[SE] i wanna be the last thing anybody ever sees

doves and ravens fly the same

"Be shocked if you could peg me at all." Vesper counters smoothly, and though there's certainly nothing warm about him, the star beneath his left eye does crinkle as he smirks, happy to watch for Niki's reaction to that as much as feel it with his magic.

"Ain't normally one for surprises." Not unlike his old man in that regard, though so far all the surprises he'd experienced thus far had been pleasant ones, Vesper had grown used to always knowing more or less what was coming his way. "But I also ain't one to micromanage. I'll say this, though. My sisters are..." Pausing, Vesper's eyes narrow as if in pain as he glanced slightly over Niki's shoulder, trying to think best how to distill Caly and Nova down. "They're like the brightest goddamn stars y'ever saw; beautiful as they are dangerous, and I ain't just sayin' that as their brother." Pulling his eyes back down, unsure if his description would help or not, Vesper turns his head to spit out the sprig of peppermint bark he'd all but gnawed the flavour out of.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

NIKI

Vesper will likely not be disappointed, given that the smooth and intricate gears of a mind perpetually in motion promptly seize at his remark, and the flush Niki has been too cold and ruffled to consider before turns the tips of his ears pink. "That would make two of us," he retorts quietly, gesturing to the metal and leather strapping his knee in place; not much good for pegging, you see.

Clearing his throat and seeming more than happy to let the conversation return to the task that will soon be at hand, Niki considers Vesper's words with all the weight they deserve, nodding slowly as he considers what he wants to create for the bright and dangerous women who share his blood. "I think I have something in mind," he decides, gesturing towards a building nearby that has half been constructed out of the tree it nestles against; a tea house.

"I can meet you there tomorrow," he offers. "I will bring some of my equipment, so if you would like any adjustments, I can make them at the same time."

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

doves and ravens fly the same

Unable to keep himself from smirking, rather than a shark-like look of dominance, Vesper's expression is one of almost bemused amusement to see Niki's pale complexion suddenly bloom with colour. While the idea of the cripple struggling to insert his cock into Vesper before flailing around with what little strength he had absolutely did not do it for the demigod, the way the necromancer's mind began to instantly build pathways around the halted gears did. "Well, we've all got our strengths." He drawls with a suggestive shrug, before glancing in the direction Niki was pointing.

"What, don't trust me with your address?" It was probably smart not to, and while their business was more or less taken care of, Vesper couldn't help but want to poke at Niki a bit more to see what else might come out of his mind.

"Speakin' of.." addresses, that was. "..this place got a brothel?" Bouncing his eyebrows, Vesper offers Niki a feline grin. "Nothin' better than a warm body or two to keep the chill away in this kind of weather."

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

NIKI

Unaware of the places Vesper's mind is going - blissfully so, as it happens - Niki pulls his coat a little tighter as a snowflake falls, followed by another. And then several more. So much for beating the weather home. "On the contrary," he says, of not wanting Vesper to know his address, despite the business card (replaced since his run-in with Flora) sitting in his pocket. "In the Greatwood one ought to be cautious, following people home. You never know where the forest might take you instead." Shrugging, the statement as ominous as it is true, he nonetheless considers their meeting over.

Almost.

The line about the brothel almost feels clumsy after the pegging joke had struck the mark so well, and as they have already established, Niki has a sixth sense for any kind of teasing at his expense. (Whether or not it is true). "Oh, yes," he tells Vesper, gesturing off out of the stalls where - just about - a man can be seen hopping over the gate of a pig pen. "Plenty of choices for you there. Until tomorrow, hm?"

Grimacing to Vesper - and not because of the man himself, but because his body has all but seized up from standing in the cold, Niki hobbles on his way, lunch forgotten now that he has work to be getting on with.

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

doves and ravens fly the same

"All the more reason to follow then. Wouldn't want us to end up in two different places." There was a joke about arriving at the same time that Vesper considers, before deciding that he'd likely have to lay a little bit more groundwork before that sort of comment would have Niki's cheeks (and thoughts) heating the way he liked. Looking slightly taken aback to spy the pig pen he was being referred to, the demigod scoffs out a hollow laugh as he raises a dark brow in Niki's direction. "Peg to Pig, mm?" Tutting, he shakes his head. "I appreciate the personal recommendation and as much as I love a good squeal, tonight I'm more hopin' for moans."

Ahh well, if the man wasn't gonna give up his address, so be it. Ruffling a hand through his pale hair, spilling snowflakes around his shoulders like stars, Vesper slips the ring he'd been playing with onto one of his long fingers before offering the necromancer a parting nod.

Not finding a brothel, Vesper nevertheless finds more than enough company at a local tavern. Despite having to constantly keep his shoulders hunched and all but slouching in one of the booths, he's able to fill his stomach and pass the time with more than a few of the fae who aren't turned off or intimidated by his height or ocean-slick scent. From them, the demigod tries to scour as much information about Niki as he can, though it leaves his curiosity wildly unsated. Not only are his companions uninterested in speaking about the boy, but what they do know is puzzling at best.

