Aquata Cove - Chapter 29
Aquata Cove Chapter 29: Rainy Day Atarah smiled as she waded in the crystal clear waters of her river under the darkness of the night sky. A few balls of glowing flames illuminated the air like small, magical lanterns as she bathed in the cool of the water. She raised her arms up slowly as she gazed up at the half moon, while inhaling her raspy voice. The water around her began to rise, leaving the river and levitating up into the air and rippling around her in swirling tendrils. The water flew and sailed in thin veils around her as she sewn her magic into the water as well as the air. She senses something big is coming, so she is requesting clarification from that of the moon. The mobile water swam through the air, and into the Will-O-The-Wisps in order to douse them for their light. The floating water started glowing as it extinguished the wisps and bringing their faint illumination up. Atarah held her hands out and held them open as she moved them up to the moon, while elevating the glowing water up to her view of the moon. From her point of view, the glowing water rose up and reformed on the dark-side of the moon, as if filling the moon in the sky with its missing space, and forming the complete white orb. Atarah closed her eyes as she drank in both the light of the moon and the light of the water-wisps. Her whole head felt a pleasant chill as coolness washed into her senses from her exposure of the lunar glow. She suddenly tensed and grunted as she let the water splash right back down into the river. The river itself gave off a faint glow, before the luminescence gradually gathered into individual clusters of light, and slowly rising out of the river without disturbing the surface of the water, reforming into Will-O-Wisps again. "... A storm ees coming..." She mumbled. She duck into the water, and swam back towards the hut, where she pulled herself onto the wood-plank dock, dangling her legs over it, still dripping wet. ~~~~~~ VVVVVVRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMM Adam's motorbike rode under the old bronze seahorses at the entrance of the pier. As he rode, he noticed that the place is completely deserted. None of the shops are open, there's no one walking on the docks, every window and door is clasped shut closed down with heavy metal bars and panels. "Hmmm... Where is everybody?" Adam wondered to himself in the loud motorcycle rumbling. It's currently overcast - the sky is excessively thick with grey clouds. It's still 9 in the morning, but it still looks a little dark out.
He rode up to the Fish House, and dismounted his vehicle to examine the huge chain links that had sealed the doors shut, tightly. "Even the Captain's gone?" Adam asked as he felt at the heavy lock, "What's going on? It'd be nice if he would figure out email and such." "Adahm?" Adam turned his head to see Belinda walking up to him, wearing a drafty blouse and her usual accessory collection of bait tackle for jewelry, "I tought I heard your motacycul coming." "Hey Belinda. Hey, you have any idea why the pier is so empty today? We're like, literally the only ones out here." "A hurrycane es coming," She said, "A beeg one." "A hurricane? This is the first I've heard of it." "Do you not observe teh human news, Adahm??" She said as she lightly smacked his head, "Herald watches et every sun for teh weader. Dey say a beeg storm is coming!" "So then, what are YOU doing here?" He asked. "I am sealing my spot so no wata and weend get in dere and mess tings up..." Belinda pondered for a moment, then looked back up at Adam, "Adahm, do you know what ees a Sea Spot? Your Merreck said it once last week." "It's something he made up for his sister," Adam answered, "One time, his sister was trying to take a bag full of shells with her before they left, but when she couldn't lift it, he made up the Sea Spot; I small place where a merperson resides in, bring in stuff they collect around the migration and stuff; kinda like your little space in the rocks, or a human's bedroom," He explained, "It was something to say to keep her from crying." "Makes sense," Belinda said. "Well if a storm's headed over here, I better head home. You need a ride back to Herald's