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 Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:38 pm
Just down the street, past the dollar store," Maia pointed. "See? I used to go a lot when I was younger, but the streets got busier and I'm not really fond of cars. They're noisy." And, it seemed to be instinct to fear the things that polluted the air. "Hamburger pizza?" she asked. "Lets get that!" Cheeseburgers were good, so hamburger pizza must be good too. "We'll then. You're going to need to start listening to me. Isn't that the thing? You have my pelt, you belong to me." She smirked at him. "That means behaving. Come on," she led him towards the candy shop.
"There's a kelpie who lives up the road a ways in a lake. But don't ever go near him, he pulls you in and tries to drown you. He tried with me. But he couldn't. You know, I can't drown. He was so mad. I don't want you getting hurt. I like you." Even if he didn't listen, even if he had taken her pelt, no one deserved to be drowned by an ugly horse.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:45 pm
"Alright, we can do that," Toby agreed. There were worse things than beef and cheese for lunch and dinner. Besides, it was always fun to introduce new entities to facets of human life they hadn't yet experienced. He had been human until his early thirties so it wasn't so rare to him and he was able to offer information from the last sixty years or so. He laughed at her naive interpretation of legend.
"Actually, right now you're mine. I mean, magically-bonded speaking, I'm not going to do anything to you. The man who takes and hides your pelt owns you until his death, or until you get it back. As it turns out, it works for women too." Anyone trying to listen in would be sure to assume they were just crazy.
"Yeah, kelpies tend to do that. I didn't know there was one in Oregon, though. That's pretty unusual, to have two Gaelic fae in the same area of the U.S. Me, I can drown, so I think I'll be staying away from any especially seductive saddled horses."
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:18 pm
Maia rose an eyebrow. She folded her arms, her entire stance gave a sense of disbelief. "No, you're wrong. You belong to me. I'm a Selkie, I'd know! So you have to obey." She hesitated, making a face. Being held captive by a man sounded horrible. "You're not? Of course you're not. You're mine. Come on, let's get taffy!" She took hold of his arm, tugging him towards the candy shop.
"There is. He's drowned several children," she gave a sad expression. "No one's ever found out why so many people've died there, and here I am telling you and you're like 'How unusual to have two Gaelic fairies in Oregon. We aren't just in Ireland, you know!" She huffed. Last time she tried helping a human. The ones that believed didn't even believe!
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:51 pm
Toby laughed again and for once allowed her to drag him. Maybe they should set her up with a selkie mentor or two to help keep her safe. At the moment she was safe and her naivete was only amusing.
"We'll stay an extra few days and check him out. Unfortunately that means shipping a devil-horse home on a plane and keeping it in a pen, and that's not fun for anyone. You know, fae can actually be invisible to people who don't believe? The whole seventh-son-of-a-seventh-son thing ran out a century ago, but if people aren't seeing the devil-horse, that might explain it. And no, you're right, fae aren't only in Europe, but let's be honest, they are mostly in Europe and generally originally from Europe. Like anything else, though, they spread with time, and it's been a long, long time."
When they reached the candy shop he went inside and only then realized his pants were still rolled up. He bent to fix that and looked around the shop. Ah, sweets. His advanced sense of smell made the whole place smell rather delightful.
"What's your favorite?" he asked conversationally.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 4:19 pm
"I know. I can't, though. Only some can. People see me and they think I'm one of them." She wished she could have turned invisible to those who didn't believe, it would have avoided this whole video mess. She took a deep breath to calm herself, still frowning slightly. There. He was going to do something about the kelpie.
"He's got a human form. Lake grass is always in his hair. He's pretty alarming really." She'd been quite frightened by the creature. "I think people must see him in that form. If you know what you're looking for you can't miss seeing him for What he is."
What was her favorite? "All of it!" She decided. It was all her favorite. "I like the pink and blue taffy best."
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 4:31 pm
Alright, so this had just become a more complicated endeavor. They'd come to save a selkie and may well leave with a dead kelpie on their hands. It would probably be hard to retain the trust of one when the most likely outcome was murdering the other. They worked to preserve life, yes, but sometimes one less was better than the dozens it took itself. Some species were teetering close to extinction, but was that a positive in this world? Was instinct enough to murder over? Moral quandaries Toby preferred to not consider until such a situation arose.
"I'll give your pelt to Dari and you can stay with him while I deal with the kelpie." Then they were inside and the mood switched from contemplating the ethics of mercy-killing and genocide to salt water taffy.
"Grab some of those, then." He admired the shelves, trying to consider if he wanted a custom bag or a prepackaged box. The shop was still thrumming with tourists, only a few of which wore fanny packs and visors. He liked the presence of crowds. It made him feel normal. Human again.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 4:53 pm
Maia shook her head firmly. "No, you shouldn't go alone." She noticed the crowd, almost too late, and renewed her hold on Toby. What if someone here recognized her from the video? Was it possible to make videos bigger so they could see more clearly who it was?
