Closed Dance the Worries Away (Azira, Marrin)

[Marrin]

He’d gotten so caught up in the music and dancing that Marrin hadn’t seen Azira leave. He’d heard her complaining but hoped that the drink would get the juices inside her flowing in time with the music and she wouldn’t be able to help herself. That’s certainly what it felt like to him, the primal urge to move to the beat and simply let himself free. He wasn’t contained mentally when he drank and on the dance floor he was no longer physically contained. Now if only I could find a way to free my spirit. He’d felt as if his soul were wearing chains as of late, a feeling he hadn’t been able to shake. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was unnerving and he didn’t like it. He needed to be free of it somehow, he just didn’t know how. However, finding the dance was a good enough substitute for now. ”Maybe you should go after her, but not me… She always yells at me when I do that. She doesn’t like it when I try to help her, no matter what. She doesn’t like me… Seems to like you, though! Maybe you can help! Hey, why don’t you go follow her, eh? That’s a good idea. Make sure she’s alright, alright? I promise I won’t wander off too far if you need me.” Marrin had found his place in the dance, and he was holding on for dear life. This need for motion within him was something long forgotten, something ancestral that he’d been completely unaware of. It was as if someone else were telling him stories of times gone by and his body was acting them out. He was just along for the ride, letting the feeling and the music and the story move him. He felt lighter, faster, better as a whole and his mind was flowing free. He wanted something more, something to enhance the experience. He noticed, at the far end of the room, a small group of people popping what looked like small brown orbs into their mouths. As Syvaris departed, he headed in the opposite direction, towards those eating whatever odd food they were eating. It looked like whatever it was, for most of them it was doing something good, and Marrin wanted in. As he got closer he discovered he was right, they were eating something tohelp enhance their experience here. Small grey-brown mushrooms with stubby, fat stalks and toadstool heads. Funkus. ”S’cuse me, friends, but could I borrow some of those mushrooms from you?” The acohol was still flowing through him, impeding his social skills which already weren’t too great to begin with, and making him seem stupid. However, these various others didn’t seem to notice or mind, most of them ignoring him. One however, a redhead boy with deep brown eyes with pupils nearly blotting out his iris looked ecstatic to see him. ”Oh, gods yeah! I never thought I’d be popping funkus with the Valintar, of all people! Is it your first time, sir? Marrin couldn’t help but chuckle, taking the three mushrooms from the boys extended palm. For one reason or another, this man thought he was the Valintar, and if that got him what he wanted Marrin was just fine letting him keep his illusions. He smiled a little, mimicking the Valintar’s voice as best he could. ”Actually, yes. I’ve been looking for a way to expand my mind recently. I trust I’ve come to the right place?” The boy was nearly off his chair laughing by the time Marrin was halfway through his sentence. ”Holy shyke, Mr. Valintar, your head is an eagle head!” Marrin simply laughed and popped the mushrooms in his mouth.

[Syveris]

Syveris grumbled at Marrin's seemingly uncaring answer, looking sadly at the people dancing around her. The beat of the song was calling her, pulling her in, and she just wanted to get lost on it. However, it was Azira's birthday, and she wasn't drunk enough to forget it and leave her alone. Specially since she had been the one to call her to the Inclement Weather. It would be just plain stupid and mean to keep dancing without her. With a sigh, the Avora began to walk away from Marrin, watching as he went to the opposite direction as soon as she turned. Didn't you just said you would stay here? she stared at his back, indignant, but shrugging it off a few ticks after. He was clearly very drunk.

Halfway towards the alcove area she had seen Azira walk to, she changed her mind, and turned back to make her way to the bar once again. Probably not the best idea, but she had promised the huntress a drink, and she didn't seem to enjoy the Ivak's Fire Marrin suggested. So maybe an Eagle Cocktail would be nice to take the taste off. Syveris sure would like it. For a moment, she wondered if she was really buying it for the huntress, or just because she wanted to drink it again. Well, it wasn't really that important.

She was going to ask for two of the sweet drink, but changed her mind on the last second. "Do you have anything similar to the Eagle Cocktail? Me and my friend need to take the taste of Ivak's Fire off." she asked the bartender, not really caring anymore if she was sounding stupid or not. The woman raised an eyebrow to her, but suddenly the look on her face changed, and she gave the Avora a mischievous grin, while turning back and mixing something. Syveris couldn't see it, and she eyed the glasses suspiciously when the woman put them in front of her. "What's in it?"

