Under The...Ocean? (Shizilicious)

[Anonymous]

Waves were so interesting, moving completely independent of everything else. Nothing could stop them. Rocks tried but they smoothed then out over time, never stopping always fighting. Brin could really identify with the waves, she felt like she was always fighting something, whether it was herself or something on the outside. Normally it was something on the outside. Something pushing and pulling her like a current.

Her toes were dug into the sand squeezing every so often just to feel the texture. She had just gotten done with a con. It had gone brilliantly as usual. Though for some reason the girl at home was in her mind. She frowned to herself, a chain to hold her down. She didn't like that, but was getting used to it...she thought that certainly it meant she was loosing her touch.

She was in her form that she considered Brin, her own. It was how she was comfortable the one she knew the best. She reached for her smokes in her pocket grinning as she pulled them out. They were wrapped in dark brown paper and smelled like cloves. She lit one, not quite inhaling then blowing out and enjoying the flavor. Her body relaxed automatically. Perfect.

[Anonymous]

Though she was not truly a creature of water, but of a type of fluid-like space, she still enjoyed the feeling water could give her. It felt like she back in her native environment, able to freely move around at will. The ocean was quite a lot more relaxed in the water, she didn't have to move as much, which was surprising considering how water acted in slowing a person's movement's down. She was however, born to move in fluid, and while she could do this sort of thing in air, the density of the fluidic air made it a lot more difficult.

The creature in question, a female of her species moved gracefully through the water. The four power tentacles that extended from her waist downward acted to push her along with minimal effort. She felt like an acrobat in the water, twisting and turning sharply, dodging around fish and seaweed. She could see with perfect clarity, her rather large, almond shaped eyes, the black shiny objects could stare through the water as if it weren't there. The gills on the side of her neck took in water to breathe as she deftly slid through the water. The tentacles from her shoulder and on her head that made upa  form of hair wiggled gently in the current.

Pointing at the surface of the water she propelled herself upwards and out of it. Like a leaf on the wind she seemed to float upward, then gently she back to glide back into the water, slipping into it with making very few ripples or disturbances.

She had seen something on the shores. Her keen eyes had picked up a thermal disturbance. There had also been an unknown thermal smoke that she had picked up. Curiosity was her better trait. She slowly propelled herself inland, staying below the water, though no doubt the being on the beach had seen her display as she jumped into the air. She slowed down to a stop, her large eyes just above water as she observed this strange person. The creature had no idea what she was doing, or why she had a burning piece of paper and was...inhaling the smoke.

Curiously she stepped close, her feet, hidden within the four large tentacles like a dress, made contact with the sea floor and she approached. Water dripped from her grey skinned body as she surfaced up to her hips. It was no doubt she was female, she had a somewhat shapely bosom, but it held no true definition of femininity on it. "Why do you do that? It smells horrible." She enquired from her location, in case this person wasn't friendly but a hostile. If need be, she'd jump into the water and race off into the depths and disappear amongst the ocean floor.

[Anonymous]

Brin was watching the waves still when a creature busted out of the water. Her eyes followed it her muscles going stiff not sure what sort of thing this was. She might have to protect herself. The thing looked like some sort of squid...very graceful in the air then down to the water. Brin arched a thin brow curious at the thing. I was something she hadn't seen before. A squid person. She noticed different things wondering if she could shift to look like it.

It was suddenly closer as she got her attention drawn back to the creature. Brin turned her head at it slightly until is spoke to her. She jumped a little and scooted back on the sand. She then actually registered what it was asking her. It was talking about her cigarette...of all things to ask...when you're a squid person thing...about cigarettes? She could barely believe it. She fought the urge to laugh.

"Well, it relaxes me. Makes me feel good sometimes." She took another hit from the cigarette not really sure what to say next. This was maybe one of the weirdest situations she had ever been in. Now she knew better than to sit on beaches all by herself.

[Anonymous]

In Quiel'ebbos' defence, she had never actually seen a cigarette. It was foreign to her, and her senses told her that tehre was nothing good about those cigarettes. You might as well have been smoking death itself. However, as she had learned about some creatures from this world, Death was a tricky thing, and didn't visit everyone. She was however wary of it, the smoke was blowing every which way, and Quiel didn't really want to inhale too much of it. There was no way of telling what the little smoking stick could do to someone.

