[PRP] Lost At Sea (Aysun + I'a)[FIN]

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

I'a slowly swam through the hallways of the palace, stopping when he reached the exit. He took a deep breath of lake water. Ahhhh, the water somehow felt cleaner and fresher outside of the palace. The teen was excited to get out and explore a little bit today. Mom had done the usual mom thing, told him not to go too far and not to stay out too late. That was all well and fine, he was just happy that she let him go. I'a was also glad that she hadn't made him take his sister.

He glanced from side to side, no one around, at least not that he could immediately see. The boy reached his arms forward above his head, gave his tailfin a few flips and darted off, trying to see how fast he could go. After a quick spiral, he paused with a grin.

Menelie

Aysun, in a rare moment, was out without Nanna. She just....needed some quiet time. Aysun frequently needed quiet time, in fact, and that was difficult to come by in their home. Between her parents, her sister, her older brother and his girlfriend, older siblings adopted or otherwise, and a huge and complex extended family...it seemed like someone was always dropping by for something or another. That was just way too much social stimulation for poor Aysun, and she'd decided to go for a swim to clear her head and calm her nerves.

As it happened, she'd happened to have seen the boy at the conclusion of his spiral, and Aysun was intrigued. She hadn't seen very many others her age around the palace. She tried to stay out of sight and just watch him. He was very pretty, she thought. She especially liked his long hair. She noted his horn, realizing he must be one of those fancy Naiacorns. She'd only ever met one before, when she was very young, which was her oldest brother's....girlfriend? She wasn't actually quite sure what they were. Anyway, that didn't matter. She continued observing the boy as he swam, staying hidden but sort of following him. She liked how the shape of his tail was almost a heart, like hers, but was sort of triangular. Triangle heart.

Wolfs Heart

I'a continued swimming for quite a while, slowly moving further away from the palace without even really noticing. He didn't feel like he was swimming that far since he was mostly doing zoomies back and forth, but over time it added up. At one point he paused to catch his breath and noticed how tiny the palace had gotten. Wow this was the furthest he had been out, that was amazing! And yet kind of scary. Could anyone even hear him out here?

There had been a few times the teen had felt like there had been nearby movement when he had been swimming, but it was the water, the water was busy. Now that he was unsettled from being so far away, he kind of got the feeling that something was moving with him. Sharks weren't in the lake, right? No, it probably would have already eaten him, instead of following him. "Hello?" No, there was no one here, he was just being silly because he had gotten further out than he realized.

Menelie

Aysun froze. Oh no, he'd spotted her! Her face turned red, and she was sure her earfins were warming the water around her. She held her breath, hidden in a patch of kelp. She kept her body low to the ground, absolutely mortified. What had she been thinking? Following a strange boy all the way out here.....where was here, actually? She'd never been this far from the palace before. And hiding in the kelp like this? He was sure to find her, and then he was going to think she was so weird.

And did she even want to talk to him? What about this boy had fascinated her so much that she'd watched him for so long? She definitely didn't want to meet anyone new alone like this. She wished Nanna were here. Of course, if Nanna were here, she'd probably have made friends with him already and they'd be doing loop-the-loops together. And she'd probably still be blushing in the kelp.

She realized she'd been holding her breath for too long, and now she had to let it out in a puff, which made bubbles burble up from her hiding place. Dead giveaway. Aysun covered her face with her hands.

Wolfs Heart

There was no answer. Yeah, it was probably the independent exploration time getting to his head. I'a decided that if his head was playing tricks on him it was probably time to head home. Perhaps he would be braver another day. That was when he noticed the bubbles coming up in a heavy stream from a nearby kelp plant. Well, that was suspicious.

Did he dare to go over and investigate? Whatever it was didn't respond to his friendly hello so that probably meant it wasn't friendly either. I'a twisted back and forth in the water trying to make up his mind about what to do. Finally he made up his mind and quickly charged over to the pile of kelp. What good was his horn if he didn't bravely(read, stupidly) charge it into potentially dangerous situations? "Boo!" He cried out. Yes, he was very scary.

