#the bonfire.

roman keating: so about almost dying four days ago

roman keating: i think we should scrap this whole national treasure mission

don bailey: you don't say

henri rousseau: not dying does sound kinda neat 😔

thalia pham: i'd also like to avoid more dangerous situations

roman keating: who's gonna tell our nic cage wannabe

henri rousseau: and potentially break his heart? i don't think i have it in me :/

don bailey: it can't be me, he already knows i'm pissed about this, it'll just make me sound petty

roman keating: what if he kicks me out? i'm not really down with homelessness

thalia pham: why do i always have to do everything

thalia pham: fine i'll do it

thalia pham: but u all owe me

henri rousseau: i swear i was totally 100% ready to type my 'because you're great!!' speech but yesssssss thalia 👏🏻

thalia pham: men aren't good for anything 😒

thalia pham: a party is much needed with everything going on. it's easier to pretend like everything is fine, like it's just a normal kegger by the beach. but nothing about this feels normal. a grandma had almost single-handedly taken all of them out. thalia wants to help adam, she really does. but she cares more about their safety, so she strolls on to the beach knowing that at some point tonight, she'll be the one to initiate the conversation. she knows it probably won't go over well. lia takes a deep breath, then slips into the crowd of people, a false smile on her face. it fades when she sees the kooks, of course. she pours herself a beer and sits down in the sand near the fire, her legs stretched in front of her. where are her boys?

adam griffin: even after getting the cold shoulder from don, adam's looking forward to the bonfire. it has been awhile since he's had something to distract him from everything that was going on, and he's sure that a party on the beach will do the trick. his face lights up as he picks thalia out of the crowd and he immediately heads in her direction. "hey," he says in greeting as he flops down in the sand next to her. "what are you doing over here alone when there are so many kooks to argue with about politics?"

don bailey: don doesn't want to partake in the bonfire now, when things are still so... delicate. he still feels a bit angry, even if knowing that the others are on board with ending this hunt brings him some peace of mind. the key he has hidden in one of his drawers always seems to burn a hole in his brain, but maybe he was right anyway. he didn't even need to force the way of things, they reached a dead end before the key even came into play. either way, mad or not, he knows he'll regret it if he doesn't enjoy the bonfire night. so he goes; he parks his bike somewhere far, walks past the kooks hiding a scowl, and looks for familiar faces. he almost backtracks when he sees only thalia and adam there -- is she telling him now? should he give them privacy? what if he's interrupting something? --, but his moment of hesitation is enough for them to catch sight of him, so he moves to join them. "hey," his greeting is a bit stiff. "what are we talking about?"

henri rousseau: the atmosphere of the summer has changed now. and in the span of a few days, henri has gone from 110% on board for treasure hunt escapism to... well.... actually analysing its consequences. the bonfire, however, offers a chance of normalcy. and upon arrival, he tries to be normal too. hoping years of high school theatre would somehow come in clutch as he grabs a beer and makes his way over to the group. only picking up the pace as he sees his cousin's rigidity. "hello fellow youths," he chirps, arm already reaching out to pat don's back in reassurance.

thalia pham: "i'm just getting warmed up. and i'd rather hang out with you than talk to a bunch of scumbags." lia would do anything for adam. but there's a fine line between being ride or dies and actually dying. she doesn't want to watch him lead himself down his own guided path of self-destruction. it's easier to yank him off that path now, even if he's bitter about it for a while. as don, and then henri join them, lia feels a little nervous. it's calming having her other half there, but this seems like an actual intervention, and she's sure adam is not going to like it. "we're just chillin'. talking smack about the kooks. the usual."

don bailey: he's actually glad henri arrives soon after him. he loves lia and adam, but there's no escape from feeling like a third wheel literally every time he finds himself in a group of three, no matter who are the others. he can't ever shake that feeling. "ah, smack talking. of course. let's hope that's the worst we get to do," don says, glancing over at the kooks and already catching one staring. what's new, right? he appreciates henri's pat on his back and chooses not to give him any warnings about the underage drinking, against his best instincts. "we should take it easy tonight. right? just... enjoy the bonfire," he exchanges a (hopefully comforting) look with lia. she's not in an easy place, but he's ready to be the first to support her once she speaks up.

