Here we are!

For Mira-Charma13 and Mageling only! Feel free to read, though.

TOPIC: Merman/human romance
TYPE: Straight
SETTING: Oceanside village/city

----------

Name: Léandre Arcturus Skelter
Picture:

Light blonde hair, very light blue eyes—almost white-blue.
Age: Seventeen
Gender: Male

Name: Gloriana Stewart
Age: Seventeen
Gender: female
Picture:

Humans were peculiar creatures.

Léandre had never been particularly fond of humans. The few times he had revealed himself, three in total, he was fled from, shot at, and also had tin cans thrown at him. He'd also been caught in more than one human net, resulting in injury.

Nonetheless, they intrigued him, and when he was bored he would watch them, careful to keep himself hidden. Which is what he was doing at the moment, hiding in a little rock alcove, half out of the water and peering around at the shore. His bluish-green tail flicked a bit, launching little drops of water up into the air.

Glory looked around the tiny cottage. It wasn't much, but it was definitely what her grandmother needed. The small cottage by the sea was clean and quiet, away from the smog and bustle of the city. Her grandmother was elderly, and couldn't handle the city anymore, so Glory had moved her out to the little cottage.

Moving through the little building, Glory stepped out of the back door and onto the beach. The sun had set not long before, and the moon shone bright and soft upon the pale sand. Gloy took a deep breath and sighed. As used to city living as she was, being by the sea was more of a welcome change than she would admit.

Léan ducked himself down a bit when he noticed a lone human female on the beach, studying her pointedly. She looked a little...out of place here. He couldn't say why, though he suspected this may have been her first time in a place like this.

He lowered his tail a little bit, though he liked having it up in the air. Being spotted was not a priority or desire of his right now.

Glory glanced around, as if making sure that there wasn't anyone else on the empty beach, and then lifted her gypsy-style skirt above her ankles. Then she took a few steps into the water and smiled a little. She enjoyed the feeling of the cool water on her feet, and the rhythmic sound of the waves was soothing, somehow. The breeze off of the sea ruffled her hair, and she sighed. She always did like the feel of the wind in her hair.

Stepping out of the water again, she climbed up onto a large rock and sat down on it, staring out over the sea for a bit. The moonlight glittered on the water, and the view appealed to Glory's inner poet. Maybe this living on the beach thing wouldn't be so bad.

Léan watched her with interest as she stepped into the water and stepped out again. She seemed to like the feel of the ocean air. Léan liked it, as well, but not when it dried out the scales on his tail...he'd end up having to peel some of them off when they got too dry.

He swished his tail back and forth, feeling his stomach grumble a bit. He was really in the mood for some tuna, but with this woman here he couldn't risk being sighted just to go fetch some food.

His tail accidentally smacked against the water, creating a loud noise and a ripple of water coming from the rocks. He froze, slowly ducking down a bit more to avoid being seen.

Glory jumped when she heard a loud slap on the water and looked around. She was sure she was alone on the beach... Carefully, she stood up on the rock and looked out over the water. She didn't see anything... but the water was so dark, she wasn't sure if she would see anything even if it was there.

"Hello?" she called. The ocean breeze ruffled her skirt around her legs and tugged at her hair, but she took no notice. Her heart was thudding in her chest, and she glanced around with baited breath.

Léan watched her, noting with amusement that she seemed scared. He'd expected her to come searching for the source of the noise, actually. But this was much more enjoyable.

He was mischievous. Given the fact that he didn't particularly like humans, he found it extremely amusing to see one in fear. And he often teased them. He raised his tail up slightly and repeated the action of slapping it against the water. The ripples from the rock spewed up into the air slightly, like a tiny geyser, making it obvious that the noise was coming from over there.

Glory looked around for the source of the noise. She was about to give up and head back inside when she saw something splashing against some rocks not far away. Delicately, she picked her way down the rock she was standing on and went across the sand, cursing under her breath every so often when she stepped on a shell or a rock. Her feet were going to be sore in the morning... She would have to work on toughening them up so that walking across the beach didn't hurt so much.

Carefully, she picked her way around the outcropping of rocks, being careful not to slip and fall into the water. She hadn't had the chance to shop for her summer wardrobe yet, so her skirt had to last her a day or two. Looking around the rocks, she tried to find the source of the splashing.

"I know there's something here... I'm not crazy yet..."

Léan shifted a bit and slid down below the rock alcove. There was a tiny cavern in the rock, filled with water, that he often used as a makeshift bed. He also hid in here when the threat of a human finding him was very real.

If she was afraid of him, there would really be no reason to hide from her--she would simply just run away. He still felt mischievous, though, so he hid in that little cave, which was accessible from the top of the rocks. However, to reach him...one would have to either reach under and pull him out or stick their head underwater to try and locate him--the cavern was completely filled with water.

He stayed curled up in the back of the cavern, holding his tail close to him to make more space in it.

Glory looked around, and was almost relieved when she didn't see anything. Maybe it was just a fish... She'd come back in the morning, when she had daylight to see by. As lovely as the moonlight was, it didn't help much when one was looking for something.

Carefully, she got down from the rocks again and headed back to her grandmother's cottage. Nana Sue would be looking for her, and she didn't want to worry her. Nana Sue had enough to worry about with her own health. Glory wasn't about to add to it.

As she laid down on her bed, Glory looked out her open window and wondered just what it was that was splashing around in the water. Hopefully, she would find something in the morning.

Léan poked his head up out of the alcove, scanning the area for her. Luckily, it seemed like she had given up for the night.

