Just a Man and his Rowboat [DragonSong][M]

[Goldie]

Nik could feel the water get colder, but he attributed it to the giant structure before them rather than some other kind of threat. How could anything else occupy his brain when he was looking at that thing? The light on the door kept grabbing his attention in an unnerving sort of way that called him to come closer.

Gods dammit, what if the whole house was some kind of illusion and they would just swim right into some sea monster's jaws? That's how those deep sea creatures worked, wasn't it? And that light was certainly messing with his brain enough to not feel strictly normal.

"Mor...I don't think we should go in there." He grabbed her hand tightly, "What the fuck even is it? It feels wrong and...fuck!"

The door creaked open and a woman with a head of dark hair stepped out onto the threshold. She had legs, looked wholly human, except for the wisps of magic that encircled her much like the ring did for Nik when he had needed it to be underwater. She was wearing a loose shift-like dress that fell to her knees and swirled around to match the movement of the water.

She smiled.

"What are you waiting for?" She called and gestured for them to come with her, "We can't stay here all night."

Nik held onto Morgana's hand tightly and didn't move. He would attempt to hold her back if she decided to swim closer to that door.

The woman gestured for them again, "We've been waiting for you, Nikkolai, Morgana, come."

The...fuck.

"She wants to see you."

[DragonSong]

Well.

That was possibly the most ominous statement she'd ever heard in her life.

Except she didn't know that they had much choice; the water was getting colder with every breath, and she would not lose Nik to another powerful sea creature's tantrum.

"Let's go." She started swimming for the door, not caring about anything else but getting Nik away. If the creepy mismatched too-large ship was their best means of escape, she'd take it.

[Goldie]

Nik didn't want to go, the woman at the door solidified the dread he felt in his stomach, but he wasn't about to let go of Morgana's hand and let her go in alone. Gods dammit!

The dark haired woman stepped aside, because despite being clearly submerged in water, she wasn't swimming. At all. Her feet her firmly planted on the floor.

She beamed at them as they swam past and then closed the door and turned the lock with a sharp click.

At first it was dark, completely pitch black, but then what felt like stars began appearing above and around them. They pulsed gently until the light built grand enough for them to see.

To see what appeared to be a cave of sorts. There was much more space in here than Nik would have ever expected. The ceiling was at least 12 feet above them, the walls were far enough away that it would take a moment to swim from one side to the next.

"I'm afraid we'll have to go up." The woman continued to smile. One hand was pressed against a particularly large crystal on the wall that Nik could only assume controlled the lights or...something. Whatever was happening, it was making his skin buzz and the hair on his arms stand up.

Was he feeling magic? It felt more intense than just feeling scared and anxious.

"I need you to position yourself for land-legs if you please. I promise it isn't for your entire stay, but it does make the ascent easier from here."

[DragonSong]

Morgana was not exactly anymore excited about the idea of entering this strange space than Nik, but she knew they couldn't stay out in open water if Selari was out there.

For just a moment, as they crossed the threshold of the door, she thought she heard a faint, frustrated scream.

Her breathing was coming a little sharp and quick, and she started slightly when the lights flickered into existence around them.

"Position for...land-legs?" she repeated, before the meaning of the words actually processed. When they did, she slowly sank down onto the floor of the...well, cave, she supposed, and curled her tail to one side so she wouldn't be caught off-guard.

She stared at the strange woman, still clutching Nik's hand. "Who are you...?"

[Goldie]

Nik didn't let go of Morgana's hand even as she sank to the floor. In fact, he even found himself lowering down to a seated position despite not actually needing to since he still had two pretty functional legs. He kept glancing around at the cave and at the woman before them who was still firmly standing on the ground despite the water around them.

"All good?" She asked sweetly, completely ignoring Morgana's question, "Marvelous! Here we go!"

She pulled a necklace from under her dress and then blew gently onto it which caused it to emit a soft golden glow. Once satisfied, she held it up to the gem and smashed it. The gold light broke from its shell like wisps of mist that then swirled together like a tornado into the wall itself. The cave began to rumble, to shake, and then much quicker than Nik would have ever expected, the water drained out leaving them soaking wet on a damp cavern floor.

The dark haired woman looked completely dry.

"All good? Wonderful! This way, if you please." And she made her way to another door on the far side of the cave. Upon opening it, a tiny room would be seen beyond. Just barely big enough for four, maybe five, people to stand in.

[DragonSong]

Morgana had never actually been in a situation where the water left her, as it were, rather than she leaving it. Whenever she traded fins for feet, it was always because she pulled herself--or was pulled--out of the sea's embrace.

It felt different when the water drained from their surroundings. Like she was less prepared for it. Her gills fluttered along her ribs in an odd half-gasp before sealing shut, and it took a few moments longer than she was used to for the tingling in her new legs to fade.

She looked at Nik, wide-eyed and wary, and wrapped her fingers securely around his. Slowly, she got to her feet and stared after the strange woman into the small room.

"...What is this place?"