"The Weather Surprise." she answered, refusing to give her any more information. Shrugging, Syveris thanked the woman, before placing the payment in front of her and taking the glasses.

Carefully, she made her way through the crowd, until she reached the much more empty space near the alcoves. Looking around, the Avora spotted Azira sitting in one of the alcoves. Smiling, she made her way to the huntress, sitting besides her.

"Hey, Azira." she called, putting one glass near her. "Bought this for you. I asked for something sweet, so it'll take the taste of that Ivak's Fire away." Syveris took her own glass, drinking the cold liquid. A sweet taste similar to the Eagle Cocktail's filled her mouth, but she could also feel a slightly sour taste in there. It was actually a nice combination, and she enjoyed it. Leaning against the alcove, she looked at the dance floor for a chime, before turning to Azira again. "Are you sure you don't want to dance? You're not supposed to be good, just to have fun." for some reason, she chuckled. Maybe the drink was stronger than she thought. Shrugging, she finished drinking, and closed her eyes, enjoying the beat of the song around her, but paying attention to whatever the huntress was going to say.

x Poppy

[Azira]

   

The teen didn't know what to do. There was no way that she could just sit here until the alcohol left her system. She was being stupid. It didn't help that she was left alone with her thoughts either. Syveris had dragged her along and then had just left her there. Well she hadn't left her on purpose. The huntress hadn't wanted to dance, something that her friend knew, yet she'd brought her somewhere that she didn't want to go.

Azira almost leapt out of her skin when Syveris spoke. The glassworker placed a glass in front of her and the teen looked at it suspiciously. It was nice of Syveris to buy the drink for her but she wasn't sure what it was that the girl had put in front of her. It could have been strongly alcoholic for all she knew. She gripped the glass tentatively.

"Thanks, Syv. What is this though?" she asked, sniffing the drink. It didn't smell too bad so she took a sip. It was sweet, yes but it had a sharp taste to it as well. It was surprisingly pleasant. She took another sip, enjoying the liquid. "I don't want to dance. I don't think it'd be fun, especially not if Marrin's still there. What did you do with him anyway?"

Her eyes moved out onto the dance floor, trying to find the blonde amidst the gyrating bodies. He should have been distinct, easy to notice yet she couldn't see him in the crowd.

"Did you lose him? The mongrel I mean," Azira questioned, trying to keep her voice casual.

x

[Marrin]

The mushroom was bitter and chewy, not unlike bone marrow after it had been overcooked and solidified mixed with boiled gristle and seasoned with nettles. It made him want to puke, and his face showed it. The man he’d been talking with stared at him, first in wonderment and then in horror. He started screaming and leapt into the arms of one of the men making out with one of the girls at the table. The boy who’d been pounced on, who seemed entirely unaware of what was going on, threw the screaming man away towards Marrin, who had to jump out of the way before the man went hurtling past, screaming about monsters and wizards vile creations. Marrin wanted no part of anything that would wreck his mind so badly seemingly without any provocation. He spat out what was left of the shrooms, the grey-brown pulp making a disgusting mound on the ground. He couldn’t get the taste out of his mouth, and began to use his fingers to scrape away the flavor on his tongue. It didn’t seem to help, so he shook his head and stumbled slowly back to the bar, muttering to himself all the way about how stupid the man had been. Despite the sudden change of events, his mood was not entirely soiled. Though he’d failed to find anything suitable to make his experience more interesting, he’d managed to avoid a mind shattering situation. Since nothing he’d seen so far could be recognized by him as an illusion or hallucination, he smiled to himself thinking he’d gotten off without repercussions of any kind. He ordered a drink from the man across the bar, asking that the bartender surprise him with whatever cocktail managed to pup into his head. ”I want it cold, though. Make sure it’s cold.” The bartender nodded and ducked behind the bar, starting to mix his drinks. He glanced around, trying to spot the girls that he had been trying to dance with earlier. One by one they’d disappeared into the crowd and for the life of him Marrin couldn’t remember their names or any of the conversation they’d previously had, save that it was a celebratory occasion. He could picture their faces in his mind, but the words to identify them simply escaped him, as if he were chasing rabbits. Chasing rabbits. Chasing rabbits. CHASING RABBITS! The drink was set before him, shaking him out of his daze, and he wobbled in his chair a bit. It was blue, flat and unwavering despite the movements it had taken as if it were already frozen. Thin whisps of steam rose from it, tiny white tendrils that suggested he’d simply been handed a glass of frozen liquid. He peered down into it, into the deep blue abyss that reached beyond the bottom of the glass and into oblivion, reaching for miles and miles and miles to the very core of the world. And at that core was ice. Marrin smiled slowly, staring into the shallow glass of blue liquid. ”We’re not so different, you and I,” he whispered, staring into the very heart of the world, the ice blue core that shuddered at being addressed. It was lonely. They weren’t different at all. He wasn’t staring into the core of the earth; he was staring at his core, wrapped in ice and glazed with tiny snowy crystals. And it made him sad. The drink was empty the next time he looked at it, an odd sensation in his mouth. The cruel bitterness was gone, the chunks of mushroom having long left his palatte but he wasn’t sure how much time he’d lost. Had it been seconds or hours or days, even? But, of course, what was time to a madman? ”I’d like another one of those, whatever it was.” ”I call it Morwen’s Grace. It’s a secret cocktail only I know how to make, and I only make it for very few.” The bartender he was speaking with wasn’t here most nights, in fact, Marrin wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the man before in his life. His hair was red, not uncommon in these parts, but flowed about his shoulders far below his mid back. His face was long and thin, skin pale as if he didn’t often see the sun. All his clothes were simple, most of them slightly frayed at the edges suggesting they’d had owners before him. He didn’t look Dek, however. They’d never let Dek entertain guests at the Inclimate Weather. ”What’s your name, friend?” Marrin asked, discerning look on his face. The other man smiled as he mixed another drink for him, as still and calm and as icy blue as before. He pushed it across the bar, avoiding Marrin’s friendly inquisitive gaze. ”Telling you takes all the fun out of guessing.” And in the blink of an eye he was gone.

