Beyond the Sea ((Keto))

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

Her tears had little effect on her, being that she was already underwater, but there was no denying her sadness. Was this all life had to offer? She was terribly lonely and the only thought going through her mind at that moment was death. She was certain that she would die after her banishment, yet was dismayed when it hadn't come. The life of a solitary mermaid hadn't been pleasant for her at all. In fact, she had grown to despise everything about herself. She hated the kind of mermaid that she was. She couldn't be like the others and it was because of that that she ended up in the situation she was in now.

It had only been a few years after her banishment. Nita Larene had gone from spoiled princess of the Mahina clan, to lone mermaid rather suddenly and dramatically. Her fall from grace hadn't gone unnoticed and anytime she was recognized by others, sneering comments were always made at her expense. She survived the only way she knew how, by the very reason she had gotten herself into serious trouble earlier. Nita had learned the art of deception and used her ability to transform to deceive unsuspecting humans. She preyed on the rich and weak.

However, that didn't always work and most of the time she preferred keeping herself in the waters. She worked alone and stayed clear of most other merfolk. There were many who would want nothing more than to see her dead. She was always aware of that. The ocean was terribly vast, which only furthered her isolation from the rest of society. In her eyes, she had done fairly well for herself, but it was not ideal and her life was becoming increasingly dangerous. A single, lone female was an easy target.

So she wept. Nita wasn't much on tears, but today, she felt warranted it. After several years on her own, she had held back all her emotions and accepted what life had thrown at her. Now, after a failed hunt attempt, it seemed like everything had crashed down on her all at one time. She wanted to scream, she wanted to kill, she wanted to cry, but most importantly, she wanted to die. It wouldn't be any use if she did any of those things and after a minute or two of talking to herself, she was convinced that she was better off alive.

Everyone was entitled to a mini-breakdown once in awhile. "You've got to get it together..." She said to herself and kept swimming, no particular place in mind. This was the path that had been chosen for her, she was going to have to make the most out of this situation if she wanted to live. Finally, after swimming in silence for several hours, Nita came to a spot she was all too familiar with. She quietly poked her head from out under the water and looked around. She figured she was alone and found a rock nestled in the middle of the ocean and climbed atop it.

From there, she could see the shoreline. Nita was hungry, but she was tired as well and didn't think she had anymore energy left to do much of anything. She didn't want to be bothered and only hoped she couldn't be seen at all. She made a conscious effort to hide her fins and because she was fairly far off in the distance, she didn't think anyone coming from the shore would be able to make her out. At least, she was hoping so.

The rushing waves crashed against her body, yet she didn't move. Her skin wasn't as weak as human skin and she was able to take the severe turbulence. She just sighed, wondering how she let this happen. Feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to win her any consolation. She had very few friends and mostly kept to herself. As sociable as she was, she had very little to show for it. Perhaps today was a changing of the guard. Clearly something had to change. She only wished she knew how to do it herself.

[KETO AYSU VELLAMO]

TOO PRETTY FOR ME
and maybe baby you're playing hide and go seek

I'M HOPING FOR THE BEST

-----------------------------------------------------------

For many days the leader of the Ekundayo had been resting deep in the sea of Morana, only hunting small game at the bottom of the ocean instead of going up to the shores for the more tasty meals. Oh, he had been craving the flesh of the creatures that were up closer to the sun and skies. It was like some kind of treat and he could usually find some stupid human to drag down into the water with him and then either let them drown or kill them quickly. Most of the time he killed them before they even hit the water. So, yeah, he could be merciful. No matter how enthralling watching something thrash about in the water could be Keto simply wasn’t into it. He’d rather kill him and then have something to eat right then and there. Wasn’t that good enough? Ugh, but enough with this thought of the meals up by the shore. He still had his doubts about traveling up there for the time. No matter how badly he craved the taste of something besides small fish, crabs, and whatever else was scurrying at his fingertips here. He would just continue grazing on that… relying on the rest of the clan to save something for him and return it here.

It had been a few days ago that he had gotten into a bit of a problem. Keto was like every living thing out there, nowhere near perfect, you see. He tried to make it a rarity that he managed to allow something to pierce his skin or physically harm him but every now and then it did happen. It had been one of those days that day. Actually it had been night time when he and a few others from Ekundayo had been hunting along the shore. He had found a nice piece of flesh; a human woman who seemed to be drunk beyond her wits and more than eager to follow a scantily dressed Keto (in his human form the tattered cloth around his waist wasn’t much cover). He didn’t play around with her. All he had done was lured her toward the edge of a nice cliff and pushed her off after cutting her throat with the dagger he carried. After pushing her body he kept a hold on it, falling into the water next to it. His clan mates had not been the only ones waiting for him. A large sea creature had seemed to rise up from the depths upon catching the scent of the blood. With Keto still clinging to his victim, the creature had taken him down with the body. Keto had managed to squirm free but not without a wound.

Along his hip and down a bit of his tail had been where the creature’s teeth had dragged against him, leaving a nasty cut. Having really nobody of high mending skills in his clan, Keto had tried his best on his own to take care of the wound. Like he would really let anyone touch him anyways. He didn’t really trust them… mostly because he knew that nobody should really fully trust him

His work was poor in comparison to some great doctor but it would do. It had been a painful process but he did it with what he could find on the way back to the bottom of Morana. An old fishhook and some fishing line had been his choice. Kind of ironic, maybe? Oh, it hadn’t really mattered to Keto at the moment though. All he had wanted to do was close up his wound and pray that it would not get infected. His immune system was strong from being alone and growing up in a rather… harsh environment but that did not mean he was completely able to fend off everything. So after pressing it many times through his scales and then his flesh, Keto had made do with his monstrosity. It was not a pretty site and it kept him from hunting near the shore but he was patient and knew it would fade in due time.

The merman slunk low, staring up into the darkness of the waters. His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed while the temptation to swim up higher began to kick in all over again. He snorted and a trail of small bubbles erupted from his nostrils. Then with a flip of his tail the merman darted up toward the surface, slowing down when his right side begged him to do so because of the poor stitching in his side.

He headed up in the direction of the shore, hoping to catch something maybe along the way there without having to fight it much. The strap around his waist held his dagger and his hand rested over it prepared to slice open anything that swam by. And as he got closer to the shore he was given a bit of luck. A fish flew by and his arm flew up with the dagger in hand. He whipped around taking hold of the tail and placing the knife back in its pouch. Then he surfaced and shook his around once to whip his hair away from his face. He placed the fish in his mouth and prepared to tear it apart when he managed to catch sight of another merperson. Immediately he ducked a bit of the ways to peek out toward her, still keeping his fish in his mouth. It didn’t take him long to figure out who it was. He ducked further into the water and disappeared into the water, swimming over toward Nita, the exiled princess.