[Goldie]

Nik's transformation was much less drastic than Morgana's and he was prepared to stand before her. Yet still he waited for her to rise before he followed suit, making sure to continue holding her hand.

"I don't know, Mor." He murmured, "but it feels weird...maybe wrong even. The air feels charged......and she's gesturing for us to join her in that box..."

He took a breath, gave Morgana's hand a squeeze, and then began walking towards their destination.

"Why are we going in there?" He asked the woman loudly as they made their way.

Her smile grew brighter as she beamed at the pair of them, "So we can go up of course. Hurry along, now."

[DragonSong]

Morgana held onto Nik's hand even tighter as they followed the woman into the small space.

"Hold on a moment," she protested when their enigmatic guide said they were going up. "Up where? What is this place?"

She planted her feet—as firmly as she could manage—and wrapped her arm around Nik's to keep him close.

"We aren't going a step further until you explain what's going on," she growled, baring her teeth in a brief flash.

[Goldie]

The dark haired woman continued that same unnerving smile and Nik  wasn't sure if he was making things up but did her eyes look almost...dead? Hell, was that even a thing? She was like a doll...a moving, talking doll...

Fuck it was creepy.

He held Morgana's hand a little tighter.

Then the woman leaned forward a blew into another crystal on the wall before turning back to them, "oh don't worry. Walking won't be necessary. We understand it it's the most comfortable skill for seafolk. Ah! Here we go!" And she giggled and clapped her hands together in apparent glee as the entire box shook and began moving upwards.

"The fuck!" Nik exclaimed as he struggled to find his balance and only a quick hand against the wall saved him. The other wrapped tightly, protectively, around Morgana's waist and pulled her firmly against him to keep her upright.

[DragonSong]

Morgana gave an undignified yelp that she would likely be mortified to remember later and wrapped one arm around Nik's shoulders while the other flung out to the side in an effort to help steady herself and keep her balance.

"A little warning might have been nice," she snapped at the seemingly unflappable woman who had welcomed them into this impossible place. "And you haven't actually given us any answers here--where are we going? Who even are you?!"

Her arm around Nik tightened protectively, despite the fact that she was still a little shaky on her own feet.

[Goldie]

"Oh! You want my name?" She asked, realization seeming to dawn for the first time, "It's unimportant, I just man the door, but I'm called Lia."

The little moving box groaned ominously as it continued upwards but Lia didn't seem to be concerned. In fact, she just stood there with that infuriating grin plastered on her face like this was the most normal thing ever.

"What is this place?" Nik tried, after she either didn't answer or hadn't heard the other part of Morgana's question. When she didn't respond again, he repeated himself, "Lia!" She blinked and finally met his eyes, "What is this place?"

Her smile grew and the box stopped, "home." She replied earnestly and opened the door.

[DragonSong]

Morgana was about to demand "Whose home?" but she got the sudden and persistent feeling that it wouldn't do any good. There was something...off about Lia. Even aside from the general strangeness of the whole situation, something just didn't feel right.

But what choice had they really had?

When the door opened, she moved instinctively in front of Nik. It seemed perhaps a futile impulse, considering she was just as naked as he was now that they were on land—in a sense—and her knees still trembled a bit. But she put herself into a guard stance nonetheless.

[Goldie]

Beyond the door was another room, this one quite expansive, but it was lined with wooden shelves that were covered in all sorts of bottles filled with odd things Nik couldn't place. One looked like sand, others had liquids of varying colors. Yet another had what seemed to be small black beads, but he had a sneaky suspicion they were eyes.

But that wasn't the oddest feature of this room. Where they entered, there was floor, but only a few feet in the floor dipped under water. Even the sparse bits of furniture were half submerged, but they weren't floating.

"If you go to your left, you can wait comfortable in your scales. If you go right you can keep your legs." Lia explained, and then gave Nik a shove that sent him, and Morgana in front of him, stumbling into the room while the door shut behind them.

Nik turned after regaining his footing and went to push against the door they'd just exited only...

There wasn't a door. It was a solid wall made of damp wood and painted with a swirled design of varying shades of blue and white. The room was lit by the same star-like gems as they had seen in the cave below.

"Wait! fuck!" He banged against the wood, hoping it would give, that it would do something.

They were going to die here. Wherever here was.

[DragonSong]

...Maybe Selari would have been the better option.

Morgana found herself still and staring for a long moment, utterly baffled by what had just happened. Then she pressed forward next to Nik and started feeling along the painted wood, as though she might find some evidence of the vanished door.

"What in--what was that?" She spun in place, panting lightly as her eyes darted around the room. "Where are we?!"

there had to be something, some other way out, there had to be...right?

[Goldie]

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, the pair of you." A deep alto voice echoed from behind them and when Nik spun, and grabbed onto Morgana's arm in a desperate attempt to keep her safe, he was met by a woman he had never seen before.

Her hair was a warm blonde and fell over her shoulders and down to her hips in soft waves adorned with braids and small trinkets that glittered in the star-like lights. Her torso was covered by her hair but was otherwise unclothed, and a thin wrap was tied around her waist - that too had been decorated with the same kinds of trinkets that were in her hair. A tray with three mugs was clasped before her and revealed lines of blue and green scales that merged with skin that ran along the outsides of her arms.

