RP:In Mysterious Fathoms Below

Part of the The Day I Tried To Live Arc

Summary: Things go as well as they usually do when Khitti comes up with a plan (spoilers: it's bad). As both Brand and Meri are injured by the mermaids because of her decisions, Khitti starts to lose herself a little more, much like she had the unfortunate day in the Shadow Plane. Brand somehow manages to pull Khitti's mind back to the light side of things and Khitti crosses mermaid scales off the list of ingredients for her cure.

The Docks, Rynvale

Khitti led the way through Rynvale after her and Brand collected Meri from wherever she’d found herself that day, opting for a nighttime encounter with the mermaids--if they managed to even find one anyway. She’d gone shopping it seemed, while Brand had been about, doing whatever needed to be done with regards to the Tranquility and the shipments they were taking on. With the dress Kreekitaka made out of commission (she still hadn’t gotten up the nerve to talk to that damned crab yet about fixing it) and having grown tired of the attire she’d been wearing, the redhead was sporting a pair of black short-shorts, a dark green halter top, and some of those totally awesome lace-up sandals. It’s okay, you can be jealous. Only problem with this whole outfit was that...Khitti was hella white. Something something ‘The beacons are lit. Gondor calls for aid’. Yeah, she’s so pale she’s stands out a bit. Oh well. Brand probably still thinks she hot and that’s all that matters.

They’d find the tiniest of ships waiting for them at the dock and Khitti’s belongings (her satchel and swords) already on board. Okay. So, it’s not really a ship. It’s just a dinghy. Sorry, Brand. You get to be disappointed again, because the Tranquility could scare the fishy-ladies away. Khitti had at least given Brand the opportunity to handpick a couple of the ship’s crew to deal with the rowing; two very lucky people that’d get paid extra for the help. Captains don’t row boats you know, and neither do pretty ladies. Once they were in and settled and the rowing had begun, Khitti’d pull out a book she’d found at Rynvale’s library on mermaids and lean towards Meri, “So. Have you ever seen one? For real. Like, up close?” Khitti was positively fascinated by the thought, and even had that child-like gleam in her eyes. “Have you...seen anyone get eaten?” Before, Meri had thought that perhaps Khitti didn’t know quite so much about mermaids, but it appeared she did and she was practically salivating at the thought of meeting one--before killing it and ripping out those scales one by one for her cure.

All that time out at sea, Brand had never seen a mermaid before. Not up close, anyway. The Sunderia had always kept a lookout and steered far clear of anything on the horizon that even resembled one, and he’d not yet had the pleasure while captaining the Tranquility, either. So, to say the least, Brand was intrigued at the prospect. How did he show this? By standing at the fore of the dinghy and voicing his displeasure, of course.

“This thing is gonna be real easy to capsize, I hope you know,” The Catalian called to the vampiress, looking over his shoulder only just enough to catch her in his peripheral. “Might be, we get eaten ourselves. And speakin’ of, is this one of those ‘gettin’ bitten turns you into one’ things, or what? Just wanna be prepared.” He might be a little preoccupied with that concern. Dealing with Mer-Khitti in a dream was one thing, but he wasn't particularly eager to find out what that would be like in real life. Plus... how does one have sex as a mer-person? (Thinking the important questions, Brand.)

Meri was as she always was, but much like the last time that corset of hers has been abandoned in favor of just some plain ol' button up shirt. Why? I mean it would be nice to actually be able to move, just in case she needs to...I don't know...ESCAPE FROM BEING EATEN BY A MERMAID KHITTI, THNX. No armor, much like the last seafaring adventure, and Brand is grumbling about the reason right now. The boat could flip, armor is heavy. Meri's a human and the preference would be to swim over sink. The bastard sword she favors is brought along in case...Well we know why. Mermaids. Like maybe she will need to stab one in the face? That might actually be a very cathartic experience for Meri.

Khitti is excited. Brand is....well he is grumbling questions, so maybe curious? Meri is pretty sure this whole trip is going to hell, that's what happened last time she met a mermaid, and she's struggling with that poker face of hers. There is not a lot of confidence as she explains to the gents stuck rowing the boat where the mermaids are known to be found. It's true that they are sighted just about anywhere along the coasts of Rynvale but there is a cove on the far western side of the island, a space that the locals of Rynvale tend to avoid because it is rumored that the sightings of mermaids there more frequent than in other areas. No map needed for this, they have Meri, row west boys! In the time it takes to get there, words will be exchanged with her companions.

Brand's question about mermaids and their bites is met with an incredulous stare, then Meri shifts her gaze to Khitti and points at the guy in a 'what the heck' sort of fashion. Some Captain. Doesn't know about mermaids. Meri is judging. Sorry, Brand. Meri is just going to let Khitti educate the guy, evidence that Meri probably never actually thought that Khitti didn't know about mermaids. Khitti's questions are hitting pretty close to the issue and the redhead is running the risk of having two grumpy cats sitting in her dinky little boat if she is not careful. Meri's jaw tightens at the question and her answer is sort of terse, "Yes. Twice. The first mermaid I met was fine. It was just me. The second time I met a mermaid..." A shrug, and that is it, end of story. Deep stuff, there.

