#apocalypse.starter

area; hinton, tavern

timeline; night, present

tw; mentions of injury / blood, alcohol 

━━ “ 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄, 𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒. “

a smirk dances across eris’s lips as she caught their stare, the crinkled corners of her eyes all-too familiar in the face of injury. years of similar stunts hardly earned any manner of worry from the warrior; her scars that gleamed in the torchlight depicted such well enough. “ seriously, you’d think by now I'd be more scar tissue than anything. “ a rumble of laughter rolls out of eris as she reaches forward, grabbing her glass perched on the table between them. propping her leg up on the bench, she trains her eyes on her wound and lifts her drink to pour ─ it’s clear she’s done it prior by the accuracy of the stream, eyes unmoving from the broken skin. while most might flinch due to the sting, eris hardly even noticed, peering up after a few minutes to flash a tired smile.

blaiz stared long and hard at the piece for several moments before finally placing it back down on the counter, his hand landing on a different bracelet, one with a greater number of stones than the last. his eyes moved over it carefully, testing to see how strong firms the rocks truly were embedded and how it appeared  in the light. “ this one, ” he finally confirmed, smiling slightly at the jeweler as he placed it down in front of him. 

the prince could feel eyes on him, surely judging him for what he’d been doing—more importantly with who. the entire nation had and he needed them to continue to do so. it had been weeks since blaiz had entertained any of his old flings from around the keep, another rumor that had already rapidly been spreading through the city. he wasn’t exactly proud of it, but his good fortune with women had been what he was best known for, for years before he’d finally been able to prove himself on the frontlines as more than just a handsome face. the shop owner placed the artfully wrapped present down in front of him and blaiz removed the overstuffed satchel from his shoulder and placed it on the counter. “it’s a little of everything,” the blonde said with a firm nod as he pushed the bag toward him and pocketed the gifted. 

𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐄𝐗𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 --- being on the ground. the crash had been terrifying, sure; the destruction harrowing and rebuild taxing. but there's something about the crisp of open air, the weight of solid earth that makes up for it. almost makes it worth it.

even if he hadn't been locked in the sky box for most of his life, there's only so much a finite space station can offer. the walls would have closed in on him sooner or later, perhaps growing the same darkness that tends to him now; but here, that's all a thing of a storied past. now, he's here, a world of unknowns ahead of him with the ability to go where he pleases and do what he wants.

today, that whim's brought him to the commercial sector. he's been there before in the early days, for things to help him, venus, and dawa settle in their new home. but today, he's there to explore. to understand, specifically, what goes on in that place teeming with bodies, most of whom can't seem to walk straight when they're done.