i'm a lost cause, do it the way I want
Vesper feels it the instant the necromancer hits the ground, the clean certainty of the outcome souring into something sharper and less satisfying than he anticipated. Pain carries a particular brightness when it is sudden and unguarded, flaring louder than intention ever does, and the involuntary recoil of it threads through the square before Vesper has time to pretend he does not notice. His jaw tightens a fraction, irritation turning inward, because this was meant to be inelegant, humiliating perhaps, but not...that. He exhales slowly as he steps forward, the crowd already doing what crowds do best, curiosity swelling like a tide around disruption, noses craning, opinions forming where none are required.
He emerges at Niki’s side with an ease that suggests coincidence rather than orchestration, shadows settling obediently at his heels as if they have always belonged there. Lanternlight catches the pale planes of his face, the silver at his fingers, his expression composed into something approaching concern, though it does not quite reach his eyes. The necromancer is already trying to gather himself, pride stiffening his spine even as the ache lingers, and that, too, presses uncomfortably at Vesper’s awareness, familiar enough now to grate.
Still, Vesper reaches out, deliberate and controlled, his hand extending downward into the space between them, palm open, rings cool and unmistakable in the glow. "Let me help you up," he offers, voice level and unhurried, pitched to cut through the murmurs without feeding them, the words chosen carefully enough that they could pass for genuine to anyone watching.
The circle tightens, a handful of fae edging closer under the pretext of concern, and Vesper feels the weight of their attention settle, the pressure of being observed threading through his thoughts like static. As his fingers stretch forward with Niki's hand potentially reaching for his in that moment, suddenly Vesper is gone, channelled cleanly away in a breathless slip that leaves behind nothing but cooling air and the faintest distortion where he stood. The offered hand vanishes with him, the promise withdrawn at the precise moment it is about to be accepted, and for six quiet seconds the square is left to its confusion, the illusionist’s laughter still echoing faintly as if nothing of consequence has happened at all.
He emerges at Niki’s side with an ease that suggests coincidence rather than orchestration, shadows settling obediently at his heels as if they have always belonged there. Lanternlight catches the pale planes of his face, the silver at his fingers, his expression composed into something approaching concern, though it does not quite reach his eyes. The necromancer is already trying to gather himself, pride stiffening his spine even as the ache lingers, and that, too, presses uncomfortably at Vesper’s awareness, familiar enough now to grate.
Still, Vesper reaches out, deliberate and controlled, his hand extending downward into the space between them, palm open, rings cool and unmistakable in the glow. "Let me help you up," he offers, voice level and unhurried, pitched to cut through the murmurs without feeding them, the words chosen carefully enough that they could pass for genuine to anyone watching.
The circle tightens, a handful of fae edging closer under the pretext of concern, and Vesper feels the weight of their attention settle, the pressure of being observed threading through his thoughts like static. As his fingers stretch forward with Niki's hand potentially reaching for his in that moment, suddenly Vesper is gone, channelled cleanly away in a breathless slip that leaves behind nothing but cooling air and the faintest distortion where he stood. The offered hand vanishes with him, the promise withdrawn at the precise moment it is about to be accepted, and for six quiet seconds the square is left to its confusion, the illusionist’s laughter still echoing faintly as if nothing of consequence has happened at all.
☆ 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.
