"I woke up on the beach, thrown up by the sea like unwanted debris." Fish? The mention of that sent his thoughts straight to his stomach. He didn't even bother to answer any questions, or look anywhere save at the cooked meat. Well if that didn't ruin the taste, he didn't know what did. It was ruined. But he was hungry enough to devour it with his hands. Juice trailed down his fingers as he savored his meal with small sighs of satisfaction.

He ended by wiping the back his hands across his mouth, and burped lightly with a content smile. "Well, I prefer raw fish. Though my favorite is crab, and the gooey insides of sea urchins. Then of course I'll have the occasional squid, or shark meat even. It depends on how well the hunt went that day, or if they even let me go along. " Starr's face went white as he realized what he'd said. Surely now they would suspect what he was?

Andy blinked and looked behind him. Dean was rocking from one foot to the other, a hand to his mouth and a look of pure shock filtering into his dreamy expression. "Um..." He looked back to Starr, who was oddly pale. Was Andy imagining that, though? "Um... Well... you stay... y'know, here... I have to talk to Dean." He backed away, spinning Dean and shoving him out of the room and into the den. "Okay, calm the hell down, whatever you're thinking."

"Merman." Dean said simply. "That's what I'm thinking. Think I'm crazy?"

"F--- Hell yes I think you're crazy. You don't think he just came from a fishing village or something?"

Dean stared at him incredulously. "Really, Andy?" He crossed his arms, but he was nearly vibrating from excitement. "He couldn't even use his legs when you found him, didn't know what clothes were, you had to carry him most of the way. Didn't you say he freaked out in the car on the winding road to your house?"

Andy sighed, pinching his nose. "God, Dean... I don't... I mean, this is..." He puffed out a breath, rolling his eyes. "I don't even know..."

"He doesn't know where he is. He said he's exiled. What if he was cursed to be a human?"

"Being a human's a curse?"

"Sometimes..." Dean smiled sheepishly. "You know I love the ocean, I wouldn't mind being one of them."

Andy sighed and stomped in annoyance. "Shit... Dean, this is crazy..."

"Is it? Hell, you saw what happened. You! And you told me!" Dean laughed. "Come on, man, open your eyes, look around a little, think about something that's just a liiiiittle weird or fantastical."

Andy pursed his lips, closing his eyes. He didn't know what to think, but Dean had a bit of a point. Hell, that was a good explanation for... almost everything. Including the raw fish desire.

He leaned his head against the hard wood of the table and sighed. The look in that man's face... Starr sighed. Trouble seemed to follow his steps like a shark after blood. Steps. He was starting to think like a human already. There were a lot of things that would change about him. Or not. Starr didn't even know who he was anymore. He hadn't realized how much he defined himself by being a merman, and by his position within the tribe that had been his.

Absentmindedly, he brushed his fingers against the table, and shifted to get more comfortable in his seat. Under his breath, he hummed. The song lifted higher. The notes twisted about. They twined sweetly in the air before Starr realized. Melancholy sounds to make the heart cry. It had tears of longing welling in his eyes. He felt so alone ...

"What about the hair? And the eyes?" Dean asked at last, still rather defiant. Andy had given in, at last, but looked up at that.

"A lot of people are born with weird hair and eye colors..."

"Not that weird, Andy, you know that."

"Contacts. Hair dye."

"You think a little fishing village has access to high quality contacts and hair dye?"

Andy huffed in annoyance, and went quiet. It was music, or a song, but as soon as it came to be, it was gone. "God..."

"That isn't human."

Andy glared. "Ugh... Okay, stay here..." He turned on his heel and went back to the kitchen, sitting across from Starr and pulling a hand into his. "Starr... Look, I really want to help you... And I know that freaks you out. But I really don't have a reason as to why I want to help you... I just do. It's who I am, I want to help when I can and I feel like I can, but I don't know a damn thing about you. And I don't know if I can help if I don't know about you." He looked down. "I find it really... weird... But I want to experience new things. And I need to know who---what---you are." He didn't know whether he was prepared for what Starr would say---or wouldn't say---but it was worth a try. He felt sane enough, after all.

