Beach Party

Kade said a incantation to make the weather just perfect. He thanked himself that he made a weather spell. He had command over it, and he had decreed that the weather shall be perfect. There was no eclipse, no eldirtch horrors and no gods. That god was cute, well cute for a god but he had a cordial conversation. This was an adult only party as there was lots of beer, and games not suited for kids. Kade for once was not in his robe, for once he decided to dress differently. His body naked upper body was fit, not a body builder but he had a swimmer build. Despite not swimming that much.

He wore baggy shorts and he felt weird, naked almost. Usually he wore shoes but he didn't wear any. Sand under barefeet was different. Now he was in a drinking game.

"Chug chug chug." He was drinking an entire barrel of everclear. Was this a mistake? Sure but he wasn't thinking. He didn't have super intelligence like a nerd. The buzz kicked in when he was done, he was getting drunk, what was this? He fell over and laughed.

Deimos had lost count of how long he’d been laying on this beach.

His heavy bones weighed him down in the seabed as his sore wings floated weightlessly out to his sides, stretched to their full span. Deimos had noticed he was beginning to struggle to fit into his parent’s backyard, his wing was resting on the roof of their house for a week and the other draped over their neighbors fence. At last measure his wings were 60 foot from wingtip to wingtip, but that was a year ago and if he had to estimate he probably added about eight feet to that, maybe more. Either way he needed to find a better napping spot while his wing healed.

Most of the major damage from london had been healed, despite having to have three teeth yanked from his jaw by the local veterinarian, they had grown back good as new. He had earned a nice new scar across the right side of his lip and on the right side of his ribs that was still scaleless and somewhat fresh, but healing over. His inner phalanges on his wing were still in a makeshift split made from a rod of rebar and secured by punching steel fishing line through the nerveless membranes of his wings to secure it down. He’d been off it for a week, and luckily he was able to hitch a ride with the… um? What was the word for the group of men also dating your boyfriend? Could they be called a hoarde, or would that be objectifying? For now he’d settle on ‘his people’. He must have dozed off after lunch.

Deimos suddenly jolts from his twilight daze, listing his head from it’s concealed place in the water from where his nose had just peaked out. Water cascades of the violet obsidian scales as a party seemed to have formed around him. He was now surrounded by drunk people as his expression fell to something of a scowl. A drunk guy had decided to use his snout as a stepping stone not realizing it was attached to a sleeping dragon. Sadly he’d pulled his head up so fast the man was sent tumbling into the sand as he cast a shadow over the midday sun. A low sleepy grumble resembled a snarl sending the man scattering away in terror as the “growl” is followed up with a yawn. His groggy morning voice soon returned to the light, airy trills and coos. He shakes the sand from his crown of horns but doesn’t quite get up, rather folding his front legs under him like a resting cat. A crowd had grown but he didn’t immediately see Jordan. Last thing he wanted was to wade through this crowd and he still couldn’t fly. His ambient melody turned to a light trilling reminiscent of a massive bird to prey but still an unsettling music, a tone reserved for Jordan.

Sauntering down the beach with three men surrounding her, Alurea was in a two-piece swimsuit. Even with the best sunscreen on her, her pale skin burned under the sun that seemed to come out at random. The sensation of humans overindulging in alcohol drew her from nearly half a mile away. She needed to taste all that overindulgence, so she wandered in that direction with a few of her human pets.

Her hips swayed, and someone with the proper senses could tell what she was, even with her shapeshifting hiding her ears, horns, wings, and tail. Her silver hair that came down to her ankles and her striking magenta eyes weren't what anyone would call common.

She reveled in the affections of the men touching her. But she felt nothing but short-term pleasure from it. It had been over a millennium and a half since the one human she truly fell in love with had betrayed her, breaking her heart and condemning her to the guillotine. She had her pets rip that man apart. She vowed since that day never to fall in love again.

The beach was loaded with drunks in various states of revelry. Two beings in particular caught her eye, however. A large dragon - a type of being that could not get lost in the beauty of her hypnotic gaze. Then there was the young man laughing himself silly, drunk and nearly passed out. The most striking thing about him was the constantly shifting colors of his hair - as if the very stars traveled through it and numerous nebulae were moving across an artist's canvas.

This wasn't a typical mortal.

"Well," she started, her voice sultry and sensual. "Wakey, wakey, my handsome young man..."

