Secrets Beneath the Ocean

[Red Juliet]

It was one thing to practically kidnap him, and it was entirely another to leave him alone on deck watching the nets while everyone else was below deck eating dinner. Nash gripped the ship railing tightly and glared at the door to the cabins. Bunch of assholes. He pushed his headphones tighter to his ears and cranked his music as loud as it would go in an attempt to block out his negative thoughts.


But even his favorite band couldn't drown out the slight murderous rage he held for the bunch of lowlifes that had threatened to harm his little sister if he didn't go along with their ridiculous plan. Why did she have to apply to the same school? She could have been in London if she had taken that study abroad opportunity, and this wouldn't have been an issue.


"Mermaids...what the hell...who believes in mermaids?" He muttered under his breath, as he pushed away from the railing. It was cold out on the ocean like this, and he shivered as he pulled his jacket tighter. The ship lurched as a particularly large wave rolled it, and Nash nearly slipped as he grabbed something to regain his balance. He eyed the dark waves warily, palms sweating as he pictured falling into them.


Chucks probably weren't the best choice of footwear for the ship, but it wasn't as if he was given the opportunity to buy the right gear before they took him on board to study the ocean currents and figure out the most likely habitat location. Which was nowhere, because there was no such thing as mermaids. Freaky large fish with glowing balls on their heads, but no mermaids.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Spoiler

(Yes, changed my characters name, sorry xD . Kai is still water related though, and means 'sea' )

As he was swimming in the depths of the ocean, Kai wasn't particularly expecting anything extraordinary that day to happen. And it wasn't like the threat of humans crossed his mind often, only when he was near the shores or reefs, and waters surface, of which he wasn't any of those right now. So it didn't concern him to be hyper vigilant in his surroundings, thinking they would be the same as they always were. He wasn't expecting a fishing net to be so far out and deep from the sea.


He was currently gathering food, looking for things such as shellfish that dwelled in the sea's crevices. He was collecting them, when he noticed distressed fish not too far. Cautiously swimming closer, he noticed they were stuck in a net, and his eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected to find a net so far out in the sea. He figured it abandoned, though still approached it with caution as he struggled with the net to free the fish. He was relieved when he finally had done so, but in the result, found his own fins caught up in the netting.


While momentarily worried, he didn't panic, since, unlike a fish, he had a higher intelligence than them, as well as hands, of which he used to reach for his knife-like object - though it was made of coral. As he was trying to free himself though, he found that not only was the netting not cutting - which was unusual - but the fact he got even more tangled up in it as he now was becoming more panicked.


He didn't understand why the net wasn't cutting, like they usually did. However, he didn't understand that this was a specialized wire netting, of which the fishermen who had cast it knew the sea creatures they were fishing for had an intelligence to par with humans, therefore making it nearly indestructible, particularly unable to be cut. Panicked, Kai tried pulling away from it. He winced in pain as he pulled on the netting, now tangled in it thoroughly and desperately trying to free himself, pulling on the net hard enough that it was decently pulling a shift in the motion and weight of the boat, causing it to rock more than just by mere calm waves.

 

[Red Juliet]

Spoiler

Thats fine! They haven't met yet so it doesn't matter.

Through the loud harmonies and thrumming bass, Nash noticed the pole containing the fishing net had its wire pulled taut. Shock ran through his mind and once more he glanced at the door below. They must have ensnared a large fish, maybe a dolphin. He knew it would be impossible for the creature to get loose on its own, so he ran to the controls.


He struggled with the weight of the net and the crank on his own, his arms straining as he pulled. If he could just get it within reach, he could open the nets and free it before it wound up on board or dead. He felt his muscles protesting as he cranked it over and over, until he could see the net just beneath the waves. Something was struggling, and he needed to get it loose before anyone heard the sound of the net being pulled.


He gave it one more turn and the net was yanked from the water. But before he could pull it towards him to release it, he did a double take. The creature struggling had arms, and fingers, and...and a human face. Nash froze, eyes wide as he stared. He blinked once, twice, and then vigorously rubbed his eyes. "They drugged me. I've been drugged. I'm seeing things."