Menelie

Aysun, having been very quiet and hiding her face, did not notice the boy's approach, and so when he burst into her hiding place and shouted at her, she reacted quite...strongly. Her skin flashed purple then paled to white as she shrieked and propelled herself backward in one swift motion. As she did, dark brown ink filled the water around her, creating a cloud more-or-less her size. Oh no, this was much worse. She waved her hands around to disperse the ink.

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

I'a's brain was not able to register what he saw as fast as it happened. He was not even aware there had been a girl in the kelp. He saw a flash of colors that might have been another naiad, but then he was staring at a small brownish/blackish cloud. I'a was not at all sure he had actually seen a naiad. "What the barnacle?" He exclaimed, opening his mouth allowed some of the inky water to touch his tongue. It kind of tasted good. I'a was thoroughly confused and concerned. Flipping his fin hard against the cloud he propelled himself backwards to give himself a little bit of space, yet not running completely away just yet.

Menelie

Aysun was hideously embarrassed, and continued to disperse the ink with her hands. "I'm so sorry," she said, voice barely above a whisper. Her skin was still pale white, except for her face and neck, which were bright red. She wanted to dive back down into the kelp, but now that he knew she was here that wouldn't really help anything.

Wolfs Heart

I'a was staring at the cloud with squinty eyes when he noticed some dainty fingers moving through the smoke. His head cocked to the side, sending a ripple through his long hair. And then a voice, he could barely hear it, but it was there. "Hello?" He tried again. The ink finally dispersed enough that he could start to make out a form similar to his, even in size. "Are you okay?" He asked, not quite putting together that the ink had come from the other young naiad.

Menelie

Aysun nodded, curls bobbing in the water. Was she okay? Yeah, she was okay, other than being more embarrassed than she'd ever been in her life. She wanted to completely disappear, suddenly wishing she had her mother's magic instead of her own. "I'm sorry," she said again, just as quietly as before.

Wolfs Heart

I'a simply floated there, still kind of stunned, becoming even more so as the other naiad became more visible. It was a girl. One who wasn't his sister or mom. "Why are you sorry?" he spoke, confused. He guessed that meant she was alright, or maybe she wasn't alright and that was why she was sorry.

Menelie

Aysun gestured broadly at the ink, which was now barely visible in the water around them. Her mouth felt dry as she tried--and failed--to summon words. He was even more interesting up close. How she wished he hadn't seen her...she had been enjoying watching his acrobatics.

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

"That was you?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. Though he still wasn't exactly sure what had happened. He supposed if he could have a horn, unlike most other naiad, that there was probably other naiad who had different ways to protect themselves. Wait... Protect themselves... "Am I going to die now?"

Menelie

Aysun nodded an admission, then shook her head vehemently, also making a negative hand gesture, crossing and uncrossing her arms in front of her, palms out. "It's just for hiding," she managed quietly.

Wolfs Heart

A heavy stream of bubbles came from I'a's mouth as he sighed, relieved. He had shouted boo, so it really was his fault. "Sorry I scared you. Do you.... Uhm... Live in this plant?" The teen looked from side to side. He wasn't sure what else she would have been doing out here. Really, he wasn't sure what he was doing out here either.

Menelie

Aysun shook her head, then tucked one of her curls behind her earfin. She was blushing again. Maybe she should have lied and said she did live in this plant. Maybe after this she should live in this plant. "I, um, live in the palace," she said, looking around for it. Huh. They'd gone pretty far, hadn't they?

Wolfs Heart

"Oh, that's where I live!" The teen said excitedly, momentarily forgetting that he had been wondering why she had been in that kelp plant. He watched as she looked around, as if she couldn't see the palace when it was clearly right... there...? The distant shimmer of the palace was no longer visible where he expected it to be. Maybe he was just turned around from all the spins and loops he had done. I'a spun around but he couldn't make out anything. "It's fine..." He told himself. "We can't see it from here, but I know I came from this direction." He pointed.

