Hasley had set up a table somewhere in the center of the room. She had enough glitter on her, she didn't need some strippers bs two-dollar whatever all over her fucking face.
It wasn't that Hasley had anything for a place like this. They really didn't do much for Rhymien in any of his puppets. Boring. Boring. Predictable. He hated the predictable.
Lately, Rhymien had been enjoying Adrithen. Surprising, since he'd always had a soft spot for Hasley, though he rarely took out that disguise before. He knew that Elric would recognize her easier, though.
Which brought them right back around to why Hasley was here in the first place. She'd texted Elric's old number this address and decided she'd wait to see if he happened to show up. Old partners reunited and what not!
The idea was an exciting one on a deeper level to Rhymien, who had always had a sort of soft spot for Elric. It was strange to think that Elric had known him for so long. He usually picked up and left.
In all honestly, Elric had no clue why he still kept a second other phone with him. No one had contacted him for ages through the other number; it was nigh impossible for anyone to even contact him at this point. He had a different one for more public connections, but while he also considered to get a new one for his other habits, for some reason he found himself clinging to his old contact number.
And for some reason, by some miracle, he found it alerting earlier that day. Though curious at first, he found himself frozen in place the moment he saw the name tagged on the message. Did it feel like his hands and feet got cold? Maybe. It wasn't like he was expecting him to suddenly... pop back in after a while. Rhymien was barely anything like that type as he remembered him.
A bit suspicious? Maybe. Anxious? Probably. Oddly excited? Definitely! It would be stupid to say he felt like he had the jitters after reading the message that he almost broke character in the middle of school. Somehow, he just managed to contain himself until he was out of the spotlight as Ildefons, and into the shadows back as Elric -- dressed with an ensemble different from how Rhymien last saw him with.
He followed the address given, taking him into a more tasteful club down the Strip. He had to hide how his breath seemed to get caught in his throat when he found Hasley there. Schooling his expression to something a more familiar grin, he spoke as he took another step forward into the room. "Been a long while hasn't it? Did you miss me already?"
She ran to her old partner and threw her arms around him. "I forgot how small you were!" was among the first things Hasley decided to say. Rather than a tired out hello or how do you do.
She pulled back to inspect his face, her own grin set and loopy as if intoxicated. Rhymien hadn't seen Elric in entirely too long. A funny thought because generally speaking Rhymien could go hundreds or years without seeing someone again and not think anything of it. Or, he could leave and never see them at all. But Elric had always had a special place in his terrible tornado of a heart. Gross. Gushy.
Wiping tears that weren't present from her eyes, Hasley slapped her hands over Elric's cheeks. "Of course I missed you! What have you been up to my main squeeze? Who you been fucking? I hear there are a lot of big name crazies around here, so naturally, I had to come take a little peaky peak."
If it were anyone else, Elric might have thrown anyone over who'd pick on his size. That was how people usually dared him into a fight -- but there was those people and there was Rhymien being himself. The most he would get is Elric pushing his face away by a grip to the jaws. "Nice to know my height isn't my most remembered trait to you," he chuckled.
Elric looked back at Hasley's grin with a smirk of his own. He hasn't seen Hasley in so long but he hadn't really forgotten her face. There was no way he could with her brand of theatrics, really but if he said that grin of hers wasn't equally as intoxicating as it looked, he would be flat out lying to himself. And that was saying something considering all the lies he'd told himself to feel less bad about everything he did.
He lazily peeled Hasley's hands off his face, holding on to her hands so they wouldn't go back if she tried. "I have unfortunately been out of huge trouble for lengths of time that you'd be disappointed with," he said rather dramatically, staring off into the side like he himself was just as saddened by the idea of it. He snapped out of this look just as quick. "This place is definitely a madhouse with all those people here; I'm sure you'd blend in perfectly well."
There was this one question that bugged him since earlier. "How did you even know I was here? For a second, I thought someone was gonna be trying to snuff me out."
Then Elric asked the million dollar question, and Hasley's eyes met his. Her smile showed teeth, and she gave one of those all too rare earnest looks. "I didn't," she admitted. "I just took a guess and hoped it worked. Like I had a plan? C'mon, Elly!"
Another quick look around and Hasley was keen to move move move anywhere. She hated standing still, especially in a place with a rhythm like this. The beat of magic, blood, and music. Ah, she was going to enjoy this place. She needed to focus, though.
