He wasn't giving it a lot of thought to where he was currently going, and maybe that was okay. Maybe it wasn't, but who was going to tell him to stop, to go back the way he had come? Not to say that he wouldn't listen or would, if that was the case. All of those things would be decided on a case by case basis, and Lasairian felt fine in how life had been for him lately. It all fell into place for him, as strange as that might sound to others. Or to himself, frankly speaking. Lasairian wasn't sure why he had ended up in this place, or why it was so fitting when he least expected it to be. 

Too many things had worked out for him to not feel like he somehow belonged. That he had been nudged in this direction by some unseen force. He honestly felt like he had, and it wasn't a bad thing. He was getting comfortable in this strange new life, and he liked where he lived, seemed to get along with most residents in general, and liked the field he was in. Being a medic was like second nature, though he was still debating where he should go from there. What area he should specialize in once he got up to that point. At least two of the options had his attention so far. But choosing would have to come later.

He was confounded by what had happened near the sea recently, because he had expected worse from an erupting volcano than this. Some odd path of lava rock bridged over the water. It was strange and unnatural in how it had been formed, but Lasairian hadn't put it past the deities to have had a hoof or two in that. At least they were saved from worse, as far as volcanoes went, so how could he really complain about it being odd? It wasn't hurting him, as much as it felt dangerous around the bridge, so he had faith that the deities knew what they were doing or how to keep it all in check if nothing more.

Aside from that, there were moments that the area felt like the highlands near where he had come from, with the waves crashing against the shores and the way the wind might pass on through. Sometimes those reminders were nice. Sometimes they didn't sting so much. Lasairian wasn't that today was one of those days, but he was holding it together anyway. He was relaxed and not letting the past get to him. But even with that, he was lost in thought and unanswered questions, which was why he felt a little caught off guard when he heard the sound of someone else nearby. "Hello? Someone out there?" he called lightly, turning around to look.

Lasairian hadn't given much thought to what would be a decent place to live or not. He had just started out and away from the Bheo, from everything that he had known. He had his reasons for going, and he had felt deeply that they were for the best, that they were enough to leave over. They had to do with his very health, and in more ways and areas than one. It wasn't doing him any good to stay, and he had done as much as he felt that he could there. What had been left for him when he could not dare to be around his mentor any longer? If that was the problem, the temptation that could only do him harm if he gave into it? No, Lasairan had to leave all of that behind.

He would never be allowed to gain rank there, halfbreed that he was. There was no place up there for him, and yearning for it while he was barred from it because of what he had been born as? That was detrimental to his health as well. It left him with so few options, and he could only drag down future lines if he went in that direction, too. Not that Lasairian was meant for those things. He couldn't shake where his heart was at, and he honestly did not want to. He had his ways in how he used magic, and to lose his edge was not something that Lasairian had felt willing to do for brief pleasure. It wasn't enough, and he had already given that option up years ago.

Of course the sting in the fact that he no longer had magic to wield was something that really messed with his head at times. He had forgotten it's loss more than a few times to only be jarred back into remembering in a way that was painful. Lasairian didn't know how to be something without magic, but he was really trying to sort himself out where all of that was concerned. He had gone into the medic skill, was pushing himself into all of that, as much as it tied in back to what his life had been before here, to his mentor and the skill he had been best known for. In some ways, it was more painful that way, and in others, it was better and somehow soothing, too. Confusing, certainly.

Lasairian was keeping his head up regardless, and save for the missing magic, he felt that this was where he belonged now. He was drawn here by some unseen force. Had to be. That was what he believed in now, and he was sticking to it. He did think that a lot of the situations he found himself in worked out rather well for him, as strange as it could be. The Dawn court was about knowledge and so many things that Lasairian believed in, too. The things that he reached for. They had the library, which was undoubtedly his favorite place in all of Novus, and the king of the Dawn court was someone Lasairian already respected upon first meeting him. Not to mention the Dawn deity liked tea.

It was funny and such a small thing, but Lasairian adored tea as well. It made him happy to know that it was something appreciated by the Dawn god, too. Something that Lasairian could work into how he presented to Oriens, too, when it came to that. So there it was, not some grand thing, but a series of small things that fit just right, that felt right to him. For all of that, Lasairian felt pretty content with what he had and what he was working towards. Yes, he was hoping to gain his magic back, or at least part of it. That didn't need to be said, he didn't think. It just was. And with all the books in the library, Lasairian had all he needed to study on it all when he could.

He could be thinking more on that, rather than the past and why being right here and looking out could hurt, but his mind roamed where it wished to sometimes, and Lasairian could only reign it in most of the time and proceed onwards. At least he was distracted enough by the presence of someone else there near him. He hadn't seen them right off, but he heard the movements as he began to turn around and look. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he looked and saw the other there, but maybe not what he was seeing. Nothing wrong with what he beheld by any means, no. She wasn't even all that strange with where Lasairian had come from, in fact.

