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Kai has been partying with Lambert. It was a contained event right up til it wasn't. Now? Now in Central park there's some rustling in one of the trees, and a mod-toned striped shirt falls to the ground. "Shit!" After a little more rustling, higher up in the branches, a familiar voice says, "Try to catch me now, you horned bastard."
Lambert is below the trees, trying to peer up. He has a hand on one of them, which is helping him remain upright, given how drunk he currently is. Which is…impressive. In order to _get_ drunk the sheer amount of wine he must have consumed…and Lambert is, at least, wearing clothes. That is, a pair of old fashioned cotton shorts. Nothing else. His tail pokes out just above them, and it twitches as he leans down to snuff the air.
The problem is that Kai is fast, and the moon elf seems to really like trees. Lambert makes a low grumbling growl, and then pauses, and starts to back up. He eyes the tree, and then he starts to run towards it.
Jay and Elmo are together, taking a stroll through central park with a rough looking and probably homemade brightly colored cone of somewhat battered looking flowers and…wire? sticking out of it held between them. ALMOST as colorful as Elmo's usual outfit. Jay bumps his shoulder against Elmo's and chuckles, "Ah had t'time it just right with the campin' trip comin' up, but Ah'm glad you had some clue what the hell Ah was tryin' to do. Ah didn't know if it was" The fluttering shirt catches his attention, falling from a tree. "What the…?" His words slow as Lambert comes into the picture as well. Jay's wings fwip and fluff up, swelling his silhouette to a half size larger as he mumbles to no one in particular. "Dear Lord, now what?" And whistles shrilly in Lambert's direction.
Elmo's grinning up at Jay, bright eyed and happy. "I read about it," he says. "How else do I know anything?" He bumps Jay back, playfully. When the winged mutant fluffs up, he gets concerned and looks at what Jay's looking at. Which is…a half naked Lambert. He gets a little more concerned. For maintaining his current form. "Uh, it looks like he's, uh, doin' satyr things."
"Don't do it," Kai warns. He's hard to see, but if one really looks into that tree rustling, they might spy a glimpse of golden hair. Yeah, like Lambert is the ringleader here. There's no words after that, though as Lambert runs closer, a pair of jeans fall from the tree, draping over the satyrkin's head, in particular the face part.
At least weirder things are seen in central park. Sometimes. The problem will happen if those shorts come _off_, and since Lambert's people have no nudity taboo…well. Best not to think about it so much. At the whistle, one of Lambert's goaty ears flicks back, turning around to focus on Jay, while the other remains pointed at Kai. He is clearly aware of the other two, because he manages, a bit thickly "Hangon, I gotta do a thing -" And he does. He kicks _down_ hard with both legs, and springs into the air, in time to get jeans on the face. Lambert yelps, flails, and while he does land _in_ the tree, he also bounces _off_ the tree, and rolls like a rubber ball. At least he hit head first - in his case, that works just fine. The tree shakes, violently.
Jay's steps come to a slow halt, his face screwing up with a cringe as he automatically reaches a wing around Elmo's shoulders, shielding the small man's back. "They're gonna get arrested, ain't they?" Murmuring into a groan to Elmo. Red eyebrows twitch together a bit more, uncertain but…I mean… "D-did that sound like, uh—" He trails off and gives Elmo a long look of scandelous surprise while Lambert rubber balls himself up into the tree. Jay's head whips back as the tree shakes, giving it a curious look. "Huh. He really can jump like the dickens, can't he?"
"Oh, probably," Elmo says with the nonchalance of the native New Yorker. Then Lambert springs and he jerks a little in surprise. "Wow! He sure can. Was that Kai? …Are those Kai's pants?" He puts a hand back to touch the edge of Jay's wing, making sure it's there. "Is this going to get weird or is it already weird."
"Ahahahaha!" The rustling in the tree drops down dramatically as the tree shakes. "Oops. Ow! Erf. Ahahahahahaha!" A pair of pale bare feet hang down from the lowest branch. "That's what you get!" It's certainly Kai's voice, though there's a little slur to it. God knows what he must've drank to sound this wasted. "You couldn't catch a rabbit with a limp!"
Lambert crashes back down, lands on the ground, and shakes his head. He has a crown of flowers in his curly fleece of a mop of hair, and some of them are bent and broken now. He coughs, and he coughs up leaves, and then Lambert grabs the pants and pulls them off his face, tossing them down. Lambert shakes his fist up at the tree "Ggamisou!" he says, in Greek. And then Lambert shakes his head, all dizzy, and he says "Wha'? This isn't weird. This is like. Th' Spring celebration. Everyone else has gone home. They just can't hold their alcohol. Like we can." He _beams_ at Elmo and Jay and says to them "My _friends_!" And leans over to try to shake the tree.
Jay's wing tightens in around Elmo upon touch; wrist laying on his shoulder and long red primaries fitted up against the mutant's side to clash with his suit. "Ah'm thinkin' the second part, with a little bit more of the first part?" Jay suggests with a tilt of his head, trying to figure it out, himself as he continues to squint at the laughing, hollering, shaking tree. "Man. Ah really hope cops get paid okay up here," Jay muses softly. "Who wants t'get called in fer a drunk an' disorderly an' public lewdness on an alien an' a mythological figgur?"
Jay lids his eyes a bit at Lambert when he turns in their direction, but he doesn't expect someone /that drunk/ to notice, much less remember the 'why' at this point. "Uh huh, lemme know how that excuse works fer ya in the mornin', Lambert."
Elmo laughs at Kai and Lambert's nonsense. He shrugs at Jay, looking up at him with eyebrows whimsically tilted up. "I can't imagine how much they musta drunk. Kai can't hardly get drunk." He tips his head to feel Jay's wristfeathers on his cheek, smiling at him. Someone is twitterpated as all heck.
Kai kicks at Lambert, but he's just a little too high up to get in a good shot as the tree shakes. Finally, he leaps down from it, onto Lambert, and starts wrestling with him. "Graaaah!" Whump! He's heavy for his size, and he's damn strong. Then again, so is Lambert. Kai's in boxers. That's it. Just boxers, and the way they're sliding, he won't be in those for long, either. "Hi Jay!" he calls as he whomps on Lambert. "Hi Elmo!"
Lambert is just beaming all up at Jay "I've missed you _sooo much_," he says to him, grandly, without a single damn idea that he might be in trouble. Instead, he says "Oh, I think…wait. What do you mean. Lewdness?" His tail waggles back and forth, and his eyes are bright "Where's that Julie from earlier," he mutters, and then he makes a strangled bleat as Kai lands on him "For a little guy, you feel like a truck!" Lambert manages, as he goes down. And he moves back, and gets a broad hand over Kai's face "Don't worry, world! I'll protect you from this horror!"
