(SE) when the nighttime comes, say yes

SUNJATA

i'm drowning in all these voices in the sea
and meeting all my vices in the ring

He lets her flail about in the water, nothing but amusement across his face when she recovers and scowls. But the amusement fades in favor of surprise when she seems to unleash herself, taking hold of the water he’d ensured she couldn’t drown in, and he’s confused. She’d be able to save herself at the end of the day if she managed to get swept away, and he wonders if perhaps she’d tricked him in one way or another.

He doesn’t have long to find out as his gaze follows her until he can see the shadow in the corner of his peripheral vision, turning enough to see the small tsunami as it grows and threatens to spill over on top of him. He looks back at Maea with a bright challenging grin this time. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?” He offers with a wink, body shifting and morphing into his panther form, diving into the water as he aims to avoid the onslaught of the water, before diving to swim around her and come up from behind her. His large paws make it relatively easy to push himself through the water with, and soon enough he’s sure he’s directly behind the plume of water she’s created.

He shifts back into himself, going to stand in the water enough that he has some purchase against the resulting waves from the crash of the small tsunami. “Fortunately for you, I am too.” He hums to her, voice hoarse and rough and somewhat breathless with the exertion here, peering up at her with a playful bright gaze once more, waiting for more tricks up her sleeves.

so step inside, i ain't afraid to bleed
there ain't a casket strong enough for me