"I wonder... what it's like, on the other side."

A sigh escaped the wet lips of the mermaid lying on the flat rock. She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular- in fact, she was alone. Honestly, the sound of her own voice was there merely to make herself seem less lonely. No one else would have dared come with her to the surface. It was a dangerous place, nowadays. Then again, even if it was dangerous, no one would have come with her anyway...

Kassandra shook herself from the path her thoughts were going to take, and looked outward at the surface of the water. There were large human creations going by- boats and ships full of the dangerous folk, gliding across the water. Some of them she understood the purpose for. Like that one, that was a boat full of warriors, if her memory served. It had a sharp, jutting design, somewhat like a sword. Then there were the massive ships, bright and colorful and full of small rooms. Those were boats that humans took for fun. And then there was... what was that one? It was much smaller than the others, and sort of drab by comparison. "Hm." What if it was something new? She felt the old tug of curiosity gnaw at her belly, and with a little half smile, she decided to sate herself. She carefully rose up, and twisted her body. .With a bit of wriggling, she slid off the rock and into the ocean.

The first thing she did was drop her magic spell, the one keeping her invisible. It was hard to keep that one going and move at the same time, there were too many variables to keep track of. She started toward the boat, her brilliant orange tailfin pedaling her through the water.

Charlie watched from his perch on the rocks, seeing the mermaid appear as she dove into the ocean. His eyes were wide, big and observing her as she moved. He wanted to go to her, talk to her, see if she was friendly.. He never had done before, he'd always been way to shy to do so. Looking at the old, smelly, rotting wooden vessel, trailing a net in the ocean water. He knew she could be caught, and would risk injury or death if she was... Grabbing a sharp rock, he made his way across rocks as the crane began to lift the netting, seeing a flash of orange, he gasped and jumped onto the deck and ran to the netting, slicing at it, hoping it'd split. As it did, the net fell to the water and ripped, spilling it's contents in the ocean. The crane arm swung from the sudden force and knocked Charlie square in the chest, hurling him into the water.

The small blonde's eyes closed as he fell unconscious, hitting the water with a dull thud! His tiny form began to sink, the boy drowning as he sunk, lower and lower, death coming closer by the seconds...

Kassy didn't know how she'd wound up in the current situation. One minute she'd been nearing the boat, the next she was surrounded by fish and being hauled up, and up. She struggled to get out of the net, but the fish were all over her, squirming and terrified. Even though she had her fishing knife in her satchel, she couldn't reach the net. Now she understood what this boat did- and it was way too late. She'd never see her home again, these humans would surely kill her!

But suddenly, she was dropping from the air, as the net tore. She managed to twist into a proper dive, and hit the water with the rest of the lucky school of fish. She dove below the surface, and was prepared to make a swift exit, when the ripples of something else hitting the water caught her attention. She dropped into invisibility on instinct, looking around for the danger. But all she saw was someone in the water. But the figure wasn't swimming toward her. It was.. a child?!

She propelled herself toward the little body in the water. Getting her arms around the little yellow haired boy, she held him close and surfaced, making sure they were both still invisible. There would be a safe place on the rocks- there were many inlets and caves, and she headed right to one as fast as she could. Once they were safely inside, she lay the child down on his side and hoped that he was breathing. “Come on, little guppy. Wake up...” She put her head up to his chest to check.

The blonde haired boy began coughing violently where he lay on the cold, rough rocks. After a moment, he vomited up water and sick, coughing and shaking limply. For a moment, he lay still, eyes closed and body limp. Letting out a small whimper, he opened his azure eyes, looking around. His eyes met hers, and he tried to move away from her, scared and alone.

His back pressed to the wall of the cave, he cowered against himself. In the corner of the cave he'd crawled to were old, tatty storybooks about mermaids and the sea, along with a few soft toys of a mermaid, dolphin and a lobster. It seemed he'd set himself up somewhere to hide and observe the sea and the like. Looking at her, with innocent, scared eyes, he hoped it'd be clear he was just curious about her and what she was. Shaking, he looked around trying to get free. Frightened and alone, he grabbed the plush mermaid, curling into a ball with it, crying hard from fear, and, judging by his grumbling belly, hunger.

"Oh!" Kassy backed away as the boy came awake, coughing up all sorts of foul looking liquid. And then they locked eyes, only briefly. His were so soft and blue- not sea blue, but darker hued and brighter. And he was absolutely terrified. So she let him back away, and was surprised at the little things he had. Books, and... those seemed to be toys. She couldn't help but smile a bit, at the way he clutched his little doll. That hadn't come from the water- it was made of human cloth.

