"It's very strange," Rong said.
Standing beside his daughter, nearly as tall as he was, Jianyu let his gaze flicker over her face, her sun-tanned skin, the dark hair that had lightened to a red-gold in places, vibrant and fiery against the blue of the water. She was dressed in loose, draping fabric in shades of red and gold, back exposed, a myriad of inky black tattoos swirling between her shoulder blades and down her spine. They almost matched the ones Jianyu had seen in the mirror on his own back, except where his were seemingly endless, twisting and curling down the entirety of his body, Rong's went down her arms, going so far as to edge onto her fingers, currently wrapped around a cup of tea. Still - they were clearly father and daughter, her face matching his with the same cut of her jaw, the same bright fierceness in her eyes, the same way that she carried herself. Even here, in this new world,
She sounded amused when she said, tilting her head towards him, "I don't suppose you've met anyone you know here, have you?"
He smiled, though it wasn't entirely to his eyes and he knew that. "Not yet. I'm still...figuring everything out."
Rong took a sip of her tea and made a face. She didn't have the horns like he did, but delicate scales lined her cheekbones, the long tail curled around her feet a match to the spiky one that her father had. "Tastes like seaweed," she said, looking around. Her eyes caught on the gently rolling ocean below them, a contemplative expression appearing as though she was wondering if she could get away with tipping the contents of her cup into it. Jianyu reached out and gently extracted the tea from her fingers before she could do so.
"Have you seen your mother around?" he asked, with a slight pang that he didn't want to think too much about. "Though to be honest, I haven't seen her in quite some time even in our usual life."
"Not here," said Rong, flashing him a quick grin. "I did meet up with her the other day, we went hunting together. I dragged one of my brothers with me in the process, which he wasn't too happy about, but how else was I supposed to get him out of his shell?"
Jianyu snorted. He took a sip of the tea himself, considered it, and then turned and dumped it into the water below. When he looked back at his daughter, her grin had gotten even wider, her eyes sparking with amusement.
"Don't say it," he warned, but he could feel a smile tugging at his own lips even as he tried to suppress it. "I'm sure the fish will have a grand time with their new batch of seaweed tea."
"Oh, I'm sure. Shall we go see for ourselves?"
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and leapt off of the pier, landing in the water with an unnecessarily large splash that had Jianyu yelling out his surprise and stumbling back. Rong's head broke the surface again and she flipped her hair, splattering his feet with a clearly purposeful attempt at getting him wet. Above their heads, the sky was a clear, dusky blue streaked with oranges and purples as the sun began to ebb slowly down to the horizon for the evening. Jianyu could smell salt and the sweet, tangy scent of flowers, could taste the ocean air on his tongue. He breathed in, eyes fluttering shut for a moment, filling his lungs.
"Come on, old man," Rong shouted, "I bet I can beat you to the next isle and back."
Jianyu opened his eyes again and looked down at his daughter. She was grinning, wide and carefree. Happy.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said and leapt.
(He won, of course.)
(647 words)
Standing beside his daughter, nearly as tall as he was, Jianyu let his gaze flicker over her face, her sun-tanned skin, the dark hair that had lightened to a red-gold in places, vibrant and fiery against the blue of the water. She was dressed in loose, draping fabric in shades of red and gold, back exposed, a myriad of inky black tattoos swirling between her shoulder blades and down her spine. They almost matched the ones Jianyu had seen in the mirror on his own back, except where his were seemingly endless, twisting and curling down the entirety of his body, Rong's went down her arms, going so far as to edge onto her fingers, currently wrapped around a cup of tea. Still - they were clearly father and daughter, her face matching his with the same cut of her jaw, the same bright fierceness in her eyes, the same way that she carried herself. Even here, in this new world,
She sounded amused when she said, tilting her head towards him, "I don't suppose you've met anyone you know here, have you?"
He smiled, though it wasn't entirely to his eyes and he knew that. "Not yet. I'm still...figuring everything out."
Rong took a sip of her tea and made a face. She didn't have the horns like he did, but delicate scales lined her cheekbones, the long tail curled around her feet a match to the spiky one that her father had. "Tastes like seaweed," she said, looking around. Her eyes caught on the gently rolling ocean below them, a contemplative expression appearing as though she was wondering if she could get away with tipping the contents of her cup into it. Jianyu reached out and gently extracted the tea from her fingers before she could do so.
"Have you seen your mother around?" he asked, with a slight pang that he didn't want to think too much about. "Though to be honest, I haven't seen her in quite some time even in our usual life."
"Not here," said Rong, flashing him a quick grin. "I did meet up with her the other day, we went hunting together. I dragged one of my brothers with me in the process, which he wasn't too happy about, but how else was I supposed to get him out of his shell?"
Jianyu snorted. He took a sip of the tea himself, considered it, and then turned and dumped it into the water below. When he looked back at his daughter, her grin had gotten even wider, her eyes sparking with amusement.
"Don't say it," he warned, but he could feel a smile tugging at his own lips even as he tried to suppress it. "I'm sure the fish will have a grand time with their new batch of seaweed tea."
"Oh, I'm sure. Shall we go see for ourselves?"
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and leapt off of the pier, landing in the water with an unnecessarily large splash that had Jianyu yelling out his surprise and stumbling back. Rong's head broke the surface again and she flipped her hair, splattering his feet with a clearly purposeful attempt at getting him wet. Above their heads, the sky was a clear, dusky blue streaked with oranges and purples as the sun began to ebb slowly down to the horizon for the evening. Jianyu could smell salt and the sweet, tangy scent of flowers, could taste the ocean air on his tongue. He breathed in, eyes fluttering shut for a moment, filling his lungs.
"Come on, old man," Rong shouted, "I bet I can beat you to the next isle and back."
Jianyu opened his eyes again and looked down at his daughter. She was grinning, wide and carefree. Happy.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said and leapt.
(He won, of course.)
(647 words)