Kade may be somewhat drunk but he wasn't dumb. When one saw a dragon, one tended to take notice. He looked at the dragon, who seemed somewhat hurt. However, there was some woman standing over him, a beautiful woman but one nonetheless. Well, That is what he thought. Blinking repeatedly, he looked at her as he crossed his legs. He needed to settle himself. Due to his eldritch body, he could not get drunk so he made some modifications to allow it. Though he can always will the liquor away in his body." Handsome, I am not handsome, I am a pretty beautiful princess." Kade immediately got up, faster than one would expect of his height. With a speed which was uncanny fast, he reached the dragon and rubbed on his scales." It is alright lovely dragon, you are hurt, Kade will make it better." Kade kissed the dragon, too drunk to notice that it was a hero. However, he quickly returned to the woman who he towered over.

"I am Kade...hostess of this party, or is it host? Kade stayed quiet for a full minute before heading to the grill and taking a hot dog and bun. He gave it to the newcomer." Here is a hot dog, there is no ketchup...where is the ketchup." Kade broke into laughter as if not having ketchup was funny.

Taliesin  

Typically, a beach party would be right up Taliesins alley, the music, the boys, drinking until all inhibition was gone, and bad choices were made. But after London, the young wizard wanting nothing more than a strong cup of chamomile and some ibuprofen. He woke as Deimos rose, having been resting against them, having fell back, the cold water shocking him awake. He shot back up, gasping, then immediately held his head as it was racked with pain. The cost of magic, especially the spells he used, they can put quite a strain on the mind, even when using the proper circles and ritual items. He slowly climbed to his feet, rubbing his temples as he said a little chant.  

As soon as the headache arrived, it was gone, a simple and short ritual he memorized for some mild pain relief. He looked down, realizing his rather nice outfit was now soaked in seawater. “Oi, what the hell...” He looked around, seeing he and Deimos had been taken from London after the fight, and were now on some beach. Apparently, this was also around the same time someone decided to put together a party. People were dancing around, Taliesin could easily see most of them were drunk, as some music was playing from somewhere the young wizard could not discern.  

All that didn’t matter, however, as Taliesins eyes rested on one particular individual, who was getting rather close to Deimos. He was rubbing his hands on the scars from the battle before, Taliesin didn’t recognize him, though him and the young dragon had only just met, so this could be a friend of his. Maybe that was why they were here, maybe this friend was looking over them while they rested, though Taliesin would have appreciated not being left in the water.  

Seeing the clear discomfort in Deimos expression, Taliesin got the notion that he also was not appreciating the location, which told Taliesin all he needed to know. He saw a clothing shop just up on the beach, he suddenly vanished from the spot, reappearing right next to the store clerk. “Excuse me, mate...” He shuffled through until he found a pair of shorts in his size. “Do you have a changing room...?” He looked over to the back of the shop to the door the clerk had pointed too. “Thank you, mate.”  

As he took the shorts and made his way towards the door, he stopped halfway, as a tanktop caught his attention. He smirked as he grabbed it as well, along with some flip flops and a pair of oversized sunglasses, walking up to the door, and pulling out his key. “Be back soon, mate.” He stated as he slipped the key into the knob, opening the door to the tower.  

Taliesin stepped out of a bathroom in another shop nearby, dressed in his new clothes, whistling as he pocketed the key, his focus around his neck. He strolled out of the shop and made his way back to the party.  

”Hey, you just went into the dressing room, and that’s my stuff!!”

Taliesin stopped in his tracks as he spun around to look at the shop clerk from the shop he had just been in. “Don’t know what you mean, dude...” He stated, in a rather good American accent. “I just came from over there, man, I think you need to get your eyes checked.” He pointed to the shop he just exited from.  

The shop clerk stammered on his words as his mind tried to process what just happened, now questioning his own sanity.  

Taliesin smirked as he turned back around, strolling through the sand towards Deimos, now wearing a pair of blue and white beach shorts, sandals, a black tanktop with the words #1 Daddy written across the front, and a pair of oversized pink sunglasses.  

“Oi...” Taliesin stated as he got closer to the stranger, just as he was offering a hot dog to a woman who was clearly trying very hard to be noticed, given her attire. Unfortunately for her, Taliesin preferred his lovers to be equipped with parts she most certainly did not have, so his attention was on the one he assumed was hosting the party. “Care to enlighten me why me and my mate woke up here?” He reached over and grabbed the unopened beer out of someones hand as they passed by. Taliesin paused as he watched them, noticing there was something more than just alcohol affecting them.  

