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The pumpkin sun gave the lake a golden green glow as various insects flew over the murky water’s surface. There seemed to be more with the arrival of horsemen, though the siren wasn’t sure if it was related. If anything he was guessing it was just breeding season again. Spring blooms had begun to appear along the water’s edge, and for him, it was nice to go out and occasionally admire them.
One reason he was out today though, was because he’d seen a certain kelpie leaving his dorm and head towards the body of water. It had been a long time since the pair had met, and Israfel had taken time to bringing Hester along for a ride. Since Riley’s death thing had shifted slightly. The horsemen’s arrival if anything shifted things. Not much was or could be said about what had happened without emotions and the siren was rather done arguing his views. Flying over the lake he hovered above the water’s surface, ripples from his wing beats scattering the reflection of the sun. He was sure Calder was around here somewhere.

Ear wings flicked 360, trying to pick up familiar sounds above the wind and leaves. When a voice called out, the ear wings came to full attention. Blue eyes darted to the source before he began to glide over. "Calder?" He smiled. "It has been a while. Are you doing well?" Hester crawled on the siren's head happy to see his old friend.

Landing on the shore line, he waited, smiling.

The siren smiled, sitting on one of the larger rocks just above the waterline. "I am Israfel. Though, I suppose the change in my wings and my speech and overall appearance might be a tad..distressing. It has been a while since we ran off to do that awful-" He bit his lip, "that incident at the house." Black and blue wings folded behind him as he brushed back in dark blue hair.

"As for what I am doing out here, I was looking for you. I hadn't seen you in a while and I saw you left the dorms not long ago. A simple chat really. Why? Is there something going on I should know about?"

For a moment Israfel didn't know how to react, then he did. With laughed. "Oh Calder, that is just silly. Your accent is new by the way but really-" wiping a tear from his eye, the siren flew over to him hovering, letting Hester fall into the water with a plop.

Why Calder would be worried about nets or arrows, he didn't know but to him it was foolishness. "Calder, the school grounds are for the majority, safe. That aside, with water and the sky and land, I have more than enough ways to escape any predators. So while I appreciate the concern, I do not think we will be troubled."

Touching the water with a finger he shivered. "A bit cold today, though a coold dip does one well. Have have you been Calder? Are you doing well with the..recent events?"

The shock of being grabbed and then yelled at and then thrown into the water... Israfel sputtered as he surfaced, head bobbing along the glittering edge of air and water. Blue eyes glared at Calder then relaxed. It was unexpected but not unwarranted in some ways. "I would appreciate you not calling me an idiot Calder. And I can say it very easily. We are for the majority, safe. If you are speaking of hunters you ought to remember a few things."

Swimming over, he felt Hester swim up to him brushing against his hand before swimming off.

"Hunters have it worse than we do. We as Halloweeners, have for hundreds of years been able to go into their world, anywhere in their world, to cause them to create FEAR for us. Some of our kind killing them for less than noble reasons. The Horsemen apparently were seeking to destroy their world. Now we are on the other end. We are creating fear." He sighed.
"And to be honest, I was more scared of the horsemen than the hunters. But that aside, it is alright to fear Calder, but you're being irrational. They have no reason to be here right now, not with how many of them died on those same islands."

Well that had the opposite effect of what he wanted...though he had chosen the worst to say. "Rationalize Calder. How do you think they feel? They say how they have suffered because of us, that loved ones have died because of us... they have a lifetime of fear. We have only known them a year. They live in pure fear of us because they can see us when others do not. They have seen loved ones die and suffer by the hands of halloweeners. When you fear irrationally you act irrationally. What if the horsemen had done some heinous wrong? What if they didn't? You cannot judge an individual against a group, nor, judge a group by an individual."

He floated a bit away. "Neither of us can answer your questions because was have such a limited scope. We can try to answer to the best of our abilities, but the fact remains, we know just as little of them as they know of us. We fear them and hate them, and they hold the same for us. We are safe here, right now Calder, and that is far more important than living in fear."

A sigh as he ducked in the water. "We are not so different than them I think."

"Really Calder? I am not so much defending as being objective. And they did not kill Riley no more than they killed Red. That was Insanity Calder. We fought them as they did, so we cannot foster the blame of those deaths on hunters alone." Ear wings fell back. "Float from the shore with me a while. It helps with relaxing."

Spinning himself in the water he looked over to the forest. "I sympathize because I now understand them and how they fear. I defend them with words because by killing them in return, we only further their hate, their reasoning for fearing us and wishing us ill. A cycle of death can only be broken by life. As for their actions... I am sorry for you...and them. We have never really had many chances to speak with them when things are not chaotic or high in tension. I did speak with one and... I think there is a reason to hope Calder. Their hearts are not so cold and hateful as we might think." He motioned to the center of the lake. "Swim, it helps ease the worry and tension."

"We don't know until we try really. But no, not every chance." He smiled. "The one with the two tone hair, he did not attack us first, though he provoked us, he did not cut us down as we both know he is more than capable of doing." Swimming under Calder, he took a second to bush out a reed in his tail before surfacing.

"Your wants are rather modest really. And like I said, we don't really know much about them aside from their anger, aside from the limited view we have of them... I think if we act rashly, act in anger, we will do more harm than good. Peace is not made overnight but with time, understanding." A sigh. "And we sorely are lacking in the understanding department."

he watched the kelpie blue eyes wondering what had made him so skittish. "Defend Calder. We defend. There is no shame, no hate in protecting that which we love. But if we let our love be clouded by hate... are we defending or only making it worse? The first action is to meet them on common ground. To try and speak with them, understand them. I do believe there is hope Calder. I do not like the idea of us and them so blinded by hate that we will destroy all we hold dear to protect it just the same."