𝑳𝑨𝑪𝑼𝑵𝑨 [𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒] open

[Foe Paw]

( important: this is the other half of the collaborative post between myself and zyn. everything that alex says and does is just copy and pasted from that. this post is in mixed pov. also, this turned out huge as well so it's gonna be two posts. )
character guide:( alesandro & cassius)

➳ cᴀssɪᴜs cᴀʀᴄᴇʀᴇʟ
---- he/him • 32 • brown coriolanus • wing leader • location. lower caverns• tags. alex

cassius noticed alex shifting his weight and strenghtened his grip further. when the other man tried to push him back, he stepped back slightly but managed to keep wrist control. realizing that the first move to get him off balance didn't work fully to plan, alex dropped to the floor. cassius went along with it, maneuvering so that his significant weight advantage would end with him on top and still blocking off the other's retreat.

clearly alex's judgment was impaired since all of his ideas seemed to only fail. him dropping to the ground only caused the larger rider to land on top of him and one again drive the air from lungs. it took longer than he wanted before he could draw in a proper breath and until then was left gasping like a dying fish. it wasn't like there was anything else he could do while gasping, his limbs were trapped under the taller rider so he was forced to just wiggle and try and get a breath of air. when he finally got his breath back and his vision cleared he went with his only option, or maybe it was just the only option his sleep deprived brain would give him. what was his brilliant plan? to smash his forehead against cassius' and hope that it would stun them enough to shove the taller rider off of him.

alex had clearly not expected that outcome when the two of them went down, with cassius' weight slamming smaller man against the stone floor like a landslide. he was about to use that moment to snarl another demand when the surprised look on his eyes morphed to one of determination and his head cracked against cassius'.
"scorching egg!" cassius cursed, rearing back. his free hand went up to his face, already spouting blood. the stab of pain took precedence over keeping track of alex and in that moment of distraction, he'd managed to free himself from cassius' grip.

triumph flowed through alex the moment his plan worked and he squirmed free from cassius' grip. as soon as he was free he rolled to the side twice until he was out of reach and sprang to his feet. the moment his feet hit the ground he flipped backwards, a stupid move since the world spun more than it should have. thankfully years of practice made sure he landed on his feet instead of on his head. with his head spinning it took a moment as he fought to keep what food he had in his stomach down.

cassius scrambled back onto his feet, leaving bloodstains on the wall where he reached out to steady himself with the hand that had been clutching at his maybe-broken nose. he raised his head in time to watch alex spring backwards in one of his incredibly athletic moves, drawing a disbelieving pained gasp from cassius. alex watched as he struggled to get his stomach under control, though on the outside he showed no signs of his internal struggle. instead of making a move he waited, allowing cassius to catch their breath, it was the only honorable thing to do in this situation. plus it was something he would have wanted the person he was fighting to give him. cassius eyed the other man warily, but the acrobat didn't instantly press his advantage while he was off balance. he appreciated the break, and paused to prod at his own nose, being rewarded with a sharp pain which told him it was probably broken, before wiping the blood off onto his pants to keep his grip.
"look at yourself, please. you can hardly stay upright!" cassius tried pleading, gesturing to alex with a hand to encompass his weary, scuffled appearance. "this is for your own good. i will not allow you to wander away, dead on your feet, straight off a flight!"
he widened his stance down onto a fighter's base, eyeing the other man across the corridor. his frustration with alex was colored and heightened by coriolanus' instincts; he was too far drawn into the dragon's mindset to allow a rival male to prevail over him, once the fight had already started.
"whenever you're ready, mr. cain."