place?" "No, I no need ride. I need sealing my spot now." "Alright. See you later," Adam said as he put on his helmet, mounted his motorbike, and rumbled away from the Fish House while Belinda walked over to the rocks. ~~~~~~ "Hhgghh!" Jamal grunted as he carried a box into an apartment building. Nicholas walked out a door, and smiling as he looked at Jamal's behind in those tight jeans while he walked. The Latino went to the moving truck, and went to retrieve another box. Jamal came up behind him, and slapped Nick in the tush. He giggled as he felt that strong hand grope him. "You sure you don't wanna move in with me?" Nick said as he faced the black man, "Kinda got used to... Paying rent for you~" He said with a wink. Jamal smirked as he ground his crotch with the other. "Naw, I gotta stick with Adam. But I can visit, yo. I can visit a lot." Both men grinned as they continued to pick up the boxes, and take them into the new apartment. The wind is really kicking up at them. ~~~~~~ Yuri smiles as everyone on the plane got up, and began to shuffle for their luggage, before proceeding to file out. She probably shouldn't have gone on vacation like this. What with being a medical student as well as an intern, taking a week and a half to go to Japan with her parents just seems so extravagant. Heck, she's been in America for so long, she wonders if her Japanese is still good - she's lived there for so long, she doesn't really have an accent, while her parents still retain a bit of pronunciation of their heritage. "Yuri wa, soredewa ikimashou," Yuri's father said. She nodded and started to get up. "Hai, papa," She said as she got up, and took her old white and gold koi duffle. Yuri, and her mother and father steadily made it off the plane, and took the rest of their luggage, before looking for a certain old couple. Yuri's dark eyes lit up, as she tugged at her mom's sleeve, "Mama, Karera ga arimasu. Obachan! Ojisan! Sa, tsuita yo!" She called out to them. They looked, and exchanged formal greetings. Yuri dug in her duffle, and withdrew two, very beautiful shells - she had asked Merrick to find some small, exotic shells to give as a present to her grandparents went they arrived. They looked in awe at the glittering sea shells, before going into a car, and driving off from the airport. After a while, Yuri's grandmother looked over her shoulder, and looked at her granddaughter with amused eyes. "Yuriii~" She said, looking rather sly, "Hiroki Ryojin wa, anata ni ?ku no koto o minogashita" Yuri looked up, looking rather sheepish, "Kare wa, dekirudakehayaku o ai shitai to omoimasu to iimasu. Anata wa mada kare o oboete, anata ga inai nodesu ka?" The light blush on her cheeks made her grandmother laugh softly. "O - mochiron watashi wa kare o oboete iru," She replied a little hastily, feeling her face turn a little hot, "Watashi wa mata, korera subete no toshi, kare o minogashite iru," She then looked aside, and smiled, "Dono y? ni kodomo no koro no shinsui o wasurete imasu ka?" Yuri muttered as she looked longingly out the window. ~~~~~~ The rain harshly pounds at the windows. Merrick is bundled up in a blanket on the couch while Adam stirs some hot chocolate in couple of mugs. "Wow, it's really coming down." Adam said a he looked out the window. The rain is swiping at the outside, he had to put a tarp over his motorcycle, but he's not even sure if that'll do any good. "I haven't seen the weather this harsh and ravenous in a long time," Merrick said, rotating the PS3 controller, trying to figure out how to use it; Adam said they were going to watch some stuff on this thing called Netflix, which he doesn't really understand, as they don't have any kind of net right now. Adam came in, with a bag of marshmallows, and two steaming mugs, "So what do you think? Anyone in particular involved with this storm?" He asked as he sat down next to Merrick and put the mugs down. "Hard to say," Merrick said, "Either this is a natural cause, or someone REALLY pissed off a Noita." "I thought you said Noitas are kind and gentle," Adam said as he put in a couple of marshmallows into a mug. "No, I only said that about my Mother. Everyone's different, you know that." "Yeah. Though what about Charybdis? One