roman keating: his mind constantly replaying the events of the other night left him restless. something wasn't sitting right in his stomach. roman had taken into account that he would do anything for adam; he'd lie, cheat, steal and before, he would be the first to agree on a wild goose chase. except now, running for his life was crossed off the long list of things he'd prefer to do again. he shakes away his thoughts by chugging the beer left in his cup and going for a refill and busies himself by flirting with the tourist girls in his general vicinity. he's trying to give thalia the space to break the news to adam and enjoy his night, but when he spots all four of them around the fire pit, he thinks that everything might be okay after all. meandering over, he greets them with a grin. "sorry i'm late. i just stepped off mommy and daddy's yacht."

adam griffin: "you would?" adam plays up how touched he feels by pressing a hand to his chest. "that might be the nicest thing you've ever said about me." within moments, the group had expanded to all of their friends. it's a common theme for them; finding each other no matter how large the crowd. "dressed like that?" he teases, giving rome a once over, before an exaggerated look of recognition passes his features. "oh, did you rename orion again? mommy and daddy's yacht is cute, but eggs-ta-sea still wins it for me."

thalia pham: lia rolls her eyes—instinctively—at adam's comment. she finds herself slipping into somewhat of an inner monologue as don speaks, completely spaced out. she just wants to reach across the sand and grab his hand right now for comfort. luckily, rome breaks some of the tension brewing inside with one of his dumb jokes, and suddenly him and adam are riffing off of each other. lia doesn't want to be the one to break any of this up. but she has to. "i love orion's name as is, and i love that she's not a yacht with a huge fucking carbon footprint." she smiles, but it fades as her gaze drops to the ground. "uh, before we party hard—and by we i mean roman—i have something to say." lia doesn't know how else to phrase it. "adam, i think we should lay off the whole treasure hunt thing for now." she traces a finger along her palm. "i just don't want any of us to get hurt, and after what happened the other day.. i think it's best if we just leave it be."

adam griffin: the smile drops off adam's face as thalia speaks. is she really telling him this at a party? he's supposed to go back to drinking beer and mingling with tourists after she tells him that she thinks he should leave his dad's missing person case be? "what?" it takes a great deal of effort, but he keeps his expression stoic as he turns to thalia. "are you serious?"

don bailey: the way thalia brings it up makes it feel like a bomb has just been dropped on them. and even though they've discussed this in the group chat earlier, it still feels weirdly new hearing it out loud -- and seeing the surprised disappointment on adam's face. are you serious, he asks, and that feels like an invitation to escalate things, so don chimes in. "hey, man, she's right," he offers, stretching over to bump his knee against thalia's, hoping to offer some comfort. "it's... going a bit too far, i'm sorry."

roman keating: the tension he seemed to ease harshly asserts its way back into the group quicker than he thought. he didn't think they were going to do this now -- so soon. his lips press into a thin line. rome feels mostly betrayal on his end, yet is struck with bewilderment that maybe adam hasn't also been thinking about pulling the plug. "dude, grandma dearest almost took us out." he plays with the condensation on his cup. "i thought we were all gonna, you know, blow up or some shit."

adam griffin: his gaze snaps to don and roman, respectively, as they chime in. realization dawns on him and all hope of keeping his emotions off his face is lost. "you guys have already talked about this." it's an accusation, not a question. the fact that they saw him as so fragile that he couldn't be included in the real time discussion of how they were feeling after the break-in is a harsh blow. "so what? you guys got together and decided you had to have an intervention instead of just including me in the conversation? the fuck did you think i was gonna do?"

thalia pham: this is not how thalia wanted this to go. but it isn't fair to just float through the night like everything's perfectly fine only to spring it on him last second. lia had to remind herself that she was doing the right thing. it just felt so wrong, watching adam's demeanor quickly change. she wanted to give him a hug, but by the looks of it, he was nowhere near ready for that. "you know it's not like that. i'm just worried about you." she chooses to speak for herself instead of the rest of them in hopes of making it seem less like a true intervention. "we can't figure out what happened to your dad if we're dead."

henri rousseau: he winces as the confrontation unfurls before his eyes. never good with conflict even when it's absolutely necessary, and yet he holds back just in case he cracks an inappropriate joke right into the middle of it. "you know i'm with you always, adam," often without question, "you name it and i'm down. but the others are right, almost getting killed is too much. like... c'mon, we love you, man. the idea of a world without adam griffin?" thinks of the summers of mischief he's had with them all growing up. "fuckin' bleak."

