Closed Dance the Worries Away (Azira, Marrin)

[Azira]

   

The girl's thoughts on the Marrin and Syveris situation had dampened her spirits somewhat. The alcohol could do nothing for her negative feelings, it was all that she could think of in her head. The only thing that disrupted her moodiness was the way the hunter suddenly shot up into a standing position to down the drink that was beside her. The movement startled her, almost making her fall off her stool but she grabbed the bar for support, clawing her way back to a stable position.

Azira felt almost dizzy when he started to smile that silly grin of his. It was something that made her heart race, her pulse loud in her ears. Surely he could hear it too. The thought would have made her blush but he performed a simple action that made heat rush to her cheeks anyway. Casually, oh so casually as if he was clueless of the effect he had on her, he reached over and moved her hair, brushing her cheek in the process. She thought her heart would explode at the simple touch it was beating so fast. She suddenly felt she couldn't breathe, air sucked in with short ragged breaths.

He'd asked a question, asked her something about sadness. She wasn't sure, she couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept circling to that one action, the memory of that casual touch. He had no idea what he could do to her. In normal circumstances she'd never have let him so close, would have been angry at herself for her emotions but this was not a normal situation.

Syveris had been totally forgotten for the moment as had everything else. The music, the people, the location even, had all left her mind. The teen was oblivious to everything in the world that was outside of that gaze.

x

[Syveris]

Syveris looked from the floor at the exchange of glances, gestures and sexual tension between Marrin and Azira, and grunted. She was being cast aside, she wasn't drunk enough so she wouldn't notice what was happening right in front of her. Hated him, alright. Why Azira liked to hide her feeling so much? She was a little hurt for being so easily forgotten, but less than she would be if she was sober. Getting up, she looked around, evaluating her options.

She could leave, although she wasn't sure that would be far with Azira, even though the huntress seemed to be enjoying her other company. Well, maybe it would be fair, but then, it was still early to leave. She could also search for the ghost, but that wasn't exciting her the same way it had been when she first heard the word. If there was a ghost, it was a boring one, since it hadn't appeared again. After a while, Syveris looked at the dancing floor, and smiled, walking to it and entering the crowd of moving bodies.

Moving her hips to the song and throwing her arms up, Syveris danced around with three other Inartans, not even registering their faces. If the lovebirds wished, they could always search for her. If they didn't, well, she would leave the Inclement by herself when she felt tired of dancing. The only thing she was sure was that she wouldn't spend her night looking at Azira and Marrin stare at each other in awe. She was drunk, but not that drunk.

The music soon filled her mind, though, and she shook her body around, accompanying the other dancers around her. The beat was fulfilling, and in her state she soon forgot about everything else, including the couple in the bar. In her mind, there was only music, and the bodies moving to the sound of it.

x Poppy

[Marrin]

Marrin waited for a moment, waiting for Azira to speak. She seemed distant; eyes slightly glazed over yet oddly focused on him. He couldn’t help but smile a little, wondering if it meant something. He shook his head, chuckling to himself and patting her on the shoulder. ”You’re drunk. We’re…we’re both drunk.” His nodding made him slightly dizzy and he had to turn away, breaing her gaze in order to catch his breath. There was something about her, alright. He’d gotten bored of simply sitting and waiting for her to say something. He felt oddly energized, restless and wishing to move, to take action. The next thing he did was going to be impulsive, and he wasn’t sure what it was yet. He could feel it in his bones, though, his brain slowly flowing away from his body and releasing all rational inhibitions. He was a trap waiting for a trigger, and he wasn’t sure what was going to spring him. -- On the dance floor, three chiet boys were far beyond drunk, and were looking for someone to spend the night with. They all wore similar outfits, dull bryda and thin leather boots with nothing to cover their slim, muscular upper bodies. They were mostly unmarked, the dangers of working in the kitchens below an Avora chef reserved for cutting their hands and burning their arms. Their arms were strong and sturdy from lifting heavy pans all day long, their hands and arms callused and rough from use. By chance alone, the tallest of the three noticed Syveris and grinned slowly, having chosen his mark. ”Oy, boys,” he grunted, elbowing his pals in the shoulders. ”Lookit the legs on that one.” And they did, sharing looks of approval and agreement; she was the one they wanted tonight. She looked like she could be chiet, similar burn marks up and down their arms that could have just as easily come from a forge or glassworks as a kitchen stove. And as her hips swayed side to side, the three were mesmerized, lust peppering their drunken haze. The largest made his way straight to her, motioning for the others to come along the sides and from behind. He wanted to prevent her from escaping him if she tried to run. Plastering on a friendly smile, he pushed his way through the crowd, making his way to the girl and dancing alongside her. ”Mind if I dance with you?” he asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. He didn’t want to give away his true intentions until it was too late for her to call for help.

