you can't save everyone

There was no apology in the shrug she gave him. “It’s the entire reason why I hired them. It’s their job my sweet little water puppy.” Her nose wrinkled up with the grin she gave him. He may have been soft, but it was clear he wasn’t stupid, and that - she could appreciate with him. Respect, even. “Absolutely not. I’m wounded you would think such a thing.” Pulling her hand from his face, she let it come down to the table in front of him. “I’m no whore, you don’t pay for me. Given the opportunity, its out of choice - not money.” Leaning back then, there was still a touch of a smirk on her lips. “Oh, I absolutely am out to break a sensitive soul, but I promise you’ll like it.”

It should have been no surprise to anyone that Marcas enjoyed the water. He did not often grant himself the luxury of putting on his skin to venture out much, but he stilled loved being around it, smelling it, feeling it on his skin and such. He also enjoyed the people it attracted, he liked skipping rocks and seeing what the ocean had to offer, both in forms of comfort and company. Marcas was also very much the type of person to enjoy a quick conversation and he had no qualms about starting one, so when he saw someone by the water, he did not hesitate to speak up. “The water’s been right cold this season, so I wouldn’t suggest going in unless you’re used to that kind of thing. Not that you look much dressed to get in the water anyways,” he said, lighthearted in his greeting.

His home was not what it had been before he’d taken on not one, but two rescues. That wasn’t to say that Anver would ever utter a single complaint about either of them, it just meant that it was different. Maybe he had sought out the break to give the pair of them some time together, or maybe just a simple change of pace, despite his lack of patience for some of the residents.

Listening to Marcas talk was refreshing, in the sense that he almost seemed a bit innocent - whimsical in a warm way that made it seem like the world was still so simple and maybe a little bit childish at heart. It was an admirable trait, the avoidance of letting the truth of the ugliness in the universe change you. A moment was taken to study his face, really look at him, before shrugging shoulders. “Truth be told, I’d drink to the spider one.” It was hard to tell if he was kidding or not by the size of the grin on features.

“My home is a little more full than normal these days, and sometimes if you wade through the idiots long enough you find company worth keeping.” A nod of appreciation given to the man next to him as their drinks arrived. Large, calloused hand reached out for his glass and held it out for a proper toast.

“Well then! We’ll drink to no spiders for a long while and hopefully longer.” He lifted his glass before taking a hearty sip, meeting Anver’s toast. It was only mildly a joke, not a lie, but not something he’d usually cheers to. “Maybe eventually we can cheers in true Irish fashion. I’ll teach out a drinking song or something like that,” he said, glad for once to not be drinking entirely alone. Normally he preferred it, the eerie silence that settled around him despite being in a very loud place, but he couldn’t deny that the easy conversation was nice, something he’d grown unused to recently. 

He nodded, taking a slower sip this time. “You’ve got yourself some rescues, haven’t you? I thought I heard something about that.” Marcas found himself fighting not to succumb to staring into space as he thought about it. “I’ve been meaning to get back into the community housing, see who all is there at the moment. Introduce myself,” he added, quieter this time. He didn’t often talk about what had happened, especially not with other sponsors. 

His words, dry or not, still got a very dramatic wink in response. She didn’t need the encouragement, it wasn’t going to stop her either way. She’d found life far more fun living it in such a way. She took another sip from her glass, her gaze still intent on his and very much trying not to drop back to his mouth as he spoke. And she continued to stare, even as he spoke, with the straw still clamped between her teeth. But, eventually, the glass was set down and then nudged a bit out of her way. Leaning forward, she reached across the table, her fingers coming to take a light hold of his chin. “Marcas.” She said his name again, her tone dropping just enough to let it come out as a purr. “How am I supposed to show you a good time if you wont let me?” Eden laugh, her thumb reaching up to pull at his bottom lip. “Do I have to take you home with me?”

Anver wasn’t exactly the touchy feely sort of type. He wasn’t going to run straight for all the emotions in the world, he knew how complicated they could be. Perhaps the familiarity he felt wandering in the space between them was more than just the loss, though. It was his own brother, his own father, that had killed his mother because she was the last thing left - the last link to the heart in his chest, but their plan had backfired. It only lasted so long before he learned the truth, and it ended in his turning away from them, instead of into them. That was a better kept secret than Marcas and his rescue, but it didn’t change the truth, the similarity. He too, should have known. 