[Syveris]

The music was still filling her ears, and she had to make an effort to listen to Azira. And an even bigger effort to actually understand what she was saying. The music was loud, and the alcohol wasn't helping either. With a small grunt, the Avora straightened herself, trying to find a more comfortable position. She didn't want to just stay there, sitting.

"Actually, I don't know." Syveris chirped, cheerfully, as an answer at the others question. Somehow, not knowing what was on the drink but drinking it all the same cheered her. "I just asked the bartender for something sweet, and she gave me this. Said it's called the Weather Surprise. It's good, though, isn't it?" she waited for a while, before opening her eyes and focusing on Azira, leaning forward so she didn't had to speak so loud and the huntress would still hear her. "Marrin isn't there anymore. He went away. I think." the Avora had seen him walk away from the dance floor, but she couldn't remember where, and she couldn't be sure that he had come back. She didn't think so, at least.

"Loose him?" she asked, after a while, frowning. She hadn't exactly lost him, had she? It was him that walked away to do something. "Not really. He just walked away when I came to look for you. He seemed to be drunk. I mean, really, really drunk. Maybe he went back to the bar?" the Avora hadn't seen him there, but still, she could just have missed him, right? She then noticed the huntress was looking around the dancing floor, searching for something. Her eyes lit up. "Do you want to look for him? Let's look for him!" Syveris' smile broadened, and she jumped to her feet. "Come on, let's go! I bet he went drinking again!"

The Avora didn't wait an answer, before she started to walk back to the bar. Azira would follow her, and if she didn't, maybe she would at least call out for her, so Syveris could always stop and come back. That was what she thought, anyway. She just didn't want to sit and do nothing. She wanted to do something, even if this something was only looking for a lost person.

x Poppy

[Azira]

   

The Avora stared at the drink as Syveris explained the way she'd procured it. She was probably right, the "surprise" was probably flooded with alcohol, it just didn't taste like it. The huntress took another mouthful. It really was a pleasant concoction. Perhaps she wasn't as adverse to drinking as she would have first thought.

"Oh well, I suppose that Marrin will turn up at some stage. The boy always does," the huntress remarked absently on the glassworker's comment of the hunter going away. She took another sip of her drink. It was beginning to do strange things to her head, she felt giggly. The girl didn't even though what could possibly be so funny but she found herself laughing into the drink as she tried to gulp it down, the liquid coming out her nose.

Syveris's suggestion took her by surprise. "Oh no, I don't want to go looking for him!" she gasped, her giggles stopped as her cheeks began to flame at the very thought of coming across him again. It was too late though, her friend had already gotten up, heading in the direction of the bar. Downing the last of her drink, she leapt up from the table and jogged after the girl. As they got closer to the bar, she spotted Marrin and felt her cheeks warm more again.