alex's eyes narrowed slightly at cassius' next words, it was a jab to his pride this time. telling him he couldn't stand upright was a bit rude but he didn't make a move to defend himself or lash out. the reason was because the voice that cassius used was pleading, like they really cared about him. he shook his head at the next words that popped out of cassius' face. "i am more than able to fight, a little sleep deprivation and buzzing won't hold me back" he grunted in response. mirroring cassius he slipped into his own fighters stance. at the invitation he sprang forward as though he had been waiting for those words to be spoke out loud. the first thing he try and fake cassius out, a fake low kick followed by a high kick towards the temple with his other leg. cassius blocked the low kick, trying to follow up with a jab that had to be quickly aborted as the unexpected kick came flying up at him. he threw himself to the floor to avoid it, slamming against the floor painfully but throwing out a long legs into a sweep, trying to keep alex from using his mistep to catch him with something else. as cassius hit the floor alex had only a heartbeat to react to the sweep. flipping out of the way, or trying to, he misjudged how long cassius's legs were and his hand hit the ground just within range of the sweep. with his hand being swept out from under him alex hit the ground hard rapping his chin against the ground. mentally he cursed cassius' superior height as he rolled to his feet. this marked three times that the air in his lungs had been knocked out of him. this time however he was able to react quicker and he danced backwards and out of reach again. it was break to allow him to catch his breath and learn how to ignore the ringing in his ears.

[Foe Paw]

➳ cᴀssɪᴜs cᴀʀᴄᴇʀᴇʟ
---- he/him • 32 • brown coriolanus • wing leader • location. lower caverns• tags. alex

cassius got to his feet as well, making use of the lull in the fight to grit his teeth and refocus. he had the physical advantage, having more reach and mass, but he couldn't underestimate the other's craftiness. it stung even more for being a move that he might have seen coming if he'd been warier. well, two could play that game. he allowed for alex to look like he was ready before he stomped forward, drew his arm back, and threw a punch, hard and heavy as a farmhand swinging an axe. halfway through his clumsy swing, he let his ponderous haymaker punch evaporate. suddenly, he no longer looked like a lumbering bull, and instead, he darted forward and snapped out three quick punches.
alex was relieved when it took a moment for cassius to catch their breath, it allowed him to fully regain his breath. he dropped into a crouch the moment that cassius indicated he was ready again. apparently he wasn't ready though since he tried to dodge to the side and if it hadn't been a fake out he might have actually gotten hit. it was fake though and so instead of getting out of the way of the punch three more punch's knocked him back. despite his best efforts in catching himself he was flung backwards and hit the ground with a thud. for what felt like the hundredth time that day of getting the air knocked out of his lungs, so gasping for breath he pushed himself to his feet. this time was considerably slower than last time.

the brown rider smirked, seeing the end of the fight within reach. he waited for another moment for alex to return to his feet again and then paused for a couple of beats further, like he was waiting for the other man to offer a surrender. when nothing was forthcoming, he stalked forwards, waiting to come close enough to throw out another couple of punches. the fire burning in alex's chest, the fire the fuel this fight and had been dwindling was reignited with that smirk. it was all it took to kick the fight back in the rider. however he kept his eyes on the ground to keep cassius from seeing the fire in his eyes. the moment cassius got close enough his snapped his head up and skipped out of reach so that he could spin around the rider. as soon as he was in the right position he struck out at the back of cassius' knee. his aim was to bring cassius to their knees and as the were falling follow up with a kick to the side. he stumbled forward when his knee buckled from under him, with the air being driven from his lungs by the sharp kick at his ribs. cassius gasped for air, struggling to inhale through his broken nose, and swung out blindly behind him. alex would have grinned if it wasnt so rude to do so. however his victory was short lived when a fist swung out and he barely got away with a glancing blow to his side. there was no way for him to get a good hold on cassius so he flipped away again to give them time to stand out. it seemed it was going to be a battle of stamina.

he growled at alex from where he'd been crouching down. the more the fight went on, the harder it became to fight the pull of the draconic mind. there wasn't much strategy he could conduct in such a state, but animal cunning could still make a powerful tool, as well as straight power. he pounced at the other man with a roar, aiming for a very simple strategy: to drag him down and keep him there. the last this alex expected was a tackle, a punch sure even a kick. but he hadn't even thought of a tackle and is he was completely caught off guard. what reaction he did have came far too late. a large weight hit his chest and he went down, hitting the ground with a large thud. the breath was knocked out of him and so he was pinned below cassius while gasping for air.

