The Song of the Siren (Accepting :: OPEN)

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

Joshua chuckled as he heard Tianara. "That's about what I figured too." They were both proven right when Katalina reappeared briefly. "Alright. Good luck you guys!" He called as they disappeared.

He returned his attention to the boat and steering it. The closer they got to the cliffs, the more he let his speed drop. It was obvious why as even with more care, the boat still rocked more than before. "Hang on Tianara. This part might get a little bumpy." He warned her absently, focused on the boat. He drifted as close to the cliffs as he dared before he stopped, waiting for Katalina.

The tiger that should be....isn't....

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara flashed a quick grin. "She thinks she's subtle, but she's not," she said lightly, laughter in her eyes. "She probably didn't want us to know. You might have ruined it for her a little," she added with a chuckle. "Wishing them good luck and all."

The boat was rocking, and she didn't like it one bit. But she found that if she let herself kind of sway with the boat's movement instead of sitting rigid as a stone, it was easier to settle. So she went with the movement, and after a while she was nearly relaxed while she waited with Joshua for the merfolk to come back.

"Hey, Joshua?" she asked at last. "How do you know so much about this part of the cliffs? Do you come here a lot?"

He seemed to know how to manoeuvre around it, and she found herself a little curious about how he did things like that if he hadn't been at the cliffs very often. On the other hand, what was there at the cliffs worth taking a boat out for?

Katalina had yet to return, so she thought Joshua might have the chance to answer.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

Joshua chuckled in embarrassment. "I come out here every now and then with the boat, just to see if I can. Kind of a personal challenge. I never make it very far though." He said with a shrug.

"As for the actual cliffs, I go up when I want to do something different for once." He explained with a sheepish smile. "Usually on days where I've been in the water too much recently. Or after a storm. Then fish sometimes take refuge in the lower water caverns. It's a good chance to go see them. And there's blind fish in some of the back caverns. Those are kinda cool." He didn't go to the cliffs too often, but he had been there a few times.

The tiger that should be....isn't....

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Sorry for the wait, Lucky - university beckons, and in three days I am off. What have I done to get ready? Precisely nothing. >.> Well, I mean, I've started to pack, but that's about it.))

Tianara nodded, but her expression betrayed the fact that she didn't get it. The idea of personal challenges, sure, but risking one's life in a little boat on big waves...not so much. Maybe it was her own history, but even on the calmest waters, boats seemed like a threat. To deliberately take one into the dangerous waters by the cliff? Insanity was the only possible response.

Before she could speak, and betray any of what she was actually thinking, Katalina resurfaced with an easy smile. "Stuck?" she inquired. "Come on, we'll give you a lift. We found you a cavern that seems to suit the requirements, but you'll have to see it to decide for sure." She reached up and took the rope at the front of the boat. It would be easy enough for her to tow the thing - with the water's lift, it wasn't very heavy, and she knew the waters here much better than even the most experienced boater.

With a flick of her tail, she added, "Hold on, you two," and took off towards the cliff face.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

((Tis fine. It's the back to school season. Everything has slowed down.))

Joshua chuckled at her disbelieving expression. Before he - or Tianara for that matter - could say anything, the mermaid returned. He flashed her a grin. "Good enough start. Let's check it out." He said eagerly.

Seeing the rope she'd grabbed, he rose and moved to the front of the boat. He let the rope out a little bit, making sure Katalina had room to maneuver without worrying about hitting the bow of the boat. That done, he sat down and simply enjoyed the ride. He was keeping an eye out on things but the mermaid seemed to have it under control. He wasn't worried at all, trusting Katalina to get them through the turbulent waters.

The tiger that should be....isn't....

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Speaking of which, Silent is at her new school. HOW BOUT THAT.))

Katalina towed the boat carefully through the waters, occasionally dropping back to guide it with her hands instead. It made things a little simpler for her, and ensured that the two in the boat wouldn't so much as brush the rocks. Knowing Tianara, that alone would be enough to make her jump and swim for it.

After a few minutes of traversing the rapids carefully, she pulled a sharp left and led them to an open cavern. It was barely high and wide enough for the boat, but it might fit with some careful manoeuvring.

Pulling back, Katalina looked to the two in the boat. "What do you think?" she asked. Water expert she might be, but a boat expert she was not. So she waited for their opinions, as one expert respecting another.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

((How are you enjoying your school?))

Joshua kept a careful eye out as the boat was towed. It wasn't that he didn't trust Katalina but rather that he was simply paranoid. But they made it without incident. He flashed a grin at Tianara then turned to inspect the opening.

He looked over it carefully, then down at the boat, mentally judging the sizes. Finally, he nodded. "It just might do." He said with a smile. "We're going to need to be very careful though. It's going to be a tight squeeze if it works." Alone, he didn't think he would have attempted it. But with the mermaid's help, he was reasonably confident that they would make it though.

The tiger that should be....isn't....

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Haven't gone to any classes yet - they don't start 'til Wednesday. But it's okay so far.))

Tianara felt the colour rise to her cheeks when Joshua grinned at her. Yes, okay, so she'd been sitting still as a stone the entire time the boat was being towed. She was embarrassed that he'd noticed, but that didn't explain why she was quite this flushed.

She dismissed it. It wasn't as though she was obviously feeling any different. Her friend was making fun of her, so she was blushing. That was all.

And if she wasn't entirely sure she knew enough about people to be positive about that, she controlled the thought so sternly that not even she was fully aware of it.

Katalina, oblivious to Tianara's thoughts, smiled up at Joshua. "All right," she replied. "I'll guide the front. You navigate. Tianara can...Tia? Tianara."

The girl glanced up, startled. "What? Oh. What?"

The mermaid laughed. "You watch the back of the boat. Let me know if we're getting close to hitting anything."

