A sly grin tugged at Jay’s mouth, his mind flickering with a handful of risqué jokes he’d never say out loud (in present company at least). “It’s more of a nickname than anything meaningful, really,” he said, his voice low and teasing. “Magic? Sure, if that’s what you want to call it. The rest… well, you’ll have to ask Emily.”
He looked toward the bride and groom, catching them mid-laugh as the song wound down. Normally, he’d be out there too, throwing himself into the fast numbers just to get the blood moving, but tonight he felt anchored in place, weighed down by a heaviness he hadn’t been able to shake. When Kiriena murmured something about wanting a drink, he latched onto it as an excuse to escape the dance floor. “Yeah, alright. Let’s get you that drink.”
He trailed after her toward the bar, feeling strangely grateful for her company. Other than the bride and groom, she was the only person here he actually knew, and maybe the only one who wouldn’t expect him to be anything he wasn’t. Still, he turned down a third beer—two had been enough to soften the edges, and he didn’t feel like pushing his luck.
When they reached the bar, he leaned over to catch the bartender’s eye, using his height to his advantage. He gestured toward Kiriena, giving her a warm look that was only half an invitation, the other half a dare. “What’ll it be?” he asked, forcing himself to engage.
Kiriena led Jay to the bar. Occasionally it seemed her companion would become momentarily distant. She had seen it when he mentioned his old girlfriend. The man was a soldier - it was fully possible he had seen a lot of things no one else should have seen.
"An old fashioned for me," she said. We was usually a wine drinker, but at this moment, wanted something a little harder.
The bartender moved to make her drink and she stepped closer to Jay. "Hey are you doing okay? I know we just met, but I don't know. I just want to make sure you're alright."
She couldn't help who she was, and a big part of her was kindness to all. It was after all a wedding, he should be having a good time. And Kiriena thought he was, but sometimes - he had that look behind his eyes she couldn't explain.
Rachel would be fine. Emily knew that now, but it was hard to believe she was thinking about sex. It hadn't seemed so long ago that she was playing with dolls. In reality, it had been, but times had changed, and changed quickly. When her parents died, Emily had sort of taken over the mother role for her sisters. It hadn't really been intentional, but it had happened nonetheless. Still, Emily had to remember she wasn't their mother. She was their sister and she should learn to trust their judgement and offer advice when asked.
Emily readied herself and reentered the hall. The music was going now, a fast paced song with a good beat. Emily moved quickly, joining people on the dance floor. Excited to see the bride entering the mix, several of her bridesmaids and girlfriends joined. Feeling the energy of the group, Emily smiled. She spotted Jared relaxing by the bar, enjoying a beer. He raised it to her as she looked at him. She gave him a grin and continued dancing.
Jared took a moment to enjoy his beer. Emily had come back, and everything seemed fine. Jared prided himself on reading Emily well. Whatever had happened with Rachel had been dealt with. Emily ran to the floor and began to join in the festivities. As everyone knew, the bride controlled the party and the crowd responded to her enthusiasm. When she looked his way, Jared raised his beer to her and took a drink.
Jeremy approached him with a familiar small box. "Smoke?" he asked opening the cigarette box.
"Nah," Jared said. "I quit."
Jeremy gave him a surprised look, mentioned he'd find him for a beer later and left to poison his lungs. Quitting had been a good idea. Jared really felt like he could breathe again - and Emily barely ever refused kisses anymore. Jared smirked at the thought and made his way to the bar. Jay and Kiriena were talking and it looked like Kiriena was drinking an old fashioned.
"I'll have one of those too," Jared said, pointing at Kiriena's drink.
Old-fashioned? Jay’s lips quirked into a lopsided smile as he gave her a once-over, equal parts intrigue and disbelief flickering in his eyes. “You? A whiskey girl? Never in a million years.” His tone was playful, teasing, but the sharp glint in his gaze suggested a genuine curiosity.
When the amber liquid arrived, nestled in its low glass, he eyed it with a mix of hesitation and temptation. The idea of diving in—joining her—was more appealing than he wanted to admit, even if it carried its own complications.