Menelie

Aysun left her kelp patch to get slightly closer to the boy, to see where he was pointing at. She...definitely couldn't see the palace. Was he sure they'd come from that way? She looked around again.

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

I'a looked at the girl, emerging from the kelp that had, at least partially, obscured her. He could see her cute little heart shaped tail. He had never seen a fin like that. He smiled at it. "I'm I'a Muliwai," he introduced himself, holding out his hand to the other naiad, "But you can call me I'a."

Menelie

"I'm Aysun," said Aysun, with what basically amounted to a little curtsy. "It's nice to meet you." Her voice was super soft, but at least she'd returned to her typical color patterning. She clasped her hands in front of her, unable to fully make eye contact.

Wolfs Heart

I'a stared at Aysun with squinty eyes. "Hey, weren't you just..." He squinted some more, he was sure she had been a different color when the kelp had partially hidden her. The boy took a deep breath of water, she seemed kind of shy, maybe it wasn't worth it to point out that her colors had changed, especially since he wasn't 100% sure that was what he had seen. Maybe it had just been the reflection of the green kelp. "It's nice out here," He said, shifting the conversation away from what he thought he had seen. "It is a lot more quiet than the palace. Less stuffy too."

Menelie

Aysun looked around again, and nodded her agreement. "The palace is very busy," she agreed. "Do you come out here often?"

Wolfs Heart

I'a shook his head swiftly, sending pink tendrils of his long hair swishing. "Uh, actually it's my first time going out on my own..." It wasn't exactly a confidence-building thing to hear himself say as he glanced around with the palace still out of sight. Maybe she had more experience than he did. "So... Big out here..." He gulped thinking about how if he chose the wrong direction to swim back home he could end up even further away from home. "You must come out all the time, huh?" He said hopefully.

Menelie

Aysun also shook her head, her own curls bobbing. "Mm-mm. I was just looking for somewhere quiet. It's very loud at home." Eventually he'd find out that she was following and watching him, but she certainly wasn't going to volunteer that information unprompted. She watched his motions and facial expressions. He'd seemed so confident and carefree before, but now he looked unsure. She wondered what that was about.

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

"Oh... well..." I'a's spirits dropped with her answer. It was still possible she knew how to get back to the palace, but he wasn't feeling hopeful about it. He flicked at the sand with his tail, uncertain whether he should admit to the girl that he might be lost. "I think I was enjoying the open water a bit too much..." He finally admitted, staring intently at the sand he was stirring up with his tail swishes.

Menelie

"So you.....don't know how to get back to the Palace," said Aysun, looking around again. The Lake was huge, they could be out here all day and night trying to get home. On the other fin, at least it was a lake and not the ocean, so they'd make it back eventually.

Wolfs Heart

His eyes darted up for a moment when she spoke. "I think I got all turned around." Determined to figure it out for himself, he swam a short way away from the kelp bush they had been around, trying to remember where he had been when he had seen her flicker of movement. I'a swam in a small circle, he was pretty sure he had seen her out of the left corner of his eye. So maybe... He spun around again. Maybe he had come from that way. "Do you know which way the palace is?" He asked her, to see if his thoughts lined up with hers.

Menelie

Aysun bit her lip and looked around. She'd stayed mostly on his....right side as they'd swam out here, staying in this dense kelp. She reoriented herself and then looked in the direction that she was pretty sure they'd come from. "Maybe...that way?" she pointed.

Wolfs Heart

An uncertain look passed over I'a's face. The direction she pointed didn't match up with his thought. She didn't sound very confident either. Was that maybe because she was shy? He was inclined to follow her lead simply because of how many times he had swam around in circles. He probably wouldn't know which kelp he had broken from swimming to investigate if Aysun wasn't still floating just outside of it.