"Yeah," Jay agrees, low in his throat. "Lambert, too. But y'know he makes potent stuff strong enough t'buzz just about anything." Inhaling a deep breath while he watches Kai drop to the ground and FWUMP! right on top of Lambert. Jay facepalms, covering his eyes with one hand, not for the sake of propriety, but for the sake of facepalms everywhere. Still, he nods slowly, hand still on his face, when Lambert says he's missed him. "Uh huh. Didja now?" Jay mutters and bites his tongue, his hand swinging away from his face. "Ah mean it's illegal t'run around in public naked."
"Hi Kai, hi Bert," Elmo calls back, trying not to crack up. "You guys havin' fun over there?" When he glances up at Jay this time, it's a bit sympathetic. "Hey. You wanna, maybe, chase me a bit?" he offers gamely, to get his mind off it.
Central Park seems a quiet enough place for an evening jog. Dressed in running sweatpants and a white t-shirt, Steve eats up the relative kilometers of pathway that meander through the park. He's moving at a brisk enough pace to make the people he passes question if he's more than your average hobby-runner. Emerging from beneath a pedestrian bridge, cobblestone built, he hears what sounds like a high-pitched whistle in the distance. The blond frowns to himself and then takes the branching of path that leads in the general direction.
Bright red wings catch his eyes next and then, on the approach, he realizes that there's an out-and-out tussle going on…minus some articles of clothing. Slowing his pace to a more sedate jog and then slower still, he comes to a stop about a dozen feet away, behind Jay and Elmo.
"Is there some trouble?" His tone carries a hint of steel even as he stands, panting lightly from his efforts.
Kai comes on like freight train, but that doesn't change the fact that Lambert's arms are longer than his, so while he grunts and huffs, his swinging arms miss Lambert's chest, just barely grazing it. "Gonna harm you," he mumbles. Swish swish go his fists. He's wearing boxers, and even they are starting to go south. He's got a good physique at least, despite his fey stature. He starts laughing, a drunken peal of mirth, followed by, "You're such a jerk, Lambert. Our friends think you're dumb, look at them." Swish swish.
"I'm not naked!" protests Lambert to Jay "I've got pants on!" Well, shorts. Small cotton shorts, the sort that look as if they might, in a previous life, have been worn by a younger Lambert toiling in his family's fields. The rest of him manages a deep tan even over winter, and he has a trail of white fluff that goes from the nape of his neck in a ridge down to his tail. Lambert is…well. Does it count as being 'hairy' when it is mostly fine white fleece? His horns have gotten a smidge longer recently too. His physique is still best described as 'I like eating and hitting things, but I'm short'. No hooves - yet. Maybe after a little more dipping into the Old Magic ways "I've got pants on!" he adds, crestfallen, at least until Kai connects a bit "Agh-" Lambert shakes Kai, up and down a few times, to see if that will settle him. Ratta tatta taatta! "What! What? No! No one thinks I'm dumb. _You're_ dumb." So very erudite "Hey, it's a…hhm…it's THAT GUY!"
Jay turns his attention down at Elmo. The brave little multi-colored chap trying to shake him out of his 'fuck you' attitude. Well, his very, very southern version, which was mostly just 'Yes, would you like some sweet tea? HA HA! I /didn't/ give you a lemon wedge until you asked! Screw you!' "You didn't have enough chasin' today?" Jay teases, nudging the crumpled cone of flowers and wires clutched in one hand. What remains of the May Day basket.
Jay's head whips up when he hears The Dad Voice. Automatic reaction from someone with a large family. The angel-imposter looks over his shoulder at Steve-the-jogger, curious. "Uhhh…" Oh no. "No, sir. Jus', uh, couple of folks havin' a little wrassle. THey're friends, Ah swear it. Jus' gettin' a little too spirited." JUST as Kai says he's going to harm Lambert. Jay closes his eyes with a pained look. Oh. God. Dangit! Jay actually whispers to himself, "Jesus, give me strength…"
"We think you're dumb!" Elmo yells back, helpfully. He meets Jay's eyes with a saucy smile. "I dunno if it's ever gonna be enough," he says to him, quietly flirtatious. Then there's A Adult and he peers around the edge of Jay's wing. "Hey, I think that's…Captain America?" But New Yorkers aren't supposed to make a big deal of celebrities spotted in public, so he tries to play it cool, telling Steve, "Nah, they're just havin' fun. You're Cap, right? …Jeez, he's tall," he mutters, to Jay. "He's huge."
Words are flying everywhere and Steve works his brows into something just shy of a full-on glower even as he begins stepping towards the fiasco.
"You're going to get arrested by the authorities, gentlemen, for public inebration and indencency. Steve, please," he adds to Elmo in passing as a form of confirmation, giving the young man a brisk nod. He eyes Jay's wings and nods again, almost to himself, before turning his attention back to the brawl. "Gents, for your own good, you should separate and talk instead of throw punches." He eyes the discarded clothing. "And put your skivvies back on."
Yeah, about the skivvies. As he's shaken Kai tries to peel himself away from Lambert like a cat trying to escape being held too tightly. He pushes on Lambert's face with his foot, then tumbles ass over tea kettle, leaving Lambert holding his boxers as he goes down on the turf hard, right on his backside. He looks up at Captain America and his expression brightens. "Steve!" A moment later, the words sink through his skull, then he jerks a thumb toward Lambert and says, "He took my clothes." Right to the face, in one instance.
For Lambert, any dad voice was probably 'Hold my beer and watch this!' and so he is immune. But at Captain America, he does have quite a range of drunken questions to ask "Who's General America?" Lambert enquires "Is there like…a…can you be a Private America?" And then Kai is lying like a lying liar. Lambert does not actually look surprised - he has enough experience with friendship with Moon Elves to just know they gonna lie. Lambert stands up, wobbly, and he drops the boxers, and then he says "I…like throwing punches, and he can take it. He's like…friends with this guy. This _one guy_. He's called Loki, right. I mean. This guy. This _guy_!" Lambert gesticulates, his tail flipping back and forth "And if you're friends with _that guy_ you probably gonna get punched a lot -" And he says to Elmo "YOU WERE CUTER AS A GIRL!"
Jay prays for strength and takes a deep breath, opening his eyes back up as Steve advances. "Captain America?" Jay mentions conversationally to Elmo. "Like, of the Avengers? Ain't Kai supposed t'be one of them?" Bright eyes travel the jogger again in speculation, nodding kinda dumbly in agreement to Elmo's assessment. "Yeah. He's big. Dang." The look to his wings, he's used to and barely seems to register it at all as he pivots back around, resecuring the wing around Elmo's shoulders to watch the horror unravel.
Like Kai's moon-glowy ass.
Jay sighs and slips into a chuckle despite his intentions to remain angry at Lambert right now. "This'll make an interesting headline. Good thing Loki's got plenty of money t'bail 'em out." Stifling chuckling over whether it's General or Private America and the stumbling explanation of Loki that has him shaking his head. You know, right up until he yells over at Elmo. Then Jay has to neatly remove his wing from around the brilliantly colored smaller man and steps in front of him, glaring at Lambert. "Watch yer mouth, Lambert."
