The Morning After [House Party cont]

[Ashton]

Ashton herded the rest of the kids upstairs. They had been instructed to not stay in one room, they could spread out, but none of them had actually ever slept apart so they paired and tripled off to find rooms. The three Blackthorn girls sharing a room, Liv, Sophia and Emma took a aroom, Jackson and Noah yet another, and Ashton was with Liam. Liam was feeling a little guilty about Iz and Ava. Ashton sat down next to him and hummed a soft tune and helped Liam feel a little better. He didn't want to push it too much least someone tattle on him. Last thing he wanted was Nox pissed at him.

A voice sounded from somewhere in the room "Ashton, your presence is requested on the main floor. You have guests."

Both Ashton and Liam jumped at the sound of the voice. "Who are you?"

"I am Sky, an automated house system that is here for the residents of this establishment."

Liam's eyes went wide and Ashton just blinked and then leaned over to whisper. "It's a smart house?"

Liam shugged. "But you should get down stairs."

"Who's calling on me. No one knows I'm here."

Liam shrugged again and Ashton sighed and went down stairs. This is such a strange place, he thought to himself. What did Nox do for a living? How could he even afford any of this?

Down stairs was packed, so many people. He looked around for anyone who might be looking for him from the stairs. Nox was dancing with Lily, people were gathered at the island eating, the hacker kid was on the couch with another boy. Two girls were sitting on the floor eat. He wondered who was looking for him no one seemed expectant.

[Hayden]

Well this was turning out to be interesting. The fact that Nox and Seven had known each other was surprising but to find out they both had dallied with the same man, the one whom blew up Nox's life from the way he spoke about him. The one who is the reason he's not with his beau. The week they spent together Nox talked a lot about nothing and everything. And Hayden had been keen to listen it was after all his job. But even this was surprising and he looked to his brother with a half smile. This was tableau of he ever saw it. And that seemed right up Gideon's alley but he was preoccupied with yelling at 'computer boy' from across the room.

Hayden watched Nox and Seven both, both seemingly concerned about their mutual acquaintance. You could learn a lot by watching. But he put his arm around Seven's shoulder and leaned in to whisper "He's not okay, even if he says he is." Hayden brushed his lips against Seven's ear before he wandered off to make another plate of food. He wasn't going to let there be left overs or go to waste and he was still hungry anyway, Seven had put him through the paces and that took a lot of energy.

Hayden sat down next to the kid on the computer, the one who'd introduced Sky to Nox. He didn't care much, but he knew Nox and he were close, it was good to know your marks friends too.

[Sage]

Hayden Sebastian sat down next to him. He watched him type like Liam did. It wasn't hard to get information on him, but he like Nox left little paper trail except what everyone knew about him. But he was stalking Nox and he didn't like sharing too much. So Hayden's electronics were next on his list to target and he'd work on getting in. Though he seemed far more interested in Nox. Sage didn't like him.

But it was to Gideon he responded with a grin. He leaned his head back and fell against the back of the couch and looked at the man upside down from the back of the couch. "The Emissary is only the leader of an elite hacker group called m'Antinomian. There are rumors that he's not human. And he's one of the gods the m'Antinomian worship. The group is not only a hacker group but a religious cult of sorts. Though they don't preach religion in so much as follow the whim of their leader. They are on par with my skills, though they still aren't as good as I am." Sage said modestly. He wasn't bragging, few people could match his abilities because he thought at the speed of a computer and his skills were a mere thought away and not brought through brain to fingers, to keyboard to computer. Few could match him but they came the closest.

Sage turned around on the couch and hung his arm over the back and leaned his head on it looking over at Gideon. "I think somehow Jaxen joined them last night. Drank the koolaid so to speak."

[Nox]

There was so much going on. So many people in his house. There was an itch just inside his head that pressed hard that he needed quiet. The horde was there, pushing at the itch at the anxiety. It growled when Nox ignored it. The mention of Ashton pulled down his fury and his rage, but it wasn't his fault. Ashton was just surviving, Nox reminded himself before having him brought down.

Sage explained the Emissary. Hayden told truths to Seven before he even answered, but Nox wasn't about to tell Seven the whole fucking truth even though he had nothing to hide. There were people here he didn't know. Didn't trust. But Hayden wasn't wrong. "I'm alive. I'm getting up everyday and moving. Can't ask for much else." It wasn't he that he was fine, or that he wasn't fine. He had problems. Jay was part of that.

"We had a falling out is all. He didn't like me 'breaking up' with him over text." Nox air quoted breaking up the best he could with one hand. They weren't together to be broken up, but he'd said it was over and then when they saw each other it blew up. "It was poor form I admit it. But I was trying to do the right thing to make things right with the relationship he helped me blow up. So we both had our reasons for trying to kill each other." Though he'd never have killed Jay. That might haunt him more than Aria -- to kill someone out of anger? Nox shuddered.

"I can get you his number if you want it. Sage has it I'm sure. I don't currently have it in my contacts. Not that it would matter anymore." There was sadness in his voice, a little lingering hurt from the whole situation, and missing Raffe. Though with Lily in his arms squirming against him he was quickly distracted from the sadness.

