(OOC: now it's my turn to apologize, too. Truth be told, I'm not even sure where my head's at anymore, either, or what I'm even thinking. I've been caught up in a number of projects and stresses and am slowly unwinding; a new "start or a story that I never intend to finish" might be on its way but who knows, because certainly I lack direction, motivation, and zeal, it seems. I have no idea what mental impulse caused me to be here today but I figured I'd better respond ASAP out of politeness; sorry; please keep in mind I'm making everything up as I type on the go, so not sure what's the quality of it, sorry)
Amaya looked around, watching the fish swim by for a while. So many colors, patterns, varieties, all around them, the light fading in and out as the fish darted around and the various tropical plants waved and swayed in their watery abode, a full three-sixty-degree display all around them. Her memories flashed back for a second; snatches of a conversation from her past, from a woman she couldn't remember, from a time and place she did not recall. Amaya did know she had asked this person, this strong woman whom she had admired, why, exactly, she was always staring at the sea, the lake, the river or in the direction of whatever body of water was closest. The woman's response had become the basis of Amaya's desire to come here today, another fact blossoming in her mind.
"I am a creature of both land and sea. Is it not unnatural that I would seek the waters? While my kind were created to dwell on land and live symbiotically with the force of the ocean, it is the world beneath the waves that forms our siren's call. Imagine, if you will, a place where this is no forward or backward, no up or down, no weight, no end. It, in itself, is the most unique of worlds. The landborne only bear a horizontal compass, and are hemmed in by the sea. The skyborne may move in the full orb of direction, but they are walled in by the land and the heavens, and if ever they grow too heavy, their days are of an end. Moreover, with the ever-changing sky and terrain, both landborne and skyborne must eventually settle, for their weight and the ages of the air upon their bones will eventually slow them, and crush them to nothing.
"In the oceans, all waterways are connected. We flow both above the surface, as lakes, and beneath it, as underground waterways. We can move in every direction of the orb, and for us, there is no true 'weight', there is only the strength to keep moving. 'Settling down is not an option we have. As the currents of the air are constantly changing the land and sky, the currents of the sea are ever-shifting and never have my kind lived the same day twice. The slow but constant change of the land is not our way; in our world, the sea is always different, yet always the same. As for the weight of ages.... if one is not strong, their their corpse will fuel the continuation of life. We do not believe in mercy for the weak or in wasting the territory of our domain with the bodies of the dead."
Amaya looked around, watching the fish move about. Truth: it was indeed like a painting. Those schools of fish, just for a moment, formed a pattern as they swam past each other of a sunset over a grassy hill; over there, a beautiful mixture of violets and reds, intermingled with greens and yellows, to create a breathtaking seen, some of the scales shimmering, some of the light behind them going through, to create an extraordinarily beautiful imitation of a sunset. A third formation beneath them could have been described as a heart, made of a rainbow of colors, in a swirled tye-dye pattern, but only for a moment.
Amaya sensed Malek looking at her, so she looked at him and smiled, tilting her head, as a flash of color in the shades or orange, yellow, and green swam behind her, causing what could be confused for a glittering halo for a few moments, and then it was gone. Amaya cleared her throat, and spoke, softly, as she turned back to the sights around them.
" 'There is no mercy among the waterborne, and we do not preserve beauty in our world in statues or depictions and imitations of life. In our world, if you blink, you miss it. A quick wit, a quicker eye, and a heart hot enough to treasure the memories of life but cold enough to forfeit everything is required. There is no other way to survive. For we waterborne, our wet world is the most beautiful place in the world, the most vibrant and full of life, like a cascade of paint ever-flowing, sometimes shimmering if it is lucky enough to catch the light, constantly shifting, yet always the same, a tranquil place that rejects death, but only because it is death which fuels our world, and transforms it into life, where only strength lives, for the weak shall be consumed.' " Amaya looked back at Malek. "I once knew a fish woman, though I forgot her for a while. She was a little strange, but she was also very strong and a close friend. Her heart was both a volcano and a glacier." Amaya looked back at the fish, watching for patterns and being content to be among such beauty. "She never told me what my heart was, but when we bedded, only once, she said it was hidden deep within the thorny garden of my soul and the abused body that traveled the path of lies, and that she would help me find it."
Amaya walked up to Malek and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "She was murdered before she could try."