But she was considered different here, in Novus, and Lasairian hadn't seen anyone like here here. He hadn't seen anything quite like her elsewhere, either, but having multiples of eyes and fins wasn't unknown to him, either. Not back there. Here it was a little bit of a surprise, but he didn't feel like it was a bad one by any means. She was a welcome sight to him. Her silence made him wonder if how he had spoken was deemed rude -- and he really hoped not! -- to which he was struggling to figure out how to retrace his words so that she wouldn't be upset by him. Some way to apologize so she did not think unkindly upon him for whatever cultural error he may have made.

Then she finally spoke, and Lasairian relaxed more on that. Coming in on the tide. Made sense with all those fins, so he nodded at her. He was curious though, overly so. He was startled from his questions when she apologized to him on if she disturbed him, and he shook his head quickly, wanting to dispel that thought immediately, "oh no, you are completely fine, no worries on that. I don't mind meeting others," he responded gently, giving her a friendly smile. When she told him her name, and why she did so, Lasairian chuckled warmly. "She's probably right, and it's nice to meet you, Bel. I'm Lasairian, but Lasair works too," he added, glancing back at her tail, "do you mind if I ask what it's like to have a tail like that?" were the curious, questioning words posed to her next.

He understood being different, but in an instance like this, it wasn't the same. Here, Lasairian fit in more, for whatever reason. He wasn't bothered by that, though. He was comfortable with the fact that he could blend in better here. That he didn't have much that really stood out here, and it gave him more energy to focus on other things, like obtaining more knowledge. That was where he usually found himself, though. Nose stuck in a book, often in the library, or asking several hundred questions of everyone he met to broaden his horizons. Maybe that made him obnoxious to some, but he truly did not mean any harm in it. He was just curious.

Lasairian was oddly adjusted to kelpies, even before coming here, so that part was easy enough to breeze by, but those that he had known did not have tails like Bel did. Or two sets of eyes. Everything else was up in the air with fins and such, though. His main interest was the tail for now, because he couldn't image having one like that. How it must feel to use one to swim, or how it must be to have it here on land where it didn't really have much use. Or that was what he suspected, since he couldn't be sure if that was true or not. Just a guess, though he supposed it could be used as another weapon in combat, strong as it might be.

Having a tail that could be whipped around sans the finned part was something Lasairian had known before, though that form hadn't been his normal form. It was a battle form, more or less. He had enjoyed it, but that was something that he had put behind him. Fighting wouldn't be the same in this form, and the reasons for it would be quite different, he suspected. Back before this place, there had been three forms that he could take, though he honestly couldn't tell for sure which one was the more natural one for him. Perhaps the puff of smoke. Hard to explain to most, but it was more just energy in a raw form. He hadn't used it often.

Lasairian didn't even miss it now. Not that one. He wasn't sure how much he really concerned himself with the loss of the other two, either. He was doing well enough here, and while it was an adjustment to get used to it all, he settled into it rather easily. Would he have ever thought that a place like this might feel so fitting to him before being here? No, not in the slightest. He probably would have thought anyone who said it might be, to be on something, too. Yet here he was, and so far so good. Maybe it was the simplicity of it all that had him connecting with it all. Except the whole volcano thing, but that was just odd.

Not something that Lasairian wanted to muse too much upon, because it made him think that something less than good was afoot here. That was the kind of shenanigans that the Bheo might boast, when things were going awry. Maybe that was why Lasairian didn't like the idea of it here. He didn't want those problems to come to this place, where he was feeling more comfortable day by day. He wanted to keep that comfort, that sense of belonging. Perhaps he was asking for too much, and maybe all he could do was blame himself for how this was turning out. Lasairian wasn't going to let it chase him off that easily, though.

He focused instead on Bel, on the way she was not looking at her own tail and telling him that she had never really thought about it. The curiosity was in his gaze as he looked and listened to her words of her control over it, the flexiblity of it, of herself. He nodded at that, giving another brief glance over her frame, thoughtful at that. She did have good structure for aquatic life, which was often a graceful thing on land, too, with practice. If one was built for that sort of thing, for being both on land and in water. Lasairian couldn't fathom what that might be like, though. There had been nothing like that for him to know on a personal level.

When Bel glanced at him and motioned him forward, saying that he could touch her tail, his eyes widened a bit. It was quite generous of her to allow such a thing, and Lasairian stepped carefully closer to her, "I'd be honored to, if you're sure you don't mind," he said lightly, getting close enough to lower his head a little and press his nose to her tail. It certainly did feel differently than any equine skin and fur that he had felt before, that much was true. It was nice and smooth, sort of silky, even. He pulled back slowly and smiled at her, "feels as silky as I imagine a Selkie pup would feel," he commented, head tilted.

Lasairian wasn't sure what his losses changed about his chances with survival, though there were obvious things that would have helped him with it, and a few things that left him vulnerable, but no more than many of the other equine types here. Lasairian did not like his lack of magic; but that was where it bothered him the most to have lost. Some here had magic, but not many. Not like it was back at the Bheo. Then again, it wasn't used the same here. They didn't have the same needs in Novus, and that wasn't really a bad thing. Lasairian found it sort of refreshing, even.

