Ocean's Breath Plateau samsara

her eyes were different. not--not coelacanth's cerulean, sky-blue. no, these were the color of the depths of the sea, what had floated around himself and hari at the moment of his reckoning. if coelacanth had once been his savior, something heavenly, ethereal, this woman tethered him further to reality. a short name, and a flat voice, not the sing-song, flowing moniker of the aralez. so different.

and that was good.

"izel," govinda repeated, staring blankly at her for a long, silent beat. normally, he would have bowed his head, wagged his tail, done something--something!--to acknowledge her, but he was motionless due to pain. everything hurt, and nothing worked. he cleared his throat, grimacing at the gob of phlegm that rose up.

"do. . .you live here?" he asked, gaze wandering slowly, lazily around the immediate area.