"Sure thing, Steve," Elmo says, super casual, not excited at all at being granted first-name basis with Captain America. Then Kai's boxers fly off and he claps his hand over his eyes, groaning, "Oy gevalt." Yelling again, "I'm not looking at you until you PUT YOUR FERSHTUNKEN PANTS BACK ON, KAI!" Lambert insults him and he scowls—but then shrugs. Like, hey, when the guy is right, he's right. And then Jay gets mad and he peeks through his fingers, alarmed. "Uh…Jayl?"
Shaking his head and half-turning away from the sight presented by a boxers-less Moon Elf, Steve runs a hand down his face before turning to look back again.
"Kai. Put on some clothing." His blue eyes slide to Lambert. "I don't question the name, only how effective it can be. Steve will do for right now." He shifts in place, considering the brightly-colored Elmo, who apparently…looks cuter as a girl? Right, there's been some serious pounding of shots here, apparently.
The winged young man makes his step and Steve takes a side-step to half-eclipse Lambert, his attention zeroed in on Jay. "Son. Don't. That isn't going to resolve anything." He looks back to Kai and Lambert once more. "Clothing on, now, gentlemen."
Kai swipes at Lambert's ankles. "Don't be a jerk to Steve," he says. Then another swipe, "And stop saying things about Loki!" Alas, Steve has spoken, and since he's one of the few beings Kai actually feels obliged to listen to, he foregoes the boxers and just shucks on his jeans. The shirt, his shoes and socks? God knows where they've gotten off to. Kai rakes a hand through his hair and tries to stand without weaving, but it's clear the moon elf is drunk. Not a sight many have ever seen. "We were having a party," he explains to Steve. "Then we decided to run through the park, and he started chasing me. And now we're here."
"What, Kai's an Avenger?" manages Lambert. The weirdest things sink through when one is drunk. He sits back, ignoring flaily punches - they might well connect _and_ hurt, but satyrs tend to be a bit understanding when it comes to brawling. And he _is_ fond of the people that he fights. And now that Steve has Spoken and Kai is swiping, Lambert pauses, and he looks up. He hesitates, then cautiously, he says "My clothes are back at the restaurant. Like. This is. My crerererem…onial. Costume." He points to his brow, where there is a wreath of flowers. Lambert says "Yeah, he looks like he should be chased." That Mark on Kai? Well, who knows who else can sense it, but when Lambert grins, his teeth are fangs and sharp "Aww, Jay. You know I adore you. Your fuzzy wings. And that kind of thing…" Finally Lambert weaves upright, though he staggers "Okay! The night is young! The Feast of Dionysis isn't over until someone gets eaten by a Maenad! Ummmn. Not you, Steve. You're too important."
Jay hears Elmo, sure, but he's not about to back down from his warning. Yaknow, until Steve decides to pull the same side step move in front of Lambert. The young, winged man squares himself in place, his wings automatically settling high on his back, slightly cocked out to either side in what simply must be an avian automatic response to make himself look larger than he really is. Still, it is a defensive, protective posture he's taking on in front of the smaller, skinner man behind him, swallowed up behind the shield of bright feathers.
Jay's vivid eyes meet Steve's likewise gaze, but unlike the soldier, he isn't a fighter by nature. And he speaks in solid, but respectful terms. "Sir, it ain't gotta be nothin' if Lambert watches what he says about mah friend. He's suffered enough fer it and Ah won't hear any more of it." He didn't come here to fight. Especially not a couple of drunk friends.
Jay glances at the drunk satyrkin half-shielded by Steve, and lids his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Ah know, Bert. But you an' Ah gonna have words when you sober up, an' yer gonna stop shoutin' stuff like that at El in public, y'hear now?" No comment about the blatant nudity and chasing. Please, the man grew up in the south and he's seen every male he grew up with naked several hundred times. And Kai. "Kai's gonna put his glow worm away, 'n' yer…revelin' can go on."
Elmo's eyes are wide, now that Kai is safely clothed and he doesn't have to worry about Loki turning him into something without a backbone. He has no idea what to make of this, but as Jay goes on talking about him, he slowly turns red, hand over his mouth. When Jay says that thing about Kai's glow worm though, he cracks the hell up, doubling over laughing.
Kai, clothed. Check.
The…interesting-looking fellow he met in the Park last when they were chasing llamas, no longer throwing punches. Check.
The winged young man, acknowledging that words are effective. Check.
Whomever the other young man is, now sniggering madly and safe beyond reach. Check.
Chaos, mostly contained. Check.
Steve sighs to himself, scratching at his nape in an idle motion of mild frustration. It's like wrangling toddlers. Taller and language-fluent toddlers. A shrug of his shoulders tests the tight fit of the white workout shirt. "Kai's an Avenger, yes." Still, that's a Disapproving Look from Steve at the Elf. "Partying is all well and good, but the press has a good time taking apart good names. Remember this if you choose fisticuffs again in a public place." He glances from Lambert and over to Jay and Elmo. "You know who I am. I heard some names fly around. Lambert," and he points at the Satyr-kin. "Jay," and the finger goes to the young man with wings. "And…El. That's short for something, I assume?" This is aimed at Elmo, hidden away behind the bright feathers.
Kai puts away the glo-worm, then rubs the back of his neck and says, "If I had a good name to begin with, that could be a concern, but I don't want to reflect badly on the Avengers." It should be noted that, shirtless as he is, one can see Kai's sporting some tattoos. The one on his back is of a tree done in what looks like dark henna only permanent. Around his shoulders is a strange, silvery airbrushed mesh, way above the tattoo tech of the time. "We should all go back to Saganaki so Lambert can get some pants on and cook for us," he says. "I mean it's the very least he could do."
Jay nods when Steve confirms that Kai is an Avenger, though he doesn't seem to think that's any sort of surprise. "Ah thought ever'one knew that. Remember when that woman from the Avengers gave ya the third degree about that guy robbin' yer place, an' she didn't listen to a word y'said, an' Ah told ya t'tell Kai to talk to her, Bert?" Bert is lucky to remember his own name right now, Jay. "Did you know that?" He asks to Elmo, looking back at the doubled over, laughing man. Jay's severe (hahah) expression dissipates and instead his serene smile fixes itself once again on his face.
Turning back toward Steve when he hears his name, Jay nods and volunteers. "Jay Guthrie, sir. Yeah. Nice t'meet ya. That there's Elmo." He thumbs behind himself, then steps aside.
Lambert says, amiable, and still sozzled "Okay! I will cook for _everyone_." He nods "I will send baklava to the Avengers Mansion. That seems to be fair for everyone, yes?" He side-eyes Steve. For some reason, and then he glances at Jay, and he says "Oh, yeah, I'm sorry, Jay, for some reason, I can't really sort of. Focus. Right now. Who wants some more food!"
Elmo doesn't seem to fall under the spell of respect, once he stops laughing enough to actually stand back up. He wipes his eyes, grinning wildly. "Elmo Rosencrantz. Ain't nobody can call me El but Jay. It's nice to meet ya, Steve. I didn't know Kai was an Avenger. They're takin' anyone these days!"