Finally! He could go get some food!

He raised himself out of the alcove and leaped off over the edge of it, landing in the water with a very loud splash. He swam away to fetch food. Of course, he would be back in the morning, with a full belly. That alcove was a favorite spot of his.

Glory stepped outside the cottage the next morning in her only pair of cut-off jeans and an old tank top. She would go shopping later once she was sure her grandmother could handle herself for a while. Absently, Glory walked along the shore, enjoying the warm sand under her feet and the cool water from the sea. She could really get used to this... She hadn't realized it was possible to be so relaxed.

Steadily, she made her way to the rocks where she'd heard the splashing the night before. Chances are, whatever it was was long gone, but she still wanted to have a look around. Absently, she took a hair tie out of her pocket and bound her hair back in a messy bun to keep it off of her neck as she looked around.

Léan had returned about ten minutes earlier. He was currently holed up in the cavern, finishing what was left of a very large tuna he'd captured.

When he heard footsteps above him, he wondered if it was the female from last night. He also wondered if she would see the cavern opening this time and try to infiltrate it.

Now that it was daylight, Glory could see that the water was clear and blue, and deep enough that the bottom vanished about twenty feet out. Carefully, she picked her way up the rocks, making sure to avoid any sharp points or particularly slippery spots. It didn't look like there was anywhere for anything to hide in the rocks... Then she saw a dip in the rocks out of the corner of her eye and turned to look.

The rocks seemed to bend inwards as they vanished under the water, almost seeming to double back on themselves under the surface. Maybe it formed just enough space for a fish to hide? Surely not a large fish, but maybe a little one... Unfortunately, she couldn't see any of the opening. It seemed to all be underwater. Mentally she debated it, and finally her curiosity won out.

"This is going to sting..." she said to herself as she prepared to jump into the water. She never did like getting salt water in her eyes...

Léan could see a shadow hovering over the ground, near the front of the cavern. His tail swished back and forth, and he grinned.

So, she'd finally worked up the courage to come looking for him? Well, so be it. He laid down on his belly on the sandy bottom of the cavern, making sure his entire tail was showing and waited patiently for her to jump.

Quickly, Glory stripped down to her underthings. No sense in getting her clothes wet... Before she could talk herself out of it, she stepped over the rocky ledge and into the water.

While not ice-cold, the water was still chilly enough to give her a shock. She was glad she'd tied her hair back, because she was sure it would be all over the place by now. Gritting her teeth, she braced herself for the sting and opened her eyes. Immediately, she could feel them watering, and the saltwater stung, though not as badly as she remembered as a child. Everything around her was blurry, though the colors were vibrant. Quickly, she popped her head above water for a fresh breath of air and went under again, intent on looking under the ledge.

Things were still fuzzy, though her eyes were slowly adjusting to the refraction factor of the water. Using the rock itself to counteract her buoyancy, she looked under the ledge. What she saw shocked her so much that she gasped, taking in a lungful of salt water. Immediately, she struggled to get to the surgace, banging her head on the rocks before making it into the air again and coughing up the water.

Léan felt a little bad that she'd cracked her head on the rocks, but he laughed anyway, the sound very echo-y and watery. He peered up at her from under the ledge, swishing his tail outside from under it as well.

He'd anticipated that sort of reaction, of course. It was a little more shock-oriented than fear-oriented, though. That surprised him a bit.

Glory knelt on the rocks, spitting out the last bit of salt water and trying to get her insides to stop burning from the salt.

'What WAS that thing?' she demanded inwardly, in between thoughts of 'salt water BAD'. Maybe it was a trick of the light... Her vision hadn't exactly been clear, after all... A bit of motion caught her eye from the side and she leaned over the edge of the rocks to look. A pair of blue eyes stared back at her, and she immediately scooted backwards over the rocks. No, not a hallucination this time...

Léan swished his tail back and forth more, amused. Did she think he was a mirage, perchance?

He wiggled nimbly out from under the ledge, staying near the sandy bottom in case she had hostile intentions. He swam around in little circles on his back, facing upwards so he could see her reaction if she decided to look again.

Glory watched, stunned, as the vague, blurry shape from before came out from under the ledge and into the light. It stayed under the water, so she couldn't very a perfectly clear look at what it was, but her mouth fell open when her mind cleared the image for her.

"No way..." she breathed, moving a bit closer to the edge to get a better look. She watched, awestruck, as the creature (merman?) swam around in the sunny shallows.

Once again, Léan was surprised that she seemed more awestruck than frightened. He moved into a sunnier area so she could get a better look at him, peering up at her with slight curiosity.

It was rare to see a human that wouldn't run from or attack a 'freak' such as him.

Glory leaned out further onto the rocks to get a closer look. There was no way she was dreaming, not with the throbbing lump on her head from nearly braining herself on the rocks. She might be hallucinating, though... She was torn from her thoughts when she over balanced on the rocks and fell into the water again. It wasn't very deep, but she still squeaked in surprise when her hand slipped and the ocean came up to meet her.

Standing up, the water just barely touched her chin, so she wasn't worried too much about drowning. Carefully, she made her way to the shallower parts and sat down, not quite sure what else to do. The cold water definitely reminded her that she wasn't hallucinating.

Léan swam over near her, but didn't get too close--he stayed completely underneath the water in case he needed to make a quick getaway.

Now that he was closer, it was obvious what he was...and he certainly didn't look like a hallucination. He swam around in front of her a bit, curious, but not curious enough to reach out and attempt to touch her.