Rynvalian Sea

You know, if Khitti could somehow rid herself of her vampirism and become a mermaid at the same time, that’d be the frakkin’ bee’s knees. “For someone zhat knows so much about zhe sea and ships and such, you’d zhink you’d know a zhing or two about zhe creatures zhat’s in it. Zhen again, you didn’t know you were frakkin’ allergic to lobsters.” Yeah, don’t get her started on that. He almost died, Meri. HE ALMOST DIED. This guy. Mr. Macho Captain Fire Dudebro Guy. Yeah. What the hell. “Of course, mermaids aren’t vere-beasts, you idiot. You’re not gonna turn into one if you get bit.” She says ‘idiot’ as lovingly as possible, though. She does love him, but also he’s hella dumb sometimes. There’s even a bit of a grin to show that she’s not entirely serious with the name-calling. “Now, if ve come across a sea vitch, zhough, I’m going to ask her to turn you into a seahorse zhat I can keep in a fishbowl.” And then she remembered something specific about those aquatic steeds, “Oh! Did you know zhat it’s zhe males zhat have zhe babies? I’ll have to find you a girlfriend too…” Ah yes. That’s sure to haunt Brand’s every waking moment for the rest of his life.

“Sheesh, you two. It can’t be zhat bad. You frakking vent to zhe Plane of Shadow -and- fought off an entire hoard of ancient bugs.” Okay, so Meri missed the last battle. It’s probably for the better to be honest. -Khitti- probably almost died then. Maybe. Anyway, moving on. The redheaded crazy female pulled something shiny and seashell-y out of her shorts pocket--Brand would recognize it, it’s that seashell bracelet he ~sort of~ gave her but -she- doesn’t know that he had the idea for it way back when--and then retrieved a stick with a really long bit of string attached to it. Was she? She was. Khitti made a fishing pole and lure and was holding it over into the water. “Okay. So. Zhey like sparkly stuff. And, hm, music, but unless you two vant to start a duet, zhat’s not happening. So!” Without further adieu, the vampiress chomped right down into the palm of her hand! The blood started flowing rather fast and quite heavily thanks to that bite, her hand soon after plunged into the depths beneath the ship, the most innocent of grins on her face. “I just vant you two to know zhat I totally care about you and zhat I brought you something so you don’t die.” With her free hand, Khitti dug into her bag again, retrieving those breathing masks that Alvina had made and the lovely Rachelle enchanted. Well, Khitti thinks Rachelle’s lovely anyway. Most of the time.

The masks are handed over--and there’s even two for the rowers!--and she’s still got that grin of hers. And then! There’s a tug on Khitti’s fishing line and when she pulled it up out of the water, her bracelet was gone! Whatever good mood Khitti had was gone now. You could practically see it melting off of her and switching to that hotheadedness that wasn’t at all like Brand’s. “You scaly barnacle-sucking gorram frakkin’ sea-bitch.” Yeah, she’s definitely Brand’s woman. And now Brand’s woman is jumping into the water without hesitation, leaving everyone and her stuff behind. She was getting that bracelet back, damn it! The mermaid was spotted, and for a moment, Khitti was enraptured again by her and the fact that she’d actually managed to find one. This one was ever so lovely with her bright purple hair and orange tailfin. But...like every ill-conceived plan Khitti’s ever had, things go horribly wrong. She was surrounded, it seemed, by the one with her bracelet...and about six others.

Brand’s look is one of unbridled horror. All this talk of male seahorses carrying babies has left him with a nauseating mental image. He thought dreams of a pregnant Khitti were disturbing, but they’re nothing compared to this. The Catalian still looks unsettled even as Khitti divvies out the masks and he slides his on. “Can a witch even --?” Welp, that question is going to have to wait. Khitti’s already jumped overboard, in true Khitti fashion. He tried to warn you, Meri. Just remember that when her ‘plan’ gets everyone on this boat killed. Heaving a laborious sigh, Brand offers a bit of an ‘it’s been nice knowing you’ salute to Meri and his crewmen and dives after his woman. His crazy-ass hothead of a woman. His crazy-ass motherfrakkin’ hothead of a woman who he’d like very much not to die for real-reals, thanks.

