He welcomed her approach wholly.
That unknown word reached his ears and it might as well had been a beckon for his entire attention. Slowed in his pace as he turned his skull-painted face to see her. It was easier in the daylight to see how she contrasted him. Practically an inverted version with her own mask.
Sheepishly he looked away back towards the sky, a soft smile betraying the edges of his lips. He knew better than to stare.
Hello,
He hummed. Deep and hoarse still. Care to join?
He imagined she did, otherwise she would not be here, but it was polite to invite.
If she had desired silent company, he would have obliged. If she had wished to spin stories for him, he would have listened until the end of the day settled upon them and then some.
He was, perhaps, a bit too keen to leave a good impression upon her.
She provided an outlet from his thoughts and feelings though. A peculiar question with a word he could not place to any certain thing.
No.
A soft shake of his head. Although he remained silent, he hoped the curiosity in his single word would beckon her to continue on.
A large fish. So large that simply the head was bigger than him. There was some uncertainty in his own imagination. Surely such a thing could not be...
Yet she assured him it was indeed. That was the thing she called whale. They could not be here in the shallows, but in the dark they churned. Way out where he doubted he could swim for long.
I am not sure if I will ever witness one unless it finds itself here.
He admitted in a hushed manner, as if he was exposing a secret to her. Perhaps he was. To confess he did not trust himself in the dark depths.
How often do they beach?
Was it seasonal like a herd migration?
Twice but with plenty stories told. Admittedly, the stories intrigued him more than the sight. He...was not sure what he would do with such a large creature. A fish with a head bigger than his body. How many would it take to eat such a thing? Make use of every part?
However he was enlightened of a smaller, summertime counterpart.
Are they out in the dark waters, too?
He asked distantly, eyes momentarily left the horizon of cloudy sky and sea to look towards Erzulie.
The silence gave him time to consider the things she spoke of. How there were large and little beasts alike in the darkwaters that bordered their home. Although it seemed there were...bigger beasts. Far larger than he could wrap his mind around.
Long as a cliff with only one eye.
An eerie thought, to say the least. While she laughed he found himself with a bubble of concern in his stomach that curiosity seemed to pool around.
Does it have a name?
For all the things he had come to learn, that was one word he did not wish to try. It was not that it sounded clunky or heavy. It was the opposite. The word sounded as slippery as the sea and he had no interest in making a fool of himself. Not now.
The sky,
He informed her softly with a pointing gesture of his nose to the clouds that hung heavy. Tried to see if I could tell the coming weather.
Was that a question or a statement?
Regardless he took a chance and humored her. Perhaps a storm, if the sky fills enough. One last glimpse of winter before spring.
His tones deep and calm, yellow eyes trained upon the sky still. As if it might reveal his secrets to him soon and if he looked away it would never tell.
He laughed, something deep and warm and genuine. A sound he was not sure he had made in some time. Flattered by her words as much as he was humored. I am not sure if I do.
A slight shake of his head, a snaggletooth grin on his features.
I look forward to the vibrant times.
The greys and rainy or flurry days were easy to wear on the soul. Perhaps I will learn more of the skies by then.
Maybe intended to be an unspoken promise to be something more by then.