WELCOME

[Coco Gryphon]

The man who had taken her from her home had explained little to her. Actually, he may of said a total of 20 words to her. Thus, the journey to the portal about killed our poor little Coco. That was an odd thing, the portal..and then they were in a paradise. Under the sea. She was waiting for Sebastian to start singing it, but no such luck..she would of sung along. She loved those bastardized Disney things. She was absently humming that song as she was brought to a lagoon, not getting much time to look at anything else. It was absolutely breath taking. A half moon of bungalows over the water - stilted like houses with legs, thatched roofs, large windows, lovely ornate bridges and railings. This was where he left her, with a key to one, a number 4 on her key fob.

The Lagoon Nebula

Her bags were tossed on the bed, draped with a soft netting, she was looking down at the foot of the bed where a glass floor showed her the water below, mystically blue and so inviting. She didn't waste any time! Uncle was kind enough to pack her bathing suits, she was quickly changed, without even throughly looking through her 'home' before taking out towards the tiny landing that lead to the water. She couldn't stop herself, it was, well, calling to her. Water had always done it. Whether from the fountain or the brook, some part of her had to be in that water.

Petal pink lips were curled into an impish grin as she looked around form the platform, slender limbs softly tanned, she was petite, and lithe, but still with pleasantly soft curves and rounds, those of which were 'modestly' covered with red bikini. Small hands would rest at the ties of her bikini bottoms, taking a deep breath, honey hued orbs would shut and she'd sigh with pleasure. Hands leaving her hips, she'd pull the ties from her hair, pulling out the low pigtails, letting sable locks curl about her sweet face. Th black bands were left on the platform and there was barely a splash to announce her entering the water.

It was heaven. Blue, wet, slightly chilled, all encompassing heaven. After what seemed a long time, but never enough, she as breaking the surface just to float on her back. She hadn't seen a soul since she arrived here..

[Hermes]

Hermes was sure glad the place was safe. It had been so
exhausting the last couple of days, what with the threats and the wars and the
random attacks. His poor nymphs weren't fighters. They had no chance. As he
stood on the roof of the highest house, he admired the water and his nymphs
playing in it peacefully. There was no reason for them to know there had been
any danger. Especially not with the new people that had just arrived. Hermes had
sent his twin sons all over the world looking for nymphs that were in danger. He
told them to bring them back here, to Enchoma, and to mention as little as
possible about...well anything. Hermes was now coming back to explain. It was
only fair to them.

He jumped, landing gracefully on the railing of the balcony below. His light eyes
narrowed, surveying the land and looking for anybody who needed welcoming.
He found one, swimming in the water down below. A smile pushed its way onto
his face in spite of all the trouble.

Her name was Coco, she had just arrived there this afternoon. Surely, she needed
some explanation as to what was going on. He jumped again, lingering in the air
for a few minutes before swooping down and landing on a rock not too far from
her. "How are you liking it here?" he said conversationally. He sat Indian-style on
the rock, tilting his head slightly to the side like a curious puppy.

[Coco Gryphon]

Coco was relaxing, letting her mind drift to good and bad things then back to good, because the bad where never that long on her mind. Her dark hair was gently flowing about her lovely face and shoulders as she floated along. A quick shadow and her eyes opened, the honeyed hues flashed opened as she looked to the voice, a smile already on those plush lips. She would continue to float, though her hands would turn a bit to bring the man into her line of sight.

"My hour here has been lovely. Where am I and why am I here, though? And who are you? I am Coco!" It was all quickly said, her tone was smooth and warm, nothing but friendliness came from that girl. She'd start to sink then, her legs only though. In a few water skimming moments, Coco was leaning into the rock before him, looking up at the nice faced man with a glint in those amber eyes, blinking away drops of water that collected on her thick lace of lashes, a smile on her lips. Her legs were floating to the surface and then falling again, as if she was suppose to have a mermaid tail instead of a pair legs. Her dark hair would be smoothed away from her pretty face.

[Hermes]

He smiled at her. Like all of her kind, she was
sweet, with good intentions. He could tell. "Coco...nice to formally meet you. I
am Hermes, Messenger to the Gods." He smiled again, his eyes squinting
involuntarily. "I sent my son to bring you here. He's performed admirably. I'll have
to remember to send him extra thanks for getting you here safely." Hermes
leaned down to her so he could speak more quietly.

