There was a difference between keeping a healthy supply of things and running the risk of becoming a hoarder.  So far he’d done very well to keep that line very clear and distinct, but as of late it had grown harder and harder to get rid of certain things.  Nothing he had was without meaning, and throwing anything away wasn’t as simple as discarding rubbish: he was parting with memories.  First things first were double ups, or in his case usually septuple ups.  Did he really need ten jars of collected dew?  No, it was mainly for more pure magick than what he worked with anyways…he could part with nine of them.

Sighing he moved each jar over to his steadily growing pile, amongst it were pieces of driftwood, collected sea salt, white remnants of long dead coral, an assortment of jars filled with brined animal parts, and he still had so much more to go through.  He sighed, kneeling down to one of the lower shells above his personal tide pool, and gently ran his fingers through the cool water; careful not to disturb the creatures living there.  Most of what was on these shelves were things that aided him in keeping his animals alive despite the climates he had forced them in.  There wasn’t much here to part with but he did take a bottle of squid ink.  

He looked down at the urchins and anemones resting peacefully in the tidepool, by now they had acclimated and were safe, the ink had little to no use at this point unless he got himself more to add to the pool.  Well, he’d just have to be mindful.  It wasn’t as if this was hard to come by anyhow.  Gently dipping his fingers into the water, he softly ran them along the swaying tendrils of the anemones, smiling as they quickly tucked in on themselves.  They’d be fine, they’d be safe, and the small bottle was moved to the discard pile.

There was only so much to do in one day though, and so much of it had to be disposed of ritually that by the time midnight came around he felt as if he’d been working for days.  It wasn’t as if his day had been light: he’d started at dawn and worked all the way to passed midnight, but everything was safely disposed of, much of it returned to the ocean from whence it came.  He wanted nothing more than to go into his dugout twist of tunnels he called home, but he needed to focus on cleansing himself now lest he bring in the wrong type of energy to his domain.

So with dragging footsteps he walked towards the lapping water, the blue lines on his skin slowly pulsing with light the closer he got to the water.  As he stepped in the pulse stopped and the markings remained at a constant but soft glow.  His clothing hung heavily against his limbs, but they too needed cleansed or else he would have gone star clad.  Nyella gently twisted around his body, caressing up his chest the deeper he went in until all of him from mid chest down was submerged.  

Night feeders had grown used to him by now and he’d long since lost any fear of what drew closer to the shallows at night.  If anything he took time out of cleaning himself to run fingertips over the dorsal fin of a shark or two, feeling himself calm even further the longer he stayed.  But despite how good it felt to be embraced by her waves he still longed to lay down and get some much needed rest.

The stars were bright. Almost too bright to the soft lilac eyes of the slight woman. She had spent a great deal of her time in the sun since arriving to this land and had never been met with an issue; her eyes simply adapting to the gleam. But in the pitch black shroud of night, the stars seemed shined like magick. A magick that she was no longer accustomed to. What were stars anyway? She had heard people equate them the souls of loved ones that had moved on, but they seemed too celestial to be something as simple as a mortal spirit. Perhaps they were the entities she only recalled in fractured memories. Beings of light. Being of power.

She shook her head lightly against the musings in an attempt to free her mind from the burden of her lost past. It was the past. Thinking about it rarely helps the future. She sighed despite herself and tucked a few strands of her silvery locks behind her ear in a failed attempt to combat the wind of the ocean. It was a beautiful night; aside from those mocking stars. The ocean touched the shore lightly in a symphony of nature; one of the few mortal sounds that she found pleasing to the ear.

Why had she been drawn here? She was certain that she had heard something amazing about this place, but she could not remember what it was, or who told her this information. Had she actually heard something, or did the ether pull her here? She had been moved across continents more than once for something as simple as an enchanted blade; the possession of which never fell to her. What would have drawn the woman here?

Her eyes fell on the shore line; a blurred version of this reality echoed upon the waves. Something was here. Or someone. She felt it. She wasn’t sure what she felt, or how she felt it, but she was certain that there was a presence.

”Hello? Is someone here?” Her voice rang out in a bell-like soprano, which could have been described as beautiful, were it not for the noticeable lack of emotion in her words. It was not that she did not care about the situation, but emotion was something foreign to her. It was like speaking a different language; it took time to translate. Nonetheless, her words rang into the night; calling whatever lied therein to her.

His eyes opened under the water, no longer harmed by the sting of salt, and he watched his hair as it flowed gently around his face.  By now he was fully cleaned and had his shirt tied around his waist.  It would need a harsher scrubbing once he was back on the surface, but right now he was just letting himself relax.  Normally he’d be breathing but he usually got too pulled in when he did that.  So instead he waited until he absolutely had to take a breath and stood back up, pushing his hair back and taking in deep but slow breaths.  