cassius lifted himself back up from his tackle, hands bracketing alex's head on the floor. pausing for a long second, staring down into the other man's dazed brown eyes and dripping blood on him from his broken nose, trying to remember for what reason he was fighting again. it took him longer than it should have, but he managed to grasp at the thought - room. he rose back up and grabbed alex by the scruff of his neck while the bronze rider was still stunned and wheezing from his spearing tackle. he walked back inside the room, half-carrying half-dragging him, and dumped the man unceremoniously on the dusty bed. "ha." was all the commentary he had the mental processing power to deliver, smirking at alex again. the uncomplicated physical exertion of winning a fight felt wonderful at the moment.

whatever fight that had been inside alex seemed to die with his inability to draw in a fresh breath of air. instead the tiny struggles were more to do with the fact that he couldn't get a proper breath in rather then trying to last out against cassius. he was finally able to draw in a nice long breath of air when he was dumped on the bed. for a moment unfocused eyes drifted up to cassius' and he struggled to get his world to stop spinning. the moment his was able to focus he heard the small ha from cassius and instinctively reached up latching onto the taller man's hand. "just cause you won this time doesn't mean we can have a round two for the bedroom" he grunted with a smirk. he foolishly thought he could just roll to his feet and try again.

cassius was turning away when he felt the other man's hand on his wrist, like a branding iron on his too-sensitive nerves. his attention snapped back to him like iron fillings to a magnet. under the golden haze of the ride, whatever reason he had at the first to keep away seemed as flimsy as what his rider had said to him earlier that day. or was it what he had said to his dragon? cassius paused, but not long enough for doubt to catch up with him. reaching out with a leg, he decisively shut the door behind him and laid down next to alex.

[Zyn]

☣ ℝ𝕪𝕝𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟'𝕒𝕥𝕙 ☣
Fighter || Sick || Nirynda || Male || Twenty-Four || The Ghost

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
☣ Location: Medical Bay
☣ Tags: Spade, Tyveer
☣ Mood: Worried, Cautious
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
Ryldree tilted his head slightly as Spade gave him a once over, perhaps searching for a reason that he should go. Whatever the reason Spade's expression relaxed and then they nodded towards Tyveer. It meant that they were okay with helping him. It was also good that they hadn't picked up on his statement. Ryldree didn't know what he would do if they taken it the wrong way. As he took a step towards the bronze dragon, a hand reaching out to aid him in the climb something odd happened. Almost as soon as his hand was just about to touch the hide of the huge dragon they jerked away, spinning around to lift off the ground and back into the sky. Ryldree couldn't help the shock that flickered across his face and it took a moment for his heart to get back to a regular pace. At the sound of the curses he spun around so fast that he almost gave himself whip lash. Worried cut creases on his face as he peered at the taller rider, almost instantly he knew what was happening. Not because he was feeling the effects but because he had seen the effects on the other riders. It wouldn't be long before even he felt the effects, even without a rider it was an unpleasant feeling.

Making his way over to Spade cautiously he eyed the taller rider with concern. In a similar movement to what had just happened with Tyveer, he reached out trying to place a reassuring hand on the riders shoulder. Before he could touch the rider, Spade seemed to focus on him and the words that were spoken ripped Ryldree's heart to pieces. Jerking back he couldn't help the hurt look that flashed across his face as he took a step back. The look was quickly replaced with stress as he lifted a hand to rake his fingers through his hair again and again while he struggled to think. The haze was starting to affect him now. The small things were much harder to deal with now then they had been a couple moments ago. After a long moment he fixed Spade with a stressed out expression and he gestured around them. "Where?" he asked, his gestures hopefully got his intention across. Where was he supposed to go? With the rise there was only one place he could go to stay out of the way and there was no way he could get there without running into someone. The best option was to stay. His expression cleared to a thoughtful one. "Stay" he said firmly and then peered into the medical bay. It looked like there were at least two beds in the room. "Two beds. I can stay here. You can too" he said slowly and reached out once more, this time he was able to grab Spade's hand.