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Stuck in the net, Kai was getting more exhausted each passing minute the more he struggled. The net had somehow managed to ensnare itself fully around his tail fin primarily, however, one are was also tangled up in the complex net, and the wrist of his other arm was stuck as well, rendering him unable to use his hands to try and free himself. The more he panicked, the more he squirmed, and the more he squirmed, the more exhausted he came.


When he felt the net pulling him upwards he tried to swim away from it in the opposite direction. Being strong, it slowed it down, however, his efforts were in vain, as he was unable to entirely free himself from the net, his body wrapped up and tangled in it as he was pulled up and out of the water, just above the waters surface.


His eyes darted to the human staring at him, his large, sea foam green eyes reflecting panic and fear. Despite his exhaustion, he tried once more to pull away from the ropes, only to fail again, and to lay defeated in the net, having thin rope burns along his body where the netting had been snagged tight around his limps, his wrists in particular displaying multiple red marks and sores.

 

[Red Juliet]

Nash swallowed hard. He slipped his headphones off of his ears and took a tentative step forward. The creature looked like a man in feature, but there were definite defining characteristics that were not. Fins and a tail for one. He pinched himself hard and waited, but the mermaid--merman was still there. Strange hallucination or not, he saw that the net was hurting the creature.


"H-hey, hold on. I'll get you loose, ah...not that you can probably understand me," he stepped forward and hopped onto the railing, cautiously reaching his hands out toward the net. Maybe slow and steady was the best option, afterall he didn't want to frighten the creature.


The net had been badly tangled, but he tried to loosen the weights keeping it closed. Part of him wanted to reach out and touch...to make sure what he was seeing was real. If he disappeared under his fingertips then it was all a hallucination. But if he was tangible...was this what they were searching for? He started rambling, mainly to try and keep a level head. How would merpeople communicate? Echolocation like dolphins and whales? Or were they capable of speech like humans? He was currently battling his rabid curiosity as well as trying not to freak out and panic. "I-I'm sorry they caught you like this."

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Laying trapped and tangled in the net, Kai was fearful of what would happen, if he wouldn't be able to free himself from the net. Despite his own self being cautious and careful around the net when freeing the other fish, he had let his own self get caught up with it. He pulled once more, though a weak and futile attempt, in his exhausted state.


When he heard the other speaking and stepping closer, Kai instinctively flinched back in the net, stiffening when he noticed how close the human was. His eyes widened as he watched the other carefully, while he was helpless and stuck in the net for the human to continue his actions. He tried to recognize the sounds the other was making - was this his way of communicating?


While his kind did speak, it was not of the same language. However, being the intellectual creatures they were, had once knew the human speech from centuries ago when they used to talk more opening with humans. He searched his head for the language his ancestors knew, before slowly trying to communicate, unsure if he was right "Are you.....are you going to kill me?" he asked, his voice, albeit fearful, having a unnatural, melodic tone to it.

 

[Red Juliet]

His hands faltered as he heard the merman speak. His eyes widened upon hearing words in English, in a lilting and melodic tone. He can speak. Oh my God, he can understand me. The realization that he had just seen a supposedly mythical creature and heard him speak made Nash dizzy with a plethora of wild emotion. The academic in him was thrilled, and the regular part of him was just floored.


If the hunters knew about the existence of his kind, why did nobody else? Unless...unless it was kept secret or there weren't enough to be seen anymore. He shook his head, feet still positioned on the rail as he reached over to release the last few weights.


"I won't hurt you, but there are...others here that will. They can't know--they're looking for you. They're hunting you and your kind." He took a deep, steadying breath and loosened the net enough that he could free himself. "Are you...are you real?"


