THERE'S NO HIDING ANYTHING FROM LUCY, and kendria knows it. with the way their facial expressions betrayed their thoughts and feelings, no matter how hard they tried to conceal them, in combination with her sharp eye… they know they don't stand a chance at keeping secrets, but that was never the plot.
they should have known this topic would come up. they knew it would, really… they were just enjoying what time they had before the tide turned on them.
there was no question, either, that when kendria asks to head down to the seashore that their request would be granted. that wide, wonderful expanse of water is where their connection lay, after all, as weathered and tattered as it may be. still, they sigh a gentle breath of relief, grateful that sensitive topics could be discussed on softer sands.
" i'm telling you, it was like nothing i've ever seen before. " they gather up a chuckle alongside their belongings, tugging sling bag over shoulder. a soft thanks is muttered, to lucy and the barman across the counter both.
the scent of spilled beer gives way to cigarette smoke as lucy swings the doors open, and restless chatter settles into a handfull of muffled conversations. kendria breathes in the evening air, glad to be rid of the constant company.
they turned to shitty dive bars to get away from those memories, not to be not to reminisce as if everything was fine and dandy, as if they hadn't tainted them with bad choices.
she couldn't have known. of course she couldn't have known, she left when things were all well and good…
a deep inhale - in and out - invites that sweet scent into their lungs, enough to calm restless feelings. they follow her lead, gaze tracking the wood beneath their feet. it wasn't that they haven't walked this exact path plenty of times before, but the slight spin to their vision as a side effect of having been so suddenly moved.
kendria does not hesitate to wade into the water beside her. an identical shiver runs up their spine as the chill of the ocean sinks into their skin, but instead they laugh at lucy's shudder. any teasing comments, however, die away as HECUBA is released from her capsule, chuckles becoming caught in their throat at the sight.
" oh, lucy…! " their lip trembles, betraying the feeling that they had kept so thinly concealed… their eyes track the milotic as she glides through the water, blinking through mist. they lift their hands in offering to the sea serpent, recognizing the consideration in her expression, but they quickly cling to her as she suddenly becomes a lot closer.
the water laps up against their hips, now, but the sand softens their landing. they've hardly noticed that they've been pushed over, really — it's hard to keep track, whether the sound that's coming from their throat is sobbing or laughing, whether the wetness of their cheeks is due to sea water or tears.
she is massive, so large that kendria can hardly wrap their arms 'round her, but that doesn't keep them from trying. if they've changed, hecuba certainly has. the milotic before them was a far cry from that scrawny little feebas that they used to know.
" hahaha… you're so gorgeous, wow! awe, did'ya miss me? " shaking hands stroke prismatic scales, mismatched gaze admire the beast before them. if only they could stay in this moment of mutual admiration forever, but... that would be too sweet, wouldn't it?
they turn to face her, eyes misty and lips curled downward.
" i don't have him, " news meant to be gently given come out in a rush, which only serves to upset their expression more. " there was an accident during the floods, he - his ball, lost it, i don't… "
they turn their head back again, look past the milotic before them and out onto the ocean before.
" i swear, i've gone out and i've looked and i've looked, and i don't… he's just out there, luce, i don't know. he's gone. i haven't seen him since. "