strike the match

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

Sidhe Village was charming during the day, but roaming its streets at night never failed to amaze Liam. Stars winked and twinkled through the foliage overhead; dim lantern light dotted the well-worn paths; and through it all, human and Fae mixed and mingled. There was the Bodega, forever a market first and foremost, where vendors could be heard hawking their wares. The Observatory was a popular midnight destination, since climbing to its upper deck could provide the clearest view of the night sky in all the forest. Dotted throughout were residences built into trees, the Village and its inhabitants blending seamlessly into nature in a way that Liam had encountered nowhere else in Caido.

The ex-soldier strolled along, hands in his pockets, enjoying the cooler night air. Or perhaps it merely felt cooler when compared to the strength of the sun during the day. His hair was pulled back from his face, but there was a sheen of perspiration along his hairline that showed just how warm the evening was. His companions perched on his shoulders as he walked, perfectly balanced as they observed their surroundings. Prim was as eager to see as ever, leaning out and flaring her wings as she took in each face they passed. Her brother, on the other hand, was much more relaxed, almost sedate, curling his tail around Liam's neck and appearing for all the world to be snoozing upon his shoulder.

He had no real purpose, no destination in mind; he was simply walking for the sake of it, appreciating all that made the Greatwood unique. But as he wandered, he noticed a familiar face: someone he'd met only once before, in a region far away from the forest. The bartender had given him good advice back then, and Liam strolled closer, waiting to see if he caught the man's eye before raising a hand in a friendly wave.

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

I don't know what I'm looking for

Sidhe Village at night wears its quiet like a held breath, lanternlight caught in leaves and branches as though the forest itself has learned how to glow without burning. Vesper moves through it without any particular aim, a rarity for him, his pace unhurried and his attention loosely threaded through the press of presences around him rather than fixed on any single path.

He feels the recognition before it ever reaches his eyes, not as a name or a thought, but as a familiar cadence brushing against the edges of his awareness, the echo of a conversation once shared over a bar polished smooth by salt air and careless elbows. Torchline lingers faintly in the memory of it, all heat and noise and honesty disguised as humour. Interesting that it should find him here. Rather than slipping away into shadow, the demigod lets himself drift into a pool of moonlight instead, pale glow catching along silver rings and the quiet line of his jaw as he turns, expression settling into something thoughtfully amused. His gaze lifts as though only just noticing the man approaching, head canting a fraction to one side in an almost theatrical effort to place a face that he very deliberately does not name.

A slow smile curves, restrained and knowing without being unkind, and he raises a hand in a casual, unhurried greeting. "Evening," Vesper says lightly, tone carrying the faintest edge of dry recognition. "Overthinkin' guy, right?"

but I swear to God I'll find it

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

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

Moonlight and lamplight reflected on the path and the young man who stood there, turning his hair a strange mix of silver and gold and highlighting the slow smile that curved over his face. Liam returned the smile, friendly and relaxed - far more so that the last time he'd met the bartender. Things were different now, his affections made clear and mistakes rectified - and besides that, he was meeting the young man in the Greatwood rather than Torchline. There was something about the familiar surroundings that put him at ease, even as the memory of their former meeting threatened with a wave of vague embarrassment.

Still, at the bartender's greeting, Liam laughed, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "That's me, I'm afraid," he said. "Though less so these days, I think." He paused for a moment, then added, "Name's Liam. I don't remember introducing myself, back then."

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

I don't know what I'm looking for

Vesper’s answering laugh is quiet and brief, more a breath than a sound, as he closes the distance just enough to settle into something companionable without crowding it. Moonlight skims the edge of him as he stops, catching on the silver at his fingers and the faint constellation along his cheek, his posture easy in a way that suggests he has nowhere pressing to be. The young demigod inclines his head once at the offered name, the gesture is precise, courteous, his attention sharpening by a careful degree. Names matter, even when they arrive late, if only so that he didn't need to pretend he didn't know them.

"Vesper." There is no hesitation in it, no attempt to soften or disguise the introduction, simply the name offered as fact. If it carries weight, celestial or otherwise, he neither courts nor deflects the association, content to let it land where it may.

His gaze drifts briefly over the village around them—lanterns threaded through branches, the soft murmur of night-life folding in on itself—before returning, one brow lifting with mild, genuine curiosity. "Didn’t expect to run into you here," he says, tone idle but attentive. "D'you live here?"

but I swear to God I'll find it

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

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

"Nice to meet you, officially," Liam said, a friendly smile on his face. He had heard of a demigod named Vesper - one of Safrin's, if he remembered correctly. But in his (admittedly limited) experience with demigods, he'd always treated them as human and been treated courteously in return. Sure, Vesper may have seen him at a moment that was, perhaps, not his best, but Liam had appreciated his listening ear and advice at the time. He saw no reason to muddy the waters now with anything more than the kind of respect that anyone was deserving of.

The night settled around them. "I do," Liam confirmed. "I've lived here for... it's hard to say. Maybe about four, five years now?" He shrugged, the moonlight dappling across his broad shoulders. "How about you? Visiting from Torchline?" If the heat on the beach was anything as bad as what the Greatwood had been experiencing - or worse - then Liam wouldn't be surprised if the young man was seeking a vacation.

