I'm never gonna quit, got my legacy set in motion
It's nice to hear the admission fall from Zavien's lips. He's always felt like such a golden boy, shining so brightly beside Koa. The two have always been stronger, fitter, better than Kaisel, largely by virtue of age and experience, but still the example he was held up to and found lacking time and time again. Be more like them. Said by his parents, his commanders, his peers. Because they don't sneak out, they don't fuck up, they don't laugh and yell when it's not appropriate. They aren't sprinkles, they're the whole damn dessert.
So to glimpse a peek of something a bit tarnished beneath the glow has sat with Kaisel less like proof of their ability to fail and more like a problem for him having seen it. Glimpsing the wizard behind the curtain without permission, and oh how the monkeys have come for him over it. The wizard is out now though, and that drastically changes things.
Kaisel visibly straightens up as the confession drops, concentration melting from his features as something closer to awe takes its place. He never expected to hear such words, having instead wound the injustice of it all deep inside him, pretending with another time the pressure of it might gradually leak out elsewhere, that the sight of it would diminish beneath the piling of other things until maybe he too believed them perfect again.
"Love makes terrible friends of us all," he settles on instead as they clash.
The apology that comes next is wholly unexpected, and he takes a half-step back, as if this too is one of Zavien's assaults upon him. He didn't realize the bitterness that he still clenched between his teeth about it all, but he notices it now as Zavien offers up something sweeter to swallow, the difference between what he's held onto and what he's just been given so obvious he isn't certain how he thought himself moved past it until now. His strength lessens, his conviction fleeing, and it allows Zavien to shove him off easily. "That's big of you to say," he acknowledges, and there's no sarcasm or taunt to be found as he staggers back from the force of their separation, sword now clumsily falling to his side, his stance weakening from before.
He doesn't have time to recover before Zavien is upon him, still reeling from being handed something when he's kept his fists so tightly balled, expecting so little as to not even bother. So the full brunt of Zavien's anger lands, alongside his sword, Kaisel scarcely pulling his sword up to block, maybe knowing there's no shield he can erect for this. "I—" he starts to say, but the sound is cut off into a wail as his skin spreads apart beneath the bite of the starlit blade.
His feeble attempt at bringing his sword up is perhaps the only thing that keeps the blade from finding a worse angle in him, but that hardly seems worth it now when the pain is so immediate and full-forced. Air hisses through his teeth as he shoves Zavien's arm away roughly, his body recoiling behind the gesture. "Fuck!" he swears, the sound biting out at the air to match the snarl setting into his thigh. Reflexively, his other hand still holding the sword, flings it towards Zavien to keep him at bay, tip wagging back and forth in the air in warning to Zavien that he keep his distance.
3/4
Fails to block fully and is cut on the thigh by Zavien. Shoves his arm away and and waves his sword tip around towards Zavien.
So to glimpse a peek of something a bit tarnished beneath the glow has sat with Kaisel less like proof of their ability to fail and more like a problem for him having seen it. Glimpsing the wizard behind the curtain without permission, and oh how the monkeys have come for him over it. The wizard is out now though, and that drastically changes things.
Kaisel visibly straightens up as the confession drops, concentration melting from his features as something closer to awe takes its place. He never expected to hear such words, having instead wound the injustice of it all deep inside him, pretending with another time the pressure of it might gradually leak out elsewhere, that the sight of it would diminish beneath the piling of other things until maybe he too believed them perfect again.
"Love makes terrible friends of us all," he settles on instead as they clash.
The apology that comes next is wholly unexpected, and he takes a half-step back, as if this too is one of Zavien's assaults upon him. He didn't realize the bitterness that he still clenched between his teeth about it all, but he notices it now as Zavien offers up something sweeter to swallow, the difference between what he's held onto and what he's just been given so obvious he isn't certain how he thought himself moved past it until now. His strength lessens, his conviction fleeing, and it allows Zavien to shove him off easily. "That's big of you to say," he acknowledges, and there's no sarcasm or taunt to be found as he staggers back from the force of their separation, sword now clumsily falling to his side, his stance weakening from before.
He doesn't have time to recover before Zavien is upon him, still reeling from being handed something when he's kept his fists so tightly balled, expecting so little as to not even bother. So the full brunt of Zavien's anger lands, alongside his sword, Kaisel scarcely pulling his sword up to block, maybe knowing there's no shield he can erect for this. "I—" he starts to say, but the sound is cut off into a wail as his skin spreads apart beneath the bite of the starlit blade.
His feeble attempt at bringing his sword up is perhaps the only thing that keeps the blade from finding a worse angle in him, but that hardly seems worth it now when the pain is so immediate and full-forced. Air hisses through his teeth as he shoves Zavien's arm away roughly, his body recoiling behind the gesture. "Fuck!" he swears, the sound biting out at the air to match the snarl setting into his thigh. Reflexively, his other hand still holding the sword, flings it towards Zavien to keep him at bay, tip wagging back and forth in the air in warning to Zavien that he keep his distance.
3/4
Fails to block fully and is cut on the thigh by Zavien. Shoves his arm away and and waves his sword tip around towards Zavien.
Kaisel
So welcome to the fire, I'm the one with the lighter
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
