It was another dark, winter's night by the time Eilidh set light to the lanterns of her home, the faint lanternlight reaching their lazy hues across the main living area, leaving it darkly lit as she spun the oil fixture, watching to ensure peak performance while keeping the oil use to a minimum. Córustrea, sat with her legs curled up to her chest besides a window, staring out into the night, nearly entranced by the listless snowfall as it hung only barely in the air before carrying itself to the ground. At times, she would pick one at random, shifting her weight forward to follow its travel all the way to the ground below before returning deeper into the seat, settling back into the warmth of her pelt despite Eilidh's offer for blankets - it seemed her pelt either meant added security, or perhaps it was just that much warmer than anything the human woman had.

"There," Eilidh noted quietly, satisfied with the lanternlight, "/Now, it's time for coffee." Despite being across the room, she had found herself speaking to herself aloud for Córu’s benefit, explaining absently as she heading toward her kitchen. "I know it's late, but whatever. It makes a lot of other people wake up, but I guess I've just made myself immune. If anything, it's just a calming drink for /me."

She turned to find Córu having spun in her seat, watching her intently at the presence of her words, causing Eilidh to smirk proudly, "You know, I wish some of my students were that rigid. Hells, it's like pulling teeth to try and get them to focus on stuff sometimes, but you're like a puppy dog, I swear."

Beginning her brewing, she waved for Córu to join her, which she did, keeping her pelt around her shoulders. Leaning over onto the counter, she watched studiously Eilidh's motions, rather intently.

"Tomorrow is another student day. Struan. He's kind of a pain in the ass, so I'm going to have to ask you to be extra quiet. None of that sneaking out to see what going on stuff, alright?" Eilidh gave her a sharp glance, "I can instruct Elle to put her head down and count sheep as a meditative exercise, but Struan will be the first to disobey anything I say."

As usual, there was little in the way of affirmative motion from Córu, her eyes simply remaining fixed on Eilidh.

"Other than that, it should just be a usual day, I suppose," as her coffee brewed, she crossed her arms, leaning against her counter, "So- I know you can't understand me, but once your leg heals, what exactly are you going to do? I mean, you're not staying here, right? At least, you're not planning on that."

Córu eyed her blankly.

Thinking, Eilidh gestured to her leg where Córu’s own skin bore her wound before shrugging and gesturing to the side and sliding her arms around her in an arc, "Leaving? or...?"

Córu shrugged, perhaps simply to emulate her motion.

Sighing, Eilidh conceded, "Just as well, I suppose. I don't even know, myself. If it weren't for this place, I'd be about as lost as you are." A grin as she dipped her head. "You know, I do envy you. Well, it's not that, I- recognize how wild it must be for you to be in a different world, unable to communicate, and how scary that must be. But at least you found me, I mean-"

Eilidh chuckled to herself, shaking her head, "Gods, I sound like such a cad. But it's true." She worked her eyes up to meet Coru's. "I warded off helping people. That's why I'm out here in the first place. I gave and I gave; eventually I gave to the wrong people, and it hurt me, so-" She shrugged. "Thankfully, you seem to be one of the good ones. though, I doubt you'd even have an idea of how to be one of the bad ones. Even if you wanted to run me through in the middle of the night, you could barely hold that knife the other day."

A groan as Eilidh turned to pour her coffee, "Just a fair warning; my patience only lasts so long, so- I really hope you're not planning on staying here long term. Once that leg's healed-" She tilted her head toward the door.

Córustrea’s eyes hadn't left her while she spoke, leaving Eilidh slightly uncomfortable. She waved her hand toward the selkie, "Can you- like, not stare? I don't know what it's like for selkies, but that's /quite rude up here."

Unfazed, Eilidh rolled her eyes, raising her fingers to her eyes to denote her vision upon Córu before shaking her head, "No staring."

Córu flinched suddenly, dropping her head and blushing with embarrassment at the slight, causing Eilidh to shrug, "It's okay, just- Social contracts and all. We don't sign them, they just- /are, you know?"

