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[color=0a6d6b][b]#0a6d6b[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/pbEPU7M][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]near the bar[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]The party seemed to be in full swing with dozens of demigods lingering, mingling and partaking in whatever sorts of boring small talk to get to know one another. Sylas had noticed how the ice skating and sledding had gotten little to no attention, meanwhile the bar was constantly bustling with a revolving door of partygoers looking to get their fill of free booze. At the rate they were going, he wouldn’t be surprised if half of camp was drunk before 10 o’clock.

While he was trying to remain casual, or at least look like he was, his gaze betrayed him, yet again, frequently finding the fiery headed woman in white. Sylas could have stared at her all night. He was a bit surprised at the amount of self control it took to not watch her like a hawk. They had seen each other several times throughout their recovery period, but there was a part of him that was still bitter that she left him on that beach during the box. And another part of him… Well, what could he do with injured hands? There were plenty of things he [i]wanted[/i] to do with her, but he could barely get dressed on his own, let alone entertain a woman. But she was always on his mind… Though he wouldn’t admit it. Now that they were both healed, it was hard giving in to his baser desires, even in the middle of a party.

By the time Sylas had done a leisurely lap around the party, his glass was empty and Evelyn was no longer near the yard games, but sat on a stool beside the bar. Of course, a woman such as herself couldn’t be alone either. She appeared to be in friendly enough conversation with some hipster wanna be and camp’s own son of Aphrodite himself. [i]Great.[/i] Even if Wes was in a relationship, how could Sylas compete with God given allure? Worst of all, she looked to be enjoying herself. Not that he wished unhappiness on her, but seeing her relaxed and smiling with other men… It made his muscles tense and heart rate quicken. He wouldn’t say he was jealous. He wasn’t someone who was jealous of others. They were jealous [i]of him[/i]. Oh… but he was. He had every intention of avoiding the bar but the little green monster festering in the back of his mind took hold, and before he knew it, his feet were carrying him toward her.

He could have gone around to the opposite side of the counter where it was less crowded, but his gaze was locked on a small opening just behind Evelyn and some other demigod, he couldn’t care less who it was. Sylas approached, lightly resting his hand against the small of her back as he whispered, [color=0a6d6b]"Excuse me."[/color] It was an innocent enough gesture, but hidden between them the touch lingered. The pad of his thumb lightly stroked the small bit of exposed skin, while his gaze remained focused straight ahead. Where he approached the bar, the whiskey he was drinking was out of reach. Rather than leave where he stood… and her, he opted for bourbon instead. 


As he began pouring his drink, his head turned toward her, just enough that she’d hear him while no one else would and their interaction could go fairly unnoticed. [color=0a6d6b]"You look ravishing,"[/color] he whispered. His voice was deep and rough in a way that his gaze could not without drawing attention. Even though he was surrounded by several others, his senses were highly attuned to her, like a hunter watching his prey. He watched her movements out of the corner of his eye and caught fragments of her conversation about drunken shenanigans or who the new leader could be. Whenever the wind blew he could smell the faint scent of her floral perfume and her body radiated a warm magnetism that was hard to resist.

With his drink topped off, Sylas had no other reason to linger around the bar unless he desired getting pulled into a mind-numbing bit of small talk. He pulled away from the counter and let his hand slowly fall from her back. As he turned past her, he let one last comment escape his lips, quiet enough for only her to hear. [color=0a6d6b]"I’ll see you at midnight."[/color] Then, as fast as he slipped into the bar, he was gone, left to wander about the party like he was before.

There was no location or end goal in mind as he walked around. So far no one had really caught his attention. Camp had over doubled in the matter of a couple hours which left him a bit overstimulated and overwhelmed when it came to deciding who to set his sites on… besides Sloane, who was now talking to some rough and bruised up guy. The kind of guy that looked like he was from the wrong side of the tracks. Lochlan, Liam… now this guy? She really knew how to attract some [i]winners.[/i]

Circling around some of the tables, Sylas couldn’t help but overhear the tail end of an incredibly awkward conversation. [color=d4af37]"—Not in a scaly way. I’m not saying you’re like... a lizard-lizard. Or a snake or anything. Unless you were going for mysterious and venomous, in which case, you nailed it."[/color] He stopped in his tracks, turning his attention to the attractive girl in the white beret and some bumbling idiot that kept digging himself deeper. [color=d4af37]"Though you don’t hiss. That’s good. I think."[/color][i] … and deeper. [/i]Sylas lingered, unable to help himself from eavesdropping on the trainwreck of a conversation. There wasn’t much left to their exchange before the guy found an easy out, offering to get them drinks and leaving the girl sitting alone.

