Howdy neighbor

COLT

We can love just like rain
One drop too much and we'll drown
Wishin' I would be enough, 'cause I don't wanna lose

She shifts in her saddle as she glances at the Ark from the dock, now a more permanent fixture of the Castaway Exchange than last time she'd been aboard. She already knew that though, as the nine surviving stick horses on board are testament to. It's who's aboard it now that's got her curiosity lifting again.

The parcel returned to her with the scrawled tip of a change of address is peeking out of a saddle bag. She almost left it behind—went in and out of her house twice, spinning on her heel and tripping over dogs working too hard to be shadows. In the end she grabbed it, and she had hoped by the time she rode here she'd have made up her mind. It is, unfortunately, still torn on the decision to drop the package off or keep it tucked away like a memory never born. She figures if he's recently moved and bunking up on his father's ship, that the last thing he needs is a trinket to deal with, especially when this might not stay his room. On the other hand, she's already here with it, and it's small, so she could leave it and he could keep it or chuck it—no different than if it had made it to him successfully to start with.

The longer she has it in her possession though the more silly the whole idea seems. It had been much more survivable when buying it on impulse and sending it off, out of her hands—until it came back. Now the weight of it hangs, like maybe fate is suggesting she reconsider.

Nothing makes sense when you're gone, I need you around
I will love you like the stars love to shoot
And shadows love the moon

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

There’s a kind of hush that hangs over the Castaway Exchange in Deepfrost, the slap of water against hull and wreck and market barge softened by cold and the peculiar rhythm of the place. The Ark cuts its figure at the edge of it all like it was always meant to be here—perched among the drifting bones of other vessels, too stubborn to sink and too proud to be forgotten.

Vesper’s not in any particular hurry, the sack slung over his shoulder no heavier than it needs to be. A bottle of citrus oil, a few bars of some waxy soap Calypso insists he’ll need, thread and a tin of pins for Nova’s next venture, and a deck of cards. The kind of market haul that says 'guess I live here now, even if he hasn’t said that part aloud.

He doesn’t need to look up to know Colt's nearby. Her thoughts move like an eddy in the current, familiar in their shape and weight. Curious. Wavering. Holding something in her hands and in her chest with equal parts care and doubt. He lets the pull of it guide his boots, lets the silence stretch until he’s close enough for it to be comfortable, before clearing his throat.

"Pretty sure Jack doesn’t allow horses onboard," Vesper drawls, stepping into view with the lazy swing of a smirk curling his mouth. He comes to stand at the shoulder of Colt’s mount, hand slipping into his coat pocket as he tilts his head to glance from her, to the Ark, and back again.

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

COLT

We can love just like rain
One drop too much and we'll drown
Wishin' I would be enough, 'cause I don't wanna lose

She starts a bit at his throat clear, too absorbed in tracing the hull of the ship and the network of her own decision to pay his approach any mind. It's the sort of startle that ripples through you and then is gone just as quick, the mind catching up on the so called threat, but not before the body has a chance to react.

Her attention swings from one sea to another, peering down (a rare feat in his company) at the source of her uncertainty, which is startling for an entirely different reason. Though the sight of his smirk normally manages to equally undo her and comfort her, this time it catches her, and as if red-handed, she chuckles nervously in response to his jest and drops the package in one hand to the other side of the horse, out of sight of him. She'd never intended to pass it off directly to him.

"Good thing I'm just passin' by then, would hate to scuff up his deck." It's not entirely a lie—she had come here intending to use the market, but she only bothered to make the further trip out here because of him. Her focus shifts from the familiar angles of his face to the sack he's got in tow, nodding towards it as she leans over the saddle horn with an arm. "Little birdie told me you're living here now."

Nothing makes sense when you're gone, I need you around
I will love you like the stars love to shoot
And shadows love the moon

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

The smirk lingers as her chuckle spills out, that nervous little twitch she probably thinks is subtle. Vesper watches her shift the parcel out of sight with the casual disinterest of someone who’s already read the headline and decided to skip the rest of the article. The indecision still clings to her thoughts, turning like a coin she hasn’t committed to flipping, but he lets it sit. Whatever meaning she’s braided into the contents of that package—whatever it says she hasn’t quite said—he figures it’s not the sort of thing you pry loose on a dock in winter.

