[PRP] A new home (Wellspring x Layla)

[MiddyGlow]

Layla was setting up her little cavern she had only recently decided she needed some space from her mom and sister, she needed to start building her own life. This was her first step, finding a place to sleep at night by herself and learn to face her fears on her own. She had decided a long time ago to live in the water not far from the naiad palace, she didn't see her earth walking mother Amaya very often. She still cared about her, but her other mother was normally so busy with treasure hunting it was hard to track her down.  

[Daisicle]

Wellspring yawned and stretched out his arms above his head as rested on the rocky edge outside of his little home in the Lomir Caves. The recent months had been... well they'd actually been among some of the highlights in his life. For one thing, he and Aurelia were hitting it off - boy would his younger self reel if he heard what was happening, not to mention his own family (he really ought to send them a letter sometime, considering how long it had been since he last responded to them, despite his mother's regular letters). Anyhoo, he and Aurelia... yeah. He still couldn't quite believe it. He was meeting up with her every few weeks now to just sort of hang? But romantically?

Yeah, yeah, they were dates.

And now she was starting to get more serious about wanting him to meet her family... It was kind of comforting, but also kind of anxiety-inducing. Like, surely her folks would know that what the two of them were doing was a big fat mistake, like his folks would. He already was aware of that... he didn't want anypae else spelling it out for him.

Though honestly, he wasn't sure he could talk his way out of it if Aurelia asked at this point. She kind of had him wrapped around her finger.

It... it wasn't too bad of a feeling.

With another yawn, his eyes drew upwards towards the surface as he continued to quietly keep to his thoughts on this particular morning.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Daisicle

Layla looked around her small space where she could sleep and keep her things, she smiled it wasn't much but it would be all hers. She didn't have any prospects for a relationship, then again, she had been living with her mother and sister, so that wasn't exactly the most romantic way of life. Perhaps now she could meet someone and start a relationship, or perhaps she would just enjoy being single and on her own for a while.

She looked around and decided she needed some shells for her little cavern so she swam out of her home heading out to search for decorations for her new home. She had a net bag over her shoulder so she could put the treasures she might find in it. She spotted a pretty pink shell and she smiled and started to swim towards it.  

[Daisicle]

Wellspring continued to sit there, in an uncharacteristically good mood, as he moved his line of sight from above to below him. While things were mostly still quiet this morning, he did notice a new female swimming about. She looked to be one of the various hybrids living here in the Spring, and unlike the hostilities they often met with back in Laisidhiel, here they were received like any other. It was something he honestly wished the faun could internalize a bit more...

Oh, was she looking for seashells? Or perhaps something else? With a calm smile, he raised his clawed hand to offer a 'hello' as they made a momentary eye contact. He'd been very slowly growing over his insecurity regarding it in the past few months and had begun to consciously use it more often to try and normalize it.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Daisicle

Layla looked up and her eyes went wide, she didn't know what to do the claw made her very nervous, clearly, he wasn't a crab but his claw still triggered her fear of crabs. The pretty shell still lay on the ground as she floated there frozen in her fear. "Umm hi." She said uncomfortably with the situation. She knew it wasn't fair and it wasn't this pae's fault that she had a foolish fear. It was a fear she had to get past somehow, after all she lived in a place with lots of sea life, she couldn't avoid crabs for her whole life unless she was willing to leave the sea for good, which she was not.  

[Daisicle]

Wellspring smile slowly dissipated and his arm fell as realization of her expression set in, it was a look he'd been quite accustomed to for his entire life. Her face and her tone said it all.

No. No. Keep it all in. Breath in, breath out. It's okay, you already knew you were different. That you can't help but disgust others. It can't be helped, it's out of your control. You're the weird one for letting someone else convince you it was okay to be like this. For making you think that you're just like any other. You should know better.

You do know better.

Moving his claw where it belonged, behind him and out of sight, he shifted a but uncomfortably himself and lowered his eyes. "I, uh... I think I should go..." he said more softly before finishing with, "Sorry for disturbing you."

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Daisicle

Layla frowned she didn't want to hurt the pae he had done nothing to her to hurt her. "I'm sorry it's me not you, umm well." Her cheeks blushed purple. "I know it's silly really, I'm afraid of crabs. You don't have to go, I'll go." She was embarrassed that she had hurt his feelings. The shell has forgotten she was ready to go back to her cavern. She needed to find a way to get past this fear. She was sad that she had hurt someone with her fears. She sighed out and turned to leave the pae be.  

[Daisicle]

Ah, so that was it, wasn't it? Of course it was. If he could have cut his claw off... He'd rather just have nothing there than this appendage some times. He shook his head as he raised his regular hand to stop her. "No... No. I live here. I can go. Just go back to what you were doing." With a practiced motion, he pulled his legs - another rarity in the Spring - to his chest before appearing to stand up.

"Good day..."

Making sure at no point was his hand visible, he turned to return to his cave abode.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Daisicle

Layla turned around and she took a lot of water and oxygen threw her gills "No I will not make you leave your home or go back in your cave because I am being a guppy." She swam forward "I'm Layla." She said putting her fear aside he didn't look like a crab he had a face. A voice full of sadness because of her foolish fears. She had caused this problem and she needed to get over this, this was a pae not a crab.  

[Daisicle]

Wellspring looked back as he began to grow visibly frustrated at the bubbling situation. First she wanted him to go, now she wants him to stay?! Ugh what?!

"Wellspring."

His name spoken in a bit of a huff was all he offered. As of this moment, he just wanted to go back inside.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Daisicle

Layla wasn't sure what else to do, she was trying to make up for how she had reacted and her personal fears, but Wellspring seemed to be angry with her. Not that she could blame him. "Nice to meet you." She said uncertain and a little nervous still since she didn't want to hurt his feelings anymore, his claw was just a claw and she had an angry pae and an awkward situation. She sighed "I really am sorry I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."  

[Daisicle]

"Okay, sure, you didn't mean to. Can't be helped really. It's not your fault I remind you of something you're afraid of. Of course you're going to react that way."

Deep breath. Aurelia was telling him to mind his temper at times like this. So he should try and calm down before saying anything. But he could also just ignore that advice and say what he really thought.

"Look. I'm not in the mood for your half-hearted pity right now - I already got more than enough for myself as a matter of fact. So could you kindly just piss off and leave me alone?"

"I'm going home."

Without waiting for her to try and debate, he once again turned around and started swimming back to his home.

MiddyGlow

 

[MiddyGlow]

Daisicle

Layla wanted to argue with him, that it wasn't about pity, it was about more than that, but he was already gone and she shouldn't go chasing him into his home. She sighed and went to grab the pretty shell so this day wouldn't be totally ruined. She felt bad, but since he wouldn't listen to her or accept her apology there wasn't anything she could do. This was part of living a grown-up life. She had to deal with social situations on her own and not everyone was going to be her friend and that would just have to be ok.

(Fin)