Coconut Grove deta woh tumko bataa--

---

a song rose on the wind, loud and raucous. it cut even above the hiss of rain, and rehan turned, garnet eyes seeking the source of the noise. it emerged in the form of a gray and black woman, her pelt tousled, a toothy grin over her face. he regarded her with a long, impassive look; once upon a time, he may have entertained her tunes.

but he had killed that rehan, destroyed in fire.

besides, the words were foreign--he picked out maybe one or two, and even those he wasn't certain on. he shook his head, heavy-lidded as he stared at her. "main samjha nahi," rehan responded, not bothering to amplify his voice. it came out hoarse anyway, rough and cracked. "main aap zabaan nahi bolte hoon--sirf thoda--"

he growled, scowling as he turned away from her. "understand not," rehan explained succinctly, loudly, wishing she would leave. it was bad enough that she was so chipper, but chipper in another tongue? that was akin to hell.