He felt a little childish asking but he couldn't help himself. He felt an incredible fascination stir inside himself as he observed the iridescence of the creature's scales, and the incredible color of his very human-like eyes.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Watching as the other seemed to falter in his movements in uniting the netting from around his limbs and tail, he wondered why he acted so surprised? Well...he supposed his kind had been making it a point to avoid humans for the last century. So it should be no wonder that humans likely had no clue about them anymore. But it was a bit of a sad fact, that they had to pretend they had vanished off the face of the earth, and didn't exist. Unfortunately though thats what had to be done to be sure that they actually didn't stop existing, and be killed off by the humans.


While he was still apprehensive of the human before him, he could see he was indeed making progress on untangling him from the netting. He watched him, as one of his arms had been freed, and he felt a bit more relieved, his tail also free now, leaving only one arm to free. As he worked with his free hand to get the netting off, he glanced to the male when he asked if he was real. He was a bit taken back, but smiled a bit "Of course I am. My kind always has been real" he said, though his face turned into a sour frown "However, we won't be for long. Because of humans like the ones you claim are here" he said bitterly, eyeing him suspiciously "If you won't hurt me, why are you with ones that will? Een if you claim you won't, siding with them makes you no better" he said as focused his attention back to his arm to free it.


While part of him enjoyed the wonder and childlike awe in the humans eyes, and wanted to let him touch him to believe he was really, the more reasonable part of him distrusted him still, and knew he shouldn't, incase the male was lying to him. Finally getting his arm free, he gasped a bit as he fell through the air, making a loud splash as he fell back into the water, since the netting had never been moved back over onto the deck of the boat. Swimming back to the surface, he offered a smile to the human "Thank you..." he spoke softly. Despite being unsure if he could trust him, he was grateful the other had freed him.

 

[Red Juliet]

"Ah..." Nash but his lip and dropped his gaze to the water, "Guess it does, huh?" He had agreed to work for them in exchange for the fact his sister wouldn't be harmed. But no matter how you sliced it, he was working for a criminal organization determined on hunting and killing rare marine life. If he had stood up to them, if he had refused, maybe that would have been better. If he had contacted the authorities and let them know, he could have bargained with them for the protection of his sister. He likely would have wound up dead, but it would have been the more courageous thing to do. But he had panicked, he hadn't thought things through.


The loud splash drew his attention back, and he jumped down and over the railing to the edge of the deck to get closer. He smiled in return as he crouched down, folding his arms over his knees. The soft but sincere thank you resonated with him. It seemed that this kind were intelligent and adaptive, enough to understand English and express gratitude. He had a million and one questions on the tip of his tongue, and he didn't know where to start. He knew the creature in front of him was wary, and apprehensive. He couldn't blame him, after all if humans had hunted them in the past, their natural survival instinct would be to turn away from humans to protect themselves.


"Do you have a name?" He asked, "I'm Nash." If he never saw this beautiful creature again, at least he could say he had spoken with him. Even if word of it never escaped the pages of his journal. He would certainly never tell any of the horrible men inside the cabins, and if possible he could direct them in the area away from this area and the probably habitat of these merpeople. With a little tinkering, he could probably sabotage the radar.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Of course, The merman had no clue of the humans circumstances of which led him to be on this boat with these men. Without knowing the human, all Kai could guess and seem as the likely possibility was that the male was lying to him. However, it seemed unlikely, considering he just let him free. He rejoiced in the feeling of the water surrounding his body again, soothing the itching ache that had started crawling over his body and scales as they were drying out.


Looking back up at the human as he resurfaced from the water, the merman smiled a bit as he watched him come closer on the deck, finding he wasn't all that scared of him. Watching him carefully, he became confused as he spoke, asking for something "A name?" he inquired. What was that? While his kind did have names for each other, their language, again, was different, and like any difference in languages, words and communication were a bit patchy, so he tilted his head to the side in confusion. When the human said his name was Nash, he started to understand a bit more, by the example "Ah...you can call me Kai" he said with a small smile.


Able to see the wonder and curiosity in the humans eyes, he reached and arm out "Would you like to touch? I promise you I am very real" he assured the male, unable but to see anything but genuine curiosity and awe in the male, he couldn't sense any malicious intent whatsoever, and, so amazingly decided to let the male touch the scales and fin on the side of his arms, or the webbed fins between his hand which closely resembled a humans, covered in scattered scales.

