[PLOT] I'm Lost & I Can't Get Home [FINISHED]

[Daisicle]

Somewhere off the shores of Pae'kippu Beach, a single angel sat in the warm sands alone.

Her knees were brought up against her chest, her arms wrapped around them, as she stared off into the horizon and let large tears roll down her cheek.

How long had it been since she'd lost track of her sister? She was alone. She wanted to go home. Arms shaking as she gripped herself harder, fresh tears flowed down her cheeks and disappeared into the sands below as the waves periodically lapped against her feet.

She just wanted to go home

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Earlier that day, Mertxika and her own constant companion, Morea, had been having a conversation. Mertxika had brought up a strange thing she'd heard from another Naiad: a world above them! She couldn't believe that there was more to this new home they'd discovered than what she'd already explored, and she had excitedly invited Morea to come explore the aboveworld with her.

Morea had fixed her with her You Idiot look and said that they couldn't go up there. Mertxika had asked why, and Morea had just gotten a vaguely uncomfortable look. "I don't know exactly," she had admitted, "I just know it's not possible."

So, that had been super helpful. NOT.

Mertxika had asked another Naiad, one she knew had been here for a long time, and they'd said that when Naiads went to the aboveworld (although she had strongly recommended that Mertxika not go to the aboveworld because it sucked, advise Mertxika promptly ingored) their tails turned into legs because there was not water to swim in. So that solved that problem!

In the afternoon, Mertxika had left her and Morea's home and swam toward the surface. She popped her head above the water and delighted at the warm sun on her face and the way the wind cooled her wet skin. Morea was going to be so mad she missed this! She looked around until she saw the shoreline, and then started swimming toward it. As she neared, she saw a figure sitting on the beach. She'd been warned that the winged Pae weren't to be trusted, so she kept a low profile, with just her eyes above the water. If the figure were to look out toward the water, Mertxika might have looked somewhat like a floating shower cap.

She heard a sniffle. Was the winged Pae....crying?

Mertxika was many things, including reckless, but she wasn't heartless! "Hey!" she called from the water, nearing the shore, "Are you alright?"

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

[Somewhat coaxed - somewhat spooked - by a voice on the lake's horizon, Aisha lifted her eyes to blankly look ahead. She didn't quite notice anyone flying above, nor had she put two-and-two together that there could be a naiad swimming below.

To be honest, she wasn't all that accustomed to where the naiad actually came from. Venus Day had been the only time she ever had seen one in real life, and it wasn't like she'd directly ever spoken with one. They were pretty stigmatized up in the city, and honestly talk of their tailfins were a bit creepy.

Mmmm....

Raabi'a? Where were you?

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Mertxika waited for a response from the winged Pae, and when none came she thought maybe she was too far away. She swam nearer to the shore. This took some effort, as her tentacles weren't made for power swimming, and the current up here was strong. By the time she made it close enough to the shore to where she was sure she could be seen and heard, she'd worked up quite a sweat! Her head and shoulders poked out of the water.

"Hey," she repeated. "Are you okay?"  

[Daisicle]

The sound of something intelligible somewhat close by made Aisha visibly jump as her eyes quickly scanned around her for the source of the sound. It probably took longer than it should have to land on Merxika, given her coloration and all that. With a blink, she fairly obviously looked away from the naiad and moved a few inches further inland before looking back. Then up and back down. Her lip trembled softly as fresh tears formed on her eyes.

"I-I-I-I-I-...." she was a bit of a mess. "Ra-ra... Raaaaaaabi-bi'a... I-I-I- lost..." sniffle.

Most adults would have probably found themselves humiliated to be seen in such a state, but Aisha was a bit beyond that point.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Mertxika wondered for a moment if this strange Pae spoke a different language as well, but then she heard the word lost. "Oh! Are you lost?" she asked. The current was pulling her inexorably toward shore. Soon she'd be on the beach! Time to test out these legs! Whatever those were.

"I'm not from around here but maybe I can help you!" she offered. "Just let me come on up out of the water." She bonked into the shore and started pulling herself onto the beach. It was hard work, pulling with just her arms. "They told me I'd get legs on land, should be happening like...any second now."

The sand was abrasive against her soft body, and her tentacles were completely useless. She felt like a puddle of goo, and not in a good way. Maybe she had to be totally clear of the water for this transformation to happen. Doggedly she kept pulling herself further up the beach, straining and sweating with the effort. The sun was hot overhead and her skin felt so, so dry. But still, she'd offered to help and was determined to do so!  

[Daisicle]

With a very large sniffle, Aisha nodded her head up and down before squeezing her legs even more tightly. If she'd had animal ears, surely by now they'd have folded down in dejection, but angels didn't have that sort of luxury. With a blink of her eyes, she quietly watched the apparent naiad shore upon the beach.

And pull herself up... and up... and up...

...and up...

