Chada
He walked into the room in front of me, sitting on my couch. He looked so... wow. I don't think enough words could describe this. I remembered a random study that said we find people more attractive when they're just slightly damp, not soaked, but dewy.
Right now I supposed that was true. He looked ethereal standing there, a sparkle about him I couldn't comprehend. I felt no inappropriate desire in that moment. Just awe.
I never knew this world had so much beauty in it. If he were a fish, he'd be a catch.
He looked at me funny. "Why are you staring so intensely?" He walked closer, muttering, "weirdo."
"Are you more calm now?" I asked him. He grumbled at me. "I am not sure why you made me shower when the sea is right there." I grabbed a towel and dropped it on his hair, laughing a bit and leaning back into my couch.
"Well, the sea is good, but a shower always helps calm me down, plus you won't struggle to not change forms this way, right?" I said. He nodded, asking why a shower is more calming.
"I am not sure, but the warmth or temperature control, plus the scents of the shower scrubs and washes. I told you how to use them. I also like to sing in the shower," I said nonchalantly with a smile.
"I smell weird now," he said. I looked at him, tilting my head. "Really?" as I leaned closer.
"No, you just smell like me," I said with a smirk. Sarit glared at me. "Precisely. I would never want to smell like you, a human."
"So biased," I tsked at him, unbothered. He was making no move to dry his hair. "Here, let me dry it or you will catch a cold," I said.
He looked at me like I was absurd. "You think I, a water being, will get sick from a bit of water?" He huffed at me.
I continued anyway. "Yeah, well, in the water you're one temperature, but up here the water will make your temperature unbalanced."
I thought nothing of my words, but the way he looked back at me... I worried I had hurt him. His eyes looked a tad misty. Could such magnificent beings cry? I must have imagined it. Still, I got up quietly and went to the fridge to grab him some konjac jelly. The flavors I had left I used during times I felt down or overwhelmed.
"Here, try eating this. I imagine I would struggle more if I suddenly had to blend in down in the ocean."
He grabbed it, looking at me uncertainly, a slight spark of refusal glimmering in his eyes.
He looked a bit uncertain of his words before saying, "Humans like you would be killed in seconds," as if proud of himself. I just laughed.
"I don't doubt that one bit," I said earnestly.
He looked at me as if expecting me to tease him again. We haven't even known each other that long, but clearly we were beginning to adapt to each other's personalities.
I turned to him and reached my hand out, wanting to pat his head. He looked at my hand as if it was going to attack, though, so I let my hand drop.
"Sarit, it probably means nothing to you, but I think you're honestly impressive."
He again looked at me like he'd bite my hand. "Impressive how? This is nothing," he said, flicking his hand sassily.
God, that was cute. "The way you charge straight ahead into the unknown. I don't think I could do that, let alone set foot in a building or sing or dance," I looked at him in a bit of awe.
"Yes, of course, because humans are less able to survive. You're weak," he retorted sassily.
I leaned down and hovered over him. "Yes, you make me weak." I watched his cheeks flush as he turned away. Thinking I won some points here too soon, he turned back around and flipped me onto the couch.
He looked so happy with himself that he could flip me over. Truth is I had no reason to resist, but whatever makes him feel happy.
"My point exactly, weak," he said with a smirk. His words could be interpreted as harsh by most, but the way his eyes gleamed and his face started to smirk told me he didn't truly mean it.
"Bet you can't sing. Of course you couldn't do it," he said.
I chuckled a bit. "I actually can sing, quite well I might add. For a human, that is. For you, it may not live up to your standards," I said, provoking him.
"I'll be the judge of that," he said with his usual snark.
"Oh, so you'll listen to me sing?" I raised my eyebrow at him.
"Who knows, maybe when I am bored of hearing you talk," he said, now hauling himself up off of me.
I bit my lip a bit watching the way he moved. I think he knew my eyes trailed him.
He had this way of swaying that seemed so illegal to be that seductive.
Never in my life had I had so much trouble being a gentleman the way my mama raised me. That is all just feelings though. I knew I would never act on them.
I certainly wouldn't give him one more reason to hate humans.
He flitted about my house before pausing at a photo frame. "Who is this?" he said, pointing. The woman was beside me in that photo, kissing my cheek.
"My ex-girlfriend, actually," I said.
"Right. You humans don't mate forever like we do," he said with a hint of disdain.
"Oh? Sirens do, like swans?" I said with curiosity.
"You and your always comparing me to animals, the wrong ones at that," he said now poking my nose.
I just smiled down at him. I found myself actually liking the way he acted like this.
"Coming from you, the one who always refers to us as 'you humans'," I retorted, teasing a bit. "Is there a reason you hate humans so much?"
"More than there are to love them," he said, now switching the subject back to sirens mating.
Sirens' sole nature is to procreate and seduce others, yet the siren gene pool is small. Not many kinds can migrate, and clans can be hostile if you did. The whole water climate changes, so many either mate with other species or humans because humans are everywhere. For some smaller or more fragile species of sirens, blending in with humans some of the time poses significantly less risk than hiding from humans and normal sea animals or other sea creatures.
I was taken aback. It sounded complex, honestly probably the longest I've ever seen him speak. I wasn't going to dissuade him though, so I asked, "Do you choose a mate or how does that work?"
He chewed on his lip a bit, staring at the photo of my ex before saying, "We don't usually choose a mate. It's like a soulmate when the time is right or you're in love. During an important emotional moment, usually a tear forms into a pearl that your partner must swallow or the siren can't be intimate with anyone again until it's used."
He paused before adding, "Not everyone even finds a mate, and some species I know of have multiple pearls. However, mating is a call that sirens hardly can resist and doing so often eats away given it is within our very nature."
I looked at him, taking in a breath. "Wow, that sounds tough to deal with honestly."
He told me more; it comes with taking on the powers of your mate, including transformation abilities.
"Except if your partner dies you will revert back to your original form forever, unable to mate again. However, since you used your pearl and are no longer bound, you can still love others. That was the case when my father's siren died," he said glumly.
I wasn't sure what to say. I could see this clearly was a sore subject and that there clearly was more to this. I dared not pry further though, so I asked, "Do you want to go for a swim?"
He looked up at me, saying, "You sure I won't just drown you?"
I waved my hand in dismissal. "You would have done that already. Plus, you need me," I said with a smirk.
"I do not need you at all!" he said, aghast.
I walked towards the door. "Yes, I imagine you do not."