The tavern was full, bustling with people. Various groups bundled up by the many round tables. The air was full of the smell of alcohol, occasional droplets flying by as mugs and cups clinked together. Laughter and conversations filling the atmosphere.
The door swung open, a smaller woman holding it open with ease. Her short mahogany hair tousled from the force of her swing. A wide smile spread across her face as she took in the scene. This was the kind of environment where she thrived.
“See, I told you guys tonight was a great night to go out!”
Grinning, she looks back at her companions as she goes inside, ushering them in. Another woman enters, sighing with a smile on her face as she pushes her long cobalt blue hair behind her ears.
“Yeah yeah, you do realise it’s like this every weekend, right Lea?”
Lea rolls her eyes at the remark but keeps her smile. She crosses her arms and stands taller.
“That doesn’t change my statement. Tonight is a great night to go out, is it not Ember?”
Ember chuckles and pats Lea on the shoulder. A timid voice follows them from the doorway.
“I would like to kindly disagree.”
A tall man stood in the doorway nervously playing with his long white hair. Leas smile grows wider as she attempts to put an arm around his shoulders, struggling with the height difference, and pushes him inside.
“Oh you’ll be fiiiiine, c’mon now!”
The man looks stunned at the sudden touch and reluctantly lets her push him inside. Ember laughs at the scene and goes ahead to a nearby unoccupied table.
“Here, will it be better if we sit closer to the exit, Ethen?”
Ethen doesn’t answer but sits down by the table, looking around uncomfortably, questioning why he’d let the two of them convince him to go along with this. Lea pats them both on the back before she heads straight to the bar. Ember chuckles as she watches her leave, turning her attention back to Ethen, who was busy tracing small circles on the table.
“Hey. You’ll be ok, you know she means well. It’s our first day off in a while, she just gets over excited.”
Ethen gives her a quick glance before looking back down, letting out a sigh.
“I know…”
His voice was small, almost impossible to hear in the noisy environment. Ember smiles at him, her view quickly blocked by a drink being shoved in her face. Lea sits down between them with a beaming expression, quick to start on her drink. Ember follows suit, but Ethen is more reluctant. The strong smell of honey hit Ember’s nose as she drank from the cup, followed by the bitter taste of alcohol mildly stinging as it went down her throat. She paid it little mind, knowing the taste would slowly but surely decrease with each drink. Still, she enjoyed a good drink and the effects it had. Drowning out an otherwise busy mind and letting her relax more in the presence of so many people. The pleasant aftertaste of sweet honey lingered on her tongue as their conversation continued.
More people came and went, the tavern only getting more busy over time. Lea made sure there was a constant flow of drinks, never letting a cup stay empty for long. Ethen relaxed a bit as time passed, but kept a close eye to the door, keeping his escape route in mind.
“I can’t believe we finally get some time off, it’s been waaaaaay too long.”
Lea rests into Ember as she speaks, pouting towards her. Ember chuckles and ruffles Lea’s hair, feeling the soft gentle curls between her fingers.
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m not! You’re just too work focused to notice.”
Lea plops back into her own chair and sticks her tongue out. She was enjoying her time out with her friends, happy she finally got to just have some fun without repercussions. Mother didn’t allow them many nights like this, so she always made sure to savour every moment of it.
Ember rolls her eyes at Lea, although she wasn’t fully wrong. I guess I am a tad work focused, but… not that bad I hope. Ember ponders for a moment, considering the statement. Even if Lea was technically right, she wasn’t going to let her know that. She looks at Lea, giving her a teasing smile as she speaks.
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“Bite me.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
Lea leans closer at Ember's challenge, winking at her as she did. They were both quickly interrupted by a grumble as Ethen sunk into his seat.
“Could you guys stop doing that, people are looking… One of these days people are gonna think you’re actually a couple.”
Lea laughs with her whole body and falls back, collapsing into Ethen, who squirms at the touch. He gently pushes her back into her own chair and starts fiddling with his hair. Lea gives him a sly smile.
