bioluminescent
This Dreaming has a sea. That's really all Pela requires, even if some of the marine life is unfamiliar to her - but then, hasn't the Dreaming been foreign to her people for a long time? She'll learn to adapt, and to sacrifice, even if it hurts her pride. For now, she is swimming near a long wooden dock on the beach at high noon, sunlight bright ( Read more... )
She glances over her shoulder in the direction of this supposed ramp - isn't this big dock thing also a ramp? Why is there one in the middle of land space? While she assumes there is a reason (Pela doesn't think as poorly of humans as some other Mer she knows) she's still not sure she understands.
"Mm. I come through a reef, come here, and all the Rorqual are in the wrong place. They're in the sky." She's utterly entertained by this; her face changes when she smiles, broad and at nothing in particular beyond that she loves whales - they're the best part of the ocean to her kind. But she remembers she's talking to a human and must be on her guard, so then she ducks down into the water again so that it's up to her chin, watching James ( ... )
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There is an agonizingly long pause in which a certain mermaid is fairly obviously swallowing (some) of her pride. Okay, if she's going to work with humans to deliver a bigger goal, she has to learn how to accept things from them, yes? And she can learn how to walk as well as they do, and be secure in the knowledge that even once she has, they'll never swim as well as she does.
She'll do both. That's an angle she likes.
Pela nods, slightly, at this man whose name she doesn't even know.
"Yes. How do I not fall--?"
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"Find your centre of gravity first," James advises, coming to stand just next to her, almost behind, and - giving her plenty of warning about what it is he's doing - putting his hands on her waist. "You do this yourself, I'll just keep you on your feet, how's that sound? Start slow, very slow-"
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She's unsettled by the proximity, but pushes it aside after a moment of adjustment- okay, this is what is required, and she doesn't know how long it would take her to learn on her own. If it's not useful, she'll just push him into the water, she decides, but she thinks- from his confidence- this is a good tactic to take.
It doesn't take very long until she's able to walk the length of the dock confidently, having mastered the motion of being on two legs and on land. Some people have to get their sea legs, some people are Gia.
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James, now at the other end as she's coming back, applauds politely.
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Pela looks rather startled by this.
"What?"
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He can't help but laugh a little, clasping his hands behind his back and wandering down the length of the dock in his rolled trousers with about as much casual confidence as he'd have in a perfectly pressed tuxedo. "I'm just admiring you."
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"Because I'm naked," she guesses, drolly, hands on her hips. It might have been years and years since mermaids bred with sailors, but she does know that nudity isn't this common with humans. Well, mostly.
"I know land-walkers wear cloth everywhere. Are you shy, or is it for protection?"
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"You can have my shirt, if you like. It might work better than my jacket." Note how he is not actually disagreeing with her. It may not be the only reason, but she's damn right that it's one of them. "There are a number of reasons. Those are two of them, yes. I'm not particularly shy myself, of course."
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"No," she says, but in response to that note about being relatively reserved, with a considering look in James' direction, "you aren't shy at all. I can tell."
He might also observe that her English is getting better even as this conversation progresses, although she has an accent that's almost completely unlike anything else you'll hear in the world. As for clothing, she continues regarding him and then turns down to consider her own body.
"Will people be offended if I don't wear anything?" It's less, going by her tone, that she cares whether people are actually offended and more because she doesn't feel like dealing with a lot of human fuss.
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James just smiles at her, instead of pursuing the topic of his ego. (And what an ego it is.)
"Some of them will be. Confused and concerned, too, maybe they'll think there's something wrong with you." In short: it'll be a lot of human fuss. "You'll get a lot of very inconvenient attention that way."
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"Hmm. I would have to break someone eventually, wouldn't I." ...Pela. She doesn't sound like she looks forward to the possibility, so it's not really bloodthirstiness, but she is what she is, and mermaids are such that even the other kith don't want to deal with them in battle. They hunt seafaring vampires for sport, where Pela is from; only the Gangrel will venture down into their depths into the Caribbean.
"Will the shirt be enough?"
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As far as odd days (of the non-lethal variety) go, this one is probably all the way up there on the list. "To begin with, but not everywhere - let's say you'll still raise eyebrows." He's already unrolling his sleeves, though, having previously pocketed his cufflinks. After all, it is a better bet than his jacket. "Different outfits for different occasions. Think of it as another language to master."
Yes, he's noticed.
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She smiles slightly, this time actually at him, which is sort of an improvement, right? Pelagia observes this shirt removal process with undisguised fascination; probably James is used to women watching him undress closely, but also probably not all for Pela's reasons.
"It's not so hard, these languages. They're just on new frequencies. You won't miss your shirt?"
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"You can keep it," he says with a faint smile, pulling the shirt untucked and unbuttoning it to roll off his shoulders, "I've got others."
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"All right."
She doesn't know where she'll keep it if she decides to take it off, but Pela supposes she'll cross that bridge when she comes to it. She...does observe his shoulders for reasons other than 'human clothes are so complicated', but will never in a million years cop to it.
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