Call of the Mermaid [M]

[Celegwen]

Day 4

It was the early morning of the fourth day of Silas' week long trial. The crimson sun had just barely begun to rise, setting the ocean on fire. This sun was of course Raina's doing.

The previous day was possibly the most boring day in existence, aside from one part. The girl had been ready to leave when she heard singing. Silas, instead of trying to search for food or find a way to filter sea water, had resigned himself to his dying tree and started singing. In over sixty years, Raina had never heard a human's song.

His decision to not save his life probably saved his life.

A red sun at night,
Is a sailor's delight.
A run sun in the morning,
Sailors take warning.

This old rhyme was a way to warn sailors of a coming storm. As the early morning sun peaked over the horizon, Raina looked up at the sky to clouds quickly darkening. She slid gracefully onto a rock close to the shore.

Raising her hand towards the sky, the girl looked at the man who was still sleeping beneath the tree. It was a deeper sleep than normal, showing his weakness. Raina furrowed her brows slightly, then clenched her fist, allowing the sky to release a cool rain accompanied by a soft breeze.

The rain would continue until at least mid afternoon, but Raina dove into the water when she was sure it wasn't going anyway.

[Lowen Thorn]

Day 5

Silas woke to the fifth day feeling like a brand new man. Well, to an extent. He was still weak, still tired, head still a little foggy and hunger still plagued the pit of his stomach. However, the day before he was blessed with a miracle. The clouds gathered and brought the rain, and with that brought hydration and a break from the punishing sun.

Oh, how he wished he could go back to yesterday.

To think, he had briefly considered drinking his own piss. He was growing desperate, growing a little insane, but none of that became necessary with the rain. Someone must have been looking out for him, he decided.

It was the fifth day. The end of his little trial was in arm's reach, and a part of him was excited to see the mermaid's reaction.

'Ha! Told you I could do it! Now how about that dinner?' he played over in his head, though he would be lying to himself if he said this wasn't one of the hardest things he had ever done in his life. Hells, maybe the hardest.

He had a little pep in his step as he made his way around the island he had grown so familiar with over the past five days. He must have had his feet on every square inch, and knew every thing there was to know (and everything it had to offer, which was mostly nothing), yet he continued his search. With the recent rain, maybe there was something for him.

He hummed while he searched. Music kept him at peace, as it always has, and last time he dusted off an oldie mother nature decided to give him a second chance.

The day was uneventful, but he made it to another night.

[Celegwen]

Day 6

Her first encounter with Silas was tired. Raina expected it to be a simple death by song. It progressed into a rage-filled disaster, then a battle of will for survival. The sixth day of the week marked the next turn in the wildly emotional river, as she found herself actually starting to want the human to survive the next thirty-something hours.

Raina realized that she had to prepare for a way to get Silas to Serendipity if he did make it through. There was no way she was going to drag him through the water the entire way!

The girl smirked slightly, pulling the aquamarine necklace off and cradling it in her hands. "Shekra ekn ksuw e deaur," she whispered, breathing on the necklace. The stone glowed briefly, then returned to normal.

She put the necklace back on and returned to her island with a quick glance back at the man.

[Lowen Thorn]

Day 7

He did it.

It was the seventh day on the cursed island, and he was still alive. How he pulled it off was a mystery to even him, but he didn't question it. He sat with his back against the tree he had so "lovingly" called home for the past week, eyes closed as a gentle breeze cut through his hair. "Yes," he muttered weakly under his breath.

He was exhausted. He was burning up. He was starving and dehydrated. He got a lucky break about halfway through the trial with the rain, and now he was holding on just enough to see it through. He could only hope the mermaid was true to her word.

He wasn't sure if he had passed the test or not. His mind raced, but it circled in chaos, his thoughts falling apart just as soon as they formed. Was the trial over? Or did he have to make it the full seventh day as well?

It was no matter, but he would endure. He had made it this far already, now he just had to see it through and reap the rewards.

