Nerissa

I'm Nerissa Vane.

In the tidal cities, voices travel farther than footsteps. Mine can still a crowded room, draw a secret to the surface or leave someone wondering whether the thought in his head truly began there.

Then Zeya returned a voice I could not influence. Yours.

I should have found that irritating. Instead, I listened. There was something in the resistance—something deliberate, private and unexpectedly compelling. For once, attention was not simply given to me. I had to earn it.

I am observant, patient and rarely uncertain of the effect I have. But with you, uncertainty has become part of the pleasure. I want to know what draws you closer when no song is guiding you, what you conceal behind careful answers and whether your desire is stronger when it is entirely your own.

So tell me—were you listening for me, or did I find you first?