Artemis smiled at him, careful not to put her hands in her hair. Oh how she hated having fish all over her hands! But at least the merman could have something to eat, so that made her happy.

The merman ate this fish just as politely as the last, picking the bones out as he went. He seemed much calmer than he had been before. He'd also moved a bit closer to the surface.

Artemis smiled at him, but as she went to get the fish, it slipped out of her hands, slapping Artemis's face with it's tail a few times before landing next to her, leaving a puddle of slimy stuff from the scales. Artemis cringed, picked up the fish and looked away from the mess. She would have to warn the manager on her way out. "Here's the next one," she said, smiling at him. "I'm sorry that I didn't get it to you quicker, it slipped out of my hands," she said, dropping the squirming fish into the water. She was still surprised that the fish had SLAPPED her.

The merman smirked, amused, when he saw the fish slap her in the face. He dove for it eagerly once she dropped it into his tank, chasing it along the side before capturing it. He ate this one rather quickly, his hunger making itself apparent.

Hadn't they fed him more than once since he'd been there?

I can't believe it! They purposefully starved him! He's probably been wanting food for a while now! Artemis realized, angry with the manager. They should've fed him before all of the people came here, and give him enough so he wouldn't be this hungry, she thought, watching him as he ate the fish. She looked in the bucket, there was 6 fish left. He... can eat 9 fish at once? she wondered as she patiently waited for him to finish.

The merman finished after a moment, and, slowly, rose up and breached the surface. He was as far away from her and as far away from the front of the tank as possible...in the middle. He looked hungry, and his eyes were fixed on the bucket of fish.

Artemis saw him eyeing the bucket, and she picked it up. "Here. I'll give you the rest of the bucket, OK?" she said, smiling at him as she dumped the remainder of the fish into the water. As much as she wanted to stay with him, he was hungry. It wouldn't be fair if she witheld his food just so she could stay longer.

The merman ducked under the water at once, with incredible speed, and chased after the largest fish. He resurfaced a moment later with it limp in his hands. He eyed her for a long moment as he took a bite of the fish, freshly dead. When he swallowed, he regarded her with a serious expression.

"What would I have to to enlist your help in my escape from this place?" he asked, rather bluntly and to-the-point.

Artemis blinked, then smiled softly. "Nothing. I think you should be with your family instead of being put on display," she told him. "My name is Artemis. What's your name?" she asked, glad that he could understand her.

"Léandre. Léan...for short." He paused, seeming to be debating something internally, and then frowned. "I...don't have a family," he corrected, quietly. "I do have a twin brother...but he is all I have."

"It's very nice to meet you Leán," Artemis told him before frowning. "Still, family is family, and those fishermen should've let you go instead of sending you here. It's not fair to you or your brother," she said softly. "I want to help, but... I don't know how to get you out of here... or where you live... I may not be the right person for the job at hand," she said sadly.

Léan's spirits visibly sunk. He finished up his current fish, thinking, before he spoke again. "Isn't there anyone you know who could be the right person?" he asked, curiously. He didn't know how human security systems and such worked, so he wasn't sure what qualifications someone would need to break out of a building such as this.

"Well...... Oh! I have a friend who runs an ocean animal rescue company! He always drives around with a huge tank of water in the back, so if I could sneak you into the tank..... When he stops at the beach like he does every night, I can help you into the ocean! I might get into trouble, but they treat you like an animal here... It makes me sick. You deserve better then that Lèan," she said softly. "But as far as I know, he won't be in town for a week or so..... But that will give us time to plan. I'm sorry it couldn't be sooner," she said softly.

ooc: I'm getting really tired.... I'm gonna get off, because I don't wanna fall asleep at the keyboard. XD Night! ^^

((Night!))

Relief washed over Léan at once. "A week...I can wait a week," he sighed, before dipping under for another fish. He was scowling again when he resurfaced. "What planning needs to be done? Forgive me, I am not well-versed in the ways of your world," he added, as a warning.

ooc:" Well, I couldn't sleep, so I'm back! XD

"Because the aquarium sees you as their property, I could get arrested for breaking and entering, among other things," Artemis explained. "Plus, there's the matter of getting you inside the tank without my friend noticing," she added. "I'll probably have to carry you, correct?"

((XD Nice!))

Léan seemed to bristle at the notion of being carried, like he'd rather swallow a sea urchin. Nevertheless, he wanted to get out so badly...he would do just about anything. "That...ahem...that is fine with me."

Artemis frowned when she saw his reaction, but seeing as he couldn't walk, he really had no other choice. "Ok. Until then, I'll try and come back when my mom and little brother fall asleep to bring you some fish, OK?" she said, smiling softly at him. "I have a bad feeling they don't feed you very often, Lèan," she said. She looked nervously at the door, would they notice that she was taking too long?

Léan finished up the fish he had and nodded, glumly, confirming her fear. "They don't feed me too often. Not at all...I miss making my own eating schedule..." He trailed off, chewing on his lip. He really missed home.

Artemis's eyes widened a little. "Then I'll definitely have to bring you some fish. Unfortunately, I don't know where I could get them live..... I'm not very good at fishing, and that's not a good thing when you live next to a lake," Arteimis said softly. "My mom and dad aren't toghether anymore, so we're barely making ends meet. But we get by, even if that means we have to catch our own dinner. There's a ton of fish in our lake," she explained. "I basically grew up playing in the water."

"You could try netting them...humans seem to have more success catching fish in large nets than with their old ways of doing it..." Léan was frowning. He'd been captured because of a large, industrial-scale fishing boat and its nets, after all...he had a right to seem a little bitter about them.

Aryemis smiled a little, and she nodded. "You're right. I think I saw one in the tool shed, so I can use that for dinner and give the rest to you," she said softly. Looking fearfully at the door, she added, "I would love to stay and talk to you, but those bodyguards are kind of scary. If I don't leave here soon, they'll probably become suspicious." Standing up, she smiled sadly at Lèan. "I'll come back later, OK Lèan?" she told him.

There was a flash of sadness in Léan's eyes, but nothing more. He nodded. "All right...I will see you later." Without another word, Léan ducked down below the water for another fish.

Artemis nodded, confused by what she saw in Léan's eyes.....

ooc: This is where the fish juice comes in. XD

Not paying attention to where she was going, she stepped in the puddle of fish juice.....

and slipped backwards into the water!

Artemis screamed, before taking a deep breath, hitting the water with such force it nearly forced the air out of her!

She tried to swim to the top, but fish kept pestering her. Swatting them away only caused her to sink further.....

ooc: Please forgive me for teh plot twist? :(

Also: Rainbow-chan, I see you lurking! XD

Léan looked up, seeing her sinking, and then looked at the fish he'd just killed. Deciding to multi-task, he shoved the fish in his mouth and then swam upwards. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then heaved her back up onto the walkway, with one fell push.

ooc: Artemis: My hero! :3 *hugs Lèon*
Me: HEY!! Back inside my mind! >(

Artemis somehow landed on her feet. Looking back down, she blushed darkly. "Thank you Lèon," she told him. before walking out of the room, a happy look in her eyes once she exited. He didn't even notice my hair... He didn't care that I had no color in my hair, compared to everyone else! Her happy thoughts suddenly made her very sad. Why did I leave him? He's the only person I've met that hasn't made fun of me. He even saved my life! Her mind was now swarming with thoughts about Léon, the fishing net, fish, and how she would get him back home.`