Ankyra Sound days turn, faster than a minute

the tide is out, and the shore is littered with small, stagnant pools. clementine clatters around them, poking her nose and paws into any especially interesting ones and pausing only when she gets to a larger one with signs of movement within. she plops onto her stomach and peers carefully into the water, watching a crab scuttle further into a crack on the rock. with a paw, she dislodges a rock on the bottom of the pool, and watches with rapt fascination the creatures that pour out from under it.

caiaphas had not returned. their leadership was in flux once more, but not a true changing, and erzulie had come to realize that very little day-to-day was affected by the sea-witch's children taking up her mantle. illidan had always been a constant; raleska, far more hot-headed, would be tempered by his considerate nature.
and while erzulie could not find it in herself to trust verx, she did not hate him.
currently she trailed some ways after little clementine, allowing herself a bit of pleasure in the way her children had grown to thrive in rusalka, despite all the chaos and changes.

one of the creatures seems especially strange; brightly coloured and much slower than the rest of the creatures. she prods it with her muzzle, and it shrinks back violently. the sudden movement, combined with the brief sensation of its odd texture, has her shrink back simultaneously. 

the soft sound of rock and send underfoot had her turn, glad and relieved to spot Erzulie. beckoning her over, nervous lest the thing slip away, she calls, "E'lie! what this?" 

the harlot had wondered if clementine’s choice to call her something other than ‘mother’ would hurt, but she found none such in it as her little one called to her.
mintglow eyes shining with affection, she drew close to see what clementine had discovered. radiantly hued and reopening beneath the water; she peered at it and then looked to the child.
”what do you t’ink it is?” came her soft inquiry.

with her mother by her side, the child was a great deal braver and drew near to the pool once again, watching the slow re-opening of the creature. her mother's question left her at a loss, for she wasn't even entirely sure whether the object was some plant or animal. 

"a monster, maybe." she answered at last, chewing her lip contemplatively before glancing up at Erzulie, waiting for her input. "but a nice one, I think." it didn't seem to do much, and she thought it would be rude should she try and make it move again.

erzulie nodded, touched by clementine's thoughtfulness over such a small sea creature. "it is good to be kind, even to monsters," she murmured. a notion came to her now; she straightened and began to wade into the shallows. "de sea holds all sort of beasts," the harlot informed the girl, "an' de best way to see dem is to go benea't."
with a glance to her daughter, erzulie paced out until the sea touched below her shoulder, and ducked her head under the surface in a demonstration to clementine.

she nods seriously at her mother's advice, though her attention is quickly torn away from the creature when mama moves to step into the surf. her gaze widens a fraction, and she'd much rather stay where she is, thank you very much, but there is an undeniable curiosity that propels her further. 

she ghosts after her mother, echoing her motion with a quick, almost violent duck of her head under the surface, pulling it up again just as quickly. blinking against the stinging in her eyes, and trembling slightly, she looks to her mother for approval none the less.

it was given in the form of a kiss. "good, brave girl!" erzulie exclaimed. "i do not want you to ever fear de sea," she sighed happily, gently. in times to come, this would change quite bitterly, but for now, she was content. "it gives us much. and it is comforting when we need it to be."