"Huh?" The man in the water turned back around to face her, his face still flushed with embarrassment. "Oh, well…" He took a moment to blow some stray hair out of his face, though it fell back into the same place, and only ended up messier than before. "Swimming is my… passion, I guess you could say." He flashed a cheeky grin at her. Kenmei could have sworn he had oddly shaped or pointed teeth, but she couldn't tell, eyesight obscured by the distance between them. Kenmei shifted her weight to her other foot, only growing more curious by the second. "Where are you from? You have an odd accent…"

He took a moment to lean his head back, wetting his hair so he could smooth it back away from his face. "I, uh… I can't say." He eyed her suspiciously again, and Kenmei could tell he was growing uncomfortable with her questions. "I see. I'm sorry for asking so many questions, I'm just… curious." The man shrugged and began to make his way a bit closer to shore. "Not a big deal, you'll most likely never see me again after this, so I don't care. Now that you've found me here, I have to find another place to hang out. Such a pain."

Beginning to feel a bit tired and weak from her previous excursion, Kenmei sat down on the pebbles, ignoring the wet feeling soaking through her dark jeans. "Why's that?" The man sighed, flicking some water at nothing as he continued to float around, following a random path. "I picked this place because I thought no one would notice me. I'm actually really annoyed that someone did." He gave her a sideways glare and Kenmei frowned, hanging her head a bit as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Ah… I'm sorry. Your singing- I mean-" She caught herself as his face flushed again, not wanting to embarrass him more. "I mean, the singing I heard was just so beautiful, I really wanted to find it. I didn't plan on falling…"

She watched him as he sunk down in the water up to his flushed nose, his crimson eyes looking everywhere but at her. A breeze came through the small area and a chill shot down Kenmei's spine, making her shiver. "Aren't you worried about getting sick? Being in that cold water like that, you easily could." He shook his head, lifting himself up out of the water just long enough to snap at her. "No." With a small, defeated nod, she looked down at the pebbles beside her, reaching down to run her fingers through them a bit. They clattered softly beneath her fingers, and they were oddly comforting.

"What's your name?"

Kenmei looked up at his voice, seeing that he was now much closer to the shore, his arms up out of the water and resting on what must have been a drop off. His chin resting on his arms, he stared at her with intense curiosity, and Kenmei felt her face flush hot from his gaze. He was no more than 10 feet from her, and she could clearly see the fairness of his features. Nearly flawless, he was one of the most handsome people she had ever seen, and she suddenly felt herself growing embarrassed in his presence.

"M-my name?" She repeated, trying to confirm what he had asked in her flushed embarrassment. He narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance, obviously not pleased with having to repeat himself. "Yeah, your name. You know, the thing you're called, the word your parents picked for you at birth." A snarky smile crossed his face as he picked on her, his sarcasm only making her flush hotter. "I-I know what a name is!" Kenmei snapped back. "You're such a rude person…" He rolled his eyes, huffing. "Uh, okay. At least I have enough manners to ask for your name before I ask you a shit ton of questions, yeah?"

Kenmei's frown returned and she shifted nervously in her spot, eyes falling back to her knees. "I suppose you're right… I'm sorry. My name is Kenmei."

"Judar."

Fighting through her embarrassment, she looked back up at him, growing even more flustered at the fact that he was still staring at her. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, or what he thought he could find just by watching her, but it began to make her feel quite uncomfortable. Clearing her throat a bit, she nodded, forcing a small smile onto her flushed face. "It's nice to meet you." Judar sighed, pushing himself away from the drop off, back into the water. "Yeah, I guess. What were you doing out here anyway?"

It was like a switch had been turned back on in her mind, his question bringing back the emotions that had been hidden by her conversations with him. Unable to help it, she hugged her legs tighter to herself, sniffling as she tried to hold back the pain. And in that moment, she told him everything, from the death of her brother to the abuse of her father, and why she was out here, so far from home and so close to the cliffs. Judar was silent as she spoke, and Kenmei could only hope he was listening, though she couldn't find it in herself to look up at him. By the time she was done, she was sobbing, hiding her face in her arms.

After a while, she heard him sigh, and she forced her head up to look out at him. Judar had an expression that was difficult for Kenmei to read. It was a mix of boredom, concern, and realization, and he seemed like he was having trouble thinking of anything to say. After moving around in circles in silence for a bit, he came back over to the drop off, leaning his arms up on it again. "My parents and siblings are dead too. I was adopted by another family, but, you know… I get it." He ran his fingers through his hair again, giving a shrug.

