Fish out of Water

Night swimming was a long-standing pastime of Lelei's, and one that he recently had not the time to indulge in. Lately he had an increased work load from the Academy. He had to spend more of his nights doing boring paperwork or managing security at some kind of event. There was little to complain about in the end, as work was work and he always came through with his professional obligations. But his late night free time had shrunk, and it was not until he had a good night off that he realized how much he missed it.

He was anticipating all the great things about night swimming as he trudged through the woods to the secluded lake outside the Academy. "Seclusion" being the operative word. Night swimming was a great way to be alone in the water, and the stillness of the night amplfied that feeling. The water was usually beginning to cool, and it was also often more still than during the day. It was going to be a great time to relax, swimming in the nude and--

Silhouetted against the moonlight, Lelei saw a lithe figure atop a nearby cliff overlooking the lake. He recognized the spot as a favorite place for diving, but he did not recognize the person. For a moment, he mourned the loss of solitude during his night swims. Then he thought he saw something odd.

Just before the figure entered the water, he thought he saw potrusions on the elbows, like his own elbow fins. He was instantly curious and wanted to see who it was that was night swimming too.

For once, he left his swim trunks on as he walked into the cool water until he was about waist deep, then he dove beneath the surface to find the person.

In the water, Lelei was a much different creature than he was on land. He was more graceful and speedy by several magnitudes, slipping and sliding through the water with minimal effort. All of his senses were available to him, as the medium of water was the best conduit for his special sense of smell and his electroreception. It was these two senses that allowed him to find and track the person in the water despite the lack of light.

He had yet to lay eyes on them, but he could sense their movements and position in the water. This lead to some surprise as he felt them move deeper into the lake than he would expect even experienced divers to go, and they were staying down for a long time too. Their movements did not indicate that they were going for the surface any time, and their subtle vital signs showed no sign of panic from the lack of oxygen. Something about them was allowing them to stay fine in the water.

As he got close, he felt the person swiftly change direction toward the cave system beneath the lake. Almost no one knew of them, and no one would dare go towards them without diving gear. Lelei's suspicions grew as he dove downwards and swiftly caught up.

The closer he approached, the clearer the person's electric presence felt, and Lelei could home in right on their location. He swam right up to the gave's entrance and floated there, looking at the girl he found there, curiously, then he gave her a little wave.

"Can you hear me?"

"You CAN hear me!"

Hearing a clear, coherent response from the girl confirmed nearly all of Lelei's major curiosities. Typical air breathers could not speak underwater, at least not without significant air loss, and they certainly would not be able to do it with clarity. So the girl's response meant that she could, in some way or another, breathe underwater. Now that did not mean she was someone like Lelei, as their were many other possibilities considering the island. But Lelei was excited to find another water dweller.

In his excitement, Lelei had floated closer to the cowering girl. Only when he got a little closer to her, and his more attuned eyes could see her a bit more, did he realize the fear she was giving off. He immediately stopped. He was no stranger to being the source of fear in others, and he had learned to handle it.

"It's alright, miss. It's alright. I mean no harm."

He backed up toward the entrance of the cave.

"My name is Lelei. If you wish to speak more, come into open water, where the moonlight is. I'll be waiting."

With that, he swam out of the caves and closer to the surface, where he would be easily visible.

Waiting patiently in the underwater moon light, Lelei hoped that the girl would accept his request to speak with him. He was aware of how intimidating he could seem at first glance, and he could admit that his sudden approach was not the best. But civil, respectful words had to carry some weight, even under the water. At least he was counting on that belief to be true for the girl too.

He sensed movement from the darker depths. The girl was coming out of hiding. Her approach was slow and cautious. Lelei was patient enough, and allowed her to take whatever time she needed to finally get up close to him in the light.

When she did finally float on in front of him, he was finally able to get a clear look at her appearance. He was surprised to find a mostly human-looking girl, with fins and gills. He had never seen anyone like her before, and it made him wonder. Because unless he was wrong, there was no other race of people that had the specific features she carried other than his own people. Yet, she was obviously human first.

"I suppose I'll start. Again, I am Lelei. I came out here for a night swim when I saw you in the water. Something about you piqued my curiosity..."

He lifted up his large, muscular arms to show his own elbow fins.

"... Perhaps you could tell me your name first, before I make any more assumptions about you."

"Alright then. It's a pleasure to meet you... Yuki."

Lelei was so used to certain procedures during personal introductions, that he had to stop himself from moving closer to Yuki for a handshake. The formality, no matter how nice and pleasant it was, was going to have to wait until Yuki lost all hesitance and fear toward Lelei. But he was happy to see that she was at least willing to speak with him now.

"If you'll forgive me, I thought you would have a different kind of name. You see, I thought that you might be... like me.

He did a slow twirl in the water so Yuki could get a full look at him, including his tail.

"I have yet to encounter someone like you on the island, someone with similar features to my own. Yet. you are mostly human.

Please tell me if this question is too much, but who are your parents?"