[Azira]

   

For a moment, she'd thought there was a connection between them, that her feelings were reciprocated but his words and his laugh shattered that delusion. He thought she was drunk so he probably thought that she was acting like an idiot. That thought was upsetting and coupled with the sudden internal agony she was feeling, the huntress was suddenly far too sober.

Now that whatever connection Azira had, or thought she had, with Marrin was severed she became aware of her surroundings once more. Syveris was gone, something that had escaped the girl's notice entirely. The woman had probably gotten bored and gone back to the dance floor. The hunter seemed eager to be elsewhere and Azira wondered how she'd deluded herself into thinking that he wanted her company tonight. Her chest seemed to have tightened at the thought and a lump began to form in her throat.

The teen hopped off her stool, the room spinning with the sudden movement. Her body hadn't caught up with her brain's soberness yet. "I'm going to find Syveris and tell her I'm leaving," the young woman told her companion quickly, hurrying towards the dance floor before she could do something stupid in front of him like burst into tears.

The bodies seemed to press in from all sides as Azira shoved her way onto the dance floor. It was no easy task but neither was finding Syveris in the sea of red heads. It took a fair amount of pushing and shoving and she was almost on top of her when she recognised the girl.

"There you are! I'm going to-" she began to scream over the sounds of the club but she stopped herself when she realised that the glassworker was dancing with some guy. She was somewhat lost about what to do in such a situation.

x

[Syveris]

The music, oh the music. It was almost like drinking another glass of Eagle Cocktails, or multiple glasses. She had already ordered those. Or hadn't she? Syveris ran her hands through her hair, smiling to herself. Of course she hadn't. But she could order one now, to correct this mistake.

Before the Avora could leave her place on the dancing floor, though, she heard a voice. Looking over her shoulder, Syveris faced the man behind her. Was he one of those dancing with her already? If so, why the question? Shrugging, she smiled to him, and began to dance again, accepting his request. She could always get another drink later. Dancing with someone was way more fun, and she wouldn't waiste the opportunity.

Syveris turned to the man, adjusting her movements to his own, her body near the other, but separated enough for her to be comfortable with. They danced around like this for a while, before the man placed his hands on her hips. It was uncomfortable, the callused hands feeling way too rough against her skin, and the pressure the man was applying didn't help, either. However, the man didn't stop there, bringing their bodies close until he was rubbing against her.

Hissing with disgust, Syveris clenched her nails on the man's hands, forcing them to open and release her, at the same time that the Inarta yelped in pain. Taking a few steps back, she glared at him, offended by the rude act. The Avora noticed other two man coming closer and closer, and she felt uneasy. There was something very wrong with this situation, and she was extremely uncomfortable with this feeling. It was probably best to leave, for now. There was a side where there seemed to be no one suspicious, and she could squeeze herself between the people dancing to get away from the men. But then, her eyes met Azira's, and she turned away quickly, cursing under her breath.

She couldn't let them notice her friend, could she? If she walked towards the huntress, they would surely notice her. At least, that was what her mind was telling her. Besides, Syveris wasn't sure how drunk Azira was, having stayed in the bar for even more time than her, so she wasn't sure the huntress would be able to run from the weird man. Pressing her lips together, Syveris straightened her back and crossed her arms, evaluating the man she had been dancing with. His clothes were too dull and simple for an Endal, and even for an Avora, so Syveris raised her chin and send the most spiteful sneer she could to him, clenching her fingers on her arms. She was ready to fight some Chiet or Dek if it was needed.

x Poppy

[Marrin]

