"I have not been there," Hadama admitted slowly. "I have been told it is not... hm. A hospitable place for my kind." The sea might not boil, but the lava beds beneath their thin crusts under the ocean floor made the water temperatures inimical to most of the larger forms of mobile sea life, including merfolk. "There are volcanoes beneath the waves as well." He thought for a few more moments and then offered: "But I could meet you at the northern border of Torchline. There is a river boundary. Just north of the Miana Pool." It would be less far for the human to travel if she came on foot, at least.
Wearing only a harness which his supplies were attached to and the jewelry of his own making, Hadama had a poise and unself-conscious grace that took neither pride nor shame in being looked at. He was comfortable in his own body and was used to the gazes of drylanders who were as fascinated and curious about him as he was about their own strange bifurcated tails and stubby tentacles.
But his curiosity was far more piqued by the smell of the steaming clams and how they popped open, and the jar of spices that Evie chose to apply. Green eyes followed the jar with avid interest in spite of his calm expression before focusing back on the healer and her tale. He nodded a slow understanding to the desire for familiarity, but his gaze turned thoughtful at her final words on the subject and he inclined his head in sober understanding of what wasn't said in the silence between those words.
'Just' and 'me' were a tale all their own, and he met blue eyes without asking more than she was willing to give.
He reached for a mussel, large fingers plucking up the hot shell without evidence of discomfort; but then, his hands and forearms showed the tiny scars of spark burns despite his watery home. "A healer is welcome everywhere," he agreed, raising the mussel to his nose to sniff curiously at the spices that had been applied before slipping his thumb into the half-open shell to pry it the rest of the way. He pulled out the meat with deft fingers and popped it into his mouth; his contemplative expression quickly changing to one of surprise as he chewed and swallowed and then reached for another almost immediately.
"What is that?" he asked, nodding towards the jar of spices which had caught his attention earlier.
Wearing only a harness which his supplies were attached to and the jewelry of his own making, Hadama had a poise and unself-conscious grace that took neither pride nor shame in being looked at. He was comfortable in his own body and was used to the gazes of drylanders who were as fascinated and curious about him as he was about their own strange bifurcated tails and stubby tentacles.
But his curiosity was far more piqued by the smell of the steaming clams and how they popped open, and the jar of spices that Evie chose to apply. Green eyes followed the jar with avid interest in spite of his calm expression before focusing back on the healer and her tale. He nodded a slow understanding to the desire for familiarity, but his gaze turned thoughtful at her final words on the subject and he inclined his head in sober understanding of what wasn't said in the silence between those words.
'Just' and 'me' were a tale all their own, and he met blue eyes without asking more than she was willing to give.
He reached for a mussel, large fingers plucking up the hot shell without evidence of discomfort; but then, his hands and forearms showed the tiny scars of spark burns despite his watery home. "A healer is welcome everywhere," he agreed, raising the mussel to his nose to sniff curiously at the spices that had been applied before slipping his thumb into the half-open shell to pry it the rest of the way. He pulled out the meat with deft fingers and popped it into his mouth; his contemplative expression quickly changing to one of surprise as he chewed and swallowed and then reached for another almost immediately.
"What is that?" he asked, nodding towards the jar of spices which had caught his attention earlier.