of the merfolk Guardians? You think that could be making this storm?" "No, Guardian Charybdis makes whirlpools, and that's when it's really mad." "I'm just wondering because it's going wild out there. I mean, would you listen to THAT??" Adam said as he held his hand out over to the door. "You said the humans saw this coming, right?" Merrick asked. "Yeah. Belinda said Herald saw it on the news. And when I got to the pier, no one but her was there." "If humans detected it, that means this storm is probably natural. If a Noita was behind this, the humans would never see it coming until the last minute." "Here," Adam said as he held the mug to Merrick, which he took. "Ooh, it's so hot!" He said as he felt the very warm mug. "And that's just the cup," Adam said, "Be careful when you drink it, it's really hot." He said before he carefully sipped from his mug. ~~~~~~ As the rain poured on and soaked the majority of the pier, the white and peach mermaid as just burned in one last mark around the entrance of her Sea Spot. A wall of clearness, a consistency similar to that of plastic, flashed from the scorch marks, and morphed over the large crack into the rocks, shielding internal cavern in a mystical container. "Now to go home..." She said as she traced her fingers over her head, and commanded the water to leave her body. At first, the top of her head dried out to her pink hair, but suddenly, it turned tight back into scales and fins. "What??" She tried to take the water off again, but once more, she wouldn't turn human again. She hissed annoyingly as she looked up at the weeping sky. "Shentra." She muttered angrily before turning, and pulling herself from the saturated sand, and into the sea. ~~~~~~ "And that's the last box!" Jamal shouted as he rushed in, and quickly slammed the door. He is soaking wet, from him and Nick rushing to take the boxes into the apartment. "Ah man, lookit us, man!" Nick said as he peeled off his heavily soaked shirt, "Dammit, it's raining for hard out there!" "Yeah, you ain't neva lyin'," Jamal said as he huffed and taking off is own shirt. Nick couldn't help but look over Jamal's upper body. He looked over that those firm smooth pecs, those dark, juicy nipples, his tender-soft abs. "Thanks again for helping me, Jamal~" Nick said as he came up to the darker male. Jamal smiled at him as he advanced toward him. "No prob, lil Nicky." He said with a grin as those tan hands went to his pants, feeling along the trims. "I have... No idea how I could repay you..." Nick said as he inserted his hands into Jamal's jeans, and smiled wide as he discovered that Jamal went Commando. "Really," Jamal said as he flexed his pecs as he felt those tender, chilled hands move to rub and grope his meaty, smooth black ass, "Caused I can think of a few things you can do~" He said as he put his hands onto Nick's shoulders. "Yeah~?" Nick asked with a cute grin as he dug his hands into Jamal's nether regions, feeling that his larger friend is half hard already. "Yeah..." Jamal said lowly as he pulled Nick up against him, "Adam said you got an Albert down there... How's it feel when you get down, huh?" "Hmhmhmhm~" Nick giggled as one of Jamal's hands went down and groped his crotch, "Lets find out, Black Beauty~" He said as he took Jamal's hand, and led him into the bedroom. ~~~~~~ In a room with a few picturesque scrolls hung on the wall, a bonsai tree in each corner of the room, there are five people lined up along each wall, all of them sitting formally on their legs, all of them wearing formal kimonos with various designs printed on the fabric. Yuri is wearing such a kimono - a white one with pink-white lotus designs along it, with a jeweled butterfly keeping her hair in a formal bun on the top of her head. She is sitting between her mother and father, and her grandparents on either side of them. Everyone in the room looks forward in front of them without a word, with light music playing in the background. They are at a small table with five napkins on each table with, with a decorative wagashi sweet on each one. Behind a small table in front of Yuri and her family members, is an elderly woman pouring hot water from a cup with a long thin handle, before tapping it