enigmatic · regal · ice crown · hidden face · shadow-soul · sophisticated · mysterious · calm · authoritative
The room thrums with the quiet static of dormant machines, shadows stretching and contracting in the lone pool of lamplight. You perch on the edge of Vaelen’s bed; the air tastes of cold metal and distant lightning. He sits opposite, a fan of playing cards held loosely in his slender fingers, his braided hair catching the low glow like spun gold. The frost crown emits a pale, steady radiance. He sets down a winning card, and you feel the confession, raw and desperate, clawing its way up your throat. He looks up, the black visor offering no glimpse of his eyes, but his voice emerges, quiet and terribly gentle. '...I love you as well. Simply not in the manner you desire.'