Once he was against the rock she was at he poked only his head out of the water to gaze up at her. He had stopped in front of the rock to keep the waves from crashing on him completely but still a little would hit him in the face. He didn’t bother removing the fish from his mouth… he also didn’t bother with saying anything. He simply stared up at her waiting to see if she would notice him bobbing up and down there. If not perhaps he’d carry on… or get her attention some other way.

-----------------------------------------------------------

tagged: nita isis larene
song: too pretty by state of shock
words: 1,041
notes: C:

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

The calming nature of the rise and fall of the water on her back did nothing to make her want to move. In fact, she seemed at peace, lying on this rock that way. Her hunger wasn't going to cure itself, however, and eventually she was going to have to force herself from that rock. Nita opened her eyes and frowned, unable to move. Or maybe she just didn't want to. She had a lot going on in her mind. There was no way she was going to be focused enough to do any seriously hunting and she knew it.

What Nita hadn't been expecting was company. She didn't know anyone and she trusted very few. She really didn't have much of a luxury in that department. She had burned several bridges years ago and now solely relied on herself for survival if she could. When her stomach could no longer contain itself, Nita knew it was time to get off her high rock and go back into the water and fish for food. After what had happened a few hours ago, she wasn't sure if she was up for another rejection, but she hadn't eaten anything of substance in almost a day.

Slowly, she lowered herself until she was floating, her chest above the water. She quickly turned around, only to be facing another merman. Nita's green eyes were opened wider than she had intended and she was unable to speak. How long had he been there, watching her? She studied him, her eyes slowly narrowing. He was extremely handsome, but she hadn't seen him before. She wasn't sure if he knew her or if she should know him, but she was fairly confident she didn't.

How long she had been staring at him, she wasn't sure. Then again, she wasn't even sure how long he had been looking up at her. Either way, it was incredibly awkward. Normally, she might have been up for some harmless flirting, but today just wasn't her day. She looked at him again, as if seeing him for the first time and finally mustered up some strength to form coherent words. "Do you like what you see?" She didn't bother elaborate, gave him a soft smirk and went on her way, slowly drifting away from him.

Nita didn't get too far however. She saw what she had been looking for: a large fish. Hopefully, he hadn't seen it too. She had come too far to be outdone by a stranger. Pretending not to notice the fish swimming, Nita gently lowered her entire face underwater and headed straight for the fish, the pains in her stomach becoming ever more apparent. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go without a decent meal and judging from the large size of the fish, it would fill her up for a few days, at best.

She looked back to see if the merman had followed her, but she couldn't tell anymore. She wouldn't concern herself with him currently. Her eyes were set on only one thing. Nita swam subtly, not wanting to be seen by the fish. Slowly she stalked her prey until she came, bolstering out of nowhere and biting down on its fin with her teeth. It slashed about a few times, but she was relentless and more powerful. She wasn't going to let it go, not when she had come all this way for it. With it still trying to escape, Nita used her hands to take it out of its misery by snapping its neck. She held onto the dead fish with her teeth and kept swimming moving ashore, where she liked to eat her food.

Nita emerged from the waters and gently threw her meal on the beach. She looked around again but didn't spot the merman. She didn't waste anytime in eating and started ravishing about, no longer caring how much of a mess she made or who saw her. That was besides the point. She was hungry and had put up with too much before finally winning out.

[KETO AYSU VELLAMO]

TOO PRETTY FOR ME
and maybe baby you're playing hide and go seek

I'M HOPING FOR THE BEST

-----------------------------------------------------------

While Keto awaited the mermaid’s attention, he dropped his fish from his mouth lazily and let it plop into the water. Being dead, all it did was float back to the surface where he picked it back up with his right hand. He dug his fingers into the gills just behind its head and lifted it to his mouth, tearing off the tail with his teeth. Compared to the rest of the fish it was rougher to chew on but Keto was not one to waste anything that he ate. Anything that he could chew up and digest was most likely going to end up being inside of his mouth and then digested in his stomach. So he floated there, chewing on a fish tail while he stared up at the mermaid. He still kept his fish clutched in his hand, fingers still stuck up in its gills to keep a good hold of it as he was holding it below the water for the moment. Finally, the mermaid moved from her spot and Keto ceased from chewing just for a moment as he watched her drop off of the rock and into the water. It did not take very long for her to finally spot him.

Upon seeing him she looked surprised. Her eyes widened a good deal showing off the color in them. His aquamarines just stared right on back at her, his jaw resuming the very soft chewing motion that he had started earlier. She didn’t seem to have any words to say to him. She still seemed to be too surprised that he had been bobbing around in the water there watching her. It made him grin knowing that she had not even noticed his presence lurking there in the water. Nah, it wasn’t really lurking. It had been innocent staring was all. It wasn’t as though he had been stalking her or planning on pulling her into the water and killing her in some cannibalistic act. No, Keto was just drifting around and she happened to be something to look at. Mermaid or not, Keto would not have attacked something that was near her size anyways. With his wounds (that he had no interest in ripping open) things that were human sized were safe from him hunting them down.

Finally she spoke and the question made him grin while raising one brown brow up at her. That was something that he had not really been expecting from her but he probably should have anticipated it. What else should he expect a pretty mermaid to say to him while he had been staring her down? And, of course, he did know the fact that she was also a princess. Well, she had been. She may have had no clue who Keto was, that was expected but he knew just who she was. He was the leader of the Ekundayo and her father was the king of the Mahina clan. Naturally he knew who she was. In fact, he knew who she was before she was even full grown as he was many years older than Nita was. Keto did not have many dealings with the Mahina clan. They had always been to rigid for his liking. But that did not mean that his group and theirs had not come together to speak of things. Usually it didn’t last long since Keto did not much like dealing with other clans. He was far too wild to want to set too many boundaries or follow anyone else’s rules. They simply had no idea how he had been brought up in this ocean.

Keto didn’t give her an answer. He had not been given the time to give her an answer. She had floated on passed him. Keto looked over his shoulder at her but did not do much other than that. Soon she disappeared underneath the water, completely out of his view. For a moment his eyes lingered in the spot. The waves rolled by though and soon Keto decided that he didn’t want to be caught in them.

