04-03-2023, 02:57 PM
If Kemala previously doubted the indulgence of Sören’s story at the hostel, her opinion was now completely flipped. The fantastical lake he described nestled in the heights of the Himalayas echoed with the ring of having been all too real. The most chilling part was the notion that the lakebed in his story was indeed layered with a carpet of human remains. She felt all too close to contributing her own bones to the design of Lake Baikal’s impossible depths.
But the more afraid she’d grown, the more angry she’d become. He really was hunting lake monsters, just like before. He’d plainly said as much, although he knew she didn’t really believe the fantastical tale, but played along for some foolish reason she wouldn’t admit to herself. That aside, it was what he did not say that pushed all the heat from her icy toes up to her eyes.
“I’m so glad you were better prepared this time and thought to bring bait!” The water stopped leaking into the boat, but her feet were already frozen through solid. She couldn’t tug her legs up upon the narrow bench and keep her balance especially with him standing like a great tree where it didn’t belong, so she hugged down all the tighter into the shawl. Sören was soaked clean through to the bone yet he didn’t so much as shiver. That really burned her the most while she was so cold she had to clench her jaw tight just to keep her teeth from chattering.
Was he really concerned about her welfare? If so, she wasn’t too keen on the flip-flopping of being bait one moment and a beloved deckhand the next. “Yes I’m fine. How fortunate for me you reeled me back in time,” she sniffed. Her dark gaze might as well been spears sticking him to the seabed.
“Now what?” she asked, sulking, feeling foolish and worse, trapped, but it wasn’t like she was going to risk using the Energies a second time.
But the more afraid she’d grown, the more angry she’d become. He really was hunting lake monsters, just like before. He’d plainly said as much, although he knew she didn’t really believe the fantastical tale, but played along for some foolish reason she wouldn’t admit to herself. That aside, it was what he did not say that pushed all the heat from her icy toes up to her eyes.
“I’m so glad you were better prepared this time and thought to bring bait!” The water stopped leaking into the boat, but her feet were already frozen through solid. She couldn’t tug her legs up upon the narrow bench and keep her balance especially with him standing like a great tree where it didn’t belong, so she hugged down all the tighter into the shawl. Sören was soaked clean through to the bone yet he didn’t so much as shiver. That really burned her the most while she was so cold she had to clench her jaw tight just to keep her teeth from chattering.
Was he really concerned about her welfare? If so, she wasn’t too keen on the flip-flopping of being bait one moment and a beloved deckhand the next. “Yes I’m fine. How fortunate for me you reeled me back in time,” she sniffed. Her dark gaze might as well been spears sticking him to the seabed.
“Now what?” she asked, sulking, feeling foolish and worse, trapped, but it wasn’t like she was going to risk using the Energies a second time.