deliberately twice upon a teacup with green powder into it. She carefully placed the cup in its right place. She then took a small whisk-like tool, began to stir the water and tea powder until it was mixed well. She picked up the cup, and turned it counter-clockwise three times, before handing it to Yuri's grandfather. The woman did the same thing four more times, so Yuri and soon had her cup of green tea. They turned their cups clockwise three times, before bringing it to their lips. They sipped once, twice, and on the third sip, they slurped quietly, before setting the cups down. After a quaint ceremony, Yuri watched the sunset on the bridge over a Zen sand garden just as she walked, she could hear someone approach her from behind, "Sumi masen." She turned around, and saw a young man in a navy blue kimono with white calligraphy outlines of cranes printed on. He is no older than Yuri, maybe even a year younger than her, with very short black hair, with subtle characteristics of his Chinese origins in contrast of his Japanese home. He bowed formally to her as he greeted her. "Konichiway, Umiyama Yuri. Wareware wa saigo no Yuri-chan, attanode, sore wa ?ku no toshi ni narimasu. Watashi wa anata no taib? no h?mon de k?eidesu. Anata wa watashitachi ga wakareta hi no y? ni utsukush?desu." He said with a bow. Yuri smiled and chuckled. "No need to be so formal for me, Ryojin. How is your English?" She asked. The male smiled and chuckled nervously. "Still no as good as I rdike," He said with his accent, "Prdease, speak it so I may practice?" "Heheh, sure, Ryo." Yuri said as they walked together, along the bridge. Yuri's grandmother smiled and chuckled as she watched her granddaughter walk with that young man. ~~~~~~ "A-Are you sure this house will hold, Adam?" Merrick asked timidly as he looked out at the raging storm outside, "The hurricane is getting worse outside." "Yes, Merrick. My grandparents have been through worse things like this through the years. When my great-great grandparents built this house, they made sure it was sturdy enough to withstand a heavy storm just like this. My grandparents made renovations on it to strengthen it, and just last month, I had the house toughened up to keep up its maintenance." "Adam, what ARE grandparents? And why are they called 'great-great'?" Merrick asked curiously. "Grandparents are the mother and father of your parent's, or mine. My grandparents who used to own this house were my mom's parents, my dad's parents have..." He sighed, "Well, they've already died." Merrick gasped softly. "Oh Adam, I'm so sorry!" "It's ok, Merrick, I'm not sad or anything. I never really met them; or I did, but I was a baby, so I wouldn't remember," He said as he got up to put the hot chocolate mugs into the sink, and walk back to the couch, "Have you any grandparents, Merrick?" "I met my Mother's mother and father once. It was interesting to meet them, but it didn't feel like anything formal or something. My Father's father and mother... I never met them. His mother was killed by pirates, and his father died shortly after, I'm not sure exactly how - I never thought to ask." "Well, to answer your original question," Adam said as he smiled and cuddled with his lover, "Yes, we're perfectly safe in here. I just wonder how everyone else is doing. Jamal said he's going to help Nick move in."
"And where's Yuri again?" "She's visiting her relatives in Japan - she's fine, whatever she's doing." "Ok..." Merrick snuggled up against Adam under the blanket on the couch. The electricity is out, so this is pretty much all they can do for the moment - not that they really mind. ~~~~~~ Herald paces back and forth. Belinda said she was just going to protect her hiding spot at the pier, and then she'd head straight back home. It was supposed to take an hour or so it get back, and it's been almost two hours. "Where IS she???" He wondered aloud, getting worried sick about that mermaid. Does it take THAT long to block out a bunch of rocks? Or did she get caught up in the storm?? He looked outside, and whimpered as he saw the rain practically cascade from the sky. What if she can't dry up?? Then she won't have legs and she can't reach his apartment at all! He lives on a 3rd