[SE] you know that ain't no way to live

VESPER

The market spills with sound and scents: citrus peels curling beneath bare feet, salt glittering in the air, the scent of sweat and mango thick enough to taste. Vendors shout over one another in overlapping cadences, haggling in half a dozen dialects while children chase each other between stalls draped in sun-bleached linens. Somewhere, someone’s playing a cracked ukulele and somehow managing to sound good. Vesper moves through the tide of bodies with the natural grace of someone born to be followed, not bumped. His shirt is unbuttoned halfway—more fashion than heat management—and the silver rings on his fingers catch the light as he idly twirls one, a slow orbit around the bone of his knuckle. The leather bracelet from Colt is snug against his wrist, its star still dusted faintly with Feverlands sand.

Beside him, his sister is a sight to behold, but then, when isn't she? "Y’know," he murmurs, voice low enough to drift only to her, "won’t be half as fun for me." Vesper says, of the masquerade. His eyes skim the crowd—every thought around them pressing against the edges of his mind, familiar like the faces behind masquerade masks soon will be. "Won’t matter what they wear. I’ll still know who’s who." A shrug lifts one shoulder, languid and unconcerned, before his mouth crooks into a sideways smirk. "Still. Guess it’ll be fun watchin’ everyone pretend."

Pausing by a stall selling bolts of fabric, Vesper begins to trickle his fingers over the different weights and fabrics.

And I'm going down, where the waves will surround
to the roar and the pound, Of the wild wild sea
Talking sweet to me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

suddenly i'm spinning like a ceiling fan, around and 'round we go

Spinning through the crowd to trail after her brother as if she’s a dancer and each stranger is a partner for the night, she’s radiating as she sidles up to his side. Her sweater she wears is one that’s akin to a turtleneck, boasting a high neck and a sleeveless design. It’s a pale cream with glittering gold that reflects the warmth of the sun in sparkles of light that reflect on the strangers as she passes by, only stopping when they’re side by side in the shade of the stall. “C’mon, half of ‘em won’t even be wearin’ masks big enough to hide their chins.” She starts to say, turning toward him with a brilliant grin. “If y’know where to look you can figure out who’s who.”

And it would certainly be a task she’ll be taking on, like a Christmas present that you shake and shake to try and figure it out before it’s unwrapped. A little game amongst the excitement. “Gonna show up as dark ’n stormy?” She asks, tilting her head. “Or are y’gonna throw ‘em for a loop and wear somethin’ other than black?” She reaches out, dragging her fingers across a thin, sheer silver with specks of black intermixed.

Calypso

suddenly i will never be alone

VESPER

The corners of Vesper’s mouth twitch upward in a knowing snicker, low and amused like a secret passed under the table. "Fair point," he drawls, shooting her a sidelong glance as she spins that grin his way. "Y’might be onto somethin’. Chin-spotting—real underrated survival skill." He nudges his sister lightly with his elbow, just enough to make the bracelets on his wrist clink faintly. "Any particular chins you're gonna be on the look out for?"

He twirls a silver ring once more before slipping his hand into the folds of fabric, drawing out a bolt so grey it catches the light like stormcloud silk. It's luxurious, dramatic—utterly indistinguishable from black in any dim room worth its shadows. Holding it up between two fingers, he tilts it toward her with mock solemnity. “"You mean somethin’ wild like this?" The sarcasm in his tone is velvet-lined, but there’s a glint in his eye that gives him away. Mischief and affection, both stitched into the same glance.

Vesper's gaze flicks around the marketplace again, weighing the textures, the palettes, the sharp scents of dye and sea air. "What about you?" he asks, slipping a hand into another tray of cloth, his voice dipping softer again. "You thinkin’ classic Ludo, or y'gonna put a golden spin on it?"

And I'm going down, where the waves will surround
to the roar and the pound, Of the wild wild sea
Talking sweet to me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

suddenly i'm spinning like a ceiling fan, around and 'round we go

“See! Exactly.” She chimes with a laugh, jostled by his nudge to where her bracelets clink together, and the grin she shoots his way is positively feral and amused as she shrugs her slender shoulders, ever the image of innocence. “A couple’ve ‘em actually.” She touts proudly, before the golden splendor of her mind starts to reveal a variety of chins, wondering whether or not he’d get them off the bat or not.

