Safrin
Safrin’s eyes lingered on him—on the way he stayed kneeling longer than necessary, on the way his voice wavered with longing and desperation. That familiar hunger, the desire to be seen, to be chosen. Her expression did not soften, but it did sharpen, the aloof curve of her lips giving way to something more contemplative.
"Shy?" she repeated, her voice velvet-smooth and laced with dry amusement. "Or simply elusive to those who expect them to bloom at their feet?" She tilted her head slightly, moonlight catching along the curve of her jaw, her gaze unwavering as it pinned Koa in place. "They are rare for a reason, Koa. Sacred. You do not stumble across sacredness just because you want to." Even so, something in his voice—some crack beneath the pride, some thread of sincerity wrapped in the bravado—kept her from turning away entirely.
With deliberate grace, Safrin stepped closer, the space between them vanishing like mist under the morning light. She reached out, fingers cool and soft as she cupped his jaw, her thumb brushing the edge of his cheekbone. "If only I could," she murmured, the corner of her mouth curving again, though this time there was a flicker of warmth beneath it. "But Vi has made them rare for a reason. It is not for me to show you the way." It was why he'd called to the God of Life in the first place, she knew.
"Shy?" she repeated, her voice velvet-smooth and laced with dry amusement. "Or simply elusive to those who expect them to bloom at their feet?" She tilted her head slightly, moonlight catching along the curve of her jaw, her gaze unwavering as it pinned Koa in place. "They are rare for a reason, Koa. Sacred. You do not stumble across sacredness just because you want to." Even so, something in his voice—some crack beneath the pride, some thread of sincerity wrapped in the bravado—kept her from turning away entirely.
With deliberate grace, Safrin stepped closer, the space between them vanishing like mist under the morning light. She reached out, fingers cool and soft as she cupped his jaw, her thumb brushing the edge of his cheekbone. "If only I could," she murmured, the corner of her mouth curving again, though this time there was a flicker of warmth beneath it. "But Vi has made them rare for a reason. It is not for me to show you the way." It was why he'd called to the God of Life in the first place, she knew.
