From Sea To Land • n.m

05 | forcing answers

"You see what is, where most people see what they expect."

—East of Eden,
by John Steinbeck.

          WAKING UP IN AN UNKNOWN location with her entire body feeling sore was definitely not a good sign, thought Sirena as soon as consciousness began to make her slumber go away.

     She sat up and inspected the soft bed she had been laying on and the shut velvety curtains on the windows of the fancy looking room.
     It was all so out of place, so confusing until her memory came back to her.

     The stinky smell of the bayou was still lingering on her clothes and it made her scrunch up her nose in disgust. But, before she could fully stand up, the sudden appearance of a well–known blonde caused her to jump in her spot.

     "Geez, Rebekah. You scared me." Sirena muttered with a hand over her heart.

     Before uttering a word, the Mikaelson girl had thrown a few clothes in the direction of the mermaid, who barely managed to catch them in time. "You should get ready, we have a long conversation to get over with."

     And, as soon as she had appeared, Rebekah was gone. Sirena huffed in annoyance, rolling her eyes while being silently grateful of the chance to get cleaned up.

     The contact with the cold water was very welcomed by her skin as she stood under the artificial rain the small bathroom of the room provided. No matter how much she adored the life on land, the mermaid had to recognize that it was dangerous loosing contact with the ocean water after so long. Taking long baths and showers could only do so much to alleviate the side effects, the long–term consequences, of posing as a lander —it was something she never really allowed herself to think much about.

     Walking down the stairs of the old and big mansion while running her fingers through her wet hair, Sirena was happy to come face to face with none other than Niklaus himself.
     His lips were pursed in annoyance as he paced back and forth a few feet away from the stairs. His eyebrows were furrowed deep in thought, worrying about the witches and his brother and the strange girl he now had to interrogate and dispose of.

     "Good morning." She greeted with a charming smile that stopped him in his track for a millisecond.

     It was her, in all her splendor. There was something about the way her damp hair framed her face that seemed to give her alluring beauty a more natural and intense glow, it simply felt right.
     Shaking his head to get rid of such ridiculous thoughts, Klaus's turned on his heels and walked towards his studio without uttering a word, knowing fully well that she was following him.

     Sirena inspected the place with eyes wide in wonder at the unfinished painting on the side of the room, appreciating it far better than the man himself, and giving him time to study her in return before the interrogation began.