It had been one of the last summer days when Mirskyn had seen him for the first time. The worst heat waves had subsided and the evenings had become cooler than what they had been for a couple of months. There was still some daylight left during this time of the year, giving the evening skies a serene look. It was pleasant to be outside during such a time and there were people who enjoyed partying after the sun would go down, almost like freeing their wild spirits. And one of the greatest nightclubs in the city happened to be Azure Qilin, and that was the place where Mirskyn met the man who inevitably became part of his life.

He had been doing his work, serving drinks for the people who had come to Azure Qilin in order to have a good time. He had been working as a bartender for a couple of months at that point. Purple and pink lights had been flashing all around the club, filling the space with their beautiful colors. Loud pop music was playing in the background and it was very fitting together with the lights, it was almost like the lights were dancing in the rhythm of the music. Mirskyn had got a little break since most of the people in the club had immersed themselves in dancing and he had been standing behind the bar counter, just chilling and listening to the music. But at some point his gaze had wandered off to the entrance of the nightclub and that was when he saw him.

In the light of a blue neon sign that told people the club's name, there was a Tideborn standing. He was a new bouncer, Mirskyn had assumed, since the previous one had left the club just a little while ago. The Tideborn had had his arms crossed over his chest and he had been observing the people going in and out. Curiously, Mirskyn had watched him, examining him with his gaze. Usually Tideborns had bluish or purple skin but this one had brownish. He had long blond hair and some light markings on his face, which were quite common for Tideborns to have, he probably had more of them on the parts of his skin that were now covered by clothes. Mirskyn smiled to himself as he caught himself from thinking what the bouncer's body looked like without clothing. But for that night, he settled for just looking. He was occupied by his work anyway, but every now and then, when he would get a little bit of free time, his eyes would wander towards the entrance and he would secretly stare at the Tideborn.

As the next evening came around and Mirskyn came to work right before the nightclub was opened, he was happy to notice that the same Tideborn appeared a little bit later to watch the entrance. But just like during the previous night, he didn't approach the man. Sometimes he would stare at him with dreamy eyes, wondering why he was so interested in this Tideborn that he hadn't really even met yet. They hadn't exchanged any words and Mirskyn wasn't sure had the Tideborn even noticed his existence, but for a reason he didn't understand, he just happened to find him very fascinating. And as the nights passed by, Mirskyn became increasingly enthralled by him. It was one of the highlights of one night when Mirskyn noticed that the Tideborn had watched him doing his work. He had of course flashed a smile at his direction, but the Tideborn shifted his gaze away. And for a brief moment, Mirskyn had felt a strangely warm sensation inside.

After two more nights passed, they finally had their first interaction. As usual, Mirskyn had been doing his work, making drinks for the customers, when some young man and his girlfriend had started some ruckus on the dance floor. Mirskyn wasn't sure what was going on since the loud music covered his shouting pretty well, but he had a feeling that the guy was pretty intoxicated, he had been getting drinks from him a few times. The situation escalated that they had to be escorted out of the nightclub, and who else but the Tideborn was the man for that job. He wasn't particularly a big man, but he did have some muscles. He had a firm grasp and he could skillfully lead two bothersome people out even though they struggled a little bit. But in the end they were thrown out of the club. The Tideborn looked after them for a brief moment, but to Mirskyn's surprise, he then made his way to the bar counter.

The Tideborn leaned on the counter, having an irritated expression on his face. “Give me a whiskey shot.”

“Coming right up”, Mirskyn responded and swiftly made the drink the other man had requested. “No need to pay, consider this as my treat.”

The Tideborn drank the shot with one good gulp. He tapped the counter a couple of times. “Give me another.”

Mirskyn gladly gave him another drink. As he offered it to him, he was wearing a gentle smile on his face and asked: “You're new here, so may I get your name?”

“Rhynx”, the Tideborn answered and emptied the second glass given to him.

“Nice to meet you, Rhynx”, Mirskyn said, his smile growing wider. “My name is Mirskyn. Now, what brings you to Archosaur?”

“The usual stuff”, Rhynx replied and shrugged. “You know, seeking for yourself from the grand city, establishing a new life, stuff like that.”

“I see”, Mirskyn said while nodding. He knew exactly what the Tideborn meant, for he had arrived at Archosaur only a couple of months ago, so he himself hadn't been here for long.

