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[@hero]

It was in full force, the night full of laughter and shouting. He could see people chasing each other across the sand, he could hear talking beneath the hum of the music. It was just as extravagantly extra as he had come to expect from Rachel and he let himself take it in. This was his favorite kind of atmosphere, when the air was heavy with excitement and people couldn't keep their voices down. He settled himself to enjoy it for a moment longer as a spectator and not a participant. [i]At least[/i], he thought. [i]Not until I've finished my cigarette.[/i]

He lit a cigarette, he inhaled deeply and he exhaled smoke into the warm air of the night. Smoke swirled off into the darkness, lost from where the light no longer touched it and he shut his eyes for a moment. He listened to the music, relaxed into the familiarity that was as good as home for him. A few more drags, a moment more of relaxing and he was in the swing of things. He flicked the cigarette down, ground it out beneath his sneaker, and headed to the tent.

It didn't take much to get in but he gave the bouncer a little shit anyway, mostly for the sake of appearance. He didn't want anyone to go thinking he'd lost his terrible sense of humor. He entered the tent with a confident stride, taking in what it had to offer. He could see that the space was already pretty full but that was fine, Quinn loved company, whether he knew them all or not. The point of parties was mingling and nobody liked a guy who couldn't mingle. 

"[color=8dc73f]Now [i]this[/i] is where it's all happening,[/color]" he said enthusiastically as he made his way forward. He greeted the people he knew, fist-bumps and big grins. He hugged a girl or two, people he didn't spend time with outside of parties but he knew by face enough that he couldn't shake them off without acknowledging them. He got dragged into sharing a joint with one of his party friends, topping off the soaring feeling that he was already wandering through. 

A joke here and there, some laughter that went on too long. He was in his [i]element[/i] and he was [i]loving[/i] it. He was starting to crave a drink though and he [i]knew[/i] the bar would be good. So, waving off his "friends", he eventually found his way to the bar. There was a small group there already and he offered a grin in place of a greeting. 

He made his way to a seat, leaning across the counter. "[color=8dc73f]Mind if I get a whiskey sour?[/color]" He took in the bartender a moment, resisting the urge to lay on one of his famously awful pick-up lines. He could only imagine that his pick-up lines would be even worse while he was high as a kite. No, probably best to keep his mouth shut, or, [i]mostly[/i] shut. Quinn wasn't good at shutting up entirely, "[color=8dc73f]Good party, crowded as all hell though.[/color]"

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[@Melo]

Zeke was [i]floundering[/i].
All the mental preparation in the world couldn't have possibly prepared him for the grandiose display of [i]Rachel Ashford's party[/i]. He liked Rachel with coffee and the quiet murmur of people in a cafe, he liked her with the clinking of mugs and the clicking of hipsters with their laptops. He liked Rachel when they were one on one and he had no social expectations aside from asking for the orders of contrived cafe-goers. He liked Rachel when he didn't feel so crowded that he was pulling his shoulders in to avoid people hurrying around him. 

Zeke was floundering in this environment and he didn't want to spend his whole night trailing Theodore like a lost puppy. So, after Rachel had ushered Theodore into the VIP tent, Zeke had unceremoniously ditched the main event. He had grabbed himself a beer and he had wiggled his way through the crowd to get away from it all. So, [i]sue him[/i], he wasn't really a party person anymore. He would ask Theodore how his night went later and he'd write about [i]that[/i] in his journal because it would assuredly be better than anything he planned to do. 

He didn't know where he wanted to go, he wasn't ready to turn in for the night and he didn't want to wander around awkwardly until the night ended. It was by chance entirely that he wound up hearing the sound of violin on the night air. It put him off a little because he wasn't prepared for it but he recognized the talent behind it. So, he did what any sane and terribly socially awkward person would do, he followed the noise to the cove where the guy was playing. 

Brunette, blue eyes, looked friendly enough from a cursory glance and- [i]oh fuck, he's probably alone for a reason.[/i] Anxiety shot through Zeke and he awkwardly raised a hand in greeting to the stranger. "[color=f26522]Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt.[/color]" His voice betrayed the awkwardness, one hand clenching tightly over the can in it. "[color=f26522]You're good at that.[/color]"

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