As Katniss came to stand along the beach, she was surprised to see that night had fallen. How long had she been amongst the fish and mermaids? Clearly she had let time get ahold of her. She should be getting back to Denocte. She needed to get back to her son and to her court. Had she realized how long she had spent trying to clear her head, she might have already been home. Surely Kibou would be missing her.
But despite the uncertainty, Katniss did not regret her time. Being beneath the waves had given her clarity in a way that the surface could not. She had been able to see and understand things that she couldn’t just hours before. In the end, she could not regret her time. She had to relish it and know that it was vital to her mental health.
Eyes looked up as the moon shone brightly overhead. It had been a long time since she had looked up to see the moon and the stars. Spending most of her time in the center of Denocte, the lights had seemed to drown out the natural beauty of nightfall. Katniss can feel the way her lips want to grin, but it is as if the muscles cannot bring themselves to do the action.
Ears prick forward as she hears the words of another. Lowering her eyes from the stars to the stranger, she gives the other a soft nod in greeting. “Good evening.” Katniss had thought she was alone, but she had been wrong. There were others scattered about. She should not have been naïve enough to think she would be here alone, but it did take her by surprise.
Slowly, she stepped closer to the stranger, eyes working to memorize her face. Her ears were longer than most, and Katniss was almost certain that the mare before her was a mule. Her eyes were silver and beautiful. She was a beautiful person, compared the plainness of herself. She was nothing special with a body covered in scars. She was not beautiful, at least she did not believe herself to be. “What brings you to the seaside?” She tries to be friendly, trying to welcome her into conversation. After all, how often does one stumble on another who walks out of the sea beneath the stars? Not often, she thinks.
@Salome