The huntress glided over to stand beside him, smiling shyly. "Hi, Marrin," she breathed, giggling softly as she called back to Syveris. "I think I'd like another cocktail, Syv. You can pay, unless Marrin wants to..." She left the suggestion hanging, giggling again, this time more nervously.

x

[Marrin]

Marrin slowly became aware of a presence floating beside him, sliding through the air like silk on skin, electrifying the air with warmth and eroticism. It smelled…feminine, and of fruit and alcohol. And when she spoke, the words swirled around him like sweet smoke from the southern reaches of Kenash, light and seductive in nature. He looked over slowly, still slightly in shock over the disappearing bartended, and was once again surprised to see Azira in all her beauty. She seemed to glow, the center of everything in the room, of the whole region, of all the world! He couldn’t take his eyes off her, but his gaze was not one of lechery but of wonderment, as if he were a child from a distant land in the presence of the majestic Wind Eagles for the very first time. She was all that and more, her majesty flowing over him like a wave of liquid light. ”I’d buy you a drink, but my bartender ghost is playing hide and seek.” He looked around for something to offer this goddess of beauty, finding the icy blue drink the man from before had given him. Sliding it before her, he smiled and bowed his head. ”I would be honored if you would accept this offering, my lady.” Gently, he took up one of her hands and kissed her knuckle, eyes gazing up into hers. She was everything, all the whole world could ask for. And she just kept getting further and further and further and further away… Marrin hit the floor with a thud, having fallen backwards off his stool and onto the ground. Rippling tingling sensations shot through his body, the muscles in his back contracting as his arms went rigid. And before the tick was over he was fully relaxed once more, staring up at the ceiling and feeling the drums through the earth below him. It was as if he were melting, becoming one with the floor and everything around him. But it was cold… too cold to be comfortable, the stone chilled with lack of human contact. As he slowly melted to a puddle, he searched for a friendly face to latch onto. The goddess he’d stared upon before was gone, he couldn’t see her from below like this. However, he did manage to note that those who’d chosen to wear skirts or kilts this evening held unity in a trend regarding the absence of underwear. He nodded in understanding, though he wasn’t sure he understood what it was he understood well enough to nod about.

[Syveris]

Syveris was sure the huntress would protest a little more, but she seemed happy to go with her searching for Marrin. When they reached the bar, the man was easily spotted, blond hair in the middle of red. Azira passed through her to stand besides him, and she actually giggled at him. Even drunk as she was, Syveris stared at the both of them, wide eyes, her mind telling her that this wasn't normal, but for the life of her, the Avora couldn't point out why. Blinking a few times, she grinned, and slid besides the huntress.

She was about to back the huntress up on her request, when the mention of the ghost made her turn violently, searching around for such a thing. The sudden movement made her loose balance, and she grabbed the bar to stabilize herself. Her heart was beating faster each time, and she forced her eyes to see in the dim light. A ghost! They were so cool! Maybe she could ask this one to do a trick for them, just for fun. Weren't ghosts able to disappear and appear whenever they wanted? But after looking around for some more, she still couldn't find anything out of place.

"Ghost? Where?" she asked, leaning over the bar to take a good look on both of the bartenders that were mixing drinks for other people. None of them looked like a ghost, either, as none of the people around her looked strange. Except for the man near an alcove waving his arms around like a madman, but he didn't look like a ghost either. Syveris pouted, disappointed. "Marrrrin." she dragged his name, still trying to find a ghost somewhere. "Where is the ghost? Call him back!"

Then she heard a loud sound behind her, and turned. There was Azira's back, but no Marrin to be seen. Standing on the tip of her foot, she saw the man laying down on the stone floor, looking up to somewhere. Surprised, the Avora moved around Azira, as fast as she could, nearly tripping in someone's foot. Syveris kneeled near Marrin's face, and looked at him.

"What are you doing on the floor?" she asked, curious, looking at the ceiling and trying to see what was it that Marrin was seeing. When she found nothing different, Syveris laid down besides him, looking up again. After a while, she sat up, chuckling. "You really shouldn't be looking at that part of people, you know." the Avora looked up, at Azira's face, and smiled at the huntress. "Join us too!" Syveris blurted out, without really knowing what they were doing besides sitting. Or, in Marrin's case, laying down in the stone floor. Well, she didn't know anything anymore.

x Poppy

[Azira]

   

The huntress tilted her head to the side, Marrin's eyes on her. The gaze embarrassed her a little, or maybe it was just a bit of shyness. If he'd looked at her like that when she was perfectly sober then she would have gotten snippy, disliking the way that he would just stare at her. Now however, the alcohol had gone to her head and she was only able to blush in response.

