just because the fog is there
Vesper shrugs one shoulder, slow and nonchalant, like it’s nothing more than the truth. "Only upbringing I had," he says, tone light but not careless. "But yeah, considerin’ the lot most others got? Pretty damn good."
Her champagne comment earns a lift of his brows, the barest flash of amusement curling through his otherwise dry expression. "Champagne it is," he says with a quiet laugh, low and brief. "I’ll keep that in mind."
The smile doesn't last. As her thoughts pivot back to the demigods and their shortcomings, so too does his expression shift. With a wrinkle of his nose, he straightens up and shakes his head, eyes narrowing slightly at the porch rail like it’s the thing that deserves the brunt of his frustration. "Thing is," he begins, tone losing its usual velvet and gaining grit instead, [asy]"this ain’t just power for power’s sake. You get a crown, you’re expected to rule. Get immortality and a god behind you? That’s a fuckin’ vow, far as I’m concerned." An explicit one, in most cases.
His voice tightens, that soft-spoken edge giving way to something sharper, more principled. "They ain’t just people anymore. Not when they can live forever and take down entire regions with the power at their fingertips. You don't get all that and get to act like it’s casual." His jaw clicks, then sets. "Not when folks like me had no choice about bein’ born into it."
He doesn’t let it linger too long. A breath, then another, and his shoulders fall back into their usual slope. He grabs a pair of tongs and gives them a dramatic clack in her direction, mouth curling again into something that might be called a smirk if not for the residual heat in his eyes. "You can measure all you like, darlin’," he says, tone returning to its smooth drawl, "but some things are worth doin’ right."
Turning back to the grill, he adjusts the flame, pokes at one of the steaks with the kind of attention usually reserved for precious metals or divine relics, and finally nods to himself. "Alright," he declares, beginning to shift the sizzling meat and vegetables onto plates. The scent rises rich and mouth-watering in the thickening dusk. He glances over his shoulder as he arranges the second plate. "Outside or inside?"
Her champagne comment earns a lift of his brows, the barest flash of amusement curling through his otherwise dry expression. "Champagne it is," he says with a quiet laugh, low and brief. "I’ll keep that in mind."
The smile doesn't last. As her thoughts pivot back to the demigods and their shortcomings, so too does his expression shift. With a wrinkle of his nose, he straightens up and shakes his head, eyes narrowing slightly at the porch rail like it’s the thing that deserves the brunt of his frustration. "Thing is," he begins, tone losing its usual velvet and gaining grit instead, [asy]"this ain’t just power for power’s sake. You get a crown, you’re expected to rule. Get immortality and a god behind you? That’s a fuckin’ vow, far as I’m concerned." An explicit one, in most cases.
His voice tightens, that soft-spoken edge giving way to something sharper, more principled. "They ain’t just people anymore. Not when they can live forever and take down entire regions with the power at their fingertips. You don't get all that and get to act like it’s casual." His jaw clicks, then sets. "Not when folks like me had no choice about bein’ born into it."
He doesn’t let it linger too long. A breath, then another, and his shoulders fall back into their usual slope. He grabs a pair of tongs and gives them a dramatic clack in her direction, mouth curling again into something that might be called a smirk if not for the residual heat in his eyes. "You can measure all you like, darlin’," he says, tone returning to its smooth drawl, "but some things are worth doin’ right."
Turning back to the grill, he adjusts the flame, pokes at one of the steaks with the kind of attention usually reserved for precious metals or divine relics, and finally nods to himself. "Alright," he declares, beginning to shift the sizzling meat and vegetables onto plates. The scent rises rich and mouth-watering in the thickening dusk. He glances over his shoulder as he arranges the second plate. "Outside or inside?"
don't mean nothing's behind it
☆ 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.