"The Avengers aren't taking everyone," Steve replies quietly, shaking his head even as a small smile crosses his lips. More loudly, he addresses the group. "I appreciate the invitation, Lambert, but I've got another lap of the Park to go." Another 6.1 miles, this being the…fourth lap around, by his count. Everything's been blurring with his stride an automatic rhythm. "I'll take some time to stop by your restaurant, however. Kai can fill me in on the details of the place."
His brisk backwards steps, all grace and perfect balance, announce his departure even before he calls out, "Jay. Elmo. Nice to meet you all, gentlemen." A turn-about in mid-step, executed in flawless timing, brings Steve into his brisk lope and back around to the trail proper. Off he goes, broad shoulders and all, disappearing quickly around the far turn of the path.
Kai frowns at Elmo. "I'll avenge your face," he says. "I'm a valued member of the team, for the way I can take a bullet, and I'm good for morale." He waves to Steve. "Bye, Steve! Good to see you again!" As though the circumstances weren't at all appalling. He comes over to Lambert and claps him on the shoulder. "And you can make it up to Elmo and Jay by feeding them. I mean it was your dad who caused all the trouble."
Jay's cheeks suck in and hollow as he bites the soft insides, trying not to laugh when Elmo declares that the Avengers will take anyone. Don't laugh, don't laugh. Instead, motion ripples through his feathers, wings fwipping and resetting tighter to his back as he focuses on Lambert. "Because yer deep in yer cups and revelin' Lambert. The only reason Ah ain't callin' ya to task is cause Ah ain't so sure you'd even remember it in the mornin'." But at least he doesn't seem ready to kick Lambert's face in, now.
Jay glances down the path, watching Steve go as well, though his attention doesn't seem to linger any before he looks back between Lambert and Kai, then sighs and pivots to turn to Elmo with a somewhat reluctant, but enduring expression. "You wanna go back with 'em?" Apparently he'll follow along with whatever Elmo decides to do.
.~{:--------------:}~.
So a cab is called, and charged to Lamont. Sounds suspicious - and it is. But it _works_, damn it. Which is good, because without pants, Lambert also has no cards on him. Now they are in the back of Saganaki, which is pretty much empty by this point. There is the remains of a massive Spring party - the food has been put away under covers, and the place somewhat tidied. But there is still wine, bread, and much else. Olives, warm, in small containers. Lambert himself has a brightly wagging tail, quite happy as he enters his home once more and reaches out to put more garlands of flowers on his head. He is sobering up - alcohol poisoning only works for a time on him, and then, why then? It is all gone.
Elmo has asked Jay to come, adding, "We can leave any time you want, sweetheart." He's not so secretly hoping Jay and Lambert can mend bridges. It'd be such a bummer if Lambert's out of control dad continued to cause problems even when he's not here. But the first thing he says to Kai is, "I didn't know you knew Captain America," sounding affronted. Then, excited, "I got to meet Captain America! Jay got SON DON'Ted!"
Kai's first order of business is to break into Lambert's flat to steal one of his shirts. It's too large on him, of course. He comes down the stairs and lays a hand to his chest. "Sure, Steve and I go back awhile. Remember that thing in Latveria with Dr. Doom?" It might have made the news given that there were doombots in North Dakota. "That was us. I got shot in the stomach in Madripoor. A lot." He's starting to sober up as well. His system burns through alchol pretty fast. There's no lingering bad juju with Lambert, either. He claps him on the shoulder and says, "I'll get more wine." Wine humans can drink, that is.
Jay nods to Elmo while he's assured they can leaven whenever. After all if Elmo doesn't have bad blood, surely Jay should be able to knock himself out of it, right? Well. Maybe not as quickly as all that. Still, he comes back to the restaurant, though he wants to fly there himself rather than get shoved in the cab with the two drunks, and offers to take Elmo with him. They still wait until the other two arrive before going inside. He's pretty quiet, not that it's too unusual for him. He drops his little makeshift battered may day basket on one of the tables and turns a chair around to sit on it backwards. "Looks like ya had quite the party."
Elmo is automatically handed the best piece of cooked meat that Lambert can find, on a platter. Not that he even thinks about it, but for whatever reason, Elmo gets the best now. Then he moves around, and after a moment, Lambert picks up a sheet. He tugs it out, and folds it, and then ties it on. Greek toga - done easily. Lambert then says brightly to Jay "Yes! This is the First Feast of Dionysis! It's a yearly thing, usually I…just go out and get drunk by myself in the forest. But this year, I had friends. I'm just not used to being able to celebrate it _with_ people!" He beams, then he says regretfully "The Captain America man. He is straight, isn't he?" A casual wave of his hand, and he tells Kai "The normal wine is there. There isn't much left of the Blessed Brew. Phew. I think…I think I might have some _water_ though."
Elmo would have accepted this without thinking, while transformed. Now, it makes him feel a little weird. But he just says, "Thanks, Bert," a little bashfully. Then he laughs at him. "I was about to say, that guy's as queer as a three dollar bill." He's sticking close to Jay. "What's the story there, Kai?"
Kai pours human-safe wine for Elmo and Jay both, and he takes a moment to give Jay a quick hug around the shoulders, because it's been awhile since he's seen his feathered friend. Once wine is poured, he places the bottle between them, and he settles back in a chair of his own. "Unfortunately, all signs point to straight. Though I haven't seen him go gaga over any ladies, he's too busy defending the world."
"Folk back home go get drunk in the forest by themselves, too," Jay mentions casually as he folds his arms over the back of his chair. The wine Kai pours for him is given a light smile turned up at the elf. He finishes his thought, combing a hand through his hair. "But they usually call it 'huntin' season' or 'fishin' or somethin' like that."
The discussion over Steve's sexuality strikes him as strange, blinking a few times while he glances to each one in turn. "Ah'm no tie breaker on this one. Ah got no sense of people like that. Heh, too bad we couldn't get Doug around him. He'd be able to tell, no question." He glances in Elmo's direction, then back to the other two.
"Really?" Lambert asks Elmo, and his tail flick flicks even further. But then he finally reaches out to get himself a large bowl of water. He lifts it to his mouth, and half-closes his eyes, sipping it. There are flower petals floating on top that have drifted down from the vines and plants above. He then leans forward, putting his garland covered head on the table, and he says to Jay "I have to drink enough that I get a headache, and that takes _so much_." He pauses, and he wrinkles his nose "Mind you I do go hunting. I just use my hands though. Wait. Here, have some of the baklava and apples. At least I can tell Loki I got Kai out of his pants."
Elmo shrugs, good naturedly. "Eh. I might be wrong. Probably am wrong. Kai knows better'n me. Doug could tell us." That's an interesting thought! He accepts the wine. "Thanks, buddy." Sips it cautiously. Okay, it's not the food of maenads and satyrs. It's safe. He relaxes and sips it again, then leans his head on Jay's shoulder, all trusting and affectionate.
