Her instructions to each was to head to the courtyard. They sent out their own messengers to pick up supplies, tools, and apprentices. She went with her mother to all the homes and workplaces. With everyone converging towards the courtyard, her mother turned and headed for her own workplace to pick up the tools of her trade and to gather her apprentices. Diana waved to her as she left, then turned to swim to the courtyard.

With her main task done. She sank to street level and swam within the shadows. Weaving her way expertly with the speed of her long slim tail, she darted through the streets and alleys all the way there unseen. Reaching the courtyard, she was grateful she had come this way. There were so many merpeoples here. Cringing, she slipped around and worked her way towards where Alden was most likely going to enter from. That was she was both close at hand but still unseen. He knew her well enough to figure out where she was if he needed her.

This was what Alden was dreading. The merpeople wouldn’t take the loss of their sunlight terribly well, but they all knew too well the precautions that had to be taken. As he and Loretti went to the courtyard, leaving Guai to make sure Alden’s orders were carried out quickly and efficiently, Alden sighed. Loretti put a hand on his arm, giving a reassuring smile before they went through the double doors into the courtyard. He returned it.

As they arrived, Alden looked around for Diana. He spied her in the shadows, beside where he and Loretti had entered. At his presence, the gathered people hushed and became very attentive.

“I apologize for calling you here.” he said to start. “But we have discovered a massive threat to the city.” At that, everyone muttered to one another, though fell silent again when Alden raised a hand. “Humans have drifted far too close for comfort. One of their submarine crafts even trapped one of our own beneath a ledge for several days as it circled. Now, we must protect the city from the threat of discovery. You, the florists and crafters, have been recruited to gather every type of flower and coral you can find, and completely enclose the city’s dome with them. I realize the loss of sunlight will be difficult to handle for a while, but it’s for the best. When this threat is completely eradicated, we can remove the protective covering. I’d like you all to begin. Florists, gather flowers and begin setting them. Crafters, you must tie them down securely so they’ll not move.”

Though the words were half-hearted, the merpeople present agreed and began splitting up. Loretti followed to keep an eye on them. Alden breathed out carefully, and let himself float to the sandy courtyard floor, lying there as though he’d passed out, but his eyes were open and focused.

Diana stayed where she was as the others left. They would need to gather the materials first and start planning. This was going to take a lot of work. The currents the leaving merpeople created felt good to her as her hair floated out behind her. She turned and watched Alden sink to the sand. Concern filled her. Was he ill? Why had no guards checked on him? Swimming silently up behind him, she gently placed hand hand lightly on his shoulder. His long hair tangling around her arm. "Alden?" she asked.

Alden’s gaze was fixed on the dome above the city. Here, he could see it well, and the first couple merfolk that began to fix their floral arrangements to the bars. He glanced around when Diana touched him. “I’m quite all right.” He said, returning to his upright position. “The fact that I’m forced to go to such extreme measures so quickly in my rule is a bit mind-boggling.” He smiled a bit, but it was weak. “Now I’ll have to spread the information to everyone... The entire city, really.” He shook his head.

“Diana... Loretti and Guai are both busy.” he turned to her. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me, once more into the city, to give everyone the information? After that I’m sure you’ll be glad to sleep, having spent so much time under the ledge beneath the humans’ surveying.”

She listened to him a bit uncertainly. He didn't seem that fine. It was as if he was in a struggle of some kind. A strange feeling filled her. She wanted to do more than just help him. She wondered if this was trust. Did she trust Alden? He asked favors of her so gallantly like it was a big sacrifice on her part. How could she turn down such a request from him? Giving him a shy smile, she nodded, "Yes my king." Inside she added, "But I won't be going to sleep. I can help too." She wouldn't tell him that though. There was no need.

Alden managed a more genuine smile. "Dear, you need not call me more than my name. You're on the same terms as Guai and Loretti, so you, as they, have permission to do so." He looked at her hand. "You still have my ring, so the city folk will certainly listen to you. Tell them to come up and above their home, no more, because from there we have a message to give to them. Come now, we mustn't keep them waiting! They may already be questioning the movement of the crafters and florists above."

