Rain’s gills flutter as he approaches you, almost reverently.

“Here.” He says softly, though he humbly offers a gift in his hand. In his webbed claws is a large black and flat rounded river pebble. It’s been shined to perfection, and glistens with droplets of water.

“It’s…a token of my affection. If you’ll have me.” Rain whispers, trying to keep his voice steady.

For water ghouls, it’s a sign of great respect and appreciation to be given a gift from the bodies of water they live in. It can be platonic or romantic for them, mostly romantic. As a friend, they’ll offer you a rock or treasure- once in their entirely life, to show that they care. But if a water ghoul feels something more, they’ll offer you countless gifts from their homes, searching endlessly to appeal to you, trying to prove their affection. Be it stones, fish, pearls, or even trash that they’ve repurposed into statues or art, it’s a courting art practiced for centuries.

“Ah! If- if you don’t like it, I can get a better one!” He cuts in, before you can respond. In the worn brown leather bag he wears on his hip, there’s some other trinkets, shells, and even fish for eating that he desperately wants to use to shower his affection for you with.