▲ ezra collier & luce feyre
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Feb 16, 2021 18:39:23 GMT -5
Post by fleur on Feb 16, 2021 18:39:23 GMT -5
"Get me a drink, ya fuckin bastard!" Fingers splayed wide on the countertop, ashen marks remained imprinted on its surface as the offending hand was withdrawn, held now clenched against his abdomen. It smarted from the impact, still obviously sore from a previous misadventure that had almost impeded his journey out here; thankfully, Ezra's silver tongue could disarm anyone who didn't know him. His jaw clenched, glaring daggers at the bartender.
The man, square-jawed and becoming agitated, motioned to his charred counter. "I'm cuttin' ya off. Outta my bar before I have ya tossed out on yer ass," he hissed insidiously, This threat did not sit well with the Pyxis exile, whose pain subsided as anger fueled his adrenaline, like kindling to a fire.
"Can't toss me out if you ain't got one." His ability didn't manifest itself into actual flames very often, Ezra generally craftier with his magic as his skills were mostly unrefined. However, his judgment impaired, fire sprouted at his fingertips and shrouded all the way up to his elbows, and he turned away toward the rest of the room, lunging for a table whose occupants were absorbed in their jubilant outcries, streams of alcohol running across the surface. It was a perfect fuse.
Almost perfect.
One of the fairies-- conveniently the one to have indulged the least-- became acutely aware of the imminent danger charging their way. He barely moved: It was less than a twitch of his finger, and Ezra's flames died, the oxygen stripped right out. He was sent sprawling to the ground, gasping for breath, long enough for a security guard to drag the miserable hunk out and discard him on the curb like yesterday's trash.
"I-- fuck. Think thatta stop me?" he snarled, struggling to his knees as embers sparked across his flesh, the bouncer readying himself to fight back when someone else stepped in.
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 16, 2021 19:14:51 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 16, 2021 19:14:51 GMT -5
Nyre wasn't the usual spot Mars would find himself looking through; the city was just...too much sometimes. It was so different from everything he had seen in his journeys; there was so much noise, so much happening, and the buildings were just so tall. Structures floating high in the sky, with walkways that seemed to be made out a material he had never seen before–more often than not, he simply felt overwhelmed here.
However, in the bars and red light districts, everything still felt familiar. After all, anywhere around the world, drunkards and prostitutes and rowdy men still remained the same. Only, Nyre probably had the rowdiest bunch of them all. Loud music pulsed through the air, the neon lights seemed almost as bright as day, and he could already hear shouting as a man was kicked out of a bar.
Wait. Not just any man...was that Ezra? The man from the prison back in Vela years ago? Why the fuck was he here, trying to pick a fight nonetheless? Mars was almost glad he was here on time, because the moment he saw the sparks go off across the man's hands and suddenly, remembering that one night in the prison they spent together–
A water whip caught Ezra's arm, engulfing his fists that seemed ready to spark fire. "Ezra!" he called out, stepping between the two. He put his arm around the other man's shoulder before turning to the bouncer. "Sorry mate, lost this guy earlier, I'll just take him home aight? No hard feelings?"
The bouncer grunted. "You're lucky we're not making him pay for all the shit he destroyed," the hulking man snapped.
"Oh and I'm eternally grateful for that, I'll just see him out and make sure he doesn't bother you guys again." He immediately pulled the other man along, before giving him a baffled look. "Holy shit mate, never thought I'd see you up in Nyre. What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you worked in Pyxis or something."
A look of amusement lit up Mars' face. As much as he knew of Ezra's personality and reputation, he had never seen this man so drunk before in his life.
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▲ ezra collier & luce feyre
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Feb 16, 2021 21:02:09 GMT -5
Post by fleur on Feb 16, 2021 21:02:09 GMT -5
Fluid doused the flames threatening to ignite on his skin, and in the same moment he felt the warmth of another body flush against his own, a vaguely familiar voice close to his ear. Who was it? He couldn't quite get a grasp on it-- bugger, fuck it, didn't matter. "Ain't gonna pay shit," was his parting rebuttal, spitting over his shoulder though it didn't go further than splattering across Mars' sleeve. The gods must have taken particular pity on Ezra's fall from grace, however; the bouncer ignored him this time.
Stumbling after Mars, who was supporting the entirety of his weight, he collapsed onto the curb once they got far enough away, feeling the world spin around him. "Can't. Gonna vom," he said...moments before he vom'd.