"It doesn't smell very...healthy." She said dubiously as she stepped closer to the shore, her large eyes still focused on the clove cigarette. She decided to try and learn a bit more about this woman. She decided to kneel down, still in the water to try and look less imposing. She had noted the woman had moved backward in the sand to get away from her, so she didn't want to look like she was going to initiate a fight or anything along those lines.

She reached up and put a delicate, slim hand to the centre of her chest. "Quiel'ebbos." She told the woman as her eyes slid closed and she bowed her head. "If...if you don't mind, can I ask you what your name is and...your species?" Her planet had a saying. If it looks like Grymshla, talks like  Grymshla, and walks like a Grymshla, it still may not be a Grymshla.

This world probably had their own saying, but she hadn't heard it as of yet.

To each their own.

"If you think it's rude...please tell me, I am...unfamiliar with the customs of this world, and as such...sometimes I overstep and forget my bounds."

[Anonymous]

Brin watched the strange creature react to her cigarette and couldn't help but smirk just slightly. Brin found them to be a tool to her, she used them like little mental brain clean outs. Whenever she started to forget who she was they got her back home, to what home had become anyway. She hadn't always been like this of course.

"Oh I never said they were healthy. They aren't most likely." Brin nodded as the creature moved to stand down some. Brin appreciated it, though mostly subconciously not really aware of the animal meaning to it. She just felt like she was giving her some space, or trying to stay away from the cigarette.

"Oh no that's perfectly polite actually...I'm Brin, I'm a shapeshifter." Then she stopped a sort of shocked surprised look on her face. "...Wait...not familiar with this world? What does that mean?"

[Anonymous]

Quiel gave a slightly pensive word as the woman, Brin, used the word shapeshifter. That was slightly odd, but she understood the word however. Her world did not have shapeshifters, everyone on her planet was of the same race as her. Sure there were aliens that came to visit her people, and they visited alien worlds as well but...shapeshifters weren't native to her world. There were specific shapeshifters as well, ones who could only shift themsleves into specific creatures. Like Lupine-Wavelength Hemapheraforms and such, only able to transform into canine or lupine. Then there were those who could only turn themselves into small, red creatures with long bushy tails, sometimes with white tips on the tail and around the lower jaw. The name escaped her at the moment, but it was something pretty.

Quiel looked up at the woman as she posed a question at her, and Quiel blinked once in surprise. "This world is not my world, my birth did not happen here, and my people do not exist here in a multitude." Quiel explained as she folded her hands on her lap, or in this case, on two of the large tentacles that came out of her waist. "I am an Alienist, a foreign entity on this particular planet. I don't know exactly how I came to be here, but I am here now." It didn't trouble Quiel however, she was quite okay with it. As a creature of...more scientific pursuits, this was simple a new exploration for her. She did not at all mind being here...

Though she did miss some of her people, there were a lot more interesting people here. She would admit that her world had gotten a bit boring, but now things were a lot more...interesting. Exciting even. New species, new world, new everything for her.

[Anonymous]

Brin was listening intently, disbelieving. Of course, what else could explain a squid creature? From another planet though? She tilted her head at the creature as it went on. What sort of world was it from? She grew more and more nervous. She put her hands up towards the creature as it finished speaking.

"From another planet? Whoa, Aliens?" Brin shook her head. "How would you even get here?" She wasn't even going to try pronouncing the thing's name. Brin brought the cigarette back to her lips inhaling deeply this time. She needed it. She barely understood the idea of what aliens were, let a lone the whole vast idea of what was up in those stars. She exhaled the smoke trying to steady herself.

"All of this sounds crazy, am I dreaming or something?"

[Anonymous]

"That...I am afraid is a mystery to even me. There is a number of theories, those that involve...magic as the people call it here, and those that involve science." Quiel spoke simply, as if this was common place. To her, she couldn't care how she got here, she basically accepted it really. After all, she had no advanced technology here so she could not get herself back, and accessing magic was too difficult unless she was taught it. So here she was just allowing herself to move from place to place enjoying herself.

"I don't believe that you are...if you were, then why would I be here?" She did have telepathic powers, but she wasn't touching the woman so that was not a viable answer. "No, I am going to say that you are actually quite awake Brin. But what a strange idea that would be...if I were nothing but a part of your subconscious, and existed only in time of your sleep? It can make you really wonder about the nature of existence." Quiel gave a small wistful sigh as she thought about. It was such a terrible idea, but she pushed it from her mind and went back to observing the young woman before her.