"The forest is a great place in general," Kai says. "I kind of want to go back to Alfheim and run through the forest." He eyes Lambert. "Without some crazy asshole chasing me." He takes a nibble of meat. Then he snorts and tells Lambert, "Yeah, go ahead and tell Loki that. I bet he'll actually be amused. Or, you know, do something to you." His lids start to droop low, and he lays his head on the table in the cradle of his arms.
Jay doesn't touch his wine, but turns his head automatically when Elmo rests his against his shoulder, giving him a peck on the crown of his head. "Mm hmm, raght? Though he'd have t'be around when Steve saw someone he liked. Ah doubt he just runs around with half a stock lookin' at any ol' person who crosses his path. He seems more single minded like Kai said. Savin' the world and all. But like Ah said, Ah'm bad at this game." Jay admits with a slice of a smile helplessly given between the three men. "Nothin' wrong with the forest, though most the citified folk here wouldn't agree. Mm! Speakin' of, Ah get to go campin' this weekend." Jay mentions, excitedly, sitting up a little bit in his seat, toes tapping happily and wings echoing the same.
"Oh, I suppose he could. I wonder what he sees when he sees people," says Lambert, suddenly fascinated "Wow, imagine what he would be like as a _pastry chef_." He goes there immediately, of course. He even says "He'd be able to tell exactly what kind of thing they liked. Think of how easy it would be to…" And then he pauses, and he says to Jay "…did I do somethin' you don't like? You used to, you know. Hug me and things."
Elmo smiles just brilliantly at Jay when he gets excited. That expression says it all. "You get to go camping!" He looks back at Lambert, interested in the idea of Pastry Chef Doug, but…then does not say anything. Drops his hand to Jay's knee to give him a gentle squeeze, and lets him say what he needs to say.
"That's great," Kai says to Jay in regards to camping. "That sounds like a lot of fun." His eyes are closed, and his breathing is starting to even out. "Gonna pastry chef your face," he mumbles, and then it's all quiet breathing and an angelic face as he goes to sleep. Party elf is all partied out.
"Ah don't know, Ah've never actually phrased it that way b'fore," Jay mentions to Lambert, folding his arms over the back of his chair again. "Ah mean, he reads it like language, so…he probably sees it like normal, but /understands/ everythin' about it. Like when ya read a book, the scribbles are jus' scribbles that we've assigned meanin' to and it makes thoughts happen." The angel imposter gives this some real thought, tilting his head backward to thoughtfully looks skyward while Kai passes out on the table. "So. Maybe he sees stuff but his brain gives him other thoughts? Like a story? Ah dunno. That's a good question." He shrugs gently, inhaling a deep breath, smiling mildly at the idea of Doug the Pastry Chef. He leans in against Elmo and murmurs. "Maybe he could help me get those cookies Ah made fer you right," teasing himself on the state of his hamentashen.
Lambert addresses the elephant in the room, and his thin but still happy mood dissipates on a breeze, fixing Lambert with a candid look, pressing his lips together. It's not so much a frown as much as it is just the absense of his serene smile. "Ah'd rather talk t'you about it when yer sober, Lambert."
Lambert watches as Kai just keels over asleep. He rises, rubbing his temples, and he collects what looks like a woven mat, made out of various grasses. Scratchy - but it does bend. Lambert tucks it around Kai "Lifting him's hard. He's really heavy," he mutters "Like he's made out of tougher stuff or something. I do like camping, that's real fun, you know? But I mostly just take a tent to keep rain off and some pillows. I don't really need a sleeping bag. I guess you wouldn't either - the wings." Lambert then chews the inside of his lip "I don't know he and Linny and folk like that don't go mad from all that information. All coming in, all the time." He frowns a little, and then he finally says to Jay "I'm pretty much sober now. Like. Even if alcohol is religious for us, we're hard to poison. It's been over an hour with no drinking, so…" He spreads his hands, then says awkwardly "Is it because I'm a flirt?"
Elmo glances at Jay and keeps quiet, waiting to see if he wants to talk.
"Yeah…" Jay looks at Kai, a touch of a smile touching the corners of his mouth, fondly. "He's like, super dense or somethin'. Loki's the same way. Carryin' 'em is a pill an' a half."
Looking up over the mention of camping, Jay smiles mildly, but it is effortless once more. "Yeah, Ah think we're jus' bringin' a couple tents an' sleepin' bags because the two Ah'm goin' with are pretty pink an' vulnerable. Doug an' this other fellah named Calvin. Ah don't know about Doug, though. Sometimes he seems to get irritable seein' everythin' all the time, but Ah never know if that's just /what/ he sees or how much he seein'. But Cal's the same way. He copies mutations, but can't control it. Ah dunno how that man don't go nuts."
Jay purses his lips, squaring with Lambert, he holds silent for a lengthy moment of debate. "Ah don't care that yer a flirt, Lambert. Ah knew that about you plenty. Ah understand who you are, an' Ah can deal with stuff like that because yer mah friend. Ah mean, that's why Ah never asked you out again." Jay points out the difference and shrugs one broad shoulder. "Ah knew Ah couldn't deal with yer casual stuff on the side, but that's on me, not you. Yer a flirt. You like rompin' with plenty of folks. That's fine fer you. Ah get that it's…racial, cultural, whatever." He takes a breath, just scratching the surface.
Lambert glances at Elmo "Sorry," he says to him, and instinctively passes him a little piece of baklava on a plate "Er, I'm not great at timing! Or holding anything back!" He grins, and one fang shows. Mostly, he is very careful to keep it from being seen. He then ducks his head, his long ears flicking, one twisting back, before he says "Hmm, well I guess I can't be copied. Though. I dunno if there'd be like a difference between me and someone being mutated into a satyr…"
Weird thought to have. Lambert eyes Jay a little, and then he says "Er, yeah. Plus. I don't think I can give up girls. And it's…erm. Yes. The whole thing. Species, cultural, racial. My mom has a lot of problems with how my dad. Handles that sort of thing. I just don't know why you seem…colder to me."
Elmo accepts the baklava with a tolerant expression. Lambert is just going to feed him the best bits now, apparently. Well, there are certainly worse fates than being fed choice tidbits by a renowned chef. Even if it's a little embarrassing. He eats the baklava, helpfully.
"Man. /Girls/," Jay says the word with ample agreement and shakes his head gently. "That's a conversation Ah've had a lot with Doug. Ah get it." He falls quiet and looks over at Elmo, bright, candid eyes flicking over the smaller man's unique profile.
Turning back to Lambert, Jay leans forward on his arms, his diaphram pressing against the chairback. He levels with Lambert. "Ah'm angry because yer old man tried to force the man Ah'm datin' to screw you, Lambert." Sorry Elmo. "Ah know it weren't you that did it, but you've got every other man and woman in the damn city. An' Ah had to listen to Elmo scream and sob until he was hoarse about what /yer/ old man forced on her, for you. That ain't right."
