Nikolas shrugged. "How old do I look?" He asked.
Ksinya analyzed him. "You look my age. I'm twenty-four."
Nikolas chuckled. "I believe I'm in my mid-forties now."
Ksinya stopped all her movements. She used all her brain power to calculate the truth in his statement. Nikolas kept a concerned smile on his face. Ksinya was deep in thought and it showed with her scrunched eyebrows and mouth agape. "So wait um wait, you. How, uh. How old is your mother?" She stammered out her question.
"Hmm well my oldest siblings should be in their seventies by now, and she was in her twenties when she arrived. So at least ninety." He answered as honestly as he could.
"So what, does she still look twenty?" Ksinya blinked rapidly.
"From what I saw a few years ago, yes, she has kept her youthful appearance." He nervously reached out for her hand. "This place is Forever."
"Forever." She whispered, taking a good look at their hands clasped together. Her small brown hand was gently circled by his. "And we can just swim around all day?"
"If that's what you want." He nodded.
"Well I assume I can still get sick, so maybe not in the windy or cold season um Alta and Ultima?"
"Altra." He corrected. "If you get sick there are many healers in Seaport, you don't have to worry."
The topic of sickness reminded her of a certain human function and how she hadn't had the urge to relieve herself since she arrived. She brought her hand to her stomach. The confusion was clear on her face. "We… we don't poop or pee?"
Nikolas held back his chuckle but couldn't hide his smile. "No, not unless you're sick. Infants do. Until they grow out of it and start Influencing. The food you eat animates your body, fuels your mind, and helps create your fire. I'm told before you came here you didn't have your fire, therefore your body created waste."
"Ah that makes sense." Ksinya was deep in thought for a while. "You learned this all from your family before you left?"
Nikolas shook his head. "I inherited the information." He noted the confused lol on her face and started to explain. "When Nymphs start to Influence they also inherit knowledge from their parents. Nymphs are not very family oriented. Some of us choose to leave the family unit once we start Influencing."
"Wow, that is interesting." Ksinya managed to say while processing the information.
"It makes sense, if we spread out we have a better chance of meeting our own Sorcerer that we can follow." Nikolas' ears gained a pink flush.
"I'm glad I met you."
Smiles and laughter were shared between the two. They hardly noticed the gray clouds gathering in the sky. They couldn't ignore the wind picking up and the smell of moisture in the air. Nikolas escorted Ksinya to the riverbank, holding on to her firmly. The last thing he wanted was for her to get swept away from him so he was extra cautious. When they reached land he gathered the small Sorcerer in his arms, holding her close to his chest. She felt so safe in his arms. She didn't even mind the drizzle that fell from the sky. The droplets caught in his hair shone like diamonds. She caught a silver drop in her hand. Even the rain here in Forever was prettier, more pure. The wind blew again sending a shiver down her spine, she nestled closer to him. At last they reached their shelter from the storm just as the thunder started to roll. Ksinya immediately started the fire in the pit and Nikolas went to sit them in front of it. Ksinya didn't move from his lap. A smile was plastered on her face as she took in the view. Her red flames danced in the pit and beyond at the entrance of the cave, the vibrant green vines fluttered in the wind. Outside, flashes of lightning could be seen. It was a very cozy sight to behold. Ksinya always loved thunderstorms. The atmosphere was her favorite. She oftentimes would listen to thunder sounds to help her sleep. A relaxed sigh escaped her as she melted into Nikolas' arms.
"You like storms." Nikolas observed.
"I do. I love them. What about you?" She looked up at him and was caught off guard by his cool blue eyes.
"As long as I'm in my element I'm happy." He smiled.
"Time to find me a volcano." Ksinya laughed. Nikolas' smile faltered a bit. "I'm only joking!"
"You're mischievous sometimes."
"I am. You're gonna have to get used to my sense of humor."
"I will!"
"I always loved making people laugh." Ksinya lamented.
"Tell me, how did you have fun before?" He tried to keep the conversation light, and he was also very curious about her life, but he didn't want to pry.
Ksinya smiled, remembering. "Well I would listen to music or watch movies or play games."
"Movies?" He raised a black eyebrow.
"Oh well uhm, moving picture films? Also, they're in color now."
He nodded taking in all the information. "And what games would you play?"
Ksinya laughed. "Well there's these things that are called Video Games, and they're like movies but they're animated like cartoons, and you get to control a character. One of my favorite games is called Critter Kingdom and my character becomes the ruler of a place full of cute animals."
"Do you like animals?"
"I do! I had two cats. But I always wanted my pet family to grow."
"Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon, the little dog laughed to see such sport—"
"And the dish ran away with the spoon!" Ksinya exclaimed and rocked with laughter. Nikolas chuckled along with her, unconsciously squeezing her gently.