The silence stretched, water swirling faintly in the wake of her shivering scales.
Caedrion inhaled slowly, schooling his features.
Then, deliberately, almost coyly, he let his gaze falter.
His eyes darted aside, his cheeks flushed as though with embarrassment.
It was an act, a mask hastily woven, but one she longed for.
Softly, as though the word itself burned his lips, he spoke:
"…Thalassaria."
Her name carried into the abyss, muffled but unmistakable.
He forced the tone as though shy, hesitant, as if yielding to her demand out of bashful surrender rather than calculation.
The effect was instantaneous.
Thalassaria's entire form lit with ecstasy, her scales shimmering with teal fire, her laugh bubbling like a tide breaking against stone.
She hugged him close, rocking him in her coils as if he were both lover and cherished child.
"Yes…" she hissed in glee, stroking his hair, pressing her cheek to his. "Yes, my guppy. My darling. You spoke it! You are mine!"
