A Wave to Shatter the Silence

''The water is alive with the sounds of its inhabitants. It is constantly moving and so are they, with windblown waves to break the calm seas. The flaws on its surface are beautiful and add life to the otherwise still appearance, just as the imperfections on the surface of a person can make them all the more intriguing. Scars, freckles, birthmarks, tone differences, and burns make you look once more, try to unpuzzle the mystery we all wonder: how? Glasses, blindness, heterochromia, or even a missing eye draws attention to the windows of the soul. Sometimes souls are bursting with life, making the eyes twinkle and shine, and sometimes souls are lonely and sad so they spill their feelings with water from their sills. The water can be soft and inviting or angry and terrifying... how like a human in the water in the ocean.''

His Savior
The water is frigid, ice is beginning to make a thin crystal layer around the edges, but Victorian doesn't mind. He slowly walks in until he's waist deep and then plunges under to swim further out. All the rest of the small lake's inhabitants are burrowed in their homes for the night and Victorian normally would be too but he had finally figured out the spell for the merman take over and he was dying to test it out. He hadn't bothered to check in with anyone before he left his small, book-cluttered apartment which was a common (and very dangerous) habit. When Vic arrived in the deeper waters, he pushed himself under and held there with help from his Water magic as he began the chant. Legs snapped together and merged, covering with blue scales as feet became flippers of a more transparent blue. The scales continued up his bare stomach a little ways, visible since his shirt had been discarded on the beach, and got sparser the higher they went. Gills pushed out onto his neck and began to filter water as they were designed to while Victorian slowly adjusted to their feeling.

With the spell completed, Victorian finished adjust and began to experimentally wiggles hips and tail area. Lower body swished, flippers flicked, and... nothing. He didn't move much, but rather succeeded in flopping like a land washed fish. The mage slowly floated to the bottom of the lake and he began to mildly panic. Not only could he not make himself move, but the water had frozen above him, no one knew where he was, and even if he did get to land, he wasn't able to remove the Take Over. Sand floated up around him when he hit the floor and he just sat there, limbs numb not from cold, but from the realization that he was stuck, alone, and with no way out. One thing Victorian hated was loneliness. Sure, he enjoyed time to himself, but when he was utterly alone and scared he welcome another's presence. Victorian was becoming desperate now, trying everything he could to force himself to transform as his gut clenched and tears welled up, spilling over his lower lashes and into the surrounding water. He tried suppressing his magic, repeating the spell, making new spells, and pleading to every god he knew for help. The water normally felt like his home, but right now it felt more like a prison or even a grave.

"Oh yeah," he snorts,"I can't even die down here. Friggin gills and water magic. How ironic! A water mage trapped in water! Hilarious!"

Contrary to his words, he gave away the anxiety and fear inside. His voice cracked and he had to squeeze his eyes shut as more tears cascaded from his eyes. Victorian drew in on himself, hugging his arms to his body and hunching over in a ball. His only hope now would be if someone would see him from the surface.

Souten lay in his canoe, enjoying the rays of the warm sun as they hit his face. He was always more comfortable on the water. The rocking always made him feel safe and secure. He yawned and decided to splash his face with water before he fell asleep. The brown haired man rose, and gently set his glasses on the seat of his canoe. He leaned over and cupped his hands. The cold lake water flooded into his palms and he rose them to his face and threw it into his face. It was refreshing.

The young wizard put his glasses back on and stared into the depths when a shimmer caught his eyes. There was a form down at the bottom of the lake. Souten could barely make out the form but it was much larger than a fish, it seemed to have a human torso and head. He rubbed his eyes. Is that a mermaid? He thought to himself. The form thrashed again and Souten quickly realized that it was stuck. Without wasting a moment, Souten leapt into the depth, losing his glasses in the process.

He swam deeper and deeper trying to make his way to the bottom but he was running out of air quickly. He soon reached the form and saw a handsome man with teal eyes and raven hair. Souten grabbed the mermaid by the waist and began swimming upwards. Spots appeared in Souten's vision and he frantically clambered towards the surface far above him.

Sensing his difficulty breathing, Victorian gathered as much air as he could, grabbed the man's face, pressed their mouths together, and breathed. That definitely wasn't how he imagined his first kiss but he'd rather the only person around not drown. He removed his lips from his saviors and gratefully held on, desperately needing to know he wasn't alone. It also allowed him to duck his head in mild embarrassment.

Souten tried to push away but his mouth was forcefully opened. The air filled his lungs and the young wizard kicked harder, he was almost there. His ears popped right before his head surfaced. Souten gasped in several breaths and then clung to the man. "Kick."

Victorian's cheeks turned bright red as he said, "I-I can't exactly kick. About the most I can do is wiggle since I'm not exactly used to this thing." His tail flicked, brushing against Souten as an enunciation. This was absolutely embarrassing and he was considering if sitting at the bottom of a lake for the rest of his life was really such a bad idea in comparison. "I'm sorry."

"Can you...Uh... I don't know, change back?" Souten asked. He was barely capable of keeping himself afloat, not to mention another human. He was surprised by how attractive the young man was in front of him. As much as he enjoyed the appearance of woman, he had a sudden urge to kiss that blue-eyed man again.

"That's kind of the reason I was stuck down there. But maybe I can..." he trails off as he furrows his brows in concentration. The water lifted them up to the surface and held there. Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead with the concentration he was using. He had to be very careful so he didn't mess with the curious water dwellers who had peeked out of their various holes. He held up a finger, gritting his teeth to say, "Just don't say anything please, this is hard to hold up."

Souten nodded and gripped the man tighter. He obviously needed all the relief he could get when casting that spell.

Ever so gently they began to move, nearly gliding over the surface towards shore. Victorian senses the abandoned boat on the waves and with a small bite of his lower lip to keep a dual focus, it makes its way inland as well. When they reached land, Victorian extracted himself from the man's grip to try and ease the most likely uncomfortable situation. His abdominal muscles tense as he wiggles his hips to push him backwards in the sand and create some distance.

"I really am sorry," he apologizes once more, eyes fixated on the sand while fingers trail through the soft grains.

Souten squinted at him. "It's alright. I couldn't just leave someone there. It's a shame that I lost my glasses..." He ruffled his hair. "My name's Souten Namigashira."

"Ah um, I'm Victorian Blackwood. Did You lose your glasses? Hm, wait just a moment," he instructs. He wiggles to the water's edge and touches the cold surface. A few moments later a pair of glasses surfaces in a hovering bubble that pops when Victorian touches it. He wiggles back over, glasses in hand, and places the dry frames on Souten's face. "Here you are."

"Thank you!" Souten put the glasses back on his face and smiled as the world became clear again. "You have a lovely name. So, what were you doing at the bottom of a lake Tori?"

"Tori?" he thought. He shook it off realizing he had to explain his odd predicament. He reddened, saying, "I was practicing a new spell and, well, I got stuck. I don't know how to reverse it and I panicked a bit. Wouldn't that be ironic, a water mage imprisoned in water? Haha haha haaa..." Victorian's fake laughter trailed off as his blue eyes pooled with tears. He didn't want to be stuck with a tail for the rest of his life, no matter how much he loves the water. "Great Vic! Now you're crying in front of an incredibly hot stranger! You pathetic twat."

"Uh.. Listen, it's alright. I know how hard it is to control magics. Mine isn't really useful... I can just punch things." Souten smiled, dimples pressing into his cheeks.