"Should probably.. look for her," he breathed before using the tree as leverage to get to his feet.

Whoa there.

His knees were weak, legs were shaking. He took one step forward when he felt his knees buckle, and he soon collapsed back down into the sand. Damn. He had no energy left. He had given everything he had to make it to this point.

Unconsciously, he gripped the necklace he wore around his neck. The aquamarine teardrop he had worn for as long as he could remember. Of course, he could barely remember anything past the last week. The seven days felt more and more like a lifetime.

He struggled, but got to his feet again. Have to keep going, but gods, it was so hard to walk.

Fingers still wrapped around the necklace, he glanced down to see it glimmer in the sunlight. It was the last thing he saw before the remainder of his strength, slipping into unconsciousness before he even hit the ground.

[Celegwen]

He did it. Part of her was frustrated that he was able to make it, but she knew that he wouldn't have without her assistance.

The girl sat on a rock near the shore, watching the man struggle to even stand. Heat, dehydration, and the beginning of starvation really took a toll on the human body, so Raina had no doubt that he didn't notice her. She dove back into the water as soon as he passed out on the sand, and she swam towards the beach.

What once kept her bound to the sea suddenly disappeared. Raina stood for the first time in decades. She was dressed in an abyss blue bodysuit with silver and light blue accents all over it, as well as a sheer skirt that hanged asymmetrically covering her left leg. The ethereal creature touched the magical necklace she wore around her neck, hips swaying naturally with every perfectly linear step she took.

The man had a week of growth on his face and was in just awful condition. Part of her wanted to leave him there. He wouldn't wake up again, after all. It would be pretty easy to just leave him to dissolve into nothing, but she had made a deal, which meant she had to honor her half.

Raina gently knelt to the right of Silas' limp form, as she removed the skirt from her bodysuit and laid it over the top half of his body to keep the sun off of him. Her dark eyes narrowed, catching sight of the small necklace he was gripping even in his unconscious state. She touched the one she was wearing, noting the identical nature of the pair. That was a wild coincidence if she'd ever seen one. Raising one brow, the girl took his necklace off of him and whispered the same enchantment onto it that her necklace had.

Putting his necklace on, Raina took off the one she had found in the ship and placed it on him. A small smirk tugged at her lips, and she turned him over to lie on his back. She put one hand on his forehead and one hand on his lower stomach, stimulating the blood flow and circulation. Though it would've normally been an extremely painful process, Raina's magic was designed for bliss, so he wouldn't feel a thing.

She looked down at him, right brow raised curiously. "Do yourself a favor, sailor man," she said, mainly talking to herself. "Find a new hobby." It should only be seconds before he came to, so Raina prepared herself for the worst.

[Lowen Thorn]

Am I... dead?

Waking up from sleep was often harsh, especially when dreams were often times better than reality. However, on this day, Silas was more than accepting for another day to open his eyes. His eyes blinked open and the sun washed over his vision causing him to squint from both it's bright shine and the disbelief that he was still breathing.

Not only that, but there was something different. He felt absolutely fine. Sure, he still felt a little weak, a little beat up, perhaps even the equivalent of getting run down by a horse, but he felt alive.

It took several moments for him to make out the figure that loomed over him. He blinked several more times until he saw her. He almost moved to sit upright, but decided against him. He was fine right where he was.

"I didn't think you'd come back," he whispered, a slight grin of triumph trying to form into his lips.

But what was this? After a second glance, he noticed her legs. She had legs now! Did she always have legs? Maybe she did, and he had been too delirious to notice, or just delirious enough to imagine them. It really didn't matter regardless, because he really didn't care one way or another. He was ready to leave the gods forsaken island and get back into town.

He couldn't help but chuckle when the sound of his stomach growled it's way into the center of attention. Sighing, he closed his eyes and breathed easy, trying to focus on the light breeze that decided to bless him on the seventh day of the long, unforgiving trial.

"...Did I pass?"

