D E S P E R A D O .

      When he watched the impish sirens trick Orion into a dip in the lake, he expected the event to be the most entertainment he’d have that day. An amused little smile was plastered on his face the whole while Orion splashed and trudged up the bank. The expression didn’t last, however – especially as his chocolaty gaze trailed behind Ori’s hands as they peeled the wet shirt from wet skin. Regardless of how innocent or mundane the action, it worked to have the elder man completely enthralled. And it was because he is a man that he found his tongue licking his lips like a hungry lion licking his maul. He didn’t like the way it made him feel, but even the notion he looked like a lecherous pervert as Gio stared at Orion was the furthest thought in his mind.

      Gio was planted on a bench not too far away. Thick fingers tore apart little pieces of a long blade of grass plucked minutes before from the ground nearby. He didn’t flinch as the two of them locked eyes, and it wasn’t until Orion spoke that Giorgio looked away. “I wasn’t staring. One doesn’t stare at a thing of beauty, they appraise it. Besides, who knows if I’ll get the chance to see a dripping wet Orio again?” Broad shoulders shrugged lazily as he sat back on the bench, and discarded what was left of the blade of grass to the light breeze.

            HIS MIND GOES BLANK,  though not so much from a lack of thought so much as an overabundance of them.     fingers thread together as he uses them to cover the lower half of his face,  hoping that the obvious blush working its way up his skin would be somewhat covered by the action.     that was a pick up line,  right  ?     or at the very least something akin to it.     nine times out of ten ori often misinterpreted things,  and he would rather die than accidentally accuse someone of being flirtatious when that was not what they intended.     stuttered statements and protests of all kinds die on his lips and he takes in a deep breath,  holding it for longer than he intended before letting it out.

Isa had gone to the lake again to grab some more fish. Last time, the mermaids had been kind enough not to bother him and he left with a good haul. The fish had lasted him for several days. While he was entirely capable of buying food like anyone else, Isa found a joy in fishing in particular. There was a calm that came over him when he was waiting for the fish to come and grab the worm. While seated by the lake, he didn’t have to worry about home, about saving the world, or about anything else. All he needed was to wait and watch the water. Sitting down at the edge, he pulled out a worm from the plastic box he had been carrying with holes cut in the top.

However, before he could get the worm on he spotted a shirt on the ground not far away. Well. That looked much more fun. Grinning to himself, he cast his line over toward the fabric and grinned when he was able to grab hold of it. Quickly, he reeled in the line until the shirt was in his hands. Looking over at the other man, he waved. Oh. The man who had been high. “Sober?” he asked with a wide grin.

            A HISS OF A CURSE leaves his lips as his shirt suddenly flies through the air and away from him.     if this was another trick by the mischievous fae folk milling about the camp,  he was going to blow a gasket.     this was way more stress than was necessary this early into an afternoon.     if anything,  he should still be asleep right now,  if it weren’t for the joyful tittering of songbirds right outside his goddamn window he’d be out like a fucking light.     however,  when his gaze lifts to see isa holding his shirt,  he can only sigh in exasperation.

what a crunchy looking leaf! the reaching shape is a crisp brown shade, freshly fallen from a large oak. jack picks it up and immediately stuffs it in his mouth.

𝙽𝚂𝙵𝚆 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂.

This was probably the most interesting conversation he was going to have with any of the other echos. Ever. The man was intriguing, mostly because of the fact that he was high. He probably wouldn’t feel the same way if he was sober. He’d probably be boring and a waste of Ethan’s time. 

“No doubt it would be a pain in the ass,” He agreed, studying the other’s face and actions. Ethan just sat there, relaxing as much as possible. He didn’t want to get too comfortable, but he definitely needed comfort. “I wouldn’t call myself a bully,” He commented, followed by a shrug. “They still touched my stuff, and that’s messing with my shit. It wasn’t their right to touch it.”

Barely catching the lighter, it first bouncing from his fingertips and then falling into his palm, his smile grew twice as big. “I’ll keep that right where it is, thank you very much.” Ethan chuckled before he began to light up with ease. It had been too long since he’d been able to smoke, and their current situation wasn’t going to be much help.

            LITTLE DID ETHAN KNOW,  ori was absolutely this much of a hot mess when he was stone cold sober,  he just kept it contained.     layers upon layers of soul crushing anxiety did that to a person.     he listens wordlessly to ethan,  occasionally reacting with a half - hearted expression here and there,  but otherwise remaining silent and impartial.     though,  when the other makes the claim that he wouldn’t call himself a bully,  ori begins to nod.     it initially seems like he’s agreeing to the statement,  but it’s soon followed by a shake of the head,  the wag of a finger,  and the gentle tsk tsk that a scolding parent would make.