The first, sharp and chiseled, one of the merchants here that had sold her quite a few glittering trinkets that she adored. One, slender and friendly, youthful and beautiful. And the last, the very notable dragoon that had ruined their birthday party.

Ah, but then she’s glancing at the ring he lifts toward her with the sarcasm. “Yeah, duh.” It’s her turn to nudge him with her elbow, just enough to jostle the way the light glints against the ring, even as she flashes her laughter and smiles toward him despite peering at the cloth.

“Obviously a golden spin. Mom would be pleased t’see the lil act of rebellion I think.”She snickers slightly, holding up a sheer and shimmering veil of gold that she winds around her head and neck to act like the shawl that makes up Ludo’s rags. “What’re we thinkin’? Too much?” She bounces her brows at him with another soft laugh.

Calypso

suddenly i will never be alone

VESPER

Vesper’s brow arches, slow and sharp as a crescent moon, the grin that follows carved from something smug and star-lit. "Oh she has options," he echoes under his breath, not surprised in the least, already sifting through her thoughts like a hand through coin velvet. The first chin earns a quiet hum of approval, the second a smirk that deepens as it hits the corners of his eyes. But the third—

He groans, eyes skyward, and rolls his head as if the sheer weight of that particular jawline might give him a headache. "You know," he mutters, stepping a half pace closer as he leans down like it’s some great confidence he’s about to share, "I could tell you—without a shadow of doubt—that your puppy dog was absolutely sorry ‘bout what came outta his mouth that night." He drags a ringed hand lazily through the air, as if waving off the words themselves. "Problem is, he’s also exactly the kind t’do it again. It’s the whole heart of gold twit package. Just can’t help himself."  He'd also seen the shit that had been rattling around his head when Caly had mentioned Flora—as had their dear old dad—and it had left quite the sour taste.

At her declaration of golden rebellion, he nods once. "Mm. Bet she’d be thrilled," he murmurs dryly, "especially if you sparkle like sin at a Ludo bash." Then he turns, arms folded as she spins the veil about her like it’s a mantle of sunlight itself. Vesper pretends to study her seriously, chin resting between thumb and forefinger, the picture of high-fashion judgement. "Hmm," he hums, drawled out and deliberately snooty. "Not enough gold in the world to be too much on you, Cal. Frankly, I think it’s Ludo that should be worried."

And I'm going down, where the waves will surround
to the roar and the pound, Of the wild wild sea
Talking sweet to me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

suddenly i'm spinning like a ceiling fan, around and 'round we go

“A girl’s gotta have options, V.” She touts proudly, like it was some secret he should have known about long before now. But when she lets her mind spill open like a tome of history, allowing him to flit through it to his hearts content, she peers up at him as he leans into her space about to offer his gRaNd WiSdOm, she peers up at him ready and amused, the grin twitching on her face into something of mock innocence for how not innocent the young attuned is at heart.

Ah, but he’d know that.

“Ugggggghhhhh.” She rolls her eyes, scoffing a little. “I know. Though.. I did mean it when I said I’d meet up with him again. I’m just takin’ this time to figure out what I’m gonna say to him.” Her brows lift as she plucks the golden fabric from the rack, just in case he has anything he’d like to add. And once that happens, she’s more than content to spin and twirl the gold around her, back to her beaming, vibrant self as she sparkles toward him and awaits his judgement, expecting nothing less than a 10/10 and the ooohs and aaaaahs.

“Y’think so?” She chimes, letting her grin blend into a smirk. “It should be worried. Can’t open up a party like that ‘n get upset when you’re the least best dressed, y’know.” Everyone knew that.

Calypso

suddenly i will never be alone

VESPER

Vesper chuckles, the sound low and full of fondness, and nudges her shoulder with his own. "You'll never lack for options," he drawls, eyes flicking over the top of her head with that familiar gleam. Even without the open book of her mind, he’s already caught the ripple of want from a trio of passersby—two men, one woman—who’ve slowed their stroll just to admire the sunbeam incarnate twirling in gold. He nods subtly over her shoulder. "You’ve got half the market wondering if they should bow or propose," he murmurs, too amused to hide it.

