …  "  all  of  this  spoken  with  sincerity  as  kellan  places  their  hands  on  ken's  shoulders  ,  direct  and  warm  eye  contact  .  "  you  don't  need  to  worry  .  i  have  a  vision  .  "

*˖  ⊹              they  spoke  his  name,  their  voice  taking  on  an  air  of  authority  that  only  made  ken  pay  closer  attention.  in  theory,  he  understood  what  the  words  meant :  replication  (  doubling  something  ),  awakened  (  become  aware  of  ),  infinity  (  a  really  long,  LONG  time  ).  yet  when  kellan  strung  them  together  in  a  sentence,  they  stopped  meaning  anything.  still,  he  tried,  his  face  once  again  squishing  together  as  he  struggled  to  make  sense  of  the  whole  thing  ;  as  if  that  would  somehow  reveal  to  him  secrets  of  the  universe  that  it  seemed  like  kellan  had.  (  it  was  impressive.  ken  was  impressed  as  much  as  he  was  confused.  )  "  okay...  so  we're  NOT  taking  an  airplane  up  to  steal  some  clouds  ?  "  he  confirmed,  trying not to sound disappointed. "  that's  not  part  of  your  vision  ?  because  if  you  could  steal  clouds,  i  feel  like  the  government  probably  has  rules  about  who  and  when  and  why,  you  know  ?  "  he  paused,  "  did  you  know  they  track  you  in  your  phone  ?!  " 

ken isn't wrong : sage wouldn't miss crescent fest for the world. he's built his entire career off of never shutting up about music which was maybe facilitated by his father's many connections in the industry, but ... anyway, sage is rolling his eyes as ken appears beside him during a lull in performances. it's that he dislikes him because really, he doesn't. the chasm between their personalities just feels impossible sometimes. sage unclips the laminated card from his shirt and brandishes it at ken. "dude, i'm working." he isn't — not officially, anyway. discussing the festival will almost definitely come up in his work somehow, sure, but he's not actually on assignment ... which means he was just trying to get rid of ken. which he almost immediately feels kind bad about. he sighs. "your shirt hurts my eyes," he informs ken, "why are you and arlo dressed like that ? "

             "  arlo  thought  if  we  stood  out,  then  sza  might  notice  him  from  the  stage  and  want  to  meet  him.  "  ken  spoke  casually,  as  though  the  answer  to  their  strange  outfits  was  obvious.  then  something  dawned  on  him,  and  he  reached  out  to  lightly  hit  sage  with  the  back  of  his  hand.  "  oh,  dude  !  i'm  sorry  we  didn't  ask  if  YOU  wanted  to  match  with  us  too  !  like  i  knew  you  were  gonna  be  here,  but  it  completely  slipped  my  mind.  "  he  hung  his  head,  as  if  genuinely  embarrassed  he  left  sage  out  of  all  the  '  fun.  '  “  we  even have  these  rad  friendship  bracelets  !  “  he  waved  his  wrist  between  them,  the  (  poorly  made  )  threaded  green  bracelet  slipping  down  his  arm.  “  i  can  make  you  one  too.  later,  i  mean.  i  don’t  have  any  thread  here  right  now.  “ 

drew smiles and shook his head. "i don't even mince garlic. just in case vampires turn out to be real," he explains like it's so obvious, "i don't want to ever be running around smelling like garlic because then, like, what if none of them want to bite me ? " not that he has any plans for meeting a vampire in the near future. or ever. luna was his best hope for that and, well, it's daylight and she's out on a stage in front of a huge crowd. he's still grinning as he glances over seba's shoulder, however. "huh ? oh," drew's gaze returns to their brother. "i have a pass. sort of. it's actually for my brother's set 'cause they're doing the festival, too, but ... " he gestures vaguely to the stage. " ... i'm a fan. i've never seen them before. as in like, while they're playing their music. i've seen all of their movies at least ten times. and wednesday. i had a scream '22 poster on my wall back at school. and i met them a couple weeks ago." drew is rocking back and forth on his feet ( as though he hadn't just lost his balance a moment ago on the puddle of melted snow cone bits that he was still standing directly on top of ). "at necrocomicon. i brought this drawing i did to get autographed. luna probably doesn't remember anymore," he acknowledges, "but she seemed to really like it at the time. i'm not too bad of an artist — that's what i've been told by some people anyway. please don't get me thrown out of the festival." drew tacks on the request as he remembers that he had sort of admitted to sneaking backstage. "i really want another snow cone."

             he  hummed  in  amusement,  reaching  for  a  nearby  cloth  that  had  probably  been  left  for  someone  to  clean  off  equipment–  something  needed  to  be  done  about  the  sticky  snow  cone  that  was  now  uncomfortably  settling  on  his  skin.  “  you’re  the  one  who  did  the  drawing  ?  “  seba  questioned,  his  brows  raising  even  though  he  was  no  longer  studying  drew  with  the  same  amount  of  intensity.  he  already  knew,  of  course,  that  this  was  the  person  who  luna  had  been  talking  about  non-stop,  but  he  played  dumb.  “  that’s  cool.  luna  wouldn’t  shut  up  about  it  after  necricomicon.  you  left  an  impression.  “  he  mused  casually,  only  raising  his  attention  back  to  drew  when  he  questioned  whether  or  not  sebastián  was  gonna get him kicked.  “  no  soy  un  chivato,  guey–  i’m  no  snitch.  you  can  stick  around  as  long  as  you  want...  but  maybe  avoid  the  snowcones  until  you’re  off  stage  ?  “  he  pointed  to  the  puddle  pooling  at  drew’s  feet.  “  you’re  causing  damage  to  the  stage.  “