Meri is right there with Brand, there is a look of sheer horror on Meri's face...but it is not because Khitti is talking about seahorses and the fact that they do not follow the gender "norm" of women birthing the babies. It is the fact that Khitti is chumming up the damn waters and then diving right in over a piece of jewelry! JEWELRY. That she thought to use as bait, of course it was going to get stolen. It was far kinder than what Meri would have done...but no matter there. They have located what they were looking for and before Meri knows it? Khitti's gone and Brand's gone. Meri is still surface level, standing in that dinky little boat and staring into the waters in horror. Now it is not just the mermaids that Meri is worried about, the tropical waters of Rynvale are teeming with sea life and mermaids are not the only thing that could be drawn in by blood in the water.

A glare is sent to the two men put in charge of rowing, Khitti may have given them masks but Meri doesn't seem inclined to see them in the water at all (outside of maybe bait). "Stay up here, at the surface. Keep thing bobbing in the water. Stab anything that surfaces that is not Brand, Khitti, or myself." What were they supposed to keep bobbing in the surface? An odd little glass trinket, a rose that seems to glow with white light, small enough that Meri was able to pull it out of her own pocket. Brought for luck, don't worry about why. The stem of which is wrapped in fishing wire and then cast over the side of the boat to float at the surface. It does not compete with the moon and it would not actually do much to illuminate the dark waters that the trio was diving into..but the moon was a fickle thing, often hidden by clouds. Without the guidance of the moon the divers would not be able to tell which way the surface was -- better safe than sorry. Frankly they would be lucky to be able to see any of the six mermaids before they got too close for comfort. Ah, the ocean at night.

The mask is slipped over Meri's face, her sword is taken up, and then into the water Meri dives after Brand and Khitti, right into the center of the circle of six mermaids set to trap the divers. As noted though, the waters of Rynvale are not dead. The mermaids are not the only thing attracted to the scent of blood and starting to circle. Another predator has been attracted to the scene of the crime - hammerhead sharks. It's okay guys, Shark Week says the hammerhead is only #8 on the list of deadliest sharks. They're not so keen on competing with the sentient mermaids. They know their pecking order in the hierarchy down here and are instead circling beneath both divers and mermaids...Just cute little puppies waiting for the table-scraps from their owners. This is the water that Khitti, Brand, Meri are in right now. How nice.

Oh, this was not good. This was not good at all. It only just occurred to Khitti that neither of the humans could see in the dark nor could Brand use his fire underwater (sometimes she forgets these things you know. She’s been stuck in this weird sort of half-vampire, half-human limbo for awhile now. It’s awful). Suddenly, she regretted not asking Meri if she could feed from her; just enough, of course, to get that psychic link going that she’d only just renewed with Brand. At least those two could talk through their masks though. [Brand...you need to get out of the water. Now. Both of you.] He probably couldn’t see it, that worry that had washed over her when the shark made its appearance, but he’d definitely be able to feel it. It wasn’t even just Brand though, that couldn’t use his fire--neither could she.

Altogether, the seven mermaids looked pleased with themselves for having caught the three--and likely soon to be five if they managed to trick those rowers too--so much so that they even looked like they were laughing. The light of the moon glimmered off the mermaids’ scales as two darted after Brand and two others after Meri; the other three, including the one with the bracelet just sat there and watched. This was one of those times, like in most shows with superheroes and such, where the hero’s got to make a decision. Her man? Or someone that was quickly becoming a close friend? She knew Brand could take care of himself, but...things were at a serious disadvantage. There was a long string of swear words that came out in naught but bubbles as the redhead disappeared and reappeared near the two blondes, an arm wrapped around both of their waists to shadowstep them as far away as she could from the teeth and claws that threatened to tear them apart, a booted foot planting itself squarely in a blue-haired mermaid’s face just before the three of them poofed elsewhere. Bringing the two somewhat closer towards the shore, for they were not so far off from it, Khitti shoved both Brand and Meri hard in the shoulder, as if to say ‘get the hell out’ (since she couldn’t verbally say so anyway). And then, Khitti was gone, shadowstepping off back towards the mermaids -and- the shark. She needed that bracelet -and- those scales, for both of those things meant way too much to her right now. If either of the blondes were going to help, they’d need some sort of light ~somehow~.

That frakkin’ gorram idiot of a woman is gonna get herself killed. Brand is sure of it this time, more than any other time prior. But what can he even do? He’s in many ways out of his element, here (heh, element). “You got any bright ideas, now’s the time to share,” Brand grumbles to Meri, and with that he’s forming a perimeter of little lightning orbs above the waves, similar to the protective grid he once formed on board the Tranquility to ward against a swarm of those giant bugs. He’s worried sending them under the waves might get everyone currently in the water shocked into unconsciousness, but at least there’s something there to zap whatever not-Khitti things come to the surface. And if she or Meri can lure them up there, then maybe…?

