04-02-2023, 12:05 AM
Thalia was ready to plunge into the unknown wearing only a fur blanket. He smiled at that, but one of them had to keep their head. First thing he did was grab his pants and retrieve hers as well. Everything was damp. He’d rather keep to his skin but they were clearly in someone else’s house, and he was sure their combined nakedness was the source of Nemesyne’s 'ugly' comment. Such a cat.
After arranging themselves, they followed the cat. He didn’t understand the scent. Didn’t understand the cat’s murmurings about its mother. Didn’t understand why the things moved or why the doors were different. He didn't even understand where they were. Together, these unknowns might otherwise be accepted as things of the world he was not meant to understand. He might have been more trusting but for every step carrying him forward, a wrongness of his being here was leaking into his heart.
The sound of water in motion met his ears before he saw why. The room was permeated by the scent of lakewater, but it was the fishy mixture of animal, woman, surprise and blood that mingled together into the scent previously unrecognized.
The head of the creature was bobbing in the water. The pool overflowed around the edges with her motion, which explained the sounds. Tristan was a man raised with fairies, trolls and sea monsters. The government didn’t build roads without consulting with fairy-experts. The trolls were blamed for rockslides. There was even a museum dedicated to the sea monsters in the Westfjords. Everyone knew someone whose relative or neighbor or friend was an eye-witness to the supernatural. Tristan himself spoke with the Grey Lady. His uncle was encased in a Trollstone. Now, he was in company of a Hafgúfa. It wasn't disbelief that he stared. The golden eyes of his gaze was wild with fascination. Despite the blood, she did not smell overly concerned. She was mostly curious until Thalia darted forward before he could stop her. There was a strange spike of concern despite the defensiveness of her posturing. Before Thalia could reach her, a tenatacle sprung from the water and swat the rushing girl aside.
“Stop!” he told it, hoping it understood like the cat did and rushed to her aid.
He eased his arms around Thalia, checking her carefully. His wolfish gaze accused the creature with betrayal for harming her.
Almost immediately, the hafgúfa retracted its offensive tentacles. Its spines flattened and she sank under the water to the level of her eyes. He thought he smelled shame? More things that made no sense.
He brushed Thalia's small chin with his fingers, gently moving her hair aside to study the former and recent injuries. He grumbled to himself. He shouldn’t have allowed her to come here, but she rushed over cliffs like tumbling waterfalls unheeding of rocks below.
A screech pierced the the air. They both looked at the hafgúfa, who had lifted up out of the water near to her navel. She was holding something jagged but when his gaze fell upon it, she pulled it protectively closer to her body.
Then after a moment, an automatic-sounding voice filled the room. It was mechanical and neutral of gender, like something out of google translate.
{I S S H E O K A Y}
After arranging themselves, they followed the cat. He didn’t understand the scent. Didn’t understand the cat’s murmurings about its mother. Didn’t understand why the things moved or why the doors were different. He didn't even understand where they were. Together, these unknowns might otherwise be accepted as things of the world he was not meant to understand. He might have been more trusting but for every step carrying him forward, a wrongness of his being here was leaking into his heart.
The sound of water in motion met his ears before he saw why. The room was permeated by the scent of lakewater, but it was the fishy mixture of animal, woman, surprise and blood that mingled together into the scent previously unrecognized.
The head of the creature was bobbing in the water. The pool overflowed around the edges with her motion, which explained the sounds. Tristan was a man raised with fairies, trolls and sea monsters. The government didn’t build roads without consulting with fairy-experts. The trolls were blamed for rockslides. There was even a museum dedicated to the sea monsters in the Westfjords. Everyone knew someone whose relative or neighbor or friend was an eye-witness to the supernatural. Tristan himself spoke with the Grey Lady. His uncle was encased in a Trollstone. Now, he was in company of a Hafgúfa. It wasn't disbelief that he stared. The golden eyes of his gaze was wild with fascination. Despite the blood, she did not smell overly concerned. She was mostly curious until Thalia darted forward before he could stop her. There was a strange spike of concern despite the defensiveness of her posturing. Before Thalia could reach her, a tenatacle sprung from the water and swat the rushing girl aside.
“Stop!” he told it, hoping it understood like the cat did and rushed to her aid.
He eased his arms around Thalia, checking her carefully. His wolfish gaze accused the creature with betrayal for harming her.
Almost immediately, the hafgúfa retracted its offensive tentacles. Its spines flattened and she sank under the water to the level of her eyes. He thought he smelled shame? More things that made no sense.
He brushed Thalia's small chin with his fingers, gently moving her hair aside to study the former and recent injuries. He grumbled to himself. He shouldn’t have allowed her to come here, but she rushed over cliffs like tumbling waterfalls unheeding of rocks below.
A screech pierced the the air. They both looked at the hafgúfa, who had lifted up out of the water near to her navel. She was holding something jagged but when his gaze fell upon it, she pulled it protectively closer to her body.
Then after a moment, an automatic-sounding voice filled the room. It was mechanical and neutral of gender, like something out of google translate.
{I S S H E O K A Y}