Closed The Water's Edge

[Ariann]

Ariann nodded, moving to sit beside Erekez, her posture erect, proper and focused. "Yes. I would like it if you explained some things about the humans..." She began, looking over at him again. She reached over and placed her hand on his head again before bringing her fingers together to pluck a single strand of hair out of his skull carefully and swiftly. "Starting with what this stuff is..." She'd never seen hair before. Fish didn't have them. Charodae had lost their hair decades ago, long before Ariann was born and a few days after the Valterrian. She frowned slightly, bringing the strand of hair up to her nose-slits and sniffing it slightly. "Why do you have it all over your head? Are you sick?" She was very new when it came to hair, and she'd not even seen it on animals yet.

"Secondly, why is kissing different in human cultures outside of family? I've kissed plenty of Charodae before in the same manner and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a way to make them happy and help them recover..." She states, frowning.

[Erekez]

Reflexively, Erekez's hand flew up to the spot on his head where that hair had previously been. Massaging it help relieve the sharp pain that had been left from being plucked. It still made him wonder how a small action such as plucking a hair had potential to hurt so much. This one, fortunately, hadn't hurt so much, but it was still uncomfortable. For someone who didn't have any hair, Ariann sure knew how to pluck it. "That's my hair you just pulled out." His voice was laced with minor irritation at the sudden motion. Ariann might not have known about it, but she still could've asked. "It's not a result of some sickness or anything similar to it, we just have it. I'm not entirely sure why." Erekez shrugged as he tried to think of a reasonable answer to the question. "Keep our heads warm when it gets cold out? That's why animals are covered with hair, to keep them warm when it gets cold." It made sense to him. He hesitated when she asked about kissing again. He had kept away from human interaction for so long that he wasn't sure how reliable his answer would be. Different races, cultures, sub-races, each had their own ideas. Erekez decided to try and give an answer the best he could. "With humans, kissing within a family as you did shows care as you say," he started "Outside, the same kiss can be used to show appreciation, or care for an individual considered to be as close as a family member. Even then, it's usually someone who is known to the the person. Beyond that, and more commonly seen, are used between two who usually..." Erekez thought for a second, but sighed as he couldn't think of anything satisfactory. "I can't think of a word, neither do I know what they would be consider to Chadorae, but it's usually between partners, lovers, mates, whatever you care to call two individuals who show sexual attraction to each other." There wasn't any other way to put it. A kiss wasn't always shared between two people who loved each other. It just seemed a necessary action when there was some sort of sexual attraction between partners. 'Loveless' deserved its name in Zeltiva. A bit of coin could now buy everything to be had from a relationship, but had none of the attachments or responsibilities. "Although, I'm definitely not an expert on the subject. I travel an awful lot, so I'm likely to have missed a few things. It would probably be best not to take everything I say as true. You might want to make your own decisions for yourself." Erekez hoped that would be all he had to say on that subject.

[Ariann]

"Hair?" She tilted her head to the side, blinking slightly by his irritated tone. "Humans have hair to keep warm?" She repeated, curiously. "I see. Charodae don't need hair because we are naturally accustomed to the cold." She said with a nod.

His answer to the second question took Ariann aback a little, her eyes widening and her lithe brow raising in wonder. Mates? She thought to herself. Oh, no... I may have just done something wrong... She scooted away from him for a moment, silently averting her eyes and turning bright red. "I... I'm sorry... I guess I've made a mistake... I shouldn't have kissed you." She states. But why? It did feel right at the time... how can such things only be between two close ones rather than just anyone? "I don't have sexual attractions to you, Erekez..." She muttered, turning bright red again as she realized what she just said. She raised her hands defensively and shook them before her, "I-i... I didn't mean that you aren't attractive, because you are, but..." She fell silent, turning away and drawing her legs up against her chest. I'm such an idiot sometimes... "Just forget I said anything, okay?"

[Erekez]

She can't help but get flustered, can she? Ariann's display was entertaining. There didn't seem to be any process between thought and speech with her. Instead, she'd trip over what she said and try to justify herself, before tripping over he justification. He didn't find the thought of her making mistakes amusing, it was how much she worried about what he thought of what she was saying. If there was one thing that he could say, it was that she was honest when she worked herself into such a state. "If you want me to." Erekez turned to look at anything other than Ariann as she shrank in on herself again. Her childlike attitude was endearing. "But, to offer some reassurance, what you did wouldn't be classified as sexual attraction. More caring for someone close to you. I'd say, be careful about who you hand out kisses to." There were a lot of people who didn't understand when enough was enough, and just as many who would misunderstand or try and take an opportunity. Then again, Ariann might have other things to worry about. There was plenty of prejudice against others that looked different. Kelvics got some of the worst of it. Erekez expected that she would probably be victim to some form of prejudice or another. The thought was unsettling. If Ariann couldn't handle one person very well, how would she handle multiple people? His face tightened in concentration. It would definitely be beneficial to her to to let her know what she could possibly face in a city. It didn't seem like an appropriate time just yet, however. Not when she was worked about about the kiss now. I'll wait a bit before letting her know.

[Ariann]

Ariann had sat quietly when he spoke, saying it was okay to kiss, so long as she reserved it for those close to her. She nodded softly, her fin-like hair pulling out of the bond of seaweed to moved over her shoulders, two fins hanging from either side. She frowned slightly. "I do." She stated softly, tipping herself to the side and falling onto her side, legs still clasped to her chest.

