VESPER
Finch’s denial lands cleanly, and Vesper feels the shape of it before the words finish leaving his mouth. There is fear there, yes, and the sharp little readiness of a man whose body has already measured the tunnel for escape, but there is no hooked thread of guilt beneath it, no hot, ugly twist of a secret held too tightly, no thought flinching away from the empty cache as if it has recognized its own work. He is telling the truth, but Vesper turns one of his rings anyway.
The motion is slow, thumb smoothing silver around the base of his finger while his pale gaze stays fixed on Finch’s face, taking in the clenched jaw, the glitter in his eyes, the way his hands hang loose at his sides because he knows better than to make them look busy right now. It would be easy to let him off the hook, easier still to say that he believes him and move on to the more useful problem of who had opened the cache before them, but of course the ruse must continue if only to protect Vesper's secret, and so the shadows around his boots gather and thicken. They draw closer rather than wider, gathering themselves against him in a dark, obedient coil that makes the narrow recess feel smaller without needing to touch Finch at all. Vesper tips his head slightly, one brow lifting, the peppermint cooling sharp against his tongue as the thief’s fear presses against his senses like a pulse under thin skin.
"You’ve done the stealin’ once, yes," he says, mild as ever, though there is less softness in the drawl now and more careful pressure. "But maybe this time you gave one of your friends a tip-off." His eyes flick briefly to the empty cache, then back again. "That way you come out ahead even if it ain’t you doin’ the stealin’." Vesper lets the suggestion sit there long enough to become unpleasant, his fingers stilling on the ring at last.
The motion is slow, thumb smoothing silver around the base of his finger while his pale gaze stays fixed on Finch’s face, taking in the clenched jaw, the glitter in his eyes, the way his hands hang loose at his sides because he knows better than to make them look busy right now. It would be easy to let him off the hook, easier still to say that he believes him and move on to the more useful problem of who had opened the cache before them, but of course the ruse must continue if only to protect Vesper's secret, and so the shadows around his boots gather and thicken. They draw closer rather than wider, gathering themselves against him in a dark, obedient coil that makes the narrow recess feel smaller without needing to touch Finch at all. Vesper tips his head slightly, one brow lifting, the peppermint cooling sharp against his tongue as the thief’s fear presses against his senses like a pulse under thin skin.
"You’ve done the stealin’ once, yes," he says, mild as ever, though there is less softness in the drawl now and more careful pressure. "But maybe this time you gave one of your friends a tip-off." His eyes flick briefly to the empty cache, then back again. "That way you come out ahead even if it ain’t you doin’ the stealin’." Vesper lets the suggestion sit there long enough to become unpleasant, his fingers stilling on the ring at last.
wake me when it's over
like a bad dream
like a bad dream
☆ 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.
