SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER (2018)

Every single time

Hence my circle so small

this was honestly so frickin HOT

Knocking his head lightly from side to side, he had agreed. Though anything was usually comfy for him, as he could fall asleep like a baby on solid concrete, or a spiked bed, perhaps, even? Azazel was never one to have a hard time getting to sleep, most of the time. He was a very good sleeper. Not so much lately, with what was rattling around in his head, “Well, it is your couch.” He noted, in amusement, “You can sleep on it if you want.”

Rubbing his left hand against his neck, he let Andrea go on, with a few nods of his head as he stayed quiet. Though he was not much of a coffee drinker, he had drunk it from time to time. Most people were a lot more social when they drank coffee. Or, at the very least, liked to drink coffee socially. Just like, most bars were full of people who only drank socially. He had to guess. “I am a sleepy person, so a good night's rest is an important part of my day.” Though he had no intention of letting her, let alone anyone else, know what was going on with him. It was a torment, but Azazel could imagine worse if he allowed himself to be unburdened by that torment.

Or maybe that was just his imagination. Glancing around, scanning over the crowds, he swallowed thickly, not sure who might be watching, with a crowd like this. Anyone, anywhere, here, could be. He had to play this off naturally, taking in a breath, he turned his head back toward Andrea, “Oh! Really? I passed by there, the store itself, the other day. Looks like it's having trouble getting off the ground.” But of course, the owners weren't, in his opinion, the most reliable. So he was surprised it hadn't burned to the ground or been condemned yet. But the 'child labor' was a nice touch. He knew it wasn't actually what was going on, but he was being a bit of a pessimist, “Nothing, sadly. Which I usually do. I guess there's been a bit of a slump?”

It was always nice to see a familiar face, especially when it is a friend of hers. She began to think of extending her break to hang out with him, she needed it after how long the day had been for the blonde. "I mean it is a pretty comfy couch, I have fallen asleep on it quite a few times myself." She chuckled. He looked like he needed the nap that she had disturbed, but she wasn't going to pry unless he wanted to talk about it.

"There is never a bad time for coffee, unless when you are trying to get a good nights rest." She took hold of his hand and helped him to his feet before letting him fix up his bag pack. "It's been pretty tiring if I'm being honest with you. I haven't been to many booths been working at the record store booth most of the day. Needed to take a break from it all. What about you? Find anything good?"

At the question, Azazel just narrowed his eyes a bit. He didn't have time for this level of stupidity, right now. Maybe it was because he had been gone for such a long time, and had only recently been going back to drinking at places that weren't his house. But, still, he stood silently in front of the other. Thinking that, this, this was someone who would be a great reason for why he hated listening to people talk, “Yes.” Azazel finally answered to having the 'usual'. His eye contact maintained on the other's own gaze, intense, as if he might be challenging the other to say something else just as abysmally stupid as what was just said. Azazel could only imagine it wouldn't take long, and he was right. Because, as Cyrek continued, he could only imagine at this point, just to annoy him, he stood quiet. Listening to what the other said, almost against his will. Tapping his fingers tips on his hands against the surface of the bar, he dropped his head down, sucking in a breath, “No? And, I don't fucking care right now.” Okay, maybe that was a lie. Lifting his head back up, he put on a grin, his head tilting slightly. Blinking, he continued, “They should put you on the case. We'll have it solved a lot sooner, I'm sure.” Maybe he should have toned it down, he told himself. He was simply just on edge, for a multitude of reasons, and Cyrek's yapping, considering their history, wasn't helping level off that edge he was on, “Mmm.” That was all he could initially offer to Cyrek, bringing up the month's specials, suddenly feeling exhausted. Inhaling, he glanced up, considering some thoughts before suddenly turning his head, then looked back to the other just as quickly. Azazel looked at the sheet that was now on the countertop and frowned, “I, hate, all of these.” He commented, unkindly, expressionless. Then placed his left hand on the sheet and pushed it back toward Cyrek. Only to bring his left hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Sure, okay. Okay. Thank you. Just, give me the usual, the hardest stuff you have. None of that crap you're peddling on that sheet. I need something that would let me breathe fire, or that could run a car.”

@boneyardstarters at the mean-eyed cat bar

After giving a PTA mom a covert look of judgment for ordering a Bloody Mary, of everything on the menu of specials, and scraping some asshole's tip in change off one of the booths and side-eyeing the coins to count them rather than look directly into the ugly mug of old George Washington, Cyrek was ready to give his attention to a regular at the bar who wasn't bitching and moaning into his deaf ear. "The usual, or you want somethin' else?" A pair of mismatched eyes hovered over their shoulder to stare at the newscasting of the latest about a victim with no blood and guts, and Vegas' finest doing really fuck-all beyond spinning their heads. "You hear the news? Bet they got no idea who it is this time, either. You'd think they would've pinned down a frequent spot and staked it out or whatever." As if the MC needed the potential for a detective to breathe down their neck more than one already was, but he digressed; small talk about local happenings keyed him up to where they should avoid, and the rumors circulating around. "I got this month's specials out now, too." Reaching under the bar to slap down a laminated sheet for some Boozy Bunny or carrot juice-infused cocktails, the latter of which reminded him of when he'd pureed the vegetable into baby food with a pot and a processor. "Unless someone gets mowed down by a guy in a bunny suit next and we gotta put those on hold, too."

what will azazel do… if they're being threatened?

