[OP-F15] King of Crows

[KnightinGale 0]

"Sadly no," KnightinGale sighed. "I had to find someone to do them. Well rather show me how to apply them. I've never been that great with games. They were always my sister's thing."

KnightinGale pointed towards the other white haired player that, aside from the hair, eyes, and face shape, looked almost nothing like her. KnightinGale looked like she ran with the less than pleasant crowds in the real world, a not very far off assumptio. Her sister on the other hand looked practically like royalty. KnightinGale watched as her sister approached yet another newcomer to the bar. Seeing the friendly, and obviously flirtatious, behavior between them, KnightinGale turned her attention back to her current drinking buddy.

"At least she seems happy with that one," KnightinGale said as she sipped on her whiskey. "Oh. Name's Ev-. I mean KnightinGale. God that feels still so weird. Back to the tattoos though. I found a merchant in Taft that sells them as something called a vanity item. The good thing about them is unlike the real thing, I can change these at will, provided I can work the damn menu, which I suck at. So how 'bout you stranger? What do they call you?"

[Heimdall 0]

Sometimes you can be so shocked, so absolutely enraptured and terrified at the same time, that you can watch something happen, and not even realize that anything is occurring at all.

It's a strange sensation, let me tell you.

For Heimdall, it was even stranger because the woman he was staring at, eyes affixed to and following, turned and bumped into him.  And it didn't even register until about three seconds when she leapt and threw her arms around his neck (somehow not spilling her drink in the process, an impressive feat).

She pulled his face down to her level, face between her hands and squished, making him look like a fish. "Y-yeah, its me," the man said through puckered lips. "I tried to add you too, but I kept getting it wrong, I think," the man added, a hint of embarrassment at his inability to spell 'nightmare' (he spelled it correctly but did not realize there was a 'k' at the start). "I'm glad to see you too, but would you mind letting go of my face now?" Heimdall finally said.

Finally able to stand up straight, the man stretched his back slightly with a groan. "I can't believe we ran into each other again!" he said, with a broad grin. "I feel like an idiot for not adding you before we split up..."

Among all the other things that had happened between them, that one little detail had slipped by.

"So uhm...do you mind if I get you a drink? So we can catch up?" Heimdall asked, a might sheepishly before noticing the glass in her hand. "Oh! Uhm, you have a drink, sorry, I, uh- nevermind-" [Insert unintelligible babbling here.]

@Knightmare

[Jevi 0]

"Just slap them on at the start of the day, mix and match when you feel like it." A slow nod of her head accompanied smirk. She admired the dedication to her real world skin art. "Neat. I will definitely be checking out that shop when I get the chance. Was considering one in the outside the game, before this shit hit the fan." The reminder that constantly slapped them in the face, she needed a drink just thinking about it. Which made it even worse when she was reminded the alcohol won't do anything. Definitely one of the worst parts about this place. "Dunno what I want yet, but if they look half as good as yours, I'd be happy." A golden gaze traveled up her arm before stopping and meeting hers. "Jevi, nice to meet ya. If you're still getting used to using your username, then you probably don't get out much."  The smile that accompanied a small chuckle peeked over the rim of her glass, before hiding it with another sip. "I wouldn't worry about that though. I was a late bloomer too, hell, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone here was." Shifting the weight on her chair, she placed herself with her back to the bar, elbows propped up. "Stories are always hyping up the frontliners as players who started grinding on day one to fight the boss. I call bullshit, they probably sat on their asses for a month, not sure what to do like the rest of us." 

That was a lot of words. A lot of words that usually don't come out of her mouth. Was she actually starting to get sociable? Was this drink actually working? Either way it felt new, fresh. It felt good.

"That one looks a big teddy bear of a man. Suits the vibe your sister gives off better." her head tilted to the side, gentle wrist motions swirled the she held by her fingertips. "Well, either she's super friendly to every guy she meets in a seedy bar, or she already knew him. No one's that friendly and bright eyed talking to a complete stranger." Jevi would lean forward to look down the other end of the bar, to where the original red-eyed man was sitting after being denied by both girls. "Honestly, was kind of expecting a bigger reaction from the hot-head over there. Maybe that's a good thing." she would let herself lean against the bar once more. Didn't want to get caught looking across at him. "Guess it's a good thing, having your sister here with you. Not many people are lucky to have family in game with them, let alone friends. Some days I'd kill to have that connection.."

[Knightmare 0]

"It happens, darling," Knightmare murmured, letting her fingers trace a gentle line along Heimdall's cheek. Her touch was warm, and as her palm rested on his skin, she felt the subtle tension in his jaw. The flicker of nervous energy radiated off him like an electric current, and she savored every bit of it. It had been months since they’d last seen each other, a gap that felt longer than she’d ever expected. Seeing him now, in the dim glow of the bar, made her realize just how much she’d missed him.

