Firestone Hot Springs sitting on a secret beach

WC 1039

With her head still full of thoughts of Mal, it wasn't exactly helpful to be caught by a handsome young fellow in the physical world. Her mind still swam with dreamy visions of her lovers, and her crushes, and she was ready to buckle under the weight of those heated thoughts when the deep laugh broke the quiet bubbling of the springs, grabbing her attention very suddenly. She floundered again, pulling herself up till the water was at her shoulders, gaze settling upon the handsome young boy who strode closer as her heart thumped wildly within her chest. What to make of such a pretty thing? Handsome reds and agouti broken by a starry white stripe along his face and back, mercury silver eyes peering out from a youthful boyish face.

Boyish... reminding her of her old fiance, Atausiq. A handsome man younger than herself that had been so eager to please, eager to fall in love and protect their children. Eager to raise their little seadragons, until, she could only assume, the sea itself betrayed him. Betrayed her. Sucked him away to distant lands, or god forbid, to the depths of the ocean itself. A pile of old bones settled among the ruins of ancient civilizations, piled under sand and stone, eaten away by starfish and sea crabs, surrounded by seaweed and schools of swimming minnows and a couple of happy clownfish. She shook the thought out of her brain, telling herself he would come back to her, one day... that he was alive on some other shore, making his way home for the daughters and sons that ought to have him as a father.

Either way, despite his boyish handsomeness, she hated being laughed at. Did she look like a blubbering fool for a moment there? Sure- but her face soured nevertheless as he came closer, annoyance obvious on her face, in her fox eyes and wrinkled button nose. Feeling humiliated and disrespected all at once by this fucking nobody kid. But then he dipped in a paw, inquiring about the condition of the pool- was it that relaxing? Of course, she thought to herself, though remained as mysteriously quiet as a siren might be. He joined her then, and her seaglass eyes turned away, wanting to look at him, and knowing that meant she ought not to. When had she developed such a thing for younger men? She reminded herself of Mal, the handsome fellow close to her in age (though still unsurprisingly younger,) the one she knew she ought to be with someday, somehow. Could she really forget him for the quick fun of a younger love? She slashed away at the desire developing within her like thick cobweb, willing it away from her, willing herself to behave like the lady she was- the daughter of a noble, once, and now a queen- not a rapid beast eyeing a youthful tasty looking slab of meat. She could have whichever man she pleased, why settle for an unremarkable virgin? 

A scent came to her then, coming off him thickly, causing her to stiffen with some surprise. 

Hydra. 

She knew that scent anywhere now, and with it carried an air of importance, as if those graced by her presence always had a story, always played a key piece in the puzzle that was life. Heroes and villains, that was the game Hydra played, though often the lines became blurred. Were they still heroes if violence was the answer to their problems? Fighting violence with violence, was that the solution? Huā never leaned any particular way morally, always a true neutral, a believer in letting things go as they may. If killers chose to kill, they ought to be prepared for what was destined to come back to them. An eye for eye, as once had been the law in her land, keeping citizens in a rigid order that made sure those with criminal souls did not break the peace. And it did a damn good job, most of the time- until her cousin's crimes, perhaps. But she did not want to dwell on that thought, and instead focused on the intrigue of the perfume he wore. 

So, then, it begged the question- who was this? 

Hero or villain? 

She grazed over the checklist that always sat on the bedside table in her mind. A black headed old woman- certainly not. A quiet, dark woman with a cold gaze... nope. A dark man called Merrick with a ruddy neck and a single burning eye- nope. But that didn't mean he wasn't a pawn- though Huā figured if he was an enemy, he would be shredded and beheaded by now, strewn across the wilds like a violent warning- rather than relaxing with a pretty girl in a heated jacuzzi. Nah, he was definitely a hero- or at least some kind of respectable vigilante. As his muscles relaxed she slid slightly closer to him, already forgetting her personal pep talk of before, feeling that after having a dream like the one she'd had it was hard to resist the closeness of a handsome boy. Not touching, no- but eyeing him with glass shard gaze, all pointy and glittering with mischief. Her face was poker, and she was quite good at it too- not a hint of her emotion, not even bashfulness or annoyance came through anymore. But there was that knowingness in her blued gaze. 

You know Hydra, She purred matter-of-factly, wondering what he might say to that. She did not think him Moonspear, considering his scent was more woodsy- and so she was curious how much he was willing to spill about the way in which these two had met. She had no idea that his mind lay on other matters, like the missing Conquest and her possible death. Or that slipping into the pool was for his relaxation- she would turn it into business quickly if she wished, already having had her time of relaxation and needing none more. And if there was a chance here for a potential ally- why not take it? Yuèlóng was far from these other packs, but she'd be sure to make friends in exchange for the couple of enemies she did have.