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Casimir couldn't stop thinking about his run-in with a shifter. How he had broken down and sobbed after the kind angeni had saved him. Ulexite had assured him it was a perfectly natural response to facing such terrible danger, and he knew, logically, she was correct. A shifter had tried to kill him -- it should be perfectly normal to cry. To be plagued with nightmares. And yet... his heart was still filled with shame. Casimir suspected it was leftover trauma from his life in his family's kingdom; their war-hungry tendencies left no room for weakness like him. He was often bullied and scolded for that very fact. It didn't matter that he'd provided healing to their wounded soldiers; he wasn't strong enough to fight, and therefor he was a failure.
He closed his eyes, trying to banish the memories. It would do him no good to dwell on his past; it would bring him only pain. After all, that's why he was here in Kawani -- to leave his past behind and find a new life for himself. Something more peaceful, less violent. The shifter encounter was a reminder that he'd never be able to avoid it altogether. Casimir could control his own actions, but he couldn't control the actions of others. He didn't want to, either -- it would be cruel to have that kind of power over someone.
Behind his eyelids, the demonic horned shifter towered over him, and Casimir's eyes flew back open with a gasp. He wished he could just forget.
And then a soft, gentle melody reached his ears.
If he couldn't forget, then at least he could try to distract himself.
Curious, he made his way towards the sweet sounding song. The smell of the salty air from the ocean grew stronger as the song got louder. The peaceful sound of the waves only seemed to enhance the music in a gentle sort of harmony. It would be nice to settle down somewhere close to the ocean, he thought. The atmosphere here was certainly something he'd enjoy getting used to.
Up ahead, Casimir saw a rocky cliff arching over the beach with a small cove underneath; a cozy place to find shelter from the sun on particularly hot days. Whoever was singing was taking shelter in there. The music stopped once he approached the entrance, but Casimir didn't think it was because he'd been spotted; the song had just reached a natural end. Just around the corner, he spotted a pink kelpi lounging on the sand, humming quietly to herself as she sorted through what looked to be a collection of seashells.
It was only then that Casimir wondered if this mare wanted company at all. Maybe he was intruding; he should turn back and leave her be. But just as he hesitated, the mare lifted her head and saw him watching her. Thankfully, she only smiled.
Melody was surprised that someone stumbled upon her little cove; it was pretty secluded and usually didn't get many visitors. Still, she wouldn't pass up an opportunity to make a new friend. She stood up and tried to shake the sand off herself, but most of it clung stubbornly to her damp fur. She smiled brightly at the stranger and called out hello! to let him know he was welcome here. With a swish of her tail, she padded closer to the stallion so they wouldn't have to shout to speak to each other. He seemed shy, but Melody wasn't deterred. She could work with shy! "I'm Melody. What brings you out here?"
Relieved that the mare seemed friendly, Casimir felt himself relax and returned Melody's smile, but there was a tiredness to it. He couldn't help but think how fitting her name was, with a voice like that. "My name is Casimir. I... to be honest, I was just taking a walk and I heard a song coming from over here. I was curious to find its source. You have a beautiful singing voice."
Melody positively glowed from the compliment, her headfins fanning out in her delight. "Oh, thank you! I love to sing. Do you sing, too?" she asked curiously, watching Casimir's face, and she couldn't help but notice the tired look in his eyes, or the way his mouth rested so naturally in a frown. He seemed to like her song, but he seemed... sad. Folding her headfins back, she asked, "are you feeling okay? You seem a little sad. Maybe I could sing you a song to cheer you up?"
Casimir blinked in surprised, taken aback by the blunt questions and the kind offer. No one's ever offered to sing for him before. He laughed a little, smiling at Melody's eagerness to help him. It was... kind, and it made his heart ache a little from loneliness. While the shifter who attacked him was a reminder that violence was sometimes unavoidable, Melody was a welcome reminder too -- there was kindness out there as well. All you had to do was look for it. "I'm afraid I don't sing. I love to listen, though. I wouldn't want to impose, but... that sounds nice. Maybe I can help you sort your shells?" he offered, wanting to return the kindness she was so openly offering.
"Yes, that would be great!" Melody said, and together the pair made their way to where she laid her collection out. "It's not very complicated. I'm just sorting them out by colors. I'm redecorating my den so I'm trying to pick out the perfect shells." She settled back down in the sand, and Casimir joined her on the opposite side, already examining the pile of unsorted shells she had yet to go through. With an encouraging smile, they began to go through the shells together, and Melody began to sing again. It was different from the one before, but Melody made sure to keep it happy and gentle. She figured that might be what Casimir needed right now.
It wasn't a particularly exciting task, but it was relaxing, and Casimir found himself enjoying the task along with the song -- as well as the company. Melody was a sweet mare and Casimir could see them being friends, if she wanted. Especially if he decided to find a home for himself by the sea like he was hoping. He'd made a few friends along his travels, so it would be different to find one that he could visit more often. It might be silly, but menial tasks like this appealed to Casimir. He wanted a boring, simple life. He wanted to find a nice stallion to fall in love with and settle down. Maybe raise some children, if the spirits felt him worthy enough to have.
He hadn't realized he'd been so distracted by his thoughts that he'd been staring at a particular seashell for a few minutes until Melody suddenly stopped singing and nudged the shell towards him. "You can keep that one if you like it. Maybe you could use it to decorate your home, too!" Melody suggested, seeming excited by the idea. If Casimir liked them enough, she wouldn't mind diving for some more nice shells for Casimir to take home with him.
"Actually, I..." don't have a home, Casimir almost said, but he changed his mind. "Thank you. I'd love to." It would be the first decoration he put up when he found a place to live. To remind him of his new friend, and that good soquili were still out there to be found. He looked forward to meeting them. It was then that he realized he hadn't thought about the shifter attack for quite a while now; not since he and Melody started sorting her seashells. Casimir's smile was a little more genuine. A little less tired. "And thank you for your song. It really helped."
Melody's headfins fanned out again in joy, happy to have been of some help to her new friend. "I can help you find more if you want! It's harder to find a good variety on the shore, but I can swim down and find the prettiest ones in the water. Sometimes there's other shiny things I can find, but they're harder to come by. I'll share them with you, though!"
Casimir laughed. "Oh, if you find something rare that you like, you don't have to share it with me. In return, I'm sure I could find some nice things on land that may look nice in your den. I'll keep an eye out for things that would do well under water," he promised, happy that they were already making plans to meet up again. He looked down at their sorted piles of shells and was surprised to see they had finished going through them all already. That had gone by faster than he expected, but with two of them working on it, he supposed that was to be expected.
Melody stood up and stretched. "I'm starting to dry out a little, so I need to go for a swim. If you want... you could come back here tomorrow?" She didn't really have much to do, and would love to have the company again. Especially someone who appreciated her songs!
Casimir smiled back at her and nodded, standing up too. "I'd like that. Perhaps I could be of more help deciding which shells to use in your den, now that they're all sorted." After saying their goodbyes, Casimir and Melody went their separate ways. Casimir's heart was feeling much lighter than it had when he'd woken up this morning. He's sure the nightmares would still be there, sometimes, but it would take time to heal. At least now he's started to feel like he was.
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