I hereby claim this oce- er, pool for Atlantis!

[Zeryn]

In the rec center, anyone walking into the pool would smell a strong chemical smell near the door. Closer inspection would show that all the chlorine had, again, been stripped from the water and was currently sitting in the trash can by the door, with a few towels thrown over it to muffle the smell.

Zeryn sat in the deep end of the pool, lounging regally in a chair of water that held him up, partly exposed from the water, evidenced by the dripping back of the chair that protruded with him, letting him sink comfortably partway into it, headphones in his ears connected to a small music player that was miraculously working despite being submerged in the water with him. He wore sunglasses, as his face pointed up at the harsh lights, a serene smile on his face.

[Nina Madaraki]

Bubbles floated up from somewhere near the deep end.

Investigation into their source would reveal a blonde hair girl laying at the bottom of the pool. Her long hair spread out around her, giving her a serene look. Especially since her eyes were closed.

[Zeryn]

The Lord of Atlantis lay back, intrigued by this music his sushi chef had recommended to him. Surface culture was an odd, fascinating thing sometimes. Eventually, though, he became aware of a disturbance in the water.

Nina would find a sudden current in the water sweep her up and brush her along toward the deep end, not at all an unpleasant experience, really, when you got over the surprise of it. And Zeryn's music player was born away by another current of water that seemed to push it on a very thin pocket of air toward the edge of the pool into a plastic bin that held other rather valuable novelties like his cell phone, which didn't agree with water. he lifted his sunglasses, curious to see what other aquatic life the school held.

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina's eyes flutter open. As he head breaks through the water, she gasps suddenly. It takes her a second to adjust to the differences between breathing air again.

After collecting herself she smiles at Zeryn, "Hello. Did you need something?"

[Zeryn]

Zeryn blinked at the slender body that broke the surface near him. "Strange, I wasn't aware of any Sirens at this school," he mused. "But... no, you have legs, I can feel that now." And sure enough, Nina could feel the water currents swirling tentatively around her beneath the surface of the pool. He regarded her with a sort of intrigued curiosity, not at all unfavorably. "Although the similarities are striking, was your mother a Siren, perhaps?"

[Nina Madaraki]

"It's possible," Nina says, looking thoughtful, "I never knew my biological mother."

[Zeryn]

"Hmm..." Zeryn exposed her critically, though again not unfavorably. "It would explain much. I'd heard rumors of the fair-haired daughters of the ocean occasionally bearing the children of the sailors who are seduced from their ships by their beauty, but never had I seen evidence of it before." With that, he seemed to bow without standing. "But in any case you're well met, lost daughter of the seas. My name is Zeryn, of the Southern Currents... what those who walk in the air would call 'Atlantis'."

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina twitches a little, suppressing the urge to ask a dozen questions about Atlantean biology.

"I'm Nina. Some people used to call me the Golden Witch, but it doesn't really fit anymore. I suppose I need a new name," Nina said, "But it is a pleasure to meet you, Zee."

Nina smiles brightly and sincerely.

[Zeryn]

Zeryn seemed to brighten. "You were an enchantress? Further proof!" he said brightly. "Come, do you wish to join me upon the throne? For Sirens are highly regarded within the courts of Atlantis for their beauty and grace, and it would appear that those qualities have not been diluted with you being set upon the surface."

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina giggles, "Sure. That sounds like fun."

[Zeryn]

The currents swept Nina along, bearing her along toward Zeryn, who reached out to help her up onto the invisible chair with him. The solid water was unsurprisingly extremely comfortable, and on the 'throne' with him, jets of water played across them like a party of massaging goldfish. "It is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nina," he said as they reclined again in the pool, the level of the throne lowering a bit now that he didn't have to worry about those silly headphones and their need for dry air for him to hear them properly. "I'd begun to think that no others shared an appreciation for the joy of relaxing in the embrace of the waters. Would I be too forward asking what form of training this citadel is giving you?"

[Nina Madaraki]

It said a lot about Nina that lounging around with a Lord of Atlantis, both of them completely naked, on an invisible seat of water in a public pool was not the oddest thing she'd ever done.

But that's a story for another time.

"I am studying Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation, my lord," Nina said, getting into the spirit of things, "It is my humble wish to keep the peace here on the surface."

"And I'm addicted to black lights," Nina said, "Because they make things glow. And more things need to glow in my opinion."

[Zeryn]

"Indeed?" Zeryn asked, sounding impressed. "The spirit of a defender in you, then? Your mother must have made a fine choice in the sailor she lured to the sea. Possibly an honored admiral, or a seasoned shipman. Well decided, Lady Nina," he said approvingly. "And you," he added, "Should visit your native depths some time. I know of canyons where the sun's light rarely touches, where the fish and the coral and the anemone all shine with their inner luminescence. It is truly a wonderful sight to behold, small wonder your spirit cries out to see it."