Marrin heard Azira only faintly, but noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye as she made her way to leave him alone at the bar. ”Hey, wait!” he called after her, but she was too far and the music as too loud in the echoing cavern. She seemed displeased, and he wasn’t going to allow himself to be the one who ruined her birthday celebration. Shaking his head, he stood, trying to pick her out and tail her through the crowd. He wasn’t sure what he’d said that offended her, and if nothing else he wanted to figure it out. -- Gritting his teeth, the man cried out as her nails dug into his hands, yanking them back and looking at them. She’d drawn a little blood, but most of her nails hadn’t pierced his rough skin. He glared up at her, eyes full of malice. You shouldn’t have done that they whispered silently to her. He cracked his neck, rubbing his knuckles with his thumb before reaching into his pocket and grabbing a fistful of something. ”What’s the matter, girly? Don’t like to dance?”[/i] His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and yanking her to him and tossing a thin yellow dust in her face. It was sweet smelling, but irritated her eyes and quickly clogged her sinuses. If she had any way of knowing, she’d be expecting the effects to kick in fairly soon. He’d bought the Love Dust off an Avora that was running low on pay, having spent most of it on drinks that lasted him only so long through the season. Now was the time to use it, at least for him. As she stumbled back in shock, he released her from his grip only to see her grappled by his two associates, who were just as eager to get in on the fun. [i]”Best wizen up, girly. Wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt,” one of them muttered, lips nearly brushing her ear. His grip on her arm wasn’t solid, and a quick jerk could probably free her at least on one side while she still had her senses about her. But her other wrist was held tight, a hand clapped over her mouth to prevent her from protesting. Most people were so caught up in the music, the alcohol and the drugs that they were far from interested in the goings on in the center of the room.

[Azira]

   

Azira had been about to reverse and leave Syveris to her dancing but it quickly became clear that she wasn't enjoying it one bit. The man's attention seemed to be unwanted but the glassworker seemed able to fight him off. The huntress watched uncertainly, unsure whether or not she should stand by or intervene. She knew it was terrible but she was anxious not to attract the man's attention unnecessarily. He might have friends.

During her time of indecision, the stranger grabbed her friend and threw something into the girl's face that had her reeling back in shock. She had no idea what it was but her fears were justified as the man's friends appeared as if on cue to catch the girl in a tight grip. She knew exactly what they were about. A quick analysis of their appearance told her that they were Chiet or Dek.

"Hey! How dare you touch an Avora! Let her go now!" she snarled, stepping forward to swing a punch at the nearest man who was nearest. His grip on Syveris slackened and he released her in his surprise. He caught sight of the little huntress and began to laugh, something that made her grind her teeth.

The man made to grab her and she moved quickly backwards into the grip of someone else. Petch, she thought, groping for her knife only to realise that it wasn't there; it was in her room.

x

[Syveris]

The man babbled something Syveris had no interest on, and she was ready to snap and just hit him until he shut up when he took her wrist and shoved something in her face. The dust smelled sweet, but it wasn't good, instead making her eyes hurt and her nose scratch. Syveris jerked back, rubbing sweet dust out of her face, baffled that he would do something like that. But no matter how much she rubbed, it wouldn't completely come off, and Syveris was worried about what it would do. She hadn't breathed a lot of it, but still, she had no idea what it was.

She felt two man behind her, and Syveris would have yelled in annoyance, if there hadn't been a hand covering her mouth. What was wrong with them? It was really that hard to leave her alone? The anger grew inside her, and she would sure make them pay for it, even if it was the last thing she did. One of them whispered something to her, and she felt his hot breath in her ear, feeling disgusted. Suddenly, she heard Azira say something, and her urge to get free grew. She couldn't let Azira get hurt because of her. The huntress must have done something, because one of the man holding her released his grasp, only to go after her friend.

The Avora growled, and bit hard the palm of the hand that was over her mouth, tasting the blood. It was disgusting, blood mixing with the dirt of the others palm, but she didn't care. She pulled herself free and walked fast to the one who had gone after the other woman.

However, she stopped, eyes widening as she felt something very weird with her body. It was a strong feeling she had never felt before, and it was too weird. Syveris shifted, uncomfortable, the normally unnoticed friction of the clothes sending shivers through her body. What was happening? She stood in place, confused, afraid to move, tears threatening to fall. She didn't like it, not at all, even though, the feeling was pleasurable the thought of feeling it wasn't. Syveris looked at Azira, hopeless, silently asking for help, even if she had no idea how the huntress would be able to help her.

x Poppy

[Marrin]