He started out, pausing for Diana to follow. He didn't want to keep her from helping if she wanted to do so, but she had to be tired from her camp-out. Anyone would be, especially after three days.

Diana swam up beside him and looked out over the city. "Thank you. How will we get everyone's attention though? This is no small city." She rather liked his smile. She just couldn't quite bring herself to use his name yet. The very thought made her blush. Weariness flowed through her, making her a bit dizzy. She stilled and waited for it to pass and then looked around again. This was going to take a lot of work. "How do you suggest we go about this?" she asked.

Alden looked around. “I can magnify my voice through a water tunnel. Since sound travels so well through water in general, it doesn’t take too much to carry one’s voice over a long distance. When one wants to, anyway.” he added.

When he glanced around, he found Diana paused. He was genuinely concerned, and for once, the concern wasn’t directed toward him. “I suggest you stay in the palace and rest.” He said, steadying her. “I can go about this personally, and a tired pair of eyes isn’t very useful, now is it?” He tilted his head a bit to the side as though curious.

She let him steady her but used her attitude to shrug it off. "Tired? I am rested. I napped for three days and am full of energy." And full of lies. I'm not okay at all. She gave him a grin and wink, "Now demonstrate this water tunnel technique and let's see the people gather okay." She was surprised at how he could see how she was doing when he had such important things to do right now. Perhaps she should try harder to not worry him. Putting on the biggest grin she could manage, she as cheerfully as she could pointed out, "Hey look, there are some merpeoples up and about already."

Alden was a bit put off by the smile. It was a bit overly exaggerated. It definitely hid lies, but he didn’t want to press the matter. Instead, he nodded and glanced around. Indeed, Diana’s obviously-tired eyes caught right, and people were beginning to move about. “Very good.” He said. “Go on to the people that are already awake, Diana. Tell them to spread the word around their homes and gather over the city. We’ve not got much time before the dome is covered.”

He dove off, toward the streets themselves. Windows were dark where he swam, and Alden didn’t hesitate to begin knocking lightly on doors. Every time he was greeted with a low bow, which he eventually got used to, and as he spoke, the home’s owners nodded quickly and began moving about to spread his requests.

She watched him swim away, pushing her own tiredness out of the way. He was getting her out in the open a lot more than she was used to. Somehow though, it wasn't as bad as she remembered it. In fact, it wasn't as scary either. Swimming from group to group, she began explaining the humans and their solution. It was only a matter of minutes when not even the moon's light reached them. Slowly their world was being blotted out. She looked up at the dome for a moment between groups and watched the mixture of resources being used. Tiny figures of the merworkers above her scurrying around like plankton high above. Something nudged the back of her mind. She pushed it aside and swam to another group.

Still that thought kept bothering her. An odd sensation of a past memory. She couldn't put her finger on it though. She was sure though that it was important. She would have to remember later. Finally enough people knew that they were beating her to the other groups that were around. Exhausted, she returned to the courtyard and waited a moment. Everyone was busy and had a place in this chaos. That much she could see. What about her place? She was an artizan that worked with metals, particularly gold. Gold. Wait, her memory had something to do with gold. She turned and swam into the palace, making her way deep down to where the workrooms were.

Quickly and efficiently, the city began rising above their homes to gather together. The group was smaller since it lacked around one hundred florists and another hundred crafters. He glanced around for Diana as he rose into the water to the same height as the merfolk, word spreading record-breakingly fast to get up above their houses. Perhaps she had gone back to the palace... Or she decided to help the florists and crafters or wanted to get some work done. Alden shook the thought away and looked around. He was in front of everyone, and everyone had finally come up to meet him.

He ran a hand through the water gently, circling, then flattening it, and moving it forward. Currents began wafting away from him and spread to everyone present as he spoke: “My faithful subjects, I apologize for calling you out once again in such a short period!” He called. The water tunnel effect spread his voice to even the farthest reaches of the group present, without being too loud to those in front. “Recently the city has come under threat by humans, present in their watercrafts both above and below the water. My guards and I have been watching them for the past few weeks now, camped out within two to three miles of our home.” People began gasping and muttering to one another, but became silent again as Alden spoke once more: “Earlier this morning I and a guard were forced to direct one backward and send the humans within it toward the surface. They’ve been tirelessly surveying the ocean floor and come closer and closer to our protected home.

