┋ &&. — prince of nothing charming.

keagan: uM excusE i never do stupid things

keagan: y r u so mean to me u lil frog

keagan: OKAY :~) THIS MISSION TACOS WILL BE SO FUN :~) :~)

noah: i dont think u really wanna go there man

noah: just out of curiosity, do u have a death wish?

keagan: FUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKK yes d00d ur the bomb.com

keagan: 11:59 misson tacos is a fuckin LIT ASS GO FUCK

noah: ....was that even english?

noah: as long as you promise not to call it that again, ill meet u outside your room in 10

keagan: y r we on a ship i want taco bell ://///

keagan: like rllllllyyytt rllllyyy bad :///

keagan: do u think they deliver to milan

noah: pretty sure the closest taco bell is in germany

noah: so im going to say no

it’s just ducks in general ruining my shoes, but it didn’t happen since  lied about it but i’m trying to figure out why i said ancestors. okay bro you weren’t supposed to agree.. you were supposed to say, no naveed you;re not all that confusing. i’ve seen people spit into the ocean, vomit and such. so there’s that.

❝ which brings me back to the point of, why would you lie about that? i don’t know, man. maybe you are the duck ancestor. or were. you know, in a past life or something. if you want someone to lie to you though, you've come to the wrong place. and that's pretty nasty, yes. but you’ve got to figure the millions of fish that live in the ocean do all of that and more daily, so how much worse can it really get? ❞

HER LIPS WERE STAINED RED, remnants of scarlet lipstick from the day’s adventures remaining despite the length of its wear. at this time, her afire lips nearly matched the color of the burning sky, the sun appearing to drown in the horizon below it. rhiannon was unsure if it was the buzz of an approaching evening, or merely the intoxicating company, but something seemed to shift in the air. her tongue tasted bitter, a side effect of influential company, as rhiannon never knew what to expect with regards to noah. never did she think they’d form an acquaintanceship, much less a friendship, yet here they were, an unthinkable pair about to share a smoke. in a sense, that was the true poetic justice, their pairing, rather than the life he was choosing to infuse in each cigarette within his pack. noah matthews was possibly the only person in the world who would possess that viewpoint, or that’s what rhiannon believed at least, especially as she took a moment to observe him, watched as he shuffled in his jacket for the offered cigarette. he was perched so precariously atop the railing, ready to fall forward or back at any minute and yet, he didn’t appear afraid, instead remained calmer than even herself. ❝ god, you’re cool, ❞ she blurted, tone an equal amount of mockery and admiration. it was no secret the blonde looked at him with awe, especially when he pulled antics as such. accepted cigarette poised between her teeth, rhiannon leaned in to the extended flame, catching the stick between two fingers only after it was ignited. ❝ it’s just an old book, ❞ she dismissed the question lightly, the wave of her hand meaning to suggest nonchalance. rhiannon was positive this was his way of being nice, merely hinting interest in an attempt to get a rise from her, see the strange girl go off on some book-obsessed tangent. ❝ what about you ? there has to be a reason you choose to spend your time out here. ❞

HAZEL EYES LIT WITH AMUSEMENT as noah quirked an eyebrow to the point that it disappeared under the mess of black hair falling over his forehead. it was all the response that the girl’s statement warranted, as far as noah was concerned. the stark contrast between himself and the girl in front of him even more obvious to noah himself than to any onlooker. rhiannon was nothing like the people he usually associated himself with. she was too smart for her own good and jumped at every opportunity to let it be known. yet she never backed down from whatever dumb thing noah was pulling her into. perhaps that was what noah found so curious about her. he wasn't even sure when it had happened— when he had let her get close enough to even consider her a friend, let alone to allow himself to actually care about her. but all the same, he felt a sense of protection over her— the need to keep her safe from people like himself, even when he was the guiltiest offender. he liked pushing her buttons, her limits, to see how far she'd be willing to follow him. and she proved to give a lot more than he ever did. but he did give a little; not much, not often, not intentionally, but he did. ❝ just an old book ❞ he repeated, true interest sparking at her quick dismissal of the object. rhiannon, who was normally the first to showcase her vast assemblage of knowledge, waving off something like a book was just enough to capture noah's curiosity. ❝ what's it called? maybe i know it. ❞ there had been a time that he would merely roll his eyes at the book. that he had found her constant need to appear smarter than everyone else irritating and condescending. but eventually he came to the conclusion that she was neither of those things and in that, her tangents on random subject matter no longer bothered him the way they once had. ❝ isn't it obvious? nobody's out tonight which pretty much makes this the ideal place to be ❞ he explained, pocketing his lighter before holding a hand out to the girl, an offer to help her next up to him. 

