every bait and switch was a work of art
Safrin nods, slow and deliberate, accepting Zavien's gratitude without false modesty or embellishment. It is the kind of thanks she is accustomed to, earned, heavy, and offered with clear-eyed understanding of what it cost. She steps closer, the starlight around her brightening as the distance closes, and lifts her hands to cup the Commander's cheeks. Her touch is gentle but sure, thumbs resting along his jaw as though steadying him for what lies ahead. For a heartbeat she studies him, seeing not just the man before her but the weight he has chosen to carry for others.
Then she leans forward and her lips brush his forehead in a brief, luminous kiss, and the effect is immediate. Warmth floods through him, not burning or blinding, but invigorating; a surge of clarity and strength that cuts through the exhaustion and grief, leaving him steadier, sharper, able to move forward rather than collapse beneath the news. When she pulls back, her hands linger a moment longer before falling away. "I am only ever a call away," Safrin says softly, certainty woven into every word. "Do not hesitate, Zavien."
Her expression remains composed, compassionate without indulgence, as she gives him a final nod before starlight surges around her. Safrin dissolves into a shimmering bloom of light, her form breaking apart into drifting constellations that scatter and fade into the night air, leaving the shrine quiet once more.
~FIN
Then she leans forward and her lips brush his forehead in a brief, luminous kiss, and the effect is immediate. Warmth floods through him, not burning or blinding, but invigorating; a surge of clarity and strength that cuts through the exhaustion and grief, leaving him steadier, sharper, able to move forward rather than collapse beneath the news. When she pulls back, her hands linger a moment longer before falling away. "I am only ever a call away," Safrin says softly, certainty woven into every word. "Do not hesitate, Zavien."
Her expression remains composed, compassionate without indulgence, as she gives him a final nod before starlight surges around her. Safrin dissolves into a shimmering bloom of light, her form breaking apart into drifting constellations that scatter and fade into the night air, leaving the shrine quiet once more.
~FIN
you're the one prize i'd cheat to win