Blue Gyro  

”Guys, come on, think about it, that attack was rough, you two barely made it out alive, but you made it through, and I think a well deserved day off is needed, plus I hear there is this huge party going on at the beach, and I think we should go, relax, maybe have some drinks, and just soak up the sun...”

And thus, Caleb was here, dressed in a pair of tan cargo shorts, water shoes, and an unbuttoned blue shirt. After some healing sessions with Eden, the two Rangers were at least able to move around, though Caleb still felt like he just went through 12 rounds with a professional boxer. But as the sun hit his skin, and the music hit him, he had to admit, the vibe was nice, The music drowned out most of the excess noise, and while people were stumbling and dancing around, clearly drunk, the place wasn’t too chaotic.  

After the horrible fight that had just transpired, Eden had insisted him and Frank take the day off, and when she heard of this party popping up, she practically ordered them to come. Ever since that last trip to London, and Isaac, Eden had been in full caretaker mode, making sure Caleb had been eating, dragging him into the showers, standing at the door to make sure he didn’t leave until he had properly cleaned off. Caleb tried to hide in his workshop, crafting away at some new gadget, improving the suits, everything he could to make sure the next big threat didn’t end up with another one of his friends dead. He lost his brother, the first friend he ever had, gone, went out the hero Caleb always saw him as.  

Caleb took a deep breath in as he looked to his friends, smiling. “Know what, I’m feeling a little adventurous...” He winked as he walked backwards towards the makeshift bar. “How about some shots??”

Eden stood at the edge of the beach, her eyes scanning the scene with a mixture of determination and forced cheerfulness. Dressed in a red one-piece swimsuit covered by a sheer red sarong, she looked every bit the vibrant, energetic heart of the group she always tried to be. Her long brunette hair was tied back in a practical yet stylish ponytail, and she wore a pair of oversized sunglasses that shielded her eyes from the bright summer sun.

As Caleb suggested shots, Eden clapped her hands together, her smile wide and infectious.

“That’s the spirit, Caleb! We’re here to have fun and let go, even if it’s just for a little while. Frank, you too. No backing out!” she called, her voice carrying over the music and the laughter of the other partygoers.

She led the way to the makeshift bar, her steps confident and purposeful. The scene was chaotic, with people dancing, laughing, and clearly enjoying themselves. Eden’s gaze lingered on the tall figure offering a hotdog to an enrapturing, beautiful young woman with a group of men crowding around her, a curious smile playing on her lips at the sight. A young man ill-worn for the weather or climate was approaching the scene as well, he looked like he had some business with the motley crew forming near the dragon resting in the cool water.

Reaching the bar, she grabbed a couple of shot glasses and filled them with a clear, potent liquid labeled as rum. She handed one to Caleb and another to Frank, raising her own in a toast.

“To us, to survival, and to making new memories. Cheers!”

She knocked back her shot, the alcohol burning pleasantly as it went down. Eden set the empty glass on the bar and turned to face the beach again, her eyes scanning the crowd. She spotted a man in a new outfit, smirking at his #1 Daddy tank top.

“Looks like everyone is enjoying themselves too. This is exactly what we needed, a chance to unwind and just be ourselves without the weight of the world on our shoulders.”

She glanced at Frank and Caleb, her expression softening. “I know it’s been rough, but we’re still here. And as long as we have each other, we can get through anything.” Not wanting something somber to settle in her teammates and friends she clapped her hands together. "Alright you two! You might be senior to me in the team, BUT! Doctor's order! I am prescribing both of you multiple units of fun and leisure to be administered to your bodies over the course of the next couple hours!"

Jordan wasn’t exactly a professional hero but he was already beginning to feel a little burnt out on it. How many times could someone screw over London before they got bored of it? He’d queried the guys about it, but they didn’t seem to have an answer for that question. Aaron made a snide remark about never because the place was a dreary hellhole that deserved to be blown off the map. They’d brought Deimos home to rest, well as Jordan liked to call it their Brooklyn Home. The fact they had so many houses was something that Joseph liked to complain about, wondering when they’d went from normal people to rich people.

Not that he complained about the hot tub they had.

