[color=black]Quinnlash[/color] stopped kicking. She tilted her head at Quinn, mouth pulled into a little bunch like she didn’t understand her words. Or she was thinking them over. It must have been the latter because eventually she did answer. 

“[color=black]I just talked. It was wise to listen.[/color]”

She looked back out at the water, took a long deep breath that she never seemed to let go, but still managed to speak as easily anyway. “[color=black]I like this one. It’s nice. Warm.[/color]”

Hopping down off the railing, she made her way over to Quinn. Her steps were light, bouncing; they left little black footprints behind like she’d stepped in ink, but they faded away before each next step. 

“[color=black]It isn’t perfect. I don’t think the moon’s supposed to be there, but the water’s meant to be black, isn’t it? I always thought so. Prettier, this way, anyway.[/color]” She came up before Quinn, looking up at her with wide, colorless eyes. She pointed to the cliffs in the distance. “[color=black]I left the house out.[/color]”

Sure enough, following her finger Quinn could see the Loughvein house was gone. 

“[color=black]Doesn’t belong here. Rotten place, full of [i]rotten[/i] people. [i]Hated[/i] it. What they did to us. What they took away. Take, take, take. They’re takers. Just like the monsters, Quinnlash.[/color]”

She spun around on her heel, marching off to the back of the boat. “[color=black]No takers, here. Only good people. Friends. We deserve friends, Quinnlash.[/color]” Out in the water, the shadowed figures of Dahlia and Safie continued their race to the buoy. “[color=black]Don’t we deserve friends?[/color]”