“Anyway, I better go and do my job”, Rhynx spoke and started to walk towards the entrance. “It was nice to meet you, Mirskyn.”

The Tideborn waved his hand as he walked away. Mirskyn stared at him for a little while, experiencing warmth in his heart again. Finally learning the Tideborn's name and hearing his voice had somehow made him even more fascinating in the Nightshade's eyes. For the rest of the night Mirskyn was feeling so stupidly happy that he didn't even remember the last time he had felt that kind of emotion. He did his shift with a smile on his face.

Mirskyn had been doing his work as a bartender with pleasure, but ever since Rhynx came around, going to work was the highlight of the day for him. And over the next few weeks they had started to develop a bond of some sort. They would greet each other when beginning their shifts and sometimes they would take brief breaks just to have a small chat. And after some time had passed, the Nightshade had to admit that he liked this man, more than he probably should. Sometimes they would get lost in each other's eyes, their hands would touch and Rhynx would speak with such a soft tone that it would melt Mirskyn's heart. And still, the Nightshade wasn't sure if the Tideborn was feeling the same. He had a feeling that their hearts had connected, but something was making him afraid… What if all of this was just his fantasy?

And for a good while Mirskyn's thoughts were feverishly going back and forth as he was trying to figure out the relationship with the Tideborn. However, as the time passed, he started to become more and more sure that he wanted to take the next step. The risk felt worth taking. Even after he was sure about this, it still took him a couple of more nights to actually gather the courage to make his move.

The evening came around as usual. They both had arrived at Azure Qilin just when it was about to be opened for the night. They had greeted each other just like every other evening and began their shifts. Mirskyn's golden eyes lingered at the Tideborn for a bit longer than normal before he was immersed at his job. His heart was pounding against his chest because of the great anticipation. He had the whole night to muster his courage and that was exactly what he ended up doing. Of course he focused on his job and served drinks for the customers, but at the back of his mind there was this gnawing feeling that just wouldn't fade away. And every now and then his gaze would wander to the direction of the Tideborn and he couldn't help but admire him every time. And the more Mirskyn looked at him, the more he wanted to get close to him. And when the small hours came around, the Nightshade felt determined, but still a little bit nervous.

People started to leave the nightclub. The music was fading and the gorgeous lights that had brought liveliness to the place turned dim. Mirskyn was cleaning up the bar, getting it ready for another night. While he was doing that, Rhynx walked to the counter and Mirskyn couldn't possibly be happier for this move.

“What a night”, Rhynx said as he leaned against the counter. “It felt busier somehow. Did you see those two idiots that began to throw their drinking glasses at those women who refused to dance with them?”

The Tideborn shook his head as he reminded himself of that incident. 

“Yeah, I saw them”, Mirskyn replied while getting the last bit of his bar cleaned up for tomorrow. He had indeed seen that scene happen. “Good job at throwing those clowns out.”

“Yeah, well, I get paid for doing that”, Rhynx said and tapped the counter with his fingers. “Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?”

He turned around to make his leave, but before he managed to take more steps, Mirskyn grabbed his arm and quickly shouted: “Wait!”

“Huh?” Rhynx looked at him with a bit of a confused look in his eyes.

“I was wondering…” Mirskyn spoke softly, releasing the Tideborn's arm, but smiled at him as tenderly as he could. “Would you like to come over to my apartment? To spend the rest of the night?”

The Tideborn's expression changed from a puzzled look to a flirtatious one. And soon he responded with the words the Nightshade wanted to hear: “With pleasure. Just show me the way.”

Mirskyn's heart was beating fast once again, he felt so excited that this was happening. He was done with his work so he quickly slipped around the bar counter and he began to walk along Rhynx towards the entrance of the nightclub. They stepped into the chill night air and Mirskyn began to guide Rhynx to the place where he lived.

The sky was still like a dark blue veil over the world. The many street lights of the city of Archosaur were illuminating the streets so all kinds of late-night wanderers would have a comfortable trip to wherever they were heading to. It was pleasantly quiet and the trip to Mirskyn's apartment felt almost romantic. The two men walked side by side through the silent city and Mirskyn was struggling with the urge to hold Tideborn's hand. Would he mind that? But his hand seemed to make the decision for him as his fingertips caressed Rhynx's hand and since the Tideborn didn't back off, their fingers intertwined and they continued their walk while holding hands, not caring what other people would think.