[YupItReallyIsMe]

Evelyn~ 21~ Junior Queen~ Ariesa~ Location:Medbay> Bowl~ Tags: Alyss

Evelyn was scared. More than she ought to admit to anyone ever. She'd never experienced such a feeling and Ariesa's anger and agitation were overwhelming as Evelyn tried to keep herself calm. She could feel herself getting agitated too and she knew if they didn't leave now, nothing good would come of them. Evelyn waited for Alyssa to climb up and clip herself in, all the while urging Ariesa to not fly, to not go fight, to take them away. 'go.' was all she could manage and Ariesa moved immediately. Just as they'd hit the sky, a roar echoed and Ariesa was pulling away from Evelyn's hold on her. Every inch of Ariesa wanted to go fight for her place and it was all Evelyn could do to yell "NO!" She fought with her dragon, feeling like she was fighting her own urge, and managed to get them to fly away. Evelyn tossed a look back over her shoulder and could see, in the distance, the Queen flying with several of the sanctuary's dragons after them.


She could feel Ariesa's will to fight dwindling the further they got from the group of flyers but Evelyn's strength was also dwindling. Forcing Ariesa away took every inch of the connection with her dragon to get her away and Alyss to relative safety. Ariesa dove low, flying near the ground, and when the pull to fight could no long be felt, Evelyn had her land. Evelyn breathed a heavy sigh. "We'll search for your dragon here today." She was out of breath and still had to keep her eye on Ariesa in case the queen switched directions and came back this way. She could still feel Ariesa's frustration, her anguish in not being able to take flight with the others or claim her place as queen.

Roemere~ 25~ Healer~ Haelan~ Tags: None~ Location:Medical Bay >Bowl

Roemere heard an almost deafening road and could feel Haelan move in response. Haelan was flying, wanting to chase after the queen but knew he wouldn't be able to chase her down. That the larger dragons would fight him off. So when he took off, he began to fly the opposite direction, away from the fray of the flight. However, he did want some other dragon to be with. He didn't want to be alone, and Roemere felt the same intense emotion. He didn't want to be alone either. Roemere could see himself flying through the clouds, in search of any other dragon to be near and felt himself moving along, as though being guided. He needed to be near someone.

[Panik]

|────spade───
|wing leader
|bronze tyveer
|medical bay
|tags| ryhdree
|tags|
|───────────

doing his best to ignore his instincts, spade tried to steady himself by taking a deep breath. it seemed to be working. spade might be able to huddle down if he could keep everything in. that was until a certain hand touched him. he should have pulled away, could have, but it was so much easier to just go along with him. spade was able to keep his mouth shut and mind blank long enough for ryhdree to pull him along. "where are we going?" it was asked softly but his question was answered shortly after. "fine, we'll wait it out here." but that could be a bad idea. keeping his eyes off the other male, he could see the ground at a large distance up in the air. already the gold dragon was far from tyveer and the bronze dragon was falling behind bronze and browns alike. the fact frustrated tyveer and by extension spade grew frustrated.

a quick glance around the medical bay told spade what he already knew. they were alone. "talk to me." his voice was gruff and he was sure it would sound harsh but he needed the distraction. "you haven't found your dragon yet." it wasn't a question but a statement. "how are you feeling?" spade walked to one of the beds and sat at the foot of it. he kept his eyes on the ground. it was safer there. for now.

|────ian───
|fighter
|brown sorrin
|queens room?
|tags| viviana
|tags|
|───────────

he was not the first there, nor was he the last, ian waited outside viviana's room, his heart beating roughly from hurrying over. when he closed his eyes he could see the gold light getting closer and closer. his wings flapped down in excitement and captivation from the light coming from the gold dragon. "faster... faster..." He repeated, barrow dodging out of the way from a larger bronze zooming past. veer left. then right. almost there, now lunge forward. their minds were one and the same. one second he was at the gold' heels the the next he was shoved aside, three dragons including sorrin spiraling before righting themselves.

