@Stuffy McPatch His feet were silent against the moss of the forest, his bow resting at his waist. Rowan stopped in a clearing, his purple eyes scanning the trees surrounding him warily before he knelt down, the knees of his trousers dampening with dew from the grass. He pulled the worn leather bag off his belt and opened it, searching for his knife.
Tezhki relaxed on the damp shore of a secluded cove. Small waterfalls trickled here and there, and she sighed contentedly as she squeezed water from silvery hair. This was her space. She assumed no one but her knew of it, besides the animals, and would come here quite often to get away from pesky predators of the sea. The others who lived there were always quite prejudiced of sirens, and she disliked getting involved with the drama. She never really cared what people thought of her, but their presence alone was irritating enough.
He cut a mushroom with deft fingers from the ground and placed it in the palm of his hand. The fungus twitched in his hand before a dull sheen came over it, stopping it from aging. He sighed, running a hand through his hair before storing the mushroom in his bag, standing up tiredly. There was a stream nearby. He would refill his canteen there.
Her previous attributes melted away. She would peg it as strange, the way the fin along her spine folded into something barely noticeable, and the gills on the side of her neck flattened and closed. It used to make her feel sick, but she learned how to ease the feelings as every one must. She scooped her hand into the water, running it over the permanent scales that trailed her ribs.
Eventually, the sound of running water filled his ears and Rowan broke through the trees, coming up to the edge of the stream. He looked around sharply, his gaze cold as he scanned the world around him. Finally, he knelt down by the water and brushed his fingertips over the surface. Almost instantly, small fish darted through the water towards him, approaching him as if yearning to touch his skin. He watched them with a strange air of gentleness, his hand hesitating before he pulled out his canteen and dipped it below the surface to fill it with the water. The fish looped through his fingers playfully and he raised an eyebrow before pulling the canteen out of the water and screwing the cap back on.
Tez was silent, laying back on the rocks as she stretched her arms lazily, the sun spotting through the trees as she remained blissfully unaware. She shut her eyes, easily tuning out the noise while she relaxed.
He stood and began to walk down the shoreline, his posture alert as he gazed out across the smooth water. The fish followed his path, swimming parallel to him, until he sighed and knelt down next to them, not noticing Tez on the rocks behind him. "You're not being subtle, you know," he chided them in their language. The fish seemed delighted by his response and began swimming in excited circles. "Rowan," one replied politely, "do you think you could do the rock race?" He pursed his lips, looking down at them with one raised eyebrow. "...fine. But only once. Once and then I really have to go." He stood up, looking down at the beach for smooth, flat stones. Finally, he managed to find one that he figured would do, its surface a dull red. Straightening up, he looked out across the water before tossing the stone, skipping it across the surface. The fish darted off as quickly as they could, all of them trying to retrieve the rock first.
Tez opened her eyes at the unusual noise, her brows furrowed. She was quiet for a moment, before sitting up, her gaze landing on Rowan. Silvery eyes flashed as she said nothing, though her mouth was open.
His back remained facing Tez and he sighed, looking tired in the fishes' absence. One brightly colored one returned with the rock in its mouth, its fins propelling it forward as quickly as it possibly could. "Rowan, Rowan!" it exclaimed around the rock. "I got it! I got it!" A rare smile crossed his face and he reached down to take back the rock. "Well done, little one," he said softly, returning the rock to the beach. The rest of the fish gathered around him, looking strangely hopeful, but he shook his head. "I have to go now," he said. "I'll be back some other time." He turned to leave before freezing, seeing Tez on the rocks. His hand instinctively went to his belt where his knife glinted in the sunlight.
Her eyes watched his hand with caution, and he would hear a sharp intake of breath from her. She moved back slightly, the movements tense and uncertain. Her eyes darted to the creek, noting the depth of water and how fast it would take her to get out of there in case anything happened. "W-Who are you?" she asked, attempting not to sound somewhat fearful. She did keep the disdain in her voice.
His left eyebrow raised critically as he studied her carefully, noting how quickly her silvery eyes were obviously searching for escape routes and the slight tremor that accompanied her words. This creature was no threat. In fact, she seemed frightened, although it was obvious that she was trying to hide it. They were all the same. He sighed, as if he was bored, and his frame relaxed as his hand pulled away from the blade. "Does it matter?" he asked flatly. His voice was low and sounded vaguely Irish, and it was rougher than it had been when he was speaking to the fish.
She went to stand slowly, tugging at her loose shirt nervously. "No, I guess it doesn't," she replied, her tone irritated. It didn't seem to match her voice, which was light and smooth. She paused, watching him with a somewhat dark expression. "Why are you here?"
He inhaled as if she were an annoyance, his purple eyes flickering to meet her gaze as he held up his canteen. They contrasted with his pale skin and she would be able to notice a distinct, silvery scar across the bridge of his nose. "Is it a crime for an elf to get water nowadays?" he asked sharply, glaring. "I mean, I wouldn't really be surprised, but I do find myself a little shocked that a siren considers themselves in a position to look down upon another species."
She had known sirens were known to be a bit shifty, but she had never been subject to the talk. A frown crossed her as she approached him with fierce eyes, her hands on her hips. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He laughed and it was surprisingly gentle, although it seemed as if it may have simply been the way his laugh sounded. His face was sarcastic and he looked at her as if she were a passing fly; nothing more than a small annoyance. "What do you think it means? I'm just saying, Miss Siren, that I find it ridiculous that someone of your kind would look down upon someone of mine. I am well aware of the reputation that elves hold, especially nowadays, but to have a siren look down upon us? Well, I feel as if we've hit a new low."
She glared sharply at him, before stepping past and into the water. "You definitely have," she said lowly, walking until she was knee-deep. "The first thing you come to think of is to insult my kind? Pathetic."
He rolled his eyes, clearly unimpacted by her words. He drew his knife and returned to the trees, carving off a large section of bark from a large fir. "And the first thing you think to do is question my motives for simply standing at a lake. If I were a deer, or a human or another siren, you would think nothing of it. However, when an elf comes to the shore, you look terrified and demand to know who I am and what I'm doing. I'm not the bigot here, Miss Siren. You are."
She watched the fish scatter from her presence, long hair trailing behind her. "Deers are different," she said. "I don't like it when there are other people. So, you're wrong. If it were anyone else I would ask the same question. You're no different. You're not special."
"Hm. I'm sure," he said sarcastically, preserving the bark with his magic before slipping the sample into his bag. "I'm sure you would look just as frightened if it were an ordinary human." He sheathed his knife before glancing back at her, one brow raised. "You're scaring the fish, by the way."
She didn't meet his gaze, feeling somewhat small as the bluish spine on her back opened with the water. She ignored the comment on the fish, rolling her eyes. "You were going for your knife. What was I supposed to do?"
