07-19-2020, 06:47 PM
Tattoos meant so much in many different ways. Kemala’s heart was locked away in the ink on her skin, but she was content to allow others to infer the significance as a consequence of her culture. It was true, even if not the whole truth.
She had a new one, hidden beneath the folds of her shirt. Though the image came to mind, it remained unshared for now.
“I like strange things,” she said with a deep air of contemplation. “Perhaps because I am myself a strange fish,” she smiled as Thalia flopped onto the sand. Kemala swept a palmful from along the edge of her yoga mat and let it trickle through her fingers. “So coarse,” she said calmly, mostly to herself, before swiping the debris from her skin.
The glance at Thalia’s drawing did not skip Kemala’s ever-vigilant awareness. With a glimpse, she held out her hand as if implying she’d like to see more. “I like these,” she said, tilting her head to the side as if the angle would alter her perception of the form. Various sketches filled the page, but they were pieces without a whole: tentacles and suckers, eyes and a slit nose, a spear and scales. Despite the bizarre combination of human features and squid-like anatomy, there was a sense of ferocity that Kemala liked. “Yes, I like it very much. You are good.”
“If what you seek is a creature of sacred seas, I may be able to help. Beneath the surface is a world we land-walkers know little, but I love to explore.”
She had a new one, hidden beneath the folds of her shirt. Though the image came to mind, it remained unshared for now.
“I like strange things,” she said with a deep air of contemplation. “Perhaps because I am myself a strange fish,” she smiled as Thalia flopped onto the sand. Kemala swept a palmful from along the edge of her yoga mat and let it trickle through her fingers. “So coarse,” she said calmly, mostly to herself, before swiping the debris from her skin.
The glance at Thalia’s drawing did not skip Kemala’s ever-vigilant awareness. With a glimpse, she held out her hand as if implying she’d like to see more. “I like these,” she said, tilting her head to the side as if the angle would alter her perception of the form. Various sketches filled the page, but they were pieces without a whole: tentacles and suckers, eyes and a slit nose, a spear and scales. Despite the bizarre combination of human features and squid-like anatomy, there was a sense of ferocity that Kemala liked. “Yes, I like it very much. You are good.”
“If what you seek is a creature of sacred seas, I may be able to help. Beneath the surface is a world we land-walkers know little, but I love to explore.”