Kenmei frowned, reaching up to wipe her tears from her face. "I'm sorry…" Judar shook his head, looking at her with that intense stare again. "Don't be. Not like it's your fault. Maybe your people's, but not yours directly." He pushed himself away and began to move out into the deeper part of the pool again, and Kenmei became fearful that he was going to leave. "W-wait!" Her voice echoed in the confines of the small alcove, and Judar did indeed stop, looking back at her with mild annoyance. "What?"

Words catching in her throat, she grew intensely embarrassed at her outburst, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth with her fingers. "I-... I'm sorry, it's nothing. Are you leaving?" Judar grumbled, going back to the drop off. "I was. You want me to stay?" Kenmei felt her heart grow heavy, the thought of him leaving upsetting her greatly. "Well… Yes. But, how were you going to leave that way? It's just open ocean?" Judar couldn't help but to flash another grin at her, and Kenmei could now see that he did indeed have more pointed teeth than what was natural. "You're a little dense, aren't you?"

Confused by his words, Kenmei scooted a bit closer to the edge of the water, trying to observe him better. There were many things that the dim light from the setting sun had hidden from her that she could now see clearly in the moonlight. She swore she could see a red tint to his skin in certain places, such as his forehead and along the sides of his face. His shoulders, when not hidden by his hair, had a similar hue, but it seemed to be in thicker patches. The sound of him clearing his throat brought her attention back to his eyes, and it just now clickled to her that crimson eyes were not exactly a natural thing.

His grin only grew and he pointed a finger at her. "Kenmei, was it? Where do you think I'm from?" He brought his hand back to himself, propping his head up with it as his elbow rested on the rock hidden beneath the water. He had such a cheery, smug expression that Kenmei felt herself flushing again, embarrassed by his gaze. "I don't know… I don't know what you are." Judar blinked, his expression fading to one of confusion. "What I am? That's not what I asked." He flicked some water at her and she gave a small flinch away from it, a little surprised at the playful gesture. "W-well, I think it's all the same in this case. Where you're from and what you are."

With a small nod, Judar glanced around, as if thinking to himself. "Yeah, yeah, true." A sly smirk crossed his face, moving both of his hands to rest flat against the rock. "Since I'm never coming back here, it seems fun to make you guess, and once you realize, it'll probably drive you mad! At least, that's the stories I hear. That humans who see us grow mad with curiosity. You seem like the curious type, yeah?" He lifted himself up out of the water a bit, until right below his chest was revealed to her. Her face flushing hotter, she quickly covered her eyes, struggling to speak.

"W-what an awful thing to say! You'd think it would be funny to drive me crazy? It would scar me enough just to realize you're naked in there!" She kept her face hidden as he began to laugh hysterically, the sound of water splashing following his voice. She assumed that he had fallen back into the water, so she removed her hands. Sure enough, he was back up in the water up to his chin, wheezing and snickering with laughter. "Damn, you're such a weird girl. But, I'll tell you if you wanna know. Like I said, you're never going to see me again, it'll be great." Kenmei frowned, shifting her sitting position to be on her knees.

Her somber expression immediately quelled his laughter and he glared up at her. "Tch, what's with that face?" With a small shrug, Kenmei pulled her coat tighter around herself. "I was just thinking… What if I wanted to see you again? I don't really care what you may or may not be… I suspect you're human under that water and just playing a joke on me. Which, to be honest, I don't mind." Judar was silent as she spoke, his expression blank and unreadable as he bobbed in the water.

"Do you think I could come see you again? Just once more? I think it will help me to feel better…"

Judar continued to watch her closely, though his expression gave away his mild irritation. "I don't really care about your emotions all that much. You're just another human. But, your grief is strong. And I like the way you smell. So sure, I guess we can meet here again." He was visibly startled as Kenmei began to laugh, narrowing his eyes at her. "What the fuck are you laughing at?" Kenmei shook her head as she continued to laugh, her face felt as if it were on fire, and her stomach churned with nausea as the joy and sadness fought for dominance in her core.

"I-I smell good?" She struggled to speak between her laughter, noticing Judar's cheeks flush behind the tears welling up in her eyes. "It's a compliment!" He snapped at her, dunking himself back into the water up to right below his eyes in frustration. Unable to stop her laughter, she fell backwards to lay down in the pebbles, growing oddly comfortable as they gave way to her body, hugging her form. As she calmed, she closed her eyes, exhaustion beginning to fall upon her. "Thank you, I guess. I'm glad you think I smell good."

She heard the water as it was displaced by his movement, but she was too far gone to open her eyes or move a muscle. Her mind began to wander, to dreams of the void, her family, and creatures that lived in the depths of the sea.