[o] Sea legs

Bask in the Light of the Stars

The sound of the ocean was a steady backdrop as Zen walked along the Ahi coast for the first time. He'd discarded his shoes early on, holding them in one hand to keep the worst of the sand from invading them.  Each crash of the waves against the sand a reminder that he was finally standing in Caido. That the warm sand he was sinking his feet into was real.

Above the Demi-god, the moon's gentle light acted as a beacon, drawing his gaze back to the stars. They looked so different down here, smaller, but no less bright. He already missed them, and the advantage of awareness they brought. His senses felt duller down here somehow. Stifled in a way.

Zen took a breath, slowly acclimatizing himself to the taste of salt in the air. The closer he drew to Haulani, the louder the distant sounds of people grew, and the brighter their torches. Laughter, joy, anger, and excitement, all ringing through the air at once. The vast array of human emotions was fascinating. Would he also react to life in the same manner? There was only one way to find out.

Or be burned by their light

Zen

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

He’d felt the shift before he ever saw him—an echo that didn’t belong to the stars above or the tide below. Something new. Familiar, but not. Vesper stood barefoot on the rocks above the shoreline, sleeves rolled to his elbows, the wind teasing through his hair like it belonged there. The sea didn’t mind him, even if he minded it.

His eyes tracked the lone figure moving through the sand, steps too measured to be a tourist, too careful to be one of the locals. Something in the man’s posture gave him away—an awareness, even if dulled, that didn’t belong to someone born down here. It was the same look Vesper had worn when he’d first come to Torchline. Like you were still adjusting to gravity.

The recognition settled slowly, like smoke coiling in his lungs.

Another of hers.

His jaw worked once, tight. Then he made his way down the rocks without a word, the sea pulling at his ankles like it wanted to keep him from getting involved, but he walked anyway.

"Let me guess," Vesper called once he was close enough to be heard over the surf, his voice as smooth and sharp as ever. "You're the new one of us, right?" He came to a stop a few paces away, not hostile—but not open, either. Just quiet, unreadable, ocean-blue eyes flicking from Zen’s shoes to his face.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Bask in the Light of the Stars

Zen turned at the sound of a voice, silver eyes narrowing as he studied the approaching man. Tall, dark hair, blue eyes, pale star, and familiar features. Even before the question was posed, he recognized Vesper. His brother. Relaxing, the newer Demi-god was surprised to have run into one of his siblings so quickly. But he supposed it was fitting. Blue and purple stars bloomed into existence beside his head, swirling together to form his response, (I am.)

Unfortunately, Zen couldn't tell what Vesper was thinking at the moment, or how welcome his presence was. He had actively avoided watching the triplets from the stars, apart from learning their names and faces. Spying on the trio had seemed like a poor choice given his desire to get along with them.  

The stars shifted, coiling together before stretching out to form new words, (Vesper, right? I'm Zen.)

Or be burned by their light

Zen

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

The constellation of words begins to form beside Zen’s head, and Vesper’s eyes follow them—not because he needs to read them, but because it’s too odd not to. His brow arches slowly, the first flicker of surprise giving way to something drier, more guarded. A constellation introduction? Stars instead of speech? He folds his arms across his chest, weight shifting to one hip. "Fuck is that?" he asks flatly, "You born without a tongue?" His tone isn’t unkind, but there’s a bite to it—dry, sharp-edged, the way his humour often masks suspicion. It isn’t the light teasing he uses with his siblings. Not yet.

Still, he gives a short nod after a beat. "Yeah. I’m Vesper." His eyes narrow slightly, gaze raking over Zen in a slow, deliberate sweep. "So you’re the new Seren, huh." Not a question. Not quite judgment, either—but there’s something faintly assessing in his voice, like he’s still deciding what he thinks about that.

"You get dropped out of the stars same as the rest of us, or did she hatch you special?"