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

I don't know what I'm looking for

Polite surprise crosses Vesper’s face as Liam answers, brief but genuine enough to pass without question, despite the fact that his telepathy was able to answer the question before the other man did. "That long, wow," he murmurs, thoughtful rather than incredulous, before the expression smooths again into something easy and composed. "Where was home before that?" When the question turns back on him, he gives a small shake of his head, pale hair catching moonlight as it moves. "No. Not Torchline, at least not lately. I’ve been in the Woods a few weeks now. Thought I’d take the excuse to see more of Caido while I had it." His tone is casual, unforced, the lie delivered with the same care he gives most truths.

One shoulder lifts in a mild, almost dismissive shrug as he continues, gaze drifting briefly outward as if tracing an invisible map. "Spent some time in King’s End, and the Hollowed Grounds." A pause, the corner of his mouth tipping with dry amusement. "Neither of those quite suited me." His attention returns to the village around them, lanternlight threaded through branches, the night alive without being loud. Vesper lets his eyes linger there a moment longer, brow lifting as if weighing the thought aloud.

"The Greatwood, though," he adds evenly, "I don’t mind it."

but I swear to God I'll find it

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

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

There was a flicker of polite surprise that brought a wry smile to Liam's face. He could understand the reaction; not many people chose to live in the Greatwood, especially without a Guardian having been in place for so long that the region was hardly habitable anymore. "Stormbreak," he said, a hint of grief in his voice as he thought of the region's recent fate - and what it meant for him, who could no longer go back even to visit. His family had been buried there, and now he didn't even know where their graves had ended up. And, truth be told, he probably didn't want to know. He couldn't bear the thought of them ending up at the bottom of the sea, or somewhere similar where the light of day couldn't reach. He didn't offer more, though, unwilling to foist his tumultuous emotions onto someone he'd only just met properly - especially given that he'd done so on an occasion previously, and still cringed slightly when he thought back to it.

Hearing that Vesper had been traveling had Liam nodding politely as the young man listed off places he'd been. What did surprise him was that the Greatwood seemed to suit Vesper. "I'm surprised you think so," he said bluntly. "It's a great place, but not many people seem to appreciate it." He paused. "Think you'll stay a while?"

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

I don't know what I'm looking for

The word settles between them, and Vesper’s brows lift slightly before his lips press into a thin, understanding line. He exhales through his nose, not quite a sigh, but something adjacent to it. "Ah, yeah," he says quietly, the edge of his tone smoothing into something less amused and more measured. "Shame about all that." He doesn't press at Liam's grief as it sits there—heavy, iron-laced—neither comfort nor distance, only acknowledgment. 

At the surprise in Liam’s voice, Vesper’s attention sharpens again, faint amusement returning to the corners of his mouth. He rolls one shoulder loosely as if shaking off the weight of other regions and their expectations, the movement unhurried beneath the filtered moonlight. "I like that the fae can't lie," he replies, dry but not unkind. "That kind shit makes a place pretty straightforward." His gaze drifts briefly upward, toward branches that swallow starlight and give it back only in fragments. The question of staying draws a thoughtful inhale from him, measured enough to suggest consideration rather than impulse. Then a smirk curves across his mouth, subtle and edged.

"I was debatin' takin it over, actually," he says lightly, as though discussing a temporary hobby rather than governance. The glint in his eyes makes it difficult to tell where the jest ends and something more sincere begins.

but I swear to God I'll find it

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

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

Liam's grief, such as it was, was measured and controlled - nothing like that of those who had actually lived in Stormbreak for the past few years. The city might have been where Liam was born, where he'd grown up, where he'd had some of the best and worst times of his life - but it was history now, a past that he rarely returned to save to treasure those he'd lost. His home was the Greatwood, in his spot beside Maea, and despite everything he'd endured, he was happy.

Vesper's light admission caught Liam off guard again - the man was certainly full of surprises - and he paused for a moment, as though expecting the young man to share a punchline or laugh off the strange, seemingly random comment. When no such thing was forthcoming, Liam took a breath. "The Greatwood is no easy place to rule," he warned. "I've been here long enough to know how hard it is to organize any kind of government and keep it in power. The Fae are a challenge to work with at the best of times, and the forest itself will work against you if you aren't careful." Not to mention that Vesper hadn't been here long enough to understand the ins and outs of the region - or to care what was truly best for the forest and its inhabitants. "My partner and I have thought about ruling," he added carefully. "But there are so few people here that it seems almost... pointless. We'd be ruling just for the sake of it, not for any real purpose."

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

I don't know what I'm looking for

Vesper listens without interruption, expression composed and faintly attentive, though the wolfish hint of amusement never quite leaves his eyes. The warnings land where they are meant to—forest resistance, Fae temperament, the slow collapse of would-be governance—but they don't root, instead drifting across him like weather. When Liam finishes, Vesper’s mouth curves slightly at one corner. "Maybe,"[ he says mildly, rolling a shoulder again as if the notion itself weighs very little, "you’ve just been going about it the wrong way."

