Greatwater Lake their hearts and their bones won't come undone

The stranger's apricot gaze did not take long to find her figure, though she had attempted to make herself smaller to prevent such a thing. He watched her and she returned the stare with a worrisome expression on her young face. Should she need to flee, Lucy knew that she could get away quickly enough. When his voice struck the air, she flinched, but held her ground with iron rod limbs that remained planted to the earth. He fumbled over his sentences, reminding her of Nevouku. Perhaps he was just as kindhearted as the other male.

The stranger seemed to stumble through his next few words before he became a stranger no more: Shale. The introduction hung on the air like a dense fog before Lucy took another step forward and peered at him with an anxious expression. “I'm Lucy,” she returned carefully. Her pale blue gaze danced over him, scrutinizing his figure and the state he appeared to carry on his shoulders. This Shale had tried to brush himself off as being 'okay' for the young girl. She was not so foolish.

“You did not look okay.”