"Yeah, that makes sense." He agreed with her. It wasn't that the teen was necessarily ready to swim home just yet, but he had an uneasy feeling that if the other naiad decided to go on her own way again that he wouldn't be able to find his way home without her. "Thanks."

Menelie

Aysun was getting nervous now. What if she was wrong? What if she'd gotten turned around too? He seemed so willing to go along with her, but she wasn't any kind of leader. Why was he so eager to follow her? Did he also not know where they were or how to get home? They obviously needed to stick together, as having them lost separately wouldn't help either of them.

"What should we do now?" she asked, biting her bottom lip.

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

What should WE do now? That kind of made it sound like she was going to stick with him. The boy noticeably perked up. It was a good question though, what should they do. "Well I was kind of thinking I should probably at least get in view of the palace again... Unless there was something you wanted to see out here?" Other than enjoying the open space and 'fresh air' outside the palace, it really wasn't as exciting out here as he had thought. Maybe he was just in the wrong part of the lake, he could cling closer to the coast next time, but he has a feeling his mom would take issue with that.

Menelie

Aysun shook her head again. "I think I'm ready to go home..." she'd had quite enough excitement for one day, and her little outing to get some peace had turned into anything but. Still, she was glad, in a way, that she'd encountered I'a. He was pleasant to look at and clearly fun to be around, with his dips and twists.

Wolfs Heart

I'a slowly nodded his head, well actually, his whole body kind of bobbed up and down with his head. He understood. "Ok, then let's head that way!" He darted off in the direction of her choosing, looping back often so that he wasn't swimming too far from the other teenager. This time he was being more intentional with his swimming so he didn't get disoriented.

Menelie

Aysun followed him at a steady, if slow, pace. Her heart-shaped tailfin was pretty, but it certainly didn't make her a powerful swimmer. She was happy to watch him as he looped back every now and then to stay apace with her. Her skin turned a bit pink, making the brown parts of her skin look dusty-rose and the purple parts even darker purple. She thought it made her prettier. Was she trying to impress him? She wasn't sure. But she did want him to think she was pretty.

Wolfs Heart

One of the times I'a made his small loops back he did notice that she looked different, again. He couldn't blame it on the kelp anymore. The teen moved to Aysun's side and matched pace with her. "Do you change color too?" I'a was personally quite proud of his growing horn, but if she could change color AND make ink, that was pretty special too.

Menelie

Suddenly embarrassed, Aysun returned her skin to normal, though some pink she couldn't control remained in her cheeks as she blushed. "Mhm," she agreed with a nod. "Sometimes I can choose what it does, sometimes it does its own thing..." she added. She tucked a curl behind her earfin. She felt very seen, and while part of her bubbled with excitement, a much larger part of her wanted to hide again. It was an odd thing. She did want him to notice her, but when he actually had, she wanted him not to. Aysun was also noticing that he was closer than before, staying right at her side. For the first time she really noticed I'a's appearance. She was quite taken by his intricate markings. Her own patterning seemed quite boring by comparison.

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

I'a didn't know what color was Aysun's normal color. "That's pretty swell, I'm just always pink, like your cheeks are right now, but like... all of me." He was oblivious to the fact that her cheeks were pink because she was embarrassed. "Actually, yours is probably a prettier shade of pink, I can't decide if I'm pink or purple." Next to her color of purple, chosen or not, he felt more pink.

He looked ahead of them, wondering if they should be seeing the palace by now. He had less of an idea of how far they had gone together since he had been going back and forth. I'a looked surprised as the shadow of a rock loomed to their side. "Wow, look at that rock, it kind of looks like a crown." He mused. It mildly made him wonder if they were really going the right direction. He would have noticed such a rock like that the first time, wouldn't he? I'a had been more focused on doing tricks and such though... so he doubted himself. "C'mon!" He called to Aysun as he darted off again, clearly not learning any lessons here. He began to do figure 8's around the points of the 'crown'.