This definitely was a half-baked plan, Brand, you so called it. We have three lovely little meaty things floating in the water with no means to communicate with one another and no idea what the flock they all were doing. Teamwork at it's finest. It was not until Khitti shoved Meri hard in the shoulder that she considers surfacing. Maybe they were going to regroup? Form a plan? But no, Khitti, wtf are you doing. Where did you go?! Only two heads appear, bobbing along the surface. At least two of three would have the chance to form a plan? That breathing mask is freed from her face so that she can speak to Brand. "Did she really just teleport us away from her? I may need to smack a b once this is done and over with." That was not a joke, actually, Khitti you are being craycray.

A smirk briefly worn when she spots the lightning orbs bobbing along the surface. Not only did they help to provide further illumination, but they gave Meri a little inspiration. "Can you make that more of a net of electricity?" Please don't drop it into the water though. Meri does not need to be electrocuted again, thanks. Meri is not granted the chance to explain what she is attempting to do with this plan. Khitti has lead them further away from the mermaids, closer to the shore, which makes the sharks far braver. One decides it is a little curious and wants to try and take a bite out of either Brand or Meri, whatever leg it can latch onto first. It will start will a few curious circles and a little test bump to alert the duo of its presence...but Meri is intent on letting neither of them turn into a shark snack. Her telekinetic abilities are still quite useful in water, mass and energy was sort of Meri's area. Water, mermaids, sharks, they were all tangible things that definitely had a mass to them. With no warning or explanation, it almost looks like that shark leaps out of the water and right into one of those orbs of electricity. Suicide shark? Naw. Meri. Shark for dinner anyone? Probably not. The shark falls dead back into the water...where it's buddies are going to go a little cannibalistic on it. Sharks don't care.

With luck, maybe Brand and Meri will be able to do the teamwork thing themselves again so that they are useful to Khitti. They did work pretty well together that one time the sky is falling....

Whatever, you guys. Not all of Khitti’s ideas are half-baked. And also! even the ones that are, Brand’s been in on the majority of them and he’s still alive and kickin’! So, *blows raspberries*. Deal with it.

Khitti would probably say this in protest, but she can’t right now. Because she’s getting her ass kicked by mermaids. Well, to be fair, she’s kicking a few tailfins as well, but… they’re a lot stronger than the usual horde of undead that Khitti’s used to. It doesn’t help that she’s not that strong of a swimmer either, so they’re hella fast. There’s quite a bit of her blood in the water now, attracting more of the smaller, yet bitey fishies as Khitti did her best to deflect the clawed swipes and gnashing chompers of the mermaids. The one frakking time she doesn’t wear her dragonscale…

That’s not to say that while Khitti was taking all of these hits that she wasn’t doing any butt-kicking of her own. One unlucky sea-maiden got her throat tore out by those lovely fangs of Khitti’s, and another got a rather large shadow orb to the gut. It wasn’t pretty. The mermaid wasn’t dead yet, but her scales and flesh had begun to rot away thanks to that strange acid/necromantic spell and her organs were very clearly floating about on the outside of her. Unfortunately for Khitti though, as it looks like she’s besting the first four, two more join in, leaving the youngest purple-haired one to watch. Why does Khitti always get her ass kicked like this? Is it fate? Is it because her writer is a glutton for character punishment? (Spoilers: it’s both.) Realizing things are getting worse, and that she’s very much without her lovely swords, Khitti actually has quick thinking for once (!) and summons up somewhat crude replicas of Brand’s ice daggers. What? She’s not fully skilled in shadow-ice yet! Sheesh. Don’t judge her. But, also, aw, cause she pays attention to Brand’s magic and fighting and stuff. It’s kind of cute really. But, also also, you might want to stay away from Khitti. She’s in full on Protect-The-Humans-Because-I-Love-Them rabid vampire mode. You know, it’s sort of similar to when she killed Amarrah, by the looks of it… That’s probably a bad thing.

As Khitti’s doing all of this trying-not-to-die stuff, she’s getting rather angry. So very, very angry. She’s not turning green like the Incredible Hulk, but there’s definitely ice crystals creeping up around the lone mermaid. So much, in fact, that the poor fish-girl is starting to get quite cold and maybe even a little frozen. Can mermaids get hypothermia in the hella warm waters of Rynvale? We’ll find out soon!

Brand is agreeable enough to do as Meri’s asked. With a few flicks of the wrist, the electric orbs rearrange themselves, sparks leaping out from one to the next in a grid-like pattern. A net. It’s lucky Brand has the brains to tread water and keep this up at the same time, because -- oh wait, no, there he goes. Silly man. He forgot the cardinal rule: just keep swimming. Or at least leave your damn mask on, instead of raising it to sit atop your head. He doesn’t see Meri’s great psychic feat because now his lungs are full of water and his eyes are stung by salt. But he meant to do that, honest! That’s the attitude he’s projecting as he resurfaces, despite all the spluttering and coughing. No really, he’s fine. The net is fine too, though it flickered more than a bit while he was under. [Hurry the seven hells up down there, will you?] is what Brand calls to Khitti through their link, his exasperation clear -- but also, his worry. There’s a perfect net just waiting for Khitti to lure the mermaids into it, so what is taking so long?