"I do apologize for taking you out of your home on such short notice, however, it
was necessary. Tell me, what do you know about a war?" He hated to break it to
her like that. The nymphs weren't fond of war at all. If Poseidon hadn't told them
anything, then they would never know. Of course, his uncle left it all up to him.
His relationship with their kind was just as important as theirs with the old
Seaweed brain.

"I brought you here for your safety," he continued. "My uncle, Hades, is currently
in a fight with my father and I wanted to make sure no one got stuck in the effects
of it. See, your lord Poseidon is siding with my father and so we were worried
your home might be...hurt by Hades...temper." He wasn't sure of a better way to
explain this. It felt so horrible telling her, but there was nothing he could do
accept offer her a new home and safety.

[Coco Gryphon]

Coco would blink those wide eyes at him, her smile softening as he spoke, "Gods.." She rolled that on her tongue, tilting her head a little as her hands went out to touch his shoes, feeling around them as he spoke, she'd shake her head a couple of times.."Poseidon?" Lips pursing at this point, talks of war..Gods, up until recently, she was just some girl near a brook in the woods. That cheerful face would turn somber as she left his shoes alone, they were cleaned off now, and she pushed herself up onto the rock, careful not to wet the man, Hermes.

"Gods, I believe and take in just fine..But ...Why was I brought here? Who would care about me? Is my Uncle going to be fine?" He could tell the moment her Uncle entered her mind, that somber face few quickly worried, her eyes glistening as they filled with tears, but soon her softly tanned cheeks with flush red, anger crossing her gaze. "Why was Uncle not brought too? Can we bring him here? I will trade places!" She'd nod, firmly, as if it was all decided, she wasn't afraid of someone she'd never quarreled with.

She didn't look threatening, sitting there, petite in her red bikini, her hair drying into soft waves at the ends, "No need to involve us, but thank you for..." Waving her hands around, motioning to the paradise that she would feel sorry to leave, that anger in her eyes eased and she would smile that heart melting smile at Hermes again. "I will change, you will take me back to the..portal thing, yes?"

[Naje Ode]

(Continuation from the "Practicing" thread)

"Shit."

She closed her eyes tightly and pushed her arms forward again in attempt to control the wind, but it ownly proved to be futile as it pushed her further south before she began to fall. Obscenities spurred from her mouth, but she could barely hear them over the air rushing past her ears. 'I wish I even lived long enough to have some last wishes.' she thought. Seconds later she felt a jolt of pain rack through her body, particularly her back. Her body felt cold and sluggish all over as she tried to move. Naje attempted to yell in agony only to have her mouth and lungs fill with water.

'Water? I'm not dead, I landed in water.' Naje realized as she opened her eyes to feel a stinging sensation. She attempted to move her arms and legs again, ignoring the pain from the sharp drop and began to panic when she was unable to feel the bottom. Her lungs burned for another breath of air when Naje suddenly remembered the horrible truth - in her entire life as the had never learned how to swim. Her stomach lurched as she felt the familiar pangs of fear begin to drip her in the dark icy waters.

'I can't die. I don't want to die. Don't let me die now.' she began to chant over and over inside her mind. It was pointless, but she could never imagine the concept of prayer or wishing.

[Coco Gryphon]

As Coco stood on the rock in her red bikini next to Hermes, waiting for him to let her know what the "go" was on trading spots with her Uncle, she'd lift her honey gaze to the heavens. It was quick. A ..body...? Hitting the water. Yes. It had to be a body, with that sound it made as it hit the water flat, she winced. Making a face, she'd glance at Hermes before turning and diving off the rock, no Baywatch running this time.

That slim body made barely a ripple as she speared through the water. It was a bit cool, turning colder the deeper she went, though she'd level out as she swam smoothly towards the splash. A few bubbles would cling to her nose and lips, eye lashes even as she blinked a few times, getting use to the clear, but wiggly water view. It only took a few moments for her to find the struggling form, fully clothed. How odd to swim fully clothed. But it seemed fun.

Weird thoughts rumbled through her brain as she simply shot forward, lean arms and legs working quickly, seeming effortlessly. She'd approach the body and grab a wrist, yanking hard. She was much stronger than the petite thing looked. She simply held on for dear life as she started to scissor kick towards the surface, a large bubble issuing from her pink mouth as a hand smacked her hard in the stomach. Coco sunk a little with that blow, nearly face to face with the belly flopper. That bubble did something odd. Once leaving her lips, it did not float towards the surface, but pressed to the person's, when their mouth parted, it slipped between making itself a nice little pocket of air for them. It was only a little.

