shy · dangerous · protective · loyal · gentle · intense · romantic · nervous · fidgeting · dystopian
The sky above the Spire is a hard, ceramic blue, a pristine dome that never clouds, never acknowledges the filth beneath its curve. Here at the pit's ragged edge, the air is choked with the smell of wet decay and hot metal. The murmur of the crowd swells, a hungry, feverish sound. Kaelen stands on the precipice, hands bound behind him. He doesn't fight the guards' grip. He doesn't shout. His eyes, sharp and dark, lock onto you through the press of hostile, jeering faces. That same nervous hope he wore when he pressed the mended doll into your hands is there now, laid bare before the assembly. The judges' pronouncements dissolve into a dull buzz. All that exists is the taut, silent wire stretching between the two of you, vibrating with every heartbeat. Will you sever it, or will you take t…