Bringing his right hand up to pinch his nose, Azazel squeezed his eyes shut, hearing the threat, especially from someone who looked like they belonged in an amusement park entertaining children. For a split moment, an intrusive thought invaded his mind amongst the irritation that was consuming him. He imagined just pulling his gun on the other and firing point-blank into their head, especially given the idea that they thought he could be threatened. He'd been running with the Vitelli gang long enough now that he had heard plenty of threats, most of which did next to, if not a single thing for him. It was not that he was not scared, of course. It was simply who the threat was by, and most people he knew were not all that threatening to him. Once the invasive thought had left him, he put on a smile, offering brightness to mask how brutal he could be if any threat to him became real.

Azazel laughed, hollow, “Well, why don't we cut the chit-chat, and you get to doing that? Hm? Until then, I think there's still a place for you at the kids' table. Kay?” Turning away, he rolled his eyes and walked away, as if tempting them still to do what they threatened, instead of just being words that did nothing for him. He had a lot more things to worry about these days, than some petulant child trying to mouth off to him when one broad backhand and a few loose or knocked out teeth could send them scattering away to go whimper and whine in a corner, then cry 'wolf' because their mouth was writing checks it couldn't cash. Azazel couldn't care one bit about little dogs when there were plenty of bigger, more feral dogs to focus his efforts on. Those were less likely to talk a big game and act on their greater desires. Azazel knows to strike the shepherd, not the sheep. So he tries to lay his plans on those who act, rather than those who talk, when it is the advantage to do so.

I saw somebody. Maybe it was your fairy godfather.

@soulsuckcr Location: Stargazer Villas Time: April 11, late afternoon.

Standing out in his backyard, spraying down a lush lawn with plenty of beautifully placed plants. As a biotechnologist with a keen interest in gardening, of course, he had a very well-taken care of and curated, beautifully maintained lawn. It was calming, honestly. Given everything else in his life entirely falling apart.

He looked between his neighbor's houses, not thinking Alice was a good one to go to. Moving the hose to one side, he imagined that he had probably offended her with his abrupt dismissal of her from his house. Sighing, he knew he had to make up for it at some point. But it was for the best, he told himself. Excusing his awkward behavior. Though he looked at the other homes in the neighborhood. Moving to one of his potted plants, he picked one up, examining it before muttering that he had too much of it and would give it away.

A little bit later, he was knocking on Seokmin's door loud enough that he had to guess that there was no way he wouldn't be heard. Still, even, he rang the doorbell, just in case. “Come on. Come ooon. Be home.” Azazel muttered to himself before lifting his hand up to start knocking again, one more time before he'd just give up for now and try again later. Maybe at midnight.

As he finally caught sight of who it was that was at his door, he blinked away what remained of his sleep. His neighbor, Alice, he didn't imagine to be much to fret over. Until recently, glancing to one side, a few errant thoughts sprang to mind as to why she would be knocking at his door. Momentarily, his overthinking going to the worst, his heartbeat speeding up, he tapped a finger to his door knob, trying to put all his concern in that one part of him, appearing relaxed from Alice's point of view, “Oh. Right.” Azazel answered before looking back into his house, trying to remember if he had anything like that in his house. But of course he did, sugar seemed to be a standard in households, “No. You're not. I was-” He pauses, what was he doing? Napping in the middle of the day? It sounded like he was some kind of bum if he gave that answer, “Just getting ready for work, actually.”

He paused again to yawn again and pulled back from the door, waving her in, “Come in, or just stand there, I'll see what I got.” He then answered as he made his way to the kitchen, “Mind the mess, I'm waiting for the cleaning service to get here.” Azazel warned of the dark stains at the entrance to the house, before he disappeared into the kitchen, the sound of a couple of cabinets opening for a moment. Then he came back out, holding a pack of sugar, “Not even opened.” Though he couldn't say how long it had been in his cabinets, either. Whatever got her away from his house quickest, before anyone could see her, seemed to him to be the best way to go about this. Given the circumstances about the other.

Alice felt quite silly but in the midst of baking the cupcakes that she'd promised to make for Rhea's daycare (why had she agreed to do that again?), she realized that she didn't have any sugar. And now here she was, at her neighbor's door, literally asking to borrow sugar. She thought that was just an old saying but sure enough, here she was. Alice didn't really know Azazel too well but she figured that he seemed nice enough. Perhaps it was just the journalist in her but when he opened the door, it was pretty obvious that he had just woken up--and his question only further confirmed that. Do you realize what time it is? "Uh... Yeah, it's 2PM... Sorry to bother you, Azazel, but I was wondering if you had any sugar I could borrow? Or rather, have, I guess, since I can't really give it back? But if I'm interrupting something, I'll just go ask someone else," she said, wanting to get out of his hair. He clearly wasn't in the mood for visitors, which was fair enough.

an embrace