A jigsaw puzzle. If Eden had been born here, if Eden had been raised here, she would have been a piece of it. She would have known. She would have known how deeply her bloodline was ingrained in the islands themselves. Her grandmother, her grandfather. They had been legendary in their own right, prolific. Famed, infamous, either one would have been accurate. Her mother had even followed the same mold, to an extent. If only Eden had known.
She was pitched back into this orbit without much thought to what it would all disrupt. A comet that would leave a crater, leave an impression of her own. Eden would be bold, that’s for sure. The woman registers that she’s not alone in the Meadow, but she can’t figure out who else is out here. Not yet.
It wouldn’t be long before he shattered the stillness of the afternoon with a simple call. He draws closer, and Eden’s gaze settles upon his face. It’s not warm, but there’s no chill in her moss green eyes either. The colors he wears aren’t much different than her own, though splashed in white. Built differently, taller, and by the way he moves Eden can just tell he thinks himself handsome. Not that he’s wrong.
He speaks. “It was summer in the home I left behind.” Eden’s words are cool, calm. Measured even. Her gaze settles on his face, meeting his. There’s an outstretched muzzle, and Eden allows herself to meet it halfway. It’s brief, and she doesn’t get too close. “Keeping everyone far enough away keeps a girl safe out here.” Especially when she’s alone Eden finished, internally. Though it had been implied, it was too dangerous for her to say aloud. She draws back to her comfortable distance, resting comfortably over one hip. The girl was still studying the handsome stranger, though a bit more openly now.
“I’m Eden.” She would use her manners. The girl couldn’t say that her mother had given her nothing after all. Manners, social grace, sure. It wouldn’t keep Eden from being just a little strange, but that was probably genetic. Nature and nurture went hand and hand, and their bloodline wasn’t the most nurturing sort.
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