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4 solas

The concept of interdimensional travel and teleportation wasn't at all a new one to Szel. Why would it be, after everything that had already happened, after all? It may as well have been just another Saturday at Velvet Lust at this point, right? Ho hum, just another instance of dimensional displacement, same as it ever was every other week, la dee da.

Except no, it wasn't, and no, he isn't going to act like he isn't interested. At least, not when no one was around to call him out on that. The second he was sure he didn't have an audience, he was invested in this situation, slipping away into more empty areas of the club for a little investigating. It was a task easier said than done; Velvet Lust attracted more than just Azrael's and Camael's attention, the place was almost immediately swarming with curious fae and even the odd intelligent undead and ghost. It almost acted like a magnet for them, something he honestly shouldn't have been all that surprised about but he was going to be cranky in regards to it anyway.

In any case, here he was, hunting for anything even remotely different about the club after it's unexpected jaunt. Midge's eyes darted over every single feature as the two of them moved through the empty hall, the sound of one hell of a party thumping loudly in the rooms adjacent to them. At least everyone else would be preoccupied, he'd just have to tolerate all the goddamn noise.

The demon paused suddenly as a difference in the hall caught his attention like a blazing, bright red beacon; a loosened brick. … Alright, not exactly what he was looking for, actually, and his disappointment was practically palpable as Midge glared at the thing, almost accusing. How dare this shitty little brick get his hopes up for something interesting? Fuck this brick in particular, honestly.

… Not hard enough to do anything destructive about it, but fuck this brick, fuck it right back into the wall where it came from actually. He lifted his cane and pressed it down upon the corner of the loosened brick, carefully nudging it back into place. It was still Tannusen's place here, after all, displaced or not. Szel wasn't in any hurry to break Tannusen's things, not anymore anyway, and he may as well do the absolute bare minimum by making sure it all stayed unbroken. With a disappointed huff, he turned his back on the wall, and was immediately greeted by a door on what he damn well knew had been a blank wall just moments prior. He didn't see the door appear, but then again, wasn't that just how Tannusen's magic worked anyway?

Made as much sense as anything else, and Midge only took the briefest moment to look around before Szel reached out and grabbed the door knob, sticking his head through first before slipping in the rest of the way. Dark in here, where's the light swi-

Where's the door. No, actually no where's the door? He let go of the handle for just a second to fumble for a lightswitch before Midge's eyes adjusted, but in an instant no light was necessary, and no door knob was available. Here he stood on a singular floating slab of earth, surrounded on all sides by the discombobulated rubble of a building? Maybe? Or maybe just a previously very well articulated mountainside, those definitely looked like they might have been stairs once. Maybe.

Well. Shit.

He would never ever, not in a million years, not even before the heat death of the universe, say he was scared. Not under pain of torture nor fear of death would he ever say that awful shit out loud, he'd scarcely even allow himself to admit that. He's not scared, he's perturbed. He is inconvenienced. He is really starting to perhaps maybe get somewhat concerned at the growing noises and increasing feelings of not being entirely alone here maybe he should consider drawing a weapon. Or doing the rough approximation of that.

The awful, wretched shrieks and screams of the less pleasant denizens of this weird liminal world would be ringing out soon enough, any demons lured in by the promise of a fat and delicious meal finding the tables ironically turned the instant they came upon the mutilated monster making his stand right here in the Fade. Tattered and broken wings spread wide, just like his eternally torn and bleeding mouth lined with needle-like teeth, the spider-demon sat now within a whipping frenzy of rusty and blood slicked living steel cables. What better way to soothe rage and fear than with a bit of a binge, after all? Sure nothing here tasted good, but he couldn't think of a more permanent solution to his current problem.

Down the fucking hatch, he'd address everything else once he'd earned a little peace and quiet.

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"Because I'm a grown-ass adult, the next thing you'll be telling me is that if I'm not a good boy I'm getting coal for Christmas."

That's right, have some home world lore thrown out as both a reference and a caltrops, he doesn't have to answer that question. It's a fake question!

"My mistake," Solas didn't take the bait of the weird reference, sorry Szel. "I presume you prefer the coal from your wings, any other would be an inferior gift."

"Oh leave them alone, that shit doesn't come off." Well, not permanently anyway, the demon giving the plumage an almighty shake. Partially to show what he meant.