He’d heard about a big part that was being thrown, one that was going across social media with an ‘everyone is welcome’ kind of vibe and Jordan did like parties. ”I’m gonna check out that beach party. Anyway see Deimos around?” Jordan questioned out loud, walking through the house trying to scent out his boyfriend.  The scent was faint, as if he had been there once but wasn’t now.  They had enough rooms to set for everyone, but he wasn’t in his own room or even in their room.

”I think he might have left...somewhere? I could scry him if you want.” Aaron had a way of just appearing behind him. Did he have a way to just not smell like anything or what?

”What do you mean he went out?!?” He was immediately concerned. ”He’s not in any condition to just ‘go out’!” He was only in a pair of boxers but as soon as that was said he was already digging through a dresser, slipping into a pair of patterned swimming trunks and a hawaiian button up shirt which he didn’t bother to button up.

”Going out to get him?”

”Well yeah.” Jordan rolled his eyes now glowing green.

”Will his friend be joining us?”

Jordan paused for a second, seeming to let the thoughts rattle around in his head. ”Maybe. I’ll ask him I guess.” He opened the window, brilliant emerald green wings pushing through slits cut in the back of his shirt. With that he was off, flying through the skies of New York and trying to follow Deimos’ scent. It was faint on the wind, so minute he wasn’t sure if he could keep hold onto it.  

Where was he anyway?

Jordan tried to follow the smell, that tenuous thread of scent that led him through the city and he was pretty sure to another borough entirely. The wind whipped his bangs around as it slowly grew stronger and stronger, eventually leading him to the fringes of what looked to be some kind of party.  Music rising from it and the chatter of people joining it in a chorus. There was also the strong scent of Everclear, something he didn’t expect to smell in such strong amounts.

Not that he ever really felt the stuff when he drank it. There weren’t many boozes in the world that could affect him, and he doubted they had Seal by the keg full. His wings retracted into his shirt before fading into his being and his eyes scanned the beach until they fell onto a dragon, half submerged in the water.  Without thinking he began running, weaving around the party goers who gave him some lingering looks before returning to their partying.

It looked like someone had approached him, ten feet tall and reeking of something he couldn’t place. ”Deimos?” He questioned once he was close enough, giving a brief look to the strange woman. He huffed and rested the palm of his hand on Deimos’ snout, a comforting gesture or an attempt at one. Taliesen was there too. ”Oh, hey Taliesen.” He gave a small wave, before looking up to the large person. What were they anyway?

”So what’s the whole party about ? Also what he said.” He pointed to Taliesen before returning to trying to soothe what seemed like an irritated Deimos.

Kade was in quite a situation, a situation that he thought never happen. There were heroes, too many heroes on a beach which had a sizable members of the anti meta human faction. At most they were a minority but a loud minority was common. Kade as the servant he was replied to the two." I didn't call you, you must have teleported here daddy." He referred to his shirt but did not add context as he saw other guests. With speed near to that of a car, he got plates of ribs, burgers and hot dogs. There was also baked beans and no flies thankfully. There was several bowls that would be filled with baked beans. Kade could make his voice boom when he wanted to." Does a party really need a reason."

Giving the dragon and his daddy a plate." So daddy and dragon ma , I hope you enjoy yourselves." Kade went to his barrel and took a swig of everclear and fell on his face. There was a an audible ouch by some. However Kade got up, shit faced but he continued on. He brought Jordan and friends a plate of food and glasses of everclear, actually he gave every everclear. Personally he didn't care for the drink. Why did humans like this drink? Did they like pain? Humans can be freaks.


"Cheers for me, and the dragon man and his daddy and all new comers." He pointed at Eden and said, be careful or not. Just chug it down." There were other beers available, much better beers. Such as Bluemoon.

Alurea was taken off guard by how large the beach party had become, biting into the hot dog. She had to admit - human food got intriguing at times. More intriguing was the number of humans and other beings resistant to her gaze. The host towered over her 5'8" frame - he most definitely wasn't human, but she couldn't place what exactly he was.

Still, he resisted her gaze - that intrigued her. She loved a challenge. It seemed that the dragon was named "Deimos", and a man that arrived recently was close to him. An item?

Well, that explained that resistance. Alurea looked further over to see a young lady with green eyes and brown hair. Alurea may have been able to change shape to hide her horns, wings, ears, and tail, but she had no way of changing her eye color and hair color. So her magenta eyes met green. Alurea had to admit that she didn't typically aim for ladies, but sustenance was sustenance, whoever it may come from.

