ORIGIN - i met a stranger

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"I guess so, since you're in water a lot of time. Like if I had-- hm." She folded her ears back, briefly, unable to make an analogy before shaking her head. Line forgotten, she continued on and watched as the naga returned to the sea.

Would this being know of something special? What would it look like, down there? Cerilaine's mind flourished at the thought, and she felt excitement running down her pelt, carrying her feet further into the waves. She was slower than Indie- especially when she trudged, and especially when she started to swim- but it was a good challenge, and she powered through the waves determined to make their way to the beach.

Turning slightly, Cerilaine paddled closer to Indie- she could still feel the ground if she reached far enough, but this far out, it was easier to get her legs going rather than struggling for air with walking. "I'm never scared," Cerilaine claimed with confidence, grinning before surging underwater. Her eyes stung just slightly, but she could see the vibrant blue tint of the water as she shoved past under a wave and further out into the sea.

Resurfacing, Cerilaine sucked in breath before twisting around, utter glee on her face. Her fur flowed underwater like a cloud, all of her spots rippling and her pelt looking soft and wavy. "Let's keep going!" She called, waiting.

This will be fun.

@Indigo

Indigo's mouth twisted as she tried-- oh, caves, did she try --to restrain laughter as Cerilaine began to swim. If she'd been smaller, and perhaps less fluffy, she'd be easy food for anything in the water. Indigo was making the mental note to keep an eye out and defend her, if anything big and toothy came by.

The naga watched her go. "Good," she smirked, slithering deeper into the water. When she reached the cat, which did not take very long at all, she took Cerilaine by the ankle of her forepaw and started to pull her along the water.

Navigating the water was easier than slithering around on water. Here, her sleek hair plumed behind her in a neat mass and her ribbon-like tail rippled. She was quicker, agile. The subtlest little twists of a tail had her turning and careening one way through the water. She pulled Cerilaine with her down into the depths.

She made a mental note not to go too deep, in case Cerilaine started drowning, and she also threw herself one way and then the other to make sure she avoided other signs of life-- though, there wasn't very much to worry about. Silverfish flooded in swarms, pretty but ultimately quite harmless.

What she was interested in showing Cerilaine, however, was the tall and twisting coral structures. Pinks and blues and yellows and reds sprawled across the bottom of the cave floor; clinging to rocks and the sheer wall, heated by the nearby geysers. She liked to brush up against the gnarled kind when her skin was shedding-- it helped it get it off, with the warmth.

Indigo half-turned to Cerilaine as she slowed to a stop near one of the tree-like growths; carefully letting go of her leg to let the cat take a look around.

@Cerilaine

Cerilaine- doggy paddling and all- thought she was fine. She looked good! Nevermind the fact that, when her head was out of the water, it streamed down more like a kelpie than any mermaid with fluffy hair. At least there wasn't a lot there- but whatever was out of the water really showed how much of her bulk was just pure fur.

In short, she definitely wasn't a creature of the sea.

There was a small "oh!" that came when Indie nearly held her paw, leading her along at a speed she wouldn't be able to do alone. It was... Exhilarating. And when she took a deep breath for them to dive under, she tried her best to help with kicking the rest of her limbs.

The sea was alive with fish. At the glimpses she got, her ears flicked forward and eyes went wide as she pointed a paw towards a school of Silverlings. She'd never seen so many in one place- they moved like an underwater cloud, shimmering and changing directions in their flock as they dazzled the surrounding shores with their light. And then, they moved on, to more fish, ones she pointed out like an excited tourist and a soft noise.

As they slowed down, Cerilaine looked before them, her gaze drifting back to the coral before them. It was here she was beginning to feel the sting of lack of air, but she shoved it in the back of her mind as she floated forward. They were beautiful- did plants look like this down here? How did they get light? She let out a small noise (though, it was partially from a need of air than anything) as she kicked forward and rested a large paw ever so gingerly on a fan-like coral.

She couldn't ignore her needs any longer. She was wincing, nearly ready to start flailing to the surface (could she even make it?) as she dredged deep into her gem. There was magic that let you breathe underwater, right? Well, she was about to learn, anyways.

Nothing came. Panic raised in her mind, and she twisted back to Indie, letting out a 'mrrph!' of urgency with a few bubbles. One paw pointed up to the air as she struggled to keep calm for Indigo. She was calm, she convinced herself.

Even if she could be drowning real shortly.

@Indigo

Indigo smirked when Cerilaine kept pointing out the fish. To her, they'd been everyday sights-- things that you've seen so many times you begin to ignore them. She never quite considered that, even if Ceri ate them, she never really saw them like this-- far below the surface, gliding through the water.

This was fun, she'd decided. She liked watching Cerilaine experience the same things she saw every day for the first time-- she offered her paw a little pat when it settled on a coral. Unconsciously she began to imagine Cerilaine showing her things on the surface, if Indigo ever particularly fancied the risk.

She'd started moving along when she heard the leopard making noises; twisting around confusedly. It took Indigo a second, even with Cerilaine pointing upwards, to realise the issue. When she did, she darted forward and scooped the cat into her arms.

It was a few seconds before they broke the surface. Indigo darted directly upwards like a bullet, tearing through the water and exploding back into the air of the caves, hoisting Cerilaine up until the water was up to her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "I thought you'd last a lot longer than that."

@Cerilaine

It was a few desperate seconds as Cerilaine's lungs spasmed, sucking on empty air in her mouth. She wasn't nearly drowning yet, but she certainly felt close to it, her heart beating loud in her chest.

The beating only soared when Cerilaine was scooped up.

Maybe it was the sense of life or death. Maybe she was delirious without air, maybe the sense of touch took her by surprise, but her head filled with helium and she nearly felt like she could fly. Seconds drew on, and the images blurred by, the pressure of the sea lifting off at an alarming pace.

And, her head flew up. Breathing in hard, the leopard greedily sucked in air, coughing out once she got her fill. Never did cave air feel so welcoming, like an ice cold salvation compared to the warm waters of Leo. It shot through her throat and she shut her eyes, sighing out as she brought her breathing back into rhythm.

"Thank you," she sighed out, not squirming out of Indigo's arms at all. "You're-- so fast. I thought I could last a little longer." She huffed out a half-laugh, twisting back to look at her companion.

She watched for a moment, her eyes round and adoring. Eventually, gently, her voice returned. "That was beautiful." And it was- she could drown down there, for all she cared, lost in the beautiful colors of the sea. And this being lived down there!

Taking in a deep breath, Cerilaine continued to watch, her back legs barely treading water. She would memorize this face, this being, the person who showed her the wonders of the ocean. For a moment more, she was quiet again, before her faint eyebrows furrowed. She didn't know Indigo's name, and Indigo didn't know her's, and yet here they were. Cerilaine, in her arms, saved from death by bliss.

And she couldn't even think of how to ask her name.

@Indigo

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