Down by the Sea [Goblin]

[Juno]

A sharp hiss escaped him as he gingerly touched a hand to the spot. He felt no blood but he didn't trust his clumsy hand as he felt around more. He definitely smelled it. It took him more than a few moments to realize he'd bitten his cheek in the process. "I'm fine! I'm fine, Riley, don't worry. Just a tiny bump. On my head. Right here." He tapped it gently, fumbling to not touch her too much as their hands brushed as he tried to ignore the dull throbbing for her. "Don't apologize, I should have been...watching where I was going," he chuckled, knowing he was nearly blind in the dark anyway.

"I'm fine, though, really. I want to keep going, if that's alright with you."

[GoblinFae]

She scoffed slightly and shook her head. "Yes because you could definitely do that in the dark. I'm so sorry really. Try and stay close and I'll promise to mostly not let you trip over anything or bop your head again." Riley took his hand and gave it an apologetic squeeze before leading him at a much slower pace through the winding cave tunnels.

The young woman soon stopped as she reached her desired destination and turned to face him. "Now close your eyes 'les you be tempted by all that which glitters in the dark," she giggled, waiting for him to obey as she took his other hand in hers.

[Juno]

With a numbness still tickling at his scalp Lucien followed her blindly. He was slightly impressed that she even managed to navigate in such darkness. No amount of blinking helped him and he could barely see a few feet in front of himself. Once she'd stopped, though, he stopped quickly as well. He didn't need any more clumsy fumbling around to not impress her with anyway.

"You think me so weak of mind?" he teased. He closed his eyes, though, giving her hand a squeeze to assure himself she wouldn't run off and leave him there to find his own way out. "What's there to hide? It's already so dark," he complained with a sigh.

[GoblinFae]

Riley smiled though she knew he could not see it but otherwise held her tongue. Carefully and slowly she walked backwards until a faint glow began to light her way. She continued to lead him until they stood in the center of the now massive cavern. With a gentle squeeze of his hands, she looked up at him in anticipation and with a nervous smile.

"Alright," came a whisper, "open your eyes." The walls, ceiling and floor of the area glowed faintly a blue-green that winked and shimmered like fairy lights in the dark. They were enough to create some light but nowhere near as bright as a proper lantern. Riley had always found them enchanting though as they caused shadows to dance in the most delightful way. Even the areas where water had flooded still shimmered with the same lights, illuminating the rare, shy fish that swam peacefully by.

[Juno]

It was difficult to listen to her simple instruction of keeping his eyes closed, but Lucien made an effort to not disappoint her over such a simple thing.

He stumbled here and there as he was led along, the lack of eyesight making it difficult for him to balance. At her prompting, though, he peeked an eye open a bit and opened both entirely once he was satisfied he wouldn't be blinded by anything terribly bright. "What....is all that?" he asked, immediately entranced by the colorful glow and sparkling water about the cavern. "Magic?" he asked dumbly, genuinely stunned for he had never seen such a phenomenon before.

[GoblinFae]

She watched his wonder and awe with pride and mirth. It was exactly the reaction she was hoping for when she decided to bring him down into the dark. "Something like that I suppose," Riley whispered back, still not wanting to break the beauty of the moment. "As children we thought they were fairies or even the pirates gold turned to blue dust." With his gaze distracted by the lights, she found herself feeling bold and mischievous. Impulsively while still holding his hands, Riley leaned in to kiss his cheek under the glow of the almost romantic glow.

[Juno]

Lucien listened to her explanation as he remained distracted by all the jumping movement and practically dancing lights. "Fairies? Pirates, huh?" he chuckled under his breath. "Seems likely. I mean just look at it! It's so shiny and it must be coming from somewhere don't you-" He'd turned back to discuss with her in his excitement but hadn't realized how close Riley was.

When he turned his head it was their lips that connected instead of her intended, more chaste lips-to-cheek peck. Startled by the abrupt contact, Lucien thought it had been intentional, if a bit sudden. He was thankful for the dim glow around them because his neck burned with embarrassment that she'd caught him up and he'd been unable to make the first move towards more affectionate times with her.