“I despise calling such drastic measures, but I must do what I can to keep this city safe. This morning I called for the city’s best florists and crafters to begin a tireless trek above the coral dome that saves this place from intruders. The humans’ submarines could break through the coral without a moment’s hesitation. So, to hide the city, we have decided to place a cover upon the dome made up of various undersea life.”

He became silent. The merpeople didn’t seem terribly happy with it, They shook their heads in disappointment and muttered and sighed, but they were taking it better than Alden had thought they would. “Now! I need one hundred volunteers!” He called again. “For my final task, one I’ll be assisting you with, is of little skill in any way! One hundred, follow me back to the palace. If you think you can help the florists and crafters above, please do! Any and all help is appreciated!”

He turned, heading back toward the palace. When he glanced back, a group was following, at least one hundred. Perhaps even more. Many more had gone up and above to help among the dome’s covering. Alden couldn’t help but smile, though he wondered where Diana had gone off to.

((Thank you for your realistic actions of Alden. The last several RPs I have had, the character I was playing with automatically just knew what my character was thinking and doing all the time. It was getting to be annoying and took out a realistic aspect of the story. So thank you thank you thank you ^_^))

Going through the storeroom that was connected to her workroom, she gathered the materials that she had. It was materials she hadn't used in a long time. Her peers had scoffed at her and her parents had expressed concern. She felt though that this might help make life in a darkened city more bearable. Taking her things to the worktable, she spread them out in organized piles. Swimming quickly over to the shelf, she looked over the tools and picked out the ones she had used a long time before. Her excitement and uncertainty created a new energy rush in her. She would eat and sleep later.

Taking a rare silver nugget, she gently began working on caging it. Caging was a delicate technique that allowed something to have open spaces in the middle without actually cutting through. Much like how human children cut holes into paper and then put color tissue on one side creating an illusion of stained glass. Only hers were 3D. She formed a beautifully crafted small, long container. Setting it aside, she moved on to step two. When she had been a young child, the science teacher had given them a powder that glowed near heat much like the cavern of buried rulers glowed when mermaids swam through it. The powder was leftovers from some of the fancier works that used a similar stone. She went to the forge and looked into the magma chamber. She was specific, looking for a section of magma with a certain color and glow to it. Seeing it, she knew it had the right minerals in it. Collecting some in a scoop-long handled tool, she set it aside and let it cool slightly. Then she began pounding just the smallest smidgen of it with the powder. She kept adding the powder to it until the small form began to glow on its own.

In class, it hadn't lasted very long. It was presumed that constant heat was needed in order to keep the glow active. She created small round balls from her little lump of an experiment that were smaller than her smallest finger. Leaving all but one beside the forge, so that they wouldn't lose their glow, she went back to the work table. Placing the small ball inside, she then carefully began applying a liquid, clear rock. Filling up the inside of her silver caging, she let it cool. It resembled diamond when done, though not as sturdy. She took the clear infused silver caging and examined it. Delicate, by itself, it now was strong for everyday use. Threading a cord through a small hole at the top, she tied it around her neck. It was like a small pendant the size of her thumb. And it glowed. Her own body heat emanating from her chest would ensure that the glow was not lost.

Worn out beyond belief, she looked around. She shouldn't leave this place without cleaning up or picking up after herself, but she was so tired. The materials she had used were still on the work table. The shavings of silver from her caging the small ingot laying in the middle. The tools were sprawled out and the small glowing balls by the forge needed their own caged silver so that they could be placed inside. Caging required concentration and her weariness had taken the last of that away. She would deal with this later, if she didn't lose her apprenticeship for not cleaning up, and get some rest. Turning, she wearily swam through the corridors up to a higher level where her room was. The light from her small pendant casting eerie shadows on the wall. The strange blue glow peaceful to her. Blue just like she was, only now instead of in shadow she was the bearer of light instead.

((Of course! Why people do that is a mystery to me, and an annoying one at that!))