The merman started when Andy walked in. The other man was like a storm, blown in like the wind then, and Starr felt completely at his mercy. It would be easy to make him disappear after all. Only one other person knew he was even there, and that other was one of Andy's friends. Dangerous humans, two to one. The odds were against him.

Starr swallowed hard as his hand was taken, and looked to the scratched table for some kind of answer to his dilemma. He remembered what had been done to him, and for what reason... So strongly it made him clench his hand tight around Andy's in what he was sure was a painful hold. "A merman. I was exiled for a crime I didn't commit." Prying humans. Always looking, searching, for answers to their questions. That one thing about the race had led to so much.

He almost expected it. Almost. But he hadn't expected to be so floored by the confession he'd almost expected. He opened his mouth, breathing in as if to reply, then pausing, letting out a quiet, strangled cough-sigh and shaking his head a little. This was crazy. He was crazy. Not Starr---Andy. Andy was crazy. Crazy for believing... What did he expect? The steps that had led here were so plain in front of him. Starr couldn't use his legs, didn't know how to wear clothes, had to be carried most of the time, had no idea what a vehicle was---he'd thought he was going out of control, after all. He didn't even know what grass was. There was nowhere entirely absent of grass or people far enough away that would let Starr just appear on the beach at random. Except the ocean. And he hadn't spent his whole life on a ship, there was just no way.

He nodded slowly, wiggling his crushed fingers. "Okay... you wanna tell me what you did...?" Andy grimaced, but rearranged his fingers in Starr's grasp. "Or, I mean, what they said you did. I don't think you did anything... Hell, that might be stupid, but you don't look like a... you don't look like you'd do anything illegal." He looked through the door, finding Dean's gaze boring into him. He ignored the pair of eyes, looking back to Starr's unnaturally colored---but striking---eyes.

Would he really have to confess such a thing? Starr lifted his eyes to look carefully at Andy. A man who had taken him without any apparent reason. A man who had let him into his home without question. A man who took care of him. The merman sighed. "Alright." It wasn't like such an idyllic situation could last anyway. "They believe I consorted with the sea witch to kill our tribe's ruler. Things would have been different if whoever had staged this ... If they had succeeded, I would have been seen as the next ruler and all would have been forgiven. But failure led to exile. If it hadn't been my sister who ruled, I would be dead now." That was the tribe leader's right.

He said it all so steadfast, so seriously, so... regretfully. Andy didn't know why he couldn't just believe him. But did he? Did he really? It was a question he couldn't answer, not on the spot, not right here. He just bit his lip, nodding slowly. "Sounds rough..." He breathed. What else could he say?" They can't get you here, at least. Do you think it'll be safe for you... to stay so near the ocean? They could get you..." He shook his head. Why was he egging Starr on? Or was he? Did he actually believe this? There it was again, that question.

"Uh, God, Starr... I don't really know what to say..."

"Is he okay?" Dean bounded into the room, startling Andy, but then he flopped down in another chair. "What's wrong, hon? You wanna talk to both of us?"

"Dean, God... The guy's been accused of a pretty crap thing. Accused of... Of... of some kind of treason."

Dean gasped. "Oh no! And that's why they put you out? Made you into a floppy human?"

"Dean..."

"What?" Dean gave Andy a withering look. "It's true, isn't it? You're a merman! It just makes sense, and people say I'm crazy." He laughed quietly.

"You are crazy, Dean..."

"That doesn't matter." He waved a hand. Andy sighed and gave Starr an apologetic look.

Starr laughed. Andy's friend, Dean ... He was such a clownfish of a thing! The merman leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to the side, with a smile tugging at his lips. "They fear the land. They wouldn't dare set foot-fins where humans walk." There were some who did, but they never let anyone know. For good reason. Walking on land always ended in disaster. Then there was the ever present chance of discovery.