AS HER LIPS TILTED into a smile a light laugh fell off of her lips at noah’s admission that he was just eating breakfast. amaya found it amusing because she had already been through the entirety of her day. otherwise she agreed with the man, nodding her head firmly. “close-minded people, noah. that’s who.” she  sneered. “and i’ll tell you what! im so sick of people isolating my favorite pastry because any time i am home all of the donut shops are close by noon and it’s infuriating!” she breathed at the end of her diatribe. she watched his face with a grin as he mumbled an acceptance to her invitation to sit together. then, and she wasn’t entirely sure it hadn’t been a trick of the light, but she was almost completely confident in the fact that noah matthews accepted her invitation and then proceeded to smile at her. she tried to hold her elation but she was sure some leaked out of her smile. he was frowning deeply as he asked her if she was going to grab food for herself, but it didn’t dampen her spirits in the slightest. she pressed her lips together, nodding. “you can go get a table, i’ll grab some food.” she pressed her lips together again and hurried to the food line before he saw the breadth of the smile wedged on her face. she was pleased that he wanted to sit with her. she took a deep breathe as she piled pancakes and bacon and syrup onto her plate. “definitely worth the donut.” she nodded, assuring herself quietly. she was excited to sit with the florist. she had always been curious about him. his character, what he liked ( since she assumed there was a lot he didn’t like ). she turned, brow creased, and her eyes scanned the room, searching for noah. 

INQUISITIVE EYES STUDIED the brunette as she appeared in a perpetual state of gaiety. despite his insouciance he found himself curious as to how someone could be so upbeat all of the time. he found it exhausting just watching her. he couldn't help but wonder just how much of it was for show; the idea that someone could be that genuinely cheerful was entirely unfathomable to noah. as he shook the thought, his lips slid easily into a smirk at the girl's response. ❝ everyone these days are so eager to fight for liberation and equality yet people still feel the need to put labels on food. where are all our food liberals at? ❞ he lightly joked, taking amusement in seeing something other than a smile on the girl's face, however brief the moment be. ❝ that is definitely a perk of living in the city; 24 hour donut shops ❞ noah mused. he cringed inwardly as the girl seemed to smile even brighter— something he hadn't previously thought physically possible. he merely nodded his agreement to the suggestion before turning and searching for a table, hoping to find one somewhat isolated among the mess of people. amaya's company was something that already teetered the line of his comfort zone, he didn't need the prying eyes of others to push him over it. he found a table near the back of the dining hall that was a ways away from the others and he knew it was as close as he was going to get to privacy. he took a seat, eyes catching sight of amaya gathering food onto her plate at the breakfast bar. as he waited noah busied himself with pulling out a knife he had grabbed on his way over. he cut the donut he had picked for breakfast in half, sliding one part of it onto another napkin and sliding it to the spot in front of him. noah was a lot of things, but oblivious wasn't one of them. it hadn't taken much to pick up on the girl's desire for the small pastry and knowing he had taken the last one, he figured it was the least he could do— after bumping into her, spilling coffee on her, and blaming her for it— to share. besides, he wasn’t much of a breakfast person anyway.