Alden led the way to a very wide corridor near the lowest point of the palace, beyond the artisan workrooms and storage rooms. His followers were speaking quietly amongst one another, and one managed to break away and catch up to him. “My lord, might I ask what we’re doing?” He asked.

Alden glanced around. “Of course.” He said. “We’re going to be in darkness if we don’t make use of a special type of stone that, over many, many years, I and my parents have acquired from the darkest depths of the ocean’s caverns. The pressure there is difficult to stand, but the stones there give off their own light, similar to a mix of sunlight and moonlight, easy on the eyes but strong enough to give off a shine that can light the streets and our homes, if they’re needed to that extent. I’ll explain the rest once we all arrive.”

The merman nodded and drifted back as Alden led them through a massive archway, then along a more narrow hallway, and finally, through a set of double doors he held open so they could all come in. The room itself was carved of the sea floor, and laid all over, in massive piles, small stones that could fit in the palm of one’s hand littered the huge expanse. “These are stones similar to the ones that pave the walls of the cavern of the previous rulers.” Alden said, his voice echoing a bit in the huge area. “These, unlike the others, glow indefinitely, and are the closest thing we have to actual sunlight now. I need everyone to begin grabbing bags from the corner and filling them. You’ve all seen the large iron poles stuck along the roads, right?”

Everyone agreed, nodding and muttering their thoughts. Alden continued, and everyone fell silent again: “Well, the plates held by the poles are meant to contain these stones, so in the event of a total blackout in which we aren’t privileged to sunlight or moonlight, we place these on top of the poles. They light the streets for as long as necessary, until they’re taken down. From this point on, we’ll be filling the poles with these stones. Please, everyone, we need to work to our full extent on this! Pick up as many as you can hold and place three stones in each plate, everywhere you can find!” Alden went around to the corner where large sacks were floating in light currents. They were too heavy to be moved too easily, however.

“You’re helping...?” A younger girl spoke this time.

“Of course! I must assist in the preservation of not only security and safety, but comfort.” Alden took up a series of bags and handed them over to a few of the nearest merfolk. “Oh... But I will have to go do something quickly, I’ll be right back!” He flitted out of the room, headed toward the artisan workroom.

Reaching her room, she gladly swam to her sand bed. Guilt plagued her for leaving the workroom in such a mess. She was in the middle of a project really and didn't want to worry about forgetting something later on. Rolling over, she picked up a note tablet and quickly made an inscription. When she wanted to test late on to see if there was any power source that could be used with this. Maybe over time, she could invent something neat. For now though, it was all in early stages of development and she rather liked the blue glow. Made her feel less of a shadow and more of something worthwhile.

With her note "test for energy" written, she laid the tablet back down. Curling up, she wondered sleepily if she was in the wrong career. There were no guilds or masters of invention though. That wasn't even a job. She felt sleep slowly stealing over her and her thoughts. The pendent glowing on her chest seemed to warm her. The deep sleep she had needed for so long, she finally fell into.

The silence was too complete. Few of the palace staff were active, since no mealtimes were too soon and the place was perfectly clean. No guards roamed the halls. Guai was out with the first group patrol, and the second was resting. Loretti was with the florists and crafters high above the city. Alden’s hand was grasped around a glowing stone he’d taken from the underground storage room, and his shadow was magnified on the opposite side.

When he opened the door of the workroom, Alden found nothing but a mess. Scattered ingots of silver, some papers, wrappers scattered about. Some powder. He knew what it was, but had never bothered to name nor use it. No one had, really, except Loretti, and only then it was around very warm areas in and out of the palace, so the powder and what it was melded with would continue its constant glow. He went around to the forge and found a few orbs, glowing in the heat. Perhaps Diana was working on something specific. It was definitely different than the usual works of most palace and city artisans. But to leave the room in disarray...? Alden tried to decide she had gotten far too tired to clean up or finish her work, but he did worry. With the palace left generally unguarded, anything could happen. What if Diana had been attacked...?

