ꜱ1ᴇ5　　bar

@✠　Eden Zale’s heart beat in his chest quicker than a running rabbit’s, he could feel the blood pounding in his ears, behind his eyes. He should have pulled a stunt like this sooner. Minor inconveniences to one another’s daily lives were things that got them nowhere, but this - Zale should’ve started another real fight a while ago. Granted, he should’ve done it closer to where he’d have the advantage, as the Dream Guard’s Captain was not a water snake. Out of the corner of his eye, he knew they were being watched by an increasing amount of people. But it didn’t matter to him, Zale had gathered a reputation for being able to slip away from dramatic situations. If he could save his own life after his failure in the tunnels, running from a costume party without being arrested for assault couldn’t be difficult.

Being arrested - he mulled the thought over in his mind. No, if Eden were to tell the mayor who he was, what he’d done, he’d probably receive an execution rather than a slap on the wrist. And that would be him back to square one, praying that he would be brought back again in time to be the one that ended the snake monster. Then he’d have double the rage though, he supposed.

A heavy grunt left the water elemental when the foot hit his gut. He was distracted, momentarily, by someone whispering that someone should break the two up before things got especially ugly.

@✧　Zale Cirillo ↳ ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 31, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: sit down - nct 127

Flushed with anger, Eden felt his hair ripple, threatening to transform into a writhing mass of vipers spitting venom. The people at the bar area were, thankfully, smart enough to not get in the path of the warring pair, but Eden could definitely hear someone ask if anyone was recording the fight—Eden was sure it was /very/ entertaining to see two people in costumes fighting at the Mayor's first costume party.

Oh, right. They were at Ziminiar's costume party.

That realization wasn't enough for Eden to try and withdraw from the fight. So his best friend's party was being effectively ruined—he'd apologize to the Mayor and explain later and Ziminiar wouldn't say anything about it unless he wanted to receive a spear to the throat. The gorgon wheezed when Zale's shoulder drove into his abdomen, taken off guard when he had to fix his sunglasses. Of course Zale would take advantage of a moment where Eden's concentration slipped minutely. Eden would have done the same thing. But the Guard Captain recovered quickly and retaliated, crushing his knee against his chest so he could drive a foot up and into Zale's gut.

@✠　Eden “I’ll have your head, like I had hers. I’m disappointed I don’t have it still, mother and son would’ve looked good next to one another,” The water elemental hissed back, grunting as he was pushed, preventing him from getting his hands around the gorgon’s throat as they were both sent tumbling again. Causing a scene was precisely the goal of Zale, and he was succeeding. If nothing else came of the night, he could have this to gloat and revel in. With their struggling, he’d lost the serpent headband that’d sat neatly upon his head up until being attacked.

It took waiting the precious moments for Eden to remove one hand for Zale to shift his weight up again, throwing his shoulder into the gorgon’s abdomen. He’d hoped the force would be enough to, at the very least, wind his opponent slightly. The elemental didn’t much fancy being hauled off his foe and experiencing some time in prison for assault. No, very few people knew Zale to have a connection to Eden, so running would be the safest option. It would just come when he’d had his fun.

@✧　Zale Cirillo ↳ ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 31, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: bermuda - sickick

"Getting rusty in your old age," Eden panted, the Greek slipping easy off his tongue, like venom from one of his fangs. Zale had kept him from getting to his throat, but a few seconds slower and Eden would have had his fangs deep in hero flesh. The gorgon reached up and hooked a hand under Zale's chin, pushing his head to the side and throwing his body weight behind the movement to roll himself and his opponent, unwilling to allow himself to be trapped or pinned down—that would be the end of their battle, certainly—and Eden didn't want to be embarrassed in the middle of the city he was meant to protect.

Of course, if the Dream Guard thought Eden was in danger, they would most likely intervene. Eden wanted to avoid that—he had done his best to hide as many of them as he could from Zale—and so he disregarded the fact that they were in a public place and had pulled out all the stops. He risked a moment of only keeping one hand on Zale so he could push his sunglasses up—Eden didn't want to petrify anyone, that would be a /terrible/ way to end the party and be exposed as a gorgon—but he also didn't want to be fighting blind, so he just had to keep his sunglasses on and his eyes on Zale.