Menelie

Aysun put her hands on her cheeks, as if to hide them, which honestly just made her blush more. In an effort to conceal this fact, she turned all ofher that same pink shade. Whether or not this strategy would work remained to be seen. "Thanks..." she said softly. Was it really a compliment if he was complimenting a color she was only putting on? Maybe she shouldn't have changed colors, so he could appreciate her natural colors.

The crown-shaped rock broke her wave of thought, however. "We definitely didn't pass that rock on the way out," she said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. She made a sideways little face and looked around, beginning to get nervous again. "What if we've been going the wrong way?" Still, she followed I'a and watched him loop through the crown's "points". Aysun couldn't help a small smile. His energy was contagious.

Wolfs Heart

After a few rounds of weaving through the crown, I'a paused in front of Aysun, noticing she had only followed him and wasn't joining him. It felt odd to have her just watching him swim, like maybe he was leaving her out. Probably because he was so used to having to include his sister. When he stopped he was surprised Aysun was entirely pink now, he didn't say anything this time but he did wonder if he would even recognize her again if he saw the other teen around the palace.

"You think we are going the wrong way too?" He asked, he had caught bits and pieces of what she had said while he was weaving. It had sounded like she hadn't recognized the rock either. "Hmm. I feel like I should have a better sense of direction than this." He sighed. "You don't see the fish getting lost."

Menelie

Aysun giggled. "Fish don't seem like they have anywhere to be, in particular," she countered, the first bit of "bantering" she'd done with him.

Still, there was the problem of getting home. Aysun was beginning to get hungry. She looked around again. "The palace is huge," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I just don't know how we could have swam so far and still don't see it at all." Then, she had an idea: "What if we went up?" she asked, pointing upward. "I wonder if we'd get a better view that way?"

Wolfs Heart

I'a quickly looked back and forth, feigning looking for any nearby fish, sending his long hair rippling. "I think a fish might take offense with that." He played back, at least he hoped they were playing.

"I think the water makes things murkier... Maybe? I didn't see this rock until we got closer." He glanced up towards the surface, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. "It might be easier to see from up there, but..." I'a touched his horn protectively. Land pae were the equivalent of the boogie man for him, he had heard stories that land pae cut off the horns of naiad like him to use as weapons. Maybe it was just meant to discourage him from going to the surface when he was young, but what if the stories were true?

Menelie

Aysun giggled louder, putting her hand over her mouth and shaking her head. She wished she had something ready as a comeback, but, awkwardly, she didn't. "I'll, um, be sure to apologize if I see one," she said seriously.

She looked up again as I'a did. She could tell that he was uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure why. "I mean....we wouldn't go all the way up," she said tentatively. Maybe he was leery of the surface? "Just up far enough to get a better look around." She never thought she'd be the brave one here! "Or if you want, I can swim up and look around, and you can keep watch down here?"

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

"Good. That's good." He said, his voice equally serious, but still wearing a playful smile.

"No, no, it's fine." I'a took a big, gulp of water, calming himself down, or at least trying to. "They are just old fishy tails." He told himself, mostly. "We are in the middle of the lake, so it's not like we will be close to any land pae, it's fine." Yes, that seemed like a solid argument. "Let's do it, race you there?" His playful spirit returned as he glanced back over at Aysun.

Menelie

Aysun made sort of a sideways facial expression, not sure that he was really okay with this plan, but she couldn't very well stop him. "Right," she agreed. "No land pae."

A race? Aysun was terrible at such games, but she wasn't going to mention that to I'a. "Sure," she agreed, swimming up next to him. "Gotta start in the same place, right?" she clarified. "For fairness?" She looked upward. "And where are we racing to? And what does the winner get?" Oh no, she was overthinking this.