There would still be those that were set apart from the norm, and while he was no longer one of those, he remembers some of the feelings from being odd in one way or another. That is not something he wants to make other feel, and therefore he tries to curb his curiosity so that it hopefully wouldn't be upsetting. Lasairian couldn't help but want to learn more and understand, but Bel seemed to be taking it all in stride so much better than Lasairian would have imagined. She was teaching him quite a bit about her tail, and it was more than he would have tried to pry over, too.

He was putting her words to memory, just in case such knowledge could help in other matters somewhere down the line. As a medic, know these things could most certainly come in handy if someone like Bel needed medical attention, so Lasairian was grateful for enough information to be able to better help in that sort of instance. Oriens forbid that anything bad should happen to anyone like Bel, though. She was an exquisite creature, and he hoped that she would be able to thrive here, and perhaps bring more of her pod, too. No one should be alone if they didn't choose it, after all.

Lasairian had chosen his type of being alone, and he was okay with it as long as he was also able to have friends and others to talk to. That was enough for him, and how he felt it should be. Most others, though, needed more than that, and Lasairian hoped they would find it. And he would continue to seek out friendships and knowledge, learning things like this. That Bel's tail felt almost like a whale might feel. She was right in that he had never swum with one, let alone had the chance to touch one, and he laughs lightly, "nope, never saw one up close, either," he responded with a shake of his head.

While he isn't bothered by the experience that he lacks, he does silently add meeting a whale to his list of things he eventually wants to do. He wonders how he would get close enough for that, but it was a debate for another day. Lasairian listens to Bel explain about her tail helping with balance on land, and why it was a help. It's interesting to hear these things and know that's what it's like going from the water life to walk on land, and he nodded to what she was telling him, finding it enlightening to know how she was affected on land as opposed to being in water.

Once she had finished speaking for a moment, Lasairian smiled warmly at her, "I think your explanation was well done, and gets the point across. From a medical standpoint, I'm glad that you are so kind as to explain these things, so I can help those like you if it ever comes up. Though I sincerely hope that it doesn't, and I always find you and those like you in good health," he responded, then looked thoughtful, "are there any tried and true things that help heal those like you that might not be commonly known about? It's always good to learn about how other cultures cure and heal," he added evenly.

Lasairian probably wouldn't consider himself socially adept, and therefore could not judge whether or not someone else was, but he thought that Bel was being polite and social enough. Way more than he would have thought a stranger might be, considering just how much she was telling him. He was pretty pleased to be learning so much, to have information that could prove to eventually be helpful later on down the road. He was certainly grateful for that much. Lasairian had no idea that Bel would be so giving with information when he asked about her tail, more used to the simple and direct answers to questions from others.

It wouldn't have occurred to him that all that talk from Bel was because she might be nervous or something of that nature, because Lasairian was trying to come off as calm and not at all intimidating. He meant no harm and he wanted to show that, though he understood why others would still be cautious. He was even glad when they were, because he knew there were plenty out there who seemed less threatening than they were. It was best if strangers were prepared for that sort of thing. Prepared, but not rude up front unless given a reason to be. That was how Lasairian tried to look at things and go forth with. He hoped that was how he came off as, at least.

He could deal with confrontation if he had to, but as he was, in this form, he honestly wasn't sure how he would stack up in a fight if he were pushed into one. He wasn't really in any rush to be in a fight, either, if he could help it. He didn't think that there was any reason that he should be challenged, considering the fact that he tried not to step on any hooves here. Then again, that sort of thing did not always make sense, which was a lesson that Lasairian had already learned in life. Grudges could happen in any situation, even when trying to avoid such things. All he could do was try to keep out of trouble and keep out of the way.

Hearing Bel's comment on not getting too close to whales due to accidental hazards with their size had Lasairian thoughtful, but he stored that away for later as well, just so he would know to use caution if ever he did end up meeting a whale. Which he still wanted to do, but if she has wisdom to pass down on that kind of situation, then Lasairian was going to listen to her. She had lived around those creatures, after all. She would know. He could bet that any question deep sea related would be something she could answer for him, if he had more of those. Nothing really came to mind at the moment, but eventually he was sure he would want to learn more on it.

What he did notice, however, was when he was asking about the medical side of things, Bel had tensed, had shifted her eyes away from him again, and Lasairian felt that he must have poked at a tender spot. He didn't mean to, wouldn't have thought that those questions would have a sore spot, but now he was very aware of it, and would be mindful of how he asked anything further of that nature. He was sure she had her reasons for it, and he wasn't going to press about it. In fact, he was ever so grateful that she had decided to give him any answers on it at all. He wasn't going to push his luck on it, so he simply listened respectfully to what she had to say.

What she gave was more than enough, and it was knowledge stored away so that he might write it down later so he did not forget. This was not a topic he wanted to bring up again if it bothered her so much to speak of it. All of it made more sense as she continued, though, and Lasairian's eyes widened at what she was implying happened to those in the water that were wounded. He could see why things were like that, but what it actually meant in practice sounded horrifying to those who would suffer for those losses, for those in that boat. "I am so sorry, I didn't realize— please forgive me for my insensitivity, I had no idea," he said, concern on his features.