Quiel'ebbos gave a small smile as she shifted and moved a little closer to Brin. "Would it help you Miss, if I said that I was the product of a Kraken and a female elf instead, through an ancient ritual filled with mystery and magic?" She had studied this culture after all, and she was pretty sure that this was a feasible idea. Kraken's were rather intelligent creatures from what she could remember about them, and no doubt they'd try some sort of interspecies race for their own benefit.

[Anonymous]

Damn, this creature was spacey. Ha...alien, spacey.

Brin tried to listen calmly as Quiel spoke. She was overwhelmed. Her world had just expanded to include whatever was out in the stars. Brin never claimed to be a genius, not by a long shot. Her mind worked in cons and what people gained from telling lies and pretending to be other people. That's how her mind was wired. She could see the benefits of being an alien, something out in the big black. Her chin lifted up her eyes following reluctantly to look at the sky.

She turned her eyes back to Quiel as she talked about Krakens and elves. Brin's head started turning slightly to the side. She felt like she was loosing her mind.

"That sounds like a more reasonable explanation I guess." Though when she tried to imagine a Kraken and an elf procreating the act itself looked like some horrible painting. One meant to terrify.

[Anonymous]

Quiel had decided to keep her mouth shut when it came to the fact that she wasn't from the stars of THIS world either. It was hard enough to explain to a pre-industrial citizen about there being life on other planets, but it was even harder to explain about other universes, the spaces between spaces. Quiel did know that she was not from this particular universe, because her universe was filled with a special type of thick fluid, which allowed her people to float and move around like...squid.

"I wouldn't...really like the idea of it myself...Krakens aren't exactly small creatures...but if it helps you, then try to think of me like that. Just the offspring of one very unlucky Elf." Quiel smiled as best as she could at the shapeshifter Brin, only trying to help keep the woman from calling her insane or a heretic.

She should have been careful with that, she didn't know the religious standing of this creature, and that was dangerous. She had learned first hand about religious intolerance here, it was not a pretty sight to say the least.

"If...you don't mind me asking Brin...can I see you..." Brin might have been able to see her face darkening slightly as she thought about posing the question. "Transform? What can you turn into? Are there things you can't bend your shape to?" Quiel had wanted to know about this since she had learned the creature was a shapeshifter, but she had kept herself decidedly quiet about that sort of thing.

Didn't want to seem rude of course.

[Anonymous]

Brin was getting more comfortable with Quiel, but it would be an uphill battle. Though Quiel did get a laugh out of her with the comment about the unlucky elf. She shook her head and took the last hit from her clove then put it out on her shoe. She slid it into a little bag in her pocket. Brin was a lot of things that were well...bad, but for some reason she could never leave her trash around. Maybe a little grab at redemption.

Her head did snap up though when Quiel asked to see her shapeshift. She narrowed her eyes. She wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or not. Though she really just seemed curious, and not dangerous. Brin thought it over a moment longer and stood up stretching out.

"I can turn into lots of things. Some I'm better at than others. I can't become a male though, of any species. At least, it feels like it." She closed her eyes for a moment. She had tried to reach for it a few times, it was never there though. It was like reaching into a blank space for nothing. She opened her eyes again pulling back from the black. "It helps though if I've met someone that is of the species or I've seen a picture. The imagination and all that."

"I can do something simple, or do you wish to see something more...elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Quiel found that Brin's little action of putting the strange smelling object, cigeratte as Brin had called it, back into her pocket endearing. She didn't just leave it around, discard it and think nothing of it. That made a smile appear on her strange face. It was rather nice to know that there was some respect for the planet. After all, as far as she could tell, this was their only one, for the time being.

The squid woman seemed a little taken aback by Brin's stare at her. It was like she was trying to read her mind, or stare into her soul. It was a tad disturbing, and Quiel was almost sure that she had overstepped her boundaries. However, the woman seemed to suddenly changed her mind, and it made Quiel exhale a breath in relief. She didn't like the idea of having offended this person, but luckily things seemed to be alright.

"That sounds...quite fascinating actually..." Quiel's mind began to race. Scientifically speaking, she wondered just how the transforming woman worked. Did her molecules change in some way perhaps? How did it alter her shape? Questions ran through her mind but ultimately she decided to answer the shapeshifter's question. "I'd like to see something more complex. I have...a question though. When you change, are you granted the inherent powers of the species, or is it simply a visual change?" Quiel'ebbos asked as she thought about the right word. After all, her species could see in different light, low light, thermals, and that sort of thing, but if the woman became one of her...would she be able to see like her people did?

