when rome's in ruins, we are the lions
Vesper raises an eyebrow at her—the way she curls inward, sequins snagging her attention like maybe they’ll shield her from hearing the truth. It tugs at something quieter in him. He’s still leaned back against the bar, but the intensity in his gaze hasn’t cooled; if anything, it settles deeper, like coals banked just beneath a velvet smirk. "Nova," he says, soft enough not to draw the attention of the few early patrons drifting about, but firm in a way that leaves little space for illusions. "Everyone lies." His fingers toy with one of his rings, twisting it idly. "I lie all the damn time. Not to you or Caly, sure. But to most people? Constantly." Told 'em what they wanted to hear, mostly, but also bent the hell out of the truth when it suited him.
He sighs, not out of annoyance, but the slow, heavy kind that comes from caring too much and not knowing how to stuff it back inside. His voice lowers, losing some of its dryness. "Not everyone in the world’s good. Not like you." There’s no sarcasm in it—just a kind of worn truth. "And that makes you easy to love, yeah, but also easy to use. You just gotta...keep that in the back of your mind, is all. Don't stop bein' bright. I just want to be sure you can still see in the dark."
When she brings up Mateo, though—her voice all soft edges and questions—his expression shifts. A grin ghosts across his face, all teeth and mischief, the kind she’s used to, the kind that breaks tension without erasing what came before. He bounces his eyebrows once, smug. "I like havin’ sex with Mateo," he corrects, dry as bone, one corner of his mouth lifting higher. "Especially while on SnapDragon."
His point, however, returns with the undercurrent that follows. "That’s why it ain’t just the drug, Nova. It’s who gives it to you. Koa might pray to Safrin and smile real pretty, but if he’s willin’ to hand you something strong as that without so much as a second thought? He’s thinkin’ about a lot more than just worship."
He tosses the bar rag over his shoulder again and leans in slightly, not crowding her, but making sure she feels the steadiness in his next words. "I ain’t mad. Just want you to be sharper than they are."
He sighs, not out of annoyance, but the slow, heavy kind that comes from caring too much and not knowing how to stuff it back inside. His voice lowers, losing some of its dryness. "Not everyone in the world’s good. Not like you." There’s no sarcasm in it—just a kind of worn truth. "And that makes you easy to love, yeah, but also easy to use. You just gotta...keep that in the back of your mind, is all. Don't stop bein' bright. I just want to be sure you can still see in the dark."
When she brings up Mateo, though—her voice all soft edges and questions—his expression shifts. A grin ghosts across his face, all teeth and mischief, the kind she’s used to, the kind that breaks tension without erasing what came before. He bounces his eyebrows once, smug. "I like havin’ sex with Mateo," he corrects, dry as bone, one corner of his mouth lifting higher. "Especially while on SnapDragon."
His point, however, returns with the undercurrent that follows. "That’s why it ain’t just the drug, Nova. It’s who gives it to you. Koa might pray to Safrin and smile real pretty, but if he’s willin’ to hand you something strong as that without so much as a second thought? He’s thinkin’ about a lot more than just worship."
He tosses the bar rag over his shoulder again and leans in slightly, not crowding her, but making sure she feels the steadiness in his next words. "I ain’t mad. Just want you to be sharper than they are."
free of the colosseums
☆ 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.