Wolfs Heart

I'a was surprised by all the questions, he had just been planning on taking off once she agreed to it. This wasn't exactly fair, but he had never been concerned with fairness, only with swimming as fast as he could. "Uhm, right! Yes, same place." He swam to her side once again. "First one to get their head above the water wins." And what does the winner get, he scrunched his face thoughtfully. The winner gets to say that they won, usually. But then a really sly smile crossed his face. "How about the winner gets a kiss?" He was being extra bold now, but the excitement of getting his first kiss might be enough to overcome his lingering fear of going to the surface. Nevermind that there was only two of them and if the winner got a kiss that meant the loser was also getting a kiss.

Menelie

Aysun abruptly turned as white as bone and hot pink spots dotted her skin. "A kiss?" she repeated softly, eyes wide. She looked up toward the surface, then back to I'a a couple times. There was....no way she was going to win this. She'd been watching him swim all day, and his tail was so much bigger and seemed so much stronger than hers. However, with her first kiss on the line...what a cheeky suggestion....and yet...

She assumed a ready stance, coiling up the muscles in her tail and stomach. "First one to get their head above the water wins," she affirmed. Then, a pause. "How d'you even start a race?" she asked. This sort of thing was more Nanna's deal, not hers.

Wolfs Heart

A sheepish look came over his face as she turned bone white. Wow, she could really use that color thing to communicate. Oh shoot, he shouldn't have said anything. She was going to swim away from him now and he would have to find his way home all by himself.

And then... And then she seemingly readied herself. I'a was in shock, if he could change colors he would have. Did that mean... Did that mean she wanted to win a kiss too? He smiled hopefully and then broke free from his thoughts to respond. "Uh, right. Uh we can countdown from 3. Together. For fairness. And then after we say '1' we go?" Who knew racing was so complicated.

Menelie

"Sounds good," agreed Aysun with a nod. She began to fade to her normal colors as she focused on the task at hand. Better to do this soon, before she thought about it too much. "3....2.....1," she counted down with him, and then took off with a shot. Or, at least as much of a shot as she was capable of.

It turned out that swimming straight up was harder than she expected. She tried not to focus on I'a or what he was doing, and only pay attention to herself. It felt like she was swimming against the current, almost, even though currents definitely didn't work that way.

After what seemed like literally forever, her head finally broke the surface. She was out of breath, and looked around for I'a to see whether she'd won.

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

I'a had also been surprised by how strange of a sensation it was too swim straight up. Aysun's smaller tale, made her a much slower swimmer than I'a, but he had already used a bunch of energy swimming around like crazy for most of the day, so a swim straight up was taxing. His victory was only marginal, and he didn't immediately celebrate it as his head had breached the surface for the first time ever. It felt so strange, so heavy. His long, wet, hair stuck to the sides of his face instead of being all floaty, he didn't like that at all.

He spent a moment taking it all in before glancing over at Aysun, "I won." He said with a playful smile. Did that mean he got a kiss, was she actually going to kiss him?

Menelie

"You did," agreed Aysun breathlessly. Her curls hung straight, weighed down instead of buoyed by the water. But, having been to the surface once before, she knew what to expect. Looking over at I'a, she giggled. "Your hair's stuck to your face," she said, then swam over to him, intending to help him clear it away. "Here," she said, brushing his hair out of his face and tucking it behind his earfin. Once she made contact, however, she blushed and brought her hand away, as if she'd made a mistake.

Her eyes got wide again. "You won," she repeated, putting a hand over her mouth, suddenly remembering their wager. Why did she ever agree to that?! She knew she was going to lose! She put both hands on her cheeks, to try and hide a dark blush, but it didn't matter, since her whole body was turning pink.

Surely he'd let her bail out if she asked. Aysun could see the palace rising out of the water behind him, and she realized they'd been swimming perpendicular to the palace the whole time, getting neither closer nor further away. She could point it out and they could forget this happened. Except...she didn't want to. She wanted to kiss him, but had absolutely no idea how to go about that.

"I'a..." she started, then bit her bottom lip. What would he think of her if she did it? What would he think if she didn't? In the end, though, Aysun was a girl of her word, and she straightened her posture and took a deep breath. "Your prize," she said, then leaned forward to give him a soft peck. Immediately she turned a dark shade of pink.