Resisiting the urge to kick the person in the head as she 'saved' them, she'd swoop her arm and legs, they'd soon find themselves breaking the surface of the lovely blue water. Even Coco was gasping at this point. She could hold her breath a long time, if it wasn't forced out of her. A little cough issued from her lips as she didn't stop, her arms under the person's pits, she'd lean back, gasping a bit as she started to leisurely carry them both back towards Hermes.

"You ...really...should..watch that..first step.." And she was smiling again, leaning her head back to look up at Hermes as they approached, holding the..feeling around a bit, not at all ashamed, girl, close, her legs brushing the back of the girls as they pushed them along.

[Naje Ode]

A wave of releif hit her lungs, causing Naje to sputter rather than savor the air. She opened her eyes in the water to see a young woman reach for her and pull her up. Confused by the situation and frightened at the contact she attempted to yell, only to realize that it was futile since they were still under water. By the time they broke the surface Naje took a deep breath and began to cough violently, the woman who was carrying her seeming unphased by her body violently shuddering as it attempted to purge the water from her lungs and throat. During her bit of hysteria she noticed a man at the edge of the lake who struck a chord of familiarity in her. Naje almost would have dwelled on it if she hadn't felt the sudden groping. She stiffened like a cat with it's fur rubbed the wrong way and hastily made a grab for platform to seperate herself from her apparent savior.

"You...you.." Naje made a few attempts to pull herself out of the water, which was proving difficult at first due to her heavy wet coat and her body still attempting to regain oxygen. Around the fifth try she clumsily made it. Not yet standing from her position on her hands and knees, she began to cough up the last bit of water from her lungs. She took a moment to steady herself and stop shaking before she finally looked at the young nymph before her.

Her first thought was 'Women that pretty don't come to this side of town very often.', and then she had to remind herself that she wasn't in Chicago.

"Okay, so you saved me." Naje grunted as she pulled her fingers through her short hair in a futile effort to rid it of water. "Why? What do you want from me?" Naje asked warily. By now she had pulled herself into a sitting position with her knees drawn to her chest as she carefully watched the young woman swimming before her. People rarely did nice things without expecting something in return. Her mind temporarily went into panic mode as she remembered the blatant groping from before, causing her arms to tighten around her knees just a little more. She tried to size up the young woman before her, and concluded that she appeared innocent. Suddenly everything made sense to Naje. Perhaps the young woman did not expect compensation because she simply did not know any better.

Naje's words tumbled out awkwardly and unsure. She couldn't recall ever using such words in a sincere manner. ""A thanks...right? Um...thank you?"

[Coco Gryphon]

Coco would absently rub at her stomach under the water, smiling charmingly up at the lady and Hermes, treding water was something she did not need to think about, she just did it automatically and did not cause much of a stir. If you asked her, she'd suppose she was innocent. But curiously so. The girl finally stopped her scramble and hacking enough to state a fact, then ask two questions. She'd shrug a bit, "Not many fall from the heavens so hard.." Her answer would trail off as the second one came to mind, "I want nothing.." again she trailed off.

Her slender, bare arms were now making absent circles in the water to keep her floating upright, she'd look worried a moment, glancing to Hermes then back to the young lady. A thank you. At that, she was smiling again, a lovely shinning emotion playing across her features, she'd almost bristle with delight, bobbing her head a bit. "You. Are. Welcome!" She was happy again, like the surf, ever changing from this way or that, she was quick to recover from her worry.

A moment later she would be pushing herself up and out of the drink without a thought, sitting on the warm rock by the two. Absent hands would smooth over her bikini ties and she would push her wet hair back, making sure the water flicked back into the lagoon and not on the shoes. "Why were you falling from the sky? Do you have spare clothes, I have some, do you need any? I am Coco, this is Hermes, nice to meet you." The questions were shot quickly in that warm tone. That lean, near nude form was curling upon itself to mimic, though unconsciously, the the flying..or falling, one. A pleasant smile still on her lips.

[Naje Ode]

Naje cocked her head and watched the young woman before her talk. Even though she looked like an adult, Naje couldn't help but consider her as a child. Even so, many children could also be treacherous. Naje herself had been one of them so many years ago. But her happiness beamed through in a way that made it impossible for Naje not to smile. She moved over slightly to allow Coco to sit next to her. Even though the woman had just saved her, Naje still was uncomfortable with any form of physical contact. She only watched as the woman dried herself, noticing that she was in a simple bikini. While Naje had only lived in a large city and nowhere near a lake, she wondered if it was normal to swim at night.