The merman started forward toward the shore. He placed the fish between his teeth again until he managed to reach some tide pools to rest in. Now, without the waves abusing him, he managed to in the closed off bit of ocean. He draped his arms over the rock and stared out over the ocean, tearing into his fish again. He didn’t keep his peace for long though because the exiled princess soon appeared again and was carrying her own meal to the shore. Upon seeing her, Keto pushed over the ledge of rocks back into the ocean and swam out to where his tail wouldn’t be dragging across the sand. It was already in some pain with him flipping around all over the place. He still hadn’t gained the chance to finish off his meal and once again and placed it between his teeth while he swam across the water quickly. The sound of crashing waves easily helped keep him camouflaged. Keto was not going to keep himself hidden though. He wasn’t going to crawl up on the shore either though, not with his side in such a state.

“You’re Nita, am I correct?” he called up toward the shore after taking the fish from his mouth again. “I’ve seen you before with your father.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

tagged: nita isis larene
song: too pretty by state of shock
words: 897
notes: C:

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

Considering all that she had to go through to get it, the fish was hands down the best meal she had ever had. Of course she was probably overreacting, but the way she tore into it told another story. She didn't even stop to take a breath, not that she needed to. She continued on, showing a lack of finesse and grace that her mother would have hit her for without a doubt. But why did she care? It was her own mother and father that turned their backs on her. She was her own woman now and was going to do as she saw fit.

For a moment, after finishing her meal, she had wondered about the strange male she had encountered. Nita licked her lips and looked down at the mess she had made. She tilted her head in satisfaction. No, Mother wouldn't be proud. For some reason that made her smile warmly. She could never be like her; she had stopped trying years ago, even before her banishment. She shrugged, her stomach finally feeling content. Had it been up to her, she would have just fallen asleep right there, but she knew better. She was sure as dead if she even thought about it.

So her thoughts returned to the mysterious merman. He was rather intriguing, not to mention extremely handsome. She thought of the many things she'd like to do with him. It was all in good fun. Chances were that he had already gone about his way. If that were true, she might have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to do some serious damage. She rested her body, her lower half still submerged underwater while her upper body lay on the sand. She closed her eyes only momentarily, but was alerted when an unfamiliar voice appeared to call out to her.

Nita turned around awkwardly and smiled. So he could talk. She took in the sound of his voice and wondered how she should go about properly handling him. He wasn't a human male and her experiences with mermen varied. Biting her lip, she pushed herself from the sandy beach and swam closer to where he called out to her. He was another to have recognized her. She wasn't sure what to think about that and wasn't really pleased when he mentioned her father.

"Oh?" She said, a hint of coldness in her voice. She didn't bother answer him in the affirmative. She knew that he already knew who she was. No point in pointing out the obvious. "It seems everyone has seen me with my...father." She sounded indifferent, but was silently seething. Why would this man bring up something like that? Unless of course, he wanted to get some sort of rise out of her. She was constantly taunted, but in her years, had learned restraint. If that's what this stranger wanted, he wasn't going to get it. At least, not right away.

"You gonna eat that thing or do you like to play with your food first?" She eyed what was in his mouth, having no desire of her own to take it from him. After all, she had just eaten more than her share and was extremely full and content. For a moment, Nita contemplated leaving him to it, but she had a feeling that he wanted company. No one ever liked to admit as such and judging from the fact that he was a male hunting alone probably proved it. She'd oblige him as long as he proved interesting.

Her green eyes glossed him over several more times and then she saw something that made her turn up her nose slightly. There was some hideous scar of his that clearly needed some fine tuning. Such a beautiful man swimming around with something that was sure to get infected. "You should get that checked." She said, her body lowering once again to get a better look. She was completely underwater and moved further so as to get a better look. She wasn't a healer, but she felt confident enough in her own abilities to take care of herself without needing one.

Finally, after a few minutes, she re-emerged and frowned. "How'd you get that...thing?" She asked, clearly referring to his scar. "It's not...it'll probably get infected." She eyed him suspiciously, but relented just as quickly. It wasn't her business after all and she had the feeling that if he wanted to seek help, he'd have done it. Instead she shrugged. "How'd you know my father?" She asked, not really wanting to know the answer but trying to steer it clear from any hostility he might bring after her prodding about.

[KETO AYSU VELLAMO]

TOO PRETTY FOR ME
and maybe baby you're playing hide and go seek

I'M HOPING FOR THE BEST

-----------------------------------------------------------

She must hot have cared so much about her father. It was something that had not really crossed Keto’s mind considering he had been simply giving her the truth. And that truth was that he had, indeed, first seen the mermaid with her father. He was almost positive now that she had not the slightest idea of who he was or must have been too young or cared too little to remember his face. It wasn’t that he minded really. Keto was not one to go around throwing about his identity unless he needed to. To him, people either knew him or they didn’t and in the end if they crossed his path they would know who he was actually and have a very difficult time shaking a character like himself from their memories. But it was no matter to him. Keto could remember faces though. They burned into his mind, reminding him who was friend and who was foe. This girl father had been something in between that, though Keto had never once trusted him. She, however, could make her own name in Keto’s eyes. She could show him whether she was worth being called an ally or not. He wouldn’t hold it against her that he had never much cared for her father.

He waited for her to say something other than a simply sound like ‘oh’ but it did not seem like she had any interest in him. Maybe mentioning her father had been a sore topic. That only made him grin awkwardly to himself, feeling slightly amused at her possible sensitive toward the topic. Call him cold or shallow but he thought holding bitter feelings toward other things was really just a waste of time no matter how wretchedly they may have treated you. There was really no use in carrying bad feelings with you, now was there? Whatever though- it really was not any of Keto’s business and he would allow this ex-princess to feel whatever it was that she pleased to feel toward her father. If she wanted bitterness and hatred then so be it. It kind of gave of a sexy fiery thing anyways. Oh yeah, he was feeling that but unlike many males he could restrain himself from acting on that urge that so many struggled with. Many years of drifting around the sea with his mother had taught him to be patient and hold back feelings. Whether it was a good or bad trait, he wasn’t sure and quite frankly he didn’t care.

Ah, something besides ‘oh.’ Though it was nothing to marvel over. She asked him about the fish that had been continuously going back and forth from his mouth to his hand since he had found her. He gazed down at it lazily seeing the fishes coloring and dark blood splotches through the clear water. Then he looked back up toward her and simply tilted his head at her while rising up each of his eyebrows. “I’m afraid a distractions kept me from finishing it.”