adam griffin: adam scoffs at thalia's comment. he doesn't need her pity; he's fine. if there's anyone she should be worried about, it's his dad. "we can't figure out what happened to him if we stop looking either," he snaps. "do you have any leads other than the treasure? you guys have probably already discussed this as well, so feel free to fill me in." as henri speaks, adam's anger falters. he knows they have a point; that the danger they faced at mckee's house was real. he can't blame them for not wanting to venture further down that path. adam, however, is already in too deep. he doesn't care what happens to him, he couldn't live with himself if he stopped trying to find answers. "fine." his ego keeps him from softening his tone. "if you guys are out i'll do it my-fucking-self."

don bailey: see, in moments like these, he's reminded why he took the damn key in the first place. better to have a frustrated friend, than have a friend who gets himself killed going after an impossible treasure hunt to reach an unattainable goal. he can't help it, but the thought is there -- adam's dad is dead. "you're not. you're not doing anything yourself, just listen to everyone, for once," he sighs, his brows furrowing. "we haven't discussed anything, okay? it's not like that. we just want what's best for you, i swear, man. trust us on this. we can keep looking somehow, but not like this. i can't let something happen to any of you. i won't. we almost fucking died, adam."

roman keating: rome clenches his jaw. what henri says strikes him a little too much. there's been enough loss in his own life and he was too stubborn to let himself imagine anything happening to his best friend. he's torn between wanting to defend adam and hammer sense into his brain. the tone that accompanies adam's words causes rome to snap his attention back to the group. "come on, adam." his arm instinctively reaches out, his fingers wrapping around his friend’s forearm. he doesn't want them to continue the hunt, much less does he want adam to continue it alone. "don't make me keep you hostage in your own fucking house." he tries to toss it out as a joke, but it suddenly feels too real. "you can't keep doing this to yourself."

thalia pham: she can't help but be a little frustrated with adam. he's spiraling, and he's taking all of them with him. thalia winces a little at rome's last comment, but she understands where it's coming from. adam is stubborn, and it's clear that none of this is helping. "adam, we love you. i love you. and i just want you to be safe, and..." she sighs. "alive."

adam griffin: maybe if adam had more distance from the topic, he'd be more receptive to their comments. but to his ears, everything they're saying just sounds patronizing. he doesn't need to be coddled or looked after or kept safe, he needs answers. "i am doing what's best for me." he's not stupid, nor is he blind to any potential danger; he's made his decision, and apparently they've made theirs as well. as mad as he is, he doesn't want to fight with them, so he chooses to remove himself from the conversation. shrugging off roman's touch as he stands up, he walks away without another word. the kook that couldn't be bothered to move out of his path is a convenient outlet for his rage. they bump into adam's shoulder, and he immediately shoves them back, the look on tad's face making it clear he wasn't expecting that reaction from him. "watch where you're fucking going."

tad worthington: tad's exhausted. after hitting the gym in the early morning and spending the rest of the day out on the golf course, he could use a little unwinding. it's a no-brainer (haha funny bc he has no brain) that him and the boys decided to go to the bonfire. as he walks through the sand in his birkenstocks, he feels like he's on top of the world. he's got the boys around him, there are plenty of pretty girls in sight, and a beer with his name on it. tonight's gonna be good. that is, if the pogues don't ruin it like they always do. he jogs to and from the keg to get drinks for the boys, and by the time he's made it back to them, he already has his eye on someone. of course, this distraction allows adam to shove him—if he saw it coming, he would have shoved first, he swears—splashing beer all over his newest polo shirt. tad scowls. "what the fuck is your problem, man?" he grabs the back of adam's shirt, keeping him from storming off. "you got something to say?"

emilio ramirez: emilio looks forward to the summer bonfire every year; reliving his glory days, when it was him and brax and tad, kings of the cut. he's casually kicking a ball around with a couple of guys when none other than adam griffin shoves tad. he approaches them amiably but his intentions are anything but. "hey hey," emilio laughs good-naturedly, clapping adam on the shoulder. he can already tell the night is heading towards a different path. "what happened to your manners, griffin?"

braxton reynolds: brax removes the sunglasses shielding his eyes, folding them at the collar of his shirt. he's got an arm resting comfortably around a girl's shoulders, feigning interest in whatever she has to say. he's more interested in what comes next. taking a sip of his beer and surveying the crowd, his eyes fall on tad and emilio with adam griffin. the apparent beginning of an altercation is enough to uproot him from his spot. he approaches the boys with a sinister smirk. "you know, i thought trash wasn't allowed on the beach."

