And even if she were willing, could his heart withstand such a loss? Could he put her in such peril as to have her be considered attached to him for always? There was always the danger, Balthazar had taught him. Humans had a need for Dhampir, but that did not mean that dhampir were ever considered one of them. Especially when one took a mate. Such thing was either considered to be a dhampir bewitching a human, or the human lowering their standards to mate with something that was considered no better than a beast, and really, in most places, something worse than a beast. A sin. A crime against nature.
That did not stop him from wanting her, however. He'd nearly driven himself mad pacing campus today, always finding himself near the coffee shop or the dorm rooms where she stayed. Only with a conscious effort did he finally force himself away now that it was getting late in the day. He needed to get some perspective, some distance from her so that he could clear his head. He had heard talk of a glorious pond nearby, from some of the coeds on campus, and finally had gone to seek it out himself.
As the sun was near setting he couldn't help but smile at the beauty of it, as he pulled out a book of poetry and began to read, precariously balanced on a tall rock near the water's edge. The water seemed to lap rather loudly against the rocks, so he didn't notice the sound as a mermaid pulled herself onto a rock a few feet from him to watch the sunset with him. He might be hard for her to notice as well, given how still he was sitting, and the fact that his black attire blended in rather nicely with the rock he was on. Still, she would hear his voice after a moment as he read out a poem in a soft, beautiful voice.
"How shall I hold my soul That it may not be touching yours? How shall I lift it then, above you, To where other things are waiting? How gladly would I lodge it, all forgot With some lost thing the dark is isolating On some remote and silent spot, that, When your depths vibrate, is not itself vibrating.
You and me, all that lights upon us though, brings us together, like a fiddle bow drawing one voice from two strings, it glides along. Across what instrument have we been spanned? And what violinist holds us in his hand? Oh... sweetest song."
Desmond sighed a little as the sun began to set lightly, looking out across the water. Turning then he blinked as he noticed a topless mermaid near him, which caused his cheeks to color as the precarious balance he once had finally failed him and he went flailing over into the water with a loud splash. Splashing a bit more as he fought his way to the surface and gripped one of the rocks with his gloved hands, trying to pull himself up.