The more the other man spoke, the more Isa was confused. What was going on? Okay, so the dude wasn’t sick. Maybe sick in the head, but that was a whole other issue. At least he admitted to it. Flying…? Miles in the clouds… Oh. Isa wanted to knock his own head into a wall for being so dumb. How had he made it this far in life while not being able to instantly recognize someone high out of their mind. “You’re stoned,” he stated, blinking at the other. “Why?”

            THE TONE SEEMS DEADPAN,  but it goes largely unnoticed by ori.     he twists a lock of his long hair between his fingers,  tilting his head in an equally mischievous and inquisitive manner.     the smile on his face is replaced by an expression vaguely resembling a pout,  one brow quirking before both furrow together.     ❛     uh,  why not  ?     ❜     though,  not one to ignore any precautions,  he does drop the lit joint in his hand,  letting it fall to the floor as he douses the smoldering embers beneath his heel.     when he moves his foot,  the floor is as pristine as it had been before,  not a mark left on it by the ashes.

BRADLEY WAS LIVING in a fairytale, and it didn’t get much better than that. living in a fairytale surrounded by magnificent creatures, and not to mention stunning men living next to his suit. he has yet to introduce himself to many of them. he’s been too busy with his nose in a book, or several. some of them being the grimm brothers fairytales which never got old. but currently he was re-reading ‘the giver’ and walking out of his suite with the book in his hand as he pulled the door shut with his other. “excuse you,” bradley huffed out when someone just barely missed running into him. “where on earth are you heading off to in such a hurry?” he asks more to himself than anything, finally lifting his gaze from the book in his hands and looked around. 

            FANTASTIC,  seconds in to meeting someone and he’s already made himself look like a bumbling idiot.     truly,  ori’s charm knows no end.     fingers thread together nervously and he flexes his hands,  giving an awkward and toothy smile at bradley.     there wasn’t really any reason for ori to be as moving as quickly as he had been,  he just had a propensity to move faster than was necessary  —    that was mostly anxiety - driven,  but that was a bit much to share upon first meeting  —    hey,  i know we’re strangers ‘n all,  but i’m constantly racked with paranoia,  sorry about the collision,  buddy boy  !     lips purse at the thought,  not ideal.

All Ethan could do was stare hopefully at the other echo. He was glad that the other was at least attempting to answer his question. He there was only one other person that Ethan knew, and god knows he wouldn’t get an answer from him, considering their first and last encounter ended with the man running from him. Nodding, Ethan cracking a small smile. It was clearly forced. “Yes, the little dudes with the funny hats.”

The words that came out next almost made Ethan laugh. But he managed to hold it back, not wanting to be rude in this situation. If he was rude, he wouldn’t get bud. He narrowed his eyes slightly and cocked his head to the side. “Uh…I care.” He reiterated. What kind of question was that? “As cool and confusing as that would be, I don’t think it’ll be happening any time soon.” He commented. “Because. They messed with my shit,” that was an exaggeration. “So I’m gonna kick the shit out of them.”

            IF ETHAN WASN’T HAVING THE time of his goddamn life right now,  there was no way that ori could tell.     he was never good at reading situations as it was,  but being stoned out of his mind wasn’t helping that any.     the echo mouths the word nice to himself at having gotten such a factoid correct in spite of his current state,  sinking further into the soft upholstery of the furniture present in the cozy little cabin villa.     it’s not that he didn’t feel any particular amount of empathy towards the other man,  but moreso that he didn’t sense any urgency in his words,  and therefore could not bring himself to give more than just the barest hint of a fuck. with a quiet hum of acknowledgement,  he kicks his feet up onto the table in front of him,  almost knocking over the ash that had been gathered into the shallow little bowl on the table’s surface.     ❛     hey far be it from me to tell you what would or wouldn’t be cool,  but just sounds like a confusing pain in the ass in my opinion,     ❜     this is then followed by a shrug,     ❛     but what do i know,  right  ?     ❜     a cheeky grin spreads across his features before he gives a bark of laughter,  digging around in his pockets and pulling out a cheap bic lighter,  green plastic faded and scratched.     ❛     god you’re like every high school bully i’ve ever had,     ❜     he says,  the lie rolling easily off his tongue now that his anxiety had been sufficiently smothered  —    ori had,  of course,  never gone to public high school.     ❛     the little guys just snatched your luggage to bring it into your place,  right  ?     don’t see how that’s messin’ with your shit,  it’s not like they stabbed you in the kidney and took off with your wallet into the night.     ❜

Hugo looked at the other as he talks, his gaze facing the darkness of those sunglasses and staring deeply into them. Nowhere near afraid to make eye contact, or just trying to avoid it. He chuckled at being called trust fund, as if that was anywhere near an insult in Hugo’s mind. Almost a compliment, in fact. He’s glad and proud to be a trust fund baby, so much so that he wouldn’t give it away for anything the world could have to offer, no matter how tempting it would be. Grinning, he replied, “Actually I’ve only been once to the bermudas, it sucked balls. Definitely wouldn’t buy a house there. – And I dunno, for now it’s just not the worse. I’ve seen better, trust the trust fund.” he smirked, and then took off his sunglasses.