story apartment for God's sake! If she's still in her true form, she can't get up here! What if someone sees her and then the word will get out that merpeople actually exist! He has to go find her immediately! Herald immediately went to his closet, and put on his thick, rubber overalls, a heavy waterproof coat, a wide hat rubber hat, and a pair of goggles. Armored to brave the elements, Herald marched to his door, and flung it open. He gasped down as he saw the large white and peach humanoid snake at his doorstep, having must have crawled her way up here, with everything being at least a two inches of water rushing through everything. "BERLINA!" Herald said, his voice muffled by his suit. The mermaid gasped as she looked up, and hissed viciously at the man. She flashed her claws, webbed at him. Tendrils of water suddenly shot at him, and threw him to the floor, "URMM!" He grunted as the water held him down as the sea snake mermaid hissed and slithered onto him. She put her hand onto his neck and flicked her thick, forked tongue at him. "Who ISSSS you, and where have you put teh human who leeve here?!" Belinda demanded, "Tell me! Or you die here!!" ~~~~~~ "Ay dios mio! Ohh! Ahhhh! AAwwww fuck!" Nick moaned as he felt Jamal's thick, hard cock drive into him. "Yeah, you take it, bitch," Jamal growled as his large, dark, naked body held above the other. Nick's hands clung onto his broad back as his legs held tight around his waist. Jamal slapped his pelvis hard against Nick's ass as his huge rod dove in and out of the Latino's hot, tight hole. "Oh fuck, harder~! Harder!" "Yeah? You want it hard? You want it hard??" Jamal said as he then began to rapidly pummel into Nick's ass! He moaned uncontrollably under the black man as he felt his anus get punished for goading him on. "Oh so close!" Nick yelled as precum drool all over his Prince Albert, "Oh fuck, you're so big!!" "Cum for my, lil bitch!" Jamal said as he quickly pummeled into Nick's ass, "I wanna see you paint yo self!" "Oh, fuck!" Nick moaned out, "I'm cummi-! Oh baby, I'm cumming! I'm cummi-" CRASH!!! Suddenly, both hot, sweaty males felt a rampart of freezing air hit them! "AHH! What the hell?!" Jamal shouted as they began to feel biting rain hit their bodies. "Ahh shit!" Nick yelled as the howling wind raged into the apartment. Jamal pulled his dick out of Nick's ass and staggered up. "FUCK, WE GOTTA GO!!" Jamal yelled as he scrambled for his clothes. "DAMMIT!" Nick replied as he too struggled for his things too. Both men hurried to get dressed, and get out, while the walls around the apartment continued to fall and fly apart from the ensuing storm. They managaged to grab a few things, before jumping to Nick's car, leaving the moving truck behind, and driving off to find safe shelter - even riding a car in this weather is too dangerous to due at this time. ~~~~~~ "My studies are going great, I've even began working at the hospital as an intern," Yuri said, as she and Ryojin walked along the garden in the orange twilight of dusk, "But it's gotten me really busy since then." "And ahr you still libing wiz deh men, Adam and Jamal?" Ryojin asked. "Yeah, we still get along. Jamal's still an incurable sex maniac, but Adam's boyfriend is now living with us too!" She said. "A-Adam prefers men?" He asked, a little taken aback. Yuri chuckled as they went. "Yes. I swear, sometimes, I wish we could have a female roommate, I'm always surrounded by guys. Adam said he's ok with it so long as I can get the money to pay for installing a new room in the house," Ryojin laughed softly with her, "I'm THIS close to taking him up on that and saving up!" "Yuri..." Ryojin said, "Zere's... Someting I been wanting to say... A long time..." He said nervously as he sat down on a bench next to a tree, before a nearby lantern lit up. Yuri looked curiously at him. "Huh?" She sat down next to him, "What is it? Is something wrong?" "No... Well... Maybe... I... I been wanting to live in America..." "Oh that's great! We should totally hang out if you do move!" "Wait, Yuri, I..." He sighed, and looked at her, "Is it ok if I don't a speak in English?" "Sure, go ahead." "O-k..." He took a deep breath, and began, "Watashi wa kagetsuinai ni Amerika ni