So many questions.

[Anonymous]

Brin rolled her head around a few times cracking her neck once and stretching out her limbs. She stretched her arms her fingers twitching as she did so. Brin always loved to shapeshift, which was a good thing since she relied on it so heavily. It wasn't...painful per say. It has an uncomfortable feeling to it. Bones popping to rearrange into place and all. Some transformation had a slight pain to them. Brin however...she enjoyed that slight pain.  Over time it was even a fulfilling feeling.

Brin went through a couple options in her mind of things to show Quiel. She cracked her knuckles as she thought over it. An elf since they had been talking about them? That wasn't very elaborate though. A Drow perhaps? She smirked, she did enjoy the drow form she had pieced together. She smiled at Quiel as her eyes opened again.

"You'll see." She liked showing off, she just couldn't help it.

Brin reached for the power with the image in her head and a sort of electric shock jolted her. Her whole body started to tingle. Her hair was the first to start changing. It's black started to have streaks of white appearing bright against it. Around her cuticles her skin started to darken in shades going slow at first then faster as it spread up her arms and legs. The dark skin completed and then she shook her head as her ear started to change. A slow movement of skin and cartilage to make the pointy ears that poked up through her hair which was completely white now. She let out a low sigh as bones changed and popped audibly to make her taller than she had been. She growled against her spine changing then sighed when it fell into place. The green irises in her eyes changed to black and she opened them looking at Quiel.

Her body felt light despite having more strength. This form was more athletic the slight curvy shape she normally had disappeared. It had changed into one that was straighter, built for running and graceful fighting. It was such an exciting form. She could feel the new power budding in her. Her vision was even slightly different, sharper.

She crouched down slowly, her movements graceful and purposeful. She let the power build up in her legs then launched herself over Quiel and rolled into a somersault and landed on her feet.

"Powers too." She smirked.

[Anonymous]

Quiel was obviously very interested in this particular endeavour. She didn't quite know how shape shifters worked, and she was almost positive they didn't really understand it either. Not on a molecular level, they probably had a rough knowledge of how it worked, but...not in any scientific fashion. Which actually worked for Quiel, because she was sure that they didn't need to know really.

The ominous "You'll see." made Quiel even more anxious as she slid back just a little bit, trying to watch the transformation in full view. She could see the changes happening, the skin becoming dark, the hair changing colours, her ears suddenly growing, her body shifting and changing. It was actually all quite an experience, and Quiel watched as before her very eyes, Brin changed into a completely different species. It was rather amazing, and a bit shocking.

Quiel knelt there watching as Bring suddenly vaulted over top of her with cat-like grace and agility. There wasn't much emotion that could be displayed on the face of a woman who had no lips and large black eyes, but it was apparent that she was stunned and amazed.

"That..." Quiel looked downward at the sand and the surf as she tried to put the right words together. "Is an incredible feat." That's all there was to say. That summed it up fairly accurately if she did say so. She got to her feet easily and approached Brin, her slender hand coming out to touch the woman's hair and forearms. "Amazing...texture, quality...thermal pattern...you're not simply an amorphous creature that is able to change shape and fool a person with a quick change of skin..." Quiel's words might be a bit strange or foreign to Brin, but she was rather impressed. She even tweaked Brin's nose gently to see if it was real. Her fingers glided over the woman's ears as well to see if they were a fakery.

Everything was real.

Quiel stepped back, her arms crossing over her chest as she focused her big black eyes on the shape shifter. "You're truly in a different form...that's...remarkable."

[Anonymous]

Brin was smiling her arms crossed over her chest as she stretched out to stand. She was please with the reaction one of shock, she was rather pleased with herself at the moment. Then Quiel was very close to her. She started to get nervous...the squid thing was touching her...like...all over. She started slightly when she touched her hair and continued to touch different parts of her. It was an odd sensation.

Brin dropped her arms when Quiel touched her ears suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. She was trying to contain the need to throw a right hook into the creature's face. Her fingers twitched against the desire. Then Quiel touched her nose. Brin took a full step back and crossed her arms again. Quiel was going on about things that Brin just...couldn't grasp. She had never even heard half of those words before. It made her even more cautious.

"Thanks." She smiled, a little forced but still feeling rather complemented by Quiel. "Even though I'm not quite sure what all that means."