So it was that Vesper arrived slightly before the time Niki had given him, which was a lucky thing indeed because Vesper had found it quite difficult to make it back to the little pathway the pair had been on the day before. Walking briskly toward the door of the teashop, the demigod tugged open the door, instantly tugging at the deep blue scarf wound around his neck, before hanging both it and his jacket on a hook which had them both pooling on the ground given their length.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

NIKI

Niki is not in the habit of being late, but a heavy snowfall overnight partnered with an all-nighter to finish Vesper's request, and the boy does not find it easy to navigate his way back to the Sidhe Village, despite assistance from the woods to find him the most simple path. It's snowing again by the time he reaches the tea house, about fifteen minutes after Vesper arrives, shouldering his way into the place with the tinkling of a bell overhead.

Laden with a satchel over his shoulder and a case in the hand not braced against his crutch, it takes a few moments for him to free himself of his scarf and coat - both black - leaving him in a too-big grey sweater and with snow melting in his hair. Glancing around for the demigod and nodding at a familiar fae behind the counter, they direct him further into the tea house apparently without needing to guess who he is there to see.

(The Fae are nosy, what can he say?)

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

doves and ravens fly the same

So coming early had been a mistake. Vain as he was, already Vesper was growing tired of everyone around him constantly marvelling at his height or complexion, and certainly he was over the xenophobic coating that settled over nearly every exchange. Relegated to a corner booth so that he could stretch out his long legs without someone constantly tripping over them, Vesper had ordered several pots of tea (owing to how small they were), before plowing through game after game of solitaire.

Not needing to glance up in order to know Niki had arrived, Vesper waited for the boy to limp his way over before shooting him a look up through his eyelashes. Flipping over another card, the demigod adjusts his various piles before his long fingers begin to ruffle through the cards in his hand. Knowing that Niki was late because of the weather and not because of poor time management or tricks from the forest, nevertheless Vesper raised his eyebrows at the necromancer as he finally lifted his chin to properly appraise him. 

"You got a license for that thing?" He asks dryly, blue eyes flashing for just a moment as Vesper knocks the toe of his boot against the tip of Niki's cane before lazily drawing it away to make space for the boy to sit down.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

NIKI

Spotting Vesper in the corner booth of the teahouse like some spider hunched up in a space that's too small, Niki is too concerned with getting to his destination and sitting down to appraise him properly in return, such that he offers his usual (not that the demigod would know) polite nod of greeting as he arrives. Feeling the knock to his cane as a vibration up through his arm, he raises his eyebrows down at it before the joke hits somewhat belatedly, and - perhaps surprising them both - he grins.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," he says, brushing his thumb across the moth carved into the top of the cane and lifting it briefly as if to show it off. "This is the latest model, you know. I was not nearly so fast with my last one." Setting the cane down and easing himself into the booth opposite Vesper, Niki shrugs off his satchel bag and sets the case to one side in case it's needed later.

"Apologies for being late," he says automatically. "I hope you were not waiting too long." Already he's opening the bag, carefully withdrawing a box to set down on the table between them.

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

doves and ravens fly the same

"Oh yeah?" Vesper's grin turns sly as his gaze drops down to the head of the cane, and gods the jokes he might make at Niki's expense. "Y'know I can see it. You've got that wind-blown adrenaline-pumping look about you." He didn't, of course, but that didn't stop Vesper from letting his blue eyes wash over every inch of Niki's exposed skin (which, thanks to his frumpy sweatshirt was regretably not much at all), if only to see how he'd react.

Waving a hand in response to the apology before gesturing at the various pots of tea to silently suggest that Niki could help himself, Vesper pawed at the cards on the table to make more room for the box. "I kept myself entertained. Lots of chatter about those two who got murdered here last season." He says with a shrug.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

NIKI

"I thought so too," Niki says dryly. "And I do happen to do all of my own stunts, so that tracks." No stunt doubles to go falling down riverbanks or tripping over their feet on his behalf, no siree. Today, evidently, he's a little too tired to squirm in Vesper's presence (just yet, anyway), his thoughts blunted by the cold weather and the late night. It also explains his gratitude when offered one of the various pots of tea; pushing up the sleeves of his sweater to reveal forearms silvered with a plethora of different scars, he selects a black tea, taking it without milk or honey.

"I believe I met one of those people last season. After they were alive again, of course," he says, sipping from his cup and letting his shoulders relax down somewhat. "Her name was Flora." And there had been no further instances of death or resurrection afterwards, much to Niki's disappointment. The Festival of Lights being held at the Stone Symphony had been a pleasant surprise, though. But anyway.

"Here," he says, setting down his cup and reaching out to open the box he'd brought, revealing the creations within.

