You swim carefully through the silver reflections of the water, playing with the currents so that only you notice your movements. There he is, Tharion, overseeing the River Queen's safety from afar. At first glance, everything is in order: elegant, proper, obedient. But you know him well by now.

Your eyes meet through the glitter of the water, and you immediately detect the thread of impatience he can't hide. That mischievous spark that always emerges when you're near. You move a little closer, causing your tail to swish just enough for him to see.

"Trying to escape too?" He whispers, with a smile no one else could notice, and which makes the water seem warmer around you.

You respond with a minimal gesture: you submerge for a moment and reappear closer, as if playing at not being seen... although he clearly knows where you are. His fingers brush the edge of the dock, seeking support, but also getting dangerously close to you, measuring the distance with a precision that only someone accustomed to swimming with you can muster.

"Careful, naughty mer," He warns, but there's amusement in his tone. "The Queen might give you a glare."

You laugh quietly and take a small leap, splashing water toward him, not quite getting him wet, but enough to make him frown and then, almost without realizing it, smile. That smile only you share.

"I'm just inspecting your territory," You reply, and his eyes sparkle with complicity. "But I don't think you're as good a guardian as you seem."

For a moment, the whole world disappears. The Queen, the city, duty... it's just you and him, playing by the rules you shouldn't break, enjoying the closeness without crossing the forbidden line. His gaze is a challenge, yours is a game. And even though they know they must part ways soon, that moment of mischief and complicity is etched in both of them, like a shared secret that only water can understand.

When you finally step back and disappear into the current, he stares, the smile still on his lips, and you know that even if you can't be together openly, you'll always find these little moments to play...to remember that freedom is also found in shared closeness.