Mirskyn lived just a few blocks away from Azure Qilin. It didn't take much time for the men to reach the right street, which was empty by the moment they came to it. Not surprising, considering how late it was. Mirskyn guided Rhynx to one of the multi-storey buildings that looked rather new. The Nightshade opened the entrance door to the building and the two men stepped inside, finding themselves from a neat lobby. Mirskyn started to head to the stairs leading to upper floors and the men began to climb.

“I live on the fourth floor”, Mirskyn stated as they kept going.

Once they managed to reach the right floor, Mirskyn stopped in front of one of the apartment doors and unlocked it with a quiet click. Then the men slipped inside and the door closed after them. The Nightshade flipped the light switch and soon the dark apartment was basking in the warm light. Rhynx began to curiously look around. The apartment didn't seem very big but it was cozy and was kept clean and in good condition.

“Nice place you got here”, Rhynx said, nodding approvingly as he wandered around the living room area.

“Thank you”, Mirskyn responded, stepping right behind the Tideborn and placing his hand on Rhynx's shoulder tenderly. “Would you like to have a drink?”

“Sure, why not”, Rhynx replied.

“Please, take a seat”, Mirskyn said and gestured to the other man to sit down on the black couch.

The Tideborn did as was suggested and sat down, noting that the couch was very comfortable. Meanwhile the Nightshade made his way to the kitchen area, paying a visit to the fridge. He picked up a couple of beers and then returned to the living room. He offered one of the cans to his guest who gladly took it and then he walked to an armchair that was positioned so that it faced the rest of the living room. He took a seat and opened his can of beer, the Tideborn doing the same and together they took the first sip of that cold and delicious drink.

“Pretty good stuff”, Rhynx praised and took another swig.

“I know, right?” Mirskyn said and smiled, happy to know that the Tideborn enjoyed this brand of beer.

And for a little while they were sitting in silence, drinking beer. Mirskyn was feeling a little nervous again, trying to come up with topics to discuss, but all those sorts of thoughts were escaping from him. So he kept drinking his beer, emptying the can rather quickly. He noticed that the Tideborn was in the same situation as well, trying to drip the last few droplets of beer to his tongue.

“Would you like another one?” Mirskyn asked and stood up from his seat.

“Yeah”, Rhynx answered and placed his empty can on the table in front of him.

The Nightshade dropped off his beer can on the table as well as he passed by it while making his way to the kitchen again. He headed to the fridge once more and snatched a couple of more beers, then returned to the living room and gave the drink to Rhynx before he sat down on the armchair.

“Cheers”, Mirskyn said and they both started drinking again.

Another silent moment came around. But not for long when the Tideborn broke it: “Do you remember that one Winged Elf guy who was so fucking drunk that he was flying above the dance floor and started to vomit over everyone who happened to be beneath him?”

The Nightshade chuckled. “Yeah, I do remember that.”

From that point on they were talking about various incidents that had happened in Azure Qilin. They remembered all kinds of happenings, disgusting things, rude and entitled people and just some weird stuff they had witnessed while doing their jobs. Both of the men were having a good time thinking back about what they had witnessed in the nightclub and as they continued to have a conversation about them, they drank a couple of more beers, which was starting to be responsible for their cheerful mood. At least Mirskyn could feel getting a bit tipsy.

And the alcohol did give him courage to ask something he had wanted to do for a while. So when their last topic ended and they emptied their latest beer cans, Mirskyn got the feeling that now was the perfect time to act.

He leaned a bit forward and looked at the Tideborn with utter adoration in his eyes and asked: “Would you like to see my bedroom?”

The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice, there was no doubt what he was implying. For a very brief moment the Tideborn looked confused, but his expression changed soon. He was smiling in such a charming way that it was melting the Nightshade's heart.

“I'd love to”, Rhynx answered.

Mirskyn stood up and so did Rhynx. Mirskyn walked to him and grabbed the Tideborn's hands, looking him directly into the eyes with a tender gaze and then he began to guide Rhynx towards the bedroom. It was accessible straight from the living room area, so they soon arrived there. Most of the space was reserved by a big bed and then there were a couple of bookshelves with some books stacked on them along with gorgeous ornament items. There was a window that offered a beautiful view over the city, but Mirskyn pulled the curtains to hide it, for what was soon about to happen shouldn't be seen by the world. It was just their little secret.