hadriel_logs | Event log: How Delightful

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Event log: How Delightful

Who: Anyone and everyone!
What: Delight's resurrection.
Where: Throughout the city, starting in the bar.
When: March 23rd-April 3rd
Warnings: Partying too hard, poor life choices, underage drinking, the worst hangovers of all time.

On the morning of March 23rd, bright and early, Delight is resurrected. Her temple is restored, and her bar appears in the city. What does that mean? Well, obviously it's time to celebrate. We hope everyone brought their party shoes! From March 23rd to March 27th, the party will be mostly contained in and around Delight's bar, with an invitation from the goddess herself. But it won't be long before she decides that's just not good enough - gotta bring the party to the people! From March 28th to April 3rd, the natural light is dimmed and replaced with flashing colored lights, fireworks, and even a few disco balls. Loud music blares through the city, making it hard to sleep, and a wide variety of trouble is available to be gotten into.

Wanna drink away the pain of being trapped in a hellcave? There's unlimited amounts of alcohol of all kinds, and Delight will be happy to supply anything that might be missing. More interested in karaoke-ing your heart out? Hit up one of the jukeboxes. Enjoy gleeful displays of your own mortality? Here's a skateboard and a ramp, have fun. There's just about anything you could desire, as long as what you desire is to party hard and make bad decisions. And hey, if you find yourself getting tired, grab one (or five) of Delight's special energy shots. They'll eliminate your need for sleep, food, water, cure an oncoming hangover and immediately relax any sore muscles you've got for 24 hours per shot! There's no down side! (Except for all the effects coming back to hit you at once when the shot wears off, but whatever.)

After about a week and a half of tequila shots, keg stands, roman candle battles, tagging the city with free spraypaint, inappropriate party games, and balloon hats made to look like rocket ships (wait... that's not a rocket ship), Delight realizes everyone's partied out and starts to wind things down. On April 3rd, she'll clean up the city, removing everything except for a few remaining fireworks and disco balls, stored in her temple. Her bar will still be around, if you can stand to even look at liquor after all the poor choices you made. Otherwise, lay in bed and try to recover from your hangover while the city goes back to normal.

► This log covers March 23rd-April 3rd.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► Did you party too hard? Please report any character deaths right here!

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[He stays close to Ronan as they walk, even moves closer. Adam's arms slip around his waist, a loose embrace that gives them both enough space to move but essentially means Adam is clinging to him, leaning into him, resting his head on Ronan's shoulder for a moment.

Adam is not normally so physically affectionate, but he likes when Ronan touches him and he likes being able to touch Ronan. And Ronan is warm, the whole world is warm, so it seems like it might be okay to do this, just a little. Even though they're in public. But maybe no one will see? Or maybe Ronan won't mind?

He thinks all that with only half of himself, the rest adrift in Cabeswater, half-listening to Ronan while the trees whisper to him. He hears, and he doesn't know what to think, because who in the world has ever needed Adam Parrish before? But he likes it, he does, and it makes him want to kiss Ronan, and so he does, holding on to him a little more tightly and leaning in close to press a tender kiss to the side of Ronan's neck.]

Te requiro. Greywaren. Ronan. I wish you could hear it.

[He wishes Ronan could hear what he hears, see how the trees react to him. He can feel Cabeswater's devotion to its Greywaren in his veins. Or maybe it's not the forest. Adam tries so hard to keep himself separate, and it's hard, it's hard when Ronan gets under his skin just as effectively all on his own.]

Et quia non derelinquam te.

[Ronan isn't quite used to Adam being so overtly affectionate, and while it takes him by surprise, he's definitely not complaining. Adam is close and warm in the coolness of the cave after dark, and he wraps an arm around Adam in turn, keeping him close, careful not to move too fast so he doesn't cause Adam to stumble.

He's not expecting the kiss and the walking slows significantly at the press of Adam's lips against his neck. Ronan glances along the relatively empty street then, before separating himself from Adam so he can use his good arm to grab the other boy by the hand and drag him closer, off in the narrow space between two of the unused buildings. There's still music in the distance, still fireworks going off somewhere in the city, and Ronan nods as he leans in, pressing his hand against Adam's cheek so he can kiss him.]