"But yes, that is exactly why. I wish I could go back to help my sister, to stop the real culprit from succeeding and then ... " He looked to the table. Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes. His mates, the two of them had turned from him and to each other without a second thought when the plot had been unmasked. They hadn't even been there to see him off, when he'd been turned into a two legged thing. Sky and Coral, both had forsaken him. Now all he had were these odd human men, who looked at him now like ... He shook his head..

Andy frowned, siding the chair forward and putting a hand on Starr's face, pulling his eyes up to look at him. "Hey... It's not over yet." He said simply, seriously. "Whatever happened... I'll help you figure it out. But you can't dwell on what might be happening now. What could happen. You have to trust that she'll be protected for the time being. Surely no one would act so soon? So soon after they thought the real... culprit was caught and disposed of?" He couldn't imagine why, but what did he know about the merfolk? Not a whole hell of a lot, that was for certain. He glanced at Dean, who looked somewhat pained. Andy turned his attention back to Starr.

"You don't have to worry about being caught... stolen away, chained up, tied up, taken away. Not with me, got that?" He looked stonily at Starr, keeping his gaze centered. "I won't let a damn person touch you. I won't make you do anything you don't want to do. But you have to trust me. I'll get you back there some... sometime. I'll try." He looked at Dean. "And he'll help." He said pointedly.

Dean sat up straight. "Uh, right! I'll help... with what?"

"With whatever Starr needs."

"Right, that!" Dean smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Right on your heels, Andy!"

He smiled, turning back to Starr and lowering his hand. "You trust me? Us?" He gestured between himself and Dean.

"If she isn't vigilant, Angel will be attacked, no question about it. After one challenge is made, there are usually others who follow. " Starr almost spoke about what else worried him, no about what else had saddened his gaze. But these were strangers. They had done nothing yet to earn his full trust. Wary as a wolf in a trap, he looked over them even as Andy'S hand rested gently against his skin. It was so warm. So .. different then hers, or his. He closed his eyes tight with a pained sound and twisted away.

"How can I trust strangers, when those dearest to me turned their backs to me without a second thought?" It was impossible. And he, wild and used to the ways of the sea, found himself wishing to return with all his heart. These humans were so incomprehensible. Truly, a different people who had forgotten their own wild ways. Their own past.

Andy sat back a bit, looking toward Dean, who pulled his chair up to the table and leaned forward a bit. "Starr, you can trust us because we don't have reason to hurt you." He said gently, his voice taking on that light, calm tone that usually calmed Andy when he was angry at something or someone. Sometimes he hated hearing it, that reasoning tone when all he wanted to do was hit something or someone or scream and throw a tantrum, but that wasn't necessary here. "We don't know you, but you sound trustworthy. You look like you really care, like you can't have done what they accused you of."

Andy nodded, looking to Starr. "All I really cared about when I found you was whether you were... you know, okay, sane, not injured. I'd let you go wherever you want, but you obviously don't know anything about the land the way it is, or anyone... you could be hurt and---"

"And that'd weigh on both our consciousness if something bad happened when we could stop it." Dean interjected. "Take it from me---even if I'm Andy's friend. He's trustworthy. Hell, he can't hurt anyone, he'd feel awful. He's too strong of an empath to hurt anyone or lie to anyone with a clear conscious."

Turning to Dean, Andy looked at him with a bit of a grateful glint in his eye, then returned his attention to Starr. "I won't tell anyone what you are, who you are, where you come from. Hell, if you want to come with me into the public I can just say you're a friend from out of town. I won't push you into anything you don't want to do."

He could almost feel the stupid, goofy grin on Dean's face. Andy had no idea what was on his mind half the time to give him that look, but it'd often take his mind elsewhere for a while. But what did he know about models? They all seemed flighty, with attentions that were often all over the place, sometimes buried deep in their heads.

Starr stared. What a tide of information, of assurances and well meaning words! "Alright." He would put his life in their hands then. "This means that I'll be relying entirely on the two of you, at least in the beginning. I know near nothing about this world. The customs, the culture, the food ... " Starr glanced at his pants. "The clothing. All of that is alien to me. I don't know about the mating rituals of your people, or the way station is decided. " There was so much to learn.