"Hello, little guppy..." She kept her voice soft and low, and kept her distance. But she did smile. "Open your eyes, please. Don't be afraid of me." She was worried. Slowly, she pulled herself closer, her tailfin making a wet trail on the stone. "...can you tell me your name?" She didn't have much personal experience with children, but she knew fear when she saw it.

He looked up as he held his doll close, opening his tired eyes. Looking at her, he mummered a very quiet, unsure "Ch-Cha..Charlie." The boy's voice was soft and gentle, full of fear and apprehension, yet tinged with wonder and curiosity about the mermaid in his little cave. After a moment, he held the cloth doll to her, as is trying to make a bid for friendship and acceptance from the woman.

His thin form shivered under the damp clothes he wore, which clung, heavy with seawater and damp sand, seaweed in his hair. Swallowing, he made his way closer, extending a hand to her scaley tail. His hands shook, but were gentle as he touched a scale with curiosity. Pulling back, he blushed as his tummy growled loudly.

"Hi Charlie." She reached out for the doll that he offered, and held it gently in her hand. "My name is Kassandra, but you can call me Kassy, okay?" She smiled down at the little one, then gently squeezed his tiny mermaid doll. "You have a very nice toy..." She held very still as the boy reached out and touched her tailfin. Watching him, she realized, in a delayed fashion, that the poor thing was cold and hungry. She wasn't sure how she would manage clothes for one so small, but she could certainly handle getting him a meal. "Charlie, stay here, alright? I'm going to get you something to eat." She set the boy's doll back into his lap. "You hold onto her for me, okay? I don't want her to get wet. Stay here."

After making sure the child wasn't going to follow her, Kassy dove back into the water, dropping low and searching for fish. She came across a good sized school of fat tuna, and bolted after one, catching it in her teeth. She quickly gutted it with the small fish knife in her satchel, and headed back up to the cave. The whole process took less than ten minutes, and soon Kassy resurfaced with her fresh caught fish. "Here, Charlie." She carved off a thick slice for him. "It's very fresh."

The boy nodded and smiled at her, taking a small bite, suppressing the urge to wolf it down. Smiling at her, he chewed slowly and politely, wanting to savour the taste and texture of a good fresh fish. Moving across the ground, he sat next to the mermaid and smiled at her, a genuine, sweet and innocent little smile, full of joy at seeing a mermaid so close. Leaning into her, he watched her quietly, smiling at her. A yawn passed his lips as he shivered, still chilled to the bone. Whimpering as he tried to warm up, he flinched hearing voices.

"The freak hangs out down here! He'll be hiding from us, I bet." One deep voice boomed, the male's voice growing closer by the second. "He's gonna get it!" He smirked to himself, as Charlie hid his face in Kassy's body, scared and wanting to be safe.

Kassy smiled down at Charlie as he settled near her. He was such a sweet little boy, cozying up to her without a bit of fear. He was obviously cold, and she knew she was going to have to get him some clothes, somehow. But when a pair of male voices started to echo closer to their cave, he obviously looked so terrified that she knew she had to do something. "Shh. Be very quiet, ok?" She smiled sweetly down at the little one, and put her finger to her lips for emphasis. She summoned her magic from the core of her being, put her arm around the boy, and they vanished from sight. Kassy had to concentrate to compensate for the extras- Charlie's breathing, the size of the child, all of it. As long as the boy kept quiet as she'd asked him, they would be invisible.

Charlie remained silent as possible, hiding himself into her. As the taller boy's entered the cave, they began to seek him out. Unable to find the tiny teen, they set about, tearing the books apart, grabbing the toys and ripping them open. The only item they didn't touch was the mermaid doll, wrapped tightly in Charlie's thin arms. Laughing rudely, the men left the cave and thus left Charlie and Kassy.

Charlie wept quietly into the mermaid's side, afraid and entering possible hypothermia, shivering so violently it was like the boy was starting to fit in her arms...

And if he wasn't given his medicine, he would.

Kassy waited calmly, until the men were good and gone. Only then did she let them be visible again. Now she was worried. Charlie wouldn't stop shaking, and his lips and fingertips were slightly blue. "Oh dear..." She tugged off her own tunic. It was made of seacloth, and therefore it dried very quickly- water simply didn't cling to it. The tunic was thin, but would hold heat well enough. "Wear this." She gently dressed the boy in her own clothes, which were far too loose. But they would be at least somewhat warm. "Charlie, dear, why are you shaking?" That wasn't normal shivering... "Talk to me.."