I can hear it just fine, coming from you.

[Adam is still a little intoxicated of course- they won't do much more than kiss here, and not for very long, but there's a nice little wall to prop Adam up against while they do, and can anyone really blame him?]

You liking this a little better now, Parrish?

[He murmurs into the dark space between them, deliberately using Adam's name to pull him back a little. As much as Ronan loves Cabeswater, the only person he wants to be kissing right now is Adam, half drunk and pliant in one another's arms.]

[He's happy to let the wall support him, happier still to be kissing Ronan, and though he may be a little embarrassed later when he remembers his very public affection, he won't really regret any of it. Adam is nowhere near that far gone, and generally he's always happy to kiss Ronan, to be touched by him, to feel the full force of his attention and affection.]

Yeah. You make it a lot better.

[In general, that's true. Ronan may not be entirely sober either, but he's a lot more familiar with it than Adam is, and with Ronan here Adam knows he'll be all right. He can feel the alcohol, the way it makes him feel loose and relaxed, makes him worry less, lets some of the tension ease away. He knows it would be easy to chase that feeling, to keep going until he'd drunk too much, and he doesn't want to do that. He's still afraid on some level that it'll change, that he'll get angry and lose himself. But with Ronan here, it's easier to ignore his fear, it's easier to just let himself be instead of constantly second-guessing.]

Has anyone ever told you you're a good kisser?

[Adam loops a finger through the belt loop of Ronan's jeans, pulling him closer for more. Cabeswater is still there, at the edges of his vision, but Adam's slipped away from it, all his attention focused on Ronan now. He feels distant, but like he needs to focus even more strongly, and it's easy when it's Ronan. Part of his attention is always on Ronan these days, when they're in the same place.]

[Ronan stumbles closer when Adam pulls him in, bracing a hand on the wall behind him to kiss again, every part of him attuned to the way Adam moves, the way that he breathes. It's difficult to think of anything else except for the here and now, though he knows on some level that he should be focusing on getting Adam back home safely.

The cast scrapes up against the wall as Ronan tries to use that arm to brace with so he can actually touch him, sliding his good hand down the firm expanse of Adam's torso, his fingers tightening to feel the indentation of Adam's ribs under his shirt. None of this will go too far, not with the state that Adam is in, but Ronan takes what he feels comfortable with and leans into Adam, crowding his body up against the wall for one desperate moment, before he pulls back and breaks the kiss.]

Don't think anyone's been in a place to say it.

[But he exhales, pleased with himself at the compliment, and reaches out for Adam's arm again, moving to tug him back out onto the street.]

Come on, let's get you home.

[The length of Ronan's body against his own is heated and engaging, and certainly distracting, but it's there for a moment and gone the next, and Adam has to be content with the remnants of Ronan's lips on his. And he is, following along agreeably, back out onto the street and toward home. He wouldn't have minded staying there for longer, but he does want to go home, and he'd like to stick with Ronan, too.]

Then I get to be the first to tell you.

[And hopefully, for awhile at least, the only one. Adam stays close, feeling a little dizzy but not enough to worry him. It isn't bad at all, he thinks, feeling like this. He knows Ronan won't let him get carried away, get mad or do anything stupid. If he only ever did it with friends, and even then rarely, it might be okay. Sometimes.

His thoughts wander, to all the times Ronan's gotten drunk alone. Maybe it's different for him, maybe it's better when he's alone. Or maybe that isn't the case, maybe he just didn't feel like he could do anything else. Adam hopes he wasn't lonely, all those times. He thinks he'd be lonely if Ronan weren't with him right now.]

When you used to come sleep on my floor - was it like this? I always thought you just didn't want Gansey to yell at you, but did you want company?

[He lets out a breath that sounds like a laugh, a soft hah at the responding comment. It sounds almost like he's bragging, like he takes pride in it, and there's a part of Adam's tone that's just charming, like Adam thinks that kissing him, that telling him he's a good kisser, is some kind of privilege, when Ronan is just about certain that it's the other way around.