 

[Red Juliet]

"Kai," Nash's smile became more of an easy-going grin. At least for a moment, he had forgotten about his situation being trapped here as a prisoner, held against his will and forced to aid and abet these hunter's actions. Despite the circumstances, this was probably the coolest moment of his life. How many people could say they had seen and spoken with a merman? Internally though, he was sad by the thought that these creatures had once probably thrived, before they were hunted and killed or kidnapped for underground collectors. All for money. Humanity was so greedy.


Surprise crossed his features as the offer was made, and he reached out a hand tentatively. His fingertips brushed the hand, lightly skimming over the webbing between the fingers. He recognized certain resemblances to the other marine life he had studied, realizing that each and every detail on the merman's body was designed to aid him underwater. Sleek, elegant, perfectly evolved. The way he moved through the water was graceful and natural. Nash moved his hands gingerly to touch his arm, transfixed by the feeling of skin and scale. His skin was cooler, but surprisingly soft almost. It felt sort of nice against his hand.


"Wow," He breathed, "You're incredible. I can't believe you can understand me. Do you live in a colony, or are you solitary?" He tried to remember any myths he had read about mermaids but not many came to mind. He did find Kai's voice pleasingly melodic though, and he liked to listen to it. He had no idea how anyone could see someone like Kai and decide to harm him in any way, especially for something as material as money. What would the hunters do if they found him? The thought of that ever happening made Nash strongly uneasy.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Looking to the other as he seemed surprised and cautiously reached out to touch him, Kai smiled, able to tell he had made the right choice and offering the other. It was a bit weird, someone wanting to simply touch him. It wasn't like his kind, or humans asked to touch another human. Though Kai could understand why...seeing the way the human was crouching low on human legs like that, he himself was also fascinated by the human features.


Smiling as he watched the other reaching out and touching his scales and fins, he smiled watching the others fascination with his body. It was a bit awkward, but Kai didn't mind too much, finding the humans curiosity endearing and cute...he'd admit he wanted to see the others legs better, curious about how they worked, how it was to move on two different limbs.


Hearing the others fascination and questions, he felt himself more open towards the other and answering him with ease "Well...our kinds use to interact so often in the past, several centuries ago. It took me a moment to understand your language...." he said before hearing his next question "We live in colonies, for the most part. However we don't always stay together and can travel quite far from each other when we've picked designated living areas. Although due to are diminishing numbers and being hunted, we move around quiet frequently..." he started explaining before he suddenly stopped short. The smile on his face fell as he turned more serious, attention clearly focused on something else. His fin-like ears twitched slightly in the air, hearing the distant approaching of footsteps on the boat, of which a human couldn't hear from here - like Nash. Without explaining himself, knowing whoever's footsteps those belonged to were about to show up, Kai pulled his arm away from the other "I have to go" he said quickly, before disappearing without another word beneath the sea's surface.


About thirty seconds later, one of the men had come up to the deck over to Kai "What are you doing over there, boy? What was that big splash?" he demanded "We thought you'd offed yourself overboard or something" he said in his gruff voice before his eyes fell on the dripping, tangled net they had set in the water, that was now hanging in the air from the bar "What happened with the net?" he demanded.

 

[Red Juliet]

Curious, Nash wondered what their natural language sounded like. He wondered if it was anything like what he had come to know as speech, or if it was more of a sound-based language like dolphins and whales used. He had always been fascinated with the haunting sounds that the large creatures made, sort of like a song. And he wondered what a more human-like creature's natural voice was like. It was a shame he couldn't tell anyone about what he had seen without putting their kind in danger, this would have made a fantastic thesis.


He frowned when Kai quickly disappeared underwater after looking quite distracted. He blinked, trying to battle the disappointment that he probably wouldn't ever see Kai again. But if he was lucky, neither would the hunters. He jumped a bit as he heard the click of the door and the stern voice behind him. Immediately he stood up, still on the other side of the railing as he tried to think of a good excuse. His eyes flickered towards the net, still dripping.