Still, he was happy for it and hummed pleasantly as he gave her hands a squeeze, hoping she would not shy away from him after making such a bold move. He tilted his head slightly for less nose-bumping and leaned in to kiss her properly, thinking that that had been what she'd wanted from him.

He kept it brief, not wanting to crowd her too much with a "first" moment. When they separated he could not help the slightly prideful smirk that wouldn't leave his face. He wanted to ask what that had meant for her but he found himself staying quiet instead, worried to ruin the "moment" as he saw it.

[GoblinFae]

Her intended surprise, chaste kiss completely backfired as fate decided it was the perfect moment for him to turn and face her. Lips met lips in such a way that caused Riley to gasp softly and freeze in place. Her own hands curled and squeezed back in pleasure while her ears flamed red from embarrassment. She felt so conflicted but was forever grateful that Lucien had proven to not be an animal, willing to pounce at the first chance he was given. Riley sighed when he at last pulled away, letting her head bow slightly to hide the smile she was sure was splitting her face in two.

"Come, there's more things to see this way!" She urged him onward with a tug to one of their still connected hands while the other immediately released his. "I hope you can swim though because I'm sure we'll both get a bit wet where we're headed. If you thought this was beautiful, then you'll love what's next." The young woman felt it was best to ignore the kiss had happened for the moment so that her heart could slow its terrifying beat before it abandoned her altogether.

[Juno]

The lack of a reaction from her was surprising and distracted him enough that he stumbled forward from her tugging. "Oh... Alright, sure," he answered, his mind racing as to why she didn't even acknowledge that anything had happened. Perhaps she regretted it or hadn't intended for it to happen at all, which was a bit disheartening to imagine.

Still, he didn't plan on giving up his pursuit of her over such a small rejection. "I can swim fine. Probably not as well as you, but I probably won't sink," he told her, trying to keep the mood light and his voice free of disappointment as much as possible. The last thing he wanted was for her to catch on that he seemed to want her more than she wanted him. "Is it something I need to see for myself? What could be more beautiful than all those lights?" he wondered, looking back over his shoulder to see the dimming light as he followed her away from them.

[GoblinFae]

"Good, because I'd hate to lose you to a siren," she teased with a wink. The glow of the lights was less in the tunnels they were headed through but some were still present just more infrequently. Water ran down the walls of the cave in a steady flow that then ran across the tunnel floor to drain away where they could not see.

Riley smiled at his interest in what she had to share with him and easily squeezed his hand happily. "I think it's best if you just see. If I tried to explain I would just ruin the experience for you I think. Would hate to disappoint you like that."

[Juno]

"I don't think you'd disappoint me. Not all surprises are pleasant," he reminded her, giving her hand a squeeze back when he noticed her doing the same. It was a good sign about her feelings about him, in his opinion. Lucien followed her obediently through the darkening tunnels, but it was apparent very soon that there was another light beyond.

It was muted at first, but once he'd rounded the last corner of a passage with her he found himself staring out at a wide expanse of water with a beautiful glow pulsing beneath. The cavern was alight with all manner of colors he had no idea how to even begin to describe. The walls sparkled with the reflected light off thousands of scales from the calm schools of fish wandering peacefully below. They were creatures without predators and did not view the pair as any sort of threat, but more than that Lucien was shocked at the sheer size and the rainbow of colors amongst the peaceful giants.

"Those aren't your sirens, are they?" he whispered, as if fearful of disturbing them from above the surface. "What is all this?" he asked with pure wonder, never having seen such an odd phenomenon in all his days.

[GoblinFae]

Riley smiled broadly as she gazed out at the lake with him. She leaned into his side gently but in such a way that it could not be mistaken for an accident. "Not sirens, I promise. Come closer and see. There are many stories of what they are and are not. Perhaps later if you want I'll tell you a few. What do know is they are gentle and curious. They are also horrible eating."

Pulling him forward gently to the very edge of the lake, she let go of his hand in order to dip her fingertips into the water. Ripples formed where she touched and in no time at all the fish came towards her, breaching the water to mouth at her fingers and nuzzling her palm as if they were dogs looking to be petted and handed a bone.