Didn't they usually get their legs by now? As sad and afraid to be without her other half as she was, she was also concerned about what this naiad was doing. Was there something wrong with her; was that why her legs didn't form? Was she even a naiad? Aisha had never seen any with that sort of translucent and jelly-like body before. Would she be alright? A certain concerned look brushed over her features.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

At this point Mertxika was exhausted from the effort, and her whole body was up on the hot, dry sand, and still no legs. Panting, she looked over at the winged femme. "Okay...so like....maybe....I was given....some....like....incorrect infor...mation." She felt her tentacles starting to stick together as they dried. Change of plans--she needed to get back into the water like NOW.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her upper body up off the sand and tried to sort of sit, but she had no real support under her so she just fell forward onto her own tentacles. She huffed a sigh. "This...is so...undignified."

Okay, ok, this was fine. At least now she was pointed back toward the water line. "D'you think...you could...like...maybe...pull me a...little?" She held up an arm. A couple tentacles were stuck to it, which she tried to shake off without success. "Also....probably...don't touch my...tentacles." She knew what they did to other naiads, she couldn't be sure they'd sting up here, but that was not an excellent way to make friends.  

[Daisicle]

Aisha blinked at the growing spectacle, now very decidedly a mix of confusion, concern, and anxiety. It certainly seemed like whatever was going on was probably not a good idea, and honestly it seemed like adding to it would only serve to make it worse. That said, Aisha was too good of a daemon to leave someone in such a state, especially considering they were only like this because they'd been trying to comfort her.

"Ah... umm... ahhh... okay....." she mumbled before hesitating here and there as she moved closer. After what probably felt like minutes, Aisha took care to avoid Mertxia's tentacles as she softly took hold of her arms and helped to hold the jelly upright. "Uh..... Um... W-Where should I p-p-pull you...?"

Back into the water, right?

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

"Thanks..." coughed Mertxika as the other femme held her upright. "Back...into...the water...please..." It was getting difficult to breathe as her gills dried.

So this had been a singularly bad idea. She should have listened to Morea, even though she was a humdrum squid.  

[Daisicle]

Aisha looked down and nodded quickly and excessively to Merxika's request before she awkwardly shuffled around to have her back facing the lake, rather than the beach. She took care to avoid the many tentacles floating about, otherwise she risked dropping Merx out of sheer reflex. That... certainly would be less than ideal.

She looked from the jelly to the beach and then to the lake before nervously swallowing her dry mouth. Hopefully this wasn't a ploy... Her friends in the City always talked about how sneaky the heretics could be. What if she was taken under once Merx could move? Oh how her mothers and sisters would grieve for her!

"O-okay........" In motions that probably seemed painfully slow, the angel began to pull Merx further into the lake.

Menelie

shadica

 

[Menelie]

Once the winged femme had gotten Mertxika most of the way into the water, she was able to control her own movements again. She ducked her head under and then came back up, immediately feeling refreshed.

"Whew!" she exclaimed cheerfully, as if she hadn't just had a brush with friggin' death. "So, hot tip, in case it ever comes up again for you, like, apparently only some Naiad can get legs on land. Who knew!" She coughed. "Hang on I think I got sand in my gills, one sec." Mertxika ducked under the water and sucked water in through her gills, then forcefully expelled it. A faint cloud of sand came with it. "Gross."

She popped back up and addressed the other pae. "Okay! So like, that was not my greatest idea. Thanks for your help! I'm Mertxika. Maybe I can help you find your way without coming onto the land? What're you looking for?"  

[Daisicle]

Aisha visibly jolted as the jelly submerged herself, her arms recoiling back and her wings lifting as she assumed a defensive posture. Oh no oh no oh no was it really going to happen? Was this the end of her, the end of the story of the one known as Aisha? So long cruel world... so long Raabi'a...

She knew, if nothing else, at least she'd live on in her family's hearts.

Ooooooooor not.

Her arms fell a bit as she processed the stream of new words coming at her rapid-fire. Frankly, right now she just wanted to get out of the water - which was approaching chest-level - and get back on the sand. And then she'd wait for her sister to come find her. She missed her... With a pout, a sniffle, and some visible tears showing themselves in the corners of her eyes, Aisha responded. "I-I.... My sister... I..." Sniffle.

Menelie

shadica

Raabi'a can pop in to save the day at any point <3

 

[Menelie]

"Oh no, you lost your sister?" said Mertxika sympathetically. She couldn't imagine what she'd do if she lost Morea. "What's she look like? Where did you last see her? And how'd you get down by the water?" She was determined to problem-solve this, especially since the winged friend had been so kind to get her back into the water.

She presumed her sister looked at least somewhat like she did, therefore it was a pretty safe bet that her sister wasn't underwater. Surely someone would've noticed, and probably her sister couldn't breathe down there anyway. So Mertxika's search capacity was really limited to up and down the coast, and she probably couldn't swim faster than her new friend could walk.

Her options for helping were getting really limited at this point.  

[shadica]

Raabi'a had been rushing around trying to find her sister. She knew how upset Aisha gets when alone which was making her anxious.

She had to find her! What if she got hurt? Raabi'a was worried that her sister would be to upset to fight back if something attacked.

Eventually she made her way down the beach in her search for her twin.

She squinted when she spotted a shape on the beach as if that would help her see it better.

"Aisha!!" She called out as she ran hopping the shape was in fact her twin.

Daisicle

Menelie