"Ah, it was snagged on something so I pulled it up. But it turned out to just be a large tuna fish so I let it go. Not hunting for tuna, are you?" He smirked, and hoped his lie was enough to cover it. It didn't quite explain what he was doing on the other side of the railing though and he struggled to think of a reason why he was just leaning over the water. Damn, had they seen movement on the radar? Maybe he was lucky and they just decided to check on the net.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Despite having wanted to talk to the human for a bit longer, and even learn more about him, Kai was wiser than that. It was risky enough to let one human spot him and talk to him. Let alone another. He also recalled how the human has said that the other men he was with were the ones who really wanted to find and catch his kind, so, when he heard the footsteps of someone approaching, he didn't risk staying around any longer to be seen, and disappeared beneath the surface, quickly diving deep into the darker depths of the sea so he wouldn't be seen.


The man who had approached on deck to check out what was going on, known as Stein, narrowed his eyes suspiciously on the boy they'd coerced into working along with them, crouched over on the other side of the railing. He listened as he explained about the tuns fish and he scoffed, glancing back to the net before suspiciously back at the male "What are you doing over there, anyways?" he muttered as he walked back over to the net and crank, pulling it back over the deck. He straigtening it out before setting it back up and setting it back out to the sea, letting it sink far into the depths of the ocean.


Sighing, he glanced back over at him, but didn't say another word "Well, make sure you set the net back out when you release it next time" he said, before heading back under the deck and going back to the other men and finishing his lunch, not really caring about the situation anymore if it held nothing of interest regarding what they were really there for.

 

[Red Juliet]

"Oh, er...just enjoying the view a little more closely," He shrugged when asked what he was doing on the outside of the railing. It was sort of a truth." He breathed an internal sigh of relief when the man seemed to buy it. What was his name again, Stein? There were probably nine or so of them on board and he didn't know all of their names. He should probably commit them to memory, in the event he ever saw land again and could alert the authorities. But he doubted that would be anytime soon. He wasn't sure of their exact location, but he knew the closest dock was probably thousands of miles outward.


"Yes," He replied stiffly in regards to the net. It was just going to trap something else and part of him just wanted to saw the rope, but he knew better than that. He couldn't do it, not yet. Not while he would be putting his sister's life on the line by disobeying them. He just hoped that the coast guard caught them at some point. But they probably had ways around that as well, he thought bitterly.


He carefully pulled himself back through the railing onto the other side and sighed. His music was still playing but he found it brought him no comfort, so he stopped it and set the headphones aside. His stomach growled and he realized he hadn't eaten in nearly twenty-four hours. It would have been nice if they had at least tossed him a sandwich. Assholes. He stared at the water again, wondering if Kai was still there or if he had moved away. Swimming far away was the safest option.

Spoiler

I can play a merman as well, to pull the plot through when they're apart. Maybe a friend or concerned party?

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Spoiler

That could work when we need it. I'm not sure how to fill the time between when their apart. I'm also thinking Kai could somehow break the net lose from the ship, and it ends up backfiring on him, and makes the men on board have more reason to believe there are merpeople in that area, since they think it didn't happen by accident and only an intelligent creature could unhinge it and all.

Having swum far into the depths of the ocean, though still in the general area of the boat, he glanced up at the ship where he had met the human, curious. He wanted to talk to him again. That much he found himself yearning for. He was such an interesting human...and once that seemed entirely friendly. He smiled to himself in thought as he made sure to keep his distance from the boat, however, he noticed something familiar floating down in the distance, and he glared in recognition - it was that damned net.


Hesitating, he wanted to cut it entirely lose from the ship - maybe he'd get lucky and it was their only one. Though he doubted that...humans could be just as smart as themselves, too. Sighing, he knew he couldn't get close to the net again, at least not until he had a sharper object than what he had last time he tried cutting it. It was a different type of material, of which Kai was unfamiliar with and didn't cut like other rope nettings he'd encountered previously.

