Blackwater Islands the man with the umbrella

she almost missed him.

between the water in her ears giving a case of vertigo and the night wrapped around him like a shawl. but there was something familiar when she saw him.

such vibrant eyes.

she carried her own pair, tucked neatly into her narrow face. she could convince herself this was kin, if she looked too long. a man on the coast, both monochrome and bright eyed.

his scars.

she wondered if she had found a boss away from home.

she chuffed back, low and cautious, throat raw from the saltwater of her venture.