Normally he tended to the Underwater Shrine, but his allegiance was to Safrin and he felt a certain satisfaction in coming to a shrine dedicated to her and Vi alone. He swam to the edge of Aumakua at midnight, to a place where the beach dropped off sharply into the water, and used his magic to clean off a large, flat stone. On it he pulled his offering from the waves: flowers, simple but beautiful. The delicate, white, star-shaped sea blooms would never had survived in the harsh air of the surface so he had carefully transplanted a small portion of sandy soil from the sea floor and the living flowers that had rooted there into a large clear glass buoy. Filled with water instead of air, the buoy no longer floated but it made an excellent container for the bouquet and the glowing plankton that lit up when the water in the container shifted, swirling around the flowers like little living nebulae.
He laid his trident along the stone as he considered his words carefully before speaking.
"Safrin. I would seek your guidance. And your further blessing on my trident." He bowed his head deeply in respect and devotion and added simply: "Please."
Neither was Hadama made for walking, and he paid no heed to the bird's graceless steps when he could certainly do no better. Instead he was captivated by the avian's eyes, drawn by the starlit infinity contained within them.
Though he did not want to look away, eventually his mortal coil betrayed him and the mermanta blinked. Only then did he realize he had been holding his breath, and he inclined his head in respect to the night spirit. I am Hadama. Without knowing the owl's intentions or its reason for appearing it seemed polite to introduce himself. You are very beautiful. A solemn statement as he admired the winged being. Did you hear my prayer?
The merman was perplexed.
Uncertain what the owl wanted or how to communicate he could only watch the strange, hopping dance. "I am sorry," he rumbled quietly aloud. "I do not know what you want." Lacking any fire magic or mundane means to start one there was little he could do to provide a flame, nor could he see a true fire.
What he could do was use his upgraded water magic to pull the moisture and sea spray away from the rock around the star-eyed avian. He could not affect the wind, but the water, at least, was his. Using his magic to keep the stony beach around them dry he pulled himself up onto the edge of the shore so that he sat in the open air, tail still mostly submerged into the ocean. Extending his hands, he cupped them in a mirror of the owl's wings, offering protection to that which he could not see.
He watched the owl with bemused interest, baffled but not wanting to disappoint a creature that seemed to have some connection to the goddess he sought to beseech. He went still when the avian began its strange ritual, not wanting to disturb it. It moved fairly quickly, however, and he was soon enlightened as to its antics.
Not what those antics meant, but at least he understood that there was an attempt at communication in the form of art. Peering at the picture and then into the eyes of the owl once more he bowed his head in defeat, raising it to watch the owl fly away.
"A message in a bottle...?" The mermanta's brow furrowed in thought as he contemplated the image a while longer, seeking some deeper meaning. In the end, however, he could only sigh and collect his trident and offering for another day.
~Fin~