Pouring her coffee into a mug, Eilidh, as she always did, reached it out toward Córu, who extended her head out to smell the brew. It never failed. Regardless of however many times Eilidh offered, Córu would always allow herself a sniff, only to recoil and wiggle her face as though the odor were offense, as though, at some point, the result would be different.

"You're an odd one," Eilidh shook her head, smirking nonetheless, before heading to her favorite chair, working her legs up beneath her to sit cross-legged before grabbing a blanket with her free hand to cover her legs.

Córu stood near the kitchen, left to her own devices. As she often would when Eilidh had nothing particularly going on, she began meandering about, examining the intricacies of the home, beginning with the broader strokes, though, as she stayed longer, the brush she painted with grew more and more fine, examining nooks and crannies, beneath furniture, though she had already discovered that drawers were off-limits - a scolding rebuke had assured that much.

"What is my life," muttered Eilidh, catching Córu’s attention, the human woman resting her head on the back of her chair with a rueful grin, "I have to be mad."

Halfway between examining the nook between two cabinets, Córu jumped as Eilidh suddenly jumped up from her chair. She stepped toward a desk near Elunore, reaching behind it and pulling out a warped canvas, stepping toward Córu with a determined face, marred somewhat with a look of judgement. She lifted the canvas, sitting it for Córu to examine to painting upon its face.

"Look," she directed, which Córu did simply enough, turning to stare at it without argument, "I drew this years ago. Nobody but me knows that, so- If you are a figment of my imagination, I imagine you would have seen it as well. Maybe it would affect you the same way it affects me."

Eilidh watched Córu’s face with whole intent, the selkie's face remaining placid as she scanned the artwork thereupon. The longer she did so, the more it became apparent that the artwork was nothing of anything to Córu behind something to look at in this moment- the more it seemed to confirm that, yes, everything about this situation was, indeed, real.

“Gods damn,” breathed Eilidh, shaking her head, “Maybe you are the real deal.” She returned to her chair, uncertain of whether or not that had been the desired result. It had been almost a week, and Eilidh hadn’t been able to make heads or tails about much of any of it. She had gone into this hoping to do some good in the world, if even for a mere seal, and though that turned out to be false- certainly she had still accomplished that. Yet, she didn’t feel as though that was what she was doing. It was as if, with the revelation of such higher capacity for potential in this one, so much higher became the expectations for Eilidh. For a seal, it was to simply heal its tail, send it back to loch, and be done with it. Now, a selkie, which, she had to face the fact that Córu was not much different from a human, the bare minimum felt far more- unattainable. It felt much more like something she had warned off long ago. like something she had lost long ago. something taken from her.

Córu had noticed his distraught, carefully approaching and sitting on the floor in front of her, watching up toward her face with pensive eyes, wordlessly attempting to figure out her distress.

“You can’t fix me,” Eilidh smiled, almost painfully, “You might as well not try.”

Gods, she thought; how miserable she must be. Living out here while her friends had so much of their lives figured out. Skyla a working woman against all odds, Ariella building her family- what was she doing? Trying to rebuild, still, the torn fragments of a life once full of promise out here in the foothills, away from all eyes.

“You think I’m too young for such regret, I’m sure,” Eilidh spoke quietly, shaking her head, “I’m sure you’ve regrets too, don’t you?”

Córu’s head lolled to the side, watched with ginger expectation, understanding that she was being addressed, though not the context therein. Eilidh knew it had to be frustrating for her.

“I’m gonna call it a night,” Eilidh stood up, careful to avoid Córu’s spot on the floor, gesturing toward the lantern, “Snuff before you turn in.”

It was one of the things she had managed to teach the woman, thankfully, though, on this night in particular, Córu didn’t follow along to sleep as quickly as she might have otherwise. Instead, she stepped toward the kitchen, picking up the canvas painting, examining its face and attempting to deduce its meaning. She carried it over toward Eilidh’s chair, sitting and holding the painting in her lap, examining deeply the piece. Something about this had upset Eilidh, but what? Perhaps she could figure it out?