[Anonymous]

Quiel could barely sense the fact that Brin was nervous and that she didn't quite like this sudden examination. However, Quiel was much too excited and couldn't believe what she had just seen. She had thought it was an illusion really, or that despite looking solid she was some sort of gelatinous substance that could reform at will. However, this was quite a bit different. She was real. She was ACTUALLY a Drow, for all intents and purposes.

"I...apologize. I...study cultures mostly, and I have not been able to witness such an event. My people don't have shapeshifters in our realm. There is only us, because I think only we can survive there. I was saying that...if I had not seen you in a previous form, I would have completely believed you were really a Drow. It means that you are a very...very good shape shifter." Quiel stepped back as well and bowed to the woman, who had before her eyes completely changed herself into something else. A power like that could no doubt be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Quiel slowly knelt back down as she tried to think of any questions. Asking someone if they controlled their morality was probably a personal question that you shouldn't ask, Quiel understood that on her own.

"Do...um...That shape before, that person you were when I met you. Is that your natural form, or is that a form that you created for yourself to give identity?" There. That was a harmless question wasn't it? Perhaps not, it sounded like she was accusing Brin of having no original form or anything. "What I mean is...you made that form so that people can recognize you, it isn't a copy of some other person but it's recognized as you, Brin."

[Anonymous]

Brin smiled again when Quiel took a step back. She just sat and listened. Brin could be the chatty type, but normally she just stayed mellow. She didn't like to fill in all sorts of words where there didn't really need to be any, at least in her opinion. Then the creature apologized. Brin nodded to her.

"It's fine. I understand the curiousity. When people find out they ask me to shift sometimes." Brin grinned when Quiel complemented her again. She loved it when people knew how great she was.

"Thanks. I've been at it for a little while now." Brin wasn't quite sure how long. Sometimes one lost tracks of such things amid trying to keep all the shapes to change into in your mind. Brin waited, rather silent. She assumed Quiel was deep in thought, at least she kind of looked it. That was kind of hard to tell with the differences between them. Then Quiel asked a rather...sort of personal question. She gave the lady point for asking though. Brin couldn't remember a time when someone had.

"I...well..." Brin crossed and uncrossed her arms, shifting sort of restlessly. "I used to look different, however as far as I know this form in unique to me. It's pieces of other people put together."

[Anonymous]

"Ah, thank you, I am glad I didn't offend you." Again Quiel bowed her head downward, very glad that her apology was accepted and that Brin wasn't offended by her. She hadn't meant for any of it to be offensive, and she had been more excited by the prospect of a shape shifter and trying to figure out whether it was simple illusion or cosmetic. She really wanted to study this shape shifter, this Brin, she found it absolutely brilliant that someone could just...change their shape to fit in at will. They could become who ever or whatever the wanted, it was amazing!

"I suppose experience would be the best wouldn't it?" Quiel agreed with Brin, though some other things made her wonder about the shape shifter. People died because their cells stopped regenerating and they degraded and died. What about Brin though? She could CHANGE her cells right? She could make them do whatever she wanted to make herself whatever she pleased. So was she effectively immortal? The questions would be a good one to ask. However there was one that was itching to be answered.

"Isn't that just what all you people are? Just different pieces from your mothers and fathers." Quiel however looked very much like the rest of her species, but as it were, they could see the differences of each other. Some had shorter tentacles, or not as many, some had more masculine shapes, others looked more feminine, some had smaller eyes, or brighter colours, while to an outsider they'd all look pretty much the same, to each other it was easy to tell who was who.

It...really didn't matter that much now though.

"Are you...unable to die from ageing?" There were so many questions to ask, so many answers that she wanted, but she had to be very careful with what she asked. For that matter she wondered if she was unable to die from being hurt. Maybe she could just repair her own wounds by healing! It was an amazing idea, and frankly quite...scary in a way. Someone who couldn't die from anything. Well, there was probably things that could stop her brain from being active, which would make her body die...but she could be quite immortal. She didn't know what would be offensive or rude to ask Brin, she didn't want the shape shifter getting upset, and she knew that the...shifter might be sensitive to so many questions. "I'm sorry...I just...am asking too many questions aren't I?" Quiel quickly looked downward to the sand, a hand going to the back of her neck and rubbing the flesh gently. She had seen embarrassed people do this before, and she couldn't blush so she had to show she was embarrassed somehow.