[Juno]

He relaxed a bit to know that he had nothing to fear of them. He definitely noticed the way she leaned into him, but the feeling was fleeting as her attention turned to the giant fish below. His eyes went wide at the way they mouthed at her and for a moment he reached to pull her back, but it was clear they weren't trying to eat her as he had feared so he relaxed and crouched down instead to look at them.

"Amazing," he stated with simple awe, cautiously reaching a hand to offer to the fish as well. He was rewarded with ample splashing and tickling kisses as they searched his palm for food, a sensation that seemed endless as they reached further and further up his arm. "Stop that," he laughed, patting the nearest gently before withdrawing his hand slowly. "We should have brought them something, hm? Perhaps a reason to come back.

"Have they been here since you discovered this place?" he wondered.

[GoblinFae]

She giggled at the fish's and Lucien's antics. "For as long as I can remember they have been here although I am sure they have been here much longer than that even. Not many people know about this chamber though as it is very deep within. As children most of played in the cavern of fairy lights but not much further than that did we venture if we were brave enough to enter at all that is. Do you like it then?"

[Juno]

"Of course! I love it!" he laughed, lifting his head to stare out across the lake again. He smiled appreciatively for the simple beauty of it, impressed that such a place existed and even more so that she knew of it. "It's beautiful. I had no idea something like this could even exist... Does this place hold any other secrets?" he wondered as he cautiously rejoined their hands, only partially teasing as he was genuinely curious.

[GoblinFae]

"I wouldn't be surprised to learn it did though these two places have always been my favorite. There were some other interesting ones when I was smaller but I can no longer navigate those narrow passages. I'm sure too that had our parents known we were venturing into these caverns we all would have had our hides tanned for it. It can be quite dangerous in here. But then when you find this," Riley swept her hand out to motion at the lake, "how could you resist?"

She blushed slightly and could not hide her smile as he took her hand back into his own. It was a sweet gesture in her mind and made her feel warm inside. "Would you care for a swim? It's actually quite fun from what I remember. I'd understand if you wouldn't though."

[Juno]

He noticed her smile and even without words he felt reassured in the potential for her feelings. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and chuckled for her skepticism. "Of course it can be fun! Perhaps not when you are using water to flee but... I don't think I will need to run from you or these fish," Lucien chuckled.

Even though he enjoyed being connected with her it didn't seem practical for all of their clothes to be soaked. "Let me get these off," he said, not waiting for an answer as he let go of her hand so he could take off his shoes and set them aside. After a moment's pause and a curious but not entirely apologetic glance her way he also chose to forgo his top, slipping it over his head to set atop the shoes. "I don't dare remove anything else without your permission," he teased her, smirking proudly for he felt comfortable in his own skin and was quite confident in the appearance of his body, especially in the glow of the cave.

[GoblinFae]

While he removed his boots, Riley undid her braid, having learned in her youth that it was too much of a temptation for the fish not to try and swallow if it was kept bound together. Her own boots were still at home and her feet bare. She refrained from removing her own articles of clothing. His comment did make her giggle though.

"It is not me I would be concerned with but them. I would hate to give them the temptation of food when there most certainly isn't any." She smirked softly as she observed his bare chest in appreciation before she winked and swan-dived into the lake, the fish splashing and following to brush along her as she was lost from view in a flurry of foam and glittering scales.

[Juno]

He certainly hadn't thought of it but it cut the cheeky smirk from lips pretty quickly at the realization of what she was imply. "Definitely not," he agreed, watching her dive and disappear in among the fish. Instead of diving he merely scooted himself off the edge to lower himself into the water. Uncertain of where she intended to surface Lucien merely followed along the surface with the school of fish swarming her.

[GoblinFae]

Riley, who had grown up being able to swim almost before being able to walk, swam easily through and around the fish until she was behind Lucien. Her years of practice left her able to hold her breath for long periods of time, so that once he paused she was able to break the surface without gasping for air like a fish out of water.

It was perfect as it provided her with the opportunity to surprise him. Her arms came around across his shoulders and neck as she practically pounced on his back. "Gotcha," she giggled into his ear moments before she planted a kiss upon his cheek. Her chin rested on his shoulder lightly as she leaned into him.