 

[Red Juliet]

He didn't want any of the hunters to discover the colonies, or a single one of the merpeople. Nash pushed a hand through his brightly-colored bangs and moved them from his eyes and he sighed. He was starting to lose track of the days on the boat. Granted, he had his journal but it still wasn't quite enough to keep him grounded. His cell had limited to no service, there was no way to contact his friends or family. He looked over at the stupid net and wished he could just unhinge the thing. How could he do it without them noticing?


Nash opened the toolbox on board and pulled out the clippers designed to release the net in emergencies, such as if it got caught on something on the sea floor and couldn't be pulled back up. He entertained the idea for a moment, but eventually sighed and gave the idea up as wishful thinking. There had to be a better way. Maybe he could will the net to get caught on something. The loud blaring of the weather radio caught his attention, and he made his way back downstairs and inside to listen to what was being said.


Apparently, there was a pretty big storm headed their way. Wonderful. If they kept him locked on deck he was going to get soaked, possibly struck by lightning. No one was in the control room at the moment, so he slipped inside to check on the radar. It remained steadily searching the sea floor, mechanically thorough. It would pick up on any large grouping of marine life, and while one anomaly might not draw their attention, a gathering might.


(I moved our OOC to the tab)

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Over the past days Kai had been keeping track on the boat where he'd met that human before. He wanted to talk to him again, but didn't want to risk the other people on that board seeing him. Despite better judgements from his friends and his own logical mind, he swam closer to the ship, his curiosity to see the boy again getting the better of him. He swam up to the edge of the ship, only his eyes above the surface of the ocean with his aquatic ears listening. There wasn't anyone on deck. He frowned, wishing he could have met the male again, and wondered where he was. Because it was a ship, and not a boat, he couldn't exactly see over onto the deck.


He pouted a bit to himself wondering if there was a way to get Nash's attention without the other men. He couldn't find one, so he settled for swimming around the boat, out of sight. He was curious as to why it was still here though. A huge storm was supposed to be coming in soon. And while Kai didn't have a radio to tell him that, living in the sea, he could tell by the change in more rapid and angry currents. He didn't think humans would be okay in storm, at least, not on deck and open to the weather...well, he supposed that was why no one was on deck now.


Upon further inspection, he could tell that the net was actually even up this time. He suspected probably to keep it from getting caught on anything and causing them trouble in the middle of the storm. It didn't take long for it to come in either, and the rain started pouring down with a strong gust of wind.

 

[Red Juliet]

Nash had seen a lot more of the crew than he had prior, and they were all running around in a hurry, without bothering to even acknowledge him. He had come to realize that not all of them were hunters, and he could bet that a number of them had been forced to take the ship out under the same coercion that he had been subjected to. He still could estimate the number of hunters on board to about nine, no more than twelve. Out of all of them, Elle had been the only one to bother making sure he got fed and didn't fall off the ship.


He felt sort of like a plant that was just barely receiving basic care requirements, ignored on the window sill until suddenly the owner remembered that they did indeed own a plant and should probably water it before it died. His journal was the only possession they hadn't taken from him, and he kept track of the days by writing something down each night before he went to sleep. He kept a small sketch of Kai underneath the paper flap on the back of the journal so if they ever did decide to confiscate it, they wouldn't be able to see that. And he kept the book neatly tucked underneath the thin mattress upon his cot.


The sky was darkening, and the waves were getting larger. He had gotten better at walking around the ship without stumbling, 'sea legs' they called it, but the constant lurching and rocking of the boat made walking nearly impossible, and even the crew struggled to stand upright. The order had been given to pull out the nets and get ready for the storm. The deck was even worse than the interior of the ship, soaking wet and tilting dangerously from side to side as the waves continued to rock it. In the distance, lightning flashed.


