Summary: Evvy experimented with love before devoting herself to Winding Circle Temple. There was once a girl who was as much ocean as Evvy was rock. And somehow that kept her grounded even among the waves.

"If I sank I would be lying among stones again. I would be among my own kind…my bones will sink. That's what matters." Melting Stones

Evumeimei Dingzai has always hated boats. She needs to feel the rocks, the stone that tells her she is safe and steady. She hates the feeling of the ground fading away as she heads into deep waters. Briar tells her how his foster sister Tris can use the winds to carry herself and Evvy feels queasy at the thought. Water is bad, but imagine being held up by mere air.

Being a dedicate of Winding Circle comes with it's share of traveling, so Evvy continues to find herself on boats. Rosethorn continues to tell her to at least try to not look like she's about to fling herself overboard in search of the earth. Luvo continues to offer a quiet reassurance in his peaceful mountain way.

Eventually she does learn a little. She still searches for the ocean floor, but she arranged herself like any other ocean sightseer. Now that she does hang halfway overboard, no one pays her any mind. And with her increased control sometimes she can even brush the stones beneath the waves.

It's on the boat that she meets Neeva.

Neeva is the daughter of one of the crew, although now she is one of the crew in her own right. She and her father carry magic in their veins. It is a small magic, of salt water tides, whistling a fiercer wind, and storm warnings.

Neeva moves around the ship like she is dancing, perfectly in tune with the tilting of their boat. Evvy wonders if this too is part of her magic.

When they reach Summersea, Neeva invites Evvy to join the small group of teenagers as they adventure through town. Evvy does, and enjoys learning about this ocean girl almost as much as she enjoys the stuffed flatbreads Neeva treats her to. Evvy's is pleasantly warm as she shares sips from the other girls wine skin. When Neeva pulls Evvy towards a secluded corner, she goes.

Their kiss is clumsy and tastes of sweet wine. Evvy also thinks she tastes the briny saltiness of ocean winds. For a moment she worries that she is being swept away, but the stones around them reassure her with their solid strength.

They start spending time together, when Evvy isn't busy learning and Neeva isn't out at sea. Evvy still feels a little like she is drowning every time they kiss and she imagines this must be what people meant. She knows there is pain in in love, but you never thought it was like this.

The only time it's different is the rare chance that Evvy is back out at sea. Evvy is already lost at sea, so lost without her stones she wishes she was drowning. Her very bones ache for that strong stable rock that lies beneath the waves. Evvy is a little more grumpy at first, but when Neeva runs her fingers through Evvy's long dark hair and whispers secrets into her lips Evvy sighs with pleasure. Inside the winds and tides that rush over her whenever she is with her ocean girl is a feeling of stone.

Evvy is a girl who has become used to the stability of the land around her ever since she discovered her magic. Even before there was something comforting about rocks, about her old den in the cliffs of Chammur. If she has rocks around her then she is home. She isn't used to being vulnerable. Yet somehow she always ends up that way around Neeva.

Neeva never seems lost. Her very veins flow with the tides. The constant pounding of the waves on wood is as strong a sound of her own heartbeat. Even on land, the salty sea breeze coils around her. It might be different further inland. Her little bit of wind magic would still call to the breezes there, but she can't imagine a world so dead, dry, and stale. She will never travel that far from the sea.

To her being with Evvy is exhilarating, the clash of waves against the cliffs. She imagines the natural beauty that is created. She imagines them as something beautiful like that. Something that you can't believe that nature formed, something that could only be made by both rock and water.

Magic isn't everything. Is doesn't dictate the people in your life. But when two forces so opposing continue to meet, eventually something has to give way.

One day Neeva points out an ocean arch, a natural masterpiece of stone. It was created by the pounding of the waves, she says. She wanted to show Evvy something amazing, and Evvy loves everything to do with rock and stone.

Evvy has the same thought that Neeva once did. The two of them are opposing forces. Sometimes the stone doesn't want to change, She wants to yell. She doesn't want to change. She doesn't want to drown as her very self is slowly eroded away.

Water and wind. Neither can change itself. They keep going, regardless of what it in the way. Just as stone can not be angry with the waves, she can not be upset at someone else's very nature. However, the quiet despair of being forced to change her own nature is worse. So she stows her emotions into granite. She hardens herself like a stone. And slowly things start to drift apart.

There were times in the beginning when, as she was lost in the moment, she would think, This is it. This is the story we'll tell of how we were together. Instead, it turns out, it is a story of how they fell

apart.

Something I started thinking of when listening to Melting Stones.

Reviews are much appreciated!