The answer to the question of if mermaids will get hypothermia is no, probably not. At least not fast enough to keep Khitti safe from any attacks. Even if the shallow surface waters are warm, mermaids often find their way into deeper water, don't they? Of course a frozen mermaid is frozen mermaid, that would likely be enough to kill them. However the sharks really do not seem keen on any extreme change in water temperature. Excuse Meri's player while she fishgeeks out on you, but the temperature of air tends to fluctuate considerably as the sun rises and sets. The temperature of water remains pretty constant during a twenty-four hour period. Any extreme shift in temperature, especially one that might induce hypothermia in your average mammal, would also be enough to send all bitey fishes in their various sizes, from the smallest nibbler to the largest hammerhead, into a state of shock. All fish need acclimated to any changes in their environment for they are easily stressed. This is not to say that this trio is going to end up swimming with a bunch of dead fishies around them. A majority of them probably bail this party before they face death by shock (not the electric variety).

The way the orbs seem to flicker do cause concern, but the surface of the ocean is not smooth and the way the water rises and falls makes it hard for Meri to fully see if Brand is in fact okay. Much like he misses her little shark trick, she misses his almost-drowning moment. The orbs flicker back to life and form the net of electricity so that they zap the crap out of some mermaids. Meri does not stay on the surface beyond this, breathing mask is returned to her face and then Meri is gone, diving beneath the surface in a mad dash for Khitti, the ocean further illuminated by Brand's net of electricity and the moon. This did not provide Meri a clear view of everything beneath the sea but she could see the shapes of masses before her and it was fairly obvious what had a tail and what had legs -- also Khitti was a little surrounded so that helped Meri to deduce who was a friend and who was an enemy. A blast of telekinetic energy ripples through the water toward one of the mermaids assaulting Khitti but all this attack does is cause the mermaid to disperse so that Meri could swim to the center of the circle. It should be no surprise that this attack failed -- the mermaid could feel that energy moving through the water like a current that was out of place....and a lot of sea critters seem sensitive to these subtle changes, it is just one of many survival tools.

Meri is not going to make it to Khitti without sustaining injury. The mermaid that Meri just loosed that psionic blast on is not driven away for long and swims back into the fray of things just in time for long claws to dig into the flesh of Meri's leg. Also it is very cold near Khitti...Meri is susceptible to hypothermia but that does not stop her. Polar bear plunge here. With luck and despite injury, Meri hopes to snake an arm about Khitti's waist with every intention of leading her to the surface, if the mermaids give chase...Meri will propel things along by using those telekinetic abilities to speed their face up. They also need at least one mermaid, don't they? It would be ideal if they did give chase but if they don't Meri is going to try and push one of them along -- specifically the one already made more buoyant by the ice that is starting to encase it. Poor dear was being trapped in ice and then being pulled up to the surface by a mental rope. Tug.

Khitti didn’t make things easy for Meri, unfortunately. She was very much in that bloodlust gotta-kill-all-the-things mindset. There was quite a bit of struggling, and she even almost bit the poor blonde with those ever so pointy teeth of hers--with the intent of ripping out Meri’s jugular. Yeah. That would’ve been bad. It’s not Khitti’s fault though. She thought Meri was a mermaid for a moment there and she’s feeling hella bitey.

She does eventually aid the woman though, as Meri pulled along the fish-girls. A makeshift chain of ice forms, one end around Khitti hand while the other wraps itself around the frozen female fishstick. As she gets closer to the surface, she pulled away from Meri, leading her purple-haired guppy along towards Brand, and away from the sparking net the Catalian made. If Brand were Dominic, she’d probably make some joke about offering him iced tea, complete with giant ice cube. She’d settle for a whiskey one, though. “Looks like you’re having your drinks on zhe rocks for awhile.” When Meri was done Professor Xavier-ing it up with the rest of the mermaids, she’d continue on towards the shore, dragging that ice cube full of mermaid behind her. Thankfully, Khitti knew she wasn’t dead yet; she could still heart her heartbeat, even if it was growing faint. Time to hurry up now before she goes and dies on you.

Brand lags behind for a while. It is definitely because he -wants- to be the rear guard and not at all because he’s still occasionally coughing up seawater. It’s not for nothing, though, as the man finally gets his chance to be useful -- to show off a ‘spark’ of creativity, so to speak. There’s still a mermaid giving chase, determined to free her unlucky popsicle of a friend. Or maybe she thinks she can steal Brand away as collateral. She yanks at his leg, submerging him again. Her claws dig into his calf and pierce through skin. But it’s not long before electric current travels from his body and down her arm. Muscles seize all the way down to the fin of her tail, causing such a swift and severe motion that the two are actually propelled -out- of the water and onto the beach. She’s still convulsing, and her arm is still locked (painfully!) to Brand’s leg, but the man appears otherwise unscathed and, in fact, almost unimpressed with this lady of fishy persuasion. “What in the frak did you -think- was gonna happen?” he asks of her, though she’s still incapable of responding for the moment. She’s still twitching a bit as he pries her off of him and examines the wound. Yikes. Even after they find a healer, he’s going to want to stay off that leg for a few days.