[Celegwen]

"Yes," she said softly, biting back a snide remark about her assistance in his trial. "I made a deal, and I always keep my word." In any other situation, she would've happily bragged about her part in his success, but helping him could make her appear weak-willed. She thought it better that he seemed strong, than she seemed weak. Looking at the frail figure lying nearly still beside her, the mermaid almost felt a pang of guilt in her gut.

She took her skirt away from him, reattaching it around her waist and sitting back on her heels to give him some room. Raina turned away, glancing at the water, before taking a breath and standing up with her arms behind her back.

"I'm not carrying you to the water, so I suggest you find whatever strength you have left and come with me. And don't delay because I'm not waiting forever."

The mermaid turned and stepped directly over his chest. Her body was nearly entirely covered by the oceanic clothing she wore, though her bare toes pointed perfectly with each step and her skin practically glowed in the early sunlight.

[Lowen Thorn]

His eyes shot open and were absolutely sparkling. "Yes ma'am," he said quickly before scrambling to his feet. Well, he tried to get to his feet, and he did, though it took him a couple of wincing moments to get there.

One would think a man on the brink of death would think about anything, literally anything, other than women, yet Silas's mind stayed on the now walking mermaid. Just look at her go. She was such a divine creature and, if she hadn't originally intended on killing him, he may as well have thrown caution to the wind and dropped to one knee to propose.

"You have pretty nice legs for someone with a tail," he said lightly as he followed her to the shore. It probably wasn't his wisest choice to tease, but really, he couldn't help himself. "What's your name, anyway?"

[Celegwen]

"I know," she said to his compliment. It wasn't the first time she'd walked on land, though it definitely wasn't a daily occurrence, so she was quite aware of her beauty. The request for her name did catch her off guard, though. "That's your question?" Raina asked condescendingly, looking back at him over her shoulder. "Not 'how are we going to get to land' or something of that nature?" Eyes tracing him up and down, she huffed slightly. "Raina."

Stepping into the water, the mermaid smiled. It was a truly rare thing that she experienced the sea against her legs. For a woman who spent her entire life in the ocean, she was mesmerized by it every day.

Raina walked deeper into the water until the gentle waves lapped at her waist. She flashed him a grin, dove into the water, then made a small leap out of the water as a dolphin would, her aqua tail glistening. Surfacing again, the mermaid looked towards the beach. "Are you coming, or not?" She asked. "I told you I'm not waiting."

[Lowen Thorn]

Silas chuckled as he waded through the water until he was waist deep and next to her. "Now, why would I ask something like that? You were able to sink my ship with no issues, so I don't have any doubts that you will get me back to land," he said almost teasingly as he looked her up and down. "But, Raina, huh? Well, that's a really nice name. Suits your whole look, too."

Without warning, he dropped into the ocean, lingering under the surface for several moments before rising back up as what felt like a brand new man. He breathed in the air upon his surface and shook his strands about such as a wet dog would after venturing into a pond.

He ran a hand through his now wet hair, moving stray strands away from his eyes before shooting Raina a quick little smile. "I'm Silas, by the way, though I think you already knew that." He extended his hand, offering it to her as his stomach growled simultaneously with the movement.

How embarrassing.

"And I'm pretty starved too, apparently," he said sheepishly. "What do you like to eat? We should get something when we're back in town. My treat!"

[Celegwen]

Her eyes narrowed at him, and an expression similar to a grimace played at her face. "Is everything a fucking a joke to you?" She asked.

She swam a little farther out to sea, rolling her eyes and trying to tune out his voice. He never got a response to most of what he said, as she really didn't care to answer the ramblings of a human she had stranded on an island. I like him better when he doesn't talk, she thought to herself. Could just leave him here. He'll be dead within another day or two.

Raina submerged herself briefly, coming back up with a slightly defeated look on her face. "I'm not bringing you to land," she said simply. "You are."