Ronan doesn't embarrass himself by saying his thoughts out loud though, and he merely nods as they walk along, careful still to keep an eye on Adam to make sure he doesn't veer too far from Ronan or the path that they're walking on.

When he speaks again, it's a bit of a surprise. The nighttime visits to St. Agnes feel lie they were so long ago- before they kissed, before Adam read his tarot, before they woke up in a different world. Back when Ronan was still figuring his own shit out, back before Adam had even started. Ronan shifts his weight a little, maybe slightly uncomfortable at the question, but he doesn't shy away from it.]

Are you asking about me being drunk or me being into you?

[He asks, turning it into a bit of a joke. Ronan reaches out to grab hold of Adam's arm when he feels like the other boy has edged off a little far, hooking his elbow around Adam's own for safekeeping.]

I guess the answer is yes, either way. I liked being near you. Because I was drunk and because you were you.

[There's a pause, and Ronan shrugs, dismissive of his own admission.]

I wasn't being a creep or anything.

You never were.

[Creepy is not a word Adam has ever associated with Ronan, even back before Ronan meant more to him than just a friend. Annoying, sure. Intimidating. At first, at the very beginning, maybe even scary. But back then Ronan didn't like him, didn't have much interest in him, so Adam would never have considered him creepy. And by the time he was interested in Adam - well, by then Adam knew him well enough that he wasn't going to think anything Ronan did was creepy.]

I liked having you there. Sometimes it was annoying, when I was trying to study or when I was exhausted and had to get up for an early shift, but -

[He shrugs, holding on to Ronan's arm, letting Ronan's sturdy presence steady him.]

It was nice to have company, even if you were drunk. And it's... it's nice to know it was because of me.

[That he wanted to be near Adam because of who he is, not simply as a place to crash where he wouldn't get scolded by Gansey. And some part of Adam also always felt better knowing that Ronan was safe there, not out crashing the BMW into a phone pole or slamming his fist into someone's face.]

I know you don't need to, but you can always come stay with me here, too.

[It's more than he thinks that Adam would say if he was sober, but the confession of it makes Ronan smile, his arm tightening a little around Adam's- affectionate, warm with it. He's glad that Adam liked his company, though he supposed if Adam didn't want it then he would have made it known. Ronan had difficulty not being loud, not taking up every inch of the room with his presence alone. There was no way that he could have just been there in the corner while Adam worked, and knowing that, it's even kinder that Adam would have continued to allow him to come over.

The offer is, of course, tempting. Not tonight, not when Adam is still a little drunk, but in the future, that might be nice. Ronan isn't sure if he's quite comfortable sleeping in Adam's room- he'd done it in St. Agnes, even done it before in Hadriel, but it's different now, it's different with them. When he's with Adam, close to him, being affectionate with him, his happiness feels like a brilliant lightbulb, glowing behind his breastbone. It lowers his guard, keeps his defenses at bay. It would be easier to take something he didn't mean to take from his dreams, with Adam warm and peaceful next to him- and even though Ronan doubts he could manage anything nightmarish under those kinds of conditions, unpleasant things could still come from happy dreams. He just has to think about the dog, back in Harborview, to remember that.]

Really? Is that an offer?

[He nudges Adam's middle, teasing him more than anything else, though the thought is starting to blossom in his mind. Even if he doesn't sleep, they could stay the night with one another, with Adam's face tucked into his shoulder- for hours, just breathing together.

He'd like that.]

Maybe I'll take you up on it.

Yeah.

[He smiles a little, mostly to himself, and nudges Ronan in return. He feels warm, happy, and he doesn't know how it happened, but he feels like this even when he's stone cold sober sometimes these days. This is an awful place, they've been through so many terrible things, but - but sometimes it doesn't haunt him, sometimes he can lean into Ronan and feel the warmth and reality of him. He can feel Ronan's eyes on him, and know that Gansey and Blue and Noah are all there and alive and as safe as any of them can be, here.

Adam doesn't know how he managed to find a tiny piece of happiness here, of all places. He thinks it's Ronan's fault. He thinks he doesn't mind that at all.]