Khitti! Why are you trying to beat up one of your humans? Did you not preface this whole expedition with 'I totally care about you guys and I brought something along so you don't die?' Do these words mean nothing to you?! If Khitti was successful in sinking her teeth into Meri's jugular, things would have probably played out very differently. Meri may well not have actually surfaced, but thankfully this is not what happens. Those teeth of Khitti's still sink into Meri, but she bites into a more bony shoulder. Just to make it a little worse, that breathing mask of Meri's is knocked right out of her mouth during the scuffle with Khitti and lost as Meri propels them to the surface, leaving Meri to hold her breath. Meri would still be able to deal with those mermaid she is left with, if only she was like Professor X though. His psionic abilities are vastly different and are much more controlled and refined. Meri is more like a Carrie....Good thing she rarely loses that temper of hers, eh? So those mermaids are addressed, in much the same way that shark is. They are flung up, out of the water and toward the net of electricity with a bit of a telekinetic bump. Meri does not make her way to shore though. The boat is closer than the beach and her leg is bleeding, thus it hurts to swim! Especially with that salt water stinging her bleeding and exposed calf muscle. It is with the help of the paid rowers that somehow were forgotten by the mermaids in the thick of things that Meri gets into that boat, pulled out of the water and over the edge of the boat. If they decide to row the boat to shore, awesome. Meri is just going to lay there and cough up salt water. It's cool guys, all good over here.

Secret Cove, Rynvale

It’s not Khitti’s fault she was in fite-all-the-things mode. Okay, well, maybe a little. Once both the blondes were on land again, albeit a bit beat up and nommed on, Khitti unfroze the mermaid, leaving the purple-haired thing to gasp for air and shiver violently. Yeah, she was almost dead. We could’ve had her for dinner, guys. Oh well. Khitti’d wait long enough to make sure that the poor unfortunate siren was going to make it, and then she’d head over to the boat. With a sigh, she’d stare down at Meri, frowning, “I’m sorry.” That’s all she’d say before reaching into that poor excuse for an aquatic vessel and picking up the battered woman. This is certainly not something Khitti’d be able to do when she got that cure thing taken care of, you know, so don’t get used to her carrying you around like a princess (Brand’ll definitely miss getting carried like a princess though). “Brand, c’mere.” Well, he wouldn’t have to go too far, maybe just scooting closer to her a bit, as she put Meri on the sand nearby. The redhead was rather solemn, likely inwardly chiding herself about getting her friends into danger again (seems she didn’t need Amarrah to do all the mental yelling after all), her tone rather quiet and lacking the excitement it had earlier.

“Zhis might sting a little, but you’ll only be a sore after it heals. Nothing a bit of rest von’t help, and maybe some ice.” Khitti didn’t even wait for Meri to ask what she was talking about before taking a big chomp out of her wrist, letting that blood of hers flow again. She’d spread it first along Meri’s leg, then her shoulder, before moving on to Brand and doing the same with his leg. Khitti couldn’t take care of the saltwater in their lungs, unfortunately; they’d just have to cough that up.

While Khitti was pre-occupied with the humans, but nearly finished, the mermaid had recovered as much as she could and was eyeing the three cautiously. When it looked like the right moment to make her escape back to the ocean, she started dragging herself along in that way that half-human sea creatures do, but was soon stopped by a rather large ball of fire landing just in front of her. “If you so much as move another inch towards zhat vater, I’m do more zhan take my bracelet back and get a few of your scales. Don’t zhink you’d find yourself a nice merboy if I peeled off all your skin.” She wouldn’t do that...would she? Nah. Not Khitti. She’s too nice for that. That look on her face though, as she finally turned her head to eye the mermaid, said otherwise, and the mermaid actually looked rather frightened. Finally finished with Meri and Brand and leaving them to heal (she didn’t even deal with her own wounds, by the way, however superficial or not that they may be), she’d stand and head over to the mermaid, towering over her. “Bracelet. Now.” She had that rather scary, commanding tone of voice going on that vampires like to use sometimes, and her hand was out awaiting her precious trinket.

Well, okay. That works. Brand will take advantage of Khitti’s super awesome healing blood while he still can. There’s still the matter of the mermaid, though -- not the one Khitti caught, but the one Brand basically tasered. She’s still kinda jerking around involuntarily as Brand rolls her back into the water. Sorry, mermaid. We don’t need you when we have your friend.

