From Beneath the Waves

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Wandering around human shops was both extremely interesting, and unexpectedly exhausting. There was just so much to see and hear and experience, Korrin wasn't sure what to do with himself. While he enjoyed running around with Olivia, he also worried he would end up a burden to her despite her reassurances. There was just so little he felt like he could contribute, and he would eventually run out of pearls. If she stayed in the seaside home for long he would bring more things from his cave to show her, but for a little while he didn't really need much of it to survive. He missed his bone knife hanging at his side, but Olivia had informed him that carrying weapons was less than normal above water.

Finally, a few days since he had come ashore to spend time with her, he felt brave enough to get back in the water, though not to go home. He would rather spend time with Olivia still, just a bit more in his own element than out of it. Now that he'd gotten more used to the idea of transforming back and forth, they could go more places together than he would have been able to safely travel with fins, and he had remembered her mention of some of the islands nearby. A visit to one couldn't hurt.

"You can take a nap in the boat, if you're tired." Korrin said as he sat on the dock to remove his shoes, having dressed knowing that he would end up removing it all to get in the water rather than walking to the beach half nude. To travel safely with fins in place, they'd had to set off early enough in the morning that the sun hadn't truly started to peak above the horizon yet. "I'll keep the rocking as steady as I can while I push you along." So long as there were no boats around to see them he would be able to use the water to guide her small boat through the water much faster than she could paddle. In the likely event that they ended up returning to shore before the sun set again, he would just have to help her row on the way back so no one saw them traveling too quickly in something so small.
 
The few days Korrin had been staying with her, she'd done her best to make it as fun and relaxing as possible. She knew things were hard for him and he was still unsure of what he wanted to do, so she tried to make it feel like a mini holiday.

"Maybe, I mean I'm used to getting up before dawn to do chores back home, but I'm a bit out of practice." She admitted with a soft laugh, sitting down in the boat with the picnic basket she'd brought along.

"Are you sure I can't help though?" "I feel guilty just relaxing while you're doing all the work yourself."
 
Korrin only gave Olivia a little smile, unbothered by the idea of doing hard work for a little while. "I don't mind. It'll be nice to swim again." It had been days since he'd gotten to swim hard, to really exert himself in the water rather than getting used to walking on feet. And knowing he had company would make it even more enjoyable, even though he knew he would have to be alert for other boats. He was used to that.

When Olivia was ready to turn her back, he finished undressing and dropped down into the water, only popping back up a minute or so later when the transformation was complete with his fins in place and a smile on his face. "Ready? I'll hold the boat still for you." She would keep his clothes in the boat with her where they would stay dry, and when it was safe to do so at the island he would change back so he could walk with her rather than dragging his tail behind him.
 
"Alright then." She said with a smile, turning away so he could finish getting undressed. She was wearing shorts and t-shirt, her swimwear on underneath.

Grabbing his clothes she folded them neatly, making sure they'd stay dry. She smiled and nodded when he popped back up, "yup ready when you are."

It was a little strange seeing him with his fins again, it had been awhile. "I feel pretty fancy being chauffeured." She joked lightly, getting comfortable.
 
Korrin waited until she was settled into the boat to start pushing it carefully away from shore, facing it into the gentle waves coming towards the beach so she wouldn't get rocked side to side. "You deserve to have a rest," he insisted with a little laugh at her tone, pushing her easily along. "My turn to take you somewhere. When we get out a little further, I'll get under the boat so I can go a little faster, so if you need anything you can call my name or put an oar in the water."

He wanted to be able to make sure there were no other boats around first, which there didn't seem to be so early since it wasn't an area fishing boats usually came to. Once he knew they were alone, it would be fine to dive under where his tail could move more freely and pick up the pace.
 
She laughed with him and shook her head a little, "this whole stay is like a rest to me, but alright thanks." It would be nice for him to take the lead, for him to be in a place where he was the one in the know.

"Have you been out this way before?" She asked curiously, keeping an eye out for boats.
 
