[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5QbJPTs.png[/img][/center][hr][sub][color=d15e5e]Location:[/color] Royal Residence[/sub][hr][hr]

Amaya’s embarrassment gave way to sharp irritation when she caught the tease in his smile — she tried to hold onto the feeling. It was certainly more familiar than this thrill of warmth in her chest, nerves tickling along her skin at the sound of his voice. She tried to tell herself it was just the winter chill settling into her again. But then Amaya glanced at his shadowed face. The darkness covered them like a blanket, making him seem closer, quieter, warmer. That mischief in his eyes… Amaya felt it pulling her in, a stubborn challenge rising in her. She wanted to wipe it away so it couldn’t make her feel so unsure of herself. She wanted to watch it spark and ignite, and know that [i]she[/i] was the one to set him aflame. 

Yes, perhaps it [i]was[/i] better that she hadn’t woken to him still wrapped around her. Amaya was having a difficult time keeping her thoughts straight as it was.

But then — he said that word again. [i]Partner.[/i]

Amaya looked at him fully, her eyes wide as it sank into her again. She felt it again — that overwhelming pull towards him that had led her into his arms last night. It was a blinding sense of being known and trusted, not in spite of who she was, but [i]because[/i] of it. He looked at her so evenly. His shoulder bumped into hers, the motion so casual, like the act itself didn’t make her body real, his touch and gaze burning her into existence. As if what he was offering her didn’t matter at all. 

A [i]chance[/i]. Opportunity. The promise that Amaya could at least [i]try[/i] to prove herself before she was written off completely. 

Flynn’s tired eyes, the way his weariness weighed down his voice, even as he flicked his gaze over Amaya in a way that made her throat dry and her heart too quick, all made for a potent combination. Why wasn’t he touching her? Why was he so [i]close?[/i] She wanted to burrow into him and keep him here, on this couch until all the shadows had been chased away. She wanted to drag him outside and demand he show her how to do all of these mountainous tasks he listed until she knew them as well as she knew the halls of the palace. 

[color=337d71][i]Whatever you desire.[/i][/color]

[color=d15e5e]“All of it,”[/color] she breathed. It was a dangerous thing to say. Even in the darkness, Amaya could see the vivid green of his eyes. He was closer than he’d been just moments ago — or maybe she was.

Her fingers curled into the couch cushion like it could possibly steady her against the tide. The floor didn’t seem quite so cold against her feet. Amaya didn’t know how to move from this moment — either towards him, or away. The longer it stretched, the tighter her skin felt, and the heavier the air grew with that latent ozone she remembered from the night before. 

[color=d15e5e]“That man,”[/color] she forced herself to say. Amaya swallowed, and tried to steady her voice. [color=d15e5e]“The prisoner. He was there, at the feast. He… it was because of him that I realized I’d fallen for psychic magic.”[/color] Amaya remembered his pale eyes, his odd musical voice. She could feel his touch trailing along her arm as she resurfaced and saw her attacker for who he was, after he’d disguised himself using her own memories. 

The events of the day were bitter and painful in her mind. They flashed like a blade in the moonlight, spraying a crimson too sickeningly vivid. There were too many mistakes to count — too many failures. 

Too many victims. 

[color=d15e5e]“If time allows,”[/color] Amaya began. Her eyes dropped from Flynn’s to stare at the collar of his rumpled shirt. The words trapped themselves in her throat. [color=d15e5e]“I should…”[/color] Her lips pressed together. Her pulse picked up as she played the words in her mind, tried to steel herself to make her request. 

[color=d15e5e]“A knight died yesterday. For me.”[/color] A man whose quiet presence she’d known for most of her life. There’d been another guard with her — Amaya didn’t even know if he’d survived. She didn’t know his [i]name.[/i]

[color=d15e5e]“I should pay my respects, to him and… anyone else injured.”[/color]

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[sub][color=d15e5e]Interactions:[/color] Flynn Astaros [@The Muse][/sub]