A Walk in the Park

Catalina listened carefully as Zach spoke. When he was finished, her eyes squinted as she watched him. Being fae meant it was often harder for Catalina to tell when people were lying to her. She just wasn't good at it. This felt like truth, though.

"So you were human? A very human quality to be afflicted by the past. I have had many previous lifetimes, and I rarely think of them, if ever. I see no reason to be stuck with what once was."

She thinks a moment more. "What powers do you possess? What is this other personality you speak of? What a very intriguing person you are, Zach."

And Catalina did seem intrigued. She sat forward with her arms around her knees and her chin resting on her knees. She was relaxed once more.

"Fair enough," Catalina said, her look neutral. "Now you may feel free to ask what you want to know about me. See, it's only polite to speak about yourself before asking anything of someone else."

Catalina's lips quirked in the barest of smiles. There was no humor in it. "Yes, you could call us fae fairies, fair-folk, or any variant of it. The Unseelie court is among the two courts of Under the Hill, the fae real. The other court is the Seelie court. While there is actually a court for each, mostly when someone says they're from either, it's meant to suggest what their alliances are."

"How much do you know of the fae?" she asked, sounding proud to be talking of her people. "We are an odd and very diverse race."

"I ask because not many people know about us in detail." She closed her eyes and raises her chin to the sun. "Must be lonely for you. There are not others such as yourself, are there?"

She nodded in understanding. "That is unfortunate. It is very hard to be alone, though I can't speak on that from experience. Any solitude I have I created for myself."