halfgclden

[halfgclden]

Jade grunted in understanding and nodded. "Deep water gets freaky, that makes sense. Do you think you're more afraid of deep ocean or deep space? I used to want to go down in a submarine and live at the bottom of the ocean, but I feel like you can see a lot more scary things down there than in space... or you should." He tapped his chin in thought. "I don't think I've ever wanted to go to space at all."

Ellie rubbed the side of her neck awkwardly at her sibling’s question. “Uh, not really,” she replied. “I’m not a big fan of water either. Anything too deep freaks me out, especially like lakes and the ocean with riptides and stuff.”

#c: jade #c: jadeellie

[halfgclden]

"I have. I'm glad you think so. Don't they always say to ask the locals?" Milos took a seat beside Faust and raised his eyebrows as he rested an arm against the back of the bench, angling his body towards her. "Not approved by who? I'm not really clear who's in charge here. And... I'm not really sure why we need to raise it to their attention, I must admit." Speaking and smiling came fairly easily to Milos, but that ease only increased around beautiful people. Doubly so when they were as blatant as Faust. "I'm visiting, but attempting to live as a local. It's why I'm taking suggestions."

Faust flicked her gaze up over the thick white plastic frames of her sunglasses, narrowing her eyes at the sight of a tall drink of water heading her way. "Hello handsome," she said under her breath, then louder, greeted Milos. "Hi! That's so cute, have you been going around asking people?" She scooted sideways, making the barest amount of space available on the bench beside her in case he'd like to sit. "My favorite activity is not New Athens approved, but shopping is always an excellent second option." She gave the stranger a onceover, not bothering to hide it. Liking what she saw, she fixed him with a flirty smile. "Are you new in town?"

#c: milos #c: milosfaust

[halfgclden]

Milos followed the phone's trajectory with his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Wes, but didn't actually ask about it beyond that. "Well, it's good to know I can trust someone around here." He probably should have delivered the words with a small laugh to take the edge away from them, but instead it remained. Oh well. He reached over to take one of the sharks and squished it between his fingers before taking a bite. He'd seen the packs before, but they'd never really appealed to him, and he decided after trying one that they were good if offered, but not something he'd sink money into. "When? I have a free schedule, my friend," Milos said with an easy lift to his shoulders. "And it is for you. I'll let you decide. Unless you are a person that hates deciding, in which case, why not right now? You don't seem busy."

He was moments away from throwing his new (used, new to him) phone clear across the room when he was joined at the table by Milos. Wes settled instead for setting the offending piece of technology face-down and sliding it as far down the table as he could reach. Crossing his arms across his chest, he leaned back in his chair, grinning at Milos' presence. "For me? They're my favorite," he admitted. "Your sources are good." It must have been Phoebe, or maybe another one of his housemates. They'd all seen him devour a pack while sitting on the couch, scribbling through pages upon pages in his journal. Wes was touched that Milos had gone through the trouble of finding out what he liked. He leaned forward, unable to wait, and tore the package open, offering Milos first snack before taking one for himself. "Yeah? I won't say no to food and company," Wes agreed. "When were you thinking?"

#c: milos #c: miloswes

[halfgclden]

Chase offered Teddy a crooked smile. "Oh, do pictures of me show up in the texts?" It'd be no surprise, but if his hair hadn't already been pink, it might have changed to match his cheeks. "I've been great. But yeah, tons of new places crop up... I swear like, every day. It's kinda just turning into a city of our own. Soon we're gonna snap off of Long Island and drift into the sea, become our own Atlantis."

Teddy let out a laugh at Chase changing his hair. "I recognize you Chase, I do still text Pheebs from time to time," he replied. "Though the pink definitely suits you. How have you been? This place is freaking huge since I last saw it. I knew y'all built a town, but I really wasn't expecting this. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting."