The merman glanced at Dean, and frowned at the vacant expression. "Is he alright?" He'd sometimes seen those the sea witch had forced to become her puppets. They'd had looks like that. Glazed eyes, goofy faces.

Andy smiled a bit. He knew that. He'd help Starr figure it all out without overloading him. A day at a time, a little at a time, he'd teach the oddity everything he needed. One day at a time, and hopefully Starr would retain it all. Learning about two worlds would have to be a bit overwhelming. But Andy knew plenty about other worlds. Worlds that didn't exist anymore, but had at one time, and were full of history and knowledge.

Frowning, Andy glanced back at Dean and snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Dean! Come back, you idiot." He patted Dean's cheek and he snapped out of whatever far-off daydream he'd been in.

"Huh? Geh... Sorry." Dean smiled sheepishly. "I was thinking..."

"About...?"

Dean shrugged. "Dunno..."

"God you're such a flake."

"Never denied that."

Andy smiled and rolled his eyes, looking back at Starr. "He's fine. If he stares off like that, just backhand him a couple times and he'll come back."

"Oww." Dean grimaced. "Don't hit me!"

"I didn't hit you, I just threatened to if you go AWOL again."

Dean wrinkled his nose, looking back at Starr. "You gonna be okay with this crazy man?"

"I'm not crazy! Don't freak the guy out..."

"You'd freak out Charles Manson."

Andy snickered, shaking his head. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Dean looked at Starr. "You like my company, don't you?" He leaned forward, imploring with wide eyes that made Andy roll his.

He giggled at the interaction. What they said made barely any sense at all, but they certainly seemed hilarious. And they looked like very good friends. Then suddenly he was the center of attention. A light blush swept across Starr's cheeks as Dean leaned forward. Well, the human certainly didn't look bad. He was a distracted beauty though.

"No, I don't mind. In fact if we were under the seas, I would challenge for you." The humans would have no idea what he meant. At least, he hoped they wouldn't. Their ways were different then his. And he realized all of a sudden that he could challenge no one, with leg-fins that he didn't know how to work, let alone fight with.

Dean raised his brows. "Challenge?" He gasped in an exaggerated way. "Ooooh, like in the wild when a lion challenges another lion for a mate? OhmaiGod, you'd want me?" He squealed with his hands over his mouth, breaking off in a giggling fit when Andy pinched the bridge of his own nose and sighed.

"Dean, have you ever thought of decaf?"

"Pffh, no." Dean waved, glancing at the clock on the wall and gasping again. "Oh, lookit the time! I gotta meet my agent for a late lunch!" He jumped up, hugging Andy around the neck and moving on to Starr, pulling him up by the hands and drawing him into a tight squeeze, but not enough to hurt. "Oh it was so nice to meet you, Starr! I'm gonna be back real soon, 'kay? Gotta get to know you more, who can say they're friends with a merman?"

"Sure as hell not you, Dean. Don't open your loose lips or I'll cut your tongue out." Andy pointed at Dean in warning, but he released Starr and waved him off.

"You know I wouldn't put the poor guy in danger like that, Andy! Gawd, give a guy a little faith!" He patted both on the shoulder. "See you two tomorrow!" He spun around, nearly bouncing out of the kitchen. After a moment, Andy heard the door open and close, and nothing else. He sighed. "Wow, he wears me out..." He said, laughing carefully.

Starr nodded with a half smile. He was actually rather surprised Dean had understood so quickly. And what a reaction! As adorable as a seahorse, that was what Dean was. Or an octopus. At one point, Starr had owned a beautiful blue ringed octopus. Colorful, and deadly, it had certainly managed to keep things interesting while it had lived, before being eaten by a dangerous shark.

He laughed when he was pulled up and squeezed, even though he ended up swaying unsteadily when Dean let go. A door slammed. That was signal enough that whirlpool Dean had swept away ,out of the room and building. "I like him. He's fun," said Starr simply as he settled down on the chair again.

