don't mind the rust v2

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This place. Something was off. Something was wrong with this place. It felt... dark. Cursed. Unholy, in a way. What gave her that feeling, Esmerelda couldn't say but it was one she heeded well. Her steps here were careful, cautious, her voice silent. Even her posture was different, ears back as she strode through the forest, though slinking would have been a better word for it. The feeling in her bones was one that could not be left behind, and so, Esmerelda decided to cut her exploration short, turning back towards the ocean without hesitation.

The closer she moved to the beach and the quicker she went, the better she felt; there was a point where she was loping towards her destination and then -- And then she stopped, catching a scent that had not been there before. She heard the rattle of something or other and decided to amend her direction towards it, as her destination and this other being seemed to be in the same direction. It was not long before she came upon them either, an inky black figure walking through these cursed trees towards the very shoreline the merle-coated witch sought.

“You there. Do you live here?” She asked, periwinkle eyes examining the other, the woman closely as she approached.

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Immediately, the Siren found herself favoring this woman. She was strong, confident, not to mention easy on the eyes. Even better that she did not take residence in this awful place. The spirits here were most unhappy and disturbed; Esmerelda would stay far away from this place in the future, without any shadow of a doubt. She would laugh as the savage looking female with the bones hung around her neck asked her a question, shaking her head with an easy answer.

“Absolutely not,” She said with mock offense to her tone. “This place...” The sea-with looked back at it as the ocean breeze ruffled her salt-curled fur. “It feels wrong. Besides, I own a much better forest.” Her eyes slipped past the woman to indicate the sea, and the islands on their horizon. “That one there, across the inlet.” And she was proud to say that, most pleased with the island that she called home.

Gaze falling upon the other again, Esmerelda did not hide the way she looked her over again, a slight smile pulling at her lips. “Does she speak to you? The sea?”
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Oh, she felt that gaze, heavy and fire-worn, as if the woman's gaze was a sword to cut through the gloom. Were she not so on-edge due to the unsettling feeling in her chest, Esmerelda might have leaned into that knife's edge until it cut, deep, but for now, she would only press her throat closer until just the edge nicked her, cut skin beneath all that fur. Similarly, the little siren moved forward, slipping past the woman in a fashion that brushed her fur against the beast's own. She only stopped when her paws touched water, the sea welcoming her with warm waters and gentle tide.

“She is gentle until she is not, hm?” She smiled again, breathing deep the scent of the ocean she belonged to, that she had quite literally born within — in this world, anyway. “Perhaps She is leading you to similar-minded kin. Leading you to us. The Sea favors our group, providing a land bountiful and beautiful, just like its leader.” Esmerelda was certainly vain, but not in any serious way, her tone full of mirth and pleasure.

“You feel different than other wolves. What were you? In your life before?”
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Esme could not help but preen at the compliments she was given; the attention, the held breaths, the teasing touches that she knew would easily make someone jealous, but above all of that was the compliment that Lady Sea had chosen them well. Whether the comment was for her alone, or for their group, the water-nymph took it as for her group, for that was what she was most proud of.

The ocean breeze filling her soul to the brim, Esmerelda opened the eyes that she had closed, glancing to her side at the thunderstorm-made-wolf. The feathers tangled in her fur drew her eyes first, then the trophies that hung 'round her neck, then her face. “I have lived many lives. This one is simply my latest in a long string.” And the most enjoyable, by far. She grinned, tail swaying slightly, though whether that was her or the wind was unknown.

“Forgotten by some to be birthed anew to a crew that will welcome, honor, and cherish you. I think you will be better off, here.” Perhaps she spoke of things she did not know, but Esmerelda was not a wolf to dwell on the negative. There was too much pleasure to be had, after all.
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Who was to say she didn't deserve it all? All of it and more, for that was the home she sought to build. To provide family and haven alike, friendship and trust within a sea-worthy community. Esmerelda was of the belief that things happened for a reason; her appearance on Raven Rock, the brief meeting with the woman — Yara — on the shores of the new island that they now called home, and now her meeting with this woman.

“We are of the Saltwoods. I am Esmerelda Nerei, its Mystic.” Nerei, like the goddess. Fitting, that she was named such. “Ceridwen,” She repeated the name, rolling it over her tongue, tasting it as one would taste a fair wine. “If you would like to take a dip, we can swim across the narrows here. Saltwoods is just there.” Using her muzzle, Esmerelda pointed to the island across the way.
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The life that burst into existence as the knight took a deep breath was a glorious sight to see. It was like she had been looking at the world in black and grey before someone turned all the colors on. Her eyes lit up, her expression gained a liveliness that hadn't been there before. It was impressive to watch the switch flip to on, and the Mystic was happy to ogle the woman with eyes that did not well hide the soft awe.

She would lead the way then, happy to show the Knight the way back towards the thinnest section of the inlet — less distance to swim that way. “Have you lived near the Sea before?” She would ask, glancing then to the larger woman. Esmerelda had not before her time here, but found herself adoring the environment nowadays. She couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
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she laughed, a clear sound, happy. delighted. she could only imagine the knight as a child, small and rambunctious, overzealous and determined; she would have been adorable. Esme was convinced. The pair continued their conversation as they crossed over to the Saltwoods.

Fade.
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