Not hair combs as Vesper had originally suggested, but hair pins, each long and slender, one gilded with gold atop which shimmers a disc of sunshine, the other wrapped in silver topped with a crescent moon. "Beautiful as they are dangerous," he remarks softly, selecting one of them to remove it from the box. With a gentle tug, the pin comes apart like a sword being unsheathed, revealing a thin, wicked looking blade within it.

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

doves and ravens fly the same

"Well of course you do. Adventurous young man like yourself." Vesper agrees in an equally dry tone before chuckling under his breath. If he's disappointed that he hadn't been able to bring a new flush of colour to Niki's cheeks he doesn't show it, instead simply watching the other man fill his cup. "I could have poisoned that, you know." He points out, before refilling his cup with, and this was just to be a bastard, an entirely different pot of tea.

Even without his telepathy, Vesper would have picked up on Niki's phrasing: After they were alive again, of course. Only then did it occur to Vesper that Niki might be a demigod as well; who else would feel the need to qualify whether or not a conversation had specifically happened when someone was back from the dead? "Yeah? What'd you make of her?" Since he'd been alive, Flora had, for some reason, taken to avoiding him.

Having begun to tap his fingers against the table, the drumming stops as Niki begins to open the box. Leaning forward, Vesper frowns briefly before realizing what Niki had opted to create. "Damn that's clever." Mumbled more to himself than to the necromancer, the demigod stretched out his hand, fingers unfurling. "May I?"

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

NIKI

Nodding sagely - a pair of young adventurers, they are - Niki raises his eyebrows at Vesper's remark and, just as deliberately, lifts his cup to take another long sip of tea. "It is a lovely poison. You have good taste," he says dryly, a smirk curling across his lips. "And I found her to be very friendly, though she did seem concerned that I was a ghost for a large part of our conversation." Something that still doesn't seem to bother the boy very much, given where he lives and that part of the region is literally named after Ludo.

But on to the reason they are both there, Niki turning the blade this way and that to allow it to catch the light - and also to let him inspect it for any imperfections. Finding none, he nods and hands the hairpin across to Vesper; the silver one, as it happens. 

"If your sisters prefer variety, they can alter the appearance like so." Selecting the gold pin, Niki gives it a gentle twist towards the top; within the shining disc of sunlight, delicate fronds shimmer outward, like the sun's rays. Should Vesper do the same on the one in his possession, the crescent moon will click through its various phases. "If there are any alterations you would like, I can try to do them now."

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

doves and ravens fly the same

At nearly every turn, Vesper finds Niki to be sharp where he expects only weariness and dull edges. "Oh? I wonder if that means I've put poison in the wrong cup." Adding a bit of honey and cream into his tea, Vesper gives it a slow stir before taking a sip and simply raising a brow without commenting on whether or not the sweeteners had been to disguise the taste of poison or not. "I do have good taste, don't I? Picked out you, didn't I?" As for Flora believing that Niki was a ghost? "Did she now." Giving his cup a swirl until the liquid very nearly spilled over the delicate lip, the Vesper hmmphed under his breath. "She's my father's girlfriend." He offers with a lopsided shrug. "Or, you know, whatever you call it when you date someone the same age as your own children." Another shrug.

Accepting the blade with due care, Vesper placed the tip against his finger, pressing until he drew a single bead of blood. The pressure it took was next to nothing, which had a sly smile parting his lips. Glancing up in time to see the maneuvers Niki performed to make the sun dazzle, Vesper did the same, clicking through the moon's phases with clear delight. "Clever, clever." Both the pins and their maker.

Leaning back against the booth and pivoting the pin across his palm, Vesper considered the man across from him for a moment before apparently deciding on something. "Y'ever been to Torchline?" He asks, sounding uncharacteristically conversational. "I only ask 'cause once I give these to my sisters they're going to want more stuff like this." And fuck if the Greatwood wasn't far away.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

NIKI

"If you did poison the wrong cup, at least you can die well in the knowledge that your sense of humour is intact," Niki says in response to Vesper's picking him out, the boy turning the golden hairpin this way and that between scarred and dexterous fingers, giving it the same quality check as its sister piece. Taking it apart to inspect the blade, only once he is satisfied does he put it back together and set it down in the box once more.

Raising an eyebrow at the other man's comment about Flora and the nature of their relationship, if one could call it that, Niki gives a slow nod. "I see. All the better for her not to have remained dead, then," he says, glancing back to the hair pins.

"I am glad you approve." Though the remark is quiet and as dry as any of Niki's others, the sincerity in his tone, expression (and yes, thoughts) shines through. "I do not normally make adjustments like this to the jewellery I craft. It was an interesting project." Evident in the way he'd opted for the additional decorative flourishes. "They can be worn as a pair or separately, though I doubt your sisters will want to see the other go without."

Taking up his cup once more, the surprise that oils the gears of his thoughts has Niki tilting his head. It isn't the first time someone has suggested he pay a visit to Torchline, and the reluctance to leave all that he knows is evident enough without telepathy. "I have not, no," he says. "I could always arrange to have things sent down to you, if that would suffice. I doubt I would do well in the hot weather."

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!