The man grabbing Syveris yelped in pain, pulling his hand away and leaving a sizable chunk of flesh in the mouth of the glassworker. Blood was everywhere, from the hand of the bitten man to the mouth of the one Azira had slugged in the jaw, who was finally coming to his senses. The third man, the leader, held Azira tightly in his grip, but not so tight that she couldn’t move. He was drunk, and though strong he tired quickly. Marrin heard the commotion, drawing his attention to the fight going on in the center of the hall. Syveris stood frozen, Azira held by one chiet that looked like he probably tended the glasswork furnaces for a living, or perhaps shoveled coal. Another of the knuckleheads, lip split and bleeding, was coming to his senses as his friend screamed beside him, holding his wrist in terror as blood gouted from his hand onto his face. He may very well have been on drugs, as though the wound looked pretty bad it didn’t look as brutal as the man’s screaming made it out to be. None the less, his friends were in trouble. Best friends! his drunken mind reminded him, and he shoved his way through the crowd. A number of heads were now turning, paying more attention to the commotion now that it was making about as much noise as the music. And still, nobody did anything, as if they all believed they were watching a play or this was all some hallucination that would pass before the chime was done. It made Marrin angry, perhaps more angry than he should have been, perhaps not. He made his way behind the man grappling Azira, bringing a sharp knee up into the man’s groin from behind. It was the very definition of a low blow, but fairness didn’t matter to Marrin in a time like this. There were people in trouble, people he liked that needed him. Releasing the fiery redhead, the man collapsed to the floor, whimpering. ”Not so tough now, eh-?” His taunt was cut off as a fist like a boulder collided with his chin, a massive uppercut sending him into the air for what seemed like a chime. He could taste blood in his mouth, pain erupting throughout his jaw. Had he bit off his tongue? Were his teeth broken? He hadn’t had time to prepare for the shot, but he quickly felt around to find this was not the case. Maybe a cracked or chipped tooth, but nothing horrible. He hit the ground so hard the wind was knocked out of him, landing square on his back and feeling it all rush out of his lungs. He gasped for breath like a fish out of water, grabbing for…he had no idea what. Something to help him, anything at all. But there was nothing, nothing but the smug face of his assailant leering over him. Just beyond him, he caught a glimpse of Azira. OOCI just noticed that this fight may have been uncalled for, and that I didn’t ask you first... Sorry if this disrupted your plot, girls! Lemme know if you want to back up.

[Azira]

   

OOCWell I didn't find it a problem and I don't think Syv minded because we have a reference to this in another thread. Also there was no real plot, I don't like restrictions. The fight is a bit of much needed excitement

This was not going well. The man behind her held her in a strong, firm grip. No matter how much she struggled, Azira  couldn't escape, couldn't even get a hand free. Syveris was frozen looking at her with pleading eyes, free because she'd managed to bite the hand of her captor. The huntress could do no such thing against the man holding her because he'd been smart enough to keep his hand out of biting distance. He was drunk though and she could hope that he'd tire soon. The only problem was that she needed to keep struggling in order to tire him but she'd also exhaust herself in the process. She was terrified that this was going to end badly especially as the man was pulling her back against him. She was starting to feel sick.

A feeling of impact came from behind and the man released her. Turning she found that he'd slumped to the ground, clutching his groin and spluttering as Marrin stood over him. She had a feeling of relief for the briefest of moments before a fist slammed into the hunter's face. The owner of the fist was the man that she'd hit earlier. She winced as the hunter went flying and watched in horror as the man leered over his prone victim.

Glancing around, the huntress found some idiot who'd thought they could drink and dance at the same time. The glass in their hand looked perfect. Darting over, she wrenched the vessel from the loose grip that held it, receiving a weak protest in return. Slipping up behind the man standing over Marrin, the girl slammed the glass into his head. It shattered against the thug's head, peppering his hair with glass shards and blood as some of the splinters were driven into his scalp. The man howled and turned, making to lunge at her but she sidestepped him and stuck her foot out so that he went flying over it and hit the ground hard. He didn't move.

The one that Syveris had bitten was drunk and desperate but he obviously wasn't that desperate because he began to back away into the crowd. She let him go, glancing briefly at the leader who was kneeling now, before moving to the side of the glassworker.

"Syveris?" she asked uncertainly. The girl didn't look like she was in a good way. Whatever had been tossed in her face was obviously having an upsetting effect on her but Azira had no idea what. "Are you okay?" she asked, placing a tentative hand on the other girl's shoulder.

x