what big teeth you have

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper watches her slow like a creature scenting a trap, the energy bleeding off her sharp enough to cut. He sees the shift—the stillness that isn’t peace but poise, poised like the sea before a storm. And when her eyes find his in the mirror, gods, he feels it. The look she levels could have peeled the bark off the trees.

His reflection meets hers, smile crooked and unapologetic. "Is that a fact?" he drawls, voice low, like velvet drawn across steel. He doesn’t move closer—not yet. Just lets her stew in it for a beat longer, watching the way her fingers flirt with the hilt of her dagger. "Could’ve shown you a thousand beasts, Thalassa," he murmurs, eyes glinting as the mirror flickers with her fury. "But none of ’em compare. Not one had your bite. Or your spine." A pause. "Or your taste for blood."

He shifts, finally, but only to lean against the arch of ivy beside him, casual as ever. His gaze lingers on hers in the glass. "I didn’t bring you here to mock you. I brought you here ’cause I wanted to see the most dangerous thing in the Celestine."

A beat.

"And I’m lookin’ at her."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?

She doesn't answer his question. The blaze in her eyes should be answer enough - although he'll catch images of her early Ancient days, filled with even brighter, uncontrolled emotions that she'd yet to master, plenty of spilled blood over comments, looks, or failure to follow orders. Thal might have changed over the years, but the confidence had only served to hone her feelings to something sharp and coiled just beneath the surface. Only a few had managed to brave the storm enough to earn her trust, to see more than the bravado-wrapped exterior. Vesper wasn't there yet, and she continued to flirt with the idea of stabbing him just to prove it. 

His words are pretty, flattering, but she doesn't soften, suspicion lacing her thoughts as she crosses her arms. It sounds almost like an admission. Like he wanted to see her and needed an excuse to do so. But she isn't that naive, and Thal raises a single eyebrow of challenge. "That's it?" That's his only motive? That's his true motive? If he really thinks she's as dangerous as he says, why risk her wrath? There's an accusing look in her eyes as they watch him, waiting.

Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die

Thalassa

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper doesn’t flinch beneath her stare—doesn’t look away, doesn’t retreat. The mirror has stopped being the punchline. Now it's just a reflection, and the woman standing in front of it? Yeah, she'd be enough to stop any man's heart, but not his.

His hands stay in his pockets, posture still easy, but the sharpness behind his eyes meets hers without apology. He doesn't try to dodge the question, doesn't offer more pretty words like balm on a blade she’s already halfway to drawing. "That's it," he echoes, voice quiet but unwavering. "I wanted to see you." A pause, the flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. He finally steps forward, just enough that the glow of the ivy softens the shadows under his eyes. Another step, closer now, not invading her space but daring her to let him. "So if you’re gonna stab me for wasting your time, you better make it count." The smirk returns—soft, crooked, dark. "I'll warn you though, I'm harder to hit than y'might think."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?

The way he doesn't apologize or balk when faced with her simmering fury is one of the most attractive things she's ever seen - and one of the most frightening. She drinks it in, refusing to be the first to back down, to give any ground. Even as his words set off a fluttering in her chest, Thal clings to her anger for a moment longer, hoping to suffocate everything else. 

Finally spinning to face his approach, Thal uncrosses her arms - acceptance of his reasoning despite the threatening smile that accompanies the tilt of her head. "I'll let it slide - this time." She takes a step forward, closing the distance between them so he can hear the vicious edge in her soft voice. "But take this as a warning," her dagger comes up, the tip pressing against his manhood just enough for him to notice, "if you don't want to risk losing a valuable appendage next time, I suggest you just ask." An invitation wrapped in her own secret emotions - not liking to be tricked or misled, wanting to hear that he wants her as much as she wants him, not ready to trust him or his motives.

Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die

Thalassa

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper doesn’t flinch—not at the dagger, not at the threat, not even as the cool press of its point kisses something that most men would have backed away from immediately. His breath doesn’t catch. His pulse doesn’t quicken. But his eyes—his eyes gleam with something deeper than amusement now, something that sharpens beneath the weight of her words. He looks at her, not the blade, gaze pinned to the woman holding it like he could feel her thoughts vibrating down the length of steel.

"Message received," he murmurs, voice a velvet-draped razor as his shadow curls around her ankle, warm and coiled—not restrictive, just there, present, like it’s keeping score. And then he vanishes. No puff of smoke, no dramatic flash—just a blink, a ripple of shadow, a whisper of starlight as the space where he stood folds in on itself.