Jay turns to look back to Elmo, apologetic, he reaches a hand over to touch his knee before turning back to Lambert. "Everyone likes you, man. Everyone would throw down with you in a second if ya asked 'em. But /that/ hurt me, an' it hurt Elmo, even if he's more forgivin' of it all. Forcin' someone like that ain't right. Ah honestly don't care where ya come from, it ain't right. An' it happened to be th' guy Ah'm seein', an' it coulda really, really hurt /us/. Ah know it ain't always in ya to think of the consequences, but damnit Lambert…" Jay frowns, but rather than anger, his expression twists into something far closer to hurt and betrayal. "We are supposed to be friends."
Lambert says, fairly slowly, though his Greek accent has stiffened "Yeah, I'll let my dad know people are gonna take what he did and assume it's somethin' _I_ can control. The best bit is - he won't stop, but he might decide to send me on my mom's 'I'm sorry' cruises. Because he doesn't do flowers. He just eats 'em before he can get up the will to give them to someone. I didn't tell him to do it. I tol' him to stop messin' around, and then he messed around after I bailed him out of lockup. Jeez, man. You're talkin' to the _only_ satyrkin that thinks of consequences, at all.
"I'm sorry about Elmo. And I feel guilty. And I'd like to help, but I don't know what you want me to do - he's a quarter _god_. I love him, Jay, but I can't make him do a damn thing. Heck, he's not just less mature than me, he looks _younger_ than me now, because I age faster than everyone else in my family. I know he's an idiot, but he knows I'm going to die really soon as far as our family counts things, and so he was trying to find me a Maenad wife so I could get some kids out - I know it's stupid. I agree it is. I mean, like. Did. Elmo tell you about, umn. You know. The killing bit."
Elmo finally speaks up. "Guys," he says, steadily. "It wasn't Bert's fault. He really did try to help. And…yeah, I was scared to death I'd kill someone. I told him," he says to Lambert. "He promised not to let me hurt anyone. He kept that promise. Even when I wanted to go kill your pop. Which, I'm pretty sure, woulda made everything worse." He looks between them, eyebrows up. "Guys, I know you're friends, and it'd kill me if what Bert's dad did kept you apart. I made it out without killin' anybody. So did Lindon. It was a hell of a wild ride but…we made it. I'm okay. I did kiiinda have a lot of emotions I didn't know how to control, hence all the screamin' and cryin'." He hesitates, then drops his gaze. "That's what I got to say. I hope you guys don't break up over me. I'd feel real bad."
Jay holds up a hand mildly at Elmo, shaking his head slowly. "El, Ah don't care if ya had a world of emotions shoved up in ya along with all that magic. You still went through it, and that ain't raght by me." Turning his attention back toward Lambert, his wings fwipping and expanding, hovering away from his shoulders in short-lived trembles. "Yer family's dynamic don't matter, Bert. Ah know you can't control yer kin anymore than ya can rope a tornado, and you sure as sin don't like no Pecos Bill." Oh Jay. More of those colorful phrases speckling his phrasing, even now. Probably even moreso than usual.
"The killin' bit? Yeah she might've mentioned that when she was clawin' mah chest open." The remark is garishly forward, but afterwards, Jay glances away, a little ashamed over his outburst. Inhaling a deep breath, he squeezes Elmo's knee and lets him go, letting the breath ripple through him as well, slicking his feathers down. "Ah'm mad about it, that's all there is to it raght now. Ah'm mad that it happened to El. Ah'm…Ah'm mad that honestly Ah don't know that if she woulda shown up on yer doorstep that ya would've even paused about it, an' that makes me upset." Jay digs deep and admits between the two with a lift of his chin. "Ah know you can't control yer old man, which is why yer head is still on yer shoulders raght now, friend. But Ah'm still sore about it all. Listenin' to someone Ah care about in agony and knowin' that what you had could be over isn't somethin' Ah can just wave off."
Lambert says "Yhh..yeah. So. We have sort of two females - the males are all the same. We have nymphs and we have maenads. A nymph is sort of, hmmm. A female wood spirit type thing. They have trees, sometimes, or rivers. They're gentle - they run away from satyrs a lot of the time. A maenad looks more like me, but as a girl. Maenads are violent. And, you know, intense and sexy, and when I get close to one, I kinda get instinctive…" Oh, so he can blush. He clears his throat "Anyway. _Mostly_ they're too dangerous, but since I have such a short lifespan, dad decided, I guess, that grand children with Maenad blood would be great. And he changed Linny, because we're supposed to run in a pack. And all of this stuff is stupid to you guys, but he was trying to do right by me. You know, even though I'm not very satyr-ry." He finally says "I don't know who Pecos Bill is. Is that…" He glances sideways at Elmo. Is there help there?
And then Lambert says, bluntly "If it was just me and Elmo as a Maenad, yeah, of course I would. And er, eventually, he…er…she. Would kill me. And eat me. And that's kind of the circle of life?" He adds "I know this stuff might be making you more angry, but I figured more information helps with decisions." He pauses, then he says to Elmo "Well, it may have been coming a while, since I'm no good at leaving Jay alone, and he knows how I feel about him. The problem is I feel that way about most. People. I think I groped Strange when I was drunk."
"American mythology," Elmo says with a wry shrug. But when Lambert says his dad's plan was for him to kill and eat him, he puts the wine down suddenly. "Oh my God. I…I didn't know that part. I mean. I wanted to do those things." He looks ill. "But not that. That was the plan. I wanted to kill Lindon so bad." Maenad Elmo said it with a note of longing in her voice. Mortal Elmo turns green. "I was fightin' her and tryin' to convince her not to. I think she didn't really want to yet. Wanted to get pregnant first." There's definitely some psychic distancing he's doing from the bloodthirsty maenad. He winces. "Yeah I'm sure this isn't helping. …You groped Strange? He must like you. You're still here."
Jay nods confirmation to Elmo's explanation on Pecos Bill. "You think that Ah look good," Jay is pretty dismissive of how he seems to think Lambert feels about him. "Exactly, you think that way about everyone, so it don't honestly matter. This ain't about me, Lambert. Yer attracted t'me like yer attracted t'everyone else, and like you flirt with everyone. This is about the person Ah genuinely care about bein' forced to screw you, an' how that ain't right. That's what Ah got issue with." His hands unfold and hold themselves out. "Ah know it didn't happen, but Ah still had to watch it tear El apart." Haaaahhhh technically Elmo wasn't the one getting torn apart. Bah Dum Ching! "So yeah, Ah'm sore about it. Ah'll get over it, there ain't a snowball's chance in hell Ah can do anythin' about it, but that don't make any of it right. So. Maybe Ah'm readin' a little cold raght now."
"Oh! Is he in New York?" Lambert asks, of Pecos Bill. Because he might well be. All of the creatures might well be. Lambert says "…I know this is, uhmm. Weird for you. But it isn't so much for us. I mean, it is probably why dad married a human. Er." He pauses, and then he draws back a little as Jay says, and he says "…hurmn." There is silence now, for a long time, and then he finally frowns. Something is going on internally, and Lambert's ears go from perked up to pushed right back against his head. The tail has stopped twitching and is down as well, tightly. The satyrling glances up, and he takes his flower crown off and he puts it on the table, and prods at the cherryblossoms on it a bit. They sure need a lot of arranging.