@✠　Eden The snake was gone, and that was one of Zale’s worries out of the way. This wasn’t his natural element - if he could run to the pool, pull Eden in with him, he’d undoubtedly have the upper hand in their fight. But running would make him seem like a coward - and he’d been the one to fish for the fight. He tried not to writhe, to avoid getting the gorgon’s acid blood on himself. No, he wouldn’t allow himself to be burned by it, that would give his foe a higher advantage.

With size being his greatest weapon, he’d hoped to pin Eden easily, spit in his face, leave and call the party a night. But when the snake creature lunged for his throat, he was forced to throw himself back, hands releasing his foe’s shoulders with an angry curse of his own. Venom and toxic blood were two things that Zale could hardly defend himself against without water. However, he couldn’t leave it like this and try to run. He shoved again, throwing himself forward to try and hold the gorgon down enough to get him in some kind of headlock.

@✧　Zale Cirillo ↳ ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 31, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: industry baby - lil nas x

How dare he. How /dare/ Zale. Eden barely registered Slink slithering away to find someone else, probably a Dream Guard, perhaps to pull Eden and Zale apart. The gorgon was focused on the opponent he was rolling on the floor with. Eden's bleeding hand ripped the snake crown from Zale's head, acidlike blood eating through the metal. Ziminiar, and the fact that they were disrupting Ziminiar's party that had barely even started, was not a thought on Eden's mind as he wrestled with his mortal enemy, the gorgon squirming around so Zale couldn't get a good hold on him.

Size was Eden's disadvantage in this battle, but he would not allow Zale to get the best of him when he had arrived making a mockery of the captain's mother, who he had murdered. And for what? What had he stood to gain? The gorgon was furious, his sunglasses barely hanging on to his face as they scuffled. Eden bared fangs, hissing at the elemental. He lurched forward, teeth snapping toward Zale's throat.

@✠　Eden The reaction was perfect. The glass shattering was music to his ears. He sneered at the snake that appeared to be taking as much of a distaste to him as Eden did. He had no love for the creatures. They looked like they’d be slimy. What did they think they were doing, only needing to eat a few times a month?

Zale hadn’t the time to even take a sip from his drink before he was lunged at. The water elemental tumbled from the stool. His fingers wrapped into the gorgons shirt, tugging him down to the floor alongside him. The hands were clawing for his throat, and Zale was already hastening to return blows. He had no doubt that things would get ugly quickly, if they weren’t separated. He knew he risked exposing himself - if any of the guard knew that their precious captain had an enemy waiting for each given moment to strike at him.

The mayor would undoubtedly be disappointed with the fact that he couldn’t have one nice party, but Zale regretted nothing.

@✧　Zale Cirillo ↳ ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 31, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: moonlight - lovelyz

Rage.

That was the first thing Eden registered as he stared back at Zale—his archenemy who had the /nerve/ to appear in Eden's presence wearing... wearing... oh, could it even be called a costume?! The Dream Guard and the water elemental both knew what Zale was doing. Whose face he was choosing to wear.

The glass in Eden's hand shattered, but Eden couldn't even register the oil slick blood that slowly trickled out of the lacerations in his palm and fingers. The viper draped about his shoulders hissed, swaying up as he felt the gorgon's rage. Eden was frozen, glaring at Zale behind his sunglasses.

He remembered finding his mother in a pool of her own blood, beheaded by the 'hero' Perseus, and before Eden realized what he was doing, he had exploded out of his own stool and lunged for Zale's throat with a cry of utter rage.

@✠　Eden Slinking between gathered people, Zale made his way to the bar. If he was to muster any more charming and complacent smiles, he was going to need a drink. Even a glass of water would dk - some hydration to get him through the evening and refrain from any violence. No, he was on best behaviour. He was here to torment one person, not everyone attending. His eyes landed on a familiar figure. They lightened, brightening like a cat who’d spotted a mouse. Eden. This was the perfect opportunity to get the chaos he was itching for.

“Captain Eden, how have you been?” He purred as he slid onto a bar stool, limbs facing the party. He could get up and make a run for it if the reaction for his costume was taken poorly. It was very clear what he was portraying. Who he was portraying. The reaction he hoped to cause from it. After ordering a glass of water. He was prepared to have it thrown at him, anyway.