|────amora────
|agriculture
|green kalair
|bowl
|tags | roemere
|────────────

kalair flew around but stayed near by, the effect on most in the sanctuary putting them both a bit on edge. she was a little dirty from leaving her job and the attempt at making herself normal was subpar at best. as they ended up further away from the livestock pens, amora and kalair spotted a human dragon pair. the green beast above her shivered and flew away towards the blue dragon, to excited for her own good. this made amora hesitate. her dragon reached the blue much quicker then amora neared roemere. she stood a few feet back, out of arms reach but close enough that she needn't yell. "afternoon. looks like there's going to be a new prince." she stated knowing it was obvious. even at this distance she felt better near another person and kalair seemed pkleased too.

[azhefa.]

xxx𝑉𝐼𝑉𝐼𝐴𝑁𝐴

》i. ana ii. 28 iii. female iv. queen of sanctuary v. rider of gold corenth vi. heterosex/rom & single

x───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

the flight was quite long compared to the previous one that took place almost a year ago. almost twice as long actually. the golden queen flew high and far across the sky, dipping and diving and twisting away from the males that chased her. she could feel the frustration and anger the males were feeling behind her, their bickering grew stronger as the flight went on. of course the blues were the first to break away and give up, the tiny males weren't strong enough to keep up with a glorious beast like herself. a few more males drop out of the flight, most of which were browns, but several were still flying strong.

corenth's wings started to tire after a while and she starts to pay more attention on the males still giving chase. it was an even race with three browns and three bronzes left fighting to catch her. she wasn't very interested in the browns as they were much smaller than herself so she looks more closely at the bronzes who flew instead. corenth eyes tyveer for a moment before looking to paarthurnax then tiberius. each bronze had it's interests, but it was actually a brown that really catches her eye. she contradicts her previous thoughts of browns being inferior. the brown was flying quite well even though he had been knocked aside by the larger bronzes.

the queen roars at the males and does a quick twist and roll, getting away from the bronzes and closer to sorrin. the way she moves makes it appear as of she simply forgot the brown was still there, but she has already chosen her mate. the brown was quick to act upon her movements and jets ahead enough to get in position before reaching out and grabbing ahold of the queen. corenth's wings falter and they fall for a minute before righting themselves and join together in a close embrace, their necks and tails twined together.

the roars of the defeated bronzes and fellow browns can be heard across the skies before the break away and search for their own partners. back at sanctuary, the riders were engaged in their own activities. viviana was in her own quarters with her new prince. the structure of the flock has been restored with the gold's choice, though questions will definitely arise once others realize it was a brown who caught the queen and not a bronze like everyone had assumed would.

x───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
xxxxxlocation; room x mentions; others x tags; others, ian

[azhefa.]

xxx𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑨𝑲𝑨𝑰

》i. mika ii. 22 iii. male iv. hunter v. brown enzo vi. has 4 lizards vi. bisex/rom & single

x───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

with enzo so enthralled by the queen's imminent rise, mika could barely think straight. he keeps being drawn into his dragon and must fight his way back into himself. the hunter turns to blair as she comes closer and he holds a hand up to stop her. "no, i have to leave, i don't want to drag you into something you don't want." he doesn't want to hurt the woman, he likes her, but he doesn't want her to suffer through something she doesn't have to go through. mika shivers as enzo roars again, the queen must be waking up and there was less than a minute left for him to get somewhere else. maybe once this was over, they can go back to her search. he'd enjoy being the rider who helped a new gold rider find their dragon.

x───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
xxxxxlocation; search [forest] x mentions; others x tags; blair

[Zyn]

☣ ℝ𝕪𝕝𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟'𝕒𝕥𝕙 ☣
Fighter || Sick || Nirynda || Male || Twenty-Four || The Ghost