She was looking him over now. He was watching her eyes move around and decided a moment after to mimic what she was doing. Of course, instead of staring at himself it looked across at her instead. She was not the young mermaid he recalled her being. She simply had the same features; the same eyes for example. She was not one to be easily mistaken. There were plenty of lovely mermaids out there but she had a few unique features that made her memorable in his mind. Besides being the daughter of another clan leader. He grinned absently. She was much prettier now that she had mature more.

When she spoke again, Keto raised one eyebrow up at her, almost not know at all what she was talking about. He lowered his stare from her and to his own body where he soon found the gash that he currently adorned on his side. She thought he should get that checked? What made her think that aside from the poor stitch job and the size of the thing? Hah- right, all of the above, right? Keto just shrugged his shoulders and half grinned looking up at her. “What makes you say that?” he questioned her sarcastically. All in good humor, of course. Just as he had said the words though, she disappeared beneath the water. He wasn’t even sure she had heard him say it. Not that it really mattered though. His mind was occupied with making sure his eyes stalked her every movement now. Just in case she tried to touch it or something… She didn’t thank Mort. But she did emerge and have the question of how he had gotten it. He just gave her a slight frown. “Surprisingly, there are meaner fish than me out there.”

Her next questioned amused him slightly. Only because he knew that she didn’t want to talk about it. But that did not mean that Keto wasn’t going to go ahead and have a little fun by answering her… vaguely.

“Hmm, it was some years ago. He had wanted my help with something- boring story really, huh?”

With that said he gave her a toothy grin and sank back into the water, flipping backwards to head a little ways out toward the sea. Far enough to where he would not have to deal with the crashing of constant waves. He didn’t remerge though. Instead he stayed beneath the water, finishing off the last of his fish. His light eyes stayed upward waiting to see if the female had any interest in following him or not. Part of him hoped that she did. Floating at the bottom of the ocean for another few days didn’t sound as amusing as this could end up being.

-----------------------------------------------------------

tagged: nita isis larene
song: too pretty by state of shock
words: 968
notes: C:

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

He wasn't as dull as she had originally thought. In fact, she was increasingly becoming more interested him by the minute. Her depression was slowly wearing off. It couldn't have come at a better time really. She didn't want to be down and on the rocks at a moment like this. No, she needed to have her wits about her. She needed to be sharp. This was a golden opportunity and she wasn't going to allow any mishaps in her life ruin whatever she had going here. Of course, she wasn't sure what she had going on, but she was going to attempt to find it out.

She should have recognized him, but she didn't. That wasn't to say that he was lying. He was probably telling the truth about knowing her father. Everyone did and he had always made it a point to let everyone know who he was. In her eyes, that wasn't such a strong asset, but he was old and had experience and knew what he was doing apparently. Leading wasn't her thing. She'd much rather be behind the scenes or on the sidelines. She wasn't good with responsibility.

Nita looked the male over again and frowned slightly. She wanted to recognize him but she couldn't. She simply encountered far too many people in her life to put much stock in something like that. She never bothered herself with names and faces and places. She didn't dwell too much on the past, only when someone said or did something to make her remember. She didn't like being reminded of how much a screw up she was. She had to live that everyday. He could have taunted her more, but she was silently glad that he refrained from doing so.

She'd like to think she was one of those distractions. After all, he had been looking at her. He could have easily eaten that fish anytime he wanted. He chose to stop and look at her, for reasons, she wasn't entirely sure. Did she think she was attractive? Sure, but she didn't go about boasting like many of her siblings. Whatever she had, it was all natural. Nita carelessly pushed several wet strands of hair out of her face. Sometimes, she wanted to have it all chopped off. It wasn't very attractive, but at least it wouldn't get in the way!

All Nita could do was nod her head in agreement. She raised one of her arms, several bruises all over and said, "Yes, there are plenty." Nita lowered her arm and bit her lip. She was curious about him and rather surprised that he hadn't tried to make some sort of move on her. Perhaps he was one of those males that didn't find females...interesting. If so, it was rather disappointing. He wouldn't have been the first though and a nostalgic smile appeared on her face, though it was quickly erased.

She listened to his one sentence reply and shrugged. "I'm sure there's more to that 'boring story' than you're letting on, but I'll let you have it all the same." She smirked. Truthfully, she didn't want to know and she saw no reason to ask him more. Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore and she highly doubted it effected her. She didn't care about "them" and found that the more she thought about "them", the worse off she felt and Nita liked feeling happy.

However, just when they were finally starting to have some sort of conversation, he floated off and disappeared back into the sea. Nita pouted. She was tempted to follow him, but she wasn't used to doing the chasing. Nita liked to be chased and put on a show, but he was different. Her usual flirting wasn't going to work with him clearly. If she really wanted to make some sort of effort, she was going to have to be the one to make the first move. She sighed heavily, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Either way, she knew that she wanted him.

Nita slowly lowered her body into the water and swam in the direction he had gone until she saw him. It was as if he had been waiting for her. She wondered how old he was. Those that knew her father weren't young and he must have been important if Daddy wanted something from him. Well, she wanted something too, but she was certain it wasn't what her father wanted. In any event, she finally caught up to him and slowly came to a halt, gliding idly in the waters.

"Why were you looking at me?" She finally asked, a soft smile on her face. His answer didn't matter. She swam around him a few times, laughing. "Most males would have already tried to get me. Do I not interest you that way?" She smirked, having stopped swimming and rested in front of him. He wasn't the type she normally messed around with and it only made her that more interested in him. She liked challenges in men and knowing that she might fail a few times. It seemed to turn her on. He knew her name but she didn't know his.

She stared at him the way he had been looking at her earlier, a hard to read look etched on her face. She didn't want him to think she wanted anything from him. "You hunt alone...do you not belong to a clan?" She asked, her tone growing rather serious. "It's not always wise to do so, especially among our people. We're so quick to cast each other aside, as if we're land dwellers..." She was clearly speaking from experience and looked away from him momentarily. That, if nothing else, was the reason she had opted to keep to herself for this long.