Korrin nodded a little though she couldn't really see him without twisting around, doing his best not to get water in his mouth purely because he didn't want to have to spit it out to talk. "Sometimes," he said thoughtfully, trying to think of how many times he had been there before he'd found her. "I like to watch the boats, but every once in a while there are people in the water with cameras, so I don't get so close to shore very often."

While he didn't really know how cameras worked, he did know that they could share his image with people, which was obviously bad. Sometimes his curiosity just got the best of him anyway.
 
"It must be a nice spot then." She said thoughtfully, assuming it must be pretty there for people to want to take photos, in the ocean at least.

She grew quiet as she imagined it was difficult for him to answer whilst he was busy, hoping there wouldn't be any boats around this early.

She hadn't expected there to be many if any at all, but if he used to watch them then there must be some. She figured Korrin could get out of sight easily if they did run into one, but she didn't want the hassle to wreck their day out.
 
"I think they were . . . ocean studiers of some sort," he said, unsure if they were anything like what Olivia's mother had been. "Maybe looking for sharks? But sharks don't usually come so close to people and boats. I just see the people from far away and don't come closer."

They were easy to spot, with all their gear and the air bubbles that rose from them even if they were behind any coral or debris on the ocean floor. It was best not to get into range of where they would spot him too.

"I think it's clear this morning, so I'm going to duck down. I'll try to keep it smooth, but maybe hold on to something?" The last thing he wanted was for her to fall out, even if he could just help her back in.
 
"Oh okay, well that makes sense." She wondered if they had known her birth mother, she seemed to have been pretty well known in her specific field.

"I hope you're telling the truth about sharks, i'd rather not be fish food." She joked lightly, though she had to admit she was a little worried too.

"Alright, don't worry I won't fall out again." She laughed a little, she sat crossed legged, the basket in her lap and gripped the sides of the boat tightly.
 
"Oh - don't worry, don't worry," Korrin urged at the worry in her voice, frowning a little at the idea of having frightened her. "If there are any around, I'll scare them off." The bigger ones could be dangerous, but he had faced off against them before and could hold his own. She was perfectly safe in the water with him around.

When she was ready, Korrin ducked down under the water to put his hands on the boat from underneath, freeing himself to swim much harder, with a larger range of motion for his tail. To give them even more speed, after a minute or two of just swimming he used his magic to manipulate some of the water around them to push them along, and to lessen the waves in a small bubble around them so Oivia would have an easier ride. It would take them around half an hour to reach the island, and he was grateful for the ability to just swim and stop thinking for a while.
 
She was reassured by that, though she was still a little nervous. She was very much out of her element out here, and her first experience had not been pleasant.

She had in fact been feeling rather uneasy the further they got from the shore, she knew it was silly, it was a clear day today and there was nothing for her to get tangled in this time but still..

She hadn't let that it show in front of Korrin though, not wanting him to worry. It helped knowing he was here with her though, and not just because of his abilities in the water.
 
After a while of pushing the boat along in relative silence, Korrin began to slow a bit and finally popped up next to it as it drifted forward, putting his hands up on the side of the boat so he could hold himself up a bit better.

"Are you doing all right?" He asked, curious concern in his voice though no true worry. "I didn't want you to get too bored. Is the light too bright?" The sun was barely rising, but it wasn't as if there was shade out on the ocean. She could use the shirt he wasn't wearing to cover herself if she needed to. "I'll just push from here. It shouldn't take much longer, and that way you're not alone."

The island was easily in sight, with the sun only just beginning to showing itself as they got closer. It would be perfectly lit by the time they were ready to walk around.
 
She jumped a little as Korrin resurfaced, having been lost in thought. "Yeah I'm fine, sorry I was just thinking about things." She reassured with a smile, "how're you holding up?"

She had put on sunscreen and brought it and sunglasses along, but it wasn't bright enough to need them yet. "No it's fine, it's nice actually."

"So how does it feel being back in the sea?" She asked gently, "did you miss it?"
 
Korrin shrunk down a little when she jumped, blinking owlishly at her and daring to give just a little smile in response. "Oh- sorry for scaring you." He supposed he should have thought of that, though he couldn't really think of another way to appear that wasn't suddenly.

