KAISEL
So, you wanna start a war?
Bang, shots fired
Bang, shots fired
He smirked at her false insult and hollow complaint. It was perhaps the greatest compliment she could have given him. “Glad to be of service,” he said in a dramatically snobby accent and heightened voice, nodding his head deeply while performing a partial bow with one hand.
The shoulder she rested on shook with a quiet laugh at her long-winded way of saying love you. He stilled as it faded into a smile, his own head tilting to rest against hers. He stared toward the other end of the bar but scarcely registered the patrons moving to and fro. His attention had turned inward, focused on her steady breaths and the ocean that clung to her hair. It was comforting, this—being here with her, being someone she could lean on. Not just for the closeness, but for what it meant. That she trusted him with her weight, even for a little while. A quiet reminder that he mattered to someone. That he could be there when it counted. “I suppose I should visit more often,” he murmured against the gold strands tickling his cheek. He didn’t regret pouring so much of himself into his home and family these past few years, but this moment reminded him that he had friends beyond his front door who mattered too—and maybe it was time he paid a bit more attention to the rest of the world.
His head perked up at her offer of the ring, the calm dissolving into wicked excitement at the prospect of pranking his older cousin. “You have no idea what a perfect suggestion that is, you evil genius!” he exclaimed, craning his neck to kiss the top of her head in celebration. After getting flicked and jabbed from afar by Koa’s absurdly long, invisible reach, the thought of giving him a taste of his own medicine was deeply satisfying. His free arm slid into place atop hers, returning the gesture without tightening it. He held her lightly, just enough to say I'm here. When he exhaled, some of her hair fluttered against his nose, and he scrunched up his face at its light touch.
“How much jewelry do you have, anyway?” he asked, peering toward her fingers and reaching to bring her hand into view of his tilted head. He tutted like a disapproving old woman. “You might have an actual addiction.”
The shoulder she rested on shook with a quiet laugh at her long-winded way of saying love you. He stilled as it faded into a smile, his own head tilting to rest against hers. He stared toward the other end of the bar but scarcely registered the patrons moving to and fro. His attention had turned inward, focused on her steady breaths and the ocean that clung to her hair. It was comforting, this—being here with her, being someone she could lean on. Not just for the closeness, but for what it meant. That she trusted him with her weight, even for a little while. A quiet reminder that he mattered to someone. That he could be there when it counted. “I suppose I should visit more often,” he murmured against the gold strands tickling his cheek. He didn’t regret pouring so much of himself into his home and family these past few years, but this moment reminded him that he had friends beyond his front door who mattered too—and maybe it was time he paid a bit more attention to the rest of the world.
His head perked up at her offer of the ring, the calm dissolving into wicked excitement at the prospect of pranking his older cousin. “You have no idea what a perfect suggestion that is, you evil genius!” he exclaimed, craning his neck to kiss the top of her head in celebration. After getting flicked and jabbed from afar by Koa’s absurdly long, invisible reach, the thought of giving him a taste of his own medicine was deeply satisfying. His free arm slid into place atop hers, returning the gesture without tightening it. He held her lightly, just enough to say I'm here. When he exhaled, some of her hair fluttered against his nose, and he scrunched up his face at its light touch.
“How much jewelry do you have, anyway?” he asked, peering toward her fingers and reaching to bring her hand into view of his tilted head. He tutted like a disapproving old woman. “You might have an actual addiction.”
Pain is what you desire
So, you wanna be immortal?
So, you wanna be immortal?
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