He pushed his drink towards her as Syveris was babbling something that Azira couldn't be bothered listening to as she gazed back at the hunter. He did something that caught her completely by surprise, lifting her hand to his lips to kiss it, his eyes on hers. She was fairly sure that she'd forgotten how to breath, her body trembling a little at the unexpected contact. It had been awhile since any man had been that charming to her. 

The teen was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Marrin slip off the stool and onto the floor. The first inkling she had of such an event having taken place was when Syveris reacted. She hadn't felt any vibrations from his impact, something that was hard to sense with the pulse of the music but she wished she'd noticed first instead of her friend. She was lying on the floor beside him now and the teen didn't like how cosy they appeared to be together.

Feeling annoyed, she ignored the glassworker's request, instead picking up the drink that Marrin had shoved her way. She took a gulp of it and gasped, coughing on the liquid. It was ice cold, so cold that it seemed to sear her throat. The alcohol seemed strong in it and the huntress didn't think she liked it very much.

The glass was abandoned as she flopped down into a stool and propped her head on her chin a little moodily as she shot glances at the pair on the floor.

x

[Marrin]

In moments everything was in differing shades of blue, a haze of the melancholy color floating over everything he saw. Is seemed to concentrate foreword and above him, near where the bar was. Now, however, it looked to be a large slab of coral, carved to serve the purpose of a bar. Silently wondering how it got there so quickly, and the old bar being demolished, he slowly bent at the waist to sit up and investigate the origin of the blue tinge the world had taken on. She sat there, a shock of red in a sea of blue, his amber goddess. She seemed sad, moping at the stool with a great halo of navy clouds spinning about her in rings. The half-finished drink, Morwen’s Grace, sat a ways away from her on the bar, billowing the blue mist that now clouded his vision. She was the only solace. With renewed energy and determination, Marrin leapt from his place on the ground and snatched up the drink, convinced that she was in great danger and the only way to save her was to take the poison into himself. He knocked it back, feeling his teeth begin to freeze, his tongue becoming slow and rigid behind his lips. He looked at her…and heard his heartbeat, felt it pulse through him, expelling all the coldness within him. The blue was gone, he was not dead. With her, he was safe. He blinked a few times, the stupid grin slowly growing back upon his face. Everything was…normal now, somehow. He’d been shocked to his senses, and a renewed sense of heroism filled his gut. Alcohol still blazed in his veins, but the effects of the funkus seemed to have passed for the moment. Marrin refused to waste the opportune moment. He slowly reached out with one hand, pulling away a stray strand of hair that had fallen about Azira’s face. The back of his fingers gently brushed her cheek as he did, causing him to chuckle. Clichés abound. Gathering his courage, which wasn’t horribly difficult thanks to the alcohol, he spoke in calm and kind tones. ”Why so sad, daughter of Ivak?” In the back of his mind he realized that the phrase was not foreign to him, he’d personally referred to all true Inartans as the children of Ivak, their flaming red hair, hot tempers and volcanic home signs of a growing pattern in his mind. He’d been trapped beneath the mountain they lived upon for more than 500 years. No doubt his presence had effected the native people there. Despite his sudden introspection, he paid attention to what the girl said, honestly concerned for her wellbeing. She was his friend, after all, and friends stuck by one and other in times of crisis. It seemed to him that any signs of not having fun in such an exciting and jovial atmosphere were signs that something was not right with the world. With kindness in his heart and worry present on his face, he waited for her to respond, hoping to remedy the problem as soon as in became apparent. In his sudden urgency he’d forgotten the girl she’d come with, however and his attention was only drawn to her once more when either she brought attention to herself or Azira mentioned that she remained on the floor. He was starting to feel the alcohol more heavily, now, and it was doing odd things to him. Perhaps the funkus still remained in his system, or perhaps the drink the apparition had given him was spiked with something. Maybe he had simply drank to much. He did not know, but what was certain was that if he remained on his current path for much longer, he’d wake up tomorrow with a headache so horrid he wished he was dead. His concerns were far from himself, however, instead attending to his best friends, Azira and… Syliras? No, that doesn’t sound right… The other one, anyhow.