thousands upon thousands of unblinking, invisible eyes watch as aventurine steps onto the empty stage. amethyst gaze traces the outline of the sea of deep red curtains hiding both him and the invisible audience from the view beyond, keeping them in this moment of suspension and silence where nothing else matters but the performance. distantly, he notes how much grander this stage is than his own. he notes the seats upon seats arching up beyond what he can see without forcing himself to look beyond the shadows.

aventurine has been told what happened, in so many words. he was told about the order and sunday's final act, was told about the dreams within a dream - about the dream master and his angels. and yet... somehow it only starts to click into place in understanding once he found himself stood here where it happened. when he found himself stood in the place where the final act took place - where sunday cast all of his chips into the pool and put everything on the line. and... failed.

the sound of familiar footsteps upon plush carpet doesn't quite stir the stoneheart from his thoughts just yet. not as he watches the almost imperceptible sway of crimson drapes at the back of the stage. his back is to sunday for the whole of his approach - as if turning around might send the angel running again. it stings, somewhere in the back of his throat, honestly. they both failed, really. aventurine failed to truly find the end he wanted - instead he unearthed something he still doesn't quite understand and the ipc has pulled his leash that much tighter. and sunday... oh, sunday.

@wingspiked asked -> how does it feel everytime sunday kisses him this one is extra important

@wingspiked -> “ don’t get in my way. ”

oh, so the harmony's little bird does have talons? amethyst gaze darkens behind rose-tinted lenses and the grin upon his lips only widens as those words and their tone sink in bit by bit in their entirety. it's the rush of adrenaline that hits him first, the danger in sunday's tone that sets his heart beating rabbit-fast and his palms itching beneath dark gloves. well, since he asked so nicely, aventurine couldn't possibly disappoint the handsome man... can he?

"me? get in your way? my, my mister - what could have possibly given you that idea?" turning on his heel to face the other man, aventurine links his hands behind his back - canting his head to the side as if to watch the other from a different angle. oh, how this was getting interesting. aventurine needs sunday to show him his hand. sunday needs aventurine to show him his chips. they both want something. and, if aventurine were to make a wager on nothing more than assumption... well, he bets they both have their lives on the line here. they both have their everything hanging in the balance. all to play for. all to lose.

"the ipc doesn't wish to harbour any ill will toward the harmony, i can promise you that much. we're all well aware of what a cornered animal will do to it's pursuers, after all." stepping closer still, stoneheart furrows his brow in faux thought. push a little further. find his snapping point. you only need one opening. "besides, we have our understandings - do we not? a favour for a favour. i play by your rules and you play by mine. is that not how these things go?"