[KETO AYSU VELLAMO]

TOO PRETTY FOR ME
and maybe baby you're playing hide and go seek

I'M HOPING FOR THE BEST

-----------------------------------------------------------

A smirk formed on his lips while he finished off the last of his meal. He crunched away at the tiny bones, spitting them from his mouth and then swiping them away from his face to drift off into the ocean. He felt much more satisfied with this meal since he had actually got to come up and snatch it unlike what he’d been doing for a little while. It made him feel like he was healing that much quicker and was much more able to take care of himself. Not to mention that it was absolutely delicious. Not as good as the flesh of a human but it was still quite tasty.

After pushing away a few more bits of fish skeleton, Keto noticed that Nita had decided to go ahead and chase after him. Oh, so she was going to amuse him. He was glad that she had decided to do so or else he would have had to swim back to Morana feeling completely bored with himself. As he watched her swim over to him, Keto gave her a peculiar sort of stare almost as though he had not planned on her following him at all. But it disappeared as she went ahead and threw another question his way. Boy, she had quite a few of these questions that she wanted answered didn’t she? But for now he only concerned himself with the one she had presented to him now and it was quite an easy question to give an answer to. Why was he looking at her? Because he was bored. It may have sounded like a stupid reason but that had been his main reasoning behind it. He hadn’t thought that she was some gorgeous creature laying out on a rock and wanted to ogle her from below. All he had thought was that maybe she could prove to be more entertaining than a starfish or something of that nature. And what do you know! She was more entertaining than a starfish.

When she continued you speaking, his eyes continued following. She stopped in front of him and his eyes stopped right on hers while he gave her an answer. “I didn’t think about it,” he answered her simply. Keto then gave the female a smirk and closed some space between them. He furrowed his brow, still smiling. “I guess I didn’t need to since you were the one who followed me. Silly me for not noticing and chasing after you though. I'm much too old for you anyways."

Suddenly the mermaid took on a more somber look. This took him a bit by surprise but he didn’t show it all that much. The merman merely raised his brows back to a relaxed state and stayed put and attentive while he listened to Nita’s new question. At first, he just gave her a nod not really specifying what it was even directed toward. He didn’t always hunt with the clan anyways. Sometimes he would wander off himself just for old time’s sake. With the clan it was much easier to catch larger pray but Keto also took pride in what he did when he managed to take something down on his own. He felt he was just in his prime too. Three hundred and one may have seemed ancient to some but this particular merman only felt stronger as the years went by. Not to mention much wiser than he had been say… one hundred years ago. Now he knew the ideal places to hunt and the best ways to do it. She didn’t know that about him though. And bearing such a large wound probably didn’t make him seem like he was the best of hunters out there. But that creature had caught him by surprise. Damned thing had gotten away with his human too.

“Oh no, I don’t usually hunt alone,” he assured her finally. This time he started swimming circles around her, pausing at every angel and tilting his head to the side for further inspection every so often. “I am part of a clan. I have never been cast out of one to begin with. Sometimes I simply choose to go out on my own.” He went around her one last time and then swam up over her shoulder turning his head toward her with a matter-of-fact sort of look on his face. “Besides, you are the one hunting alone now without a clan,” he grinned. “There is no need to take pity on others when you are in such a situation is there? Especially on the likes of me since I hold no sadness for you, princess.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

tagged: nita isis larene
song: too pretty by state of shock
words: 777
notes: meow

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

So the plot thickened. Nita snorted to herself at some of his comments but made little effort to say anything back to him. She liked playing this game, whatever it was called. He was very mysterious and it only enticed her that much more. He mimicked her moves with some of his own and she couldn't help but smirk. This day was turning out to be an adventure, that was for sure. When she woke up, the last thing on her mind had been partaking in a conversation with anyone, let alone another merman. She usually didn't get that lucky.

She considered his words, but they held little meaning to her. She had messed around with males of many different species that were far older than she was and in a few instances, much younger. Age wasn't something she really thought about. Nita liked to think of herself as wise beyond her years. After all the drama that concerned her life and the experiences that she had encountered over her life, she liked to believe that she had matured far quicker than many in her age group. Not to mention, she seemed to prefer older men anyway.

"I suppose I did follow you, but only because you wanted me to. I mean, it was pretty obvious that's what you wanted." She replied casually. She swam around him once again before continuing, "I've never had a male not be interested because of something so trivial as age. If you think you're the first..." She didn't bother finish that statement. The best part of Nita's current life was her solitary state. She didn't own herself to anyone or any one clan. She was her own person. She didn't have a mate and was grateful for that. It allowed her to do all the things she wanted to do.

She didn't want to say too much about her extracurricular activities but chances were he already knew. She didn't really make an attempt to hide the fact that she was rather promiscuous when it came to males. Many assumed that she preferred humans to mermen, which couldn't have been further from the truth; they were just easier to get. Not to mention, she usually ate them after she had grown bored with them. Sex and a meal, it was a win-win for her.

She found mermen to be rather cautious and picky and Nita couldn't really understand that notion. Either that, or they were too eager and violent. She had to fight off quite a few in her day and win some over. They were just too difficult for her most of the time, so she messed with easier prey like humans. The only harm they could do her is with one of their so-called weapons and she was far too smart to allow herself to get caught in one of their primitive traps. Trapping only worked one way and she was the one to do it.

Ah, so there was some depth to this conversation after all. For a moment, she was convinced she was only talking to herself. He hadn't appeared to have much to say initially. It was nice to be proven wrong. "Makes sense..." She said, her eyes no longer focusing on him. She turned away from him momentarily, sensing something else off in the distance. Perhaps it was another merfolk? She drifted a little away from him, curious as to what was coming their way. The waters were darker than she liked, her eyesight having been not the best.

It was then that she noticed it and her eyes widened. She swam closer to the male, more out of instinct than fear. It was a large shark. Nita wondered if it had been the same that troubled her earlier. It wouldn't have mattered much either way. She wasn't a fan of sharks. They weren't fun to play with and always wanted to eat her. She didn't move, but while she waited for the shark to arrive, she commented, "I don't need anyone's pity. If that was the case, I'd have gone back to Daddy years ago and showed some sort of remorse. I'm not sorry for my actions and I'd do it again regardless of the outcome. Contrary to popular belief, I don't need a clan and I'm not a princess anymore, so you can stop calling me that."

What she wanted to say was something else entirely, more concerning the shark than herself. She looked over at him again and down at his self-doctored scar. "You probably brought that thing here! It probably smelled you a mile away. For someone so...old, you sure aren't smart." She sounded irritated. Finally, the shark came into full focus and Nita looked apprehensive at best. She didn't want to be anywhere near it when the time came, but she didn't want to run away either. Her pride just wouldn't allow it. After a few antagonizing minutes, the shark was finally close up with the two merfolk. It was hungry.

