aim high, swing hard, leave it out there, no regrets
The Ark’s mouth curves at that, wolfish and slow, the expression catching the light in a way that makes it unclear whether she’s offering encouragement or warning, though perhaps for her there’s never been much difference between the two. "The harder things are," she says, her voice low with a certainty that seems to settle through the deck as much as the air, "the stronger you become."
Her gaze remains on the ocean for a moment longer, where the horizon stretches wide and salt-thick beyond them, before Nova’s bright approval draws her attention back. This time the smile she gives her is genuine, less edged at the corners, though still unmistakably hers. "I think so too."
Nova’s sudden spin and rush toward the railing pulls a low chuckle from her, the sound tucked beneath her breath as the Ark follows, unhurried where the girl is all sparkle and velocity. The deck accepts both of them differently, yielding to Nova’s eager steps with the faintest creak while seeming to rise to meet the Ark’s bare command, every board aware of where she places herself as she comes to stand beside the railing, red hair tugged loose by the wind and white linen shifting against her curves. "All right, then," she murmurs, lifting her hand once more as the fractured sphere of ice and saltwater drifts after her, suspended with lazy obedience near her shoulder. "Let’s see how far."
~FIN
Her gaze remains on the ocean for a moment longer, where the horizon stretches wide and salt-thick beyond them, before Nova’s bright approval draws her attention back. This time the smile she gives her is genuine, less edged at the corners, though still unmistakably hers. "I think so too."
Nova’s sudden spin and rush toward the railing pulls a low chuckle from her, the sound tucked beneath her breath as the Ark follows, unhurried where the girl is all sparkle and velocity. The deck accepts both of them differently, yielding to Nova’s eager steps with the faintest creak while seeming to rise to meet the Ark’s bare command, every board aware of where she places herself as she comes to stand beside the railing, red hair tugged loose by the wind and white linen shifting against her curves. "All right, then," she murmurs, lifting her hand once more as the fractured sphere of ice and saltwater drifts after her, suspended with lazy obedience near her shoulder. "Let’s see how far."
~FIN
my blood is in the water and the sharks are takin' bets
Siren's Wake | After she leaves a space, traces of her presence linger briefly: a faint scent of salt, the sound of distant water, a restless feeling in the chest. People rarely notice it consciously.