Brand’s rower buddies gape a bit as Khitti’s blood does its business. By the time the mermaid is swept away in the waves, Brand’s leg has stopped bleeding. He can even stand on it, if he doesn’t put much weight on it. The man’s so used to this by now he’s forgotten how odd it can seem to those who don’t keep any vampires in close company. Brand shrugs at them as if to say, “hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” and conjures a thin casing of ice to soothe his aching calf. Elemental magic: endlessly useful. Meri can have one too, if she wants; Brand offers by way of gesturing. Point at Meri-leg, conjure slushy orb of half-frozen water, cant head inquisitively. Maybe grunt to get her attention, if necessary. He could use his words, but he’s half-busy watching Khitti threaten a mermaid right now, mmkay?

Meri does not want to be a pretty little princess though! In fact it is her turn to be the one putting up the resistance, albeit lethargically and to no real end because Khitti is going to successfully carry Meri and patch her up with a bit of vampire blood. Meri would just rather be the dingbat that walks on the bum like rather than being carried -- stupid, stubborn pride. I am a big girl! I can do it myself! I can even open my own jars! Roar! Once all of this is done, Meri is content to lay on the beach in exhaustion (hunting mermaids is not a reason she ever thought she would be collapsing from exhaustion on the beach. Thanks.) She might have even been content to slip into a wee little bit of a cat nap but Brand's grunting snaps her out of that.

Her blue eyes come to rest on the Captain. Having gotten a small chance to get to know the guy a bit better, she does not overanalyze his caveman ways. They are what they are and his offer is met with a tired grin to signal acceptance of his help. Yes, Khitti, she is being nicer to him...because he did not try and carry her like a pretty princess! That is really the extent of her communications, despite the fact that she is also more than capable of using her words. She is just too tired for them though. There is a temptation to fall fully back into the sand to claim that nap she still wants but...she too ends up setting her sights upon Khitti and the mermaid. Get. That. Bitch. Plzandthnx.

Khitti’d fought with Brand on several occasions about the subject of her carrying him like he was a damsel in distress, so Meri doing so was not anything new. Sorry, woman. It was for your own good. Shut your pretty face and do what the Khat says. At this point in Khitti’s life, she doesn’t particularly give a damn if someone’s gonna be nice to her or not about the things she does. If Meri was going to hold a grudge about it, she could do so, and Khitti probably wouldn’t care one iota. Close friends, and even potential ones, or even just simple allies bound by a guild were dropping off her list of trusted companions left and right--some of which, in the future, she’d not even see coming.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about whether or not she was going to have some sort of shouting match with Meri about the human’s capability to do things on her own. Khitti had stormed away from the pair and was still awaiting that lone gift she’d gotten from Dominic so long ago. The mermaid had barely offered it up to the vampiress before the jewelry was snatched out of her with that lightning fast speed that came with vampirism and the violet-haired female was reward with one of those right hooks that Brand had come to know quite well. The punch knocked the mermaid out long enough for Khitti to toss the bracelet to Brand for safekeeping, grab one of her shortswords, and return to the mermaid to begin digging out those scales for her cure.

Khitti was nice enough, at least, to numb the area where the scales were to come from, with that dark ice of hers. But, it wasn’t really enough, for when the mermaid came to, she howled in pain. The scales were large enough that she didn’t need many, thankfully, but as the screams started, Khitti paused momentarily to threaten her, the tip of her sword aimed squarely at the creature’s head, “Shut up or you’re going to end up like zhe rest of zhem. Dead. Do you vant zhat? You really deserve vorse zhan zhis. A few scales? Turning into an ice cube for a few minutes? You should feel lucky. You get to be zhe only survivor.” This, of course, insinuated that even the one Brand thought to be still alive was now amongst the deceased. Khitti continued on, prying up a scale and ripping it out. “You’re either going to go home and plot my demise or zhink of zhis as a kindness and move on vith your life. I don’t really give a damn--but I’m not frakking leaving here vithout zhese. So, do us both a favor, and -shut up-.” Khitti’s words were vaguely sinister, almost Amarrah-like. But maybe she was just tired and fed up with yet another of her plans almost causing the death of her friends? Maybe. Hopefully.

Brand’s style of magic means he could double as a combat medic in a pinch. All in one, he’s a cauterizer, defibrillator, or ice pack generator as the situation calls for it. Combine that with his smattering of apothecary knowledge and Khitti’s healing vampire blood, and the two could patch up quite a bit, no healer necessary. With Meri’s leg now locked in an icy cast, Brand holds out a hand to the woman. Maybe she’d rather take that nap or watch Khitti from the ground, but he’ll help her to her feet if she wants it.

“You prob’ly wanna listen to her,” Brand suggests over his shoulder as he’s doing all this. He’s talking to the mermaid now, though he can only just catch her in his peripheral from this angle. “She tore the heart out of the last person to piss her off.” It's a warning to the mermaid, but it's also a reminder to Khitti. She'd already done once what Brand deemed was Not Like Her. Crossing lines that shouldn't be crossed. Killing people that didn't need to be killed. Her desire for a cure is so strong it has led to acts of desperation, crimes of passion... but there is no reason this moment needs to end in one of them.