Andy smiled and nodded. "He's a... character." He said, looking up at Starr. "But hell, he's a good friend, trustworthy, sweet. That's why I put up with his puppy energy." He laughed a bit, turning a little to look at Starr more directly. "Are you okay? I mean, I know how crazy it is for you right now... You're in a real weird, unusual place... I mean, you gotta trust someone, right? And it might as well be me and Dean. I should get out today before the markets close and everyone snatches up the fresh fish, though..." He shook his head. "You want to try... human food? I mean, it's pretty much as different as you could get if you've never tried it. I have a lot of simple things... Fruits and vegetables, greens that aren't seaweed or kelp..." He shrugged, a bit at a loss. He didn't have much fish at hand this week; Andy had intended to head out tomorrow for that.

A puppy? Where those anything like dolphins? The merman tilted his head. Dean certainly was like a dolphin, happy and always smiling. He nodded, and smiled. "I would try, yes. So long as there are no chemicals, nothing unnatural. Humans are so strange... Destroying things without a second thought." That made no sense. They were keepers of the land, the same way the merfolk were guardians of the sea. Surely the humans knew that? No ... they had known it once, but now had forgotten it all long ago. The way they dumped things into the ocean proved that.

Dean was just stepping into the cafe where he agreed to meet his agent, and was still thrumming with everything he'd taken from Andy's house. Starr was on his mind, of course, but he couldn't say anything about the merman-turned-human, though he wanted to talk to anyone that'd listen for half a second. But he was content to keep it between himself and Andy and Starr, he wouldn't put them in danger by blabbing.

Smoothing back his pitch black hair, disrupted by the breeze swept in from the sea, he closed the door and looked around. There was someone waving, and he recognized the receding hairline and hooded near-black eyes meeting his own bright grass-green ones. He bounced across the cafe, falling into the chair across from Carose, and when a waitress came by, he requested a strong black coffee. Then he turned his gaze to Carose. "Got something good?" He asked, leaning forward and cradling his chin in his hands.

Carose rolled his eyes and nodded, reaching into his bag on the floor beside his chair and pulling out a folder. "Got a good one. What's your thought on fetish stuff?"

"Like, what, leaher and whips and chains?"

"Yep, that's the usual fetish stuff."

"Pretty nice. Wouldn't mold my life to it twenty-four/seven. Why, that's the contract up for auction?"

Carose nodded. "Yep, whole magazine. They only want four models for the whole thing so you'll be taking up a quarter, at least."

Dean's eyes widened. "Ooh, nice! Gotta find my piercings for this one..." He smiled a little, flipping open the folder and pulling the contract out, signing his name with the offered pen as the waitress returned with a ceramic mug. He nodded a thanks, signing several more pages, and closing the folder, looking up and past Carose. Lots of people today, it seemed, and he liked to see that. Lots of new faces. He swept his gaze over the people as he sipped his coffee and Carose thumbed through another folder.

The café was the nearest place to a few office buildings. Though it was usually crowded, the service was quick enough that Kane Algis preferred it over any of the other choices. Not to mention that the food was good, and the other patrons usually didn't bother the lawyer, especially when he had papers laid out upon the table so he could read over cases and study them carefully. This latest one was a doozy. The chestnut haired man ruffled his uneven locks as he poured over his latest acquired account. Poor kid was going to be shipped off to a stranger, if Kane didn't figure out some kind of legal loophole to let the girl stay with her sister, instead of being put up for adoption.

As a lawyer for children in the courts, he didn't get paid the most, but it was worth it. Of course, sometimes he would defend others who didn't have enough money to get themselves some fancy rich lawyer, but he preferred his work with children. It excluded most anything else from his life, but he was used to that. Kane sipped his tea with a frown. Cloud grey eyes wrinkled up as he caught sight of just the thing he needed to help that girl in the parent's will. Closest family member. Well the only one living was the girl's older sister, and her being an adult now ... Well it all depended on the sister wanting to take her in now.