“Somehow, I thought that might make the deal a little sweeter.”  He offered with a rouge grin, an expression that fit features so well that it was almost unfair. Attraction, charm, it came easy to him despite the fact that his edges were still very much still rough. “For the moment.”  He echoed his worrying sentiment about the fact that the town was quiet, for the time being. That never lasted, and the next tragedy would always be looming in the darkness, watching and waiting. For now though, he did best not to dwell. “Well, now I’m just interested in what else you can come up with.”  He adjusted the stool, and motioned the bartender.

Looking at between Marcas and the bartender before eyebrows perked. “Whiskey, yeah?” 

“For the moment,” he repeated, nodding and looking back down at the bar top. How long would that last though? How long had it lasted the time before? He was pulled unceremoniously from his thoughts by the challenge to think of more. “Oh really? Well, we could toast to good drinks, or the company of one another, although that sounds a little cheesy, even for me. There’s how the sunset looked really pretty tonight and the fact that I haven’t seen a single spider in two weeks, that one’s personal.” he teased. 

Eden unnerved a lot of people, and for that, she was grateful. There was something in the way people squirmed around her that brought a twisted little sense of joy. It was there in the way they stuttered, adverted their gaze from her own. Tense muscles, rigid movements - she loved it all. It fed an ego that absolutely didn’t need anymore sustenance. “Quit bein’ so pretty and I’d stop staring long enough to listen.” the grin came from behind the straw that was currently clamped between teeth, the corners of her mouth turning upward in an almost cheshire like smirk. “Oh, I promise i’m paying attention.” Just, apparently not the kind he wished to have. Still, her gaze lifted upward and found his own. “It’s a strip club, Marcas. It’s going wonderful. Why haven’t you been by?”

“You flatter me,” he told her dryly. Marcas had no doubt she knew exactly what she was doing and he certainly didn’t want to encourage her... much. Still, he couldn’t keep the slight smile off of his face. She was just... funny in a way. He laughed at her assessment of her business. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Eden, I simply never have the time. I’m not one for paying for my dalliances. I prefer those who are more willing to spend their time with me freely. Not that looking at them wouldn’t be a wonderful use of my time, but you must see it from my point of view. And how can you, when you’d be the one getting my money?” he asked with a grin. 

While Anver hadn’t made a habit out of stepping into other peoples business, that didn’t mean he hadn’t heard. They all knew the rumors, the whispers that came along with bloodshed of any kind. He, on the other hand, didn’t believe all the bullshit. Instead, there had been a subtle kind of understanding for the other man. The legends spoke of all the horrible things he’d done when he was still wrapped up with his brother and his father, and those were bloodstains that would never come clean. Maybe, he thought that there was some kind of kindred spirit potential here. 

Whatever it was, he saddled up to the open stool next to the other before a tip of head was evident. “Mind if I sit? The other end of the bar is going to result in me having to deal with the kind of stupidity I don’t currently have the patience for.”  He admitted with a little bit of a grin before occupying the seat anyway, before there was ever any real answer.

“Next one’s on me, but you’ll have to think of something to toast to, compromise.” 

@marcasivers

Marcas was not one to talk about his failings. However, that was difficult when the whole city knew about it. And whether it was his fault or not, whether the rescue would have gone off the rails with another sponsor, it didn’t matter. It happened with his rescue, which made it his failure. That failure, incidentally had lead to a bit more drinking than he would like to admit and since his decision that he would work on getting back into housing rescues, he’s tried cutting back. That did not stop him from going to the bar though, and it certainly did not stop him from considering Anver’s offer. 

She heard them the first time. At least, she heard them speak. Whatever words decided to fall from their lips was an entirely different story all together. Evident by the way she had been staring at them. Eden’s mind had wandered again, the visual playing out in lieu of the face in front of her had taken most of her attention. But, if it was any consolation to them – they had stared in the sick little movie the unraveled the moment they came into her line of sight.

“Say it again.” Still half in her thoughts, she focused on them, her gaze dropping to their mouth.

Marcas scoffed, shaking his head in good nature. “You’re not even listening to me,” he said, his tone sing-songy. Eden unnerved him. He had heard about her probation, had also heard about how she was recently off probation. “How am I supposed to hold a wonderful conversation, if my conversation partner isn’t paying attention?” As much as he smiled and teased, there was a certain... flatness to him. A monotony that had settled in for a while. “I was asking how business was going.”

[MARCAS IVERS] shares our delusions. They are [261], they are a [SELKIE] who looks just like [MICHIEL HUISMAN]. They are a [SPONSOR]. While they might be [KIND-HEARTED], sometimes they get  [NAIVE]. They are a [SUB] in bed, and [BISEXUAL] They are into [EXHIBITIONISM AND SENSORY DEPRIVATION] and want a [DOM/SWITCH] partner.