There was nothing that could be said or done to bring any of the people Zory agreed about onto the same page as of late. Try as Ozzy may to get her to at least try to clear the air with everyone, blowing off mixers like this was the new norm. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the vast majority of the arguments she had become the center of in recent months. As much as some might like to hope she was finally done bing awol at these often highly dysfunctional functions, anyone in the major factions knew her absences were rarely just random coincidence. Anywhere he was obligated to show up, it was virtually guaranteed she wouldn't.
On the off chance she made an appearance, she made no secret of her intent to keep avoiding him like the plague. She would likely arrive unfashionably late and still readily duck out early as well without sparing him so much as a glance. It was not uncommon for her to avoid seeing him for weeks at a time and his patience was growing thin.
"Still in the dog house, eh Vozylyzy?" Someone happily snickered as he passed them by.
"We've missed you too, Vozylyzy!" Another chuckled.
He'd taken more than a few pages out of Zory's book when it came to people like them. Paying that guy any mind only gave him more ammo. When something that didn't used to strike any particular nerves starts to strike a bunch, letting yourself react runs the risk of exposing even more of your buttons for people who like to press them. It was all in good fun at first, but as his ranking in the rings rose, the number of people who seemed to be just poking fun dropped.
The dazzling torches and lavish fireplaces that brought as much light and warmth to these underground strongholds as possible had last all of their charm for many wayward nova long ago. Whenever she was around, the entire atmosphere was different. The new high on the tally of no-shows would not sit well. She was the only one who could really help keep the peace with the complicated dynamics between this many of the various factions that were represented single-handedly.
"Enough." His brother warned and that was that.
Iz didn't have much of temper even under circumstance just about anyone else would. If the usually sunny-side-up one of their usual trio was already fed u with them the hottest head among them was likely already fuming too.
As the bands of outcasts who sought and still fought for shelter here grew larger and stronger with every newly passing equinox, the odds of civil war on the horizons above were on the flux as well. Neither Jazz nor Iz had ever violated any of the annual ceasefire orders that went into effect this time of year, but they did lead two very different groups. It was a safe bet they had been arguing about whatever civil unrest Jazz's people were threatening to cause next in lieu of violence. It was always a hard-knock life for him in particular whenever Zory's absence proved especially inopportune.
"Do I even wanna know?" Ozzy sighed as he closed the last of the distance to the bar where they were waiting.
"Definitely not." Iz huffed as he continued wiping down a mug that was already perfectly clean. "Literally none of the buzz I caught wind of on my shift is good."
"We can't go on like this much longer." Jazz urged as Ozzy took a seat beside him at the bar. "More and more people that are still topside are growing suspicious she's alive, Oz, and when your people find out about all of the lies we helped you tell to protect her…? Game over."
The flashbacks of the carnage that had ensued within hours of when he had first met Zory had already been hanging over Ozzy day and night. He didn't need any reminders. He had yet to ever welcome anyone ever bringing it up either. He had taken no shame in all the trouble that came raining down while he was trying to cover up the fact that she survived, but he also took no pride in how steamed she was when all of that really came to a boiling point either.
"Oh, Vozylyzy?" Iz called in a sing-song voice.
Ozzy was anything but ready to respond instead of react as is and the use of his pseudonym outside of the rings had never failed to rub him the wrong way since Zory almost died. He chose it a good while before they had even beet, but he had chosen it with every intent of living up to it and ever since that day, he was sure that was a long way off.
"Are you even listening?!" Jazz finally hissed in response to the heavy silence he was met with.
Anyone who knew even the first thing about the ruthless assassination attempt that had occurred last spring knew that Ozzy had ceased to be capable of truly listening to anyone but Zory. She haunted most of his dreams and the vast majority of his thoughts whether she had allowed him to see her as of late or not. You can't find someone in that dire of a condition while the clock is ticking without gaining some scars of your own.