kuru koto o keikaku shi, soshite watashi no im?to wa, osoraku watashitoisshoni kuru koto o okonatte iru - watashinohaha wa k?kan ry?gakusei to shite, kanojo no ny?gaku o kangaete ita..." Ryojin shifted in his seat. "That's cool," Yuri replied, speaking in English, "You're sister is 12, right? We can help you two find a place-" "Yuri, zat's ze zing..." Ryojin interjected, "... Is... REAL hard to say..." "It's ok, Ryojin," Yuri said, "What is it?" Ryojin sighed, and looked to her, "Yuri... Osoraku, hy?ji sa rete inai... Anatatowatashi wa watashitachi ga kodomodatta irai, y?jindatta... Shikashi... Shibaraku... Watashi wa..." "Ryojin?" "Boku wa..." He then took Yuri's hand with his, "Boku wa, tomodachi ij? ni naritai." Yuri gasped lightly, feeling a tingle play across her face. Quite frankly, she didn't know what to say. "I... I have to... I need a moment," Yuri got up, and bowed to him, "Sumimasen." With that, she went away. Ryojin sighed, and looked down as he leaned forward. ~~~~~~ "I is sorry, Herald," Belinda said as she coiled herself around her man, "Is tought you were intruder." "Heh, well," He said, after having stripped off all of that raingear off, "I thought something had happened to you." He smiled, as he wore nothing but his boxershorts as he felt Belinda's firm, thick, scaly body around him. "No. Teh rain would no stop, so I could no have legs. I hat to swim around teh dock, and crawl up here." "See, THIS is why you should have a cellphone, babe," He said as he can already feel a boner coming on from feeling that smooth snake body slither slowly over and on him, "So I can pick you right up." "Iss ok..." She hissed. "Mmmm... How are you still a snake right now, by the way? I thought I toweled you off?" "You like me dis way..." Belinda said, "So I remain..." "Mmmmm~" Herald murred - it's true, for some reason, feeling Belinda's long tail wrap around his body is a huge turn-on. He smiled as she fondled the tent in his shorts, "You may have to change into human form soon though..." "When I feel like it..." Belinda hissed with a grin. "Oh I love you..." Herald said as he let Belinda roll him around. ~~~~~~ Adam slowly woke up, and almost immediately noticed that instead of a raging montage of rain hitting the windows, there is the faint chirping of birds, plus he can make out a weak yellow light on the outside. He and Merrick are still curled up on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. "Mmmmm" Merrick slowly moved away from Adam, and stretched on the couch. Adam smiled as Merrick shook and grunted as he held out his arms, and then went limb. "Raarrr~" Just then, Roxas hopped onto Merrick's back. The merman giggled as he felt those paws walk down on his backside, before Adam picked up the cat, and got himself up. "Huh," Adam smiled as he pet the orange feline "Looks like we slept through it," "Mm, good," Merrick said as he turned himself around on the couch, pushing the blanket off the couch with his feet so Adam can get a good view of his naked form, "Wanna start the day, Addy~?" "Sure," Adam said as he put Roxas down, "Lets check the damage outside." Merrick huffed with a snirk, before he got up, and followed him. As soon as Adam opened the door, Roxas trotted out, and ran about. He went over to a small fish, sniffing it, and biting into it, and carrying it off. "Whoa..." Adam said as he saw the driftwood logs that were placed around the house are now blown over, some are half broken, some had been shoved against the house, almost half of them carried over to the beach. "Aw man..." He said as he walked around, and seen that Lavi's habitat has been messed up as well. The fence is barely hanging up together, her pond is flooded with none of the feeder fish left, her mudpie is soaked up with the over filled pond, and the lavellen herself is nowhere to be seen, "Looks like Lavi is long gone." "No, I can still sense her, she's just underground. When a storm is coming, lavellen dig themselves in a deep hole, and sleep. Kinda like what WE did." "Heh. Well, come on, waterboy," Adam said, "Time to get this place together." He picked up one of the driftwood branches, and dragged it back into place. "I hope everyone else is ok." Said Merrick as he took