dark side of the morning; Kylin

[Ivar]

i'll use you as a makeshift gauge
of how much to give and how much to take

Everyone can swim, Ivar thinks, but so few of them try. Kylin was willing to though, and Ivar is not disappointed at her effort. She’d done well with her enthusiasm, and he is smiling. The smile grows as she thanks him for the kiss, even if she doesn’t return it. He only wants her to enjoy swimming, after all, and perhaps his company as much as he enjoys hers.

Kylin steps a little deeper into the water, where the bright rays of the sun can reach the pool. Ivar remains in the shadows, watching her wordlessly. She really is quite lovely with her lavender figure and pale mane, but he swallows down the hunger with minimal effort. Friends, he reminds himself.

When she finally looks back at him, the pied colt smiles and pauses to consider her offer.

(stay in the water. there’s still time.)

“I want to see the rest of Ischia.” He tells her. The water calls to him, but so does the unexplored greenery of Kylin’s island home. He’s seen only the beach, a bit of jungle, and this pool. Who knows what lies in the shadows of the jungle? The thought is thrilling in a new way, and he wades through the shallows until he can clamber onto dry land. Water drips down his dark hide and streams from his corded man, but he does not attempt to shake himself dry. He’d rather keep the water as long as possible.

“So who else lives with you here?” He asks curiously as he waits for Kylin to leave the water. “I know you said your dad moved you here from Hyaline, right?”

IVAR