"I...I was trying to.." Naje paused, reluctant to admit her pathetic, laughable attempt at controlling the wind. "Nothing. I just messed up. Won't do something that stupid again, that's for sure. But, no, I don't really have any other clothes." Naje told Coco. Her fingers unconsciously clenched around the lapels of her soaking wet coat, as though she was afraid it would get taken from her. Her eyebrows raised and her teeth clenched as she heard Coco mention Hermes name. She had heard that name before, she was sure of it. She turned around to look at the man again, noticing the simalarities that were made more apparent by their short brown hair. Now Naje was glad that she hadn't mentioned her failure. Not only did she fail to control the wind in front of the very GOD of it, but she also vaguely remembered being told that the man was in fact her father. She took a deep breath and pushed her fingers through her short stringy hair again. Her eyes scanned over the water again before they bravely went back to stare at Hermes.

"Hello." she managed to grunt, sounding a bit more braver than she actually felt. There was a mix of feelings inside of her that Naje was unprepared to deal with, so she finally decided to turn her attention back to Coco.

"Do you know where I can dry off? I'm not from around here, so I'm still not familiar with this place. " Naje asked, deciding that she would rather ask a complete stranger to lead her somewhere then deal with the unfamiliar disturbances that were manifesting in her stomach.

[Coco Gryphon]

Not having a towel, or the need of one at the moment, she didn't dry off too much, she still had to swim back to her little temp. home to clean up anyway. She was growing hungry, all the excitement. The little smile on her lips never left, her head cocking to the side as Naje did and spoke..nodding again, "Try again, just don't fall on the water flat. That hurts." Duh, right, Coco? Her hands would curl upon her raised knees, but she wasn't still for long, stretching bare stems out and wiggling her toes. That dark head would bob when she was asked about clothing. A small hand was raised and she'd point to the bungalow that was not so far from the rock form they were seated on. "I can get you some clothes or you can swim with me. Ah..towel, too!"

Her hand fell and was rubbing at a spot of water she flicked at Hermes's shoe, she'd smile up at him and then again to Naje, "The Messenger is not talkative, not being very helpful." She'd wag that finger at him before turning and slinking back into the water with a glint in her eye, "Ahh..I just got here..but I am going to leave, my Uncle will be here, yes? You can keep him company, Miss!" She had the plan all made out, now if Hermes would ever answer her questions on how to make it work, she would be ready. A little breath was blown out as she dipped under the water and came back up, smoothing her hair from her eyes, waiting on what Naje would like her to do.

[Naje Ode]

"Of course I can do it!" Naje scoffed as she twisted both of her wrists in front of her in a dramatic gesture to summon forth the winds to dry her off. Vaguely she could feel what amounted to a small puff that lightly moved the hairs on the back of her neck, and nothing else. Frustrated and embarrased, Naje tried again with a more clumsy arm maneuver. This time there was no effect at all. Her face red with anger and humiliation, she resolved not to give up and resorted to punching the air in front of her. A powerful gust of wind pushed her forward to the edge of the platform until her toes were hanging off. Naje pushed herself backwards against the wind, resulting her falling flat on her posterior. She reasoned it would be better to fall and injure herself than to drown again.

"Um..you can go get them. The towel I mean. I'll stay here." she mumbled quietly.

By that time Naje already realized that the woman was swimming away. Naje definitely would not admit that she could not swim, but she wasn't stupid enough to go in the water either. She outwardly bristled as Coco referred to her as "Miss", something that had not been referred to her unless she was in trouble.

"It's Naje!" she yelled, correcting Coco. Though Naje never had much of a reason to give out her real name to anybody, for some reason she couldn't decide, she wanted the young woman to know it. She only blinked vacantly for a moment, trying to decipher the meaning of her last sentence.

'Uncle? Who's her uncle? When is he getting here?'

[Coco Gryphon]

She would swim the backstroke as she was watching Naje wave her arms around and punch, lips twisting a bit as she tried not to smile, until she got a little further back, pink lips parting, "What are you doing? Are you dancing?" Coco honestly did not know she was trying to move the air, other than the air she moved while waving about. A little wince and a slight frown as Naje hit the deck. "Ouch." She was already half way to the little home when she was told to get a towel. Coco would slip through the water as elegant as a mermaid, quick as a minnow.