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Come play!M

In the wind you hear voices. It sounds like children playing some kind of game with laughter and mischief. Then one screams. There’s a call for ‘Mom!’ ‘Papa!’ and other adults as the laughter stops. Glancing towards the direction of the commotion, you’ll see fins cutting the water. A pack of echo sharks lucks, ready to leap up and grab any who fall for their trap.

---

You’ve encountered a pack of echo sharks. This counts as a common creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements.

Echo Shark (common) - A dwarf species of shark known for hunting in packs, the Echo Shark can live in both freshwater and saltwater. They are able to mimic any sound they’ve heard and band together to increase their range of vocals. The sharks use the words and sounds they’ve learned to lure unsuspecting prey into the water, where the sharks will then leap up and drag them into the waves.

Bask in the Light of the Stars

Zen quirked a brow, mildly amused, if a bit irritated with Vesper's question. His stars flared in response, condensing into a single word. (No.) He didn't elaborate, not owing Vesper an explanation as to why he refused to speak. Maybe one day he'd tell his brother, but Zen wasn't feeling particularly generous in divulging his secrets at the moment.

Vesper's assessing gaze didn't phase him. But Seren's name made Zen's eyes narrow as a pang of grief went through his chest for the sister that he'd never meet. The blue within his stars darkened as they shifted, (Yes.) An oversimplification, but not entirely inaccurate. There was no denying that Zen's creation had been a response of Seren's loss. Yet, as he had watched from the stars as people mourned her, and listened to the stories they fondly recalled, one thing became clear. Seren had been kind. Undoubtedly Safrin's daughter, but inherently good. It would be naive for Zen to think himself the same. He couldn't afford to be, not with the task that their mother had given him.

Zen glanced up at the stars briefly before regarding Vesper and ignoring the sharks. Dropped wasn't a bad way of putting it. (Just landed.)

Or be burned by their light

Zen

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

Vesper watches the stars shift and darken with the same wariness a street cat might eye a flickering lantern—curious, but not exactly comforted. He doesn’t flinch at the sudden change in mood, but there’s a subtle tension in his jaw, a tick in the muscle that gives away more than he probably means to.

"Mm." The sound is noncommittal, almost bored, but not quite. He doesn’t apologise for bringing up Seren, doesn’t soften his tone or fill the space with something easier. If Zen felt the weight of the name, he’d have to carry it. They all did. The glimmer of constellation light beside Zen’s head draws another slow blink from Vesper, who seems wholly unimpressed by the display. "Right.." he drawls. "Well, welcome to Torchline."

The sound of laughter on the wind doesn’t break his focus, though the sudden scream does cause his head to turn, sharp and instinctive. He sees the fins. Hears the silence that follows. And chooses not to move. "They’re not real," he says after a second, barely glancing away from Zen. "Echo sharks. Sound like what you most want or fear, right before they drag you under." A pause, then a lazy, wolfish grin. "Charming things."

He unfolds his arms at last and takes a step back, boots scuffing faintly against the dock wood. "Well, best of luck with whatever." He doesn't mention that people would probably fucking hate having to read Zen's starry-subtitles; no doubt Caido would fill its newest demigod in on that front soon enough. Though Nova would probably quite like them.

"My sisters and I have a house down by the beach, and Jack usually keeps The Ark in the harbour." Zen probably knew as much if he'd been raised the same way the triplets had.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Bask in the Light of the Stars

Vesper seemed almost wary of his anger and Zen forced himself to relax, shoving the lingering irritation down for now. The curiosity was understandable even if the inquiry, and how it was made, was just plain rude. Nor would it be forgotten.

He doesn't expect his fellow Demi-god to bother with an explanation of the sharks and it almost catches Zen off guard. He takes it as a tentative olive branch, especially as Vesper goes on to inform him of where the rest of their immediate family can be found. (Thank you. I won't be staying in Torchline for long, but I'll see you around.) He actually hadn't known where the triplets or Jack lived, and the information was silently filed away for later.

As his stars dissipated, Zen resumed his walk down the beach. The conversation with his brother had gone differently than expected, but the newer Demi-god was content to know that it had ended peacefully.

-[FIN]

Or be burned by their light

Zen