[Nina Madaraki]

"It sounds incredible," Nina says wistfully, "Would you really take me to such a place, my lord?"

[Zeryn]

Zeryn smiled majestically, but waved the title off. "Please, milady, just Zeryn. And quite naturally. It would be a pleasure to show you the wonders of the sea for the first time, to teach you to command the pads of anemone to caress you without being stung, to dance beneath the waves in the glowing caverns with schools of fish, to adorn your fingers with tiny pet seahorses... Have you ever pet a seahorse? Remarkable creatures, very loyal when you know how to approach them, though... not that they can really be of much use other than as curiosities."

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina giggles, "And where would you take me on our second date, Zeryn?"

[Zeryn]

Zeryn considered that very seriously. "Bermuda," he decided, nodding. "I've heard wondrous things about the magic of those lands, but have never had a companion with which to explore them. It would likely prove an adventure of epic scale."

[Nina Madaraki]

"I definitely like adventures," Nina said happily.

[Zeryn]

"We just can't stray too far closer to the 'mainland,' for I hear it's infested with dolphins," Zeryn added distastefully. "And you, Fair Lady Nina? Is there any place that you would care to travel to?" He was, after all, afforded one of those... oh, what did the Atlantean Embassy in the North Sea tell him it was called? An 'Expensive Account?' Strictly for diplomatic missions, but exploration could of course be considered diplomatic.

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina grins, "I would take you to Japan. Niijima, I think. We could visit Jūsansha Jinja, a beautiful shrine where dancers practice kagura. And then we could relax in the Yunohama Onsen, a hot spring bath fed by the ocean around the island. We could relax on the golden beaches and swim in the waters. We could even go visit the temple which has the graves of the exiles of the Tokugawa Shogunate."

"It's beautiful there," Nina says happily.

[Zeryn]

"And for that, I would be forever in your debt. That sounds both intriguing and quite different from any part of the surface world I've seen thus far. I've never even visited the seas around those parts... I've heard that the squid wrestling is quite a sight to behold, and that the whales sing beautifully there.". He sighed happily, sinking back a bit into the throne. "The world up here is truly fascinating, if one is willing to venture out to see it."

[Nina Madaraki]

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Nina says, stretching out alongside Zeryn.

[Zeryn]

"I do miss the ocean, though," he admitted. "The surface is full of its novelties and its charms, but the sea... well, it even calls to those who cannot breathe beneath it."

[Nina Madaraki]

"Then you should go visit it," Nina says, "It's not far."

[Zeryn]

"Sadly, the area around Britain is held by a rather... uncouth family that I don't quite have good dealings with. THey put too much stock in the words of giant squid."

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina wrinkles her nose, "I hate squid."

[Zeryn]

"Tell me about it. Far too smug and superior for a creature that doesn't even have a spine," he said.

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina giggles, "They're really just overgrown cuttlefish."

[Zeryn]

"But amusingly, they get quite offended if you say so!" Zeryn added, smirking knowingly.

[Nina Madaraki]

"Very strange creatures," Nina says.

[Zeryn]

"Oh, indeed. And quite arrogant, but thankfully only an atlantean telepath can tell you so. They generally know to keep silent on such matters."

[Nina Madaraki]

"Generally?"

[Zeryn]

"Oh, some of them are prone to loyally repeating the slanderous things that the squid says." He considered it. "Those ones tend to be called to fight quite a lot of duels, actually."

[Nina Madaraki]

Nina giggles, "How do you fight duels underwater?"

[Zeryn]

"Oh, much the same way you would up here. The weapons are somewhat different, though... swords and things you can swing like the surfacers would use are obviously useless, but spears are extremely effective. You have to practice to learn to jab straight, and how to block without the water resistance hampering you, of course."

[Nina Madaraki]

"So, it's more like fencing?" NIna asks.

[Zeryn]

He considered that. "Hm, I suppose so. Only with additional freedom of movement and more blood involved. Oh, and sharks. That's usually brought on by the blood, though."

[Nina Madaraki]

"I love sharks," NIna says, "They're kind of cute. With all the teeth."

[Zeryn]

"They're majestic creatures. Quite affectionate if you know how to handle them, actually. But when they smell blood...?" He shrugged, shifting to indicate a row of old puncture scars on his lower chest. "This was a lucky near-miss. I was able to pry it off before it could do any real damage."

[Nina Madaraki]

"Oh, goodness," Nina says, "Silly sharks."

"Do you want me to fix that for you?"