As for her very charming, very stupid puppy? Vesper shrugs one shoulder, shifting the cloth draped over his arm so his hands are free. "Tell him to screw his damn head on right," he suggests, dry as ever. "Or better yet, buy him some of those blinders they use on horses that can't keep their focus. Might help." But then he tips his head, constellation freckles catching the amber light as his tone softens, just a notch. "Or, if you want...invite him to the bar. I’ll be your fly on the wall. That way, you get to hear what he says—" he taps lightly against his temple, "—and what he doesn’t."

Then he shifts again, clapping his hands once, slow and theatrical. "Bravo. 10/10, perfection. Truly, a crime against fashion if we leave any of that behind." He flashes a grin at the merchant, already pulling coin from his belt. "We’ll take the lot of it."

And I'm going down, where the waves will surround
to the roar and the pound, Of the wild wild sea
Talking sweet to me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

suddenly i'm spinning like a ceiling fan, around and 'round we go

“Is it selfish of me to wanna see them try?” Caly asks in a whispered murmur, a devious glint to her gaze that would prefer the idea of people coming into her orbit and being completely awestruck. Something that she’s sure she’s inherited from their mother. A perk that she can’t quite let go of the power it fills her with.

Maybe at the end of the day it’s worship she craves. She wants to be considered holy, she wants to be the goddess in one’s life that they only had eyes for. And right now, she isn’t entirely sure there’s anyone out there ready for that.

She starts to peel off the gold clinging to her skin when she hears Vesper’s dry answer, a snicker leaving her as she nods her head, catching his gaze with the warm light of the amber of her own, dancing across the starlit freckles on his face before she meets his eyes. “He wants t’meet in King’s End.” Otherwise she might take him up on the bar idea. But maybe she can get him to let it out there, bring him back and let Vesper get a read. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to remember everythin’.” Because she wasn’t intending on saying yes or no right off the bat. He should know her better than to think it’d fix everything that’s happened.

Ah, but she’s gotten the praise she thought she deserved for the cloth, and all thoughts of Kaisel melt with the idea of her gilded Ludo outfit, outshining them all like the sun she was supposed to be. “It’s gonna be perfect V. Do you think we should get ya some kinda dark blue to fit the rest of your…” her hand comes up to wave around him as if to gesture to him as a whole. “vibe?” Pausing to collect the fabric in question so they can pay for it, she shoots her gaze back over toward her brother with her brows lifted.

Calypso

suddenly i will never be alone

VESPER

Vesper shakes his head, slow and entirely solemn—if not for the flicker of starlight in his eyes, it might almost pass for real gravity. "Selfish? Not a bit," he says, voice velvet-dark and edged with a kind of certainty that doesn’t invite argument. "World’s full of people too stupid or blind to see what’s right in front of ‘em. Hell, Cal, you deserve a lot more than what you’ve been gettin’ lately—attention included." There’s no softness to it, just fact, the kind of blunt truth that makes its own kind of comfort.

At the mention of King’s End, his mouth twists, one brow hitching up in a gesture both lazy and knowing. "Mm. I doubt it’s the things he says out loud that're gonna be the important ones." He shrugs, eyes drifting to the motion of the crowd—because it isn’t the things Kaisel says out loud that’ll matter. Not really. Most folks have to rely on words alone, tossing them out like coins and hoping something valuable comes back. It’s a shame, honestly, that the whole world’s built on talking, when it’s what goes unsaid that really shapes things. Still, not everyone’s a telepath, and Caly, at least, still seems to believe in second chances. "Then again, your puppy does seem to like to talk, so who knows."

He lets her take the lead with the cloth, rolling his eyes in a long-suffering way at her assessment. "Vibe," he repeats, letting the syllable hang there as if it’s some foreign currency he’s meant to trade in. "You go on then, pick whatever is gonna best suit my vibe." Vesper flashes her a dry grin, holding out his arms in mock surrender for her to drape him in whatever finery she chooses.

And I'm going down, where the waves will surround
to the roar and the pound, Of the wild wild sea
Talking sweet to me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

suddenly i'm spinning like a ceiling fan, around and 'round we go

As he confirms her selfish question with exactly what she wants to hear, she practically beams to him for his bluntness. But he continues, telling her that she deserves more than what she’s been given and she softens mentally even if her physical self still shines just as bright. Hard to do when the options are slim, yeah? She sends mentally instead, knowing he’d pick it up and hoping it seems similar enough to having an attuned bond to talk through, even if she hasn’t mastered the ability yet.