A mermaid's charm could only be activated by a mermaid, but after that, it becomes the wearer's magic. "Farauk," she whispered, activating the magic in the necklace around Silas' neck.

[Lowen Thorn]

He grinned as the woman swam away from. It wasn't a joke.

"I am?" he asked skeptically before the light burned from under his nose. Peering down, he noticed it glowing, the aquamarine necklace he wore around his neck. "..What is.." he muttered under his breath as he slipped his fingers on it. "What do you- AGH!"

For the next several moments, Silas couldn't control his own body or its reflexes. His back arched, his head shot backward, his chest poked out and his arms flailed around as if he were losing balance... and that was exactly what he did. Without any time to react, his eyes shot wide as he plummeted face first into the water.

Splash!

When he surfaced, he looked different. His mismatched eyes were now entirely blue, his hair a fire under the sun, his muscles more defined, and his legs.. they were gone. A strong, long teal-colored tail flipped out of the water and splashed about, hammering down on the surface with uncontrollable whips.

"W-What the fuck is this?!" he asked in a panic. "H-How do you control this thing?!"

[Celegwen]

Raina couldn't help but smile. Though she would've been more than happy to simply watch his idiocy for the rest of the day, he'd probably wear himself out to the point he couldn't make it five feet.

"It's a tail," she said. "Want it to stop moving? Stop moving it. It's not a separate creature."

Humans.

The mermaid swam back towards him, positioning herself parallel to him less than a foot away and looking back at their tails. She made a wave-like motion with hers, showing him the basic movement of swimming with a tail. "I'll give you the quick version because I don't have time for your incompetency," she started. "You can breathe underwater, your eyes won't burn while open, and don't thrash around or you'll attract sharks." Giving a shrug, she pursed her lips. "Not that it would be a problem, but they can be so bitchy towards unfamiliar merfolk."

Raina smirked, starting to move forward. He'd have to figure it out - mostly - on his own; there was no way she was going to be a mermaid mentor! Looking back at him, she smirked. "And you can speak to me through your mind. Let's go."

Without waiting for a response, the girl sank beneath the surface as gracefully as though she was part of the water.

[Lowen Thorn]

Despite the initial and absolute shock, the whole thing was pretty fucking incredible. Though it started off rather dull, the sailor's sudden urge to find adventure has not disappointed. Sure, he had to suffer and push himself to the brink of death for a few days, and actually thought he was going to die on some of those nights, but now he had a tail.

He had a fucking tail.

It didn't take long for Silas to figure out how to control his newly acquired merman tail. Additionally, he felt more focused than he had ever been. He processed everything the woman was saying while fiddling with his new ability, and gave her his entire trust and he sank under the surface to follow the woman.

His eyes were open and he could see everything perfect - better than he could on land even.

He could breathe under water.

What a world to live in.

"Will I be able to.. change back?"

[Celegwen]

Raina found herself a little shaken from swimming alongside a man. And this wasn't just any man. She was swimming with a human man she had given a tail to after trying to kill him. Not only was she swimming with him, but it was in the ocean. He was in her home. The circumstances were unexpected at the least, but they had really never even been a fleeting thought in her mind.

"Of course," she said, turning onto her back while swimming. She touched the aquamarine necklace she was wearing, his necklace - of course he would never be able to tell the difference. "It's your magic now. Based in the necklace you're wearing. You can grow legs or a tail whenever you want. There's no spell or anything, just a thought. There are a few other perks, but that's not important right now."

Her arms pointed in front of her, left hand placed over right, and she twirled smoothly through the water. Though a mermaid's speed in the water was unmatched, Raina much preferred the graceful fluidity that came with having a tail.

"Where's your crew?" She asked finally. "Why did you go off without them?" If they had a decent journey, it was only right that she humored some kind of conversation.

[Lowen Thorn]

He was in her home. Despite his utter fascination, he couldn't help but snicker at the thought. Perhaps he would meet her parents next too, he thought as he glided through the water. Interesting thought, or scary one?