[KETO AYSU VELLAMO]

TOO PRETTY FOR ME
and maybe baby you're playing hide and go seek

I'M HOPING FOR THE BEST

-----------------------------------------------------------

The merman grinned at her reply and gently propelled himself up and away from her, dropping to her depth again once he was far enough away from here. He switched back around to look at her and this time really gave her the look up and down. She seemed to be confident in her body but most mermaids were since there weren’t very many ugly mermaids unless you swam down to where he had come from. Also, since she had mentioned that no male had ever not taken an interest in her, Keto decided to really go ahead and size this mermaid up. His turquoise stare narrowed as his eyes slowly took an adventure up and down her body, taking the time as he pleased. First he had started with her tail; the coloring reminded him of the higher parts of the ocean as it was a sea-green color. Then he continued up toward the curves in her waist, to the light slops of her ribs, and then over her check. Soon his eyes crawled up her rather delicate looking neck so that they could once again meet up with her green stare. He perked up his brows, and gave her a careless half grin. Her skin seemed to be a shade or so darker than his own, perhaps because he spent much of his time near the bottom of the ocean rather than around the shores of this place. Her sandy blonde hair seemed to flow out nicely around her as she floated there before him.

Alright, so maybe he would admit to her that she should have been surprised that he had not been chasing her. Then again considering his personality he probably wouldn’t have even if he had paid attention to her fine assets. Keto simply did not tick in that fashion. He could look at something or someone and think that they were beautiful. Anybody could do that. But not just anybody could turn down the opportunity to be given such a beauty. Keto happened to be the type that could turn down something gorgeous. He had learned that ugly things could be useful, if not better. At least an ugly female would work harder in order to please since her looks got her no where. Or at least they wouldn’t go about relying on their bodies to get them anywhere or anything at all. Now it was true that Keto did not know if she did such a thing. It had only been a thought that crossed his mind. Nita was still in the clear. She was still being tested and watched so that he could decide where she would fit. He would give her the time; he would sit back and watch because he did not mind waiting it out one bit. He was far more patient than people thought that he could be.

Before Keto could make a comment on this fine creature’s bodice, she was swimming closer. In her eyes he could see the fear and that they were watching out in the darkness of the ocean around them. He didn’t move his eyes away from hers and stayed relaxed while he listened to both the sea surrounding them and the sound of Nita’s voice vibrating through the waves.

He smirked when she called him daddy. It just seemed to not fit with the rest of what she had to say. She had completely detached herself from her old clan and family but she was still calling him daddy. Keto supposed that it was cute in a way but it was surely more humorous than it was cute. Then of course she had to go on and assure him that she was no longer a princess and he no longer had to give her such a title. “Whatever you say, princess,” he replied with a smart grin over at her. But she did not seem like she would really notice any quiet words coming from between his moist lips. She was looking down over his scar that much he could tell. The comment following made Keto quirk a brow upward at her. He really couldn’t understand girls sometimes when they got all worked up and started pointing fingers at him. No problem though, it was something that Keto could deal with.

Finally the merman tore his stare away from his acquaintance and his eyes quickly scouted out the beast that she was so frightened of since it had started to move on. Keto only looked back at her, giving her a large half grin. “That’s all that you are all worked up about then?” he questioned her while furrowing his brow, looking slightly humored. “A shark? What happened to the fierce warrior princess?” He approached Nita, putting himself almost right up against her. His eyes were watching the shark now. “Are you telling me that you can’t take care of this pest?” In one quick motion the clan leader pulled his handmade dagger from its fastened spot near his waste and held it up between their faces, his eyes peering in her direction. “You aren’t scared are you? Take it. Get him between the eyes.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

tagged: nita isis larene
song: too pretty by state of shock
words: 863
notes: weee sharky

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

Her lips slowly quivered as she took the time to examine the shark. She wearily looked over at the male and wondered why he wasn't as nervous as she was. It hit her just as quickly; he was older, far older and more experienced than she was. Granted, she had been hunting on her own for the better part of half a century, but there were still things she needed to learn. She was well aware of that, but she wanted no parts of that shark, even if he wasn't bothered by its presence.

"Whoever said I was a, what did you call it, fierce warrior princess?" She retorted truthfully. She had made no such claim. Nita wasn't the best hunter in the sea, nor had she made a great princess. In fact, she was rather a complete disappointment in both regards. She did enough to get by and that was practically all that mattered to her. She never tried to learn how to fight off larger foes, nor when it mattered, did she try and behave herself as was expected. She was a complete outcast and she knew it. So all she could do was laugh at his statement.

She hadn't minded when he stared at her intently. It didn't even register. She was too used to that sort of thing by now to get excited and flirtatious. Her nerves were still rattled by the shark anyway. She watched as it past them by and she remained silent. Normally, it would have attacked and she wasn't about to give it a reason to do so. Instead, she remained quiet until it seemed to be on its way. Perhaps they weren't the meal it wanted. Whatever the reason, her eyes never stopped looking in its direction.

Then he did something rather shocking and for a minute, she thought he was going to harm her. Nita turned her head away, swimming slightly away from him. "No. I'm not afraid, but if you give me that dagger, there's no guarantee I won't use it to kill you instead." She was bluffing, but hoped he wouldn't find out. She really wanted to change the subject, her arm still sore from the previous encounter with a shark. Truth be told, if she allowed herself the time and confidence required, she could probably do what he wanted her to; she just knew if she did it now, it wouldn't turn out too good for her.

Nita turned around to face him and frowned. He wasn't going to let her rest until she preformed that task for him. Why couldn't he have left her alone? She cursed silently to herself, swimming back to where he was and snatched his dagger from his hands. The shark was still in her view and she looked over at the male and gripped his dagger closer in her hands before swimming off. She didn't even want the shark and really objecting to killing something for sport.

"God, I hate males..." She muttered to herself as she quietly approached the swimming shark. It hadn't appeared to notice her. She took in a deep breath, knowing he was watching her below. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking down and she swam next to the shark. Finally, it noticed her and finally she stopped swimming. For the quickest of seconds, nothing happened and then as soon as it began, the shark came slashing at her. She was smaller and faster and was able to avoid its teeth the first time around.