The question she asked next caught him off guard, its weight unexpected. His shoulders stiffened slightly, and he turned his focus forward, staring at the battered bar top as if it held the answers. Stalling, he tipped his bottle back for one last, regretful swig of the lukewarm dregs.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine,” he lied, the words dropping from his lips like a stone into dark water. He could feel the falsehood lingering in the air between them, heavy and obvious, but pretended not to notice. Jay was awful at lying—always had been—but this wasn’t for her benefit. This was for him.
The silence that followed was charged, teetering on the edge of awkward. Before it could tip over entirely, Jared’s voice cut through, brisk and casual, providing an escape hatch.
“Make it two,” Jay interjected, raising his hand to signal the bartender. If he was going to keep burying his demons, he might as well drown them in something top-shelf.
When the old-fashioneds arrived, their deep caramel hues catching the low light, Jay lifted his glass. “To marriage,” he said with a smirk, raising his drink toward Jared. “How’s it feel to be tied down, Wizard?”
The nickname landed with a grin, but there was an edge to his tone—half teasing, half genuine curiosity. He sipped the whiskey, savoring its warmth as it slid down his throat, delicious and bold, and let himself believe, just for a moment, that everything was fine.
The next song ended, and another fast one began. The DJ was reading the energy of the room well. Emily took a momentary break to catch her breath when she spotted Zhenya and her little girl Auri at the table. The rose that Emily gave Auri was now in her hair and she had changed into a sparkly party dress. Auri's eyes watched the dancers with a shy excitement. Emily went back to dancing, but allowed her moves to take her closer to Auri's table.
The girl looked up as Emily got closer and Emily kept the rhythm going, but faced Auri, a welcoming smile on her face as reached her hands out towards her and gestured for Auri to join her in dancing. Auri's face broke out in a grin and she turned to face her mother, waiting only until Zhenya granted permission for Auri to join the bride on the dance floor.
Auri got up and ran, taking Emily's hands as they started to dance. Emily gave Zhenya a quick wink before turning back to the girl, following Auri's lead with the dancing. Emily would occasionally spin her around, but it was clear the girl had wanted to dance, she had only needed the encouragement to do so.
((OoC: Zhenya and Auri modded with permission))
Rachel looked in the mirror. Her makeup had indeed suffered a bit from her crying, but it was all fixed now. Deep down, Rachel was still upset, but she wouldn't let that prevent her from having a good time at her sister's wedding reception. It wasn't like Cruz hadn't broken up with her. He had a work emergency.
Rachel left the bathroom and returned to the reception hall. The dancing was in full swing, Emily at the center of it currently dancing with a little girl. Rachel smiled at that. She was certainly the life of the party. Right now, though, Rachel needed another drink. If she wasn't getting laid, at least she could get drunk.
She went to the bar where Kiriena was with a Dominion who was currently talking to Jared. At her approach Jared spoke quickly to her. "You okay?"
Rachel smiled. "I'm fine," Rachel said. Jared seemed to accept that and turned back to his conversation with the Dominion.
Rachel ordered another mai tai and turned to Kiriena, not quite ready to start dancing. "Having a good time?"
Kiriena turned to her drink. Jay had lied - that was certain. He wasn't okay, but he clearly didn't want to speak to her about it. The reason could be anything, but when Jay turned to the groom, Kiriena thought that maybe he just needed to talk to a man about it. She was soon approached by Rachel, who had disappeared momentarily.
"A very good time," she said, smiling. "I shared a dance with Jay and decided to get a drink. Did Cruz leave?"
Rachel flushed a bit, and Kiriena regretted the question. "Emergency at work."
Kiriena got closer to Rachel. "I'm sorry. I hope everything turns out okay."
Rachel perked up a little bit. "I'm sure it will be. I still wish he was here."
"Well, we're still gonna have a fun night." She turned to the bartender. "Two kamikaze shots!" The bartender smiled and began to mix the drinks up for them. Placing them in front of the girls, Kiriena picked hers up and waited for Rachel to do the same. "To Emily and Jared!" The girls downed the shots.
Jared smiled genuinely as Jay turned towards him, clinking his own glass again Jay's. "To marriage," he repeated, taking a deep drink from the amber liquid in his glass.
He smile broadened at the use of the nickname. It wasn't one he heard much anymore. In truth, he and Jay hadn't talked for awhile, but he saw Rachel approaching before he could respond. He raised a finger to Jay, indicating for him to wait a moment. "You okay?" he asked his new sister.
