"You could live a human life if you just walk out of the sea?!"

"Not quite… Dry land has nothing to entice me," Lena none too subtlely roamed her eyes up and down Kara's body before continuing, "I would have to return every … while." She wasn't willing to give the duration of her limits. "It isn't uncommon for those nursing injuries to remain in shallow waters or go on land for human meat, we heal faster on your blood."

"Oh," Kara chewed the inside of her cheek, "how about those giving birth or very old?"

Lena tilted her head quizzically, but humoured another question. "We birth within our pods, there's nowhere safer and our elderly willingly take down the hardest of preys in the hopes of using the last of their abilities to strengthen our pod."

"Like attack a really big shark?"

"Or an enormous jellyfish."

Lena said it with such a straight face that Kara couldn't tell if she was having her on.

"Are there other creatures like you?"

"Ask."

"Kelpies?"

"Ah, I should have known we wouldn't have similar names for creatures."

"Kelpies are these horses rumored and told as fables in Scotland, they lure riders into watery deaths." Kara's voice was exaggeratedly ominous.

Lena laughed. "I suppose... I have a brother that is quite fond of luring lovers into water marriages, they'll ultimately die of course."

"Mermaids are into humans like that?" Kara squeaked out.

"We as a species are quite focused on the death of yours."

"That's not what I..." Kara glanced down at Lena's teasing smirk and could've very well died from embarrassment. "How would that even… What do you mean lovers?"

"Lex fancied making men and women fall for him so he could lure them on romantic swims into the ocean, with nary more than promise of devotion, it wouldn't matter if they had hunter blood or not… I think he preens over his irresistibility, but that has always been our curse and gift."

"Being irresistible?" Kara asked, mouth dry as a desert and voice as fine as a grain of sand.

"I would say that's one of our traits." Lena angled slowly until she was sitting up, leaned back onto her palms, her arched spine making her quite a display. "Wouldn't you?"

Kara blushed. She liked Lena. Had liked her the moment she saw her and then gotten to talk to her. Lena didn't seemed to care who she was, didn't know that Kara was bisexual leaning heavily into wanting women, specifically women like Lena. It just seemed a little unfair to get teased.

It was confusing to be so attracted to someone that could very well eviscerate her. Lena's brother had hid his ferocious nature till the end while Lena had been nothing but honest if a bit sparse on specific details. Though the blatant teasing that could obviously go nowhere seemed a step away from a genuine friendship.

Kara felt flummoxed and foolish. She turned and headed back towards town. In her haste she left behind her backpack and missed the disappointment on Lena's face.