Beads of sweat pasted strands of hair to his forehead, reflecting the violet hues of the illuminated city. He rubbed an arm, which was singed from overuse of his power, across to wipe it away, then did the same to catch the dribbles of vomit in the corners of his mouth. Fuck, this was why he didn't drink. His head was throbbing. His stomach was churning. His body was trembling, the overexertion combined with his indulgences sapping what little reserves of energy he has left.
When he could finally lift his head enough to scrutinize the man beside him, his hazy vision deceived him and a sultry smile was presented to Cassian. "Like when ya play dumb, m'lord. Wanna reenact what got me fired?" The king was always full of surprises; he'd never known Cassian was a shadow fairy and a water fairy.
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 17, 2021 5:10:42 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 17, 2021 5:10:42 GMT -5
Damn. He looked bad. Mars grimaced as the man's spittle landed on his shoulder, a tight-lipped smile appeared on his face as he half-dragged the man away. He wasn't heavy, but the way he was leaning on him made it hard to balance. It didn't take long for the other man to end up on the floor, puking his guts out. Yep, that's what you get for drinking so much, Mars thought dryly. He drank as much as sailors usually did–perhaps even more–but it had been years since he had ended up in a shape this bad.
"You okay?" he asked, concern on his face, as he grabbed his water bag and tossed it at Ezra. He needed the water plenty more than Mars did, at least for now. Seriously, what the hell happened to him? Even when they had been in prison together, he had never once appeared so...out of it? smashed? completely on the side of a breakdown?
Ezra may have thought he looked flirty and fresh, but it clearly didn't translate well. A snort left Mars' mouth. "You're calling me a lord?" Mars raised a brow, "Frey, how much did you drink?" So he was fired? He knew briefly that Ezra worked for the royal guard–how he got in was still a mystery to the man–but he got fired? For what? Was this why he was like this?
"Did you get fired for trying to fight a lord or sleeping with one?" the man looked skeptical, "come on. Let's get you to an inn or something; don't think my ship's gonna do you any good if you're already vomiting." He remembered how seasick Ezra usually got.
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▲ ezra collier & luce feyre
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Feb 17, 2021 13:19:17 GMT -5
Post by fleur on Feb 17, 2021 13:19:17 GMT -5
He drank the water like every drop would be his last, emptying the bag without a second thought. He coughed when he finished, then tossed it to the ground and simpered wryly at Cassian. "Whatta ya want me t' call ya? Daddy?" He jeered, but didn't resist when he was guided to his feet, once again leaning on his companion.
Mars learned quickly that Ezra had no useful answers in this state. Throughout their trek to a cheap motel, he had to ward off attempted advances from the drunk. Ezra might have been offended that he was being turned down were he able to register his feelings past the stupor, but he was undeterred.
He didn't remember much of that night. He didn't remember threatening the bartender, being thrown out, or being found and led to a bed. He didn't remember Mars' curiosities or how he tended to him throughout the night. All he could remember was what he didn't want to remember: Aela's pain, Cassian's pleas, and how he chased the guilt with drink after drink until his senses numbed and his cognitive awareness slipped away.
When Ezra grudgingly pried his eyes open late the next morning, the slits of sunlight sharp and piercing, it took several minutes for him to register where exactly he was. Damn, his head hurt. Was there water somewhere? Spying nothing on the nearby table or across the room, he rolled over and surprise flitted across his face at a half-naked Mars splayed next to him. "The fuck?" What happened last night? Well, it'd be a shame for something to have happened between them that he didn't get the pleasure of remembering, right…? A sloppy grin took hold of his lips.
Mars would wake to a hand stroking him beneath the covers, mischief alight in Ezra's eyes at the shock and ecstasy he could see banishing the drowsiness from the other man's gaze. "I don't remember last night, but gauging by what I'm feeling now, I wasn't disappointed," he remarked, rather obliviously.
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 17, 2021 13:52:04 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 17, 2021 13:52:04 GMT -5
Mars would admit that he was just as much of a womanizer as anyone, but Ezra really took it to another level. If anything, the man was delusional; did he take something with his drink? The pirate knew that the first thing he'd ask in the morning was who the fuck Ezra must've slept with to get fired from his job, because as much as the man was a hothead, he'd still place his bets on him getting fired for sleeping around over him starting a brawl.
