When he smiles back at her, she wonders if he is as daring as she is. It makes her take a sweeping step towards him, those vibrant gold irises inspecting him lustrously. Simultaneously she is flipping through his thoughts, interested in what lies there and taking pride in her ability to sort through them so easily. She likes what she finds, of course, and she wonders why he cannot feel her there, privy to his most intimate ideas. Not everything is like her fire, though; not everything is bold and harsh and dangerous. No, her ability to see what lies beneath - to see if their words match their heart - is something subtle, quiet. Sunlight grins, knowing it is still just as dangerous and powerful.
His movement towards her nearly surprises her. Her golden gaze had become lost in his eyes once again, studious and playful, and she nearly isn’t paying attention when his galaxy-body comes closer. For a moment, something fiery flashes across her eyes and her brow furrows - the flames around them grow with her intensity, perhaps about to leap from their safe distance and fly like ropes in criss-crosses across his starlight-strewn back. It’s what she intended, at least, but he does not try to hurt her like she had assumed. He merely passes through her, all stardust and sparkling light.
Sunlight does not try to hide the surprise and delight that now softens her expression. She turns her head over her shoulder quickly, her white markings on her face all the more expressive as she revels in the feeling of pure surprise. She glances down at herself, wondering if he’s left remnants of those glowing galaxies on her dark skin as a reminder of his touch.
She turns and pivots quickly so that she is face to face with him again, dousing her firelight with the movement. They are immersed in darkness, cold and pressing against their skin. She lets their eyes adjust, staring at each other in something like a challenge. Part of her feels the wound of her pride, too distracted by her own game to have seen this coming. But she is so enraptured at his ability to catch her off guard, she doesn’t quite mind this time.
“Are you trying to trick me, Isakov?” comes her playful, lilting voice from the darkness. A single flame - as thin and still as a candle’s wick - appears just beneath her neck, close to her chest. It illuminates her uniquely marked face, casting deep shadows on her cheeks. Is she threatening him? It was hard to tell. “I don’t know if I like tricks,” she adds absentmindedly, almost to herself. Her eyes fall to the flame just below her chin, admiring its beauty and heat that nearly appears soft in her grasp.
Sunlight then shakes her head slightly, rolling her shoulders and straightening to meet his gaze once again with a rather decisive look. “I can see beneath the surface,” she tells him, finally answering his question. A dark smile finds her mouth once again, fiercely illuminated by the firelight. “It lets me know who to trust and who I cannot.” The flame dances higher, flickering now with life as she gives it more fuel. “I think,” she begins with a thoughtful tilt of her head, “I can trust you. Can I trust you, Isakov?”
She can see their thoughts, yes, and she would be able to know his answer perhaps before he says it. She does, however, like them admitting it to her on their own accord.
sunlight
@[isakov]