swimming

She screwed up her face in regret at his wistful expression, mistaking it for something else; her hands snaked behind her back as if keeping them out of sight would make him forget. "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attempted it... Was I that bad?" She looked away, not wanting to hear the answer.

"No, I do not dance... Perhaps that is a good thing?" She grinned weakly, although she was still not able to look at him. "I love to watch, though. Folk dances, especially the fast ones."

She smiled softly, intertwining her fingers behind her back. Emotions were somewhat backwards for her - the happier she was, the less you could tell. "Thank you," she said, dipping her head down, her now-dry hair waving in the wind. "I am afraid I do not know much more... Perhaps, one day, you might show me?" She looked back up at him, not sure if she should have said that. Maybe he didn't ever want to see her again - that was a most real possibility, she knew.

"I am... I learn very quickly. Physical, material things... They're easy to understand." She said, so at least he'd know he wouldn't have to spend hours to help her or anything. One or two tries was usually the most it took for her to understand concrete, bodily things such as dancing.

She bobbed her head twice, and was about to say something when a choked scream-like cawing filled her ears. She whirled around on all fours, peering around the boulder to see if whatever it was needed help. It was a seagull, and apparently it didn't; it launched itself at her, scratching and clawing whatever it could.

She jumped back, flickering invisible and back again. It was over in less then ten seconds; by then she was holding the bird in both hands, far enough away that it wouldn't scratch her again. "Shh, Min vän..." She muttered, standing up and throwing it into the air, quickly turning invisible to deter against another attack. "Lesdin... Animals hate me." The bird dove again, confused, finally retreating to a far away rock.

Her skin faded back into sight, one shaky hand going up wipe away the blood on her cheek. She wasn't sure what they had against her, but whatever it was, most people felt the same way as well. "Lesdin... I'm sorry. Are you... Yes, it is." She finally settled on answering his original question; the bird attack had both scared and embarrassed her, and she wasn't sure what to say.

"He... He hurt his foot." She stared towards the bird, face even more pale then usual. "Animals do not like me." She repeated, trying harder to scrub the blood off her face but just smearing it around. "I do not know why... Maybe I smell bad." She sniffed her arm, but it smelled perfectly normal to her. The numerous cuts were starting to hurt, and she pressed one hand against her cheek to try and stop them. "Once, a cat even tried to eat my fingers." It hadn't been very good at it - just bit down and didn't let go, didn't even try to chew them. It had still left deep holes in her fingers, like a tiny vampire; she'd had to get them bandaged and couldn't use them well for almost a week.

She ran a hand through her hair, resolving once again to never try and help an animal again, like she always did when one attacked her. "I am sorry... He did not hurt you, did he?" Her eyes widened at this thought, and she leaned forward, trying to inspect his face for any of the wide scratches that were on hers.