Partially to see if he couldn't get some of that soot on Solas, you big jerk.

"Careful," Solas waved soot particles away from his face, "or I will have to steal some to sketch with."

"Well if you're going to say that I might have to give you one so I don't wake up plucked."

"Truly?" Solas asked, curious now. "Would that not hurt you?"

"They fall out every now and again. It's not like they work anymore either, I can part with one." The question of 'pain' just flew over his head, it barely even registered. Why? The pain of a single feather lost was incomparable to everything else.

"I'm serious about the soot, it's never going to wash off forever." A permanent writing implement, if only a little unsettling.

"Well, when one does come out on its own," don't pluck one right now, Szel, "I would not object."

He can wait! He's not that desperate for validation!

"Happens all the time, you'll probably get one before we even get to the library." Hell, he'd yanked one out himself back in the Fade after that little tiff with the rage demons.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be doing that again with present company any time soon.

"Are they brittle? Regular feathers often are, and yours sound very much like glass."

Is he going to need a box to put it in or can it handle being in a pocket, basically.

Now, this, this he liked. This was his comfort zone right here.

"It's similar to glass, but not exactly. They're a lot more durable than they look, you'd really have to try to break one. After all, considering how they're placed and the general duress they go through in order to fly, they'd have to be pretty sturdy."

"So a pocket in my armor should be fine, then? I would not wish to shatter it."

It's a precious gift!

"If it fits, sure. It's going to get everything it touches all sooty though, you might want to wrap it in something. Oh," They were getting close, he could hear talking not far ahead, ought to finish the thought quick then.

"If you wipe enough off, it glows for a little while. It's not as bright as it used to be, but it's still some light. Might be useful sometime, who knows."

"Noted," Solas carefully did not remind Szel that he'd seen his wings un-sooted in a memory, because that memory had been shitty, thanks.

And indeed, there were voices but not where they'd left the two cousins. Over in the alienage, and Solas steered them that way. Alley's hoarse rasp was distinctive, even when quiet.

Under the vhenadahl's branches but far enough from the trunk to not endanger it, someone had built up a camp fire from broken building lumber. Crude benches had been tossed together around it from bits too large to easily burn in the small blaze. Ceiling beams, an intact door, a floor joist.

Alley was perched on one bench with her cousin on another, and she waved at the pair with a bottle when they came into sight. "Solas! Szel! C'mon over, I saved you spots!"

It had been, and the last thing he needed was to be reminded of another shitty memory right now. He was just starting to feel better again!

Midge turned his head towards the sound of voices, Szel cocking his own as he easily picked out Alley's voice. There was of course no concern about her potentially leaving... But a little bit, just a smidge, that there were more darkspawn scuttling about the place. What a relief then to come back and find the two of them still here and by all appearances, coping well enough with everything.

Yeah, he saw the bottle. Coping well enough, he's not that much of a hypocrite.

The raven let out a collection of throaty caws, obviously delighted to see the pair of them, though the emotion was rigidly kept from appearing on Szel's face in any fashion as he approached them. Couldn't look too invested, that wasn't very cool was it?

"Just out of curiosity, how much of that bottle is left?" How drunk are you, both of you?

Alley grinned, teeth catching the firelight. "Not enough. But we've got more."

Shianni got up then, something held behind her back, and approached Szel while Solas went to sit beside his Inquisitor.

"Hey," the visibly-drunk redhead said, "Szel, right? I wanted to thank you for helping down there. Here."

She thrust out what had been behind her back. An unopened bottle of booze.

"So you've been very busy while we were out." Between the bonfire and the bottle almost gone? Very busy. The demon paused awkwardly as Shianni rose and approached him, unsure of what to do with himself in regards to her specifically. He was still, it seemed, a bit off kilter from before, uncomfortable in the face of a stranger who had been in such dire straits before.

Discomfort turned to confusion, and then to some other strange, unknowable feeling as she pushed the bottle at him, and it was only at Midge's sudden and relentless cawing that he shook himself from that brief daze to take it from her. Standing like he didn't know how to hold himself, holding onto the bottle and looking like he was at a loss here.