She looked them both over, slowly, uncomfortably, with a single raised eyebrow.

"Clothes. On the hook to your left. If that will make you more comfortable." Her eyes lingered on Nik's torso a little too long and he felt himself flush with the scrutiny. After their coupling everything had happened so quickly he hadn't even had time to grab pants and was now stuck in this odd murder house completely naked...though his package hadn't drawn her attention so much as the scar.

Without loosing Morgana's hand, he reached over to the clothes that, sure enough, were hanging on a peg, and began pulling on a pair of pants.

The woman set the tray on the half-submerged table and gestured to the seats beside her.

[DragonSong]

Morgana went instinctively into defensive mode, teeth bared and a low, oddly feline snarl hissing between her teeth as they faced this new threat.

Or...anamoly, perhaps. While she didn't trust this place at all, she couldn't yet figure out which parts of it were actually threats.

Clothes were not something she normally categorized as making her "comfortable", so she opted instead to place herself firmly between Nik and the strange woman as he started pulling on a pair of pants.

She cast an almost derisive look at the seats the woman was offering, and didn't move a muscle. "Who are you?" she demanded instead. "What is this place?"

[Goldie]

The woman met Morgana's eyes with a steady, unnerving calm as she placed the tray heavily onto the table that made the mugs rattle and the steaming liquid slosh just slightly over the rims. She waved a hand and a bracelet of stones glowed gently which seemed to cause two of the chairs around the hi table to move out.

"Sit." her words were power and Nik, only having just buttoned his borrowed pants, felt his feet lurch out of his control and walk over to the chairs where he sat down, confused.

"Drink." She commanded again, but this time there was no power and her voice had returned to a calmer more welcoming tone. She sat across from them with a grace Nik had rarely seen outside of creatures of the sea in their natural habitat. While Lia had been walking, this woman felt like she was swimming as she walked.

"You've had a difficult run of things. Please, drink." She brought her own mug to her lips as if to prove there was nothing odd about it, "This will help revitalize. Heal the soul."

[DragonSong]

Morgana felt herself jerked forward along with Nik, much as she tried to resist the sudden surge of magic. And she had to assume it was magic--not like any she'd experienced before, but magic nonetheless.

She all but collapsed into the chair beside Nik. Glaring at this strange woman, she couldn't quite hide the flash of fear that skittered across her face and shivered down her spine.

Since she had control of her own movements again, she cast the offered drink a dirty look and deliberately refused to reach for it.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "What is this place?"

[Goldie]

The woman sighed which sent steam wafting off the top of her mug as she sat it down before her. Her delicate fingers remained laced together around it as she looked her guests up and down.

"You're safe here, Morgana. Nikkolai." She nodded to them both in turn, "I've spent a long time making sure witches like Selari can't get in." She smiled as if remembering a fond memory, "Not that she'd even try."

She took another sip of her drink and closed her eyes for a moment. Nik didn't know what to make of her. She seemed to be acting like they were old friends and was annoyed when they didn't do the same. And it wasn't for lack of trying, Nik felt like he had to know her somehow...right? It was like an itch he couldn't quite scratch; just out of reach.

He wasn't sure if it was completely subconscious or if he was just looking for something to do, but he found the mug up against his lips and the warmth slipping down his throat. It...was...

"What is this?" He blinked into the cup and only saw what looked like tea of some sort but...

The woman leaned forward eagerly, "What does it taste like?" She urged.

"Apples. And...raspberries? No...strawberries? Some kind of berry...and hints of...caramel?" He took another sip and swished it around his tongue, completely ignoring the part of his brain that was screaming to stop being so trusting. That one sip could easily kill him but...

"Ooooh!" She crooned, her smile growing, "Very human flavors, unsurprisingly. Take another sip. Tell me what else you feel."

Again, though he knew he shouldn't, he did, and frowned - perplexed.

"Go on!"

"Sunset? And..." he glanced at Morgana, "You. But that doesn't make any sense."

The woman just continued to smile and took another sip of her own drink, "Deep sea bioluminescence." She mused, "Sea salt and sunlight."

She then locked eyes with Morgana and her smile remained, though perhaps tinted with annoyance.

"You can stop looking for ways to attack and escape. You're free to leave if you so choose, but I promise that I won't hurt my son nor his mate."

[DragonSong]

Her son.

Morgana wasn't surprised, exactly--a part of her had rather suspected this strange woman was Nik's mother. It was the only explanation that made even the remotest amount of sense in this entirely nonsensical situation.

That didn't make any difference about her readiness to trust her, though.

"Forgive me my wariness," she said slowly, still not having taken a sip of her own drink, "but I am no stranger to a sea witch's promises. They have a habit of being upheld...unpredictably."

She raised one eyebrow, head tilted just a bit. "That is what you are, isn't it? I can't imagine Selari giving up a hunt for anything less."