#c: chase #c: chaseteddy

[halfgclden]

"Either that, or up in the tree..." Chase meant the words as a joke, but now he wasn't entirely sure. "Oh yeah, everything Cas touches is nice, really. Nice touch should be the name of his painting... company or studio or whatever the fuck they call it." He dragged his feet along the ground in big sweeping motions, hoping to unearth the case from any brambles it might be stuck in. At the sound of hollow metal, he dropped, pressed his hands to the earth, and grinned as he picked it up and showed Ariana so they could see the painting for themself. "Aha! Like this." It was a simple enough paintings, the sky, dotted with stars, a few clouds creeping in. "That's my favourite constellation... Or it was when Cas painted it. I wish I could... I dunno, use my power on a thing and have different paintings appears, like, oscillate between one painting and another," he explained. "That would be cool." He opened up the case and held out a neatly rolled joint to Ari. "Your reward for helping."

Ariana joined in the search, scanning the area around them. "So, you're pretty sure it's around here?" she asked, her tone tinged with curiosity. "And a little painting, huh? That's a nice touch." She couldn't help but smile at the thought of Chase's brother taking the time to personalize his joint case. Chase's playful response about hitting his head and forgetting made her want to chuckle but she offered a smile instead. "Let's hope it didn't come to that," she replied. As he crouched and then frowned while examining a leaf, Ariana continued to scan the ground, eager to help him in the quest for the elusive joint case amidst the foliage. Ariana knelt down, her fingers delicately brushing through the fallen leaves and grass, her eyes scanning the ground beneath them. "What's the painting of?" She inquired.

#c: chase #c: chaseariana

[halfgclden]

"Wow wow wow." Jade enunciated each wow like they were trying to eat the word just as the birds had tried to eat Reid. "That sounds beautiful." Then, when it was clear Reid was not impressed by these words, they added, "Minus the scary parts," even though they didn't really mean it. Scary things could be beautiful. Like cryptids, like the night, like Reid and Jade. "If you remember what they're called, let me know. I'd like to catalogue them. We could learn their weakness that way." That wasn't what Jade would be cataloguing them for, but they figured Reid would be most interested in this. "Well, I haven't touched the sigil itself," they pointed out. "So maybe I'll brush it because I think holding this whole thing is fine, but then I'll be sucked in and forced to spend eternity as a genie." They scrunched up their face in thought. "Do you know anything about sigils? Or runes? This could totally be a rune, right?"

“Eat me.” Reid said solemnly, driving the point home. He flapped his hands, trying to shape the word with his gestures. “Insane metal ones. I forget the word. They could fire feathers off their backs. It was crazy. In Italy. And then the clocktower went off and they all swarmed away like— have you ever seen starlings fly? Like that,” he described. When Jade proclaimed the thing empty, Reid peered over at it. His mouth hung open when the pair realized the item had a sigil on it. “Eh, if it was gonna self-destruct, wouldn’t that have happened when you touched it in the first place?”

#decided jade doesn't actually know about the stymphalian birds :3 #c: jade #c: jadereid #also reid totally knows runes right? astrology for boys

[halfgclden]

"A holiday is a great way to celebrate. I think it's necessary, actually. Why they put it right before summer," Chase speculated. "Hey, I'll bring it up to Trick and Ko. And then I'll let you argue about which shade of pale perfectly matches my skin and what colour you should do my eyes," he said with a laugh. At the question, he shook his head, another laugh at his lips, smoke curling from his lips as he exhaled. "Always doing, never planning. That's kinda where I am." He wondered if he should be dissatisfied with this, but in truth, he was perfectly content with having not a single plan. "Is that sad? I dunno, I feel like I don't really have any more milestones to hit. I've already lived longer than I thought I would, and I think I've had enough crazy excitement that I'm fine just being a board game barista."

He chuckled at Chase's comment about his impending graduation. "Yeah, it's been a wild ride, mate," Caspar admitted, feeling a swell of pride. "I've put in a lot of hours, that's for sure. As for where it's taking me, well, I think I need a holiday, or, at the very least a break. I just want time to relax for a bit." Caspar's eyes then crinkled with amusement at Chase's idea of a life-sized medieval portrait. "That could be a masterpiece in the making. We'll have to get on that project someday." He mused. "But speaking of the future, what about you? Anything planned? You're always doing something exciting." Caspar expressed.