“That definitely won’t be an issue. I can promise you, many of the people here are very aware that I’m single.”
She laughs again and Ember shakes her head with a smile. Very typical Lea, she thinks to herself. At the same moment, Ethens blue eyes flashes silver and he vanishes into thin air, the chair quickly turning to the side. Lea immediately yells out.
“Ethen! No wait, don’t go!”
And that’s very typical of Ethen. Ember follows his energy, feeling him dart through the room and out the door. As soon as he is out of the building she looks towards Lea and speaks.
“Aaaand he’s gone.”
Lea looks surprised as she responds.
“Already? That was fast.”
“He’s had that escape route planned out since we got here, I’m honestly shocked he lasted this long.”
Lea lets her arms fall to her sides and frowns, speaking in a childish tone.
“Letting the shy guy be able to go invisible is definitely an unfair advantage.”
Lea pouts towards the door and Ember snickers at her remark. At least it makes life easier for him. Although they both enjoyed his company, they were also very aware he needed his space and were happy to let him have it. Even if Lea was more reluctant at times. Lea shoots Ember a flirtatious look, resting her chin in her hands.
“Guess it’s just us tonight, huh?”
Ember lets out a quick snicker before she answers.
“Sorry to burst your bubble but I have no interest in joining the many people who are very aware that you’re single.”
“Ugh! The world is a cruel place.”
Lea puts the back of her hand on her forehead and falls back in her chair. She did her best to sound as hurt and dramatic as possible, although she struggled getting it across with how much she was giggling.
The night continued, more people coming and going. The air blowing in from the constantly opening and closing door started feeling colder and that was Lea’s cue. She shoots Ember a telling smirk.
“Embeeer… is there any interesting energy in the room tonight?”
“That time of the night? Hmmm…”
Ember looks at her amused, but then focuses inwards. She closes her eyes to focus, paying close attention to how everyone’s different energies feel. Locating and distinguishing between each one, although they all felt so different, they still all felt so much the same for her at this point. After a moment she opens her eyes again and shrugs at Lea.
“Not really, nothing stands out in the crowd.”
Lea lets out a huge sigh, before turning her gaze to Ember, whispering seductively.
“Guess I’ll have to find my own prey tonight.”
And with that, she stands up swiftly, gives a small wave and disappears into the crowd, leaving Ember alone at the table. Guess that’s my cue to head home. Ember quickly downs the rest of her drink and stands, mildly staggering towards the door.
Her journey home was longer as she lived in the outskirts of the town, up against the vast forest. She liked her secluded home, not that she got to be there often, but it was her own little personal space. The town was noisy and crowded and for her it was overwhelming. Being able to constantly feel everyone's energies, being painfully aware of where they were and how many were near her. At least her house is far enough away from the liveliness of the town, that her power couldn’t quite reach it. Although this was mainly an excuse for her, truthfully she enjoyed being in nature, having it so close to her gave her comfort, although this was something she didn’t want to admit.
When she reached the little cottage, she went to the treeline and sat in the grass for a while looking up at the sky. The mixed imagery of the top of the treeline into the black open sky reflected in her dimly glowing golden eyes. The stars were much more visible from out here than from the town. Taking a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fresh air, she let out a long sigh. The smell of alcohol lingered in her breath along with the taste of it.
“I should really get inside before I fall asleep out here.”
Being aware of everybody's presence had its perks, she always knew when she was free to just speak to herself without the fear of anyone hearing. She stumbles to her feet and looks towards her home. It was small and looked old, it was old, but it stood. It provided her with what she needed, walls, a roof over her head and a safe place to rest. The inside was sparse, but she didn’t need much, just her bed and her space. Her hidden little sanctuary, away from the rest of the world.
She ventures inside, opening the windows to let the cooling night air in before collapsing on her bed. The exhaustion fully hit her now that she was comfortable. She snuggles up against her duvet, seeking comfort, before she quickly feels herself drifting off.