Uncle was the bestest wises most well read man ever. And he was at home and safe in their little cottage, she hoped. She would of course relay this information to anyone for any reason, mostly because she was so proud of her Uncle. Reaching her little platform, Coco would climb the small ladder up and then skip happily along and into the bungalow. A towel was grabbed, running the top of her head a bit, drying her hair, she'd fold it. Another for the Miss, then she'd pick up the suitcase she left on the bed. Picking through it, she found a black skirt, floor length because Uncle was proper, while Coco cute enough to pull off anything, and a robin egg blue tee-shirt. This was all folded within the dry towel.

This was going to be one for the book folks! She'd come back outside, wave and smile at the two on the rock form, and then set down the parcels. She'd use the ladder, which will be rare, into the drink so she would not get her hair damp. Then she'd reach up and set the towels and clothes onto her head, turning slowly, she'd smile again and start her mostly quick decent back to them, balancing the items, once close enough, that smooth voice would break the silence, "I brought a change...of clothes for you, with the towel.."

Once arriving at the rock form, she'd lift the items from her head and hold them up, "Here you are, Naje!"

[Naje Ode]

"Dancing? No, stupid I was not dancing!" Naje called out to the swimming figure. It took her a few moments to realize that it was probably not the best thing to say. The last thing Naje wanted to do was to make the girl who saved her life cry. Her fingers brushed through her short messy strands of hair again. She glared back at Hermes and sat back down again, wincing as she imagined the bruise that was forming on her butt.

"I didn't mean it like that." Naje muttered as Coco came back into view. If it was in her ability, Naje would have apologized. However the concept of apologizing was lost on the poor girl. She made an effort to smile at Coco, but ended up looking slightly frightening instead.

"Oh," Naje made a small gasp, somewhat touched at the effort. She stared at Coco again in an attempt to figure out what she was thinking before she removed her large worn coat. She was wearing a muscle shirt underneath, revealing her arms and a few inches below her neck. Numerous wounds, cuts, scars, and bruises weaved an interesting tapestry across her arms, back and neck. They told the story of a theif, a fighter, and a clumsy child who worked very hard to learn knifeplay at one point. Naje was not a person who had many chances to look in a mirror, so there were many she was unaware of. As such, she showed no sign of self consciousness as she dragged the towel up and down her arms after ruffling it over her face and hair. To conserve her own sense of modesty, Naje place the skirt over her jeans and removed them under the fabrics cover. After removing her heavy boots and placing the daggers hidden in them next to each other, she briefly considered just cutting the jeans into shorts and leaving them on. Deciding against it, she removed them instead and took a moment to savor the odd feeling of wearing a skirt. She had worn them a few times when she was little and had nothing else to wear, but once she ventured out on their own they were impractical. As for the t-shirt, she practiced the same move again as she did with the skirt, while comedically twisting around inside the fabric before pulling the muscle shirt through the sleeves.

She all of her wet articles next to her boots and finally savored the feeling of being dry. The struggling had left several damp patches in her t-shirt, but that didn't seem to bother her.

"Feels really nice." Naje admitted, pressing the fabric of the skirt to her leg. While all of the clothes she usually wore were of the cheap or stolen variety, Naje never really considered how clothing actually FELT before. "Thanks, Coco."

After thanking the young woman again, Naje finally realized something. While a better person may have taken more time to figure things out on their own, Naje had merely spat it out.

"Why are you doing this? I mean, why are you being so nice?"

[Coco Gryphon]

Coco would of course gloss over the light mean spirited word the girl yelled to her about dancing. She did that often, but generally only when it was directed at her. Coco decided a long time ago people would never be totally nice, usually that anger was misplaced. Not that many people were angry towards her often, she was a fantastic girl in her little village town, nothing really malicious ever happened there. Besides, the village thought her strange, but liked her no matter.

That impish grin on her lips as she was semi apologized to, she would lift herself back onto the rock with the other two, picking up a towel and blotting at her dark locks and then that softly tan skin. The whole while, she was watching Naje change clothes, smiling wider at the way she did it. Coco was not a shy person, she'd of just changed.

Laying the towel across her bare, shapely legs, she'd lean back on her hands, toes dipping in and out of the water playfully. "You are welcome! That is a good skirt." A firm nod, she picked the skirt because she was afraid her pants would not fit her, to short or what have you. Why? Why would she help? This made that constant smile curl into a little twist as she thought about this...and then she just shrugged her shoulders, "Why not be nice?" Those wide brown hues would look in Naje's for her answer.