#crimehunted

⟣  ─  ˑ  〃  ۫ the  party  had  bled  into  the  edges  of  dawn ,  its  reckless  rhythm  softening  into  something  slower ,  more  fragile .  nick  leaned  against  the  balcony  railing ,  holding a cigarette and staring  out  at  the  faint  streaks  of  pink  and  gold  creeping  across  the  horizon .  the  sky  felt  too  close ,  the  air  too  sharp ,  and  the  static  under  his  skin  had  soured  into  a  restless  ache .  he  swirled  the  last  inch  of  gin  in  his  glass ,  but  even  that  tasted  wrong  now ,  the  burn  doing  nothing  to  ground  him .

he  almost  didn’t  hear  ezrah  approach — quiet  footsteps ,  a  presence  that  didn’t  really demand  attention  but  still  filled  the  space .  nick  glanced  over  his  shoulder ,  catching  the  faint  silhouette  of  the  older  man  framed  by  the  soft ,  growing  light . " should’ve  guessed  you’d  end  up  out  here , "  nick  said ,  his  voice  rougher  than  he  meant  it  to  be .  he  turned  back  to  the  skyline ,  his  smirk  faint  and  tired .  “ can’t  imagine  the  mess  in  there ’ s your  scene . ”

for the first part of the night, casimiro resigned himself to the comforts of his room. the sound proof walls made it nearly impossible to hear what was going on behind his closed door and part of him liked it that way. partying wasn't necessarily his thing. he enjoyed the quiet, he enjoyed his studies, he enjoyed what he made of his life. there was just a nagging feeling of missing out that left something inside of him aching, yearning to be part of it.

he didn't like that. so, he did something about it.

he has a drink in hand and some warm liquid in the pit of his belly as he makes his way through his new, large home. he didn't realize how many people could fit inside the big house but seeing so many people was somewhat astounding. he grins, walking over to the nearest chosen demigod he can find, plucking a drink off a tray and handing it to him. "if i have to enjoy myself, so do you." he lifts his shot glass. "to a year of being chosen and seeing what that makes of us."