She said she was fine, but her boyfriend wasn't here and she was ordering another drink. That in itself meant nothing, but he would keep an eye on her, possibly let Emily know too. There was a good chance she might still be upset despite her demeanor.
"Tied down," he said, returning his attention to Jay. "I'm not sure I'm used to that yet - like it hasn't really hit me yet." Jared's gaze searched the crowd, finding Emily pretty quickly. She was now dancing with the little girl she had given a rose to at the ceremony. As he watched her, he couldn't help but smile. "I wouldn't change it for the world though."
Jared laughed, shaking his head and taking another sip. "Who would of thought it, right? But you," he gestured to Jay with his glass. "It has seriously been way too long. My apologies for not reaching out so much. How have you been?"
A part of Jared wanted to ask about Natalie and why she wasn't here. Perhaps Jay knew. Emily and the other woman had some sort of friendship he knew, but she hadn't told Jared anything, but Jared didn't know where things between Natalie and Jay lay, and unfortunately, it was true that Jared hadn't reached out to Jay or anyone else a whole lot. For all he knew, things could be tense between them, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt his friend and brother in arms.
The conversation swirled around him much like the whiskey that he swirled in the glass with every sip. The flavor was beginning to turn his stomach as memories floated straight out of the glass. Yet he drank deeply of both, hoping the spirit would numb the sensation climbing up his spine.
Around him, conversation flowed. A pretty blonde girl that Jay recognized from the ceremony joined them. Kiriena lit up like a bloom in sunshine at the arrival. The girls chatting, swapping concerns for their mutual welfare and appreciation for the revelry of the night. The joy flowed like a river of sparkling spirits from which everyone drank to drunkenness. Meanwhile, Jay swirled his cup, listening to the ice clink against the glass, and sipped.
Swirl—clink—sip.
Swirl—clink—sip.
Shots slid in his view. Tiny little slivers of alcohol, sparkling in the party light, promising escape. Numbness. The twin shots were devoured, disappearing inside the bodies of their devourers. Funny how shots did that. Swallowed up and disappeared as if they never existed. Bullets did the same, burying themselves deep in the tissues of their targets. The only evidence of their existence was the tunnels made through that flesh revolting at the intrusion with red drips weeping out.
Swirl—clink—sip.
He realized then that Jared had been speaking to him. Weddings and marriage. He’d been busy with the events of life. Things that were normal. Yet, as Jay finally broke his gaze from the old-fashioned glass, empty but for the remaining ice, wet and glistening as blood, something quite haunted met Jared’s.
The feeling that was climbing his spine these past few minutes finally struck like an icepick into the base of his brain. He looked around, bewildered at the sight of all these people, dancing and celebrating, drinking and eating as if everything in the world was normal when it was completely and utterly
not.
“I can’t do this.” The admission broke through chapped lips. The escape promised by the alcohol didn’t arrive; it brought only nausea and horror.
He shook his head and hurried away from the laughter and toasting. He hurried as fast as he could, bumping blindly into shoulders as he plunged through the guests.
A blast of cold air met his face as he emptied himself outside followed quickly by emptying his stomach. His heart was racing as he slid down the brick wall, all but collapsing into the dirt of some garden bed dormant for the winter. He wanted to shake and cry as fiercely as he wanted to punch the brick wall until his knuckles were crushed to dust.
Yet he did nothing of the sort. He just sat there, staring forward, attempting to pretend that everything he saw wasn’t real: jungle vines, concrete blocks and car batteries, a dead sister, mother, father. Even himself. The sensation of wanting to die was as strong as the memory of actually dying. In the school after shooting that girl, he slid down a wall just like this, thinking that lying down for even a few minutes would help. That all he needed was to close his eyes and rest and everything would be okay.
He laid his head across his knees, wishing that it had actually happened when a noise broke the silence of his world.
It was his Wallet, and a message from Natalie that read only a cryptic question. He hadn’t heard it over the noise of the reception, and the time stamp indicated it had been sent over an hour ago.
Natalie Wrote:“Blue or green?”
Jay Wrote:“Green”
He replied, but had no idea what he was choosing. The color reminded him of the jungle, and at the moment, he could not fathom the existence of something as soothing as blue.