// Sweet shot of kerosene //
Vesper makes a quiet noise, somewhere between a hum and a scoff, but he doesn’t argue—doesn’t counter her tease, doesn’t insist he’s right more often than she is, though the glint in his eye says he might think it. He watches her glide into the spring, the glitter of gold vanishing beneath the water until only the shimmer on her shoulders remains. For a second longer, he crouches—one final breath—and then he slides in after her.
The heat hits like a low exhale through bone. His shadows flicker, reluctant to retreat, but they curl back eventually, seeping beneath the surface in long trailing ribbons before dissolving. He keeps close to the edge for a beat, arms stretched along the stone lip of the pool, eyes half-lidded as Caly talks and thinks and glows like she always does, even when she’s clearly unsettled.
"Yeah," he says at last, voice low, roughened slightly by the heat and weight of it all. "It’s weird." Vesper lifts a hand and flicks water lightly in her direction; not a splash, not quite, anyway. More of a punctuation mark. Then he drags his palm back through the surface, watching the ripples before his gaze lifts to meet hers.
"It’s not just the talkin’ thing, for me," he adds. "Or the fact that mom didn’t say anything. It’s... somethin’ off. Not bad. Just... off." His brow furrows slightly, like the words aren’t coming easy. "He doesn't seem the type to take a joke, and said he wasn't plannin' on stickin' around in Torchline." Which, given the nearness of Starfall and the fact that all of Zen's siblings resided on the island, struck Vesper the wrong way.
The heat hits like a low exhale through bone. His shadows flicker, reluctant to retreat, but they curl back eventually, seeping beneath the surface in long trailing ribbons before dissolving. He keeps close to the edge for a beat, arms stretched along the stone lip of the pool, eyes half-lidded as Caly talks and thinks and glows like she always does, even when she’s clearly unsettled.
"Yeah," he says at last, voice low, roughened slightly by the heat and weight of it all. "It’s weird." Vesper lifts a hand and flicks water lightly in her direction; not a splash, not quite, anyway. More of a punctuation mark. Then he drags his palm back through the surface, watching the ripples before his gaze lifts to meet hers.
"It’s not just the talkin’ thing, for me," he adds. "Or the fact that mom didn’t say anything. It’s... somethin’ off. Not bad. Just... off." His brow furrows slightly, like the words aren’t coming easy. "He doesn't seem the type to take a joke, and said he wasn't plannin' on stickin' around in Torchline." Which, given the nearness of Starfall and the fact that all of Zen's siblings resided on the island, struck Vesper the wrong way.
Vesper
// When I threw it back, it poisoned me //
☆ has a pale star tattoo beneath his left eye, and freckle-sized constellations move across his skin
☽ hair changes from bleached blonde to brown
☆ telepathic: Sunlit Shadows | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 60ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
☽ hair changes from bleached blonde to brown
☆ telepathic: Sunlit Shadows | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 60ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
