<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">In a way, Faden's response surprised him. Vas had a knack for spotting individuals like him, like <i>them</i>, yet the way Faden spoke, it was nearly as if he didn't know what he was. Didn't know about the fabric that made up his being, despite being cut from a wholly unique cloth. He went a touch quiet as he processed it, merely peering at the man attached to his side. How could he <i>not know</i>? <br/>
<br/>
"Not at all," he offered at length, an easy smile on his face. "If you can't be yourself here, where else can you be? And anyway, between you and me, I'm probably a little nuts, too." There were plenty of folks at Burning Man who attended for the prestige and the Instagram views, but for the most part, everyone there was a misfit in some way. Didn't fit in with the masses. Here, people believed in fate and crystals and spirit quests and freedom of expression. Sometimes, they even believed in gods.<br/>
<br/>
"I second that!" Pixie chimed from a few paces up. Much as he loved her, Vas nearly sighed. Some selfish part of him wasn't all that eager to share Faden with the others, though he supposed he had little recourse. He had never been able to deny them anything, particularly the petite blonde with her big eyes and her fiery temper. Though she often had her head in the clouds, she had more solid footing than any human Vas had come across in this lifetime, and he adored her for it. Enough to forgive her even when she turned into something of a barrier between himself and the object of his interest.<br/>
<br/>
Vas sighed dramatically, an arm weighing heavily atop Faden's shoulder. "I'm treated so horribly here," he lamented. "And after I did her share of the driving, too."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll make it up to you," she promised, glancing back with a grin. "I brought the Purple Kush you like."<br/>
<br/>
"And just like that, she's forgiven." Vas laughed, and that was the end of that.<br/>
<br/>
Their group of five departed their corner of the city on a set of bikes, making one stop on the way for a few bottles of water before they came upon the tent. Equipped with portable air conditioning units run on generators and a modest sound system that circulated a trance-like brand of electronica, it was perhaps one of the better spots for a reprieve in between viewing the outdoor installations. No tables to speak of, only lounges and an abundance of cushions, into which the lot of them were quick to sink and catch their breath. The brothers complained to each other about the heat, Pixie fussed with her hair, and Vas took a moment to recharge. He still had a bit of gifted energy from their set to process.<br/>
<br/>
"Already better than Coachella," he mentioned to no one in particular.<br/>
<br/>
"Here." Pixie waved her offering of a tightly wound joint in front of her best friend's face, which Vas snatched without hesitation. "As promised. Don't say I never did anything for you."<br/>
<br/>
Vas looked to Faden, nearly as if to implore him for backup. "I already like you more than I like her right now," he teased, largely ignoring her playful uttering of <i>yeah, yeah, yeah</i> as he searched his pocket for a book of matches to set the joint tip ablaze. He loathed butane lighters. After a cursory hit, he offered it to Faden. "A belated offering for the lovely song."</span>