You always slept on the floor, back at St. Agnes. And here, too.

[There was that one night at the beginning, in the hotel, and then in the winter, before Gansey left. Adam doesn't think Ronan really slept either time, but he lay next to Adam. Those were the only times. Once before Adam had really started to accept anything about them two of them, and once when he'd been on the verge of reaching out, tying them together more firmly than they'd ever been before. Not before then, and not since.]

You could stay with me now. If you wanted.

[He knows that would probably make it hard for Ronan to sleep, and he knows it may be selfish of him to ask. But he'd like that. He'd like to feel Ronan, warm and breathing beside him, be able to curl against him and wake up to find him still there. He'd like a lot of things, and sleeping next to Ronan is just one of them, one that sounds a little like heaven right now.]

[Ronan snorts when Adam talks about sleeping on the floor, and he's not sure if Adam is complaining about Ronan's choice in location or feeling bad that Ronan felt that he had to- either way though, it doesn't matter. Ronan was comfortable there, with some space between them but not too much. He was comfortable being able to look, without the temptation of touching. And where Hadriel's sleepovers had been concerned, he was comfortable just continuing to ensure that Adam was there, that he wouldn't be taken in the middle of the night again.

They'd slept- well, existed- in the same bed before, but both times were rather special occasions. Ronan tries to imagine doing such a thing now, casually, multiple times a week, and his chest surges in a way that's almost painful.

Throughout the course of their blossoming relationship, since the time when they first kissed, Ronan has been confronted over and over again with the realization that he can have this. That Adam will let him touch him, let him kiss him, let him sleep next to him- would likely let him do more, if Ronan asked for it. Every time the realization strikes him, the glow in his chest gets hotter, something that feels like happiness clutches at his stomach and leaves him breathless.

He can have this. After all this time.]

Maybe I'll take you up on that.

[Is all he can really bring it in himself to say as they approach the front door of their home and Ronan lets them both in. He pries himself away from Adam and tugs his jacket off by the sleeves, throwing it over the nearest piece of furniture before returning again to the other boy.]

Not tonight. Let me put you to bed, okay?

[He smiles at Ronan, for a moment simply and purely happy, and reaches out to take his hand.]

You know you can. Anytime.

[Adam can understand why Ronan might not want to stay with him tonight. He's drunk - not enough that he won't remember all of this, not enough that he would regret waking next to Ronan, but it makes sense that Ronan would hesitate. Adam doesn't think he could ever regret waking next to Ronan, regardless of the circumstances, but he understands why Ronan might be afraid. It can wait for another time, when neither of them have to worry about what might happen when the sun rises.

But Adam does step close, tugs Ronan down for a gentle kiss.]

Yeah. I could use some sleep, I guess. Sleep this off.

[It's still strange, still a little uncomfortable - this loose feeling, this distance from the world, Cabeswater rustling around his edges. He doesn't hate it, and with Ronan there it's even nice, but it's not something Adam is used to. He should sleep. He should be practical. He's good at that, usually.]

You gonna tell me a bedtime story?

[His accent is slipping again, and he doesn't quite catch it.]

[Ronan takes his hand with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, but he squeezes at Adam's fingers anyway, guiding him into the kitchen so he can get a glass of water- a feat somewhat complicated by the fact that one of his hands is in Adam's and one of his hands is in a cast.

He manages though, only pulling away from Adam for a moment before sidling right back up next to him for that kiss. Adam is so happy like this, and as much as he typically doesn't indulge in alcohol, for reasons that Ronan can wholeheartedly understand, it's nice to see him so relaxed and content for once. Ronan ducks his head down again for another kiss, a bit longer this time, and spills some of the water on the floor before dragging Adam back to his room and closing the door behind them.]

You want a bedtime story?

[To bed then. He guides Adam back to sit and sets the water on his desk, before crouching down to unlace his shoes. Adam is not nearly drunk enough to where he wouldn't be able to take care of his own damn sneakers, but Ronan likes doing this for him, taking care of him. If he can't protect him in a dozen other ways in this hellhole, he can look after the little things, toss his shoes off haphazardly along his floor and toe his own boots off, nudging Adam to scoot over.]

