[P] dirty valentine

[Marisol]

Sweat and smoke and the smell of alcohol fill the air so fully Marisol thinks she might choke. It’s not her scene, not at all, too crowded and too rowdy for the Commander to feel even a little comfortable, and not even a minute has passed before she’s regretting the decision. Hair prickles on her spine; her pulse picks up pace and force. She blinks those gray eyes against the weak, sooty light and pauses mid-wade through the crowd, swinging back and forth between the desire for a drink and the need to get away.

She doesn’t to think long before the decision is made for her.

Theodosia appears in front of her almost out of nowhere, so quickly Marisol has to suppress a flinch. Her heart pounds in her chest. (Is it surprise? It must be surprise.) Theo appears almost ghostly in the tavern light, pale skin cut deep with shadows from the dimness, but something about her is still - well - beautiful, something in the mischevious gleam of her eyes, the too-relaxed way she holds her tail just off the ground. It’s admirable. It makes her seem more human. Mari opens her mouth to say hi or how are you or what’s going on, but she’s cut off (and surprised) by what Theo says next. Next round is on Jake, if you wanna join in, Commander -

Her immediate thought is no, followed by stop drinking, followed by we have to train tomorrow, but thank Vespera none of those thoughts make it out of her mouth. She bites back her militarism, her righteousness, her iron-will and stubbornness - after all, didn’t she come here to have fun? Isn’t she allowed to have fun once in a gods-damned blue moon? Over Theodosia’s shoulder, she sees a gaggle of cadets throwing darts at the hung target and almost smiles. How strange it is to see them aiming at something other than a body.

Sure, Mari answers, and the word is half-strangled, but it’s sure.

She ducks her head with a sheepish smile and grabs a drink from the bar, using her telekinesis to hold the mug at a gentle hover near her shoulder. The rest of the cadets are quite obviously surprised to see her there - they even whisper to each other as she shoulders her way into the circle, dumbfounded by the sight of the Commander wearing anything other than an expression of iron - but are polite enough, turning back easily to their games and gossip. Thanks, she murmurs to Theo, and downs the alcohol in one easy swig. Heat floods her veins, sends starbursts into her vision, but the dizziness of the shot fades as quickly as it comes, and the only thing that gives it away is the rush of warmth that turns those gray eyes molten instead of cold.

@Theodosia