Wolfs Heart

I'a froze at her touch as she pushed the hair out of his face. It was nice to have the hair out of his face, but now with her so close he was suddenly nervous about the maybe impending kiss.

He smiled again as she said 'his prize' that little puff of pride that teetered between excitement and nervousness as she leaned forward. This was it. It was really going to happen.

Wow, a kiss. His face felt warm, and his cheeks had managed to change color too. "Wow." He said breathlessly , and then "Wow, it's really hot up here, how do land pae live in this?"

Menelie

"Yeah," said Aysun with a nod. Her cheeks were burning. She ducked back under the water to cool her face. He'd said 'wow.' Was that a good wow or a bad wow? And how would she know? She'd found it most enjoyable but wasn't sure how to ask what his opinion was without implying anything. Her first kiss....wait until Nanna heard about this! Or should she tell her at all? What if Nanna was jealous? What if she told their parents?

Suddenly she was interested in taking their time to get home.

Wolfs Heart

Oh yes, that was a good idea. I'a slowly lowered his face back into the water. How strange. As he came back up he lifted his hands out of the water too, water dripped off of him as he waved his hands around. It felt so empty and yet, heavy. I'a spun around, was that the land over there? And look at the mountains in the distance. And the clouds. It was all so new to him.

Oh look there was the palace! They had been swimming across from it all this time! A seagull dived at the water next to them. "Land pae!" I'a screeched, his voice cracking as he dived back into the water.

Menelie

Aysun, who thought I'a was clowning again, giggled and followed him back under. Then she saw his face and her expression sobered. "I think that was an animal," she suggested gently. "Land pae look more like us than that, they just tragically don't have tails." She wiggled her own tailfin to illustrate. "They've got these like, soft and bony split appendages called 'legs' and 'feet'."

She'd been trying not to think about how easily distracted I'a had been from the kiss they'd just shared. Maybe it didn't mean as much for him? Hm.

"I saw the palace while we were above-water," she said, pointing in its direction. "We should....head home."

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

I'a glanced at Aysun kind of suspiciously as she explained the concept of land pae to him. "I thought maybe because of the wings... " he explained himself. Oh, he felt so silly now. "Oh yeah, I saw the palace too." Now in complete agreement that she was pointing in the right direction. He swam towards the palace, next to her now, somewhat awkwardly following both the kiss and his silly little land pae scare. He didn't feel like diving off in the fastest possible manner.

The silence, real or imagined, felt as heavy as he had felt when he had his head above the water. The fear and wonder at the surface had passed, and now all that I'a was left with to dwell on was the kiss (tm). "I uh... haven't kissed a pae before." He had no idea what it meant now that he had. Did he ask his mom what it meant, or did he even tell her?

Menelie

Aysun swam awkwardly next to I'a as they headed back toward the palace. She, too, had fallen quiet, althought that was more of her natural state than not. She startled only slightly when he did speak to her. She blushed at his comment and bit her bottom lip. "I haven't either," she agreed very softly. Should she say more? Should she say she enjoyed theirs (because she did)? Or would that be too much? She'd always gotten the impression from Kadri that love and affection should be given freely, without shame or hesitation, but Mama was always much more reserved. Whose attitude was normal? She thought about how Papa twirled Mama around and made her laugh, how he was always kissing and touching and visibly loving her. Maybe it was just Mama who was bashful. Maybe that's why Aysun herself was so bashful, she'd gotten it from Mama? So much to think about...

Aysun decided to split the difference, and let her hand brush I'a's as they swam.

Wolfs Heart

"Oh, well I couldn't tell," I'a responded in some sort of horrible attempt at a compliment. Was that the right thing to say? Ohhhhh why had he made the kiss a prize? It was amazing, and probably totally worth it, but he felt all over the place now.

