The storm. [open!]

[Rhindeer]

The storm had come upon the isles suddenly, as sometimes happened, but that day Koi had been completely unprepared for it.

The surf had been good and so Koi had taken a risk, as she often did, and cut through the jungle to get to her favorite spot quicker. It was miles from her village but she could travel swiftly; she knew this route like the back of her hand. It was even quicker since she didn't have to worry about dragging a board along, for she kept one hidden in a small cave at that location for just that reason. Once there, the day passed quickly--and Koi was too distracted, and having too much fun, to pay much attention to the warning signs.

Sure, she'd seen the clouds on the horizon, dark puffy ones, but they'd been too far away to worry about. And with the waves crashing around her and her ears full of water, she hadn't heard the rumble of thunder.

She started to worry when the sky went dark and opened around her, spilling a torrent of rain upon her, and when lightning arced across the sky, she knew she was in trouble. The wind picked up and the waves became larger, choppier, and white water crashed over her head and knocked her off her board as she paddled back to shore. It rolled her and all she could do was hold her breath and go with it instead of panicking and fighting the pull.

Gasping and spitting out salt water, Koi surfaced and grabbed for her board--and grasped at open water. She tried to look for it, but another wave crashed over her head and sent her spinning. When she surfaced again, disoriented, she spotted her board bobbing yards away from her--and, in the distance, sighted the shore.

She was farther out than she thought, and the sea was pulling her further still.

Koi was a strong swimmer, but she was no match for the sea in all its anger. Trying not to panic, she swam sideways against the tide's tug and made for shore, but it seemed like the more she swam toward it, the further out she went, and even she only had so much energy. As it was, it was a struggle to keep her head above water, which kept rolling over her and going up her nose and mouth, and between choking fits it was hard to get enough air.

That was when it hit her that she very well might die out there.

[Glimmeringpearl]

The mermaid had spent her days lulling around in the tides, hardly noticing the person above her who rode the waves above, just on the surface. Glimmer let the tides push and pull her as the day was long, daydreaming and admiring the new pearls she had, which were wrapped around her neck, tangled within her hair and eventually forming a crown upon her hair, and wrapped around her tail loosely. She was a real mermaid now and though proud, had felt no reason to go back to the mermaid kingdom. It left her whiling away her hours, thinking on whether or not to go back and figuring out her heart's desires...

Snapping her out of her own company came a roll of thunder from overhead, dulled slightly by the water but a roar none-the-less. Glimmer then made her way to the surface, where the sea was more angry and looked upon the storm until she saw the drowning girl. Immediately thrown into panick, she began to swim toward her, leaping in and out of the water. "Human! Human it is dangerous here, do you not see the angry tides?!" She called out, worry filling her teal eyes. Then on the last leap she saw that moment when Koi seemed to give up and grasped her, tackling her into the water and pulling her up. "Breath!! Now!!" She cried, holding tightly onto the human as she held her above water with a wave about to crash, hoping the girl would breath and hold her breath to get her to safety.

[Rhindeer]

In the chaos, with water up her nose, a mouth full of sea water, salt stinging her eyes, and lack of air making her light-headed, Koi only vaguely registered the sensation of arms going about her. She felt herself being lifted, felt her head break the surface, and she choked and sputtered weakly, vomiting water.

Breathe! someone was shouting over the roar of the sea, and Koi did her best, until another wave crashed over them both. She had no concept of who had grabbed her, and when they surfaced again, she tried to shout out a warning but only sputtered instead.

At this rate, they were both going to drown.

[Glimmeringpearl]

Luckily for Glimmer, mermaids weren't known to drown. She had hoped that the girl had enough air in her lungs because she pulled her back underwater after clamping the girl's nose to prevent any more water from getting into her lungs. Glimmer jetted through the water and into a cove only to find it completely submerged. Panicking, she tried another and another, speeding quickly through the water. She could feel the young girl in her arms grow lighter. If mermaids could have tears, Glimmer would have cried a river over this one girl. Looking frantically through the shifting green waters she found another cove and dove for it. Luckily, this time she broke into the surface and into air. Glimmer pulled the girl close to examine her, brushing hair from her face to check for breathing.