He cast his eyes around again in another sweep and let them linger. Nice, deep hair. Stylish. He liked that look. And stormy eyes. Stormy, mysterious. He liked that air of mystery, even if the owners weren't that mysterious overall. But he liked that veiled, closed off look. It was a challenge. He met the guy's eyes, lowering the cup just enough to let him see the smile that crossed his face. A reeled in smile though it was---this guy looked professional. Lawyer, doctor, teacher, something like that. Something... wrapped up. Wrapped up in layers of professionalism, but oh there could be so much... depth beyond that. Something rough. Something... seductive. Something that when released could be unrecognizable.

He was lightly hit on the face with something---a paper. Startling, Dean sat up straight and ran a hand through his hair. "Huh?" He looked at Carose. "Wha's happen?"

"Uh, you were drifting again." Carose raised a brow and tilted his head as if Dean should have known that. "I said your schedule is gonna be mailed to you in two days, be ready. You'll have a bit of free range with wardrobe options, but don't get carried away."

"Yeah, carried away..." Dean glanced beyond Carose again to glance at the guy. Good God there was so much that could be there... He couldn't help but stare, and he didn't act like he wasn't, even when caught red-handed.

Kane was absorbed with his work. He didn't even notice when a young waitress put his blt sandwhich on the table, near his elbow. Nope, he was too busy writing down notes in his elegant scrawl. When he did lift his head, a man was staring straight at him with the oddest smile, a strange twinkle in his green eyes. Hastily, Kane lowered his head. There would be people staring at him, of course. With all the papers laid out. They would wonder what he was working on. Maybe it had been a bad idea to bring work to the café. Stray wind could blow the important documents away, and that simply wouldn't do.

Even so, Kane always did relish the thought of working outside. The opportunity for that was rather infrequent. The city air, though polluted, was still better then what could be had inside the office. And in the office things were always so hectic. Phones always ringing, voices talking loudly over each other to be heard. At least in the café the sounds were pleasant ones.

He giggled to himself when the guy looked down quickly. Did he startle the guy? Maybe, but Dean didn't mind. He was startling at first, he'd come to be told, usually because of the intensity of his gaze. It was such an unnatural color, and people often wondered if he wore contacts. No, but it looked good in a magazine, he realized. The bright green hooded by the deep, midnight black of his hair seemed to be a contrast to one another, making one appear darker while the other appeared lighter. Again, Carose was snapping his fingers in front of his face and tapping the table, and Dean jumped and looked down. "God, Ben, can't a guy ogle in peace?"

"You can after we're done here." Carose said simply, offering a last document to sign. Dean did so after looking through the information laid out.

Handing it back, Dean glanced back at the professor-type guy. "Sooo... Am I gonna be in a dom stance, sub? Mix of both?"

"I guess both, might be up to you."

"Hell, I don't care. Most say I'm a sub." He grinned and leaned forward a little. "You can see that, can't you? A bad boy just waiting to be punished by his dom?"

Carose put a hand to his eyes. "Don't. I just don't need that image in my mind, Dean."

He snickered, looking back up to the guy across the way as a light breeze picked up. He put his cup on the folder so it didn't open, but it was an absentminded move. He was more interested in the man. Damn, he looked good. Like a package waiting to be unwrapped to get to the best parts all hidden away, nice and neat. His mouth practically watered at the thought.

Kane cursed under his breath. The papers! Hastily, he slapped his hands over them. Grabbing them all, he shoved them into his leather briefcase and snapped it shut. Good, they were still all there. Not a one had been harmed either, not by his hasty grabbing, nor by the winds sweeping through the café's terrace. It didn't seem like anyone else noticed Kane's panicky state. But to think, he could have lost all his notes just like that ...

Then someone's wish could have been lost, snatched away by nature. That man didn't help. The way his odd eyes had stared ... So much intensity. Kane hadn't known anyone could have such a gaze, not outside of court when lives were in the balance.