Once the idiot was far enough away, Sylas approached the table, resting his hands on the back of the chair opposite the girl. [color=0a6d6b]"Well… He was a bull in a china shop,"[/color] he said with a sympathetic laugh. After getting her attention and, presumably, not being shooed away, he took a seat and leaned back in the chair casually. [color=0a6d6b]"For what it’s worth, I think the gloves look nice and go well with your dress."[/color] He offered the compliment with a charming smile and small toast of his glass before he took a sip. She had the look of someone who actively tried to be fashionable for a party, especially compared to her recent company. While Sylas could only see her from her elbows up, the way her long sleeve shirt matched her beret and the styling of her hair and makeup gave him enough information to know she put in the effort. 

[color=0a6d6b]"Guys like that don’t have a clue. They think gloves only serve one purpose… [i]warmth[/i], even though you’re obviously fashionable,"[/color] he commented while motioning to her outfit. [color=0a6d6b]"Or they think being called a lizard is somehow a compliment?"[/color] Sylas sighed and shook his head in disbelief while his thumb lightly traced the brim of his glass. 

After a moment, he cleared his throat and sat upright in his seat. [color=0a6d6b]"Sorry, I’m being rude,"[/color] Sylas held out his right hand toward her. [color=0a6d6b]"I’m Sylas"[/color] When her delicate hand found its way into his palm, he gently grasped her fingers and guided them up to his lips. He didn’t remove the glove or hardly notice the fabric, for that matter, as he placed a light kiss upon her knuckles. [color=0a6d6b]"And, for the record, you look beautiful and definitely [i]not[/i] like a lizard,"[/color] he added with a charming chuckle and released her hand.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] evelyn & anissa [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] elysium, wes & elias [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none[/color]
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[color=86a8ad][b]#86a8ad[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/lq1Z2Ck][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]party[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080][color=87e3ff]"He? Who's he?"[/color] Marlen said with a playful tone. River’s brows furrowed, confused… Confused about the joke or if he somehow said something wrong. [color=87e3ff]"No he's here, except for you's."[/color] [i]You’s? Is ‘you’s’ a word?[/i] His face contorted more in confusion trying desperately to understand, but wasn’t. [color=87e3ff]"I'm a they, you wouldn't know it, looking at me, but you never know nothin' that way."[/color]

[color=86a8ad]"Oh… [i]Oooohhh.[/i]"[/color] It took him a minute but River finally got there. [color=86a8ad]"My bad. [i]They,[/i]"[/color] he reiterated to himself with a nod of his head like he was making a mental note. [color=86a8ad]"Got it."[/color]

[color=0054a6]"Nice to meet you, Marlen."[/color] Ocean approached and greeted Marlen with a smile that quickly turned sour when she noticed River’s own inquisitive expression. Her gaze intensified, staring daggers at him. She was always stubborn and sassy even as children, so he wasn’t surprised when she silently stood her ground. [color=0054a6]"You look nice, River,"[/color] she said with a sharpness that contradicted her attempt at a friendly compliment. She shook her head as a silent way to tell him [i]’not now’[/i] or [i]’drop it’[/i]. He definitely would not [i]drop it.[/i] His sister was lucky they were in the company of another and at a party, or he might not have been so skilled at biting his tongue. 