"Please don't die, human... Please..." She nearly sobbed, her heart breaking in her voice.

[Rhindeer]

Koi didn't have much recollection of what happened after they went under. She sucked in a deep breath and then the waves crashed over them, the stranger clamped her nose shut, and it was all chaos after that. She couldn't tell up from down, couldn't hear anything but the roar of water and her own heartbeat, and panic started to set in soon after. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe!

Her lungs burned, everything hurt for lack of air, and she struggled weakly, but soon even that faded. Everything began to fade, she began to fade...

And then, a voice from somewhere distant, as though through a tunnel.

The world came crashing back down on her like the waves that had taken her under and her eyes snapped open. Her body convulsed as she tried to suck in a breath but could take nothing in, and then she heaved and choked, coughing up water. Everything hurt; her lungs ached and her head and belly hurt from coughing and, sputtering, she turned her head and vomited up more salt water. Somewhere between all that, she managed to gasp in some air, and after several minutes she could breathe without gagging.

With a groan, she slumped in the woman's arms, light-headed and dazed--wait, what? Woman?

Koi's eyes snapped open, red and teary from the stinging salt and, somewhere through her blurred vision she could just make her out. A woman. Holding her. The one that had grabbed her in the storm. She had no idea where they were, her head too fogged and thoughts too disjointed to make sense of anything yet, but she could register that much. She stared at her, eyes wide.

"What...?" She tried to speak, but her voice came out hoarse and raspy and the attempt only triggered another coughing fit. There was still a water in there.

[Glimmeringpearl]

Overjoyed, the mermaid hugged the woman with a soft happy noise, burying her face in the inky black strands. They were a contrast of light and dark. "Oh, thank you, gentle seas. Thank you..." She whispered. She pulled away and set the dark-skinned lady onto some rocks. The cove seemed to be just an air pocket with some sand on the shallower side of it. It wasn't too large but large enough for leg-room for two. The mermaid brushed some of her red curls from her face and beamed. "Hello!"

[Rhindeer]

Still dazed, Koi could only blink in bleary confusion as she was hugged, staring at the woman and gradually starting to take in her features. Red hair. Pale skin. Freckles. Koi stared, eyes widening, because she'd never seen a person with that coloration before--oh, sure, some people had red in their hair, but all red hair? And skin that light? She had to be a from beyond the sea, one of those travelers she'd heard of and, rarely, interacted with.

Set up onto some rocks, Koi coughed a little more, brushed wet hair from her eyes, and then stared down at the water below. She still felt queasy from having swallowed so much sea water, but everything was coming back to her--including logic.

Why was the woman still down there?

"Uhh..." Koi rubbed her head and sniffled. "What just...? Who are you?" Erk. That was rude, wasn't it? She tried again. "I mean...hi." That wasn't much better. "Thank you."

There we go.

[Glimmeringpearl]

Glimmer tilted her head to once side in slight confusion. Sure, the cove was dark but had her kind really not been seen this often? "Your people have a name for me," She began, running her fingers across a long strand of bright vermilion hair. The women relaxed slightly and leaned back a little. Flecks of gold shimmered in the water in what little light there was coming from the top of the cove, where there was an opening to the sky. The golden shimmer beneath was Glimmer's coral tail, which torched gold when the sun hit it right but was still submerged in dark waters with the except of the occasional glint from her lower body. "Mermaid. That is what I assume you know I am called?" She asked, her teal eyes probing for questions but danced amazement and fascination. Not all land-dwellers were this pretty. She looked a lot like her kind.

[Rhindeer]

A mermaid. Koi stared at her. Stared into the water, stared at the place where legs were supposed to be and took in the sight of her coral fish tail. And then she stared some more.

She had heard legends. Who hadn't? Some Yoreiqi fishermen even claimed they'd seen one of the creatures. But to actually see one? Koi hadn't believed they actually existed, because what people could breathe under water?

This one, apparently.

"Oh. I...whoa." She pressed a hand to her temples and shook her head. Maybe she was dreaming. Things still felt foggy. "I didn't even know you were real." A pause. "Not you you, but mermaids. I...wow." Another pause. She tilted her head curiously and rubbed her nose, which was a little runny from having water coming out it.

"Do you, uh...have a name?"