adam griffin: despite his outburst, adam isn’t looking for a fight. which is why he was lucky it’s tad that he runs into; even if adam pisses him off, he doubts he’d throw a punch. “i just said it, watch where you’re going,” he challenges. it’s less fortunate that tad is still friends with emilio, who appears out of nowhere to come to his friend’s defense. he instinctively shrugs off emilio’s touch, even though he’s fully aware that pushing the wrong buttons on emilio will quickly escalate things. his blind rage does a great job convincing him that he could handle himself two-on-one; tad hardly counted as one. it’s only when braxton arrives that adam stops liking his odds so much. not that he shows it. “with clever digs like that it’s a mystery why your dad had to buy your future.”

thalia pham: it's a punch on the gut when adam storms off like that. the last time she had seen that same look of betrayal was when she left for california four years ago. maybe this whole thing could have gone better if she had been the only one to talk to him, but it's past that now. she can't let adam just walk off into some blind act of self-destruction. so thalia rises from her seat on the log and starts after him, tossing a knowing look to the others first. "adam, wait—" she calls, only to be cut short by the realization that the kooks are beginning to close around him. this couldn't possibly get any worse. "this is a private conversation, so could you guys just," she begins, squinting at brax, "back off."

don bailey: the night's officially a mess, then. don tries to keep adam from storming off, but his pleas fall on deaf ears, as expected. so he keeps his mouth shut, and nods at the look lia gives them before she follows. if any one of them can talk sense into adam, maybe it's her. "well... that went great," he comments to the others, glancing back at them only briefly before he searches for thalia again, because he always keeps an eye on her. then he notices the kooks. he can't hear the interaction from here, but the kooks are never good news. he shoots up in a flash, but hesitates before he moves any further, unsure if he really should be alarmed or if he would be making things worse by joining them. "uh, guys?"

alina winthrop: the last few days have left alina in a haze. the night of the break-in is a memory she's trying to distance herself from, and what better distraction than the bonfire? she's standing with nora, surveying the crowd before them when she notices adam shove tad. the scene escalates but alina won't step in however because, ultimately, she doesn't care. still, there is something concerning about the way tad, brax, and emilio surround adam, who stands alone. she can't help but wonder where the hell everyone else is. alina takes a sip of her orange soda, nodding her head at the scene. "jesus, didn't those idiots learn to let go of all their high school baggage already?"

braxton reynolds: braxton remains composed even with adam's comments, despite the urge to react with his fist. that route was almost too easy. "nice one, griffin," he commends. it's a sore subject -- not that he gives adam the satisfaction of knowing that. he'd heard about thomas griffin's disappearance the minute he arrived home for the summer and responded to it with a shrug. one less pogue residing in the outer banks, the better. a wry chuckle escapes him. "what about your dad, man? heard the bastard's fish food." it's then his attention is drawn to thalia's presence. "i'll back off," he nods, his eyes falling on her and taking on her appearance, "on one condition. you, me, the front seat of my ferrari."

adam griffin: adam jaw clenches at braxton's comment about his father, but he knows better than to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. it's nothing he hasn't heard before, just in harsher terms. as his gaze falls on thalia, however, the emotions that have been building within him spill over. the second the words leave braxton's lips, adam wrenches out of the grasp tad had on his shirt and swings, his fist making clean contact with braxton's jaw.

tad worthington: tad laughs as braxton continues to poke at adam. he much prefers this kind of drama to the soap operas his mom always has on at night. when brax makes a pass at thalia, he lights up. "can i come, too?" he says, with a stupid grin on his face. it's a dumb joke but he knows someone will laugh at it. when adam throws the first punch, though, tad is unfathomably excited. "ooh, i bet that felt good, griffin." tad is horrible at patronizing people, but he tries. "FIGHT!" he yells, turning to the rest of the people at the party. he isn't the best at staying alert in fights, so he decides he won't join in unless the other pogues do.

braxton reynolds: smugness and pride wash over him momentarily, his elbow bumping tad's. when adam lunges towards him, brax stumbles back slightly at the force, a dull ache settling in his jaw. "you fucking piece of shit," he seethes, the fingers of his right hand reaching out to grab a hold of adam's collar. his left hand balls into a fist, coming in contact with adam's nose.