"Scuff up the deck and you’ll be on Jack’s shit list ‘til the heat death of the sun," he murmurs with a quiet huff of amusement, eyes flicking back toward the Ark. "Man holds a grudge like it’s fine bourbon. Gets better with age."

Her comment pulls his attention back, and at the nod toward his haul, Vesper lifts his brows like he’s surprised she’s heard anything at all. Then again, gossip sails faster than any ship around here, and he’s hardly been subtle. "Living on the Ark," he corrects mildly, lips pursing as if the nuance matters more than it probably does. "Just so happens the Ark’s sittin’ here."

Still, he shifts the sack higher on his shoulder as if to prove the point, as if the new life he’s carved out with thread and soap and obligations is real enough to carry. "Wasn’t plannin' on makin' the move quite so fast, but," he adds with a lazy shrug, glancing sidelong at her with that slow, knowing look of his. "But y’know how it goes." He doesn’t elaborate; doesn’t mention the smoke, or the way his sisters moved like ghosts through the charred ruin of what used to be theirs. Doesn’t say how fast fast really was. But the flicker in his eyes says enough for now.

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

COLT

We can love just like rain
One drop too much and we'll drown
Wishin' I would be enough, 'cause I don't wanna lose

"Well, now you're just making it tempting," she grins with a glance back towards the ship, appraising the true risk of trotting up there. Maybe another time, when she owes Jack something stronger than stick horses. "Could always blame you," she points out with the faintest tug on one end of her lips, attention flicking back to him and settling there like she means to find something. An answer maybe, or a reason. She's not too sure, but she figures she'll know it once she sees it.

Precision matters to Vesper, she's finding, which is something she can't say she disagrees with. Still, the adjustment to her understanding lands firm, and her mouth draws the shape of an 'o' for a moment before remembering her voice. "I see," she emphasizes with an exaggeration to match, "the Ark." There's a strangely disappointed relief at that clarity. Hearing that he'd moved here had come as a bit of a surprise, one that wound tightly up into her throat when she first read the return label. She depended on the distance and their time apart to reorient herself after every encounter, a necessary detox else she'd end up pepertually hungover on whatever it is he always offers. The thought of casually running into him in town, and often at that, is like someone trying to get on the wagon being told beer is now free every other day of the week.

Now, though?
She's not so sure why it feels like disappointment to discover he might be less present than she first imagined.

Her lips purse a bit as her eyes drift faintly to the pack readjusting on his shoulders, wondering how he managed to put his whole life inside it. "Can't say I do," she confesses with a shrug. She catches the light that's in his eyes, but it only looks like the shine of a star working hard in the dark. "Never moved before, least of all fast." She tilts her head a bit, seeming to consider for a moment if there's anything to regret or be proud of in that. It's just certain, at least.

"You're welcome to stay in my spare room if you need," The offer is out before she really means it to be, surprising even her. "For the night, that is, if you're ever caught on the edge of town. All y'all." She adds the clarifiers just as quick, not about to offer any of them live with her, Vesper least of all. Calypso maybe she could get on with, but Nova's penchant for glitter is honestly terrifying and Vesper...that'd be too close for comfort. Even the night he'd stayed over she'd gotten up well before dawn and headed out to work early, too scared to see what they might be in sheets brushed with gold instead of silver.

Nothing makes sense when you're gone, I need you around
I will love you like the stars love to shoot
And shadows love the moon

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper chuckles low, amused by the idea of Colt trying to pin anything on him when it comes to Jack’s precious ship. "You could try," he drawls, glancing toward the Ark with a flicker of mischief. "But I doubt he’d believe I’d risk my bunk for a practical joke."

He doesn’t need to reach for the thoughts curling through Colt's head, not when he’s already wading through them, quiet as a shadow. The parcel tucked away, the way she studies him like a puzzle she’s scared to finish. It tugs at something in his chest he doesn’t have a name for, so he sighs instead, turning just enough to press one hand against the warmth of her horse’s shoulder, fingers splaying into winter-think fur.

