#chq.start

[malevolvs]

𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 — wherever the least crowded bar is / @celestria-rb

the  stassios  family  take  the  start  of  a  new  year  incredibly  seriously  —  with  their  name  meaning  'resurrection',  its  seen  as  a  way  to  start  over  and  move  on  from  the  things  of  the  past.  some  may  see  it  as  running  from  something,  but  to  each  their  own.  "  champagne,  please,  "  her  voice  was  light  as  she  motioned  to  the  bartender,  her  eyes  angling  slightly  as  she  sensed  someone  approaching.  "  make  it  two,  actually,  for  my  friend  here.  "  her  body  angled  this  time  as  she laid  her  elbow  to  rest  on  the  top  of  the  bar.  "  any  resolutions  for  the  new  year?  i'm  thinking  maybe  i'll  travel  more,  "  she  proposed  while  her  finger  ran  around  the  rim  of  her  champagne  flute.

[ultrxmxrine]

The noise from the Solaris Plaza was deafening, making Elzaren’s head pound even if he had managed to escape from the New Year’s gala and was now standing outside in the lounge, away from the chaos. He stood against the railing, his eyes closed as he focused on the faint sound of the crashing waves luring him back to the ocean. His eyes flickered back open, and in an instant, the sound of the ocean was drowned by the jazz. With a long and overly dramatic sigh, Elzaren tapped his long, shimmering blue fingernail against his empty glass. He wasn’t sure why he had decided to go to this event. Well, that was a lie. Anyone who was anyone went to the gala, so there was not a chance he would miss it, but right at that moment, it was all too much for him. The people were too loud, drunk, and obnoxious, and who knows what they were capable of doing?

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching him. His heart beat faster, and only for a split second his face flushed red. Cursing himself for getting caught off guard, he quickly forced a broad smile on his red lips before he swirled around to meet whoever had snuck up on him. “You shouldn’t sneak up on me like this, darling. You never know what might be lurking in the shadow, so I could have mistaken you for something beastly!”

[ultrxmxrine]

The seagulls flew around him, singing their strange tune while Elzaren hummed a melody of his own. Like most days, he was at the harbor, sitting on the edge, his feet dangling inches from the water's surface. It was strange how everything seemed to be the same as the day before, yet everything had changed after the gala. The Siren's eyes darted between the people around him. A couple were holding hands as they walked down the street, whispering to each other. Were they trying to figure out who killed her? What about the old man sitting on the bench behind him? Was he the killer? With a shake of his head, Elzaren let out a shaky breath as he ran his fingers through his hair, which was still wet. He hadn't entirely dried after returning to land, and his feet hadn't quite grown steady enough to return to the land dwellers either. While he had intended to stay on land throughout the night and watch the whole scene unfold before him, he had gotten tired of it rather quickly, and the last thing he wanted was to be interrogated by the police, so he had spent the night in the safety of the ocean.

"I bet you that the sailors did it." He told the person approaching him without taking his eyes off his latest targets of suspicion: the two men working on a small fishing boat close to the harbor. "You might be wondering how they could do something like… that, but let me tell you, I wouldn't put it past them! They are very talented; I'm sure they would figure out how to do it."