[color=86a8ad]"I like the dress,"[/color] River returned the compliment in a flat tone. He wasn’t lying, he did like the dress. He just wasn’t a fan of the ratty leather jacket draped over her shoulders. [color=86a8ad]"Little warm for leather, don’t you think?"[/color] he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly as a silent challenge. While he [i]might[/i] have been able to look past a guy giving his sister their coat if it was freezing out… It wasn’t. So there was some sort of ulterior motive, whatever it was. Whether or not Ocean knew that was a different story. River might not have any experience with the opposite sex or dating like his sister, he was a man… He had some idea of what went through their heads… [i]both of them.[/i]

His sister cleared her throat, disregarding him, obviously not wanting to deal with River’s ire. [color=0054a6]"Do you play?"[/color] He couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head slightly. It was a really obvious question. What did she think they were doing? Carrying it around to look cool? If Marlen wanted to look cool they probably wouldn’t be wearing a parka in 75° weather. [color=0054a6]"I never learned to play an instrument, but I admire people who have."[/color] 

Ocean took a seat on the other side of River, leaving him to sit awkwardly between the two. At least she took the jacket off, that was a plus. He had half a mind to take it from her and seek out its owner. But he was trying very hard to be on his best behavior, especially for his first day at camp. There were no promises down the line.

[color=87e3ff]"Anyway... Yeah, I play a lot of things. Apollo demigod and whatnot. I got all of 'em with me."[/color] They had them all with them? What did they mean? River had no interest in listening to anyone play music on every instrument in existence, but he was still struggling to understand what they meant. All they had was a guitar… There was nothing else there?

Marlen picked up the guitar and did something above their head or behind their back. River didn’t quite see. But one minute it was there and then it wasn’t. [i]Ok…?[/i] Then they clapped their hands together and as their palms pulled apart a harmonica manifested between them. Before he got a chance to look at it or acknowledge the trick, it was tossed up in the air and instead Marlen caught… Some weird music note, soup ladle looking thing. Oh, but that wasn’t it apparently. They had one more trick up their sleeve. They pretended to chuck the giant spoon across camp, but when their hand came back it was holding a ukulele. And, of course, when the magic show was over, they started strumming on the strings. 

During the whole… [i]trick?[/i] River watched with an increasingly confused, and a bit annoyed expression. Like, sure, it was cool and all. But they were at a camp full of young adults who could do crazy shit with their mind. Maybe he was a stick in the mud, but he didn’t find it all that impressive. He was never someone particularly interested when someone wanted to show off, but he tried his best to seem amused. The extent of which was watching the trick, rather than getting up and walking away. In the end, River was probably the wrong audience.

[color=86a8ad]"Nice party trick,"[/color] River said with an obtuse, tight-lipped smile. It was the best he could give. He was sure Ocean had far better praise or compliments to give than him. Sadly, it looked like he wasn’t able to avoid having music played. It was quiet though… Silver linings.

[color=87e3ff]"Was just telling your brother here that I'm new. I didn't even know there were this many god kids in the whole world, 'til lately,"[/color] Marlen continued the conversation, directing their comment toward Ocean. 

River awkwardly leaned back so that Marlen and Ocean could see each other to talk. He remained reclined in that strange position as their words brought a question to mind. Before he could filter himself or think to maybe ask his question with a bit more tact, it was across the brain and out his mouth. [color=86a8ad]"You never thought that if Apollo had a kid, the other Gods probably existed and had offspring too?"[/color] His face scrunched when he realized that it came out a bit more harsh than he wanted. 

[color=86a8ad]"Sorry,"[/color] he muttered while raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Focused on his blunder and with the absence of one of his hands to support him, River’s weird reclined position made him lose balance and slip backwards off the log. It wasn’t a long fall. He landed on his back with a soft thump, cushioned by the snow. Rather than rush to get up or even laugh at his fall, he just… laid there, staring up at the dark night sky with a sigh. Of course this would happen to him. 

He remained there for a minute or two, letting the loud music drown out any laughter or teasing comments his sister or Marlen might have made. Finally, and with a groan, River kicked his feet off the log, shifted onto his knees, and stood up. [color=86a8ad]"I’m gonna go…"[/color] he started, while brushing the snow off his clothes. [color=86a8ad]"Walk off my bruised ego,"[/color] he muttered under his breath, too quiet for anyone to hear. 

Before Ocean or Marlen could stop him, he gave them a brief wave and started off in any direction, it didn’t matter. Just… somewhere else.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] marlen & ocean [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none[/color]
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