The man was handsy all the way back, and frankly, if Mars had been a little more drunk and if Ezra hadn't just puked his guts out earlier, he might've given in, but alas, that wasn't the case. By the time he got the man cleaned up and into bed, Mars was exhausted, his shirt soaked through from sweat. Thank Frey he didn't vomit on the way back, Mars thought as he stripped the shirt off, rinsing it before hanging it on the chair. It'd dry by tomorrow, he thought, and if not, well he was a water fairy for a reason.
Plopping down on the bed next to Ezra's already sleeping form, it wasn't long before exhaustion took over. His dream had been pleasant. Nothing of note, except that he was in an inn, laughing and dancing and flirting with a pretty lass behind the bar...something about an alleyway, hitching her skirts up–
He woke up to...wait did he just have a wet dream?
Blinking sleepily, he realized that no–wait...why was he feeling so warm? It took him a moment to realise it was Ezra's hand down his pants, and frankly, he didn't really know how to react. What the fuck was he doing? A yawn left his mouth as he propped himself up with his arm, not bothered to stop Ezra right now.
"Nothing happened last night," Mars spoke dryly, "you were so drunk off your ass I wasn't even sure you were lucid." His smirk was both amused and curious. "So before you get me off, mind telling me how you got fired and why I found you all the way out in Nyre instead of Lacaille?"
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▲ ezra collier & luce feyre
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Feb 21, 2021 20:07:42 GMT -5
Post by fleur on Feb 21, 2021 20:07:42 GMT -5
Lust flickered in his gaze, but it was banished by the turn the morning took, so immediate that his hand withdrew and he rolled back to his side of the bed. He traced cracks in the ceiling and followed the discolored stains bleeding down the walls, anything that would keep him from looking back at Mars, whose innocent curiosity might have been the thing that broke the dam, and his jaw furiously clenched and unclenched. Before long, he was in a sitting position, his legs tossed over the side of the bed, hooded gaze absently staring past the windows.
“I’m not longer welcome in Pyxis,” he answered, but Mars’ intrigue kept probing him, despite that no one spoke into the silence following. “I was the queen’s personal guard. We grew up together. I know everything about her. I love her, y’know, in every way there is to love someone. She’s my best friend. My family.” Spirits, he needed another drink to stave off the emotions building in his voice. “I knew we would never get to grow up, fall in love, get married, anything like that. I was okay with being a quick fuck when her husband disappointed her. That arrangement worked for a bit… and then I fucked the king, too.”
Mars could glean the rest from that.
“So that’s how I got all the way out here in Nyre. No one recognizes me here, so I get to stir up a bit more trouble than usual before I get tossed in the clink. Spirits know I won’t get bailed out this time,” he chuckled hoarsely, then hopped to his feet. His clothes from last night were still damp and frankly still a little dirty, but as he grasped them, heat resonated from his palm and warmed them till they no longer clung to his skin. It looked as though he were about to leave, but then he pulled a chair out and faced it towards where Mars was still propped on the bed, plopping himself in it though his leg moved restlessly. “What the hell are you doing in Nyre?”
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 22, 2021 5:12:41 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 22, 2021 5:12:41 GMT -5
Mars didn't know much about Lacaille's royalty other than the nobles that he had messed with. He knew that Ezra had worked in the castle of the king and queen, but he hadn't realised he was that close to the powers that ruled the land. He certainly was learning a lot today. That, plus the fact that he had fucked both the king and queen of perhaps one of the most powerful nations in the world...phew. No wonder he was kicked out; Mars was surprised the man wasn't executed after all. Was the queen the jealous one? The king? Or perhaps a mutual decision? He had so many questions, but looking at Ezra, he understood that this wasn't a conversation while sober.
No wonder he was such a mess the other day.
He decided that answering the man's question was probably a better idea than questioning him more.
"One of my crewmates," he shrugged, "she's a mind fairy who's never met others like her. Thought it'd be good for her to get some experience, maybe find a way to strengthen her powers. It's...useful for my line of work, but it's also a stopping point. We're heading to Kama next for...a favour I owe someone."
He hesitated for a bit. "So what's next for you? I mean, you can get as wasted as you want here while I'm around but...I don't want to see you shipped off to the Dalry mate. Are you planning on leaving Lacaille or going somewhere after this?"