a thin log, and dragged it along the sand and gravel. ~~~~~~ "This..." Nick said as he looked over the huge, colossal pile of wreckage that used to be his new apartment, "This is not real..." Almost the whole complex has been demolished by the storm; even the stairs seemed just a tap away from falling apart. "Dang..." Jamal said, hushed, "What happened here..." "What was this place made out of, paper?!" Nick said as he shook his head. He walked over to the mess, and pulled out what looked like a mangled wallet, "Took me months to find a place, and this shit happens." "Is gonna be aight, Nicky," "Everything I had... It was all here..." Nick said as he tossed the wallet aside - it wasn't his, but his wallet is SOMEWHERE in there, "It's lost..." He said blankly as he shook his head again, "I got nothing..." He huffed as he looked over the destroyed apartment buildings, just knowing that all of his boxes of stuff - his clothes, sex toys, food, knick-knacks, items of personal value, all gone. Everything is either soaked or ruined. Then, he felt a pair of strong, black arms drape over his chest, "Hey man..." Jamal muttered lowly, "You got us... You got me... Is gonna be aight..." Nick felt his eyes water up before he turned around and put his face into Jamal's chest. Jamal rubbed Nick's back up and down as the Latino's shoulders shook as his whimpers were muffled. ~~~~~~ Yuri looked over the koi pond, watching the gold, orange, white, and black fish swim around in the small pond, listening to the sound of running water from the small pump that made a small waterfall. The sun has set now, and the sky is a bit darker, so all of the lamps outside have been lit to illuminate the gardens. "Yuri-chan..." She turned, and saw Ryojin come up to her. "Ryo... I thought about what you said-" "Watashi wa ch?do watashi ga m?shiwakearimasenga, iitai," Ryojin said, "Watashi wa anata ga watashinokoto o kanji tari kangaete iru kamo shirenai mono o kangaeta koto ga nai, to watashi wa amarini seiky?datta. Oyurushi kudasai." He said with a formal bow. "Ok, now I need to say something," Yuri said, "And I can only say this in English, so listen closely. "For about 7 years now, I've pretty much kept my life strictly on my education. And, to be perfectly honest, I never really had a boyfriend before. I only kissed a guy twice in my life, I never even went to a school dance. So... Dating would be a first for me, and normally, I'd softly turn down your offer, and just go back to studying what medicine to whatever patient whose sick with some other disease." "Hai..." Ryojin said, "Boku wa wakamashta..." "But," She said as she turned, and took his hand, "Lately, I HAVE been thinking of going on a date... And I'd rather start with someone I know, and someone I can trust..." "Yuri-chan... Ahr you saying..." Ryo said, looking hopeful and excited. "Yes, Ryo," Yuri said with a smile, "I wanna give 'us' a try." Ryojin smiled as they faced each other, and took each other's hands. In the glow of the lanterns, they slowly leaned closer to each other, and kissed each other gently. ~~~~~~ Atarah looked over the swollen river, shaking her head, "What a storm. Ah will have to mend deh mahsh for a mont." For the last couple of hours of the lingering rain, she has been standing around, just feeling the water on her. She sighed as she looked at her legs; it used to scare her to see that she no longer transforms when she gets wet. It used to scare her even more that she can't even remember what species of Amnien she used to be before she died, or changed. There are so many things that she knows, secrets that she has discovered and used to help those who have stumbled upon her river, yet there are so few things she would give anything just to remember the things she has forgotten. "E-Excuse me?" Came a voice. She turned to see a tiger-shark merman coming up to her in the river. "Yees?" "I... I think I'm lost," The Piscien said, "I can't find my pod anywhere... I've been in freshwater for awhile... Can you help me?" Atarah smiled softly; another young merperson coming to her for aid. "My name ees Atarah," She said as she stood up, and held her hand out to him, "I will be happy to halp you find your way, young Piscien."