Hasley leaned forward and set her forehead to Elric's, speaking in a hushed whisper. Words shared only between them. "I was surprised when my message went through. I expected you would have gotten rid of the thing after all these years.... were you hoping I would call?"
In a strange way, Rhymien had always known he would return to Elric. It had never occurred to him to maybe tell Elric this, instead of one day being there and the next gone.
"I could say I wanted to tell you I'd be leaving, but we both know I'd be lying. Something called, and I left, but I thought about you. Ten years -- that's not a long time for me. Probably not long for you, either. It felt like a week, but then I noticed the calendar."
The last part was a joke, and Hasley gave a huffy laugh, nuzzling their noses.
"Yep, that definitely sounds like you," Elric laughed, breaking into a grin that could rival her's. People have come and gone but he wasn't going to lie and say he didn't miss her toothy grins. He'd known Hasley long enough not to miss the way she was looking about but any words he considered to say were muted when lessened the distanced between their faces.
Elric's grin faded in to a softer smile when he'd heard her laugh. It was barely even a smirk -- It wasn't rare per se, but it was still more reserved than his usual. Just as it appeared for only a moment, it was gone in a flash. "Are you expecting me to say yes to that question?" he breathed out, huffing a soft chuckle. He wouldn't say that was the reason -- but it could have been. Somewhere in him, he had at least hoped for him to send at least a hello after a while. It never really happened but he didn't ever have the heart to dispose of the old thing. He just... kept it with him.
He would have laughed at such a bad joke, but his smile only seemed to falter. Ten years wouldn't have been that long for him. The last few years hadn't been too kind to him but as of late, it only felt like a blur to him. Like a bad memory he'd already wiped from his mind and never happened at all. "No, it hasn't really been very long for me."
In a quick movement, he closed the distance and brushed his lips with hers. He pulled away quick enough before she could do anything and moved behind her. "And maybe I was actually waiting for you to say hi all this time. You're kind of hard to forget when you live the way I do."
Rhymien didn't have much of an ability to be genuinely anxious about things. That was a force of personality just as much as a divine trait. He acted in the moment, moved with the flow without regard to consequence of who he might hurt.
He loved Elric, more than he had anyone before, but that didn't change who he was. What he was. A being of chaos and in many ways, this made him flip floppy. With Elric, things were good, even when they were bad. It was a spark Rhymien couldn't and had never had a desire to deny. They were meant for each other, and they would always find their way home.
Hasley was about to reply when she felt Elric's lips against hers. It was such a familiar thing that she fell into the feeling so quickly it took her a moment to realize it was gone and Elric was behind her. She opted to lean back against him rather than turn a full one-eighty. She partially looked over her shoulder.
"We should go somewhere more private," she responded with a rasp to her tone.
Hasley wanted to be soft with Elric in a way she couldn't in public. To let down all guards and place her hands on his face. To inspect him, survey any damage from over the years. She needed this. Needed it in a way she hadn't recognized until now.
Elric had to wonder what he was doing. He told himself he was already past this, but here he was feeling Hasley's weight behind him, the familiar warmth just radiating from her; basking in that moment. God, he said he was past this. He thought was past them but it was only in his mind, apparently. Here he was, trying to play it cool; pretending like nothing about the moment was crumbling this calm facade.
He really missed them. And he missed her a whole lot more than he would care to admit. It took some resolve to step away so he could avoid her gaze, and even more so to not look back when he heard her speak. This was harder for than he'd imagined it would go and all he could muster was a breathless laugh before he could find his voice again.
"I wouldn't be against that," he replied. Elric's eyes scanned the crowd; for a moment allowing the music and lights distract his thoughts when all he could focus on was Hasley's presence. He breathed out a sigh, finding his gaze turning to her direction over his own shoulder. "That might actually be better. Shall we?"
Hasley lead Elric to a nearby alleyway, which wasn't extremely private, but Rhymien hadn't gotten a room anywhere, and his actual "home" was too far away. Hasley needed Elric right then. Needed to talk to him and be close to him.
The space was closed in enough that they were pushed close together. Hasley's hands were on him when they were alone, touching his face, his hair, his lips. She kissed his forehead, placed kisses all over his face and teared up in joy.
"Oh, how I've forgotten how much I missed you! What did I miss? What's new in your life? Tell me everything. Hold me! Kiss me!"