Charlie's fitting and spasming halted after about a minute or two, and he lay in her arms, limp for a further moment or two. His eyes opened slowly as he tried to take in what had happened, and the area around him. He ended up hiding his face in her chest, feeling safe and secure against the motherly mermaid. His breathing returned to normal, as the tunic began to take effect, warming his tiny body up. "I scared.." He stammered out, looking as if he didn't know where he was, nor what had happened to him.

"Oh, dear." Kassy murmured softly. She was very afraid for the boy, but knew not to show it. One of them had to be strong. She was the adult, so it was up to her. "It's okay, Charlie." She rubbed his back and arms in an attempt to warm him up, briefly wishing she'd been born with fire magic instead. "I know you're scared... but I'm going to take care of you." She looked around the cave, to the ruined books, the broken toys, just thinking. "Charlie, my guppy, we have to make a fire. We need to get you warm." She smiled down at him, reaching a hesitant hand up to stroke his hair. "We may have to... use your book to make the fire. Is that okay?" She didn't want to upset him.

Charlie leant in and nodded, leaning his head on her chest. "Y-Yeah.." He whispered, snuggling into her to try and seek more warmth from the woman. "No use my mermaid.." Charlie whimpered, holding the doll to his chest, scared and alone now. His eyes were wide with fear, and his breathing seemed to match that of a child in a panicy situation. His head rested on her body as he tried to seek the warmth of a mother.

"No, of course I won't use your mermaid." She smiled, and stroked his hair softly. She wrapped her other arm around him, in an attempt to cuddle and comfort him. Her body was soft, and fat- for lack of a better term. But hopefully she would be cozy for the child. "It's okay... Just be calm, Charlie. We're going to make a fire for you, okay?" But how, was the question? She was going to need some help. She also wanted the boy to rest, to be calm, but... she didn't dare use her power on him. She barely used it on adults, she didn't know what it could do to a child. Especially one as young-seeming as Charlie. Even she had noticed the child didn't act as old as he looked. No matter. He still needed to be taken care of. "Charlie, I'm going to go down to the water and call for my friends. Is that okay?"

He nodded and sat on the cave floor, holding his toy still, frightened to let it go. His hand let hers go, the tiny "teen" moving to sit in the corner of the cave, so he was hidden away in case the "men" from before came back. "Be careful... No..get trapped in a net again.." He spoke, letting out a yawn. "Nap.." He curled up on the floor, still wrapped up in her tunic, drifting into an exhausted slumber.

"I'll be careful, sweet." She smiled and headed back, pushing herself out of the cave and into the water. There, she let it wash over and sink into her skin. The cave's air had been moist, but even that had started to dry out her skin. Once she felt properly rehydrated, she shut her eyes and went very still. Tapping into the magic at her core, she imagined an image of her dear cousin Leonce's face. Blue eyes, tanned skin, frost white hair and a ready smile. She spoke his name in her mind three times, feeling the power rush through her. She held it in tight, then released it in a silent breath.

Miles away, Leonce picked his head up from his work, and turned his head toward the surface. "...Kassy..." He started to gather his traveling clothes.

Kassy headed back into the cave, surfacing and peeking around to find the boy fast asleep in the corner. "...poor little guppy." She started to tug herself around the cave, gathering the torn pages of the books.

Charlie awoke with a start, glancing around the dark cave, eyes soft and wide for a moment. Seeing Kassy, he almost ran to her, cuddling her as he saw her. Letting go, he smiled at her sweetly, going to the bed he made and starting to do something, quiet and focused on it.

Returning to her, he handed her some. The item in question was a friendship bracelet, made with shells and and some plastic coated fishing wire. Handing her it, the young boy asked to be taken to the restroom.

Kassy smiled broadly at the gift. It was a sweet little trinket, clearly handmade, but she could see the love that filled it. "Oh, thank you, Charlie. This will be my best treasure." Then he asked to be taken to relieve himself. "Oh. Er... yes, of course." She frowned a bit, looking around. "Ah." She carefully cradled Charlie in her arms. "Hold on tight." She swam on the surface of the water a bit awkwardly, the boy in one arm kept dry, and her tailfin gently churning the sea. She set Charlie down at a little tidepool, isolated by rocks to the rest of the ocean's current. "Can you go in there? I will make it so that no one sees you, okay?"

He nodded and went, cleaning up with a pack of wipes he'd brought with him and putting them in a trash can just near the pool. Headed back to her, he clambered back into her warm arms, snuggling up to her, cuddling happily. He seemed taken with her, and was happy to be held by her, carried by her. The young man seemed genuinely sure she was his mother, and wasn't ready to leave her side in the least. "Mommy?"