Time to get out.  Taking his hair in both hands, he pulled it all around his shoulder to the front and began to wring it out as he walked back towards the shore.  Just as he got knee deep he heard a high voice cut through the sea breeze, causing him to freeze in his tracks.  He straightened from his slight bend, forgetting for a moment about the water in his hair as his hands moved down to his sides.  Someone was here.  All at once he felt his energy flare, the soft glow of the blue on his arms shone brightly on its own accord as he turned in the newcomer’s direction.  

People.  He didn’t like people, especially not so close to his home and for a brief moment his eyes moved to the dugout entrance before quickly back to them.  They were a slight ways down, but he wasn’t in the mood to kill anyone tonight: he was too tired.  Maybe he’d just save them for tomorrow or…send them away with a simple hex.  The aquamarine of his eyes blazed brighter as he waded the rest of the way out of Nyella’s waves, and he moved with strong strides towards the stranger.

Her voice gave away that she was female, but as he drew closer to her his pace slowed.  There was something about her face…something different.  His however was fixed: jaw locked, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he felt his power ripple through his veins, into his arms, cold yet burning to come out at her, “You’re far from civilization.  Why are you here?”  It wasn’t often people wandered far out enough to reach him, and while that meant it’d be easier to get rid of her, it also bothered him that people were much more daring now.  How long until someone wanted to build their home here?  He shuddered at the thought.

Her words were answered with a soft glow in the distance. At least it appeared to be soft. As the shape emerged from the sea, she was able to make out distinct veins of brightly glowing blue. What was this creature? What was this power? Her adrenaline surged as the being moved towards her. Not that you would be able to tell from the stillness of her face; emotion having not grown powerful enough in her being to impact the movement of the necessary facial muscles to emote.

She stepped closer to the being as her curiosity swelled. Was it going to attack? Was she going to have to defend herself? Or could it be something peaceful looking to meet another wanderer? The possibilities were endless. At least they were until a male’s voice echoed into the night. He spoke the common tongue; though he was clearly not anything commonplace.

Why was she here? Well, that was quite the loaded question. Did he mean here as in the shore upon which she stood, or did he mean here as in this realm? Technically, neither question was one that she could not answer fully. As far as she could recall, she woke up one day in the middle of a tavern 3 months ago with nothing on her person save for the silvery slip of a dress that still adorned her body; though much more tattered than it had been at that time. Since then, she has been wandering. Searching. For the gods only knew what.

So why was she here? She couldn’t really say. She knew so little of this world, and could answer in proportion to that knowledge.

Before she allowed herself to speak to the man, she squinted her eyes a bit; forcing them to adapt to the darkness in converse to the light that he was emitting. Suddenly, and somewhat unexpectedly, he came into view. His eyes shone a blue that did not belong in this plane; a hue that echoed the river delta etched upon his skin. He was wet, assumingly due to his late night salt water excursion, but was definitely a human; at least some kind of human. But what was that light?

”I don’t know. I suppose I just followed the winds. What about you? What brings you out into the night?” She somehow sounded sincere, despite the very apparent lack of emotion.

She wanted to know about him. She wanted to know about his power.

Now there was really something wrong with her face.  In that it didn’t change.  Her eyes gave a hint of sincerity, but it was so light that he couldn’t tell if it was a trick his eyes wanted him to see.  As for the rest of her expression, to use the word ‘blank’ didn’t seem like a good enough descriptor.  Dead?  Dull?  Off putting…He looked down at himself, behind himself, around them.  Now, he didn’t necessarily like when someone drew back from him, or looked at him funny, but it was an irritant he’d grown used to.  Yet she just stared on calmly.  Strange.

“You followed the winds…?” he arched an eyebrow and took a step towards her, breathing in deeply in her direction before stepping back again.  She didn’t smell like another witch.  Was she under some kind of trance?  No, he would have smelled that too…What was wrong with her?  Not that he’d want to fix whatever it was, but it’d be interesting to learn how to do this to someone.  A screaming victim was more pleasurable, but on nights like tonight where he was more tired it would make the kill easier if they didn’t struggle.