Nash could barely stand, shoes slipping on the soaking wet deck, hands sliding on the slippery railing. The rain plastered his hair to his face, and he could barely see through the splashing of the sea mist clouding his vision. The nets were being pulled out one by one, and he made his way to the nearest crane to pull at the crank. It was nearly impossible to steady himself and pull up the net, especially with the weight of the water working against them. Another wave hit the side of the ship and poured overboard, his hands slipped free of the crank and the rushing of water pushed him towards the edge of the ship. There was a moment of weightlessness, panic, and then he hit the water.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Noticing the incoming of the storm, Kai knew he had to get away from the ship and find himself son cover. Just because above the surface seemed worse than beneath, it didn't mean it was. They currents were incredibly strong, and if Kai wasn't careful, and was too close to the surface, a gusting wave could catch him up in its current. And despite being a strong swimmer, and having more strength than small fish to swim in currents, that didn't mean he was safe. And with a ship, it was twice as dangerous, as a current could catch him up in a wave and slam him into the side of the rocking ship.


As he was distancing himself from the ship, however, he partially worried for Nash and hoped he would be alright during this storm. With the human on his mind, he happened to glance back in the direction if the rocking ship. As he happened to do that, he noticed something unusual in the water. Stopping in his track, he focuse his vision on the figure before realiZing it was a human, and he caught a glimpse of familiar teal strands of hair.


His eyes widened, and despite enter instincts to swim away from the ship, he swam through the currents - albeit, struggling, and knew he recognized the man when he got closer - it was Nash. Knowing there was no way a human could swim through these currents. Swimming up next to him, he grabbed onto him, wrapping an arm around his torso and, despite the risk, swam towards the surface so the other could breath.

 

[Red Juliet]

Hitting the water physically hurt, and it knocked the wind out of his lungs. Nash opened his eyes in panic, having no idea what he was supposed to do. He was underwater and he struggled to move, arms desperately trying to push him, but the current dragging him under, the force of the waves pushing and tossing him around until he couldn't tell which side was up. Everything was dark, and all he could see was water everywhere. His body, unable to hold his breath any longer involuntarily breathed. Water was filling his lungs and it burned like hell, and the panic caused his chest and throat to seize up.


But he felt something strong holding him, even in his panic he realized that he was moving. Someone...someone was pulling him towards the surface. When they breached, and it wasn't water he was breathing in but oxygen, he started coughing and struggling to take in as much air as possible. It was then he was able to see who had pulled him from the current, his hands holding on like a last bit of hope dangled before him.


"Kai..." His voice was hoarse and quiet amongst the roar of the waves and wind, his eyes still full of panic. Despite the rush of adrenaline shaking his body, he was slowly starting to piece together what had happened. Two thoughts occurred to him simultaneously: they were still in the middle of the strong currents and impossibly large waves, and if anyone happened to see Kai his secret would be no more and he would be put in danger.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Holding onto Nash tightly, Kai desperately swam to the stave of the ocean despite the personal risk, not only by being seen, however the currents as well. With one of his arms hooked around Nash's chest and just under his arms, he pulled him up towards the surface where they finally broke through.


As the other started violently coughing and gasping for air, Kai looked to him worriedly "are you okay?" He asked softly and worriedly "you guys shouldn't even still be out here with a storm this strong, it isn't safe" he said as he turned his attention back to the ship. He doubted anyone was paying any attention to merpeople at the moment and likely wouldn't notice him.


"Can you swim?" He asked, before stuggling to not be pulled by a large wave. He couldn't get close to the ship without endangering himself, but knew Nash wouldn't be able to stay afloat in these waves, even if he knew how to swim. Looking at the ship for some answer, he saw a ladder on the side of the ship.


Drowning, he knew he shouldn't get that close to the ships side, but he was determined to help Nash. "I'll get you to that ladder" he said "can you hold your breath again? Just tug on my arm if you can't hold it any longer" he said, making sure the other was ready before diving back under water, where it would be easier for him to swim than above water. He struggled through the currents as he got closer to the ship. However he was knocked off guard by a wave, but just before the wave slammed him against the side of the ship underwater, he had held Nash to his chest protectively before his back painfully collided against the ship, wincing and gritting his teeth at the pain where his fins along his spine got crushed from the impact. He pushed through it, before rounding to the side where the metal ladder was.