However, she had made an error when making a turn, and it clipped her fin. She grimaced in pain, but knew that if she stopped swimming, she was good as dead. Nita flipped her body over, swimming her back so she could see the shark head on. She only had one shot to get it right. With all the power she had, she threw it directly in between its eyes. The noise was deafening and blood was spattered all over. In the shark's distraction, she quickly took out her own knife and swam closer it it. She jammed it deep within the shark's side and it slashed around in pain.

After nearly five minutes of agony, the shark finally stopped, but by that point, Nita was watching off in the distance, massaging her own bruises. She looked over to see the shark's lifeless body fading down towards the bottom of the sea. She wasn't going to make any attempt to grab it. If he wanted it, he could have it. She called out, "You might want to grab your dagger." She had just remembered that it was still lodged in between the shark's eyes. At that, she finally looked triumphant, though distracted. Swimming was going to be painful for awhile.

[KETO AYSU VELLAMO]

TOO PRETTY FOR ME
and maybe baby you're playing hide and go seek

I'M HOPING FOR THE BEST

-----------------------------------------------------------

When she snatched the dagger away from his hands, Keto could not help but put on a rather wicked looking grin. He was both amused and pleased that she had been bold enough to take it away from him and gather up the bravery to go after the creature that had seemed to shake her up so much. He wasn’t worried at all about this girl attempting to kill him like she had mentioned a moment before. Even if she did try to do anything to him Keto was completely confident in himself that he could easily keep her off of him and survive anything that this exiled princess wanted to try and throw at him. He was sure that she wasn’t stupid either. He was sure that she was bright enough to know that he could take her if she tried to pull anything. All he did was simply watch her as she turned away from him and started over toward the circling shark. The smile that he had on his face was still riding on his lips as he crossed his arms lazily across his chest and tilted his head patiently awaiting her first move on the shark. He was pretty sure she was keen on getting it done now. She wouldn’t possibly back down from this.

An excited sensation suddenly shot through his body when the shark finally came at her. The smart grin on his face had faded from his lips in an instant. His concentration had flicked onto a new depth while he watched her intently, finding himself hoping that he was right when he had decided that she could take on a measly shark. If she didn’t come out of this well he was sure that he would feel the sting of guilt. The time he would feel that guilt was unknown to him but he was sure it would be a while even though he usually didn’t dwell on such emotions. Uh, silly girl must have gotten to him in their short time that they had spent together. He supposed he would get over it sooner or later though.

The shark had snipped her. His eyes narrowed as he watched the two swimming around. Nita did not stop swimming though, she kept going on, and then she had turned and flicked his knife out toward the shark. A dark pool of blood started coming from the creature as it suddenly began its struggle to hold on for its life. It had no chance though. As it thrashed its head around, Nita produced another knife and shoved her dagger into its side. Keto’s brows were still dropped low and his eyes were narrowed as he watched her finish the creature off. Nita left the sharks side and the beast continued squirming around in the dark waters, the pool of blood thickening all around it. Slowly, he moved in its direction. His eyes didn’t bother with Nita since he honestly wasn’t worried about her doing anything to him. Then again, he wasn’t too concerned with this shark anymore either.

When Nita called out to him about the dagger still in the shark’s skull, he quickly dropped toward the shark. When he got to the body he placed his hand on the hilt of the weapon and yanked it out in one quick motion. He then wiped the blood from it and hooked it back on the small pouch at his side. He looked up toward Nita, grinning as she looked back triumphantly. He swished his tail and then quickly swam up toward and around her. He came around from behind her and stopped at her side, looking her up and down with now raised eyebrows. “Not a warrior princess?” he questioned her lightly. He closed some face between their faces, switching to her front to face her better. Then he gave her a shrug, still smirking. “I’ll bet you could fix that quick. Ah, well, not including the princess bit there.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

tagged: nita isis larene
song: too pretty by state of shock
words: 666
notes: ermm (: go crazzzzy

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

Paying the male no attention, she tended to her cut. It wasn't massive, but it would irritate her for the duration of the day. She swam practically nonstop and knowing that she wasn't entirely herself physically didn't sit too well with her. In any event, she wasn't going to dwell on it, not in front of him. He was a little intimidating and she didn't want to show any weakness in front of him. She messed with her fin one final time, looking up to see the shark descent into darkness forever. Her pain would be someone else's pleasure, of that she was certain.

She noticed how quickly he retrieved his dagger. She was starting to wish she hadn't mentioned it. Oh but then he would have found a reason to blame her for her carelessness with his dagger. She looked over at him, no longer liking the way he looked at her. "Don't you dare ask me to do something like that again." She said, in between panted breaths. It was one of the scariest things she had to encounter and she had to take a moment to realize that she had survived without major injury.

She swam a few paces away from him and folded her arms, her eyes closed. Nita wasn't really sure what she wanted to do now. She was, however, certain that she didn't want him anywhere near her. He was going to get her killed and she didn't think he even cared. Males like him, who worked predominately alone and had no superior, were the ones she tended to stay away from. She always felt uneasy and saw very little reason to trust any of them. She had seen many turn their backs on so-called friends.

No, she wasn't sure how she felt about this male. Granted, he was charming and easy on the eyes, but she felt like he was nothing but trouble. She'd do much better going about her own way than associating with him anymore. After all, he indirectly almost got her killed! Of course, she could have been everything he had hoped she would be and refuse to kill the shark, but that would have gone against everything she stood for. She couldn't let him win. Nita had finally gotten her bearings straight and eyed him once again.

Her mind was telling her to just leave him be and go about her own business, but her heart was disagreeing. If he really wanted to harm he, he'd have done it by now. She slowly swam back over to him, arms still folded and a small pout forming from her lips. "Alright...who are you?" She could no longer hide her curiosity and stopped swimming long enough to give him a smirk. Nita, on instinct, looked around her to make sure it was just the two of them before continuing, "You seem to know enough about me. I want to know about you now."

What she really wanted was to rest back up on the shore. And judging from the looks of things, he looked like he could use some rest too. She eyed him suspiciously and smiled before turning her back on him and swimming up to the surface once again. Nita took in a deep breath, noticing how the sky had already started to darken. Oh she loved the night. She could be up on the beach alone with no interference from anyone else. She was going to make him chase her. Nita found her favorite spot, hidden under small trees and rested her tired body.