“Uh huh…” his tone was drawn out, “To the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night…”  This had to be some kind of magick, but not any he’d ever been aware of.  He grimaced at the thought that maybe it was something holy, or even just good.  Sickening, and wasteful.  “Well, little…” actually he didn’t know her name, “Person.  I was working.”  A thought stirred in his head and slowly his lips formed into a smile,

“Working in the water.  Do you like the water…?  Maybe your wind was leading you there for something.  I could help you with that if you’d like…”  His tone softened, though there was no warmth to be had.  For some reason he couldn’t stop thinking about her hair, it’s likeness was so close to that of the moon’s light that he just had to have some of it.  And possibly a few other things if he could manage it, but then again…he was more tired than usual.  Still, it was tempting…

He sounded confused. Was he not in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night himself? Or was this only odd behavior for someone as slight as she? Or was it due to her feminine frame? That hardly seemed likely. Some of the most power creatures in this realm were women. Goddesses. Hunters. Assassins. Surely that could not be the cause.
 
She glanced around the shore once again, letting her mind really take note of the area. There was no danger that she could sense. Nor was there anything out of the ordinary; save for him. And why would he act confused that she was in a place alone if the only thing de alonusahi was him? 

She was confused. Or he was. Or they both were. Her head hurt.

”The water is rather pleasant. The winds of this realm have a love affair with the water. Where one is, the other is always found.” She allowed herself to muse out loud. It was something that she did not do often, but the man was clearly something beyond human and should understand the need to extrapolate. There was, after all, only so much room within the mortal mind. Eventually everything spills out.

”There is a possibility that the winds have guided me to this ocean. It would not be the first time that I was encountered with some sort of elemental magick. De alonusahi tend to pop up wherever I am. I suppose it stands to reason that one would reside here.” She spoke very clearly; concise in her tone. She was here for whatever the gods wanted her to see. For all she knew, it could have been this man. He was, after all, something of an anomaly for this region.

”How do you suppose you would help me in my pursuit?’ She asked flatly; her eyes moving up to meet his gaze.

She was considering his help more than she let on. Sure, she had come across individuals in this realm that were willing to help her search before. Some of which had been the reason the winds moved her there in the first place. But there was something about this man. The power that ran in his veins. The smell of salt that surrounded him. The brutal blue that shone from his eyes. He was something different. Something she had to pay attention to. He was, if she was recalling the word correctly, dangerous.

For a slight and very rare moment he was taken aback.  His eyes searched her still blank face before turning them out to the ocean, listening and gently breathing in time with the sea as the waves continued on.  The breeze was constant on his face, but not harsh.  Then again he had grown so used to it throughout his life that it was almost commonplace.  It was the only other element he paid any semblance of homage to or cared to learn about for the very fact she had stated.  Something felt off, almost like he was being tricked.  Maybe it was just her disarming nature…whatever it was, he didn’t like it.  He didn’t like so much calm, not from himself.

His eyebrows furrowed, looking back at her.  What did she say?  His eyes narrowed, lips moving silently as he tried to mouth the word or phrase she had said but the shapes were foreign to his lips and tongue.  “Excuse me, the what tend to pop up wherever you are?”  Ok, maybe she just wasn’t right in the head.  There was nothing else out here, not by that name at least.

No matter, she’d come back to the focal point of this entire conversation and his smile returned as he took a few steps back from her.  He could have grabbed her, but she was so complacent seeming that why expend the extra energy?  “The water of course…it helps everyone in their pursuits.  I can help you find whatever it is you say you’re being drawn to, but I’ll need you to help me first.”  All he needed was to get her into the water, preferably without a fight.

Whispers circled his ears as the tide began to come in faster, almost brushing their ankles despite where they were and with each lap the lines on his skin glowed brighter.  Without his instruction.   “Follow me…”  A few more steps backwards from her and then he turned, walking forward, closer to his hidden home but only by a few paces before he started into the waves. “You might want to tie up that hair of yours…”  It’d make it easier to slice off…

She tilted her head at his confusion. What had she said that was out of the ordinary? She ran back over her words and finally came upon the culprit. The language of her former life. It was somewhat difficult for her to control when that happened; as it mainly came back in fragments of speech and echoes of verbiage. Had she not lacked the emotion to do so, her face would have went pink in a soft blush. 

However, the man continued his speaking before she had to respond to her error. His focus was back on the water. It seemed important to him; more than most. She had heard tale of mermen that lived on the shores of the ocean, but there were certain aspects of him that did not match up with the descriptions that she had heard in her travels. He was something very different, but equally as aqua-centric. It was the mystery of the evening. 

She moved towards the lapping waves without any real intention. There was something about the water that was so inviting. It almost seemed as though it had calmed in preparation for her, but that wasn't possible, right? She didn't have the power to move elements, or speak to the spirits of the winds. No matter how much she desired power, she was not under such a delusion. 