Hugo’s a little surprised when he gets attacked with a spalsh of water but can’t help but allow himself to chuckle softly, the other guy’s not an asshole and that’s a good thing because Hugo can’t be bothered interacting with assholes. Instead, in retaliation, he moves closer to the water and does the same thing. “I’m Hugo.” there’s a somehow believable surprised look on the pale boy’s face when Ori mentions his dick, “Oh shit really?” he says,  as he looks at his crotch, as if to make sure that, at least, the zipper of his shorts is pulled up. “I was caught in a hurry when getting dressed, didn’t have time to put any underwears on. Gives our new friends quite the show, doesn’t it?” he grinned playfully and splashed at Ori once more. Making no effort to move less, and thus to make himself jiggle less down there.

            THANK THE LORD FOR SUNGLASSES,  ori thinks,  as he gives the tiniest roll of the eyes behind his own pair of shades.     ❛     damn,  you’re one of those,  huh  ?     ❜     though the implication behind the words is there,  he doesn’t elaborate any further,  leaving it up to the imagination what he could’ve meant by such a statement.     regardless,  there doesn’t seem to be any malice there,  just a simple observation made by a simple man with simple mannerisms.     he gives a quiet scoff at trust the trust fund,  going back to looking at the shimmering water with a pointed shrug.     ❛     dunno if i can trust someone who probably owns a car worth more than my human existence,     ❜     again,  the impish smile that flashes across his features is more than enough to offset any ill intent the statement may have conveyed. the first splash doesn’t garner much of a reaction,  he just chuckles a bit as a few stray water droplets land on his glasses.     he takes them off to wipe them away with the hem of his shirt,  raising a brow when the other gives his name.     ❛     hugo,  huh  ?     ❜     gears seem to whir in his head as he considers the name.     ❛     mind if i call you boss  ?     ❜     a small smile.     ❛     y’know,  like the luxury fashion company,  feel like it suits you.     ❜     then a pause.     ❛     no pun intended.     ❜     the second splash gets a dismissive wave of the hand,  lips pressing into a thin line.     ❛     hey hey,  watch the hair,     ❜     ori says,  combing his fingers through his long brown - black locks.     ❛     takes a lot of not giving a shit to make it look this good and effortlessly unkempt at the same time.     ❜     then once he has his glasses on once more,  he sends a glance down at hugo’s crotch before his gaze flits back up to his face.     ❛     y’know we’re like,  settled here,  right  ?     doesn’t seem like we’re goin’ anywhere so you can,  i dunno,     ❜     he jerks his thumb towards the line of villas,     ❛     get underwear  ?     ❜     a side glance is sent towards the merfolk,  some of whom are pointing and giggling amongst themselves.     ❛     you don’t gotta have it all hangin’ out from day one,  boss.     ❜

Isa had been just going along in search of something to do, exploring the town and trying to get his bearings as he had only been there a short time. Wandering up to random people, he had found, was the most interesting and quickest way to learn about a place. The cabin he had found was rather nice. Seeing the man, he blinked. For all of his traveling, he wasn’t exactly familiar with being high. “Are you sick?” he asked, confused.

            EYES NARROW IN CONFUSION,  and ori presses his tongue to the back of his front teeth in a thoughtful way.     he couldn’t tell if this guy was pulling his leg or not,  in any normal situation,  jokes would often go soaring over his head,  so the fact that he was high out of his mind certainly wasn’t helping thing.     fingers tap gently against his arm as he considers his next words carefully,  brows still furrowed.     ❛     the only sick i am is sick in the head.     ❜     classy.     ❛     you’re uh,  pullin’ ‘my leg though,  right pal  ?     yankin’ my chain  ?     ❜     he squints harder,  still bewildered.     ❛     like it’s pretty plain to see i’m flying right now,  my guy,  we’re talking miles above the clouds,  i’m a fucking space cadet.     ❜     this entire rhetoric probably wasn’t helping the other’s confusion.

𝚂𝙴𝚇 + 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚂. ( is my muse the type to sleep around ? )

𝚂𝙴𝚇 + 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚂. ( is my muse into monogamy ? )

𝚂𝙴𝚇 + 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚂. ( has my muse ever had sex in public ? )

      Giorgio half teased, half wondered if the fruit would turn a human who eats it into a mushroom as they slept. His imagination ran wild since he arrived at the citadel, and the man was yet to decide if it was a good thing. Everything was questioned, and he wasn’t quite sure who or what could be trusted. The fruit seemed harmless enough, if the other was okay after a few bites. Besides, he loved a delicious mushroom.

      His arms unfolded, and a hand reached out to take the fruit. “Alright,” he said as the arm extended. “I don’t really care for sweet things,” specifically food, because sweet people were something of a weakness for him, “But I’ll try it.”