A passed out human on the sand at her feet came to, and she gently took his hand - brown eyes met magenta, and he seemed to snap out of his stupor in a hurry. Melting in her hand, he leaned into her touch as she helped him to his feet.

Grabbing one of the weaker alcoholic beverages, she looked at Eden with a wink and smile and sauntered away with her human pets. Her ample bust swayed in her two piece.

The dragon was sorting through thoughts for a second, remembering that Talisin was with him at the beach….. And that he was apparently taking a nap with him. He gave a light nod as Talisin ventured off, but the discomfort only grew as the party goers seemed to blatantly disrespect the notion of personal space. He knew for a fact he had become a backdrop in at least three selfies and for some reason people felt totally fine with touching him as if he were some stray dog to pet. The more draconic side of him began to grumble as he lays his head back down in a huff to go back to bed.

Then he felt hands on him, on the tender still-scaring wounds, attempting to ignore it. Perhaps if he became the most boring dragon in the world people would leave him be. But then someone kissed his scales, drunkenly stammering about something. His eyes snap open with a snort, his head jerking up as the dragon rises to his feet. The water rolled off his back as glowing wings of swirling starlight spread to either side of him and his tail lashed behind him in irritation. His jaw fell open as a familiar glow in the back of his throat grew hot with flame as his glands instinctually released their kerosine-like oil. He snaps his jaw shut, fighting his better instinct to reduce this beach to glass and bone as two trails of smoke rise from his nostrils.

Luckily now both Talisin and Jordan were here to rescue him. He pushes his nose into Jordan’s palm, eyes closing but for a moment as a trill echos from him, a much kinder and happy tone. With a front claw he writes in the sand.

‘Fell asleep on beach. Tide came in. And now everyones drunk and handsy.’

He all but glares at the tall god before him before settling himself back into a resting position, head leaned against Jordan to enjoy the head scratches. Only releasing a snort as Cades drunken ramblings had him chuckling in Talisin’s direction.

“Nice shirt” He laughs in draconic.

He supposed he had to be social… but he just really didn’t want to have to be human for the moment. Everything felt odd as a human, like he just wasn’t at peace with himself. When he was a dragon everything just clicked, but the communication barrier was becoming a problem. What did catch his attention was the mumblings and grumblings of a quickly growing crowd, eyes falling on a few of the more loud anti-meta group. He gives a little shove to Jordan to try to pull the attention towards in as subtly as he could as well as giving Taliesin a tap with the broadside of a horn. Seems the decision to remain in this form was made for him, last thing he wanted was to get stuck in a potentially dangerous situation in a more vulnerable state.

He pushes a mental image through to Jordan of the specific agitators he’d seen from his vantage point as a warning.

Taliesin



The young wizard was about to retort to being called “daddy” by the stranger, until Deimos spoke up in draconic.

”Nice Shirt.

Taliesin looked down, remembering the tanktop he had chosen out, his mind still a bit hazy from everything, and shrugged. “Well, I suppose since we’re here...” He turned to see people had started to gather around Deimos, wandering hands going where they need not go. “Oi, remember all those children stories where the dragon eats wandering idiots who enter it’s lair...” He paused, letting their minds catch up. “Imagine what they do to nosey little cunts who get touchy feely, hmmmm!”

The people quickly retracted their hands, walking away as they eyeballed Taliesin.  

Taliesin simply nodded as he watched them. “Yup, that’s right, hands off.” While he had only just met Deimos in London, he got the vibe the young dragon would prefer to simply be left alone to nap.  

Taliesin looked to Jordan, who had arrived earlier, and was now nurturing to Deimos, seemingly soothing him.  

”Hey, how come he gets to touch the...”

Taliesin quickly snapped around, pointing to the person talking, interrupting. “One more word about the dragon I will turn you into a fucking hamster.”

When he was handed the food, he simply passed it off to someone else, taking a swig of the beer he had swiped earlier, before turning back to Jordan and Deimos. “So...” He stated in Draconic, side eyeing a few more of the people wandering around. He could see they were under the influence of more than just alcohol. “I got a bad feeling these people aren’t of their right mind, and I don’t mean drunk, either...” He looked back to them. “I think our little friend has them under something.”  



