[ few things, he's found, can cut through the searing dark — david's tonic, primarily, being the singular miracle of science that draws him from his nightly death with startling reliability. but there is also his dragon-eyed general, her hair spilling over her shoulders like the tumble of raven's wings. with the leather of his gloves sopping with sea water, he reaches up to twist one lock around a wet finger. ]
Alive. [ it comes out less confidently than intended. the attempt to clear his throat sends him into a fit of coughing, and he turns to expel a mouthful of brackish water onto the deck. only then does he catch a glimpse of what he brought with him — a corpse slowly gaining motion, a relatively unfriendly look in its eyes. ] I think you should get rid of that.
[ but before either of them can make a move, the corpse produces a tar-like substance — highly questionable — and splatters the both of them. nikolai rolls to shield himself and laments how filthy his coat gets. when he looks up, zoya has wrestled the corpse to the edge of the ship, but has tar streaked along her face, dripping past the exquisite shape of her lips.
he springs to his feet, crossing the deck in seconds and hauling the corpse over the edge of the railing. then he grips zoya's chin, gracelessly wiping at her mouth with his gloves. ]
Did you ingest it? [ he's seen what happens to the others when they do, the weakness that overtakes them. zoya will kill him for this, but chances are she won't be strong enough, which is a thought frightening in and of itself. he gently glides his thumb across her lips, pulling them back to reveal her teeth stained black. ] Regicide will have to wait. You're going to feel weak. Don't panic.
no subject
Alive. [ it comes out less confidently than intended. the attempt to clear his throat sends him into a fit of coughing, and he turns to expel a mouthful of brackish water onto the deck. only then does he catch a glimpse of what he brought with him — a corpse slowly gaining motion, a relatively unfriendly look in its eyes. ] I think you should get rid of that.
[ but before either of them can make a move, the corpse produces a tar-like substance — highly questionable — and splatters the both of them. nikolai rolls to shield himself and laments how filthy his coat gets. when he looks up, zoya has wrestled the corpse to the edge of the ship, but has tar streaked along her face, dripping past the exquisite shape of her lips.
he springs to his feet, crossing the deck in seconds and hauling the corpse over the edge of the railing. then he grips zoya's chin, gracelessly wiping at her mouth with his gloves. ]
Did you ingest it? [ he's seen what happens to the others when they do, the weakness that overtakes them. zoya will kill him for this, but chances are she won't be strong enough, which is a thought frightening in and of itself. he gently glides his thumb across her lips, pulling them back to reveal her teeth stained black. ] Regicide will have to wait. You're going to feel weak. Don't panic.