NYX HAD ALWAYS BEEN HER FAVORITE greek goddess, the very idea of being night personified all too appealing to aurora. the daytime was no place for her, no place for the girl who’s veins burned bright with every single one of her father’s sins. no, it was night time that made itself into a home for the girl. a safe space for aurora to uncurl like a cat awaking from a nap, ready to coax the hedonist into action. bad things were made for darkness, for the shadows, for the places people forgot to check– that much she knew. she observed the way the colors seemed to melt into each other, blurring until they too would be gone. the night would chase them away and swallow them whole. watching the sky had always managed to stir a strange feeling inside if the girl’s chest, as if she was very young and very small. it wasn’t a feeling aurora was used to– most days she was on top of the world, or at least too far gone to care. but there were rare moments like these in which everything was quiet, and the only thing a person could do was think. beauty had always been lost on aurora. she was certainly not an aesthete. she did not spend her days looking to surround herself with beautiful things, she did not stop to gawk and admire  things so beautiful they inspired awe. instead she did the opposite, surrounding herself with taboos and all things obscene, looking for things that mirrored the very ugliness embedded so deeply inside her chest. and so that is where her appreciation for the already fading sunset stopped, and instead her attention was once again captured by the taller figure in front of her. she let out a laugh, the sound as rich as velvet before it faded away. “ you are a lot of things, noah matthews, but i do believe polite is not on that menu. ” again she stepped closer to the boy, until she too was perched dangerously against the railing, her heartbeat picking up in the subtlest of ways. being in the other’s company was strange in a refreshing way. both of the two were reserved in their dialogue, never revealing enough to the other in a way that branded them as nothing else except mysterious. two nefarious enigma’s blessed with the beauty and charm of an angel, despite being far from it. “ a rematch? i don’t think i’ve ever seen anybody so eager to lose. again. ” she replied with a smirk before plucking the cigarette from his hands and placing it between her crimson-painted lips, head tilted towards him so he could light the tip. 

LONG ENCUMBERED DARKNESS imbued noah's every exertion. the approaching dusk entices him the way a siren might a sailor, singing it's promises of good times to be had and danger. noah walked that particular line on the daily, but there was something about night that amplified his desire for recklessness and excitement. he could remember a time, when he was just a child, that he had been afraid of the dark. afraid of the things that lived there. before tragedy struck and what he had once feared became something of a comfort to him. darkness infused in him like salt in the sea, masking purity with briny murkiness until it was almost impossible to differentiate between the two. and with time he learned to live in it, thrive in it, crave it. and perhaps that was what initially drew him to aurora markos. a dark curiosity that sparked an unlikely friendship— if one would even call it that. noah didn't consider her as so but there was an understanding between them, a mutual respect and noah didn't ever shy away from her company as he did that of many others. noah scoffed at the insinuation, though the truth of the matter was that his lack of filter allowed very little room for such trivial things as politeness. ❝ i can be polite ❞ he argued anyway, bringing his own cigarette back to his lips. toxins replaced the air in his lungs and left him feeling lighter, less weighed down, than he had before as he exhaled the smoke. perched against the railing of the boat, each their own epitomized caution sign, the two of them were surely a sight to be had. noah appreciated the lack of need to fill the silence between them; appreciated the respect of unspoken boundaries and the paucity of desire to get the other to open up. he was content in the mystery they each wished to retain, felt no need to taint their relationship with childhood stories and heart felt confessions. aurora was a breath of fresh air, a relief from the constant prying of others. ❝ eat your words, markos. you just got lucky, is all. it was a fluke— i told you there was something wrong with the turbo in my car and had i been properly equipped, you'd of been smoked ❞ noah theorized, snapping the lid of his lighter shut once it had served it's purpose. truth be told, when he had first challenged the girl to a race several months ago, he had sorely underestimated her. and though he was almost sure that there was something wrong with the turbo in the car he had lifted, he suspected that wasn't the only reason he had lost. but hell if he was going to let it go until he had a chance to redeem himself.