He dove out of the workroom and sped up several floors. He would have kicked himself if he could. At least five or so guards could have been kept to watch over the place. But every set of eyes was of absolute necessity. He calmed himself as he stopped outside Diana’s room, and settled himself enough to open the door just a crack. Any blue movement would have settled his nerves. When he found she was lying on her bed, it was an enormous relief. And the presence of a light, though even, glow from Diana herself. So, Alden's thoughts moved faster than he did. Diana had created a pendant from the glowing powder-metal combination. The glow was kept steady from her natural body heat.

'Smart girl...'

The scene in the workroom was that of a struggle, almost. Alden was glad to know it was left that way just out of sleepiness that couldn't be ignored. He closed the door again and floated away, back toward the throne room so he could gain a bit of strength from the carved stone faces of his parents before returning to help the hundred or so volunteers with the glowing stones’ distribution.

She had gotten a few hours of sleep when she groggily came to. Naps always did wonders. She really wanted to go back to sleep, but seeing her note to herself laying there beside her forced her to swim out of bed. She freshened up and did her hair. That alone gave her brain a chance to turn on a little bit more. Then she made her way to the dining hall and ordered a light meal. Taking it to go, she ate while she swam up and out of the castle. Heading for the dome, she could see the mermaids busy swimming to and fro with supplies. She approached one section and settled in a spot that needed work.

All of the dome had had the basics of the sea flour carefully placed on it. There were large rocks and main corral formations created. Now the delicate work of detail and diversity were being carefully worked on. Some sections had finished and were being filled with fish life. Fish would gladly settle in because is was slightly warmer here. The crater's forges at the bottom contributed to this. She picked up and began transplanting seaweed. Getting them to grow here instead of in their strong sea beds was a delicate task but not one unlike working with small wires of gold. She settled into her job easily and soon her mind was so focused on the task at hand that she was no longer aware of the world around her.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

Alden counted silently as he placed the glowing stones in each plate. Already a large part of the city was alight with a moonish sunlight, and even as they moved along, more merfolk joined the group. Most of the city that didn’t find the patience or ability to help around the dome had taken to heading to the palace, grabbing bags, scooping up the glowing stones, and spreading out throughout the entire city, inching forward a little at a time. As Alden went up to check the progress occasionally, he was very happy with the results, and how quickly and efficiently they worked.

With his bag empty for the fifth time, Alden decided not to head directly back to the palace. Instead, he swam straight up, inspecting the work of the mermaids and mermen working on the dome. In one of the areas yet to be touched, he wriggled through one of the holes and moved about the top. From a distance, as he swam upward and a bit away, to where he could also see the first patrol along the crater’s edge, it was amazing how hidden the city already was. From where he was, a good amount of the dome was already covered and it looked more like a giant stone covered with so many types of coral and seaweeds.

He moved back down and into the city, speaking here and there when spoken to, and passing Diana as she worked with the others. It was good to see her busy among so many others, even if she was a bit away from them. Although it was a bit dark so high up. As he returned with his bag to the palace, he made a mental note to begin setting some glowing stones in the bare bones of the dome that could still be seen from underneath.

With her mind on her task, her fingers readily took up the twisting and threading necessary to secure the different plants. She developed a rhythm until it was so familiar her mind could also work on other things. Why hadn't anyone worked on developing anything with the powder substance that was used for little kids in school? Obviously heat by itself is an energy source. These stones that she had made and placed into clear pendants gave off a blue glow because of heat. So they utilized heat somehow. In what way could she utilize it? Finishing her section, she paused and looked at how the frame ziggzagged back and forth connecting the sections together. Something inside clicked.

Turning, she swam with all the speed her slender body was known for. Heading straight for the palace, she reached one of the entrances and hit the floor from her momentum. Using that to bounce herself inside, she sped down the corridors and around corners working her way to the workroom. Gathering the other 4 glowing balls she had left beside the forge and placing them in a pouch around her waist to keep warm, she them got out a basket and filled it with the tools and materials she had left out. With all this in hand, she headed out the door to her room. What better place to experiment than in the blue refuge Alden had given her.