Blue Gyro



Caleb looked back as Frank took a second, while to others it would seem he was just taking in the scene. But to Caleb, he knew the process very well, while it wasn’t noticeable on the outside, Frank getting himself ready to socialize, and put on the proverbial mask. He then turned back to Eden, smiling himself as he was handed a drink and food. The man offering the party favors being 12 feet tall raised some questions in Calebs mind, but in a world of people who can fly and dragons, like the one who had just settled into the water, Caleb wasn’t surprised by much anymore. He went to take a drink of the beverage, but the strong smell immediately burned his sinuses, and he set the drink on the bar. “Holy crap that is strong, couldn’t even take a drink and I feel it...” He grabbed a bottle of simple vodka from the selection. “Whatcha...” He glanced over, seeing the rather sultry woman eyeing Eden, giving her a wink before turning away, her hips swaying as two men hung off of her. “Not to judge or anything...” He looked to Eden. “But you could do way better.” He then poured out two shots of the vodka, offering Eden one of them.

Eden felt a sudden, overwhelming surge of emotion wash over her as the woman’s magenta eyes met hers, followed by that playful wink. She was beautiful. Eden could only imagine looking like her, taking care of the team would be so much easier if she was that pretty. Then they would have to listen to her no matter what.

When Caleb told her she could do better she laughed it off yet returned her confused look at this woman. Something about her and their small interaction had rooted something inside her thoughts. It wasn’t desire that gripped her, though—no, it was something far deeper and far more painful. It was the raw, unprocessed longing that had been festering inside her since Isaac’s death. That gnawing, aching void that she had tried so hard to ignore, to bury beneath her smiles, her relentless caring, and her desperate need to keep moving forward.

But now, all at once, that carefully constructed dam she had built around her grief and guilt was threatening to burst.

She felt her heart twist painfully as memories of Isaac surged to the forefront of her mind. His laugh, his reassuring smile, the way he’d always been there for her and the team, and the way he’d looked at her in those final moments before the helicopter took off. She could see him now, standing there on the tarmac, smiling at her, so full of life and confidence. And then, in an instant, that image shattered, replaced by the cold, harsh reality that she would never see him again.

Eden’s breath hitched, and she blinked rapidly, trying to push back the tears that threatened to spill over. What was this? Why was she feeling this way now?

She shook her head, trying to focus on the present, trying to cling to the normalcy of the beach, the party, her friends. But it was no use. The longing was too intense, too all-consuming. She longed for Isaac, longed for the chance to tell him how she had felt, longed to undo that terrible day in London. The regret and shame of not having done more, of not having said more, weighed heavily on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Eden knew she needed a fix, something to dull the pain, to make it go away, even if just for a little while. She had never been one to rely on quick comforts, but right now, she couldn’t think of anything else. She needed something, anything, to stop this ache before it consumed her completely.

With a shaky hand, she reached for the shot that Caleb had poured for her, her fingers trembling as they wrapped around the glass. She forced a smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and lifted the shot to her lips.

“Cheers, Caleb,” she said, her voice a little too bright, a little too forced. “Here’s to better days.”

She downed the shot in one go, the burn of the alcohol a welcome distraction from the deeper pain gnawing at her insides. But as she set the glass back down, the longing was still there, lurking just beneath the surface, refusing to be ignored.

Hastily and without a care for herself, she poured another round for the three. Waving off any concern from Caleb she explained, "Gotta catch up with the rest of the party right?" Even as she passed the glass back to Caleb, she could only look past him at that woman. Something in her felt like she could make things okay for her. Even if  just for a moment.

Picking her glass back up and downing her third shot in not even 5 minutes, Eden excused herself from her teammate and friend. "I need to walk some of this liquor off. You don't need to hear from me of all people the dangers after all the times I've already done that. I'll be enjoying the beach a little further down from all the noise." Without waiting for a response, Eden walked away and headed down the beach in the same general direction that woman had gone in.

The shot of liquor burned as it raced down his throat. He could have sped time up so he didn't have to deal with the burn but he didn't like it when he used his power for that stuff. Anytime he sped up time to do a task he felt as if he was an observer inside his own body, watching it as it automated itself. He worried that if he abused it too much that he would lose his sense of self.

Chasing the shot with a can of Coke, he slowed down time and surveyed the party. There were all sorts of strange people here, hell one of them was even a dragon but in his line of work you grew used to seeing bizarre things every day. The more unique partygoers didn't worry him so much as the slowly growing crowd of people. He wasn't quite sure what it was but something about them seemed off. Their faces and posture gave off hints of something but he couldn't place it. He didn't like the feeling he was getting, that was for certain.