&&.        delicately, the brunette places the off white salvation between her barely parted plush lips, letting it dangle precariously off the edge ( the same way s h e stands at life’s boundary, always O N E step from death like the tease she is ). hayden breathes in the fumes, letting the smoke surround her entirety & consume her senses, lethargic thanks to the free flowing liquor in her body. her B I T T E R laugh is muffled by the cigarette, words choked & slurred as she utters, “ aw c’mon matthews, when have i ever been simple ? ” her gaze shifts, visibly red tinted eyes observing the sea as it rocks the cruise ship gently, lulling almost the entire ship to sleep. her lungs b u r n, screaming for a new savior as she rips the cancer stick away so the sea breeze can flood her system, unfiltered by the cigarette. rolling her eyes playfully, hayden shoots the other a toothy grin. “ i know, i know, ” she replies over exaggeratedly, “ ‘m a fuckin’ saint – virgin mary incarnate. ” her lithe frame slumps over half away as laughter tumbles messily from her lips, adding to the mix of nicotine & fresh air. “ good luck with that, y’know my tolerance’s shit compared to yours. ” the statement causes her to pout, a sudden sadness overtaking her before she mercurially shifts to a competitive state that have her hazel hues narrowing challengingly, “ make no mistake, ‘m gonna catch up one day – my goal’s to out drink ya’. ” she lifts the cigarette in mock salute, once again wrapping her scarlet lips around her favorite temptation. in her inebriated state, his actions amuse her – girlish giggles surrounding the pair as she laughs at the face he makes. “ what ? not a fan ? too strong for the big bad noah matthews ? ” her words are in jest, knowing the liquor she picked up was meant to be strong, fiery enough to scorch her throat. “ thinkin’ & drinkin’ – y’know how it is. i miss ‘em is all. ” hayden sighs softly before turning his own words back onto him, “ & you ? are ya’ practicin’ your brood ‘cause it needs a little work, i think the flowers are softin’ you up. ”  

ANALYTIC EYES STUDIED THE SKY as noah absentmindedly thumbed rings around the lip of the bottle that dangled loosely by his side. distilled liquid quickly settled in his otherwise empty stomach, leaving a familiar warmth in it's wake— not nearly enough to leave him buzzed, but a good start— and for a split second he could almost remember the way he used to see the world, when he was still too young and jaded to be  B I T T E R.  back when he still viewed everything through rose colored glasses; ones that had long since been smashed and disfigured by reality. noah knew the world wasn't just black and white. he, himself, lived in the grey area. but with hayden he felt less cynical, like there was at least one person in the entire world that understood him. ❝ simple? never. full of surprises, quite often ❞ he mused in response, letting the persistent sway of the boat and hayden's presence lull him into a less defensive stance. ❝ yeah— ❞ noah practically snorted at the proclamation, ❝ kinda like the way the anti-christ might claim himself god incarnate. ❞ a soft chuckle escaped his lips as he lightly inspected the less than half full bottle of liquor. he knew she was right. after years on years of habitual drinking, it took quite a bit to get him to the inebriated state hayden currently occupied. ❝ you're right— we might need  M O R E  alcohol  ❞ he declared with amusement at both the fact that he could drink her under the table any day and the fact that that apparently saddened her. he rose an eyebrow at her shift in demeanor, even more amused that she thought she could one day catch up to him, let alone surpass him. ❝ godspeed, my friend. just hope alcohol poisoning doesn't get you first ❞ he humored, raising the bottle in his hand in a mock cheers as he brought it back to his lips. ❝ hilarious. you know i don’t like vodka ❞ he corrected, tipping the bottle back and taking another swig from it to show that he had every intention of drinking it anyway. his eyes drifted to hayden and rested there as her words sank in. a more somber look flashed across noah's face as he brought the bottle back for another sip, the liquid going down easier each time. ❝ i know ❞ he sighed, swinging an arm around the girl's shoulder to signify that he wasn't just saying it, that he really did know and that he was  T H E R E. ❝ okay, look here beckett. first off, i don't brood. second off, no it doesn't. and third off, let's leave me flowers out of this, yeah? ❞

i think i just meant ducks but ancestors came out and now it’s all a mess because i forgot what i was saying. true. wow, don’t come at me like that dude i’m like a child – don’t come at me. i’m kidding, i’m what you call.. a jigsaw puzzle, i never make sense so. you’re right, i think i’ve endured enough people being nasty on the ship to the ocean that seeing that kid spit into the lake just had no effect on me. 