She leaned in close, standing on her tiptoes to reach his ear, her voice soft yet filled with a teasing edge. "I missed you a lot," she whispered, her breath warm against his skin. Then, she drew back, her gaze locking onto his as if to hold him in place.

With a mischievous glint, she lifted her half-empty glass, downed it in one smooth motion, and sensually plucked the olive from her drink, eating it slowly and never breaking eye contact. "Looks like mine has just been emptied. I'd love for you to buy me another," she said, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

Without waiting, Knightmare took Heimdall’s hand, leading him through the crowd toward the bar. Her sister, a more rebellious, punk-rock mirror image of herself, stood there deep in conversation with a striking woman sporting long purple hair. Knightmare’s timing was impeccable, they arrived just in time to catch her sister mid-introduction with Jevi.

She lifted a finger to signal the bartender, ordering another dry martini for herself and a hearty flagon of mead for Heimdall. The bartender worked quickly, but she only half-noticed, more interested in the banter unfolding around her.

"Well, Teddy," she began, tilting her head as she addressed him by his old nickname with a teasing smile. "What in the world have you been up to?" Her voice held a note of curiosity, tinged with a bit of playfulness. Unlike him, her own recent days had been marked by leisurely sightseeing, but she enjoyed watching him squirm, wondering what he’d reveal.

Just then, a thought struck her, and she let out a groan, smacking her forehead lightly with her hand. "Oh, I'm such a dunce," she laughed. "Teddy, meet my sister, KnightinGale." She gestured to her sister, whose leather jacket and spiked jewelry contrasted Knightmare’s own more refined appearance. "Ev-" she stopped herself, "Gale, this is Heimdall. We actually got lost in a forest together on our first adventure lesson," she said, chuckling at the memory.

Then she turned to Jevi, flashing a welcoming smile. "Hi Jevi, I'm Knightmare. You’re quite the sight, you look like you can handle yourself pretty well." She shot a playful glance toward her sister, then added in a quieter voice, "We’ll need to catch up later, Gale."

With a wink at Heimdall, she clinked her fresh drink against his flagon then to the other two. "To old memories, new encounters, and whatever trouble we find next," she toasted, a sparkle in her eyes.

[Heimdall 0]

Her finger brushed against his cheek, warm to the touch, but still sending a shiver down Heimdall's spine as her palm cupped his cheek. Freeze or melt, he'd fall apart into her if she'd let him. But she pulled away, and whispered softly in Heimdall's ear. His fingers brushed up against hers, a quiet return of the same sentiment, as the man could hardly trust his words.

Because of course, they'd failed him once he realized she had a drink after he'd already asked if she wanted to get one. Because Theodore was, of course, the most observant human-being in the world (You'd think with how high up he was, he'd be able to see better). Odette didn't miss a beat though. Not a single one, as she practically inhaled the unfortunately non-alcoholic beverage. And the way she stared at him as she plucked the olive the drink, and slowly devoured it. Heimdall's failing words faded and died a slow death before he just stared at her, mouth half-agape. "Looks like mine has just been emptied. I'd love for you to buy me another."

"Uh, y-yeah," the man stuttered, before blinking fiercely, and reminding himself that he was, in fact capable of actual thought and speech. "I'd be happy to ob-" Before he'd even managed to finish the sentence, Knightmare was already tugging him towards the counter.

She knew his drink still, and didn't hesitate to order a pint for him, and another cocktail for herself, and Heimdall slid some coins onto the counter before anyone could've stopped him. Now with a big mug in hand, leaning against the counter, he felt perhaps a little bit more at home in one of his old haunts, and less like he'd just been in a high-speed collision and suffering from severe whiplash. He thought for a moment. What had he been up to in the last few months. "Thinking of y-" Thank God Odette had her senior moment right then, before Theodore made a fool of himself. The woman turned around and introduced him to the woman he'd seen earlier whom he'd mistaken for Knightmare.

"Nice to meet you, Gale. Your sister has told me a lot about you," he said with smile, before also turning towards the other woman and giving her a nod as well. "Ma'am. Pleasure to meet you both." Ever the gentleman.

The two excused themselves from the conversation though, and returned to their own private words. "Cheers," the glasses clinked and drinks poured back. "So where've you been Ophelia? I wasn't sure we'd run into each other again," he asked, completely having forgotten she'd asked the same of him.

@Knightmare @KnightinGale @Jevi

Edited Saturday at 10:50 PM by Heimdall