Reaching her room, she set down the basket. Pulling out some wiring, she mentally broke the ceiling into 9 equal sections. Then she placed four mounts at the four intersections. The metal wiring was a very simple design, but that was okay for now. She set the wiring so that each wound their way in a simple but elegant curl pattern to the bottom corners of the room. There, she set up a connected them to the small heating pipes that kept the rooms heated. The magma chambers were used for more than workrooms. Then she placed the four glowing blue stones into their mounts. They seemed to be holding their glow. The heat from the pipes was traveling the wires. Then she took the power dust and mixed it, then glued them in a splatter pattern along the wires. Slowly, she began to decorate her room. No longer a room of mere blue shadows, she created an almost cosmos affect of light and shadow, with depth and mystery, fantasy and dreams. Her own blue glow added to the affect.

Alden shuddered a bit as he returned to the palace. The medicine effects of the crystals Guai had given him were becoming thin, leaving him the usual nervous wreck he tended to be otherwise. It was almost too tempting to reach into the pouch around his waist and grab a dozen or so, but he rushed back to the palace and below, back to where the glowing stones were housed.

As he took up a bag of the stones from one of the many piles, around twenty mermen returned with empty bags. “Hey!” Alden fought by the unease at commanding, forcing away the slight shake in his voice. The men stopped and looked at him respectfully. “If you can, take an extra bag of stones to the top of the dome where others are working. The crafters should have taught the florists how to tie simple knots and weaves around the coral bars, so they should begin setting some stones to give the higher areas a light as well.”

The mermen nodded quickly, heading to the corner to get an extra bag. “Let the others know they should follow the volunteers back down here if they’ve got nothing more to do. Don’t place the stones above the dome, below only, to hide the glow from any outsiders, and don’t group a lot around one another. More is less, especially with these stones.”

As a chorus of agreement ran through the others, Alden took his bag and went into the palace itself. Moving to Diana’s room, he knocked and opened the door. Before he could speak, however, a new scene fell on his eyes. Light. A lot of it, considering Diana’s desire to remain in the shadow. But it was soft, easy on the eyes, a blue glow that came from the orbs she had made, hanging near the magma pipes. “I love what you’ve done with the place.” He said, holding the bag close to him with both hands. Eventually, the stones did get rather heavy. “Very... you.”

She jumped at the sound of another voice in her domain. She turned quickly even as her brain recognized Alden's voice. Shyly she grinned and said, "I didn't mean to have it reflect the night sky, but that is kinda what happened. As long as this is used near the wires and pipes, it holds it's glow." She sank to the floor and gently set her working tools and supplies down. Then she swam with agility over to Alden, her eyes alive with the creativity of her thoughts. "I couldn't resist trying it out. I know I should be topside but... I couldn't wait. It isn't useless powder Alden. It is an energy source once heat is applied." She looked at him begging silently for him to understand the ramifications of this insight. Creativity was one thing. Possible applications another.

Alden set the bag aside. "My parents grew up with the glow of these strange stones." He said, indicating the bag. "In some cases they rather... disliked change. They never really understood the use of the powder other than it strengthened metals when struck or melted with them, and when it cooled, the glow faded. To them, it wasn't much more than an excess element in the powder that faded once infused with various mediums. Loretti never paid attention to the powder since it was nothing the king or queen wanted. But I'm glad someone finally found some use of it. Or to use it at all the way it was supposed to be used."

He moved around the room and studied the places around the pipes. "I'm glad to see you've come out of the shadows," he said, "and you've revealed such a useful technique in handling the powder. We'll be able to use the same styles around every magma pipe inside the palace, in more intricate ways." He paused. "And... if I can handle a heat-based energy, I'll be able to single out and contain a self-sustaining energy within the palace walls. Not only will the powder be of more use than ever, but the water will stay at a relative, comfortable temperature." Alden was speaking more to himself, but said it as though addressing a room full of more than just Diana. "And I can take it to the city! I'll be able to line the roads with this self-reliant energy and the powder will find more use!"

He flipped around and arced toward the door. "Diana, you've inspired me!" He exclaimed, grabbing up the bag. "Come along with me, we must finish up our work with the dome, and lying out the stones within the city! I'll have to spread the word to a few more artisans such as yourself, it's rather easy work." He paused, studying Diana for a moment. "Thank you." He added seriously. "We'll soon have a mix of colors to illuminate the streets. I'll really have my work cut out for me, but it'll be worth it, won't it?" He smiled widely, feeling that he hadn't honestly done so in far too long.