"Girls missed bein’ near Jack," he says simply, as though that explains everything. "And there was a fire at the Hanged Man. Decided it wasn’t worth rebuildin’." His thumb sweeps lightly against the horse’s coat. "Not with Jack bein’ all the way out here already, it made more sense than tryin’ to start over in Torchline." Which, y'know, not untrue.

Colt's offer lands crooked, like it's half an accident, half a confession, but Vesper doesn’t tease it apart, doesn’t throw it back with sharp edges. Just lifts his brows, lips tilting into that familiar smirk as his gaze slips sidelong to her again. "Spare room, huh?" he echoes, eyes glinting with something warmer now. "You’d really make me sleep all alone in there?" A beat, then his grin curves wider, sly and fond. "Least give me a dog or two for warmth. You wouldn’t leave a man to freeze, would you?"

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

COLT

We can love just like rain
One drop too much and we'll drown
Wishin' I would be enough, 'cause I don't wanna lose

Colt's smile only deepens as he attempts to call her bluff. She lets him keep the idea that he'd be safe with a knowing silence, because she agrees—Jack would not fall for Vesper the jester, but he never seems to realize quite how brightly he shines for his siblings. Vesper the prancing pony for the sake of his sisters? Absolutely plausible, on deck or not. She wouldn't dream of framing him under the guise of a joke, but for love? Vesper would be easy to find guilty.

Her actual horse tilts his head a bit as Vesper's hand settles, one ear flicking back lazy on their conversation. She gradually leans more and more onto his neck, ever drawn towards this man. "A fire?" she repeats with some surprise, features lifting with the shock of it. "Here I thought Torchline didn't burn, just bakes everything year round into an even tan." Although she huffs a laugh, there's a crease of worry that soon follows. Having dealt with fire plenty, even recently, it's no pretty thing when it takes. "Hopefully nothing too important got caught in it." A bar's a far different thing from a home to see go up, but it'd still been their's, still a blow, enough of one to upend their lives. "In the loss is our gain—we're in need of better bartenders, and bars." She catches herself with a cluck of her tongue. "I guess just the Ark gets the benefit though."

Gods, the way he wears a smile ought to be a sin. It hits her right in her chest, and for a moment she's forgotten how to manage her words around the feel of it. All she can do is meet the dare in his stare, a place that threatens to swallow her whole sometimes. She remembers herself after what feels like too long and a short laugh breaks her free with a shake of her head. "The dogs go where they want, but given you're such a pushover, I'm sure you'll have more than two with you after all the leftovers you gave them last time," she murmurs with unhidden affection. Some loyal pack she has, just takes showing up with steaks and offering portions of them to win the mongrels over. "As for anything other than dogs, depends on whether you show up with wine again or not." It's nice to pretend that would matter, some sort of cover for her to duck behind, but she's positive they both know it wouldn't change the welcome he'd receive. The slow tilt of her head into her hand as she rests over the horse and the way a smile has never quite left her since he walked up all says plenty. He's never needed to bring her a thing, could probably even bring everything she hates and it'd fail to drown him out still.

With everything going slack as they talk, her grip's gone loose on the forgotten package. It slips free, thudding onto the ground suddenly. The resting horse is abruptly alert, head high as he jolts forward. Colt curses under her breath as she fights to gather abandoned reins and shift back into a proper seat while he takes a few strides down the dock.

Nothing makes sense when you're gone, I need you around
I will love you like the stars love to shoot
And shadows love the moon

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper doesn’t bite on the fire, doesn’t dive into ash when the dock’s still too open and the sting of smoke clings close. Instead, he shrugs, a slow roll of one shoulder as though he might shed the memory with the motion. "Wasn’t nothin’ important in there," he says, voice smooth but clipped at the edges. A twitch of his mouth might’ve been amusement, but doesn’t reach his eyes. He'd never tell Caly I told you so, but certainly the way things had ended with her and her puppy hadn't come as a surprise.

The mention of a local bar earns a wry lift of his brow, and he hums thoughtfully. "Meant to hit up the House of Midnight, actually, see what’s what," he muses, thumb hooking into the edge of his belt. "Jack’s already talkin’ about puttin’ a bar right on the Ark, though." The smirk that follows is shameless, if slightly tired.