❝ i don’t know, man. something about them ruining your shoes or some shit. to be honest, i wasn’t paying that much attention. you know, i get the jigsaw comparison. i can see it. actually, i get both of them. huh. what have you seen people on the ship doing to the ocean? and just enough of one to make you hate children, you mean.  ❞

COMPANY WAS NEVER HIS FORTE, but the sight of his face softening, even if it was only by a tiny bit, made her heart feel warm. in a matter of months, the tall brunette boy became a daily part of her life. they’d spend lunch breaks with each other and if their schedules were changed and lunch wasn’t at the same time as the other, then they’d meet up to discuss what they didn’t have the chance to before. she knew noah was one for solitude, that he favored his attention being directed to flowers instead of people, so knowing that he liked her enough to let her intrude on his alone time was ambrosial. there was something about that idea, the idea that he liked her company, that made her fuzzy inside. she saw him as a close friend, but there were small bits of her that yearned for more, but even she didn’t know what it was exactly she wanted. cora heard his noise of protest and chuckled at his childish behavior. ❝ i knew it. i knew it right on the spot. ❞ she said in a matter of fact. ❝ the flower shop closed, the jewels were left unattended. diamonds make everything happy, so stealing them for your precious flowers seems like a perfect idea. ❞ cora started.  ❝ or, you have a special lady– or gentlemen, you want to impress and thought diamonds was your way in. either way, smart idea, petals. i thought you’d be more slick about it, but guess i was wrong about that. ❞ she finished.  ❝ anyways, call me crime buster cora because i’ve solved the case! bravo for me! ❞ cora said congratulating herself, even doing a small little bow for the fake audience. as she did her little celebratory dance for cracking the jewel heist mystery, cora stopped when he reminded her of the photos in her camera. ❝ oh, yeah! ❞ she exclaimed, taking her camera and holding it up for him to see. cora wasn’t sure if he could see exactly, she was only 5′7′’ and his 6′3′’ frame definitely towered over her, so when she held it up for him to see, all cora really did was put it closer to her face than usual so noah wouldn’t have to crouch down as much to get a better view. ❝ i went to planten un blomen and let me tell you, the flowers were so pretty, i almost killed one to bring back to you. but i didnt, i know better than to kill an innocent flower. ❞ cora said as she showed him the pictures. ❝ i almost fell in the pond waterplace thing trying to take this picture. ❞ she stated, showing him the picture of the hydrangeas inbetween the mini waterfalls. ❝ i didn’t being the right lens because i didn’t think i’d need them, but planten un blomen didn’t give me close enough land for a better picture, so i was leaning foward to snap a picture of that masterpiece. ❞ she shook her head. ❝ i almost, almost fell in, but luckily it was only my shoes that took the soaking. you should’ve went with me, you would’ve loved it. ❞ cora nodded. ❝ there were so many bees, too, but, i mean, pollination season is still happening, so i can’t really blame them for doing their job. ❞

HAZEL EYES STUDIED THE BRUNETTE as she elaborated on the joke, lip curling upward into a half smile— a betrayal of his typical phlegmatic mien.  ❝ please, i would never disgrace my flowers by dressing them up in jewelry ❞ he responded in mock-seriousness, though the words rang ultimately true. flowers, in his opinion were much more appealing than any diamond bracelet could ever be. ❝ goddammit cora, you caught me again. i did it for an older man. it's a new thing, reverse sugar daddy-ing. though i did add my own little touch of stealing the diamonds for kicks ❞ he surmised, entertaining the idea a bit longer as they drawled out the joke. he wasn't sure what it was about cora that made him comfortable enough to let down his guard and perfected indifference just enough to maintain the playful nature of their relationship. it was disturbing almost, how much he let cora in while still maintaining the remnants of his wall in a vein attempt to not let her too close. it was a constant battle as he longed for something he couldn't put his finger on. something more and something less all at the same time. he craved distance from the strange feeling that cora brought, but felt ultimately unhappier when the distance was granted. ❝ careful, if you keep insisting on calling me these ridiculous names, i'm going to start pulling out nicknames like flash and paparazzo— and shutterbug ❞ he warned lightly as he rolled his eyes at the theatrics of her self-congratulatory speech. ❝ is this the part where i say, i would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids— kid? whatever, you get the point. ❞ despite her efforts, noah still had to lean down to get a better look at the small screen of her camera, hovering over her shoulder as she flipped through all the pictures. noah let an amused chuckle escape his lips as she spoke of sparing the flowers life.  ❝ good girl ❞ he mused with pride, reveling for a moment in the fact that he had taught her well. though he almost wished she had brought him one back. he liked having the small mementos of all the places they visited and there was none better than flowers from famous landmarks or ones native to the area. noah nodded along to her little spiel, bringing his cigarette back to his lips as he breathed in it’s toxins, his attention otherwise completely focused on cora's story. he was careful to blow the smoke in the opposite direction as he turned away only long enough to do so. ❝ your dedication is astonishing ❞ he commented once she was nearly done. ❝ oh? ❞ he questioned at her following statement, the fact that she thought she knew enough about him to know what he would and wouldn't like, and the fact that he believed that she did, left him with an odd almost-fondness for the girl, along with a slightly perturbed feeling of closeness that he desperately despised. ❝ maybe we should go. you could even bring the right lens this time to get a better shot of those hydrangeas ❞ he suggested, always interested in seeing the places cora so perfectly captured in her myriad of photos. ❝ i mean, you could. it'd just be kind of useless.bees aren't all that bad. in my experience, if you leave them alone they don’t really bother you. ❞