"No, he's not in town. He's not real," Jay pauses, then thinks about it a moment. "At least. I don't think he is." Oh lord! Now he has to consider that. Jeeze. Still, Jay is quiet while Lambert processes everything and starts to look like a kicked puppy. Ugh, nooooo. You know, this is why Jay couldn't last a day in Jewish society; he's really good at feeling guilty. So when he takes that crown off and pokes at it, Jay sighs and shifts uncomfortably. There's a pleading look, though he's not really sure what for, as Elmo gets up and goes to let them talk.
Damnit.
Jay sighs and toes the courtyard ground, knitting his brows together and seeing how long he can hold out. Feathers prickling out until his back is just a big fluffy red cloud. "…Look…" He starts. Then stops. Huffs a sigh. Shifts in his chair. His eyes jumping up and down, to and from Lambert. "Ah know it's not really yer fault."
"Well. If you still thought so, it's not like that would make it my fault. It isn't." Lambert chews his lip, and then he says "I'll tell my father not to come back to New York. Lamont bailed him out of jail. I can't ask him to step in. Like I don't ask him to pay for things for the restaurant. The restaurant is mine." He takes a breath, and he says "I built this restaurant. Even though I look at people and fall in love instantly. It may not mean anything to you, but it does to me. You say it doesn't mean anything, but you know how he felt meant something to Elmo - all out of words and just feelings. Why do you think it doesn't mean anything when it's me? Is it because I control it better? I still feel like that. All the time. I'm just careful." He turns the crown around "I know it's easier to be mad at me than someone more powerful and dangerous, and I know I'm the only one like me around. But, damnit, Jay, you're a mutant, so you should know what it's like being on the end of this kind of thing. Getting blamed because you're like that other one that did it." Lambert frowns, his brows drawing. The skin at the base of his horns is slightly swollen, reddish "Don't you say what I want doesn't mean anything. Or act like it's not real for me - I get it isn't for you. But what I feel, want. And decide I shouldn't have because it'd be bad for them? That's all day, every day. I mean, come on, isn't it obvious why I like feedin' everyone?"
Jay listens carefully, like he always seems to. He's a pretty decent listener, at least falling quiet to let Lambert say his peace, and fully to completion before he opens his mouth to speak, though his feathers to shiver at a couple points in twitchy reaction. Though that may just be an indicator that he does hear what he's saying.
"It's not the same thing comparin' blamin' all mutants for one. He's yer father, and you were the focus of it, an' ya said it yerself that you wouldn't have stopped it." Jay halts himself and closes his eyes, inhaling a smooth breath. "Or…couldn't have stopped it. Something." Willing himself to stay level rather than overly emotional, he opens his eyes again. "Don't compare mutant discrimination with yer father being an out of control jerk. Ah'm not cold with you because yer satyrkin, and you know it."
"What do you mean how he felt meant somethin' to him? He was angry, Bert. Ah'd be angry too, so yeah, Ah know that meant somethin'. He was angry, he felt used, then there was the blind lust and the cutting. Except for the part where he had to run away an' call me so he wouldn't jus' screw you an' Kai, because he didn't want to." Jay lifts a hand and gestures out toward Lambert. "What're you talking about? How is that like you?" Not seeing the connection.
"Yeah?" asks Lambert "Then why is it? Is it because I'm related to someone? I can't stop him - and if a Maenad turned up, the way she smells is gonna affect me. If you're angry about that, then you're angry about me being what I am. Maybe you get to be angry - but if you do, we're _not_ friends and I don't want to see you anymore. I learned a long time ago not to try making nice with people who want me to be something different when I don't get a choice." He picks up the crown, and he turns it over and over, and he says "Don't call my dad a jerk. He's a monster. He's not a human. He did something stupid, but he did it because he feels bad about me being weak compared to all of the others - weaklings don't get to breed. A jerk knows they did something wrong, but he's not got the foresight to work it out. That's _why_ we keep him on a farm, away from people, and why mom puts up with it all."
Lambert narrows his eyes a little at 'didn't want to', and he wrinkles his nose a bit, and then he says "He felt other stuff too. Music, and revel, and hunt. What I'm saying, featherbrain, is that intensity that he felt. Like that. All angry and hot and intense and longing. That's how I feel about other people _all the time_. I know humans feel differently, so that's why I'm slow - and I was too slow, with you. But you treating what I am like it's me meaning nothing…because I want people. Like it means I don't want you enough, somehow. That's why I don't…ugh." He mutters, now "This is why I get on better with people like Strange, or Lamont. Because they know what it's like having to hold yourself all. Thin on a wire and not move. In case somethin' wrong comes out."
"Yeah it's because you're related to him because where /Ah/ am from, you answer fer yer kin, too. An' you were the subject of it, Lambert. You. You were supposed to screw the person Ah'm datin', and that woulda screwed my relationship. Ah /know/," He sets his index finger against his temple for emphasis, flicking it away sharply. "That ya didn't do it, but you were involved, so yeah, Ah feel weird about it! So Ah'm sorry if Ah can't pretend that it didn't happen fast enough fer you, Bert. Ah've seen ya all of /once/ since it happened and it's /awkward/ fer me." But it's that jab where he says that if Jay gets to be angry, they're not friends, and he doesn't want to see him that seems to land the hardest, and cuts deep, shocking him. So Jay shoves up from his chair, standing up and backing off it. It's hard to listen after that.
Jay lids his eyes at 'featherbrain' then rolls his eyes at Lambert as if to say 'was that really necessary?', but he doesn't bother to give it voice and instead shakes his head slowly, lifting a hand. "So Ah'm not allowed to be mad about how wrong this was, or how it hurt me, or hurt El…and if Ah am, we can't be friends an' you don't wanna see me? That's the hill yer gonna die on, Lambert?" Jay's brows pop upward to see if he's got that right. He drifts off, shaking his head slowly, a short, shocked puff of breath forced out of his chest. "Ah don't know what you mean when you say yer slow. Or you were slow with me. But Ah guess it don't matter." Jay falls silent for a moment, staring down at Lambert and the flower crown. "…you really don't wanna see me again?" He has to ask, pulling his lips down into a flat looking frown to keep control of the shape, trying to keep his emotions under control. Don't you fucking cry, Guthrie.
"Ugh, why are you…misunderstanding me?" says Lambert, a bit desperately "It isn't about how fast. It's about the fact that you want me to answer for a person - for the whole group of them, 'coz they're all the same - and I _won't_. I didn't do that stuff! I'm not the same creature. I can't be like…I can't be expected to put up with all the stuff that comes from not being a real satyr, and _then_ have to put up with the stuff that comes from not being a real human. That's not…that's too big to carry. They ain't gonna do it. I appreciate that what happened was wrong, even though _no one over there is gonna think it is_. Because for them, dad was just trying to help. So I'm sorry, and I'm gonna tell him not to come back, and in choosing between family and you guys, I've chosen you guys. But if you're gonna come over cold when you see me, I can't be near that, okay? I don't _get_ a pack here. I don't get a revel with folk like me. I don't get to be a mutant, and I don't get to be human. I'm sorry about what happened to Elmo, but you don't understand how good it was just to be with creatures who were like me, and who were so stupid-new to being monsters they thought I was actually _in_ their pack. I'm sorry you got hurt, but I can't fix it! And I _do_ like you, okay?"