You are so immature, Ariann... She frowned at her own thoughts, blinking away tears. She knew that she'd end up getting in trouble in the city without restraint and restraint was the one thing she lacked the most of all. "Is the city.... dangerous? Should I stay away from it?" She asks softly, a frown tilting her lips downwards.

[Erekez]

"The city is dangerous, yes." He sighed. It hadn't been his intention to say, but he wasn't going to lie after Ariann had asked the question. Especially about the dangers of the city. Erekez leaned on his knees, looking over the seaweed wrapped arm that Ariann had done for him. There was always the possibility that she would face this kind of thing when traversing the city herself. "But I'm not going to tell you to stay away from it." Especially not if visiting was the reason she had spent so much time on her house. If she wanted to see inside the city, he was not going to tell her not to. It was Ariann's wish to learn more. "I will say that you need to be careful." "There will be some who would show hostility towards you because you are Charoda, you are different. Others are generally arrogant." He brought his arm around, gesturing to the bandage. "I got this because someone thought I might have something that they would want to steal. People always have a reason for doing things, even if that reason makes no sense to others, or is considered immoral or wrong. Nothing is truly random." "Stay away from alleys, the gap between buildings, people like to hide in there to catch others unaware. Don't travel at night on your own unless you absolutely have to. Try and stay in crowded areas, or with one or more other people. Attackers are less likely to try anything if they don't think they can get away with it." What are you, her parent? She's seven years older than you and you're telling her how to walk through a city and what times to be out at. That nagging voice was beginning to get annoying. He may sound like a parent, but he was doing it for the same reasons parents would. He was aware of the dangers, he had experienced some of them, and he wasn't about to let Ariann suffer the same things because he didn't warn her of them. Now, is this because you want to help her because she needs it? Or is it just because it makes you feel better? Yea, he hated that voice.

[Ariann]

Ariann nodded, laying on her side still, balled up. She could feel the redness on her cheeks again. He sounds just like a father... She thought to herself, giggling softly at the thought. She rolls over, facing him while still laying on her side, emerald orbs looking up at him. "What do you mean 'try something'?" She asks, curiosity in her eyes. "And what do I have that someone might want to steal?" The last part was merely out of confusion. She extended her feet outward before using them to pull her closer to him, still remaining on her side as she scooted closer. She sat up, a look of wonder in her eyes.

"Alleys?" She asked, tilting her head off to the side, "What do people do after catching others unaware? Is it a game? Like swim and seek? Or Capture the Seahorse?" She questioned. She could only relate to what she knew and those two games were the only two she knew how to play. "I like games." She finished with a sagely nod.

[Erekez]

Was her lack of knowledge a result of living a sheltered life? Or a result of not having such problems within Chadora society? Innocence was a wonderful concept. One that few could truly claim to have any more, save for children. But innocence was different from ignorance, and people tended to believe that the two were closely related. Erekez scowled at the idea. He hated the saying 'ignorance is bliss'. Ignorance was the lack of knowledge because you chose not to know. For the sake of short-term happiness, you could suffer long-term suffering. From something that could've easily been avoided, had you chosen to learn. Innocence was the lack of knowledge because you shouldn't know. Only children were truly innocent. The question still remained though. Had Ariann been kept from it? Or did she have no need to know it? "I mean anything from simply stealing from you, to someone killing you." Ariann should understand that. It was the one thing she seemed to fear from him, that she might be killed by a land-dweller. There were other things in between the two, but hopefully Ariann could see the difference between the two and let her imagination fill out the gaps. If she came up with anything she feared, it would be all the more reason to be careful. "And it's not always what you do have to steal, it's what you might have as well. Clothes, money, a weapon," He gave her a sideways glance, "Your necklace. Alleys are the spaces of land between buildings in cities. Very narrow, usually dark. One of the perfect places to catch you. Your life will become nothing more than a game to them. And you will get hurt so they can have their fun." He didn't like how dark his voice was getting, but he hated that these people got away with it at other people's expenses. He'd over exaggerated in some places, but he didn't believe by much. Ariann needed to know that there were things in the cities that couldn't be considered games. Some things had to be taken seriously. To be wary of. He was sorry he had to do it, but it was the hard truth she needed to know.

[Ariann]

Killing you... killing you... killing you... The words repeated in her head over and over again, not seeming to register as she continued to smile at Erekez. For a moment, it appeared as though she didn't even hear him, but soon her facial expressions changed drastically. Her smile dropped into an open-mouthed stare, her eyes widened. "K-...kill?" She was dumbfounded for a moment before she shook her head violently. "No! They cannot kill me! I'm too... cute! And innocent! And fishy!" Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She utterly ignored whatever else the man had said, and thankfully she didn't hear that others might steal her most precious possession.

[Erekez]

"I know you are." His throat began to seize up. He didn't like seeing Ariann in this state, but it was better for her to be so here and now, whilst it was only him. Falling into this, or anything similar, when she needed to run was not going to help her. At least she would know, be on the look out. Hopefully, listen to what he had to say. "Do you see why you have to be careful Ariann?" Erekez felt guilty, watching her tear up in front of him. He had done this to her, and he had done it intentionally this time. There was no amusement in watching Ariann cry in fear. He wanted to reassure her that she would be fine if she was careful, but there was no guarantee of that. Even if there was a way to reassure her, he could only use words. Ariann had said she wasn't familiar with being touched. You need to try in the least. This is your fault. "Ariann, how about I visit from time to time to check on how you're doing?" Is that the best you can come up with?