SHE FOUND THE NATURE OF HIS GRUMP, to some degree, endearing. She could never explain it. noah was probably, in as many ways and walks of life, the opposite of amaya. whenever she saw him he was frowning—at someone in particular or just at nothing in particular. he wore a seemingly genuine demeanor of apathy that amused amaya and in ways she didn’t understand, she liked noah for how honest he was about his general lack of sympathy. it spiked her happiness to a seven when noah would probably appreciate it if she kept it down to a two—maybe a three, if he was in a good mood. her smile was wide as he spoke, not seeming too annoyed in the moment. she was grateful. “oh, yeah, i’m fine!” she folded her arms, pressing her lips together. she gestured to the donut he was holding. “…so……you like breakfast for lunch, too?” she nodded slowly. “same.” she had a habit of staring at people and smiling, which she was aware made people slightly uncomfortable, so she tried to glance around the room before her eyes focused back on noah. “are you sitting with anyone? we can sit together. or not. i’m sure you wouldn’t be one to accept such offers if you didn’t want to, but i still feel the need to let you know you can turn me down.” she laughed a little. “i promise i won’t talk this much.” her eyebrows optimistically. 

HER SMILE WEIGHED HEAVILY against noah's hard demeanor. the two of them surely stood out among the crowd, the contrast in both personality and aura an odd coupling that would normally clash in any other given scenario. and while the relentless optimism and ever present smile that graced the girl's face made him a bit uncomfortable, noah otherwise had nothing against amaya. he admired her genuineness in character, despite her largely positive disposition in life that he often found quite irritating. he nodded his response as she assured him that she was okay. he knew he should apologize still, but pride prevented any such nicety. his gaze flitted toward the pastry in his hand at her gesture, before landing back on the girl in front of him. ❝ i mean, sure. it is technically my breakfast but who decided that donuts are solely a breakfast food, anyway? ❞ noah argued, surprising himself as the conversation rolled easily off his tongue. but still he rose a curious eyebrow as the girl slightly rambled on about sitting together. ❝ —um, okay. sure ❞ he shrugged, unsure of what possessed him to accept the brunette's offer. but as soon as the words had left his mouth, there was no going back. before he could help himself, he felt the edge of his lip tug upward in a half, amused smile at the promise. he quickly pressed his lips together, hoping to hide the fact, knowing how it would probably please the girl to elicit such a reaction from the boy. ❝ were you gonna grab something? ❞ he questioned with a deeper frown than he had been sporting before, a fruitless attempt to recover from his momentary slip.

“i bet the fictional version of my day is something much more to be sad about. could you imagine your new shoes just being ruined by a bunch of duck ancestors climbing all over your feet? nope, me either. damn, where is this bitterness coming from? why would i push a child into the river?”