A short one. Then I'll let you sleep.

[It's not the alcohol alone that's got him in this mood. It's the way it fuzzes the world at the edges, making it pleasantly soft, sure - that's part of it. But it's Ronan too, here with him and being sweet in a way Adam still isn't used to, might never be used to. He knows Ronan can be kind, is more careful with the things he cares for, but every tiny reminder that Adam is one of those things feels like a new revelation.

He spent so many years knowing he was unwanted. Knowing he only got in the way, that he couldn't do anything right, that he did not deserve love or tenderness. Even now, even though he knows it was wrong and unfair and even criminal to be treated like that, it's hard to truly understand that maybe he deserves more. But Ronan is so fiercely loyal, so steady and true in his affections. Adam can't get used to it, but he can't get enough of it, either. He's the one that Ronan chose, and he doesn't know why, but he isn't going to waste this. He'll catch hold of every moment he can.

He's bemused by Ronan taking off his shoes - he could easily do it himself - but he doesn't stop the other boy. If Ronan wants to, Adam will let him, especially in this mood. Adam is willing to let Ronan do just about anything, even when he's not half-drunk and sleepy and warm with affection.

He reaches out, hand skimming gently over Ronan's buzzed hair, soft and touchable. He doesn't know how many people have been allowed to do this, but it can't be many. He likes it.]

You should sleep too, if you can.

[He scoots back on the bed, laying down, making room for Ronan to sit if he wants, or even to lay down. He wasn't serious about the bedtime story, but now he wants to see what Ronan will come up with.]

Mm.

[Ronan slips into the bed next to Adam, his jeans rough against the blankets as he settles in, resting his cheek against one of the pillows. Adam's touch is like a drug, and he lets himself nestle into it, shifting close enough to hook his knee around Adam's own, his good arm reaching for the hand that isn't currently smoothing over the roughness of his hair. And even that feels nice, prickly even, and Ronan would punch anyone but Adam who tried to do this to him, but in the darkness of Adam's room, he feels content, tamed even.]

So... there was a man, and he had three sons. He sold his soul to the devil so that his sons would find fortune in the world. So- you know, because of that, the devil made his youngest son likable. Lots of charisma. The oldest son grew sensible and smart. The middle son was given magic. Kind of like fairy magic I guess, but less lame sounding than that.

[It should be noted, that Ronan lacks the qualities needed to be a good storyteller. While Niall Lynch could spin tales of wonder and know exactly when to shift his tone for the dramatic, Ronan has none of that ability. He tells it straightforward, like it is, with none of the enigmatic liar's subtlety that had been used when the story was first told to him, when he was very young.

He tries, though.]

Anyway, the family lived happily for twenty years, until the devil came to collect the father's soul. The youngest brother was there with him, and he used his charm to convince the devil to wait for a few more years. Ten years later, he came back, and the oldest one said 'hey, you gave us twenty years the first time, you should've given us twenty more'. You know- sensible. So the devil left for another ten years.

[Ronan shrugs, his fingers on Adam's hand creeping over his wrist, stroking over the softness of his palm- fidgety, even as he speaks. He's not stupid of course, he knows what kind of stories Niall told him- things of folklore, bastardized to make them feel destined for greatness. He knows what he's telling Adam right now, but it's not so personal, maybe- or maybe it is, maybe he's sharing this like a secret, something left open and raw and waiting for judgement.

Adam is drunk and Ronan is terrible at telling stories, bedtime or otherwise. He supposes that in the end, they'll just have to make do, and his fingers tighten a little on Adam's as he reaches the crux of the tale.]

The devil came back, forty years after the initial bargain, when only the middle son was there to protect his father. He saw the devil on their doorstep and took a goat from their farm and made it look like his father- you know, with his magic.

[He shrugs.]

Before he invited the devil in, he said 'I'll give you my father, but you have to promise that you only take one soul from this house'. The devil said yeah, of course, so the middle son gave him the goat that looked like his dad. Then- you know, the devil took the goat and by the time he realized that he had the wrong soul it was too late, but he had to keep his word, so he couldn't take any more souls. So the dad was saved.