 

[Red Juliet]

The turbulent waters of the ocean matched Nash's turmoil of internal thoughts, mostly panic and desperation, but relief and gratitude that Kai had been there, had seen him, and had gone to the trouble and risk of pulling him to the surface. He managed a weak smile at the small rebuke. "Wish I had a say in what we do at all," he answered, voice still hoarse and raw from the salt water and the involuntary spasms.


"No, I-I can't..." He shook his head when asked if he could swim, but realized that maybe the gesture was uniquely human. Still, he felt vaguely ashamed that he couldn't swim, like it was a skill that should have been second nature. Especially since Kai looked so graceful and natural under the water. He had just never been able to learn, for some reason the panic overwhelmed him and he couldn't listen to the instructions.


But the ladder was a good idea. He nodded, and when they went underwater he opened his eyes. His heart was still beating rapidly, but he trusted Kai to not let him go underwater. The currents were strong, dangerously strong, he could feel them working against them. When the water pushed and pulled them violently towards the ship, he felt Kai take the impact hard. Concern flashed across Nash's face as he looked over his shoulder, but it was too hard to see in the stormy water and before he knew it they had reached the ship's ladder. He latched on tightly, knuckles turning white to prevent himself from slipping. "Kai!" He tried to call through the storm, "Are you alright?"

Spoiler

Ugh going to be slow replying...work is killing me.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Spoiler

OMIGOSHHH I'VE MISSED YOUUUU!!!! xD It's okay, I understand work and life can get busy sometimes, no worries. I'm glad you're back though ^^

Kai pushed through the pain shooting through his back, and managed to swim up to the ladder, where he helped Nash grab onto the ladder, staying close just in case because he could see how slippery the wet metal had become, especially so, now with waves constantly splashing over the ladder again. When the other turned to ask about his own wellbeing, he smiled a bit weakly "I am fine, please do not worry" he said, putting one hand on the ladder bar to stead himself and keep the waves from pushing him back against the ship again.


"Please get back on board and be safe" he called to the other. He was worried that the other would fall overboard again "I need to head back....so please don't fall over again, okay??" he called to the other with a worried expression. He really shouldn't even be out in a storm like this, regardless if he lived in the sea or not, storms weren't safe to be swimming around in. The currents could sweep up some of the strongest sea creature swimmers and render them along in currents, completely lost and not knowing where they end up.


Once making sure the other got on board and was safe, Kai was a bit relieved. But despite his back killing him, he knew he had to leave, and get deeper underwater, somewhere safer. Holding onto the railing, he took a lung and dove deep into the sea, swimming through the currents, albeit with struggle. It was hard too, especially with some of the fins along his spine weak form the previous impact, one even torn slightly, but with some effort and struggle, he managed to make it somewhere safe to wait out the storm.

 

[Red Juliet]

Spoiler

I'm sorry! I missed this too. x-x It should be better now that the deadlines are over for the moment. I can reply more frequently instead of like, only on the weekends. D: Adulthood and work is so awful.

Nash gripped the ladder tightly and concern flashed across his face. He really wished he could see the damage just to make sure but he couldn't in this storm and it was dangerous for them both to be out here in the waves. The longer Kai was exposed, the greater the risk of anyone on board seeing him as well. Nash nodded, "Alright...come back by later tonight?"


It probably should have been strange, that he was communicating with a merman like he would a human and asking to see him again. But he was fascinated and incredibly grateful to Kai and he wanted to properly address his thanks instead of just through a hurried parting. He made his way slowly back up the ladder and after what felt like an eternity, back on deck. Everyone had gone inside. Either they forgot about him or they figured he was as good as dead.


Nice to know they think so much of me. Nash thought wryly.


He used the rail to guide him and headed back inside and to the lower decks where it was dry and safe. He slipped to the floor and leaned against the door, completely exhausted. His lungs burned and it still felt like his chest was on fire. He pulled his legs closer to his chest and shivered, too exhausted to move.