STAR EATER.

             ❛  yes, yes. fuck you too.  ❜

         ❛  we mustn’t fight, we have the same hat !  ❜

it’s such an innocent way of thinking      /      to believe that faced with such chaos  &  the threat conspiring against one’s survival, most people wouldn’t immediately turn off their moral compass and do whatever it’d take to make it through the night. he has seen men wage war for far less.       ❛  when everything is fair game, would you not expect people to turn against one another ?  ❜         ❛  death doesn’t seem to last here, you are right about that. but does that mean we should resort to pointless fights to steal points  &  stain our hands just because of that ?  ❜

wei wuxian is a cruel man. that is all the wizard can think as their lips meet for such a short amount of time, leaving him chasing after the warm contact once the other moves away so quickly      /      a week spent apart, he thinks, and that’s all he’ll get as a welcome back ?     ---     oh, how the man plays him, how he moves his strings so easily  &  denies him the sweet affection he craves so much. he even manages to draw the most quiet little whine from the blond’s mouth !   ❛  alright, alright.  ❜     he concedes nonetheless, although not without huffing and making it obvious that doing so is far from being his first instinct  &  choice. small victories are better than none      ---     the tiniest little kiss may as well be more than he could’ve asked for too. but he still leans in once more to at least place another peck upon the man’s forehead, a gesture so gentle  &  fairly domestic that it even puts the slightest hint of a blush across the wizard’s cheeks as well.       ❛  but only if you’ll come to bed with me afterwards.  ❜      a wink, as if perfectly aware of whatever implications that simple and blunt sentence could hold, even when meaning it in the most innocent of ways. if howl could even manage to muster a pure thought, that is.      ❛  it’s not yet dawn, we can afford to laze around for a while longer.  &  i’m sure my bed is much more comfortable than the couch.  ❜

blimey, aren’t those eyes enough to trigger anyone’s flight or fight response !      ---      the dark abyss within them is a stark contrast to the blond’s glass blue ones, seemingly inhuman in nature, too transparent  &  reflective. he wonders if sparks might arise should they look at one another like that too much.       no matter that     ...     he should be more worried about the gun.      ❛  i am terribly sorry !  i didn’t quite see you there and    ---    ah, i promise i mean no harm, mister.  ❜

‘ i am fine ‘     ---     howl knows a lie when he hears one     /     perhaps that, too, is due to his own dexterity regarding them, for they come so easily so often : pretty little lies to hide behind, to keep people at an arm’s lenght, to run away when things get difficult or too real. they’ve become so much of a second tongue to him that every now  &  then howl himself won’t realize he’s lying    ---    to others, and himself. he wonders, albeit silently, if that might be the case here as well     /     are the words meant to appease the wizard’s own insecurities regarding the whole situation, or amaimon’s ?  who exactly is he trying to fool by saying them with such conviction ? oh, the wizard cannot help but furrow his brow  &  allow his lips to form a thin line.  ❛  please,  ❜       it’s said in such a soft tone, almost like a quiet whisper that only the other is meant to heard, almost like a secret. the next step he takes is a careful one, perhaps a bit too slow, but he’s not willing to run any risks. he’s dealt with scared strays in the past,  &  often got scratched or bitten by them from moving too fast and thinking too little     ---     he’d rather this not turn out similarly in any way.       ❛  i just want to help.  ❜       curse his own kindness for that !  but how could he turn his back on a soul in need ?  this is no young girl feeling scorned, no past lover ready to hold him accountable for his running  &  all his little games     ---     this is something else entirely. something worth being brave for, even.      ❛  we have no powers left in this strange city, do we not ?  you must understand, dear, i couldn’t hurt you even if i tried.  ❜

thunderous laughter would’ve managed to put the fear of god in him if it wasn’t for the fact that he finds it rather    ...    contagious. peachy lips can’t help but stretch out into a casual little smile, despite the fact that she’s clearly amused at howl’s more than obvious naiveté regarding this whole ordeal  :  hey, it could’ve been worse. he used to run laps every now  &  then back in wales, during his college years      ---     so it’s not like his body has never went through a semi decent work out    ...   but it has been a solid 5 years since the last time at best.         he supposes this couldn’t be so bad.       ❛  oh, i’m not too sure, actually.  ❜      see, this had been a last minute decision for him. a  ‘ find a hobby other than running the shop ‘  kind of last decision. calcifer and him were getting into more frequent little domestic fights since he’d been spending so much time at home  &  that simply would not do.      ❛  i walked past the gym the other day and just figured it’d be worth a try    ...    you were recommended to me as well !  i guess for now i’d just like to gain some muscle ?  ❜

a thoughtful kind of hum escapes him without full permission     /     the wizard cannot recall a time in which things like hair     (   books  &  colors too   )     wasn’t anywhere nearly as irrelevant as it seems to be for the other in his life. perhaps they simply grew in very different environments     ---     or maybe howl has simply always been a little vain. calcifer would often complain about it, say he’d take too long getting ready in the morning, complain about the colorful clothes or how expensive his make up could be     ...    as if he were the one paying the bills !  unbelievable.        ❛   well, when you put it like that    ...   i guess it’s a bit hard to explain. ❜        caring for one’s appearance might be something of an acquired taste ?  a societal or cultural thing ?  he’s not sure how to put it, really      ...      ❛  say, i enjoy watching my reflection on a mirror  &  knowing i look good. some call that vanity.  ❜

oh, she’s quite the flirt as well !       /       there’s a certain degree of amusement displayed on the blond’s features at the realization that he seems to be among another one of his own, playful smile spreading across peachy lips at the thought. it is true that his nature has led him to many a problematic situation before, but perhaps he might be able to avoid trouble when met with someone who maybe wouldn’t hold charismatic words  &  sweet little nothings against him. well, it’s a possibility either way     ---     he’ll have to wait and see.          ❛  that’s quite the title too.  ❜      he notes, soft chuckle playing at the edge of his tongue, a curious look from those bright, glass like eyes.       ❛  say, lady requiem, do you see any signs of a rash yet ?  maybe a fever ?  ah, could it be i’ll live to see another day yet ?  ❜

 ❛  it’s    ...    well, it’s frankly a bit more complicated than that.  ❜     think horror movies  &  bat shit crazy villains making their poor victims dance to their own sadistic tunes     ------      ah, whatever, he’ll have time to explain later.       ❛  you chose a bad day to visit the golden war, dear.  ❜             ❛  not yet. but if we don’t pop some white cat balloons soon this might get ugly.  ❜

                 ❛  if i can get out of this with as less blood as possible on my hands, i will.  ❜      as a matter of fact, if he could sleep through the whole thing, perhaps he would. alas, all of it has been rather     ...     loud. no way to get decent sleep like that.       ❛  i’m definitely not killing anyone over some balloons.  ❜

           ❛  have you not heard    ...    seen all the madness around here ?  i am pretty sure i heard gunshots over these damned balloons earlier !  ❜

             ❛  if i die. i die.  ❜