There is no bite in it, no open challenge, just an almost lazy confidence, as though he finds the problem interesting but hardly insurmountable. The Greatwood working against someone, the Fae being difficult. The demigod doesn't dismiss the complications; he simply does not seem troubled by them.

At the idea of ruling for the sake of it, he gives a small shrug, clearly also unbothered by the idea that ruling needs to be done with an aim toward permanence before his gaze shifts back to Liam, sharper now, curiosity edged in something cooler. "But if that’s how it feels," he continues, tone still light though the question beneath it is not, "if no one really cares, if the Fae would rather see outsiders gone, if there’s hardly anyone here to govern in the first place.." He lets the thought trail just long enough to be deliberate before finishing it. "Why bother living here?"

but I swear to God I'll find it

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

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

Liam wasn't sure that he liked this particular line of questioning. Sure, he'd wanted to lead the Greatwood, but his ambitions had always been centered on what was best for the region and how he could be best positioned to aid those in need. To hear that someone else - an outsider - had come to visit and just decided that they could rule over a land with such nuance... well, frankly, it rubbed him the wrong way.

But Vesper's words planted a seed of doubt. What if he and Maea had gone about things the wrong way? What if, for all their good intentions, they had failed at what they'd set out to do? And what if their failure was paving the way for someone like Vesper to come and whisk the region out from under their feet?

At least his last question was a simple one. "It's home," Liam said. There was no hesitation, just a genuine certainty that this was where he was meant to be. "I have a life that I've built here. I'm not keen to just give up on that because things are hard."

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

I don't know what I'm looking for

Vesper’s expression does not change as the answer comes, though the quiet certainty in Liam’s voice settles through him like a stone dropped into still water. He hears far more than the spoken words, of course. The tension beneath them hums faintly at the edges of his awareness, doubt and irritation and the careful pride of someone who has chosen a life and refuses to let it be questioned too easily. The demigod gives none of that recognition away. If anything, his composure grows looser, shoulders lifting in an easy shrug as though the entire matter is little more than idle conversation.

One pale brow arches slightly. "But it wasn’t always home, was it?" he says, tone casual enough to pass for curiosity. The question hangs lightly in the air between them before he continues, the corner of his mouth tipping into something faintly sly. "You sure you’re sticking around because you love it that much," Vesper adds, voice still smooth and conversational, "or because you don’t want to deal with all the shit you left behind?"

Before the weight of the question can sharpen too much, he rolls a shoulder again, dismissive in the same breath that he offers the explanation. "People talk," he lies easily. "Ex-soldiers in bars tend to attract gossip." Especially ones seen bein' kissed by Torchline's queen.

but I swear to God I'll find it

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

Liam

And I feel like my castle's crumbling down
And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground

No, the Greatwood wasn't always home, and maybe Liam had once selected it for the very reasons that Vesper hinted at. The young man's question hit a little too close to home, and Liam's expression shuttered. He'd never been particularly adept at keeping his feelings hidden, and it showed. "'Home' can change," he said gruffly. Looking at Vesper pointedly, he added, "Sounds like you should know that, if you're looking to settle here." Not that he thought the Greatwood was a good fit for the young man, but hey. He wasn't in charge, so who was he to say who could come and go?

Sticking his hands into his pockets, Liam did his best to settle his ruffled feathers. There was no point in inviting trouble with a potential new neighbor, and Vesper was still young enough that time would teach him what words could not. Liam didn't wish ill on him, but he couldn't help thinking it wouldn't hurt for Vesper to be taken down a peg or three.

And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down
You don't wanna know me now

I don't know what I'm looking for

Vesper’s brows lift at that, the smallest flicker of acknowledgement sharpening his expression as Liam’s words settle into place. Home can change. "Mm," he hums softly, almost to himself, though the curve of his mouth suggests the other mans' words precisely prove his point. He doesn’t press the point further, not aloud. There’s no need. The contradiction lingers well enough on its own, and Vesper has never been one to overwork an argument once it’s found its footing. Maybe in time Liam would see it for himself; if home could change, then it served as a weak reason to remain in a place that, by his own admission, seemed to not care if he stayed around at best, and wanted him gone at worst.

Liam’s posture, the set of his shoulders, the careful way he reins himself back in reads plainly enough without any deeper reach, and Vesper’s answering smile is easy, unbothered, as though none of it has caught or stuck. If anything, he looks faintly entertained by the shift, not unkindly so, but with the quiet detachment of someone watching a pattern confirm itself.

"Well," he says, light and conversational again, as if they’ve wandered back onto safer ground without ever naming it, "it was good running into you." He lifts a hand in a loose, casual wave, already half-turned as though the moment has naturally reached its end. Moonlight catches briefly along the edge of him—the line of his jaw, the glint of silver—and then he steps, not back but through, the space he occupies folding neatly into shadow as he misty-steps away, leaving the night to close in behind him as though he’d never quite been standing there at all.

~FIN

but I swear to God I'll find it

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