flew me to places I've never been
Everest’s thumb tapped twice against his opposite wrist before settling again, and then immediately began again—one-two, one-two—as if repeating it might help him process more efficiently. "Yes," he murmured, eyes fixed on a faint scratch in the woodgrain of the table. "I’ve stayed with him many times." He paused, as though waiting for Isla to nod before continuing, though he didn’t check to see if she had.
"La Verbena is one of the only chaotic environments I’m comfortable in," he said, his voice measured. "Because it’s patterned chaos, or maybe I've just been around it for so long I can predict it. The cushions change colours, but not positions. The plants grow but don’t move." His hands stilled briefly, then pulled the edge of the tablecloth a quarter-inch straighter, aligning it with the corner. "It’s different from here. Or from Torchline. Or most things."
His gaze flicked—plate, cup, coaster, back to cup—and hovered. "You finished your tea," he said. "Would you like more?" His head tilted very slightly, though he didn’t lift his eyes past her collar.
There was a pause—slightly too long—before Everest reached for an earlier snippet of their conversation. "I wouldn’t want Mateo to move La Verbena just because of me. That would be… uneven." His fingers flexed once in his lap. "He lives here. It’s his skyship. It should stay where he wants it." Not like when Ever had taken it for several weeks while on his educational trip to the east.
"La Verbena is one of the only chaotic environments I’m comfortable in," he said, his voice measured. "Because it’s patterned chaos, or maybe I've just been around it for so long I can predict it. The cushions change colours, but not positions. The plants grow but don’t move." His hands stilled briefly, then pulled the edge of the tablecloth a quarter-inch straighter, aligning it with the corner. "It’s different from here. Or from Torchline. Or most things."
His gaze flicked—plate, cup, coaster, back to cup—and hovered. "You finished your tea," he said. "Would you like more?" His head tilted very slightly, though he didn’t lift his eyes past her collar.
There was a pause—slightly too long—before Everest reached for an earlier snippet of their conversation. "I wouldn’t want Mateo to move La Verbena just because of me. That would be… uneven." His fingers flexed once in his lap. "He lives here. It’s his skyship. It should stay where he wants it." Not like when Ever had taken it for several weeks while on his educational trip to the east.
but now I'm laying on the cold hard ground
