the path of paths

The glow of the pool lit up his company’s eyes with a bright streak. Her silver image reflected vibrantly in the water below, but even the exquisite imitation could not steal his attention from the real thing. She seemed to grow less uneasy, and with that, his expression settled from one of impish amusement to one of soft contentment. The lady introduced herself with a name as splendid as herself. He grinned faintly, the tips of pearly teeth peeking from beneath inky lips. She would add a small afterthought, to which he would grin more broadly. ”Ah, modestly is just as necessary as the act of pointing it out,” his grin grew mischievous and amused once more.

He inhaled deeply one last time and then stood and stretched, taking a brief second to forgo the sight of the woman for that of the pool. It was so… unnatural. He wondered how ever such a thing could exist – a glowing pool! Surely it must have had some special power, some… higher meaning or connection. He wanted to be a part of it, to immerse himself in both the physical thing and whatever abstract meaning it had. Of course, he also partially felt that to touch it would be... to contaminate it. He seemed lost in it for a second, and then glanced back up to the purple-eyed lady. ”What brings you here? Have you seen this before?” he asked, interested in beginning a significant conversation.