#c: chase #c: chasecaspar

[halfgclden]

It was settled. Soon Diego would have a new apron and soon Cleo would demand he wear it and cook for her so that she could fulfill its demand. "Of course I do. I said we'd make cookies, didn't I?" And how could she not have everything covered if she'd proposed this? (Did she propose it? She definitely enjoyed the outcome enough to assume she'd at least come up with it at the same time as Diego.) She blushed as he whispered in his ear, then watched as he began to look through the ingredients, and followed suit, pulling up the recipe on her phone so she could direct him. "It'd be hard not to have fun if it's the two of us doing it." She smiled, glancing from her phone to her boyfriend and back again, playing coy as she answered his question. "I've never really tried. I hear it's all in the tongue though, right? Can you show me how?"

Diego couldn’t help but smirk at Cleo’s teasing. He leaned in closer, his voice low and seductive. “Oh, you already know I want one,” he explained. He watched as Cleo organized the baking supplies, impressed by her attention to detail. “You’ve got everything covered,” he remarked, a playful glint in his eyes. When Cleo kissed him, he reciprocated with a lingering passion. “Perfect,” he murmured against her lips, savoring the moment. His fingers traced a gentle path along her arm. Then, switching to Spanish, he whispered in her ear, “Claro que sí, corazón. I’d love to teach you. We can have some fun with it. How good are you at rolling your R’s?” He chuckled as he casually asked as he started looking at the items she had out.

#never fail to go red at these replies rippp #c: cleo #c: cleodiego

[halfgclden]

Milos couldn't help the smile at the way Pierce spoke. "That sounds... incredible. How do they make them work that way?" He puffed out his cheeks as he thought. "Hmm... About two or three years now? I was travelling on a merchant ship and we stopped here for... let's say specialty goods. I didn't know about any place like this before then. Can I ask, do you work... in tourism here?"

Pierce replied with a casual yet dignified air, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Ah, 'kitschy' it may be, but it holds a certain aspect that captivates many," he said. "There can be a certain charm in embracing the whimsical side of things. And those fireworks? They're not your usual display. During events and on the Fourth of July, not only do they light up the sky, but they also magically create moving images of Greek battles and scenes. It can be cool." He said then nodded. "Welcome back then, how long has it been since you've been away?" Pierce asked.

#c: milos #c: milospierce

[halfgclden]

"Personalities, I like that," Eli replied with a nod. "You're so right. Gouache and me are besties." He cringed slightly. "Shit, I guess you do have to be patient with clay. I was just thinking about how fast the wheel goes and those videos of the guys just like, going at it and whipping out a pot, you know?" He shrugged, and opened his mouth to say more when their instructor finally appeared to begin the class. He nudged Cas's knee with his own and nodded at him. "Totally part of the fun. Let's keep talking after class?"

Caspar grinned, enjoying Eli's passionate enthusiasm for art. "Haha, I get that, mate," he replied, understanding the obsession that came with painting. "Acrylics and oils do have their own, um, personalities, don't they? It's like having different friends with different quirks."He chuckled at Eli's remark about working on multiple paintings. "Yeah, it can be tough to, um, split your focus when you're deep into a piece. But maybe pottery will teach us some patience," Caspar suggested with a playful wink.Eli's nod of agreement regarding Caspar's opinions made him feel even more at ease. "Sounds like we're on the same page, mate. And hey, I'm all in for getting a bit messy with clay. It's part of the fun, right?"

