The Song of the Siren (Accepting :: OPEN)

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

"No." Joshua said firmly, without hesitation. "This was my choice to help. I'll bear the consequences of it." He got up, moving to stand with Tianara. "This isn't your fault. Remember, I was hanging around Katalina and the others before you came here. It was my choice to do what I'm doing." He put a hand on her shoulder lightly. "If you leave, then we only make things easier for our enemies by dividing ourselves." 'And I'll miss you....' The words were on the tip of his tongue but he left them unsaid.

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[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara quivered a little under his hand. She kept her gaze out the window, looking like her mind was miles away. In a way, it was - she was looking for that taste of something alien, trying to figure out how far away the creature was without drawing attention to herself.

She shut her eyes against the relief that came with his words. He couldn't have any idea how much the offer had hurt, and she had wanted him to agree. But now...

There had to be something she could do to shield him. She couldn't stop the magic rubbing off onto the people around her any more than she could stop breathing. But there had to be something else.

"I should update Sorry," she mused. "She ought to know about this."  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Joshua gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze then let his hand drop back to his side. He looked out the window as well, watching the ocean waves upon the sand. "Good idea. She can pass on the word of warning to the other ocean children. We can't be sure that's what it's after, but it wouldn't hurt to put the warning out, just in case. I'd rather be safe than sorry." He said quietly.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: ...*drags self online* I am going to die. Let's just get that out there.))

Tianara glanced back, a little half-smile playing around her mouth. "And of course, there's the little problem that they're all supposed to be coming here, isn't there?" she murmured. "We'll have to figure out soon what it wants."

That said, she stretched out to Katalina, and began to relay events.

Tianara couldn't have known it, but the magic she was using was attracting Its attention far faster than her mere presence would have done.

~

It raised Its great head, letting out a low growl. The scent was there now. Stronger now. Near where the little human had been before.

And the magic was tugging on the water-currents in Its mind's eye. Slowly, it began to turn around, lumbering back through the trees the way it had come.

It reached towards the puny being that had tried to touch Its mind before. It would not harm the little creature - the human might not even notice Its presence, not this time. It merely wanted to assure Itself that the prey was safely nearby this time, before It wasted more of Its time.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

((Exams been rough?))

Joshua stirred, feeling the faintest brush against his mind, so faint he couldn't even tell what kind of thoughts it contained. He dismissed it as an overflow effect of Tianara talking to the mermaid. It wouldn't surprise him if he was eventually sensitive enough to feel messages passing around him. Besides, he wasn't even sure he'd even felt anything. So he said nothing, waiting for Tianara to finish.

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[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Haven't even started them. crying Studying and homework and people keep calling me and WHY DID I EVER WANT A SOCIAL LIFE.))

Tianara paused in her speech, and turned to look at Joshua.

"Did you feel that?" she half-whispered.

Something. Something ancient, and rotted, and oh so cold.

"Joshua?"

And it was coming.

"We have to go."

Closer.

"Right now!"

She sprung up to her feet and grabbed his hand. "Come on, we have to go, we have to go."

Anywhere. Anywhere that wasn't here.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

((Ouch. That sucks......Have a cookie. *hands cookie*))

Joshua looked surprised by her sudden vehemence that they had to leave. But then he felt it too, and it chilled him to the bone. He didn't argue with Tianara, moving swiftly. "Let's go. Go, go, go. We can't stay here." He agreed tersely as they exited the cabin. "But where?" He looked around the cove, trying to decide which would be the best way to go.

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[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: *nomnomnom*))

Tianara wasted no time making her own decision. If it could be in the water, she thought, it would be there already.

"Hold your breath," she said simply.

Then she pulled him to the beach and into the water.

How deep could it follow? How far did she have to go? There was no time to get Joshua's skiuuba things, so she would have to hope that enough of her power had rubbed off on him that he would be able to manage.

If he couldn't...

If he couldn't, she might be able to help him. But she didn't know for sure.

She'd never done it before.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua, realizing where she was heading, started to protest. "Tianara, I can't!" That was as far as he got though, before she dragged him in. He grabbed a deep breath just before his head went under the water. He prayed they wouldn't have to stay under long or go too deep. He opened his eyes, needing to see where he was going, though he expected to see the blurriness and sting associated with salt water.

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[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Not sure what you're waiting for, lovely. It's up to you whether Joshua has spent enough time around the merfolk and their magic to gain some of Tianara's super-special-water-powers or not.))

Tianara hadn't taken him too deep. There wasn't any time to hang around, but she didn't want to drag him in and have him drown. She moved towards the surface in easy strokes, always moving farther away from the beach. If necessary, there were rocks out in the cove where Joshua could recover himself.

She glanced behind her. Nothing yet, but the feeling of something evil closing in was stronger now. She was afraid.

They had to keep moving.

But she had to make sure Joshua could breathe.

Looking back again, she rose to the surface, with Joshua - hopefully - in tow.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

((I wasn't sure whether you had some plans or not regarding it. cat_sweatdrop ))

Joshua was mildly surprised to find the water didn't sting. And it was as clear as if he'd had his goggles on. Before he could ponder on this though, he realized Tianara was moving away from him. He hurriedly kicked out, catching up with her. He was relieved when she started towards the surface, his lungs beginning to burn. He broke the surface, gasping, and looked towards the beach. Idly, he wondered if the evil thing even had a physical form or if it was more like the Dark Ones.

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[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Nope. All up to you. biggrin ))

Tianara didn't seem to have any academic worries about whether the creature would be visible or not. "Come on," she said. "We have to move faster."

She didn't know what they were going to do. If they could make it safely out of the cove, there might be a chance that someone would give them shelter. But who...

Her eyes widened. Aria hadn't left so long ago. How far away was she by now? The girl wasn't an ocean child, but she had merfolk blood.

"Joshua," she breathed. "We have to hurry. Can you...are you all right?"

Could he breathe? was what she meant.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua caught the underlying question in her voice and hesitated to answer. Was he alright to go on? Well, the water didn't seem to be bugging him like it should....No time to contemplate or worry about that though. "One way to find out." He told Tianara firmly. "Let's go. We have to get going."

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[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara looked at him for another second, hesitating. Would he regret his brave words?

No time to turn back now. "Tell me if you need to stop," was all she said. Then she struck out for the open water.

She'd already been telling Katalina to reroute the ocean children - they couldn't keep them at the cliff until the creature was gone. They just had to keep going and hope that the mermaid was able to handle the information.

It was debatable whether Tianara remembered that the ships were a danger all on their own now. Since the water she was heading for was prime fishing territory, it was likely that the danger behind them had erased any thought of the danger ahead.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua took a deep breath as they slipped beneath the surface of the water, swimming. Unlike Tianara though, he knew this area well. "Keep an eye out for boats. There's a sea route running right through here." He reminded her. He didn't want to get hit by a boat. That would just wreck everything. He continued as long as he could, until his lungs started burning. 'Just a little bit more...' He told himself, pushing it as far as he dared. "I need a breath." He told Tianara, popping up to the surface. He was surprised at the distance he'd covered. More than twice, almost triple, the distance he usually could. Maybe some of their magic [was starting to rub off on him. The water wasn't bothering his eyes either, he'd noticed.

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