She tilted her head up as he spoke. Her hair? Was that important? One could suppose that the salt of the sea could damage it, but she rarely had issues with such mortal things. Regardless, she pulled her hair up to a loose bun on the top of her head; allowing only a few strands to remain at the nape of her neck. The night air took no time to invade the space as it touched the skin. 

"Now what?" she said; dipping he toes into the salt of the ocean. 

(( OOC: I have permission to move Lucielle and do everything in this post with her. ))
 
He was surprised at how easily she took his instruction and wondered even more if there was something wrong with her.  Not that it would have changed what he was doing, but still.  If anything this could work in his favor more, he wasn’t above taking advantage of someone so naïve…or possibly touched in the head.  Still though, there was something different that he just couldn’t put his finger on with her.  His eyes followed her fingers as they deftly moved her hair up, a bun would be even cleaner and his smile shifted to be more genuine.  Moving alongside her, he led her deeper into the water until it was brushing up his knees.  This would be enough.
 
“Now,”  He moved his arm and gently looped it around her waist, pulling her to be standing in front of him.  She was smaller than he was, but the alignment of their hearts was there all the same.  He shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was by how small framed she was and how light she was to move and started to question her race.  Even though she looked human he knew well that appearances hardly spoke the truth in this world, “For now the only thing I want you to worry about his staying perfectly still.  Do not move.”  If she kept as obedient as she had been then this would be quick enough.
 
Bringing his hands down, he let them brush through the water, cupping it and gently moving it down her shoulders and arms.  Were it not for her hair he would have pressed her under by now, but he wanted it dry for as long as it could be save for a few strands at the back of her neck that got dampened.  She was clothed so it took more water to get her skin wet, but he was careful to move it with his hands along her stomach, up her chest and neck and under her chin until finally she was soaked all the way through.  Dripping wet just made her seem all the frailer.
 
“Close your eyes now.” He lifted a hand and gently moved it down her face, urging her eyes to close before wrapping that arm around her chest; his palm flat between her breasts at her heart where he could feel it thrumming at a constant rhythm.  Interesting, there hadn’t been a single change…no fear.  Yes, this was a good find indeed.  Again he smiled and now closed his own eyes as his other arm wrapped around her waist; gripping her hip so that she couldn’t move away should she try. 

He concentrated on her heart, her breathing, feeling out her energy and life force just from existing: the water that coursed through her body and kept her alive.  In time his heart matched hers as did his breathing; his chest moving in tandem against her back with each inhale and exhale she made.  His fingers lightly curled on her chest, keeping her pressed just in case she tried to move away. “Focus your energy…”  While his tone was soft, his intentions were anything but…

His touch left her feeling… odd. She had never been this close to a man before, at least not in the little bits of her past that she held within the recesses of her mind. But moreover, his presence felt so very different than she expected. So calm. When they had first met there was a level of anger in his glow, but now he was so calm in his movements. So gentle. 

His hands moved along her body with purpose; spreading bits of the ocean everywhere they went. She wondered for a moment how this was supposed to help her find what she was looking for. How was being wet going to help her find her purpose here? She had so many question that she would never ask. Who was she to question the rituals of mortals? She had seen magick in a great many ways, and each one came with it's own quirks and drawbacks. 

She remained steady in his arms; curious to see what would come from his actions. His hands moved up and down; somehow keeping sync with the ebbs and flow beneath her feet. Or was it that she was just so fascinated by his actions that she imagined it? 

The water around them felt oddly energized, as if life itself was coursing through it. She found a part of herself that wanted to move away from his touch and explore the life strewn waters, but she was too interested in whatever power he was weaving around them. 

She closed her eyes at his word and found her inner peace; something that was not always so easy for the silver haired girl. 

He was so in tune with her. So in tune Lucielle found herself longing for a past long since forgotten. A past where those of her kind, whatever that was, would join together and share the power of their birthright. He was familiar, but still somewhat off putting. He was dangerous. At least that's what she kept trying to tell herself. But honestly, all she wanted to know was how this was going to end.

"Focus my energy…" she said out loud; hoping to draw more focus to her cause. She thought about the winds that had lead her here. The pull within her spirit that pointed her to her next destination. She focused on why she was here and what she was supposed to see. 

All at once, yet somehow so slowly, her mind's eye began reaching; probing into the night. Perhaps his method was working after all. She was able to feel things like she never had before. She felt the sands under foot begin to shift with the movement of the ocean. She felt the creatures within the depths moving in and out of the coral that sat nestled deeper within the depths. She felt everything.
Whatever he was doing was working, but it wasn't pointing her towards anything specific. 

"What's happening?" she said; her voice nearly a whisper.