"I didn't do anything." He just blurted that one out, openly baffled at the gift. He didn't save her, Alley did. He didn't want to go deeper into the tunnel, Alley did. He almost ate one of the deadly little bastards and Alley had to jam a shield in his mouth to save him from his own stupid instincts. He didn't do shit as far as he was concerned, too busy rotting inside his own skull for that.

"Sure you did," Shianni drew a little closer so she could talk quieter, though she wasn't great at either while plastered.

"Alley's scary, always has been, but in the deep roads? Running after Hespith like that?" Shianni shook her head, "You went after her. Made sure she came back in one piece. Everyone needs backup down there."

He went quiet, both his head and Midge's turned towards the bottle rather than at her. Well... Well.

Well he couldn't stand here and tell himself that he followed her for any other reason than he was concerned she wouldn't come back if he didn't. Give him some time and he could easily spin it as selfish, Solas would have been a wreck if she'd met her end down there, he'd never get home without the god to take him there, and Solas wouldn't have been capable of doing that if anything had happened to Alley.

But Szel couldn't stand her and say that was what was going through his head when he refused to turn back, even when she said he'd that option. There had been no self-serving, manipulative plan in place.

He'd done it because he cared.

"... Thanks." Ugh, he'd said that twice today now, three times and it'd become a habit, was that the rule? Ugh. No, he didn't look up from the bottle as he said it, caught somewhere between this strange feeling in his chest and... embarrassment? No, it was just to the side of it, related but not exact.

Drunk-ass Shianni grinned, zero filter right now: "Aw, you're a cute one! Can I pet your bird?"

Normally, in more controlled circumstances, a little light flirting was honestly nothing. Hell, he'd done as much when he first met Tannusen, hadn't he? Back when it didn't matter and it'd all been a means to an end.

This wasn't that, and he was already off center anyway, so the impossibly light compliment of 'cute' managed to actually bring some color to his face, the demon just barely managing to avoid bringing his shoulders to his ears. Caught him unawares, good job, Shianni.

Midge clicked and purred, lowering his head obligingly for pets in lieu of Szel giving an actual answer. Maybe he said a real word, it was hard to tell what with the low mumble it was made in. Sounded a little like an attempt at a disaffected 'sure' though!

Oh no, he's blushing?!

Shianni had to fold her lips between her teeth for a second to avoid going for the throat with more flirting, here. She distracted herself by reaching up to scritch the Midge with both hands, getting right into those feathers.

"You're such a fluffy guy!" Get baby-talked, Midge. "Who's a fluffy little guy? It's you!"

He notices and appreciates your mercy, Shianni, he's not sure he could have taken a full frontal flirt assault without turning into a befuddled mess right now. He's still trying to wrap his head around getting thanked like he did something here.

Midge, ever eager for all of the attention (unsurprising considering who his master was), puffed himself up and stuffed his head right under her hand, letting loose with a fantastic collection of clicks, purrs, grunts and murmurs. He's the fluffy little guy it's him it's all him yes he is. Typical behavior from a creature who picked out his own ugly sweaters, really.

As for Szel, he's already prying that bottle open, pretty keen on seeing if this alcohol will be enough to get him smashed. It's too sappy and cute in here and he hates it, he needs the liquor as a buffer.

Fluffy little guy!!!

That booze was high end as hell, enjoy Szel. Shianni just keeps baby talking his bird, fingers buried in neck feathers, giving aaall the scritches.

Over at the fire, Alley and Solas were being awfully cute. He had an arm around her shoulders, and she was leaning into his side, head on his shoulder. His free hand was holding her artificial one, frowning very slightly at it.

Everyone looked like they were having a good time, things seem pretty relaxed here, he's probably the only one on edge and he's about to do his damned best to fix that.

The bottle gets one sharp tap to the bottom, two to the middle, before he jammed his thumb into the cork and with a sharp POP, opened it without even a hint of straining. Immediately upon opening it, he flicked the cork away with one hand while lifting the bottle up with the other, and drank.

And drank and drank and drank like the whole thing was full of ice cold mountain stream water. Not even coming up for air, that bottle will be almost entirely empty by the time he is finished.

"Thanks." Because he was already going to have to get used to saying it, and she'd been very nice, and he decided he'd a point to make to Solas. Actually he can be grateful without looking like a petulant baby!!

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