The teenage boy glanced down at their brushing hands, which somehow seemed even more significant than the kiss. "I'm glad my horn didn't get in the way, I was kind of worried about that. If you were a naiacorn too..." His eyes widened, imagining a sword fight between two horns. "Can you imagine that?!" He was very clearly rambling now.

Menelie

Aysun couldn't help but giggle. "Oh no, that would have been so awkward," she said, putting a hand over her mouth to cover her giggles. Not that the existing kiss(tm) hadn't been awkward. "Nope, I'm just....plain," she said. She hadn't meant it to be a self-put-down but it sure sounded like it when she said it out loud. "I mean...that there's nothing really unique about me," she amended, then winced internally. That was worse. "I'm going to stop talking now," she said, shaking her head and putting a hand over her face.

Wolfs Heart

I'a almost stopped swimming as he gave Aysun the most incredulous look. "You? Plain?" Sure, she didn't have a horn, but she was far from plain, even if he compared her to a regular naiad. "You have ink, you change colors, and you have the most adorable tail." Okay, that might have sounded weird, had he just admitted to checking out her tail? Maybe she had the right idea when she said she was going to stop talking. He REALLY needed to stop rambling.

Menelie

Aysun blushed and put her hands on her cheeks. "I shouldn't have said anything," she groaned. It was true that she thought her sister's colors were more striking than her own, but she could always change hers, so she'd never thought about it. But that hadn't been what she meant, she was talking about how she didn't have a horn, or a curly tail like Laoise, or spines like those fancy naiad. But she didn't want to make him feel strange about his unique features, which Aysun thought were quite fetching honestly, so she'd bungled it.

The compliment did feel nice to hear, however. He thought she was adorable! She couldn't help a small smile. "I think...that you're quite striking...." she said, her voice soft as a ripple. If he didn't hear her, that would be fine too...

 

[Menelie]

Wolfs Heart

I'a couldn't help but laugh when she complained about saying something. He supposed that was one way for her to get him to give her a whole bunch of compliments, but he had been genuine.

He didn't hear her compliment him back, but it wasn't necessary for him, he was quite proud (mostly of his horn) all on his own without anyone inflating his ego.

"You didn't seem nervous about the surface at all..." I'a suddenly thought out loud, while he was thinking of the things that made her not plain. It was surprising since he had found her hiding in the kelp when he first met her.

Menelie

"Hm?" asked Aysun. She had gotten distracted thinking about I'a's hair. "Oh! Um, yes. My brother Sindri, he lives in a surface village. It's, erm, complicated. Anyway, I've been to the surface once, to visit him." She twirled a curl around one finger. "He says he keeps birds for a living and sells eggs. I think? There's so many things I don't understand about the surface. Everything makes much more sense down here. But nobody was awful up there or anything. If anything nobody seemed to notice us? I think everyone was just....going about their day, or something." She shrugged gently. "At least, that's how it was in the village we visited."

Wolfs Heart

I'a listened curiously to Aysun's story about the land village as the palace became larger and more vibrant as it became less obscured by the water between them. They really hadn't been so far away. "That's nothing like I would think." He mentioned. "I don't think I can really go on land anyways, so I'll have to take your word for it."

Menelie

"Looks like we made it," said Aysun after a pause, as the palace grew larger and closer. Suddenly she didn't want to part. "I, um, I'm sorry I followed you, and got us into this mess...but I, er..." she blushed and her skin took on a tinge of blue. "I do hope we can see each other again..."

Wolfs Heart

"You followed me?" His chest puffed up. I'a didn't have to think about this new information too long before it went straight to his head. "Not to take any credit from you, but I think I got myself into that mess just fine on my own. I should be thanking you for getting me out of it... And I will... Uh... Try to be more careful next time. Maybe."he said, uncertain if that would actually happen. I'a smiled, "I'm glad you followed me." Yeah, he probably would rub that in a few more times. I'a was sure to tell Aysun how to find his family's apartment though.