"It feels good to swim again." He admitted, giving a little rolling motion of his tails to push himself up a bit higher so he could hang with his arms inside the boat, tipping a bit with his weight but not enough to unbalance her. "I've always known the water as my home, so I'm . . . comfortable here." His brow furrowed a little, thoughtfully. "Physically, I guess. . . I still don't know what to think about going home."

He might be okay going to his cave, perhaps, where things would feel lonely but familiar. But going to the pod's territory and anywhere where he'd grown up, that was much more tentative. It still left a sour feeling in his stomach.
 
She shook her head a little, "it's not your fault, I was just off with the fairies for a minute." She said with a sheepish sort of smile, turning a little to face him.

"That makes sense, and it's a good thing." She said thoughtfully, "I mean no matter what you decide to do, the water will always be a part of you, so will land."

"You don't have to deny one side of yourself to embrace the other." "You can keep a foot in both worlds, like a bridge you know?" She had been looking off into the distance, speaking as if she was alone, thinking out loud.

She suddenly blushed and looked back at him, letting out a little embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, I'm just waffling on, ignore me."
 
Korrin was distracted at first, looking confused at what on earth she meant about fairies, but for a long moment her words struck him to silence. His eyes darted to her, stunned at first and filling with a complex, unquantifiable sort of emotion. It felt like the air had been pulled from his body, hearing in just a few words the feelings that had been making him so conflicted he felt sick at night. Was it possible, to find a life for himself on land without saying goodbye to the sea? Was it okay, not being able to choose between the familiarity and betrayal of one and the terrifyingly vast newness of the other?

When she turned back to him there was moisture gathering in his eyes, and he did his best to rub it away with a hand without making her worry. "N-No, I . . . I like it. . . A bridge." He didn't think his place in life was so very grand as that, some sort of link between the sea and the land, but it soothed some of the ache that had been living in his chest, if only just a little.

"I should keep pushing," he managed with a little shake of his head, and let go of the boat to get behind it once more and guide it along with his head still above water. He wanted to make it to the island before there was too much light, and they were almost there.
 
She caught the way he rubbed his eyes and obviously it was difficult to tell with the water, but the way he was speaking... she was afraid she'd made him cry.

She faced the front, slowly watching the island grow as they drew closer to it. "Hey Korrin?" She asked softly, "I'm sorry if I upset you with what I said."

"I know it's not my place to talk about your business, and I wasn't trying to tell you what to do or anything." "I was just thinking, that it doesn't have to be one or the other, for you..."

She frowned a little in thought, "or for me I guess." "I know our situations are not the same, I just.. I understand feeling pulled in two directions."
 
Korrin was glad for the seawater, simply ducking his head down for a moment as he pushed the boat along to cool the warmth to his skin, the irritation in his eyes. When Olivia spoke again he focused on her voice, eyes a bit wide and panicked at the thought of her making him upset. He hadn't meant to make her feel guilty.

"No, no," he said quickly, with a little shake of his head that she couldn't see, "don't be sorry. . ."

He was quiet, listening to her speak with complicated, confused feelings in his chest. Relief at the idea that he didn't need to choose one place over the other, worry that he had so much to figure out still, and most of all gratitude that she was there to be his friend, to talk to him like he really mattered.

". . . Thank you, Olivia," he said softly after a moment, just breathing and listening to the gentle laps of the ocean waves against the small boat as they went. "I'm . . . I'm really happy you're here to talk to me. . . Do you miss your other home?" He wasn't sure how to help her, since he knew next to nothing of the surface world and wasn't sure what decisions he was going to make himself, but if there was anything he could do to return the favor he would try his best.
 
She was glad he seemed to be okay, the last thing she ever wanted to do was upset him. She smiled a little, touched by his words. "I'm happy I get to talk to you too Korrin."

She was silent for a while as she considered his question, "I do." "I miss my family, my other friends, the animals, the house, the different environment, like the trees and things you know?"

She laughed a little, "I even miss the irritating stuff, like the gross chores or my brothers annoying me." "I guess I miss the familiarity of it too."

"Can i tell you something that might sound a bit dumb?" She asked softly, sounding a bit shy. "I was a bit scared to come here."
 
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