roman keating: watching adam retreats causes roman's stomach to churn. "yeah. just peachy, donnie," he comments, his mind far away. for all the years they've known each other, he's ever seen this side of his best friend. he isn't sure he likes it either. he finishes off the beer in his cup, ready to venture back to a keg when don speaks again. rome's eyebrows raise and follows his line of sight, his gaze settling on adam and braxton throwing punches. he immediately moves towards the crowd. when he reaches them, he breezes past tad, shoving him out of the way. his hand comes up to wrap itself tightly around braxton's wrist. "got a death wish, asshole?"

thalia pham: lia hates this. she hates the fact that adam is spiraling. she hates the kooks. she hates the way they're circling around him like sharks. when brax addresses her she makes an expression of pure disgust. "you're such a fucking cliche—" she replies, but her comeback is interrupted by adam's punch. shit. well, he deserved it. it isn't until brax punches back that she starts to rush forward instinctively. but rome steps up instead, and the anxiety in her stomach only grows, recalling all of the times he would show up to class in high school with a mysterious black eye. lia turns to search for don in a moment of panic.

emilio ramirez: “well look who came to join the party.” emilio grins as roman keating approaches. tad is egging the fight on, of course. this is likely the first interesting thing that has happened all year so a crowd gathers around them quickly. he chuckles, nudging a few guys standing next to him. “come to save your boyfriend, keating?”

don bailey: don follows closely after roman, knowing they're gonna need all available hands on deck for this. the kooks latch onto fistfights like hungry dogs to a bone, he knows there's no easy way to back out once the punches have started being thrown. he reaches lia and catches her hand to tug her back just as roman lunges forward. "don't. just stay back," he pleads, and he hesitates for just a second before -- and he knows he'll hate himself for it in the morning -- shoving himself between adam and brax, too. "hey, hey, back off, everyone!"

henri rousseau: unease grows in his gut as the crowd assembles around the group. even more so when it erupts into violence. as don begins to speak, henri moves forward out of concern. "look... we're all reasonable people here, right?" he says with a very forced smile. were the boys gathered in front of them actually people? it's certainly debatable from the stories he hears during the year. "and i know in my heart of hearts that we all just wanna have a good time tonight. have a few beers... maybe ya know, sing a little campfire song... relax." he eyes braxton momentarily, brow furrowing. "again, that last one's a big maybe. just a suggestion! i don't know what you're into! but we could all, uh... just let this go and do that? wave the big ol' metaphorical white flag...?"

tad worthington: of all the pogues, tad actually kind of likes henri. he isn't nearly as annoying as adam and rome. don, though, kind of pisses him off—don just makes him feel dumb. so as the other boy approaches and the odds of a three-on-three fight increase, tad steps forward to where emilio is standing. "who's ready to rumble?" the stupid grin is still smeared across his face as he dramatically cracks his knuckles. "watch where you're going, bailey. you're walking right into trouble."

emilio ramirez: the crowd riles them up, knocking and bumping into each other as people outside of the circle try and force their way in. don pushes his way between adam and brax. there is barely a friendship between brax, tad, and himself but still, not much has changed between the three of them. “c’mon, donny,” he sneers, taunting him. “you know you can’t play with the big boys.” the crowd shoves emilio forward. without thinking, emilio swings and his fist lands squarely on don’s jaw.

adam griffin: even after the fight he had with his friends and hit he takes from braxton, don and henri's words are enough to calm him down. of course, tad and emilio manage to immediately undo that. with rome occupying braxton's attention, adam knocks his hand away and inserts himself between emilio and don. he shoves emilio away from don, and follows up with a swift punch just below his ribs.

braxton reynolds: with pure rage coursing through him, the crowd cheering is more akin to muffled background noise. braxton's attention snaps from adam, meeting roman eye to eye, a scowl tugging his lips. despite the hold on his wrist, his body twists in order for his free hand to uppercut roman's jaw. with quick reflexes, he strikes a second blow to his cheek, brax's knuckles cracking from the impact.

roman keating: emilio's prodding only heightens his anger. he's been in this position far too many times with the kooks, though not this intense since high school. as roman stumbles from impact, he lets go of his hold on brax's wrist. a dry chuckle escapes him as he moves his jaw from side to side, the all familiar taste of rust on his tongue. rome lunges forward, gripping the material of braxton's shirt at the shoulders and shoving him down onto the sand.