#then we can end it there :3 #c: eli #c: elicaspar

[halfgclden]

#yet another fc of mine that apparently doesn't own shirts :woozy_face: #char: lock

[halfgclden]

"Hey, I used to say only god could judge me. And then I was brainwashed into believing that gods are real, so now I'm saying that nobody can, since they're into child soldiers or whatever." It was really dusty up here, now that Davina pointed it out. Lock was much more focused on how packed to the brim and supposedly empty of security it was. "It's not the only big, impressive thing I have," he told Davina as he leaned against a set of drawers that immediately started rattling violently, as if disturbed by his touch. They looked shocked but excited at that, and raised their eyebrows at Davina as they backed off, causing it to still once more. "Uhhh, voted, yeah. Kind of hereditary, I guess. Could call me a nepo baby." He shrugged, casually, but when he saw Davina glancing between him and the box, he kept it shut so that her focus would stay on him. "Well, I get my own room, but if you're unclaimed and undeserving they shove you into the bunk beds, which I think is unfair, so I'm always willing to share."

Davina arched an eyebrow, her lips curling into a sassy smile as she observed Lock's somewhat theatrical response. "Oh, I'm not creeping, just exploring," she replied, her tone playful. "But hey, if you're into cobwebs and dark corners, who am I to judge?" She tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes. As Lock explained his supposed status as a counselor, Davina couldn't help but be amused. "The biggest cabin, huh? Impressive." She poked fun at him. "So, being a counselor, what all do you have to do? Is that, like, a voted-in position?" She asked as she turned her attention to the box he had picked up. Her curiosity far from satisfied. "Any other perks come with having the biggest cabin?" She asked, glancing at him as she waited to see if he was going to open it to see what was inside.

#c: lock #c: lockdavina

[halfgclden]

At what point in love does telepathy begin? Chase found it easy to share his thoughts with Caspar, even when neither of them were speaking. It was as simple as shared understanding under a shared sky, in the shared space of the paddleboard. Little moments like these that made life... well, worth living. "Man." Chase shook his head as he reached a hand into the water, enjoying the way it lapped up onto the board. "I can't fuckin' believe you're gonna graduate soon. That's so fuckin' impressive. Especially since I've seen how hard you've worked at it. Do you know where it's takin' you yet? Or you're just gonna go with the flow for now?" He smiled. "I think that'll make three siblings who're real, professional artists, ain't that somethin'? I gotta get the three of you to work on a life sized medieval portrait of me."

Caspar appreciated these moments with Chase. It felt like a shared pastime; it was a chance for them to connect, to share their thoughts, and enjoy each other's company. As Chase settled into a comfortable position, Caspar found himself mirroring his brother's movements, careful not to tip the board. The life of the lake enveloped them, and Caspar couldn't help but smile at Chase's comment. "Yeah, this is perfect." he agreed. He watched as Chase retrieved the joint and lighter from his pocket, feeling a sense of relaxation wash over him.As Chase offered the joint, Caspar accepted it with a grateful nod. He took a thoughtful drag and awaited the soothing effects of the smoke. Exhaling slowly, he looked out at the water, his mind wandering. "You know," he began, "I'm really looking forward to graduating school. It's a big step, but I've been working hard for it. And I can't wait to see where it takes me, you know? It's pretty exciting."

#c: chase #c: chasecaspar

[halfgclden]

"Mm." Jade intoned at Hunter's explanation of what landscapes he explored when he was growing up as they placed a small stick under the rock before putting it down to make sure that they didn't accidentally crush the crabs below. "I'm lucky, cause I grew up in a place on the water, but I was only about half an hour from the closest mountain range. Didn't have to choose, which is good, 'cause I'd be hard pressed to. Hills and trails are so cool. Especially after dark. Or, actually, right before is the best. At dusk. That's when all the coolest things start showing their faces, and when you can get the best look at them." After pulling out a number of knick knacks and replacing them in their pockets, Jade finally found their swiss army knife, then held it out to Hunter triumphantly. "Good thing we don't have to figure it out! I'd hate to make more sea glass," they joked, then went to work. Since the corkscrew on their utility knife was small, they had to pull it out and cut the cork, then go at it again, but eventually, they got it. "Ah..." They stuck a finger into the neck of the bottle uselessly. "We might have to make sea glass yet, to get the note." They pressed their lips together, a bit frustrated that they hadn't thought about that before, then held the bottle upside down and out to their friend. "Your fingers are longer than mine. Do you think you can get in there? Or, or, you don't happen to have glass melting powers, do you?"