[Seven]

Nox’s explanation did not fill Seven up with confidence in his well-being. His brows furrowed thoughtfully, balanced between not prying and wanting to express the offer to be helpful. That was until a mouth closed around his earlobe and all cognition fled from his head, transformed into pure sense that rendered his body awake with the unexpected thrill. His gaze followed Hayden’s departure, a mixture of pride and appreciation both.

The look Hayden offered in turn convinced him to leave Nox alone, at least for now. The man was surrounded by people that seemed to be friends, or at least much closer a companion than Seven at the moment. The ache of sympathy did not lessen, but for now, Seven would not press.

“That’s okay, I have the sense that if he wanted to find me, he would.” After letting that topic drop, he began to listen in on some of the peripheral ones. There was conversation about The Emissary, a term Seven had come across but never investigated for himself. He would be on the lookout for m'Antinomian members in the future, however.

Meanwhile, he also picked up a name that had been mentioned several times. His gaze crossed paths with the one asked about the Emissary in the first place.

“I’d like to know who is this Jaxen you all keep mentioning. He seems like quite the character”

[Esper]

Though the room was hardly a cacophony of activity, the emotions were filling her up, and Esper drifted into it as she rested against Roza. There was sexual tension, the unexpected pleasure of something new, anger swallowed, the distraction of happiness, curiosity, awe, deeply buried pain… She sighed a little, as content inside as the full belly was making Roza. A thought pinged somewhere in the back of her mind that someone here must be using the channeling gift, amplifying everything to a heady luxuriousness. Had Roza not been busy devouring the plate of food in her lap, Esper might have sunk down to place her head there. “È bello qu,” she murmured instead, reaching to wrap her fingers softly through the threads of silky hair that fell to Roza’s waist.

She only blinked her eyes sleepily open because of a new flavour added to the feast. An intrusion of trepidation. Though it wasn’t sight so much as the keenness of her senses that found the face peering out and down the stairs. Her gaze did sharpen after, though, as she recognised those wide eyes and mop of blonde hair. She shifted like an alerted predator, careful not to hurt Roza as she let the hair fall through her fingers. Without breaking gaze she reached to tug the other woman’s arm, sure Roza would realise what she had seen, and then unfolded to her feet. Her eyes did not blink.

She headed straight for the stairs. When she was close her hand outstretched with the full intention of running her fingers in soft exploration of his face. He felt no different, or not any different from anyone else here. Curiosity ignited, but her brows drew down too, like a recalcitrant child who’d discovered a toy did not work as expected.

[[Translation: It feels nice here]]

[Gideon]

“Riiiight,” he said to computer boy, pressing the coffee to his lips. A smirk danced behind it. Scepticism practically dripped from the word, but Gideon was sharper than he sometimes liked to let on. Most of those words meant very little to him right now, but they would not be forgotten. And Gideon was like a dog with a bone when he brushed up against a mystery. If Jaxen had done something stupid. Again. Then it was probably his heartfelt duty as Saelia’s best friend to dig up all that dirt. Even if it was just to point the finger and laugh a bit. Not like Jaxen couldn’t sort his own shit.

He pulled the wallet from his pocket, snickering to himself as he shot a message and then shoved it back away again.

To Jaxen: 
You stumble into another cult?

To his brother’s lover’s question, he outright laughed. Somewhere, baby Marveet’s ears must be burning. But though a little irritation dug under his skin (literal model in the room, people) he let others supply the explanation, curious to see what they would say. Instead he used his mug to point in Liam’s direction, and called out to Hayden: “Hey, that one’s off limits. He’s my cousin.”

[Hayden]

Hayden was glad that Seven didn't pry and Hayden had no clue who Jaxen was either though he suspected he was friends with Nox and Sage in some weird way. Nox seemed to know a lot of crazy people. And he really had no idea the kinda life he lived outside the Atharim. Much less at all.

Gideon shouted towards him, that the kid next to him. His cousin, which didn't necessarily make him blood, but it was damn near close enough for Hayden. "Do you take me for some sort of man whore?"

The kid next to me, Sage he thought his name was looked at Hayden and then at Gideon and it was like things started working. "How does Nox's stalker know the famous hot model?" It was a question that didn't seem to need an answer as his eyes sorta glazed over and he seemed less with it than he had just moments before.

[Roza Vas]

Esper's head on her shoulder was a comfort and the food was delicious. Esper was enjoying the place, Roza looked around trying to understand things. It wasn't as chaotic as the carnival, but it was busy and different. She'd never had this sort of family. If that's even what it was. She just watched and ate until Esper spied the boy and she followed dutifully. He was still wearing the same thing he had before, and his hair was a mess. He was pretty.

[Sage]

Sage sat and wondered about Hayden and Gideon, their relationship was more than friends, less than lovers but yet there was a familiarity they shared. People thought he wasn't paying attention, but he as paying more attention than anyone actually knew. And why was it important that Hayden stay away from Gideon's cousin. Except he was just a kid, and Hayden wasn't. It was more than that. Sage had to know so amongst all his other things he was working what was up between those two. So digging into the sebastian name and the marquis name. He already had a line on Liam, so what else was going on. This was definitely a good day! Nox had a lot of interesting friends.

While he was at it he started digging into Seven. Who named their kids Seven?