She was so grateful to see his smile. His praise was definitely something that she craved, much like a starving person for food. However that smile he flashed at her set her heart a hammering away inside. She felt resolved to do whatever he wanted whenever he asked. She returned his smile, wondering at the feelings inside of her for him. "I didn't want to spend too much time on this with other things needing to be done, that is why it is so simple." She set her mixture and brush down next to a pipe so it would not cool and swam over to him, feeling light-hearted. Working with him was so much nicer than being alone. She was just too shy for her own good sometimes. Perhaps despite being an introvert, she could find ways to be herself without that horrible shyness that plagued her.

Swimming with Alden out of the room, she mentally thought over what he had said. A heat-based energy... that wasn't going to be possible right away unless someone took the time to work on being a scientist. A rare field since many felt that more inventions or discoveries were unneeded. She began compiling a list of things she wanted to try when they were done and had free time again. Preoccupied with her thoughts, she allowed Alden beside her to subconsciously guide her while they swam. Obviously mixed with certain metals, the powder strengthened them. If kept near heat, it contained a glow. What if there was some sort of combination of metals or other elements that would also react with the powder and something? This was going to take time to figure out. She would need to identify the reactions, or lack of, for a multitude of combinations and write down her observations. A large graph would help with that.

Alden led the way down toward where the palace artisan workrooms and storage rooms were. His mind was so occupied he nearly made a few wrong turns, but overcorrected and kept on track. “I know there aren’t many invention-minded merfolk, or those who like to focus on science.” He noted as they traveled. “We focus more on magic, but magic and science go hand in hand, don’t they? Most of us use science while using magic, without really noticing. When I was very young, the palace wasn’t warmed with magma chambers and pipes, but with stones found in dormant subterranean volcanic caverns. They’re difficult to get to due to the pressure so deep down where they’re located, but when the magma recedes from these chambers, they leave behind hot stones, something like lava rock, but they never cool. The water around them stays warm, so we used them to warm our sleeping and working quarters before we employed the magma chambers below the city.”

He paused outside one of the wider doors before they reached the workrooms. Opening the door, a very warm current spilled out and into the hallway. “We thought we’d be able to use them later, so we stored them here.” Alden let Diana enter first, and went in afterward. Barrels stood underneath jars and bricks on shelves. They resembled large, smooth blocks of coal, but were hot to the touch. “They’ll keep their heat even when they’re ground. We used them to fill bedding before we settled for sand.” He glanced around to Diana. “We can probably mix the glowing powder and this powder with metals or other solid mediums.” He lifted one, hot in his hand, and brought it to Diana. “What do you think about that?”

She took it from him and examined it. It was truly an interesting material. Once so common, now almost unknown. She mused aloud, "You say it can be ground into powder and still retain it's warmth?" Her thoughts started to try to work out some possibilities that she could focus on right away. How could you have endless possibilities and at the same time not be able to have one? It was the application part she was jumping to. Back it up. What could she do with this right away? Sure lighting was good, but they had lighting with those glowing stones. It was possible to create a sort of lamp with different colors using gems and such, but that was something easy. She wanted a challenge.

She started swimming in a slow circle around Alden, with one hand behind her back and the other holding the rock. Energy sources was how the humans were able to go places they shouldn't. They should not be this deep in the ocean. The surface was their world. The depths belonged to the mermaids. Magic was something they probably condemned while it was accepted as a part of science here. Maybe she could do something about that. But not in the metal working room. She would use a spare magma room for her experiments and see what she could learn. Weapons were not going to be her focus. However something would be needed to give them the ability above the ocean someday at the rate human society was extending it's reach.

She paused in her swim to look over at the stacks that were here. There was plenty here. It was a matter of seeing what she could do with it now. Lights were all well and good. But there had to be more. She was fast for a mermaid. Perhaps she could make something that would take a mermaid faster. A device. It didn't matter at the moment. Turning, she looked at Alden. Her eyes showed her mind was working, her face betrayed her excitement, and the problem with her shyness melted with the passion that comes from having a purpose.