Despite her worries she picked up a bag and started filling it with taffy. It wasn't often that she was given free reign in a candy shop. This would be fun. She'd have to thank Toby later, maybe offer to pay him back. She had a feeling, though, that he wouldn't appreciate being paid back with stolen money. Maybe when they went swimming, she could find him a pretty shell.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 4:59 pm
"Mm, I might send Dari. He's millennia harder to kill."
Toby joined Maia and began to make his own bag that was likely just as mixed as the boxes. He was able to avoid the gross ones, though, like peppermint and chocolate. Those were good things in their natural forms, but not pulled into taffy. He trusted the selkie to at least not go running, especially after she clung to him. She was allowed to touch him when it was in fear. It seemed that she was beginning to understand the severity of her situation, though. After a decent amount of wandering the store, he turned to her and smiled. "Are you ready?"
Really they should have thought ahead and brought their own sugar. Oh well. He'd consider this another move toward her trust.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 5:12 pm
"Ready," She agreed. She'd gotten a variety, and enough to share with Dari if he liked. She didn't think he should be left out just because he'd decided to stay in the hotel. "Do you think the pizza place will be as crowded as this?" she asked. She hoped not. Any one of them could have come to town hoping to see a Selkie. And what would they have done if Toby hadn't gotten to her first? "You didn't tell me your favorite kind of pizza."
It was better to talk about humany things in a human place, she decided. Like pizza and candy. They could talk more about her situation and the kelpie when they got back to the hotel. "I'll show you my favorite part of the beach later," she added. "You can see the stars really well."
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 5:33 pm
Toby motioned for her to follow him to the register where he paid for their treats. He might have been aghast at the prices had the selkie not mentioned earlier that everything was handmade. It looked handmade too. He helped guide her out of the shop. In his mind, nobody was going to think she was a selkie while she wandered through the city with her 'boyfriend.' Why was it every male-female pair had to be dating, anyway? He supposed it didn't matter. It was a good cover, and they both looked much younger than they were.
"Um, I don't think I have a favorite. I've eaten a lot of pizza in my day," he fnally responded, leading her out to the street. "You can get baked potato pizza and pizza with pineapple, all kinds of weird s**t." He turned to her then and offered her a slightly tilted, questioning glance. Would that be safe?
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:00 pm
Maia followed him out into the street, amazed by the types of pizza there were. "Baked potato?" she echoed, making a face. "Lets not try that one." She didn't know how good baked potato cheese and bread could taste. Or how good it'd be for-- anyone. She reached for his hand. "Want to go down to the water first?" she asked. "I don't know if many people will be there now. It chilly with the wind."
And she wasn't sure the pizza shop would be crowded. It was dinner time after all, and she didn't want to risk being recognized. She put her arms around Toby and hugged him. "Thank you," she said.
But whether she was thanking him for the candy or for protecting her, she didn't say.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:04 pm
"Unfortunately I've had it before. It's a whole lot of heaviness. I wouldn't suggest it," he admitted and then turned to the girl as she asked him a question.
"Whatever you want to do," Toby offered with a little smile. He stiffened in surprise when she initially threw her arms around him, but soon he managed a chuckle and patted her on the back. "You're welcome." For the taffy and for the help, because she might have meant either.
"So, to the ocean or to food? We did actually rent a car if we need to drive."
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:27 pm
"Ocean," she decided. "We can walk, it's not that far." She seemed cautious when it came to the subject of cars. She saw plenty of them every day: but had never actually been in one. She tended to prefer walking. "Come on, the tide'll be coming in. Shells will be coming onto the beach and we won't get another chance to get them. Shops collect and sell them in the morning. But they're not as good as mine." And she planned to try and find Toby some thing special. To make up for the price of the taffy.
She led him down the street and past the hotel. To the beach, she walked close to the surf. "See? The stars are reflecting on the water."
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:35 pm
Toby nodded. He was well used to the cycle of the tides. He'd been to a fair few beaches in his life, sometimes for work and sometimes for pleasure. When they were further from the general populace, he nudged her with his elbow.
"If there's anything you want to bring with you to headquarters we can pick it up tonight or tomorrow." Selkies likely didn't have purses or cell phones but their possessions could be just as meaningful to them, even if they were just foraged sea junk.
He continued with her to the ocean and peered down at the glimmering ocean and then up at the sky. It was more impressive in some places, further from the cities, but it was nice with the ocean right there. The water was calming. Maybe they should go out on a boat before they left. If they could gather Maia's trust and she wouldn't run the might have the time. Maybe they'd take her with them. Had she ever been on a boat without being in peril?
"You collect shells?" he asked then, wandering to the waterline. His night vision was also excellent, but of course it was. He was expected to hunt with only the moon to light the world. He went into the water a few steps and then bent over, plucking a glimmering green shard from the water. It was rounded, cloudy. Sea glass. He had a decent collection back at home.
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