Shhh. Shhh. Khitti. It's okay. Meri is not putting up that much of a struggle, we're just offending her masculinity a little bit right now. She is also not going to do any betraying, that she knows of. Maybe if we sing to her, Brand? Soft Khitti. Warm Khitti. Little ball of fur. No? Not yet? Happy Khitti. Sleepy Khitti. Purrpurrpleasedontkillme.

If there is one thing about Meri that Brand and Khitti have hopefully learned about her, it is that she is a stubborn woman. The look that Brand's hand (yes, just the hand) gets is a skeptical one, the temptation to decline it and attempt to push herself to her own feet is great. Except that her energy was at a low so staying and napping sounded much better than trying to muster the energy to get to her feet. Except napping was not an alternative she would have the luxury of having for the trio would soon have to depart this location after their mission is complete. So Meri, despite all stubbornness, would take hold of that helping hand and accept Brand's assistance to get back to her feet. Meri's not going to keep a hold on that hand or anything, in fact she would actually hobble forward a couple of steps toward Khitti and that mermaid.

"Can we [expletive] kill that [expletive] mermaid bitch and get out of here already?" Okay so yes Meri heard the part about how maybe Khitti would let the mermaid go but Meri really does not like mermaids? This makes encounter number three with these particular seaborn, making the ratio of bad experiences two out of three. KillkillkilldiedeepbreearhMeri. Maybe we should sing to Meri? No?

Brand doesn’t want Khitti to kill the mermaid. Meri does want her to kill it. You guys aren’t making this very frakking easy, you know. And when the hell did Brand become the good angel on her shoulder? This thought process isn’t just narrative, by the way, Khitti actually just realized this. When did Brand, dude-that-likes-to-firepunch-all-the-things, become such a good guy? There’s obvious hesitation as she looked up from those last couple of scales she’d gotten ready to pluck and stared at Brand. Who are you and what have you done with that giant frakkin’ jerkface I used to know? Okay, well, he’s still there, technically, but… things have definitely changed. Maybe it’s that little bit of Dominic that’s swirling around somewhere in his brain? You can’t actually say that to Brand though, Khitti, because he’d deny everything. -Everything-.

Okay, fine. Damn it. Sorry, Meri.

There’s even -more- hesitation as she finally looked away from Brand, then to Meri, then down at the mermaid whose tail she was currently straddling a bit to keep the mermaid still. What the hell was she doing? Why was she saying this stuff? What was wrong with her? Khitti sighed finally, the last two scales pulled quickly, but a little more nicely this time. Much like she had when she lured the mermaids to the boat and when she’d healed the two blondes, she bit into the palm of her hand enough to let the blood flow again, then set to healing the spot she’d gotten the scales from. “If you’re anything like a fish in more zhan just looks, zhen I’m sure zhey’ll regrow.” Khitti’s tone was a bit more somber, defeated, than the angry and harsh one she’d held only minutes ago. Obviously, Brand’s subtle warning didn’t go unheard.

Khitti would stand up finally and lightly tap at the mermaid’s tail, “Go on.” The purple-haired fish-girl blinked up at her, surprised that she wasn’t being killed, then took off towards the ocean. The redhead rinsed the scales off, went and got her belongings from the boat, gave the rowers a extra cash for all the hassle, then had them return the boat to where they’d rented it from. “Come on. Let’s get both of you home. Ve can take a day or so’s rest if you vant before ve go after zhe next ingredient. Up to you.” She’d help them walk, if one or both needed it, but wouldn’t carry them. Khitti suddenly looked exhausted (definitely physically and likely a bit mentally too), and maybe even a little concerned, but would ultimately head back into town.

What was wrong with Khitti? Aside from his warning, Brand pretended not to notice. He couldn’t be wholly oblivious, though. Not forever. Something had changed, however subtle, and it was hard to keep blaming Amarrah for it when the butterfly was no longer here. Could it be the creature’s frozen heart possessed some undue influence on her still? Was that even possible?

Brand placed a hand at Khitti’s back, both a gesture of support and a way for him to maintain his balance as they hobbled onward. There was a notable absence of snark on the return trip; he didn’t berate Khitti for not planning things or gloat about how he would have done it better. (Okay, maybe he’d changed some, too.) Mostly, he carried on in thoughtful silence.

Meri had contributed the last of her two cents, but the mermaid was released, and so her own walk would be in silence too. It was mighty tempting to end things for the mermaid regardless but Meri was exhausted and it was time to call it. They still had another ingredient to gather, there was no use expending her energy on revenge. It is not like it was that mermaid in specific that made Meri hate the creatures.