He reappears behind her in the next breath, standing oh so terribly close. He leans in, just enough for her to feel the heat of him, the near-touch of his breath where her cheek meets her jaw. "Though I'm inclined to think there might be a dagger involved even if I had said pretty please, "

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?

She doesn't know what to make of his curling shadow, the confirmation of her terms that ease some of the tension in her stomach. And she doesn't have time to think on it anyways. One moment he's at the tip of her blade - and the next he's gone, her mind trying to compute his sudden disappearance. It's only a moment before she recognizes the looming heat of a presence behind her, her body going taught with anticipation of an attack, of being tricked again; but the shadowy caress of his words is all she feels, like a finger dragging down her jas. A shiver runs down her spine as something darker coils within, a familiar warmth beginning in her veins.

He's right and he knows it, so Thal doesn't answer. She turns her head slightly to the side, slowly lowering her dagger to her side. "That's a neat trick. What else you got?" The playfulness returns to her voice, cutting through the sharpness and disguised curiosity as she realizes how little she knows about his abilities. It feels like dancing with fire - not that she's ever worried about such a thing. Her heart quickens a little, eager in the wake of her anger.

Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die

Thalassa

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper chuckles, the sound low and velvety against her ear as his breath stirs a strand of her hair. "I might not be an accomplished pirate," he murmurs, voice curling like smoke through the space between them, "but even I know better than to give up all my secrets in one go."

His hand doesn’t touch her—doesn’t need to. His presence coils close, all tension and invitation, his shadow brushing featherlight along the hem of her jacket like a teasing breeze. "But you’re welcome to try and tease the rest of ’em out," he adds, the suggestion wrapped in a wolfish grin she can hear even if she can’t yet see. "Though if you're lookin’ for results, blades pointed at my cock might not be your most persuasive method." He lingers there for a breath, letting her decide whether she’s going to whirl, strike, flirt—or all three.

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?

Another shiver runs down her spine, wondering when she'd given away her own secret as his breath tickles her ear. Her ship, her profession, what else had she told him? It sends a spike of fear along with the heat threading her veins. She tries to ignore it, her smile playful on her lips. "I get the feeling you hold your secrets as close as your shadows." The one's she wishes would touch her again. 

Turning with a predatory grace to see his confident grin, Thal lets out a low, suggestive hum that lifts her chest. "Hmm. I have plenty of methods of persuasion," thoughts of torturous seduction alongside brutal wounds flit through her mind before she sheaths her dagger without breaking eye contact, "but the best pirate captains know how to negotiate." 

She leans into his space enough to tempt, for him to feel her body heat just out of reach. An excited glint enters her eyes, his name a purr on her lips. "What do you say, Vesper? Up for a trade?"

Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die

Thalassa

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper doesn’t move. Not right away, instead, he watches her close in, watches the dagger disappear—sheathed, not discarded—and reads the sharp curl of hunger in her smile like it’s written in starlight. His shadows flicker faintly around his boots, reacting to the spark of tension in the air, drawn like moths to heat. "Depends," he murmurs, his voice low and deliberate as his eyes trail from her mouth to the space just past her shoulder, where starlight filters through ivy and paints her skin in shades of dusk. "What’s on offer?"

He doesn’t reach for her. Not yet. But the shift in his weight—his subtle lean closer—betrays the gravity between them; that magnetic pull just shy of contact. His gaze stays steady on hers, pale blue lit faintly from within, catching the starlight just enough to look unreal.

"You give me one secret," he says, the words lazy and dark with promise, "and I’ll give you one of mine." He tilts his head, constellation freckles shimmering faintly beneath the shadows of his cheekbones. And maybe—maybe—just the faintest curl of mischief at the corner of his mouth as he adds, "Unless of course you wanna come right out and ask about somethin'."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?

A teasing grin spreads across her face, all heat and suggestion of what 'things' she might be willing to offer in exchange should she run out of secrets. It's hard not to lose her curiosity in the glow of his eyes, the low lighting framing his platinum hair like horns, but she holds strong, ignoring the quirk of his lips that she's tempted to reach for. 

She won't stoop to begging asking for information (yet), so she offers a coy smile and a nod of her head that seals the agreement. Her voice is barely above a whisper, potential thick on her tongue. "A secret for a secret." It goes without saying that she expects the truth, but part of her wonders if he'll attempt to lie, and she chooses to proceed with caution, nothing too big, nothing too important, nothing too revealing.

Thal files through her own secrets, skirting the dark patch that she tries to forget exists for something safer, leaning back slightly to ease the urge to lose herself in the pull of him, to reach out and ruin the opportunity. However, she doesn't step away or break eye contact, a playful smile on her lips when she offers her first piece of information. "My daggers are blessed by Dygra." Whether he knows what they do based on their previous battle is another question, but she'll keep it as a 'secret' for now, seeing how Vesper might choose to interpret the exchange.

Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die

Thalassa

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper’s grin deepens like a shadow thickening under moonlight, teeth flashing faintly as he tilts his head. "Mm. Dygra," he echoes, tasting the name as if weighing it in his mouth. There’s no visible flicker of surprise, but something in his posture sharpens, subtle as the edge of a blade. "Makes sense. Suits you." Chaos. Hunger. Fire stitched into flesh.

He doesn’t glance at the daggers, doesn’t need to—he remembers them. Remembers the way they gleamed with something more than steel when they danced through the air. But instead of dwelling on that, he lifts his hand lazily, tracing an invisible constellation in the air between them. "My turn, then." The glow of his freckles pulses softly in the half-light, that same starlight gleaming faintly beneath his skin. "Safrin’s my mother." The words are spoken with neither reverence nor resentment—just a dry kind of inevitability, like stating a fact carved in marble. It was probably something Thal might have guessed for herself given his aesthetic, but a little confirmation never hurt.

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?

It's hard to tell whether the sharpening of his smile and posture are something she should be reading into - a discomfort, a realization, a hesitation - but she just lets her fangs show through her smile, one of the many reasons she aligns herself with the goddess, and why no other deity would ever suit her. Even, apparently, his mother. 

Thal doesn't let her own surprise show, schooling her expression to one of mild interest and an approving nod of her head for his honesty. Safrin's demigod is an easy guess, but Safrin's son isn't something she'd given much thought to. It's hard not to see now, in the starlit freckles that dance over his skin, the way the shadows obey his every will while the glow of the garden looks like moonlight flirting with his hair, even the star on his cheek. She hasn't met many demigods, but she can't imagine they all embody their deity quite as much as Vesper does. 

Sensing that it's her turn again, she sweeps her mind for her next morsel of information. When she settles on her secret, the tilt of her head is playfully predatory, as if he might see through to what lies beneath her skin, her voice almost a growling purr of pride. "I have a very pretty - very dangerous lyvern shift." One that better displays the threat she attempts to be. One that better fits his descriptions of her and the 'monster' he'd come to show her.

Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die

Thalassa

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper’s eyes darken with interest, the gleam in them catching moonlight like the blade of a dagger unsheathed slow and deliberate. Her words curl through him like smoke—dangerous, proud, and poised—and his grin sharpens as her secret lands. A lyvern. Of course. Something beautiful with teeth, untamed and lethal beneath the surface.

He doesn’t reach for her with his hands, but the shadows around him stir, rising like ink in water. They move with feline grace, slow and sinuous, brushing just shy of her hip, ghosting up the outer line of her thigh—never quite touching. One trails across her shoulder like a teasing whisper, there and gone in the same breath. They want her to chase them. To close the gap. To want.

Vesper leans in slightly, just enough that his voice can slip between them like silk laced with smoke. "Mm," he murmurs, matching her purr with one of his own. "Then we’re well-matched." The shadows behind his eyes ripple with something primal, something wild and sea-bound. "I’ve got a pretty and dangerous shift too. Tide jaguar." His smile flickers wider, all dark promise and invitation.

"I’ll show you mine," he murmurs, voice low and smooth as breaking waves, "if you show me yours."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

Thalassa

They created the monster

It's hard to ignore the ghosting of his shadows, the way they waft around her like smoke, tempting her to reach out, to wrap them around a finger, to pull them closer. But Thal holds her ground, eyes fixed on the all the little nuances of his gaze, how it darkens, shifts, and ripples like the deep currents of the ocean that promises undiscovered dangers behind every crevice. She can't say a tide jaguar will be able to compete with her own shift, but she hums nonetheless, the sound sweet and seductive on her tongue. "Deal." They'll see how 'well-matched' they are indeed. 

A fanged grin is the only warning she gives him, a suggestion that he might want to step back. Then, with a flicker of a thought, her spine lengthens, horns straightening along the side of her head as her hair gives way to familiar dark blue-black scales that spread down her skin. Fingers and toes sharpen to claws that glint dangerously like the teeth that suddenly triple in size, every single one as sharp as daggers. Membranous wings sprout from her arms, spreading wide to devour the glowing light around them, looming and dark in their figure. Her thin Ancient tail flicks once more before widening to match her larger form, completing the shift along with a low vibrating rumble in her chest.

Thal tilts her head to look at Vesper, the burning blue of her eyes still shimmering with challenge as she tucks her wings gently to her side, her body coiled tight in anticipation.

and then asked why I bite.