One day she would, though, and she likes to think she’d become unstoppable. Even as he tells her that it isn’t the things Kaisel would say out loud that are the things she wants to know, and she dramatically puffs her cheeks out with air before exhaling it in a quiet groan. He’s right, and she hates that he is, but she likes to think she can pick up the underlying thoughts especially if she knew him at least slightly well. “He’s a yapper. Get him on a tangent ’n he’ll talk himself into a hole.” She laughs softly, piling her fabric in a little pile, before she can turn to him to gesture to him as a whole and ask her question.

"Yes!" She brightens again to hear his concession and she practically spins on her heel to drift further away from the warm hues of gold and sunset attire for the darker shades. The one she selects is a deep navy, nearly velveteen in appearance but sharp and smooth for the touch. And within the fabric, little specks of silver glint if you held it up juuuust right.

Practically darting back to his side, she drapes it over his arm and peers up at him with the adoration of a sister who knows she’s made the best choice and expects him to agree.

Calypso

suddenly i will never be alone

VESPER

Vesper catches the flicker of Caly’s thought, subtle as a sunbeam sneaking under a door. He doesn’t bother to answer aloud at first, just lets a soft sigh slip through his nose, quiet agreement written in the small slump of his shoulders. Maybe they all need to get out more. Broaden their social circles. Hell, maybe they should all pile onto the Ark and see who else the world’s got waiting for them. Wouldn’t hurt. Couldn’t be much worse than what Torchline’s been serving lately.

He leans over, voice dropping just for her, a wry slant to his grin. "Y’ain’t an idiot, Cal. Never been." The affection’s there, deep and unhurried, even as he adds, "And look—I still think your puppy’s a lost cause, but I’ll back your play. Whatever you want. You deserve to feel good too, y’know? So if that idiot pet of yours pulls it off more often than he screws up, maybe the solution’s just not invitin’ him to big public bashes, or gettin' him a gag for his birthday." Then again, coming from Caly that might have a different connotation for the dragoon, but so long as it kept him from talking, Vesper didn't really care.

But then the navy fabric is draped over his arm, and Vesper immediately straightens, striking a pose that’s all sharp jawline and lazy confidence; shoulders squared, head tilted, constellation freckles winking under the market sun. He flashes Caly a wink, then raises his voice with the casual arrogance of someone who knows he’ll get a crowd onside: "She’s good, ain’t she?"

Sure enough, a handful of vendors and bystanders nod, some with grins, a few with the kind of approving murmurs that ripple out and stick. Vesper turns just enough for Caly to catch his dry, conspiratorial smirk. "Y'ready to get home and start puttin' all this together, or do you need anything else while we're out?"

And I'm going down, where the waves will surround
to the roar and the pound, Of the wild wild sea
Talking sweet to me

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

suddenly i'm spinning like a ceiling fan, around and 'round we go

HIs affection does warm her, smoothing over the little light fractals that have sparked in her chest and mind. And her amber gaze finds his face, dancing along the starlit constellations to the star tattoo that matches hers, before finding his gaze. “Yeah, prolly. I was gonna show up as my jaguar shift ’n see how he took to it.” A little threatening, sure, but if it was a game of dogs chasing cats, she wanted him to know that despite being all puppy-like, she was the bigger predator between them.

And then maybe they could talk.

Either way, though, the attuned slips away to snag the fabric she’d had in mind, draping it over his arm as he strikes his pose and she looks positively smug with the result. “Handsome, charmin’, mysterious.” She trills in a mirror of what he’d said before for her gilded imitation of the rags. “Heartbreaker extraordinaire!” She chimes with a soft laugh that melts into a pile of pale yellow glitter. Because yeah, she is good.

She takes a little bow to the vendors and bystanders that nod and grin, as if she was a goddess among them for having plucked out the near perfect match to her brother of mischief. And when’s eh catches his smirk, she shakes her head to his second question. “Nah, that’s all I need. C’mon, let’s go get ‘em all put together. ‘Sides, I wanna relax.” She trills, snagging his arm and the fabric that she pushes into his chest so that he can pay for the rest of them and she can drag him home.

- FIN

Calypso

suddenly i will never be alone