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Imri had never once in his life thought he would leave Yael. His entire world had been comprised of Zinris, the wilds surrounding it and the little earthling villages he'd visited over the years with Lucijah. He'd never even traveled across the entire island let alone contemplated what life would be like off it, and now...now his entire life was able to change.

As of tomorrow, once the sun broke over the sea, his family would officially be moving. It was a bittersweet moment that left the hybrid wandering through the fog one last time. No longer would he be able to hide, to shrink away and live his life how he wanted...but maybe that was a good thing?

Pausing for a moment, the hybrid crouched down to stay out of sight as footsteps grew closer. He stayed as still as a keldari, leveling his breath to remain hidden, but what came upon him wasn't anything he'd ever seen before. It was an Aishan, but off. Colored like vines with eyes bright like an infection. He stared for a while, just taking in the sight, until a wheezing sort of creature at her feet caught his attention.

Goddess was it dying?

He crept a little closer, one hand slowly reaching for the hilt of his sword just in case.

He'd heard stories from the yaeli about creatures that took the form of something familiar but twisted it. The longer Imri looked at this thing the more he was sure it was a shape changer. Some spirit of the wilds that had come out to attack him. Curling his lip back in a snarl, the Elarian hybrid quietly unsheathed one of his blades and started to move closer.

The growling abomination did nothing other than strengthen his resolve. It had to perish! As he stepped out of the brush, Imri began to unsheath his other sword. "Call out to whoever you want, they won't come. You and that thing won't be luring anyone else into your trap."

Imri clucked his tongue and sucked on a hiss. "Save the naivete for someone who cares." She looked terrified and the hybrid relished in it. The longer he was able to hold this power dynamic the better. It would make slaying the beast all the easier.

And then the beast started to growl and....Imri couldn't hide his look of pure disgust. "Why is it squeaking like that? What did you do to it? It's face is malformed." What kind of beast had it been before this creature got her hands on it? Surely it must have looked more intimidating than this to act that way. If he were merciful he would end it now, but...a part of Imri was too stunned to really do much.

As soon as she raised a hand Imri's sword arm raised once more toward her. "Hand. Down." He knew magic; enough of it, anyway. He'd seen a magic user summon fire with their hand before and spirits could use magic so just because she wasn't armed didn't mean she wouldn't incinerate him.

"Even their name sounds cursed." Duruf? Sounded like something that got caught in the back of his throat when he was sick. And, as if on cue, the mangled thing seemed to choke on air before sneezing. "This thing is suffering but you let it live? It would be a mercy to it to rest."

"It cannot breath." Imri motioned toward the duruf with all the patience of someone speaking to a toddler. "What sort of person would think a peaceful end is better than suffocation?" Even the way it moved disturbed Imri. It's chest was bigger than it's back end and while the curl of it's tail was admittedly cute there was just something about that face. As soon as it turned around whatever charm it may have had was instantly gone.

"Why are you here, spirit? Who summoned you and why are you doing this?"

"If I'm scaring him it's only because you've convinced him that anyone with morals is something to fear." Only just got here? So this spirit hadn't had the chance to infect anything else. Which meant, logically, that if Imri could destroy it right here and now then his home would be spared.

Until...it spoke a familiar word. This time it was Imri's turn to c**k his head, but his was followed with a scrunch of the brow. He knew of Vandrea because of conversations with the sisters, same as he knew the Elidae. "Is that what you claim to be? A Vandrea?"

Imri clicked his tongue. Mean?! What did it matter if he was abrasive or kind? Would that stop her from being an unearthly creature sent from whatever underworld she'd crawled out of to deform creatures of their world? No, it wouldn't!

"What proof do you have that you're a Vandrea? Give me a reason to believe you are what you say you are." Anyone could claim to be anything, but so long as she stood there, an apparition before him, Imri would keep his guard up. Even the way she hesitated on saying cousin annoyed him. Was she implying that he was less than, just because he was male? Could she see underneath his hood? It wasn't as if forcing himself to appear more 'feminine' had stopped his body from changing, nor had it stopped his voice from deepening.