Water World

[skyacezero]

"Dawson Graves, the blowhard that runs Graves' Point," Stella said as she was wiping the bar down. "Ever since he started running the place after his brother retired, he's been running the place like his personal dictatorship, from what I've heard, he's been using 'inspections' as a means of extortion," she explained, using air quotes when she said inspections.

---

Korben's motorcycle came to a stop at the docks. He dismounted, dressed in a wetsuit and had his dive gear in a bag on his shoulder. He looked out the the distance and saw the third buoy, the one he was attacked at. The memory was still fresh from earlier and he shuddered at the thought of going back. Will you accept? Those words from his earlier dream still resonated with him and against his better judgement, geared up.

"I have to be out of my mind..." Korben said as he turned on a diving flashlight, put on his mask and apparatus and jumped in the water.

[Amara<3]

Keera nodded, sighing. "So upper management has gone corrupt, essentially. Is there nothing anyone can do about it?"

Even though she was a fair distance from Korben, she heard the splash of someone jumping into the water. She wanted to get up and go see who it was, but she wasn't sure if that would look weird or not. Telling someone they'd be right back, she has to go check the dock, would seem odd. Especially since she got a drink and didn't even finish a quarter of it yet. She decided to stay put and continue figuring out what was going on in the town. Maybe she could bully the bully into knocking it off for a while.

[skyacezero]

"Under normal circumstances, someone would start asking questions or investigating," Stella explained. "But the problem with politics is that if you grease enough palms, you can slip through just about anything," she finished, noticing Keera's distant look. "Something on your mind, hon?"

---

Korben approached the tether line of the third buoy and slowed down, shining his flashlight in every direction he looked. As he scanned the rocks nearby, he noticed something out of place on them. Hovering his flashlight over the same spot, and hand moved off the top and disappeared behind the rocks, sending a chill down Korben's spine. Korben cautiously moved closer the where the hand had been, looked over the rocks to find nothing there. His head looked left and right, until he felt water rush from behind him. Korben slowly turned around and what he saw almost made him spit out his breathing apparatus.

Floating near him was a humanoid creature! It had a feminine shape with skin was light grey in color with a yellow scale pattern covering most of it's upper body, it's eyes were reflective, like mirrors. Overall it looked like some kind of fish-person.

[Amara<3]

((Are we introducing sirens? :P Do you want me to play anyone/thing else?))

Keera came back to reality when she heard Stella ask her a question. "I just don't understand how that works, you know?" she asked while still trying to listen outside, but she heard nothing else. "It's just not right that people get away with that." She wondered for a moment if she should just ask Korben herself if there was a way to deal with that guy, not knowing much about either of these people - Stella or the man at the other end, she didn't want to alert anyone that she was snooping around.

[skyacezero]

((Actually, it's a mermaid. At least my take on them. If you want to play as one, a couple things; first, mermaids can't vocally speak, they use telepathy kind of like Aquaman, and second; they're sort of like amphibious mammals, meaning that they can breath both underwater and above water.))


It's you, you really came a woman's voice echoed in Korben's head, causing him to look around for the source. Sensing his confusion, the creature approached and put her hand on Korben's cheek and turned his head to face her. It's me that's speaking to you, I forget land dwellers use sound to speak the same voice said.

Korben shuddered at the creature's touch, it's skin was rubbery, but slick at the same time, and it was cold. Korben's eyes widened under his dive mask at what he was hearing. No way...this thing can read my mind?! he thought frantically, to which the creature's head tilted to the side.

Only if you direct them at me the creature said, starting to swim in a circle around Korben. I've only heard anecdotal tales of land dwellers, but you're the first one I've actually met...

Korben followed the creature as it circled him, his guard raising internally and inching towards his dive knife. What exactly ARE you? the creature stopped circling him and held her hand out, indicating that Korben take it, he slowly did so, and the creature closed her eyes and they started moving rapidly under her eyelids. Korben felt a tingling sensation in his head as it felt like it his skull was filling with cold water, causing his own eyes to close. Against the blackness, he saw flashes of imagery with garbled information associated with it until he felt sick and it stopped.

I see now, I guess going by your folk tales, I'd be a mermaid the creature's voice said.

[Amara<3]

Thaleia! What are you doing?! another mermaid swam up to the one talking to Korben, grabbing her arm. We can't talk to them! You know it's dangerous! She looked very flustered and bothered by what was transpiring, looking frantically from Korben to Thaleia.

[skyacezero]

A mermaid?! Korben looked down while simultaneously shining his light at the lower half of her body. To his slight disappointment, there were two appendages moving in a slow kicking motion. You have legs... he simply thought to the mermaid.

Not always the mermaid said as several tendrils around her 'legs' wove together to create a single 'tail'. We move faster and farther with a single larger appendage than two smaller ones she explained. My name is Thaleia, and I already know your name, Korben

Korben's eyes widened How do you know my name?!.

When I held your hand I could- Thaleia was interrupted by another mermaid grabbing her arm and asking here what she was doing. What? Wait, were you following me?! Thaleia demanded of the new mermaid that showed up.

[Amara<3]

Of course I was! the mermaid yelled at her. Just because I knew you were curious! The others didn't you think you would do this. How could you put us all in danger, Thaleia? she asked, frowning. She looked very disappointed. [/i]You do know that if anything happens because of this, you'll be on your own, right? Not everyone is willing to risk everything.[/i] She looked at Korben with disdain and shook her head. This is wrong.