Still too shocked to move, his limbs frozen in place as if he were trapped in a block of ice, Mavek observed the other man's face closely, watching his expression melt from bewilderment, to realization, to disappointment. Though Mavek was fairly skilled in picking up and piecing apart subtle body language, this situation had started off so strange that he could only imagine what wild assumptions it had been borne under. Clearly, this man had seen beings bearing at least a passing resemblance to his lithe, inhuman form, a realization that excited, perplexed, and worried Mavek all at once. If there were really living, full-blooded Quelths out there, and this man had met them, what did that mean? Or, alternatively, if there was some other creature, similar but not quite like him, tentacled and malevolent, would he be condemned by association? He had enough to worry about in a world ruled by men, he didn't need even more worries to haunt him at night.<br/><br/>Though his mind raced, his eyes wide with anxiety and his breath a slight hitch, when he caught the other figure glimpse at the horizon, his limbs melted as he took the opportunity to flap open his scarf and wrap it over his head in a quick motion. It was a hasty consideration, the black veil draped over his shoulders and top of his head loosely, his pale face and piercing green eyes a stark contrast to the fabric. Even still, some of the longer tendrils writhed about the rock, and Mavek grabbed them with his arms, scooping them underneath his armpits in some attempt to hide again, as if he could take back his inhuman features. It was ultimately futile, he realized bitterly, but it did make him feel better, which had its own benefit.<br/><br/>Mavek took a deep inhale through his nose and lifted his chin, looking back cautiously to the man behind him. He would have to be more careful. Had he grown too comfortable in his advancing age? Perhaps he would have to finally get over his discomfort and swim clothed until there was an opportunity to undress underwater. But then it would be so hard to breathe... his considerations came in bursts, rapid flashes of panic and consideration strung together by milliseconds.<br/><br/>He blinked and refocused as the man spoke again, quietly, almost melding into the sound of gently rushing waves, the collision of water and stone. Mavek's expression returned to one of careful confusion as one of his tendrils worked its way around his forearm impatiently, tugging at a sleeve. He pulled his arms close to his abdomen, almost squeezing himself. His kind? His lot? As much as he held on to hope, a whisper that tickled the back of his mind insisted he was the only one, the sole survivor of a dead race. Even if that weren't true, if hope was reality, how could this stranger have seen any of his people when Mavek had no opportunity since his birth? Bitterness was stirred into the pot of confusion as he shook his head, the hastily replaced scarf sliding down on his head, revealing the place where his skin gredated to green.<br/><br/>"<i>My lot?</i>" he repeated, finding his voice transmitted far more naturally the third time; he didn't have to search wildly for purchase in some extradimensional void. "<i>There are none like me.</i>" It was true, as far as he knew-- even if there were other Quelths out there, he wasn't even a full one; he was just an oddity borne of an even stranger union. His father had been a human, and Mavek had spent his entire life walking amongst that portion of his identity. It was just the pesky cephalopod bits that got in the way.<br/><br/>After a moment of blank staring, he recollected his thoughts and was almost instantly upset, his brows furrowing into narrow eyes. "<i>So you've been following </i>me<i>, then. What is it that you wish from me? To confirm some sort of suspicion? Have I found myself unwitting in some twisted game?</i>" He stood with a jolt, holding his gloves and jacket close to his chest with one arm, his other fist clenched at his side. He could have-- and, likely, should have-- run away, gone off into the setting sun, but his legs betrayed him as he turned to face the other figure, nearly at eye level despite being below him in the crag.