"They are back in Serendipity," he informed her. "I remember they were having some sort of party for us, but I wanted to do some exploring. See what was out there, ya know?"

He realized how silly that must have sounded, and decided to change the subject rather quickly. "So, it's my magic now," he repeated curiously. "And I all I have to do is think about what I want and-"

Bad idea.

Silas's swift movements through the water faltered as he was suddenly with legs again, kicking to keep himself in a stable position and losing the ability to breath. 'Fuck!' he screamed internally before reaching for his necklace and thinking the opposite.

Well, that wasn't the smartest thing he had ever done. Back with his tail, and the ability to breathe, he shrugged off his little adventure and glided over to Raina. "Where'd you get yours?" he asked in reference to her necklace. "It looks exactly like mine."

[Celegwen]

Of course he would do that. Humans, fucking humans. She stopped swimming, watching him struggle with a judgmental glare.

When he got over his little episode, Raina folded her arms over her chest, pursing her lips briefly at the mention of the necklace. "On your ship," she said simply, reaching out to touch his necklace. "I found it in a little box in a desk drawer. The only interesting thing on that piece of shit."

She turned away and continued swimming, touching the necklace that she wore. Raina glanced over her shoulder, a habit she had developed to make sure she was aware of her surroundings. Too many surprise encounters with ships and nasty animals gave her a defensive reflex.

Turning onto her back again to face him, Raina touched the aquamarine around her neck. "However, I wanted yours, so I switched them." The girl smirked, then flipped around again and sped forward.

[Lowen Thorn]

Look at that mermaid go.

The whole 'Hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave' didn't apply for just humans, apparently. Silas had a grin on his face through her obvious disdain, and then her explanation of where she found the necklace, and further more when she darted away from him. His grin remained broad and silly for some time until his mind registered the last bit she told him.

"You switched them?" he asked skeptically. "So you stole it, then?"

He remained still as he looked down and gripped the necklace around his neck. It looked exactly the same to him, but it felt different. So it wasn't different, she wasn't lying. Hells, he would have just given it to her if she wanted it that badly.

"Hey! Wait up!" he called back after she put some distance between the two. He swam forward in attempts to catch up, and though he had taken to his tail quite elegantly in such a short period of time, there was no way he would be able to catch her.

[Celegwen]

Of course Raina didn't answer his question, as she was pretty sure he already knew the answer. The mermaid slowed her movements, glancing back at him over her shoulder with another smirk.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you're going to keep up," she said tauntingly.

The sea was gorgeous that morning, marine life just springing back to life. Morning swims were her favorite, but this one just felt out of place. The faster she was rid of the sailor the better it would be for both of them. He had his life - thanks to her - and she just wanted to get back to hers. After all, it wasn't exactly in her plans to be interrogated by her sisters about why she helped a human.

Surfacing, Raina treaded water with her arms, while she looked around at her surroundings. They were about halfway to the shore, so it was pretty good timing. Dipping beneath the surface to see him, she motioned for him to surface and peaked out above the water again.

"When you get to shore, I suggest you drink water and get some kind of food," she said. "You might feel strong right now, but the moment you assume legs, you'll be back to where you were on the island."

[Lowen Thorn]

Silas surfaced with a smile that was both broad and genuine, eyes dancing around their surroundings until they ultimately landed on her. "Sure thing," was his cheeky reply as gentle waves splashed lightly on his neck.

He dipped back under the water, putting a little more distance between the two in a playful manner before surfacing again, still smiling. He couldn't lie, he fucking loved every second of this. "You know, if you really wanted my necklace, you could have just asked," he teased, letting the back of his head rest atop the surface.

He swam back a little more, slowly as he stared up through the clouds. "What about you?" he asked. "Want to join me for food and water? I hear it's great for your well-being. Like I said, I'll even pay... if you can catch me."

He ducked back into the ocean and swam away from her, though not as fast as he would have liked to think.