❝ duck ancestors—  what? no, i guess not, but at least it’s more exciting than walking around all day missing your girl. i’m not bitter, christ. says the guy that said he hated children literally two seconds ago, damn. and i don’t know, maybe because that’s how karma works? but you’re probably right, pushing a kid into the river is a little cruel, even for me. honestly, you should push his parents in for not keeping a better eye on him. ❞

SUNSETS HAD ALWAYS had a much bigger appeal to aurora than sunrises ever had. there was something so entrancing about the star’s final rays of light, they way it painted the sky in such brilliant shades of color, as if it was putting on one last spectacular show before it died. everything was bathed in an orange-red light, people looking almost hellish and yet beautiful at the same time under such an eerie glow. it was the same way people looked under the stark glow of neon lights, like night-time creatures brought to life with a flash, not quite ethereal but not quite human, either. days aboard the ship when they were docked in a foreign country always felt strange, like an in between place. it was like wandering a grocery store at night, no longer a place of background noise and life but a liminal space– empty except for the feeling inside your chest, like white static on a tv screen. aurora shoved her hands inside the worn pockets of her leather jacket, the clothing item hugging her figure smugly, worn and molded over years of use until the material had become pliable beneath her manicured nails. there was a chill in the air now, the absence of the sun as it continued to dip further under the horizon the cause, and aurora was reminded at how much she reveled in colder weather. night was descending upon them, something that always managed to cheer the girl up just the slightest bit, something about moonlight and the stark darkness of the nigh time sky igniting something in her. when the sun went down and people went to sleep the air weighed heavy with possibility, all sorts of deep and dark desires made possible. aurora moved across the deck with the same grace as a lioness when it wasn’t tracking prey, limbs lazy yet fluid in movement. there was something to be said about the sudden terrible change in the air whenever the girl emerged – it twisted around her, wound so tight it should have broken her but it didn’t. instead it alerted the boy perched so dangerously against the railing of her presence, and with sparkling eyes aurora observed the no smoking sign behind him before her blue eyes were drawn to the smoke blowing from his lips. the corners of her lips twitched into a smile so lethal looking it could only be described as predatory, although the girl’s intentions were far from harmful. she took a step closer to him, tilting her head so she could asses the taller figure through the sweep of her dark lashes. “ did you really have to ask? ” aurora replied, words rolling, the sound a running motor, a feline-like purr thrumming from the lowest pit of her throat.

THE TRANQUILITY OF THE SUNSET was much more enjoyable without the constant background noise of other passengers. despite reclusive tendencies, tranquility was something noah seemed to lack a lot of in his life— a contrast, so to speak, to the constant storm that ran through his veins and left him with a desire to break free of social norms, a desire to break every rule in the book simply because he had never taken well to doing as he was told. therefore he was more often found chasing cheap thrills anywhere he could get them rather than relaxing pool side, enjoying such trite things as the sunset. but all the same there was something about the spectrum of colors that bled from the sinking sun that nearly rivaled the beauty of the flowers he so passionately and delicately cared for. there weren't many things that reached that par as far as noah was concerned, though he little often got to actually enjoy it with the swarms of passengers that normally occupied the top deck. it also wasn't something he ever dared voice aloud, as it gave way to a softer nature that he hid so well from the rest of the world. he felt all hopes for a peaceful night drain from his body at the onslaught of approaching footsteps. there were very few on board that he could actually tolerate the company of, let alone enjoy. but as soon as he caught sight of aurora, some of that tension drained, making way for a new array of possibilities for the night. ones that were equally, if not more, enticing. he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the girl's response. he wasn't often found offering such niceties and the rarity of the gesture usually elicited such a response. ❝ i didn't have to, no. 'was just being polite ❞ but he realized the fault in his words even as he was saying them. noah wasn't polite. respectably well mannered ( when his pride allowed him to be ), perhaps, but never polite. he shook his head as he busied himself pulling out another cigarette for the girl. ❝ yes, would have been an acceptable answer. unless you're just bored and looking for a fight or something. because i shouldn't have to warn you, you are barking up the wrong tree here. but if it’s a race you’re looking for, i do believe you still owe me a rematch ❞ noah replied, words border-line teasing now, rather than conveying their wonted hostility. he once again produced the lighter from his other pocket and held it up, offering the flame for aurora to light the cigarette with.