'Do go on. I'm curious to know how this half-a-day's journey developed into a nightlong affair.'
Meeting the white-haired man's expectant gaze, Arin paused for a moment. He suddenly realized he wasn't keen on having to begin with why they'd had to stay the night. The part that made him seem… kinda stupid.
'Well?' the man before him tilted his head slightly. Strands of his white hair shifted to frame his exquisite face.
'Well,' Arin cleared his throat. 'We were making good progress, I guess. Then we passed by a lake. That's when we –' Arin felt the snake tighten around his leg '– Ahem! I realized that I'd like some water. To drink. Since I hadn't had any, and was worried about Rin's body shriveling into a husk before we got to the western edge.'
'But, uh, the lake attacked us. That's how I got injured, by the way. Thanks for asking.'
The man before him simply shrugged. 'I suppose your arrival made him lose his temper. You disturbed his rest, after all,' he said.
Arin huffed, annoyed. 'What, the lake's a guy now? Someone you know? Well, he, almost crushed your student's body into a meat patty. I guess you should speak to him about his anger issues.'
'Certainly,' the white-haired man smiled calmly. 'In case of any future encounters, however, you should know; it is the sound of human voices that agitates him. He would not, for instance, be troubled by any sounds made by Tarra.'
The man's matter-of-fact tone was maddening, but Arin knew he'd just have to deal with it for now. 'So, who exactly is this lake? Also, I, uh… I drank some water from it. Him.' Arin gagged a little. 'Did I… drink his body?'
He'd have though that would've been the bigger issue, and not the fact that he'd spoken.
The white-haired man blinked. 'What a strange, fascinating man you are, Arin. Whatever made you think the lake was his body?'
Arin smiled with gritted teeth. 'Maybe the fact that he used his hands to attack me.'
The man nodded. 'That is his talent.'
He didn't explain any further.
Arin wanted to bang his head, hard, on the hardwood tabletop. He was starting to wonder whether Rin had somehow chosen to abandon his body, if only to start a new life without any prior association with this man.
'Never mind that,' he finally said, defeated. 'What about that name you mentioned. Tarra. Who's that?'
'Rin's familiar.' The man gestured towards Arin's ankle. 'She has been accompanying you this whole time.'
Arin glanced down at where the snake rested, still hidden by his trouser cuff.
How had the man even known it was there? More importantly…
'It's a she?'
'You didn't know?'
'I wasn't exactly checking!'
Arin felt a little apologetic. He'd known it – her – for over a day now, but it had never once occurred to him that she might have a name. It's not like she could've told him, and he – while justifiably preoccupied with his own predicament – had never thought to ask.
This whole time, he'd been referring to her by the name of whatever creature she was at the moment. Or some variation of 'strange-creature-thing'.
Speaking of names…
Arin looked up at the white-haired man. Rin's ethereal master. The annoying man. A fallen noble.
…
Never mind. It's too late.
It would feel too awkward to ask for an introduction after all this time.
He cleared his throat. 'Anyway, Tarra saved me from the lake,' he continued quickly. 'She had to transform into a dragon, and that seemed to tire her out immensely. We obviously didn't dare to stop for rest elsewhere in the forest. By the time we arrived at the orchard, she didn't have the energy to fly back.'
'Am I to assume your haggard state is rooted in the inhospitality of apple trees?' The man raised an eyebrow.
'Uh, no,' Arin said. 'I received plenty of hospitality, thanks. I spent the night in the village nearby, Lullwater.'
'Oh, of course,' said the man. He didn't look too surprised. 'Tell me, how was it?'
And so, Arin did just that. He briefly spoke of the warm, bustling, welcoming village. Of Layla, of the evening spent in her company, and of dinnertime with her family.
Then, he spoke of the night.
The white-haired man listened, smiling lightly the whole time. He didn't seem perturbed by the events Arin was describing. There was, in fact, no trace of surprise on his face at all.
Arin slowed down his words, looking searchingly at the man's face. Then, he stopped entirely, halfway through talking about the scythe-wielding figure that had kept watch for him at the village gates.
'…You know,' he said.
'Hm?'
'You know,' Arin repeated. 'You know all about Lullwater. You already knew, even before you sent me there.'