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
☣ Location: Medical Bay
☣ Tags: Spade
☣ Mood: Worried, Unsure
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
Relief flickered across Ryldree's face when Spade agreed to wait there, it hadn't really crossed his mind that it could be a bad idea. The only thing on his mind right now was that Spade hadn't wanted to run off and this was the best place. It was off the beaten path and he didn't know many people who would come here for the rise. Ryldree's gaze flickered around the room, he had been right when he had spotted the two beds. Both were empty and across from each other with a what looked like a curtain that could be drawn between the two of them. Maybe for privacy? His gaze jumped back to Spade when he heard them tell him to to talk to them. An odd request for him given how quiet he was. Even he heard the whispers of people to whom he had never spoken too, whispers that he was a mute and couldn't speak. It was just the way he liked it, talking was never going to be his strong suit and he disliked the feeling of speaking. However he wasn't about to deny such a simple request, even with his dislike for speaking it wasn't so bad. He was jolted from his thoughts when a wave of nausea hit him as the buzzing seemed to increase in volume and he took all he had to calmly walk over to one of the beds. As he sat down he heard Spade, he hadn't found a dragon yet and it was why he was like he was now. A hurt look flickered across his face before switching to one of confusion and then finally a an uncertain one. In those expressions who might be able to get his whole thought process without him speaking. Hurt that Spade had mentioned the one thing that truly bothers him. Confused as to why Spade had said it and then finally confusion over the question.

Dropping his gaze to his hands he fiddled with the blanket. For a long moment Ryldree was quiet as he mulled over the question and then finally he lifted his gaze back to Spade, this time his gaze was calm. From his expression alone it would be hard to figure out what he was thinking. Thankfully he had gotten up the energy to speak out loud. "No dragon in sight, I fear I might not survive if I do not find my dragon on this next search. On top of that the rise is making it hard to focus" he admitted. Maybe it was the fact that it was Spade that allowed him to be honest. If it was that then it would make sense, he had at one point trusted Spade with his life. Not that it had really changed, the only thing that had changed was their relationship status. He still would trust the taller rider with his life. With that enlightening thought he peered at Spade with visible worry. "How are you feeling?" he asked above the buzzing in his ears. If he hadn't been to aware of his own voice he might have shouted over the buzzing. Luckily despite the loud buzzing he was able to keep his voice at a tolerable level. He almost wanted to ask if they wanted him to leave but he couldn't bring himself to ask it out loud. Instead that question was left on the tip of his tongue, left to never be spoken. Maybe he would regret that later on but right now he wouldn't, no he couldn't allow himself to think of such things already.

[Zyn]

⚔ 𝒜𝓁𝑒𝓈𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓇𝑜 𝒞𝒶𝒾𝓃 ⚔
Wing Leader || Healthy || Paarthurnax || Kixin || Male || Thirty || The Acrobat

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
⚔ Location: Lower Caverns
⚔ Tags: Cassius
⚔ Mood: Gloomy, Guilt-Ridden
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
The golden haze was thick in Alex's mind, impairing his decisions. He didn't even have time to think about his doubts from earlier when Cassius closed the door and lay down next to him. With a smirk he rolled to face the taller rider and all thoughts went out the window as he leaned forward for a kiss

{ fade to black/time skip }

Brown eyes flickered around the room once again. He had woken up not long ago and had gotten quite the shock to the system to find that he was in the bedroom with Cassius. Cassius was still there, a glaring reminder of his mistake. Had it been anyone else he wouldn't feel as horrible, but this was Cassius. The same man he had had a crush on for twelve years, maker only knows what Cassius would think of him if they found out. With that depressing thought he let his gaze continue across the room. Then he shifted slightly and his gaze dropped down to his hands, one was holding onto his shirt that he was about to put on. For some reason he had been quick to pull on his pants but he was slower at putting on his shirt. Staring at his hands brought back all the shock that he had first felt upon waking up. There was haze over his mind, though instead of the golden haze it was a haze of regrets as self loathing. He had only meant to help Cassius find a place to hide and due to his own stupidity it had turned into this. With slow movements he slowly put on his shirt while mulling over all the reasons why Cassius was going to hate him now. As he was buttoning the shirt he came to the conclusion that there was no way that the other rider could hate him as much as he hated himself. Which shouldn't have been as reassuring as it was. With his own flawed logic he assumed that if someone found a way to hate him more than he hated himself that had to mean he was a truly horrible person. With that thought he reached down and picked up the harness.