Frank didn't want to make a scene or cause any trouble at an open party but he did shoot Eden and Caleb a look while nodding slightly towards the crowd. He hoped it was nothing but it was rare for him to miss something when he lived every minute like an hour.

After a purple-eyed woman flirted with Eden, Frank saw it. He watched in slowed time as his friend's expression and posture shifted. It was a sight he had sadly seen many times ever since that wretched day and it pained him that he still, after months, didn't know how to help her.

As Eden had another round of shots with Caleb and dismissed herself to go further down the beach, Frank paused time and considered what to do for a long while. He thought of letting her go, either to have time to herself or maybe even go to the purple-eyed woman. It's what he had done the last few months, letting his team handle things on their terms but between the pained expression on Eden's face and the bad feelings he was getting from the beachgoers, he didn't think being alone was a good idea.

Resuming time he pat Caleb on the back and smiled. "Hey, mind saving us some grub? I'm going to go off and check on Eden. Friends don't let drunk friends be alone right?" He clapped him on the back one more time before catching up to Eden.

"Hey Eden, wait up!"

The incredibly tall person referred to Taliesin as daddy and ran off to collect  food, faster than a person should be able to do but he was used to that. Honestly he was pretty fast, at least by human standards. Deimos growled, seeming irritated by something but the draconic came across as nothing more than nonsense to him. Even if he didn’t understand his boyfriends noises, that didn’t stop him from scratching the dragons snout and away from the glaring sore spots that were set in his scales.  He wished he could just heal them now, knit closed injured flesh and mend broken bones. Magic was never a strong suit of his, though he didn’t eve really understand why that was.

The people around them were looking, mostly paying attention to the dragon but he could feel a few eyes on him too. They probably saw him, wings flared out and propelling him through the air.  There was something strange about the tall guy, though he didn’t know what it was. Just a pit in his stomach that warned him to keep his eyes on him.  A kind of instinctual feeling, like a predator meeting another one in the deep forests of his ancestors.

A mental image hit him then.

Mostly about something. People looking with eyes narrowed, shaped like knives and glaring at their host as well as the dragon and anyone strange at the party. There was a spike in anti-metahuman sentiments across the country but he wondered if anyone would be stupid enough to pick a fight with a dragon. More draconic and he just cocked his head to the side. ”Sorry, I don’t speak draconic. Gonna need to speak it in English, Japanese, Korean or maybe spanish.” Jordan offered, wondering if the Irish sounding guy spoke any of those.  A long shot but he wanted to be certain of it.

With green eyes scanning the area around them, noting a few more phones raised and lights flashing as if they’d never heard of turning the flash off. Not like he could just smash their phones, despite how easy that would be. ”I feel like something’s trying to work at me but it’s...kinda weak.” He’d always been resistant to charms of any kind, even to the point where they were basically useless. ”Got any spells for that?” He questioned Taliesin, arcing a brow.

Kade was busy and drunk, and he was unaware of the small mob of people with bats and bricks. Angry filthy racist who hated meta-humans. He wasn't a meta human, but that doesn't matter to them nor were they smart enough to know the difference. One of them threw a brick at Kade, and it shattered on him." Death to metahumans." One screamed.

Kade felt nothing, it was like he was hit by a pillow. If he was in his right mind, he would have stopped them as they charged with bats, and bricks. He still never paid them no mind as they hit his body with bats. What they did was annoy the hell out of him. Annoying a drunk child of an eldritch god was a bad idea. He grabbed one by the arm, and squeezed, shattering his entire arm, and threw him far far into the air. The other was punched so hard that he stopped moving, his entire body was broken. He stopped and took another swig of his barrel and fell on one of them, crushing his lower body. The man started to scream and hit Kade, but Kade felt barely any of it." Gods, I am drunk." He gagged and vomited on the screaming man, the bile looked like a stream of stars.

There were more who were brave enough to throw bricks at the dragon which irritated, no enraged Kade. However, he was still being hit by twigs who stopped when he turned to them." Leave me alone!" His third eye opened and insanity gripped them before it closed. They saw the heat death of reality and the horrors of all of the outer gods. Those left were afraid, fearful of who they attacked."

There was some other fool who attempted to attack the dragon, seeing his injuries, and what was worse is he had a switchblade.