sink or swim

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

It would have been rather thrilling if not for the utter terror that threatens to overwhelm her. The cold night air whips at her hair, making her eyes water as it bites at her skin and pulls goosebumps to the surface of her flesh, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins keeps her from shivering. The Nightshade forces herself to take a breath, eyes scanning the horizon as she slowly raises her arms, holding them out to her sides as if she was actually flying. It's then that a surprised laugh bubbles out of her, lost in the roaring of wind.

It wasn't until she saw the horizon break with a low lying land formation that Maeve reached down to tap on one of his tentacles. She did so softly at first before realizing that he might not feel it and thus tried again. "Remi! I think we're approaching the Maw!"

Maeve

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

Maeve was correct; Remi couldn't feel the small tap of her fingertips against his massive rubbery body. Not the first time, anyway. Only vaguely able to hear the words, Remi erred on the side of caution and slowed. All but one tentacle would peel back away from Maeve's body, and were it not for his ungodly strength, what he was about to do next would be quite impossible.

Below, the darkness would grow less dark and less dark, until it was just a smattering of wet curls that emerged from the surface of the water. With one arm—read: tentacle—raised to hold Maeve where only her feet would skim the water, Remi tread easily using his feet. "Didn't quite catch that." He chuckles, flushed.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

She begins to slow above the water, lowering back down into the freezing waves as his tentacles disappear from her body aside from one, keeping her aloft so the waves don't overwhelm her. The Nightshade shivers, a laugh bubbling up in her chest despite this, glancing over at Remi with shining jade eyes. "I said I thought we were close to the Maw." She repeats, gesturing towards the bit of land that rises out of the water, forming a ring around another dark pool of ocean, somehow blacker than where they were currently at.

Her chin tilts down to look at him, noting just how boyish he seem like this, curls wet and sticking to his forehead as his dimples make themselves known with his smile. It almost makes her forget what he's capable of. Almost. "Let's get closer? I imagine there could be some rather interesting things washed up on those shores."

Maeve

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

"Oh." Realizing now, Remi laughs a touch bashfully and shrugs his shoulders beneath the water. "You know, one of the merfolk asked if I was the Kraken that lurked around the Maw. I'm starting to think maybe I am, and just didn't know it." He points out, only just now realizing how strange and awkward it was to be holding aloft a naked queen and woman with whom he'd tried to have sex once upon a time. Ahh, but there were weirder things they'd both endured in their lives, he was sure of it, and more strangely intimate situations as well.

"If you like. Do you want to try and swim, or continue on like this?" So saying, his suckers tighten and relax around her, like a dull and rubbery pulse to reinforce his question.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

His laugh brings out one of her own as she continues to be held aloft in his grasp, "Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that you were." She says with a hum, focusing on everything except for the cold that nips at her chilled skin, causing goosebumps to rise. It's really the only thing that reminds her of the fact that she's naked. Otherwise, it's barely a thought in her mind. Remi has seen her in such a state more times than she can count now. While it might have been odd to some, the queen paid it no mind, simply accepting it for what it was.

The sensation of the suckers makes her nose wrinkle and she wriggles just a bit in his hold, "I can try swimming... Just- Just stay beside me?" She knows for a fact that she can't touch here and while her skills are likely improved, she's no where near the strongest swimmer, but that's what he's here for.

Maeve

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

Remi shrugs in such a way that causes Maeve to rise and fall with the movement. 'I have never seen another one, so maybe it is me.' He says thoughtfully. Once, he and Isla had thrown boulders around in the ocean, so perhaps he actually was the biggest menace in these waters, save for ghost whales.

"I will." Remi agrees, his expression earnest as he lowers the queen down into the water. "Let me know if it gets too cold." Out here the water was much chillier, and Maeve was unable to cover herself in blubber to protect herself the way he was. 'For what it's worth, unless it's quite choppy, you can always float on your back to let your muscles rest if swimming ever becomes too much.' So saying, the alchemist does just that: leaning back and spreading out his arms—now both fully human—Remi sighs decadently as the waves slowly bob him up and down.

They stay like that for a while, until the cold and the chopiness of the waves do become too much. Returning back to shore under the cover of moonlight, it's with an awkward wave that Remi departs, not quite sure what the protocols were about hugging a naked woman, despite having once nearly having sex with her.

~FIN

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".