She perched herself gently on the sand, most of her body out of the water. It wouldn't stay that way for long, but just enough to rest her fin. She was curious enough to see if he'd actually follow her up. If he didn't so be it, but she was hoping he would. It didn't seem like he had anything else going for him today. She stuck her head into the water, but didn't see anything coming and went back to her previous position. Nita slowly sighed and shrugged, stretching her body. "We're gonna see how manly he really is." She said outloud to herself as she looked up at the darkening sky.

[KETO AYSU VELLAMO]

TOO PRETTY FOR ME
and maybe baby you're playing hide and go seek

I'M HOPING FOR THE BEST

-----------------------------------------------------------

She wanted to know about him now, huh? Well Keto would have been glad to at least give her an introduction no matter how late it was but she did not seemed to be all that interested in knowing it or anything about him for that matter. The female had looked him over, grinned, and then turned around, hurrying back up toward the surface. His brows furrowed but then he only smirked and let out a soft chuckle, a few bubbles popping out from between his lips. For a moment he simply stayed where he was in the shady water and watched the gentle trail of moving water that she had left behind. He could vaguely see her figure gracefully shooting through the sea and up toward the shore. In time though she disappeared and all but the waves above him were still. Keto had already decided what he was going to do long before she had faded off and left his sight. She had asked him a question and he was going to give her an answer whether she really wanted to hear it or not. Besides maybe giving her his name and status around these waters would help jog her memory and perhaps she would remember him. She just wanted to play.

The merman kicked it into top gear and started up toward the surface. For some reason he found that this woman was quite interesting and couldn’t keep himself from not following her up to the surface. It wasn’t simply because he wanted to tell her the answer to her question; it was because he simply found her to be intriguing. He admittedly found it strange himself since usually Keto could let something go without a care in the world. He could have just as easily floated downward toward the floor of the ocean and carried on with his business. But if he had done that then he wouldn’t get to get any kind of interesting reactions out of this mermaid anymore. He would be left wandering, he knew, and that would drive him crazy given enough time. He would have to end up seeking her out again. Sure he could but… why not just follow her around now? Why not take some chances right now when she was just up at the surface of the water by the shore? She had just killed a shark because of the small amount of pressure he had put on her. She would have a lot more to offer. Maybe some more rational thinking as well.

It wasn’t long before Keto surfaced and shook his hair around and away from his face. He let the water drift away from his face as he looked up toward the darkening skies. He finally dropped his chin and squinted to look over toward the shore. Over at the shore he could just make out her body lying out on the sand near some plant life. The merman absentmindedly bit down on his bottom lip before ducking underneath the water again and started swimming over toward the shores. Before he knew it Keto was nearing the shore and coming close to a stop as the water began to become shallow. Eventually he did stop and poked his head back out to stare over at her. For a moment he just thought… then he decided to go ahead and squirm up next to her. His dark navy fins pushed him upward but caused him quite a bit of hidden pain. Some of the sand began trickling into his poorly stitched wound. He ignored it and held his upper body up with his arms, now looking down at her out of the water beside her.

“Keto Vellamo, leader of the Ekundayo,” he told her with a smirk formed perfectly onto his lips. A few strands of his brown hair had whipped around into his face during the swim over and was now stuck to the sides of his cheeks as he looked down at her. “That is who I am and there is not much more to tell about me, princess. I am simply a hunter. I am sure that you are far more interesting than I.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

tagged: nita isis larene
song: too pretty by state of shock
words: 701
notes: oooh he followed

[NITA ISIS LARENE]

Her fingers idly glided across the cool waters. Ah to have no responsibilities and be able to do as she pleased. She got up when she wanted, swam when she wanted and most importantly, ate when she wanted. The only rule she had to live by was to not die. Silly and strange thing this survival business, yet Nita felt as though she was finally starting to understand and perfect it. She kept to herself and usually ventured into places many others wouldn't go, namely the shore. It was all too human for most of them, but not to her. Had it not been for this place, her life would have turned out much different.

Nita closed her eyes, several thoughts all converging at once. Mainly, she thought of the male she had encountered. She was curiously interested in him, but not enough to play by his rules. If he wanted to talk to her, he was going to have to do it her way. As much as she loved being in the water, and she did, she'd much rather be relaxed and this was one of the few places where she was certain she could be by herself with no distractions or interruptions unless she wanted them.

Her green eyes opened and wondered if he'd actually follow her. She chased him once, now it was his turn. She lay there, staring off into the distance, secretly hoping he'd at least entertain her. Sure, he was way older than she, but that didn't mean she couldn't be interested in him. Boy was his interesting. It was in her nature to be curious and what to know about creatures that she met. She always found her own race to be intriguing. Just when she thought she had seen it all, something or someone came along to prove to her otherwise.

Then, as if on cue, she saw something off in the distance. Lazily, she lifted herself up slightly, an eyebrow raised. A soft smirk appeared on her partially covered in sand face and she plopped back down again. So he decided to follow her. She couldn't pretend that she wasn't happy. She loved having companions, or at least people to talk to. How long he'd last in that role was anyone's guess. This might only end up being a one day affair, but she was willing to work with him.

Slowly he came into view and before too long, he was close enough to touch. She remained where she was, silent as ever. He swam up next to her and then was looking down at her. She bit her lip and looked up at him curiously, as though seeing him for the first time. It was the first time she really got a good glimpse at his face. She wasn't disappointed. "Nice to know you have a name." She mumbled, though loud enough for him to hear. How long he'd stay perched like that was anyone's guess.

Unable to control herself, she leaned forward and brushed the wet strands of his hair that had matted itself against his face, away. "A male as good looking as you are, shouldn't hide such a beautiful face behind hair." She said effortlessly and resumed her position before sitting up in an awkward position, her sea-green fin finding itself in the water. She stayed in that position for several more minutes until her back began to ache. Nita grimaced but didn't say anything, instead dipping herself in the water again, underneath him.

She didn't go too far, but she didn't want him to think he had a hold on her either, even though for the time being, she saw no reason not to go where he was going. "I beg to differ. You already know about me, and I honestly know little of you, though you seem to be under some impression that I should know more." She pondered those words and shrugged. With all the males she had come into contact with throughout the course of her life, he hadn't really expected as much from her, did he?

It didn't really matter, however. "Though, I have heard of the Ekundayo clan. Wasn't aware you were the leader! I suppose it all makes sense. A male, one of yours, was trying to entice me to join when he had heard of my banishment. Since he wouldn't tell me who the leader was, I refused. I hear, only those who were cast away join. What did you do to be cast away from society?" She asked him, leaning herself against the edge of the beach, her body at her side and her eyes staring into his own.