With that, she took a firm grip on the bow and began to guide it towards the centre of the tunnel opening.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

((That's good.))

Joshua nodded to Katalina. "Let's try it." He leaned forwards slightly, watching the bow and sides as the mermaid towed the boat. Carefully, he directed her left or right as was needed. After a tense moment, the widest part of the boat slipped through, almost brushing the sides of the entrance.

Once they were all the way in, he breathed a sigh of relief. "There. That wasn't so bad." He said brightly. "Now we know it can be done." He glanced around the inside of the cavern, curious.

The tiger that should be....isn't....

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: And my professors are kind of totally awesome. whee ))

Katalina followed his instructions, her head tilted slightly to catch everything he said. Now and then she would make small adjustments on her own, but mostly she followed him - he was the eyes right now. She could not watch both the boat and where they were going. That was his job.

Tianara watched the back of the boat steadily, not so much as glancing around. Her eyes were locked on the stern, and she was barely even blinking. She never had to speak - the back of the boat seemed quite content to follow the front of it properly, without swinging or scratching itself on the sides of the tunnel.

When at last they made the entrance, Tianara breathed out in relief. "Hopefully no one brings a boat larger than yours, Joshua. They'll never get it in here," she remarked.

Katalina grinned. "We'll find another opening," she promised. "But this is just one of them."

The cavern widened out quite a bit once they were through the tunnel. And though it was dark, there were tiny points of light here and there that gave it a dim glow - just enough to see by. Nezik and Jinx were waiting for them by the far end of the cavern, where there was a small beach.

"There are other tunnels over there," Katalina explained. "That lead up into the main branches. At least we think so - none of us can exactly go and check." She smiled, a little sadly. "That will have to be your job."

She towed the boat up to the beach, eventually guiding it in with her hands until at last the bow bumped into the sand.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

Joshua looked around the cavern with a nod. "This should do just fine." He said easily. Then he spotted Nezik and Jinx. He grinned suddenly and waved at them. "Hey guys!" Then he nodded at Katalina, turning his attention back to her. "Yeah. We'll check it out. Looks like it'll go up. For now though, this is enough. It's a place to store the stuff and we didn't have to hike it up the cliff." He explained with a shrug.

Hopping out of the boat, he held out one hand to Tianara. "Come on, let's get this stuff out of the boat. Then we can look around a bit." His free hand held the boat steady for her to get out.

The tiger that should be....isn't....

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Nezik waved back. Jinx lifted a brow. Both were, in their way, equally open versions of nice to see you. When Joshua turned back to Katalina, she was looking off back into the darkness of the tunnel. Realizing he was speaking to her, she jerked and looked up quickly. "W-- oh. Yes. We thought it would be good. Will you two be all right for unloading it into...wherever it was you put the other things?"

She wondered how their girl had done in climbing the cliffs, but she wasn't planning to ask. That was something that could be talked about later, especially if it hadn't gone well.

Glancing at Tianara, she saw the mixture of a slight blush and a grin that told her that...yeah, no, it hadn't gone well. Not at all. That would be something to mark. Something maybe to tease her about later - she hadn't spent much time with the girl of late.

Tianara smiled shyly when Joshua offered her his hand. Taking it lightly in one of hers, she stepped off the boat and onto the beach. She was proud of herself - she was beginning to get the hang of this boating thing. "Okay," she said. "Are we going to try and find the cavern we were using before from here?"  

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

Joshua nodded at Katalina. "We'll be fine. Thanks for helping get the boat in here." Once Tianara was out of the boat, he dragged it farther up onto the beach, using the line the mermaid had been using to tow it. He tied to line to one of the rocks of the cavern. He wasn't sure how strong the current was in here and he didn't plan on losing his boat.

"That sounds like a good idea." He told the girl with a nod. "With the boat tied off, the stuff should be safe in there for right now. No point in unloading it only to find out we have to reload and try somewhere else." He said with a laugh. He turned to the merfolk. "We'll see you guys later." He said with a wave, then turned and headed deeper into the cavern.

The tiger that should be....isn't....

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Katalina smiled. "Not a problem. I'm going to leave Nezik here to guard the boat," she said pseudo-casually, noticing Jinx's quick alarmed look and Nezik's wide eyes. "I'm sure Jinx wouldn't mind coming with me to scout out other caverns. Need to see if there's space for boats bigger than yours, am I right, Jinx?" Not giving the young Siren a chance to respond, she said brightly, "Lovely, I knew you would agree. Let's go." Taking hold of Jinx's arm, the mermaid sped off, dragging the obviously-reluctant Siren in her wake.

Tianara, smothering a chuckle, turned her attention to Joshua's words. "That sounds like a pain. Much easier to scout first," she agreed, climbing over the rocks nimbly enough to meet him on the sandy area. "See you in a bit, Nezik. I hope Sorry doesn't scare Jinx too much."

It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked like Nezik was blushing as he waved a goodbye. Smiling, Tianara joined Joshua as they went into the tunnels outside the cavern. "Should be easy enough to find the boat again," she said idly. "Telepathic broadcast should be clear - caves are good for that kind of thing. What do you think? Should we mark our trail or just trust it?"  

[Lucky_Tiger]

The tiger that shouldn't be....is....

Joshua watched Katalina rush off, chuckling quietly. "Well that was fast." He murmured and waved goodbye to the merman then turned his attention to Tianara.

He smiled easily at her. "Well, you seemed to be able to make your way back easily last time, so I don't see a reason to mark the trail. Not if you can do that again." He said with a nod, heading into the cave. "Besides, we can always try to backtrack by following Nezik's.....signature? Would that be the right word?" He wondered to himself, then shook his head. "Anyways, I don't think we'll need to, not unless you think you can't remember the way back."

The tiger that should be....isn't....