A (Fish) Tale of Two Worlds (ZellyxM3G)

[Zelly-fangirl]

"Keep you from sinking like a rock, got it." Kai teased with a grin as he nodded before diving under to give Fiona some space. For now he'd see how she could do on her own before commenting, and the best way to observe was to watch her form from below. He was glad the blue tint of the water would obscure him from view, as he blushed a bit, not realizing how dainty Fiona's form was until now.

 

[M3Gnificent]

After a balk of laughter, Fiona went about trying to swim. She was no Michael Phelps, but she managed to stay afloat - even if she was an incredibly slow and clumsy swimmer. It clearly took some effort for her to keep from sinking, but with a dainty and delicate figure like her's, she could probably use the exercise.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai frowned slightly, seeing issue already. Swimming up beneath her, matching her pace and with barely a few inches between their bodies, he gently took her hands in his and guided her in her how to move her hands. Kai gave her a reassuring smile from just beneath the surface of the water.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona gave a meek, almost embarassed smile in return. She didn't seem to dwell on it, however, focusing more on mentally noting his nonverbal instructions. She certainly wasn't wise, but when given sufficient tips or suggestions, she was quick to learn. When left on her own to swim once more, she would do much better than before - making much fewer mistakes and getting that much closer to the ideal she needed to reach before even thinking of diving towards sunken ships with him.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"So why's it taken you this long to learn how to swim if you're such a quick learner?" Kai resurfaced next to her, matching her pace as his body moved rhythmically up and down like a dolphin, the fins along the back of his tail cutting through the water's surface.

 

[M3Gnificent]

"I never had the chance. No one would teach me, especially not after..." Fiona began to admit, only to be cut off by the sound of someone shouting her name. Judging by the raspy, masculinity of the voice - it could only be her grandfather. Were she the cursing sort, she'd certainly make her feelings clear. But she wasn't - as she was a lady. So she could only take on a look of panic and dread. Still swimming, she glanced over at Kai, nonverbally asking him with her eyes exactly what should be done.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai could only stop and shrug, sharing her look of panic and worry. He lowered himself in the water so he was only visible from the chest up and looked back to the man on the shore, hoping beyond hope that he didn't see Kai's tail and that his deep blue scales gave him some camouflage.

 

[M3Gnificent]

"I'm fine, grampa!" she called out in assurance, only to be met with demands for her return to the surface this instant. She gave a disappointed pout in Kai's direction before doing as she was told, not wanting to mess things up for him already. She didn't even consider the possibility that her grandfather's worry came not from the fact that she was in the water, but that she was in the water with something that clearly wasn't human.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"I'll meet you back at the house in a bit." Kai told her, glancing in her grandpa's direction before she left. For now though he was stuck bobbing in the water, worried he'd show his tail if he made to dive underwater. With nothing else to do otherwise, he just meekly waved to the man standing on the shore.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Something almost resembling an arguement broke out between the elderly man and the girl the moment Fiona stepped foot on the soggy sands, with both sides equally heated. It was clear, at that point, that the old man knew what he saw - and demanding to know why she knowingly lied to him - Fiona was left with no choice but the truth. She had explained how Kai saved her those three times she nearly drowned at sea, how she came to save him in turn, and finally pleading for her grandfather to both keep her secret and to allow him to stay - not wanting her friend hurt nor wanting to lose contact with him again. Eventually, with copious applications of puppy eyes and pleading words, the old man eventually relented - as Fiona had desperately hoped he would.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai lowered even more in the water, only his eyes and blue head of hair visible as he sank in guilt. He couldn't make out what was going on from where he floated, and his heart hurt at the thought he might get chased away. "I'm not going to hurt anyone, you racist old..." he muttered in frustration, angry at the thought of falling under scorn because of stupid superstitions.

 

[M3Gnificent]

After a while longer, the old man reluctantly went on his way - while Fiona trudged back into the ocean waters in triumph. She held a victorious smirk as she headed Kai's way, wondering just what her friend would think of the news. Quite frankly, Fiona was tickled pink - it was always nice to know something went well when you expected it to go disastrously.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"That's great!" Kai grinned, actually doing a back flip in glee as he sprayed Fiona with water. "I was really worried for a minute there. Going back to the ocean now would just be lonely." he said with a bright smile, not realizing the mushy implications of his words.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Fiona leaned back somewhat, letting her arms up in a vain attempt to shield her face from the water as she let out a gleeful giggle. "You're tellin' me! I'm not too keen on only seeing you 'cuz of a near drownin', you know?" She then went on to practice her swimming more, keeping her head as high above the waters as she could so that she could keep talking if he so wished. Despite her intelligence, she was kind of dense at times, so thankfully for Kai he wouldn't be subject to her teasing - this time at least.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Kai's smile mellowed as he floated along the water's surface, his tail lazily moving up and down as he propelled himself along. "It's...nice. Finally getting to meet you properly, I mean." he said as he closed his eyes. "No need to worry about getting spotted and caught or letting you drown." He enjoyed the worry-free moment now as the warm sun beat down on his naked torso and reflected off his sparkling tail.