[ deep blue drift ] 1x1

[skyprincess]

• Nora •

Nora looked away and sighed. "It's has nothing to do with dolphins in general... my mom died in a shark attack and a dolphin brought her dead body to shore. I was sitting on a beach towel, waiting for her to come back and teach me more about surfing. I never said 'I love you' to her that day or the day before." She told her softly and reached out her shaky hand and touched the dolphin. "I always feel something bad like what happened the day my mom died will happen when I see a dolphin." She wrapped her arms around Aspen's waist and sighed.

[fern fawn]

[ • Aspen • ]

Aspen was shocked speechless for several moments, her features contorting in concern. "That's terrible, I'm so sorry." she murmured, lifted a hand to smooth down Nora's hair. She'd been around sharks her entire life, and they'd never tried to harm her, but she knew they were fully capable of something vicious. "Nobody should have to go through that." She watched as Nora touched the dolphin, who was still watching them curiously as she swam about. "Dolphins have been known to save humans, and even dogs. It may have been trying to help your mother." she spoke, her voice gentle.

[skyprincess]

• Nora •

Nora shrugged and rested her forehead on Aspen's shoulder. She swallowed hard and chocked back her tears. "I'm changing the subject... how does it feel to have a tail?" She asked softly and rubbed her eyes a bit. "And do you ever get tired of swimming?" Nora kept her forehead on the mermaid's shoulder, not wanting to look up. Her eyes were red from crying and she was embarrassed. The small girl took a deep breath and sighed as she sang a quiet song to herself. Her voice was beautiful but you could barely hear it because she was singing so softly just to calm herself down.

[fern fawn]

[ • Aspen • ]

She gave a curt nod, exhaling a deep breath as her gaze followed the dolphin. It was swimming further away now, only occasionally coming back to loop around then, then heading away once more. She tried to focus on something else than Nora's terrible experience, focusing her thoughts on the question asked instead. She was hesitant to answer, not wanting to interrupt Nora's beautiful, yet almost inaudible, singing. "Um, I'm not sure I guess. It's like asking how it feels to have an arm. It's just a part of me." She wished that she could explain it better, attempting to rack her brain on how. "It's...strange. Sometimes it feels like it shouldn't be a part of me at all." She ran her fingers lightly over her hip, right where he scales began. "You mean tired mentally or physically? Yes to both I suppose."

[skyprincess]

• Nora •

She nodded a bit and looked up. "Having legs is hard I guess. Mine get tired so easily. It's because I am so small." She murmured. The sparkle in her eyes was gone. She looked a bit pale but took a long breath in and then exhaling it. "I wish I was a mermaid and could be friends with animals and be a better friend to you." She told her very softly and touched her own hair, trying to make it less frizzy and knotty. She winced in pain a few time but relaxed after a while. She looked around and bit the inside of her cheek.

[fern fawn]

[ • Aspen • ]

Aspen coudln't help but give a small frown to Nora's words, pulling slightly back from her in order to look at her. "You don't have to have a tail to be friends with animals, and I couldn't imagine how you could be a better than you are now." She supposed the saying was true: the grass is always greener on the other side. While Aspen yearned to know life on land, Nora wished to belong to the sea. "Come on, we're almost there." she assured, once more gently taking the girl's hand and heading off in the same direction, at a slower pace this time. The dolphin had mostly lost interest, as Aspen hadn't seen her for a little while.

[skyprincess]

• Nora •

Nora sighed but nodded a bit. She rubbed her eyes and frowned a bit. "But everyone hates me on land and I'll never get a girlfriend. I don't know why but everyone thinks that I am a bad person and bullies me. She whispered and let Aspen pull her. She coughed a bit and groaned. She had hit her hand on a rock and now there was a big cut on her palm. "I'm bleeding." She quickly told the girl.

[fern fawn]

[ • Aspen • ]

"How could someone hate you? I don't understand." Aspen wasn't familiar with human culture, how some of them could be so cruel for little to no reason at all. She glanced back towards Nora, her eyes widening in panic as she noticed the blood drifting through the water even before she spoke of it. "What happened? I'm sorry, I should be more careful." Her words were rushed and full of guilt, once more stopping to turn to Nora. She gently took the girl's hand and tried to see how bad the cut was, her gaze clearly full of worry.. "I keep hurting you, I don't don't know what to do." Her voice was quiet, almost as if she were talking to herself. There just seemed to be one problem after another; there didn't seem to be a way to safely keep this girl in the sea.

[skyprincess]

• Nora •

Nora shook her head. She took a deep breath in and then exhaled it. "I'm fine. It was my fault. Please don't be worried." She shivered and rubbed her eyes. She saw a shark and freaked out. Her eyes filled with fear. Her body tensed up and her breathing became fast. She was terrified as it swam closer to the 2 of them. "Aspen... will it hurt us?"

[fern fawn]

[ • Aspen • ]

Aspen was too busy looking at the girl's hand to notice the shark until she said something, at which she looked up and glanced around. Her eyes locking on the creature, whom she recognized as a nurse shark, she softly shook her head. It was easy to forget how intimidating these creatures may seem, especially to someone who had had a terrible experience with one. "No, it won't. They're harmless creatures unless provoked; it's not the kind humans are known to attack. " Unlike the dolphin, Aspen knew these sharks weren't as social and usually minded their own business. She gave her a forced, yet reassuring smile, then took Nora's uninjured hand and gently led them away. She was more careful not to swim by any rocks. "Most life in the ocean isn't looking to harm."