flaws upon your skin

Hayden Sinclair - Jolly Rodger “Death is part of who we are. It guides us. It shapes us. It drives us to madness. Can you still be human if you have no mortal end?”

[little-miss-powell]

"Empty again, shocker."

[haydensinnerclair]

"Empties fast because people eat. Nothing you can do about it expect--shop for more."

[starlight-leila-blog-deactivate]

Leila took another sip, "… perhaps. The game is called two truths and a lie. Basically on each turn, we have to tell each other two things that are true and one thing that’s false. But, the object of the game is to guess which statement is the lie." 

"I’ll go first," she said, setting her glass aside, "Okay so… my favorite color is red. I’ve fallen off the stage before. I’m terrible at doing makeup — pick the lie, Sherlock." 

[haydensinnerclair]

"Ah, I've played this before." They played it during Sunday school; all the older students would crowd in the back and whisper and giggle while the younger in the front learned about the Almighty. He was decent at it. Then. Now, he wouldn't know.

So he pursed his lips, taking another sip of his drink as she shot out her questions. He closed his eyes, remembering the first tie he saw her--no makeup. So it was possible her favorite color wasn't red, and every dancer had to fall once in their life, right?

"Second. Because I think you're a good enough dancer not to have fallen off the Lagoon stage yet."

[smeethesadist]

"Neither." 

It brought him a distinct sense of pride that Hayden couldn’t figure him out easily, if it were so he would have had to review his actions. Smee liked his motives to be kept to himself, ever the only child unwilling to share. 

"I’m just passing the time, Hayden."

He dropped the flaming ID, letting the last flicker fall to the ground in a descent of ash. Usually, his boredom brought him to the basement with a playmate in tow — perhaps that would be how his day would end. 

[haydensinnerclair]

Watching the ID disintegrate into ash, Hayden's jaw slowly clenched, the muscles locking into a simmering anger. To what, he didn't want to address.

Even if the picture was so different, all he could see was a brunette with blame written all over her face. It was her eyes that he saw through that ash, blaming him.

"You kill her? Or is she in the basement?"

[starlight-leila-blog-deactivate]

She smiled, "… thanks, sometimes I wish we didn’t even have to wear shoes. Going barefoot is so much easier." 

She listened, nodding. Hannah seemed like she was fitting in well with the group and of course, Hayden had some harsh words for Gabriel. It had been interesting, hearing about his co-workers. She wanted to ask about Jason, wondering why she should be wary of him, but the arrival of drinks interrupted her. 

She grabbed her glass, carefully taking a sip, "… not bad, Sherlock. This is good." it was rich and chocolaty. Another gulp and she set down the drink, "… so, want to play a game?" 

[haydensinnerclair]

"You're always welcome," he replied before beaming at her. Always, always, always.

And the beam continued as she deemed the drink good. Taking a gulp out of his glass, he swirled it around as she offered her proposition. "What game would this be, hmm? One where I can show off my skills as Sherlock, Watson?"

[beaux-castor]

Beaux sighed, reaching for the beer. “You’re being difficult.” She said, as if she expected less from him.

[haydensinnerclair]

"That's my job, isn't it? C'mon, it brings you entertainment you would surely miss if I weren't around."

[beaux-castor]

Shaking her head, Beaux narrowed her eyes, frowning, giving him a look that said ‘don’t be fucking stupid.’

[haydensinnerclair]

Mimicking her expression, he finally rolled his eyes and heaved himself off his seat. "You seem to be in a lovely mood," he quipped as he approached her.

[starlight-leila-blog-deactivate]

She grinned, "… so, you’re my butler now?" 

"Sounds like Ashley, she’s actually very smart," Leila added, "I’ve ran into Hannah a lot, she’s quite the daredevil. I saw her practicing how to shoot in an alley, bottles were flying everywhere but…  I like her." she liked how much of a risk taker the girl seemed, completely untamed. Shaking her head, Leila laughed, ”.. avoiding Gabriel, got it.” 

[haydensinnerclair]

Scrunching his nose, he relented, "I wouldn't go as far as to say that--but I can be a version of one. Ish. But in the end, I'll still be carrying your shoes."

"She definitely seems bright. It's good to see." Smiling at the news of Hannah, he nodded along. "Sounds like her. She's got a good eye for marksmanship, a personality that clicks with most of us--" And most importantly, a drive for revenge. "--she fits right into our club. And hey, don't laugh--I'm serious, Gabriel will twist everything you say around. He's an arse like that." There was a flicker of worry crossing his eyes again as he added, "The one you need to look out for is Jason." He didn't get much further than that before their drinks were placed before them.

[beaux-castor]

Beaux shook her head, nodding her head in an attempt to get him to get his ass over here. Of course, knowing him, he’d just keep making weird faces, but she wasn’t going to give up that easy.