"Ah don't want you to answer fer a whole group of people, Lambert!" Jay actually loses some of his temper and lifts the chair he's been white-knuckling, slamming all four feet back down on the courtyard floor as he /shouts/ at the satyrkin, his voice splitting into a cacophony of several at once; a chorus of frustration which tries to find resonance, but instead just harmonizes with itself into a powerful howl. Wings hover wide off his back, shivering with high-burning emotion. His voice falls back to normal after that outburst. "Ah don't give a /damn/ what they think. Ah'm not askin' you to choose us over yer familyMah god, man. Do you know anythin' about me? Ah would never force someone to make that decision. I've /seen/ yer apartment, Lambert. Ah know how important they are to you." Still, there's anger in Jay's expression, as alien and ill fitting as the expression looks across his naturally kind face. "You asked me what was wrong, an' Ah told you! Ah feel awkward an' angry about yer dad rollin' into town an' throwin' around weird rape magic t'make mah boyfriend screw and devour mah friendwhich honestly doesn't sound like a damn picnic fer you either! Instead, Ah got the joys of flyin' El up north an chasin' her around the woods an' lettin' her tear the hell out of me. /Fergive the hell outta me/ for feelin' weird about that, Lambert. Am Ah askin' you to fix it? No! Because Ah know there ain't no fixin' it, and it ain't yer fault. It ain't about fault, or fixin' stuff. Excuse the hell outta me fer bein' too stupid an' human to just laugh all that off an' needin' some time from it."
"But you said -" Lambert just looks confused, and maybe a bit wary. At the howl, his ears flatten, and his eyes glitter, the horizontal pupils flicking to the side. There sure are a lot of big pieces of wood, knives, and so on, around here. And he is at home, in his own territory. He flattens his ears, still further, which is the sort of thing that works very well when fighting other satyrs who might well take a chomp out of them. Tail is the same. The anger has him wary, and the whole expression of him is frustrated, confused. Some part of this he does not understand, where it brushes up against the parts of him inside that have no answer for it "Maenads," he mutters, rubbing the area over his horns tightly "Okay."
Jay stands there, straddled over his chair, still white knuckling the back of it and absolutely in the weirdest aggressive stance. Weird if only for the fact that he's normally such a gentle creature, but with his feathers raised and wings cocked sharply behind him, broad shoulders squared and his chest out, Jay looks closer to how strong he actually is. There's definitely more of a resemblance between him and his older brother. "Ah said what? That Ah was upset Elmo got hurt, an' that our relationship could've been damaged." Jay points out. It's slow-dawning, the realization that Lambert's ears are slicked down, and his tail is flattened close. Fear responses. Slowly, Jay's expression relaxes, bit by bit, and sinks into surprise, then horror. "Oh. Shit. Ah…didn't mean t'yell."
Lambert mutters "You said family answers for stuff where you come from." He sure is stubborn. Goatlike, in fact. And he is not quite making eye contact, though there is no resentment at this, either. Just that cautious way an animal that has decided _not_ to annoy the dominant one behaves. In Lambert, there is a tacit acceptance without the need to challenge - or any weird feelings about it. He is well aware that Jay outclasses him when it comes to movement, and most of what Lambert uses in a fight is movement, so… After a moment, Lambert says "No, that's fine, er. Though. My neighbours are pretty understanding."
"Yeah, we do," Jay murmurs, casting his gaze sidelong, not able to make eye contact, himself, after that outburst. "Ya mess with one, you mess with us all, but one screws up, chances are yer gonna have to watch yer back, too." Slowly, awkwardly, Jay stares at the floor and sits back down on his reversed chair, stiffly. He's not used to cowing someone else, and certainly not his friend. He shakes his head slightly and scoops a handful of hair out of his face. "No. Ah don't need t'yell at you. That wasn't right of me. Ah'm sorry."
"It's a bit different with us, but I'm too tired to explain it, and you probably don't want to hear it." Lambert carefully reaches for his bowl and brings the water to his mouth, and then he says "What?" and he looks at Jay, a little oddly. He _has_ managed to give himself a headache, the hangover - the last part of the Dionysian ritual. Lambert's started to get some shadows under his eyes "No, that's fine. You're kinda…ugh. It's _different_ when a stranger yells at me. But when a friend does, it's more like all the…sabre rattling back home. You know. Who's horns are bigger, who's got a bigger -…never mind that."
Jay rubs his fingers against his forehead, nodding a couple times. "—Dick swingin' contest. Gotcha." Jay finishes for him, helpfully, but he clearly doesn't get the nuances of what Lambert was saying previously, or probably what a sabre rattle is. "Ah don't wanna fight with you, Lambert. At least, not seriously. Ah honestly really wanted to just come in here and hit ya and let that be that but Ah didn't think that'd turn out very well. Neither did this."
"The hit would be okay," says Lambert "Just do it to my forehead…well. Probably don't. You'll break knuckles." He pauses, then he says "Satyrs sort things by fighting. If you wanted to beat me up for a bit for some reason, there's nothing stopping you, is there? I do get to fight back though." He adds "And I might ask that you do it when I don't need to go put Kai somewhere he won't get cold. I need to sleep too. My head is killing me."
"Oh no, I know not t'go fer your head," Jay admits seriously, but without pride. "Ah was gonna go fer the gut." His attention swims toward the sleeping elf. "He sleeps through anything. Literally. Anything. The people in the apartment above him were havin' a loud fight an' the city was repavin' the street outside the building, which made Kevin howl, when Ah lived with him, and he slept through it all." He breathes in deeply and stands up again, nodding once. "Yeah. Get some sleep." His gaze flicks up at the horned man. "Are we okay?"
"Well, I am a bit fat," says Lambert, who is not yet so human-socialised that he is embarassed by it. That? May come in future, but not today. He eyes Kai, a little uncertainly, then moves and picks him up with a grunt "Loki will get angry if he gets cold, and Loki is probably okay with killing me," he says, and he pauses "Yes. I feel a bit. I wish lots of things, but I chose this place, not my family's place, so. So things just are not as I really understand. I will see you again. I will always have baklava for you to eat." It takes Lambert some work to lift Kai, when he could probably do so to Jay effortlessly. Lambert blows his cheeks out, and grunts "I will put him in the kitchen. I'm not carrying this up the stairs. Goodnight, Jay."
Jay looks a little confused, trying to replay a few things through his mind and a few things Lambert said, squinting as he watches Lambert hoist Kai's dead weight body around. "Ah—" Then stops himself short, shaking his head. "Yeah. Good night, Lambert."