thalia pham: lia flinches as the fight continues. she's never liked to watch this kind of thing go down—partly because she'd rather be in on it, and partly because she can't stand to watch her friends get hurt. she doesn't like seeing adam and rome like this, either. it's scary. she knows don won't go too far, but she isn't sure about the two of them. lia looks to henri, to make sure he's still there and hasn't been swallowed by the crowd. as she turns, she notices alina and nora watching from afar. "hey!" she yells. "can you please check your psycho friends?"

tad worthington: tad flies into action, less gracefully than he was hoping. he drives his fist into roman's face, and almost misses. hopefully it will give brax time to get off the ground. it wasn't much of a punch, though, so he starts to back up.

emilio ramirez: emilio stumbles back as the wind is knocked right out of him. someone tries to help him up but he shakes them off. if he wasn't angry before, he sure is now. he straightens, glowering at adam before surging forward and tackling him to the sand.

alina winthrop: the fight escalates quickly and the crowd closes in on the boys. alina and her friends have never involved themselves in this feud, even when nora was still dating brax, so she doesn't feel the need to involve herself now. thalia has the nerve to address them however, and alina narrows her gaze. "why don't you check yours? they started the fight." she's not really in the business of defending tad, emilio, or brax but she'd rather be caught dead in a pair of sweatpants than listen to anything thalia says.

henri rousseau: he should have known the kooks wouldn't listen to his plea to call it off. still, he feels a little defeated as the fight escalates and with the upper body strength of a twig, thoughts of dragging his friends out of the situation seem limited. henri nudges his way through the quickly assembling crowd to make it to thalia's side. "uhhh, how do we break this up?"

nora yates: nora’s bored with the fight as soon as it starts. her expression is blank, unmoved even as the violence escalates. it’s nothing that she hasn’t seen before, and she can’t say she gives a shit what happens to anyone involved. she doesn’t even acknowledge that thalia is speaking to her, but when alina replies, she turns to her friend with a single eyebrow raised. she doesn’t comment, but she doesn’t need to to challenge the way alina defends boys neither of them have spoken to in years. the fight goes on and nora grows impatient; she’s unwilling to wait for the boys to tire themselves out to get back to enjoying her evening. no one else is going to get through to braxton, so she lets out a belabored sigh and wanders over to him, cutting roman off. “brax. we’ve seen enough.”

braxton reynolds: the shove catches braxton off guard, embarrassment flooding through him as he hits the ground. he hates feeling weak or defeated, even more so when it comes to the pogues. trying to catch his breath, he scrambles to his feet as nora approaches, rubbing his hands together to rid of the sand. he's slightly thankful for nora's presence, using it as an excuse to walk away from something that wasn't going in his favor. he points an accusatory finger at roman. “tell griffin he better keep his dirty hands off me or i’ll fucking kill you both next time,” he spits, turning on his heels and storming off.

emilio ramirez: high school is four years behind them, but nora manages to be the only person who can still rein them in. emilio stops, surprised that brax heeds nora’s instruction. he gives one last shove to adam, leaving him on the ground before standing up, dusting himself off. “aw, ellie, why’d you have to ruin our fun?” he shoots her a contemptuous smile. but he doesn’t care all that much. he signals to tad, nodding his head away from the crowd.

tad worthington: tad is grateful the fight stopped before he could get his ass whooped. he stands up straight like things were actually going in his favor, and peels off with the other guy with dignity. "bye, ladies!" he taunts at the boys behind them.

adam griffin: adam manages to get one final hit in just before nora breaks the fight up, he swipes at the blood leaking from his nose with the back of his hand as he gets up. there’s a part of him that wants to thank his friends for coming to his defense, but as soon as he looks at them he remembers why he was upset, and he no longer feels so grateful. without another word, he turns and heads off, no longer in the mood for a party.

roman keating: shoving braxton’s hand out of his face, he scoffs as the kooks retreat. the threats leave him unfazed; he would’ve been dead already if there was any validity in them. he spits the blood pooling in his mouth out onto the ground, his fingers grazing the tender flesh of his cheek. rome goes to speak just as adam turns away and he chooses to stay rooted to his spot. he’s unsure, for the first time in his life, if he should follow behind. "well, that was fun. round two anytime soon?" he manages, raising his eyebrows at the others.