Her retort softens the angles in his expression, though, and his grin blooms slow and unhurried. "A pushover, huh?" he echoes, the word tasting more like affection than insult. He lifts one hand, palm up, in mock surrender. "Nah, I learned my lesson last time. I'll never show up with anything but tequila ever again."

And then the package falls.

It hits the dock with a soft thud and as Colt's horse jolts forward, Vesper’s already stepping out of its path, shadows flickering around his boots to misty-step him away. He doesn’t need to glance at Colt to know what she’s thinking; the indecision about the package has been tugging at the edge of his mind since before he walked up. She hadn’t planned to give it to him, not like this, but letting it lie there now would be stranger still. A thin coil of shadow spills from him, gliding across the dock to scoop the package up as easily as a hand might. It hovers in the dusk between them, dark ribbons holding it aloft rather than touching it himself. He keeps his expression smooth, as if all of this were perfectly ordinary. As if his name wasn't written on it in her writing.

"What," he drawls, one brow lifting at her, "you pony express now?"

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

COLT

We can love just like rain
One drop too much and we'll drown
Wishin' I would be enough, 'cause I don't wanna lose

The House of Midnight, he says casually, as though that wouldn't routinely place him as close to her as possible, aside from joining the ranch hands directly. It's her go to haunt, if only because it's the closest bar for her, close enough for half-naked drunkards to pass out on her porch from time to time and require a morning hosing off to send them on their way.

Her eyes widen a bit, smile thinning with a worry she doesn't set free. The pull of him would be difficult to avoid if he's just down the road; she's only survived it until now with a damn sea between them. Some reckless part of her wonders if that'd be so bad though—probably the part that always winds up missing him when she least expects to.

"You'll do fine wherever you land, I'm sure," she offers with an effort of nonchalance. Though there's a twitch of the smile's return at the idea of Jack starting up a bar on his ship. He'd have more than scuff marks to worry about then.

Her mouth quirks to the side in amused agreement as she nods, clarifying the term and the intent behind it with just a look. It's the kind that flares with unspoken meaning, steeped in memory and all the feelings it carries. "Smart man," she says with a faint laugh. "But I said Champagne works too," she reminds him, you know, so he has options.

When the horse opts for motion and the package is left behind, it doesn't take long for Colt to gather the mount back up. Some leg pressure and a bow to the neck, and her steed's pretty as pie again and stepping down the wood with a controlled clopping sound.

Colt's mouth runs dry though when she puts it all together after the initial jolt's worn off, the evidence clear in the twilight he offers up so politely. She pulls the horse back, not quite returning all the way, seeming to think better of it in fact. Though, she can't help the twist of a smile at his remark. "Bird's these days, can't always count on 'em to get the job done." That she's got other issues with birds makes this funnier than he'll know. "Keep it," she tosses out with only the faintest hesitation coloring her cheeks. "It's yours anyway."

Her mount pivots, angling back the way she'd just hauled him up from, deeper into the marketplace. "Welcome home, Ves. I'll be seein' you." She lifts two fingers over her head in farewell, not daring to look back.

Nothing makes sense when you're gone, I need you around
I will love you like the stars love to shoot
And shadows love the moon

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

It takes effort—more than he’s proud of—to keep his expression neutral as Colt's thoughts unspool around him. She doesn’t look back, but she doesn’t need to. The twist in her mind is enough. He doesn’t glance at the parcel either, the contents bleed sharp and bright across her thoughts, familiar as the tension laced through her voice, as the echo of when he'd shown up to help with her rodeo and found her attention drifting toward anything but him.

Vesper breathes out slowly, tongue running behind his teeth in a familiar pass at control. Can’t blame her, he supposes, for not leaping at the chance to have him closer. Still, it grates. Being handed something while she rides away feels a little too much like a avoidance, even if the words had meant to be kind.

The shadows retreat like they know their welcome’s worn thin, folding neatly into themselves as he takes the package in hand. With his other, he lifts the sack from his shoulder and offers it in trade to the trailing dusk, the tendrils curling around it like a final courtesy before fading entirely.

The gangplank creaks beneath his boots, and he doesn’t bother disguising the frustration tightening his jaw as he boards. The look alone is enough to keep most of the crew from trying their luck, not that he’d be much fun tonight anyway.

~FIN

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3