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▲ ezra collier & luce feyre
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Feb 22, 2021 9:14:05 GMT -5
Post by fleur on Feb 22, 2021 9:14:05 GMT -5
"Kama, eh?" He'd never ventured out that way before, in part due to his allegiance to the crown but it also never struck him as a place that held any interest for the likes of him. They were all free thinkers and pacifists out yonder.
Ezra considered it for a moment and also the offer that hung on the backside of the question. "I guess I could try my sea legs out again. I don't have any specific destinations as long as it isn't Lacaille," he decided.
He wasn't the most thrilled about an excursion out on the open waters, his last experience on Mars' ship still a sour taste in his mouth, but the man was right-- without a friend around, he was liable to end up in an even worse place than the shithole jails Nyre had to offer him. At least this way, he could curb his pain without fear of consequence, and if he was going to puke his guts out every night anyway, what was the difference in doing it on a ship instead of a street?
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 22, 2021 9:28:48 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 22, 2021 9:28:48 GMT -5
Mars snorted in amusement, giving Ezra a look that said he still remembered everything from the last time they were on the seas together. "You sure?" he mused, "last time I remember, your stomach didn't exactly agree with the ocean. Not to mention, our crew's gotten a little bigger since the last time you came along."
The man shrugged. "I'm not giving you a no, but I'm just warning you that...well, the reason I'm going to Kama is because I fucked up something a while back, and we're not exactly welcome in Vela at the moment...and there's a kid on the ship now." A dangerous kid, he thought dryly, with the ability to literally destroy the entire ship at any whim, but that wasn't productive to this conversation.
He grabbed his coat. "Just telling you this because if you back out, you better do it sooner than when we're stranded on the open ocean or something."
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▲ ezra collier & luce feyre
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Feb 22, 2021 12:02:13 GMT -5
Post by fleur on Feb 22, 2021 12:02:13 GMT -5
"I was feeling ill that day, don't you worry mate." Ezra simpered at him and stood, clapping Mars on the shoulder as the man passed towards the door. That wasn't entirely true, but he'd be damned if he was going to miss out on a trip around the seas with his old buddy. It wasn't like he had much else going for him anyway. "Plus, I'm good with kids," he added as they walked, meandering down the well-kept avenues.
The city's infamous noise didn't do much for the headache pounding in his head, but somewhere along the way, Ezra procured himself a drink to ward off the lingering effects of his hangover. Eventually, the air became slightly tinged with salt and not long after they found themselves on a bridge overlooking the port, long piers stretching far into the cove. Ships of all sizes docked here, mostly industrial types that brought in work to keep Nyre bustling with the newest innovative minds, but he could spy Mars' familiar vessel down the line.
"Haven't upsized that old thing yet? It isn't aging too gracefully pal." Not that he knew anything about boats. Ezra hated boats.
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 22, 2021 12:24:28 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 22, 2021 12:24:28 GMT -5
Mars rolled his eyes, amusement expressed in his smirk. "Of course," he spoke innocently, "I think you should get one of those hangover cures before you get on though. You'll be mopping up your own sick if it happens mate." He certainly wasn't going to clean after this man. He wasn't sure whether he trusted Ezra's comment about how good he was with kids, but hey, Charlie was easily amused. He couldn't be that bad.
He wasn't surprised that the man had gotten another drink; of course he did, after what had happened, Mars wasn't surprised if he'd wanted to numb it all. Sighing as they walked onwards, he snorted at Ezra's comment.
"Yeah?" he hummed, glancing at the caravel, "let's just say I like what I built. I've had this ship since the great battle, so it's an antique. You can't get that shit anymore around here." He gestured towards the plank. "Come on, let's go."
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▲ ezra collier & luce feyre
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Feb 22, 2021 13:13:03 GMT -5
Post by fleur on Feb 22, 2021 13:13:03 GMT -5
"What better hangover cure than more beer, yeah?" He raised his glass to a nonexistent toast, then took a long swig that gave him enough liquid courage to board the ship. Already, it rocked in the waves, the frothy waters caressed by the winds, and Ezra could feel his stomach churning as if it was tumbling along a stream of rapids. Oh, this was not a good idea.
Plastering on a tight-lipped smirk, he masked his unsettled stomach behind his beer. Despite how Ezra loved being the center of attention, he was relatively quiet around Mars' curious crewmates and relegated himself to hanging over the side, green in the face.
finish here and start the big crew thread?
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