Hunter had spent his entire life in California, a place he had always called home until he made the move to New Athens. He had countless memories of sunny days. Yet, as much as he cherished those beach days, Hunter had always found himself drawn to the hills and trails that had crisscrossed the landscape there. As he followed Jade along the beach, Hunter couldn’t help but smile as he watched Jade lift a rock to reveal a small community of skittering crabs seeking shelter. He crouched down beside them. “You’re right; they’re quite similar to what we have back in California,” he began. “I explored some of the tide pools there. But I’ve always been more of a hill and trail kind of guy.” Their conversation was momentarily interrupted by Jade’s discovery—a bottle with a rolled-up piece of paper inside. The odds of finding such a message in a bottle were rare, and Hunter couldn’t help but share in Jade’s excitement. “A corkscrew, unfortunately, isn’t part of my usual beach gear, but I’m sure if we had to, we could get that message out without it.” He explained.

#c: jade #c: jadehunter #when brynn and i only had a swiss army corkscrew this is how we had to open our wine rip

[halfgclden]

"Eat you?" Jade's eyes bulged. "What kind of birds were they? They must've been very big, or very brave," they remarked, with clear admiration in their tone, then looked back to their find as if remembering that it was in their hand. "Oh! It's empty." They held it out to show Reid, but something glinted in the light, and they turned it back to themself. "Oh, but it's got a..." They reached out before snapping their hand back, remembering themself. "Some sort of sigil, but it looks smudged. Probably shouldn't touch it before we figure out if it'll activate self destruct, right?"

Reid’s face warmed immediately, their glare reserved for the feathered demons and not for Jade. “Mhm. They’re the worst. One time a whole swarm tried to eat me.” Eyes bugged wide open when fae found a mystery compartment in the metal scrap Reid had handed them. They shook the chains, letting them clink and clatter. “If I take a sip of that Redbull, I’ll be right there with you and we can organize all our finds at lightspeed. What is in there?” Reid interrupted their own train of though, impatient to learn what Jade had found.

#c: jade #c: jadereid #i keep thinking the reid gif is of the guy behind them and then i go when were jade and pierce having a convo lolol

[halfgclden]

Milos wondered if he'd accidentally but fortunately run into a tour guide for the place, with how easily and formally the answer came. "I don't mind kitschy." He wasn't quite sure he could define that word, but from the tone and juxtaposition with culture, he could tell that he wouldn't mind. "They do fireworks every night? Just on the weekends?" He tilted his head from side to side, then nodded. "I'm visiting, yeah. Second time, technically, but thinking for longer."

Pierce smiled as he thought about his favorite things to do in New Athens. "Well, in New Athens, there's no shortage of things to enjoy," he began with enthusiasm. "One of my absolute favorites is taking a leisurely walk along the waterfront promenade during the evening. The view of the city lights reflecting on the water is simply breathtaking." He continued, "And of course, the food scene at the diner is alright if you don't mind something a little more kitschy than it is cultured." He remarked then shrugged. "There's also fireworks which can be kind of a whole event in itself, why? Are you new around here?" He asked.

#c: milos #c: milospierce

[halfgclden]

Being that Milos had had very few sentimental moments, L was the first to come to mind. He reached out to shake Blue's hand and exhaled a small laugh. "I think more places should implement that system." He nodded readily. "Hey, I'd be fucking stupid not to take the welcome committee up on that, eh? Lead the way."

"Ha!" Blue cackled, slightly impressed that he'd guessed L so readily. "She wishes. You made a pretty good impression, though." She held out her hand so they could shake. "Call me Blue. I'm the other half of the unofficial lesbian welcome committee. You want me to show you around?"

#c: milos #c: milosblue