The voices stopped. One by one, four small heads popped over the coral.

"What is it?" One asked, staring at Noah. Another one looked like he wanted to swim as far away from the strange thing as possible.

At least they didn't have sticks for poking. Veli stayed quiet, not moving, lest it be taken as a threat of some sort against the children.

Noah swam toward the children, not realizing how strange he must look with two "tails" in this society.

One of the children decided it was best to get the fuck out of there. The other three stayed close, two hiding behind the other. The lead child crossed his arms, staring at the strange thing swimming for them.

Veli laughed slightly, drawing the child's attention.

"What is it?!" The lead one asked, still staring at Noah. Veli didn't respond. Ah, horrible little brats. They'd made his life hell when he was a brat himself.

Noah just righted himself and treaded water, tilting his head to one side. He swam back, grabbed Veli, pulled him close, and drew a diving knife. Instead of pointing it at Veli, however, he pointed at the children with it.

"I'm a human. This is mine. You won't fuck with him, or I fuck with you. Now scat," he said, making a little shooing motion.

And even if they didn't understand the words themselves, they understood that tone. They gave little screeches and swam off, no doubt to tell Mommy and Daddy about the thing.

"You speak the language, even if you don't." Veli rested his head on Noah's chest, eyes closing. Best way to get kids to listen was to scare them.

Noah put his knife back in its holster. He pet Veli's hair, watched how it waved in the water. Hmm...pretty.

"A full 24 hours, right...?"

Veli sighed and nodded, miserable.

"Yes. That'll be enough to restore my normal abilities and make it so I don't get sick again."

Noah nodded.

"Okay."

And that was it before he fell backward, still holding Veli, floating idly. Yaaaaay!

Veli laughed after a moment, resting against him. After a bit, he popped his head up.

"Wanna... Come see the sea creatures with me? You can touch anything."

"Sure," Noah smiled, "but stay right here. Just...tell me where to go." He laughed and bent his head backward, looking at things upside-down. WOAH. WOAH. VERTIGO. EEK. Okay, all better.

"Hmm..." Veli's eyes took on a far away look. "I don't want you to go out by yourself... It can be dangerous. So... Let's see if anyone will come..."

Well, apparently Veli was a fish magnet, because a few strange looking blue fishes swam up. Yaaaay, fishies~

Noah reached his hand out slowly toward one, smiling around his regulator. Sure, it let water in, but he couldn't help it.

The fish swam under his hand with a little prompting from Veli.

The merman was overly pleased with this. It was his talent to make fish do things like this. Something he'd always been good at, to the dislike of his peers.

Noah gently ran a fingertip over the back of the fish and smiled wider. Oh, fuck the regulator! He held his breath and popped the regulator out. He pet and pet and pet...took a puff, looked to another fish, waved.

The other fish obligingly swam over, the first fish going to visit Veli, who cuddled and loved as best he could.

Fuck yeah. His talent.

Noah laughed and bubbles rose. Uh-oh! He groped for his regulator, panicked a moment as his chest tightened, and then took a puff. Whee! Fishies!

"Be careful." Veli said, wrapping an arm around him and grinning. "You have to breathe."

"Should I see if something bigger will come?"

Noah's eyes went wide and he stared at Veli, popping the regulator back in his mouth.

"Like what?" he asked, voice garbed by water he then spit out before putting the regulator back in.

Veli's eyes unfocused for a moment and he smiled. Seriously, the kind of smile that a kid in a candy store gets.

"Shark?"

Noah's eyes only got wider.

"Uh...I'm not sure..."

"They'll be as good as the fish. They're happy to have me here again!"

Poor Veli. Only friends growing up were the sharks.

"Oh," Noah said, shrugging. He trusted Veli's judgment.

"Okay!"

Veli hummed, and a large dark thing started for them. Oh my. Big. Very big. With very big teeth.

Pushing free of Noah, Veli swam over to greet the thing. What strange eyes it had. Veli cooed and snuzzled it, giving it big open mouthed kisses along the side.

Sharktamer Veli.

Noah righted himself and floated where he was. It was like horses with him. Even if you loved them, you were scared shitless hat they might kill you.

"This," Veli said, hugging the docile shark, "Is Mama. When I used to swim out here away from the other kids, Mama'd chill with me. She'd watch out for me and keep the other from being mean to me."

"My... Fish calling and making them like me is far above par. No one can get Mama to love them like I can."