Strange Tides (unfinished)

[VII]: Bonding

Buying food to feed a sea serpent without anyone wondering about it is both easier and harder than expected. The people Esme is buying from don't really care what she uses it for, they're just glad for some business and small talk. Menias, on the other hand, is somewhat suspicious of her after hearing Ali give her a crash course in serpents. The prince won't talk to either of their fathers, but he's still trying to ask her questions. She's already cursed whoever told him how to find The 7th Circle last night. Thankfully for her, the prince was asleep when she left.

Esme walks through Diella, making her way to the docks. The sun still hangs over the eastern mountains, and there are few people out. People are still setting up shop, but some of them have come early enough that Esme can buy a few amberjack fish that she can feed Vivek with. The man she buys them from wraps them up nicely and wishes her a nice day, but not without remarking that it's very early to start cooking, and that he hopes her expected guests come a little late so she has time to finish up. She tells him not to worry, and that they always come late. Esme takes the bags and continues down the stairs and past the fence she usually jumps to get to the beach. Instead, she walks around, casually making her way from the docks to the sand.

The tide is low when Esme nears the cove. She becomes overly aware of the sand between her toes and the wind on her arms. Her heart hammers in her chest. This will be her third time seeing Vivek. She can only hope that he won't cower from her after what she tried to do to him last time. Esme carefully climbs over the small rocks and jumps down into the sand of the cove. The rocks rise up in front of her.

A small chirp takes Esme out of her own thoughts. She looks around, trying to find the source, and stops on a small creature floating by her in the water. When their eyes meet, and the serpent's flit down to the fish in her hands, Esme almost cries out in relief. Her serpent is fine. He's alive.

"Vivek!" she shouts, running into the water. Vivek chirps and splashes around her. "Thank the gods, you're here. Are you hungry?"

Vivek tilts his head at her, then croons and swims off to the rocks. Esme sighs and rolls her eyes. That serpent will be taking after her soon enough. She braves the cool morning air and walks over to the rocks where she first met him. The fish in her arms and the backpack on her shoulders feel a little bit heavier. Vivek waits for her between the rocks, chirping for her to hurry. Trying not to drop the fish, she breaks into a short sprint and stops between them. Vivek sits in the water at the sand. The water is still, so he's free to stay close to the sand without the risk of getting beached again.

Esme sits in the sand and places the fish by her side, letting the water cover her calves. Vivek swims to her side and rests his head on her leg, closing his eyes. The sun hasn't risen high enough for it to illuminate the cove, but she can still see the strong ocean greens and blues of Vivek's scales in the morning light. His body floats by her leg, with his tail flicking away some unseen creatures. The smooth bottom of his neck isn't uncomfortable, but she can feel some of his sandpaper scales on her leg as well. He's so small, yet so beautiful. It's almost difficult to imagine that this is what a sea serpent looks like when she's been taught from birth that they're harbingers of death and bringers of destruction, beasts with no regard for life on land. It's harder to believe that she almost killed him, despite all of her mother's subtle messages while she was still alive. What will he look like when he's older and more serpentine? Will his scales retain their shine and beauty, or will they be traded in to favor protection and camouflage?

While Vivek rests on her, Esme unwraps one of the fish. They're smaller amberjack, so that he won't be overwhelmed by them. Vivek perks up immediately when the fish comes out of his packaging, and he whines at her, much like a chick begging its mother for food. The thought of her being a mother to this serpent terrified her only the other day, but she's willing to try now. If Vivek is attached enough to her when he gets older, she'll be able to keep him from laying waste to Diella, or even protecting the kingdom's cities from other serpents. Not to mention that she's needed a cause. With looking after Vivek becoming a priority in her life, maybe she'll be able to fill that hole in her heart. The serpent comes as close to the edge of the water as he can before Esme holds out the fish for him. Vivek greedily snaps at bites at it, and the slick skin allows him to pull it out of Esme's grasp with ease.