It was in that moment that he realized that he had been letting his emotions show on his face. With a deep breath he relaxed his face muscles to bring himself back to a neutral expression. Centering himself with a couple of breaths he pulled on his past experiences to allow himself to remember how to do this whole act. Then the mask came back on, a friendly grin that he always wore. A smile to hide what was really happening behind those brown eyes. It was performance and as his mother had always told him, the show must go on. It didn't matter what had happened or what was happening he had to have the smile on his face. It was what the crowds wanted, they didn't want an acrobat that was upset. No they wanted the broad smiles and face happiness. With that logic there was no way he could allow anyone to see his inner thoughts. Even though he knew that he was no longer a performer it was hard to get rid of those deeply engrained habits. The only time he lost that control was when he was super sleep deprived or during the queens rise. Otherwise he fancied his performance flawless, there had only been one person who had seen through his mask so face. Letting his gaze flicker back to the harness in his hands he nimbly finished the buckles and belts before looking up again. He would have the performance of a lifetime coming up if Cassius woke up now.

[Foe Paw]

➳ cᴀssɪᴜs cᴀʀᴄᴇʀᴇʟ
---- he/him • 32 • brown coriolanus • wing leader • location. lower caverns• tags. alex

cassius woke up slowly and naturally. his body ached from physical exertion in a not altogether unpleasant way, although it was detracted from by a pulsing pain from his nose, which felt swollen, and a layer of dried blood that crackled when he tried to sit up straight, dazed and half-asleep, to look around an unfamiliar room. on the edge of the bed sat alex, staring listlessly down at his own hands. at the sight of how his slender back was curved, as if put under some great weight, cassius' brain caught up with him enough for him to be filled with a wave of shame and regret. how could he have done this again? he had failed in every possible level. not only had he not managed to reach a safe spot for himself, but he'd also managed to drag someone he greatly admired down with him, becoming entangled in an affair without his consent. worse that it was what alex had been actively trying to avoid, as had he. he'd started a fight with the other rider, for the first egg's sake. that much he could remember, although the events of last night were becoming difficult to recall, mixed in with coriolanus' memories of wheeling through the air, chasing the queen through the air until he could no longer continue. at least his dragon would be feeling the sting of failure as well, he thought viciously, before recriminating himself. it wasn't coriolanus' fault for behaving as was in his nature to do; one might as well try to blame a fish for swimming. no, there was only one person in this situation who could have done something to avoid it, if they weren't such a failure; himself.

he swung his legs to the side of the bed, finding his pants, stained with blood and worse, thrown haphazardly to the floor, which he put back on. when he looked up again, alex had also redressed and was smiling at him; it was his usual, brilliant and charming expression, but it sat so strangely on the face that not a second ago cassius had seen set in a despondent look that he couldn't help but feel like it wasn't wholly genuine. that glimpse of pain on his face now erased renewed cassius' shame at having caused it in him, although having the attention of the man he wronged turned on him made cassius have to fight back the wholly useless desire to pull the blanket up to cover his bare chest.

he leapt to his feet, almost startled, and bowed deeply to alex. "i must apologize. in allowing things to get out of hand - no, in putting you in that situation in the first place - i caused you harm. i cannot ask for your forgiveness, but will have to content myself with expressing how deeply, profoundly sorry i am for what i did to you." cassius returned to the ramrod-straight posture of a soldier expecting a superior's recriminations. sanctuary likely wouldn't charge him with a crime for last night's events, but extenuating circumstances or not, cassius would feel much better if he was standing before a court-martial as just deserts instead of submitting to the judgment of his fellow wing-leader. he kept his stare straight ahead, not daring to look into alex's warm brown eyes for fear of what he'd see in them.