[haydensinnerclair]

As the bartender handed him another bottle, he held both out Beaux, shaking his head. He stuck his tongue out again and beckoned her to come to him. All for the sake of being difficult.

[starlight-leila-blog-deactivate]

"I think I’d be too busy carrying my shoes around rather than that mug," she replied. Leila’s habit of walking around barefoot wasn’t going away anytime soon. She didn’t like wearing her heels, not when she had to spend the entire night dancing in them. 

She smiled, not really finding the question to be overly strange. "I have a single room, most of the mermaids do. You know Ashley? That reminds me.. I think the only other rogers I’ve met are Hannah and Gabriel." 

[haydensinnerclair]

"Um, that's what I'm for. I'm supposed to carry your shoes so your hands are free to carry your mug. Such is my duty." Lifting his chin in pride, " he added, "And such is my pleasure."

"Cool. And yeah, we've talked about books before." Licking his lips, he nodded. "Hannah's good. So far. new recruit, so it's still in that awkward phase of really getting to know her and her skills. Gabriel--he's a smooth-talking asshole, so be wary around him."

[beaux-castor]

Rolling her eyes at Hayden across the bar, she held up her empty glass. If he wasn’t being a total idiot, he’d come and by her a drink.

[haydensinnerclair]

Sticking his tongue out, he tapped the counter for another bottle, waving a finger to request her to come to him.

[vaedafranco]

"Impromptu costume party. You’d make a hell of a princess." She plopped a crown on his hair, her normal, over excited self.

[haydensinnerclair]

Snorting, he plucks the crown from his head and gave it a once-over. "Oh yes, how did you know lavender was my color? It's perfect."

[welovegarretthedlund]

Garrett Hedlund for Man of the World Magazine

[starlight-leila-blog-deactivate]

"Allergic? Did you forget about my: I’d rather drown in chocolate than fall in love mug?” she teased. Leila always had a sweet tooth, and chocolate might as well have been her first love. 

She nodded, opting to tap her fingers against his hand instead. "That’s quite an upgrade. Most of the mermaids have single rooms too, some may be bigger depending on how many earnings you bring in." It was interesting, seeing how each mermaid had designed her room. It gave Leila a glimpse into their personality while her room stayed dull. She didn’t have that many possessions, making the room almost feel empty. 

  "You should see how some of these rooms are decorated, it’s astounding." 

[haydensinnerclair]

Snickering, he nodded. "Ah, I did forget about that! Next time, bring it along so when you melt at the taste of this drink, you have the mug to go along with it!" A little wave of relief washed over him that he did something right--though he made note to better remember everything she said. 

"Then do you have a single room? Or do you share with--Ashley? Sorry, that's--wow that's actually a ridiculous question, but Ashley is the only other mermaid I really know at the lagoon."

[starlight-leila-blog-deactivate]

She laughed, not expecting the strange name. ”.. should I be worried? Dark n’ Fluffy? Two words I wouldn’t expect for a drink title.” 

"I suppose… " she trailed off, knowing she was past the stage of being nocturnal. Her sleep cycle consisted of short naps, anything longer would trigger the nightmares which she wanted to fully avoid. "… I’ll try." she mumbled, tapping her fingers against the table, "what about you? Do you get a bed at the cinema or do all the rogers really just sleep in theater seats?" she asked, curious about the silly rumors she heard regarding their private home. No one went inside the cinema unless you were invited, at least, that’s what she had been told.

[haydensinnerclair]

"The title might be odd, but it's a chocolate treat." Almost immediately, his tone slipped into one of worry. "And I completely forget if you ever told me you're allergic to chocolate."

Reaching out to knock his fingers against hers, he said, "That's all anyone can ask of you: to try." Offering a quick grin, he continued. "No, actually, we have our own rooms. Some of us room together, but the majority are singles. Though I did her that when the Rogers first banded together, they slept in the seats. We've upgraded since then."

[welovegarretthedlund]

"You like it right?" 

[beaux-castor]

Beaux stared across the bar, doing her best impression of a blank look while still carefully observing the other patrons. She had practiced this quite a bit, but the distraction of her thoughts had overcome her concentration, and it wasn’t that great.

[haydensinnerclair]

Of course he was on the other side of the bar when he noticed her. And of course, after he figured out what she was doing, he entered her line of sight and began making faces at her.

[smeethesadist]

His thumb lingered a moment over the picture on the drivers license in his hand. A blonde girl, couldn’t have been a day over 25. His gaze was almost close to fondness, until he scraped his lighter against his jeans to ignite it, flame held to the corner until the ID was engulfed in flames. 

[haydensinnerclair]

"I cannot tell if this is supposed to be a moment of depression or of elation," he muttered, lips twitching into a frown as he watched the man put fire to something once again. "It's actually hard to tell with you."