A (Fish) Tale of Two Worlds (ZellyxM3G)

[Zelly-fangirl]

Seeing Fiona start to play, Kai swam over beside her and started to join in, trying to immitate her motions to the best of his ability. His lack of talent, compounded with the lack of sound coming from the piano, made a little laugh escape from his lips. But the whimsy soon wore off and his fingers stopped moving as he stared at the keys with a melancholy smile. "It's great being able to show you all this, show you my world just as you showed me yours, but...." he trailed off briefly before he looked back at her. "....I wish you didn't need to have that suit to be down here." After a few moments he looked back at the piano. "Sorry, that was pretty silly to bring up." he said and propelled himself back away from the piano.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona reached out to put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to find some nonverbal way to comfort and reassure him. Should she shake her head? Should she try and give him a hug, despite being in this clunky suit? Should she bring it back up later once they're above water? She wasn't sure. Still, she didn't want him to feel bad for a feeling that they both shared. It really did suck that, as a human, she was forced to go through all these measures just to get a glimpse at the world he called home.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai stopped, turning to look back at Fiona, hoping to meet her eyes through the clunky helmet when a shadow passed by the window. A terrified look crossed Kai's face and took Fiona's hand. "You need to leave; now. If she sees you..." he trailed off as he pulled her along back through the ship, only concerned with getting Fiona back to the surface.

 

[M3Gnificent]

"...?" She? Who? Kai was clearly frightened, so it couldn't be anyone worth seeing. It took her a moment to register that it might have been the witch he mentioned stealing from. She gave his hand a tight, reassuring squeeze - hoping to comfort him despite her own twinge of fear. If Fiona was brave enough to keep coming back to the ocean despite nearly drowning several times, if she was brave enough to come down here despite the danger of suffocating or the pressure killing her, then she was certainly brave enough to be by Kai's side in the worst case scenario of meeting the witch. She obediently followed along nevertheless, letting him attempt to take her back to the surface.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai weaved through more rocks and caves before getting them back near Fiona's row boat. "Get back into your boat and head home as fast as you can." he told her with a hint of desperation and fear. "Don't worry about me, just go!" he said tugging her back to the surface and trying to push her back up into the little row boat. Deep below them, a long, slender shadow began to circle slowly about, like a shark waiting for the moment to strike.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona hesitated for several moments, unable to decide whether to swim after him or to listen to reason and return to her boat. She could never forgive herself if Kai died on her account, but at the same time, she seriously doubted someone such as herself could do any good in the current situation. "Come back alive!" she exclaimed, not that he could hear it from under her gear, before she started going into the rowboat as he requested.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai gave her boat a good shove, trying to get her to get moving. As Fiona paddled out of the area, she'd see a black fin similar to Kai's tail break the ocean's surface briefly, though sharper and more jagged, before Kai dove down to face his consequences.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

The sun had begun to set by the time Kai's tail finally broke the surface of the water near the shore. He was still a good distance away from the sands when he poked his head a bit above the water, hoping by some chance Fiona wasn't there waiting for him, even though he knew she would be. Either way he headed for the rock where he stashed his clothes and gem while he was in the water.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona was sitting on the shore beside her diving gear, head leaned into her folded arms - which were resting on her knees - as she waited for Kai to return. She was already wearing her summer dress and undershorts, perhaps having dressed herself to pass the time a little while waiting for his return. Were he to approach her, he would discover that she was lightly dozing - all the activity of the day and her worry for him possibly having gotten to her.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai approached the shore as quietly as he could, hoping to complete his task in as quiet and stealthy a manner as he could, but the splashing necessary as he went through shallower water made that impossible. Wriggling along the warm sand, he reached for the bright red jewel, colored like a shining fish egg, that had let him experience the surface world and gazed solemnly into the crystal.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise at the sound, her head snapping up and looking about for Kai. When she spotted him, she was quick to take on a look of relief. The first thing she did was jump up and run towards him, intending on hugging him close and making sure that she wasn't just hallucinating out of guilt or having a dream of some sort.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai squeezed his eyes shut. This was just the sort of thing he was hoping to avoid. "I...need to head back out for a bit." he told her while avoiding eye contact, though he did let her hug him. He could at least give her that much for the news he'd likely break to her, as she'd likely ask about what happened.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona, reluctant to part with him, gave him one tight squeeze more before giving them some space to properly converse. She didn't like the sound of what he said. It made her think that things just went horribly, horribly wrong. "..Kai? Why do you need to be headin' back out for? Did somethin' happen? Are you okay?"

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai wriggled over to a rock, leaning against it while he spread his tail out across the beach. "I need to go return this thing." he said looking down at the gem in his hands. "I don't want to, but.....She messes with your head, Fiona. She can mess with your memory, or your heart, or just cause straight up physical harm if she felt like it. I don't want to give all this up, but I don't want anything to happen to you." he shifted his solemn gaze back to Fiona, clearly trying not to look as broken up about it as he really was. "Maybe I won't be able to walk around anymore, but it was fun while it lasted and I can still hang around this beach, so it's not like I'd be out of your life completely..."

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona didn't believe for one bit that he was fine about giving up his ability to walk on land, and she sure as hell wasn't either. If he just came around to the beach, he could get himself hunted or hurt if someone other than her came along. Or, if he was just lying for her benefit, she might never see him again. That was even worse. "...What if you ran away?" she asked, after a moment's hesitation. "Would she come on land? If not, you can hide here. We can find some water for you to get into when you need it, if it'll help. Or, if there's somethin' you or I can do to earn it, I'd be willin' to help however I can." She tried to sound calm, reasonable, but her fears were probably plain and obvious by the look on her face.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"She wants her stuff back, and this is a woman who usually wants your soul for collateral." Kai chuckled meekly. "If I thought I had a chance of hiding from her, I'd take it, but she already knows I'm here. And I'd rather risk superstitious sailors hunting me down than risk trying to hide from her again. It'd only be a matter of time before she came and found us."