[There's a pause, and Ronan wets his lips, not quite sure of how to end it. He's aware that it doesn't sound as majestic as it came across in his head, but it's something. It's a dumb story, but maybe Adam won't think it's stupid. Maybe Adam would like it, even. Isn't that what all this is about? Sharing parts of themselves with one another?

So Ronan takes a breath and finishes lamely,] -the end.

[Adam is laying on his side, facing Ronan, one arm stretched above his head, reaching out to stroke through Ronan's short hair, his other hand tangled with Ronan's. His deaf ear is against the pillow so he can hear clearly, so he doesn't miss anything Ronan says. He feels warm, happy. Content. Lucky to have this, to have Ronan with him.

He's drunk, but he's still able to pay attention, able to understand what Ronan's telling him. Of course it's a mirror of Niall Lynch and his sons, and sometimes he thinks he can understand how Ronan became so fierce and loyal and magical, growing up with a father like that who told him such stories.

Adam's own childhood is nothing that should ever be remembered. Instead, he wants to think of Ronan's, that freedom and love, living in a place like the Barns and knowing you're wanted and cherished and important. As different as it is from Adam's own home, he isn't jealous of it, exactly. Some part of him yearns for it, wishes that he could have something like that. In the future, maybe. If he's lucky. If he works very hard.

But Ronan has always deserved that.]

That's a good story. It takes someone pretty clever to trick the devil. The middle son must have had incredible magic.

[He strokes his thumb across Ronan's fingers, a little smile on his lips.]

I bet he was hot, too.

[His tone is teasing, of course, but it smooths out - with sleepiness, but with honesty as well. He's quiet, in the dark with just the two of them there. Ronan's hand in his, the warmth of his body so close.]

No one's ever told me a bedtime story before. Thank you.

Yeah, of course.

[He's tempted to stay. He wants to stay, with Adam sleepy and comfortable and responding to a vulnerable thing in exactly the right way, gentle and earnest and a little teasing all the same. Ronan feels his heart pull sideways at it, the memories of Niall Lynch sitting on his bed and ruffling a warm hand through his hair as he spoke- the here and now of Adam pressed against him, respecting how deeply Ronan's love runs through the very center of him.

It's not something he'd share with someone else, and Adam had never had it before. The thought of that brings up memories of Adam's old home, the kind of life he must have grown up with, the kind of place with no stories for children. He brings Adam's fingers up to his mouth and presses his lips against them, exhaling in a warm rush over the back of his hand.

He wants to stay.]

Goodnight.

[With that, Ronan begins to extricate himself, at loathe to let go of Adam, but he has to do it. He untangles his legs from Adam's own, pulls his mouth back from his hands and finally lets go of his fingers, lowering his feet to the floor and easing up out of the bed.

On standing, now that he's safely pulled away and halfway gone, Ronan leans back in, his hands indenting against the sheets as he bends back down to kiss Adam goodnight. It's a deep kiss, not quite as intense as the earlier ones pressed up against that wall, but there's more meaning behind it, more genuine in the softer shadows of Adam's room.]

Good night.

[He wants Ronan to stay, but he understands why Ronan thinks he needs to go. And right now, Adam is sleepy, is dizzy and half-drunk, doesn't have the capacity to explain why it's okay. Ronan wouldn't be taking advantage of him, wouldn't be doing anything Adam doesn't want him to do. They'd just be sleeping next to each other.

But he understands, and so he doesn't pull Ronan back, doesn't try to get him to stay. They'll have more chances, when Ronan has no reason to walk away, when nothing can be a question.

He moves, making himself comfortable in the warmth Ronan left, caught for a moment by the faint scent of him on the sheets. But his attention is easily stolen away by Ronan's kiss, and he returns it with all the sweet affection he can manage. He appreciates this. This moment, what Ronan's done for him, the care he's shown.

Adam will wake up with a mild headache the next morning, but he'll remember everything. As embarrassing as bits of it are, as much as he wouldn't have wanted to act like that, he won't regret anything. Certainly not this moment, this boy.]

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Event log: How Delightful

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