[5:59 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah set her bags down along the wall near the seats Mallon gestured to. She briefly glanced over at the window showing off the water, but quickly looked away again and sat down.

She nudged one of her bags over with her foot and unzipped it, digging through it to try to find something.

[5:59 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

@em | enya + mallon

[5:47 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon doesn’t pry, but once Hannah’s attention is occupied (at least for the moment) their gaze too passes to the water outside. They really don’t like being on the boat, if they’re being honest, but it’s mixed with a strange relief that they’re not sure they understand. They stay quiet about it for now though. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:40 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

After a while of digging, Hannah pulled out her phone. She tried the power button a few times, but it only flashed a low power symbol before going entirely black. She grunted and tossed it back in her bag.

"My mom is totally gonna kill me when I get home." @em | enya + mallon

[10:50 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon squints slightly at the unfamiliar object— I can’t actually remember if they’ve seen anyone have a phone this entire time so I’m simply pretending they haven’t.

For the moment, though, they seem a little bit more preoccupied with Hannah’s words. “I am sure you are capable of defending yourself,” they reply nonchalantly, as if that is a totally normal response to have and not just assuming Hannah means it literally. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[5:20 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah chuckled once.

"I don't think she'll try to kill me like that I just mean- she's gonna be really mad." Hannah said. "I hope Ryu keeps his promise to get me some money so I can get out of there.. I still can't afford to move out on my own." @em | enya + mallon

[8:25 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“Oh.” Mallon seems a little bit embarrassed for a second, but it fades quickly. “I see. Perhaps we can find Ryu on the way back then.”

Their head tilts slightly, though, as they consider their next question. “You wish to leave your home?” It’s not judgmental, simply curious. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:44 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"It's basically all I've ever wanted since my family moved out of California." Hannah said and started digging through her bag again. "Do you know where Iowa is?" @em | enya + mallon

[11:36 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“I have never heard of that place before,” Mallon shrugs. “Or the first one you said before that. I did not realize so many places had their own names.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[12:52 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Those are only two states out of the fifty in my country." Hannah said and took out from her bag a hair tie. Her hair was pretty unkempt from its normal state- blonde and brown and black all tangled together in a jumbled mess. She tied her hair back, managing to mostly separate the blonde and black segments. "What's the place you're from called..? Do you know what ocean it's in?" @em | enya + mallon

[7:51 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

@em | enya + mallon

[8:26 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon shifts a little bit in their seat at that, the edge of a frown creeping onto their face. “I.. I am not just from one place. I move wherever I wish to go— or wherever the food does, I suppose. So I guess you could say I am from all of them.” Their fingers drum on one of the patches of shells on their arm as they speak. “You all up here see them as multiple. I see it as one and the same.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:29 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"I mean- yeah it's all one body of water, I guess.. But the climates are pretty different.. guess it doesn't matter when you're down really deep." Hannah shrugged and once again got back in to her bag. "Have you ever seen a picture of yourself before?" @em | enya + mallon

[8:52 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“It does not change all that much,” Mallon nods. “It is easier to notice closer to the surface, but I… That is not something I do often. Was not.” Their voice quiets a little bit at that. As Hannah returns to her bag, her question sparks their interest once more. “A picture?” The word is somewhat unfamiliar. “I have seen myself reflected, if that is what you mean.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[9:04 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah dug out a shitty looking modern Polaroid camera. It was gray and covered in faded shark stickers.

"Would you mind if I get a picture? I was gonna take one with my phone, but it's dead, so.. this'll be the next best thing." Hannah said. "I think if my family can see I'm not the only one like me- was the only one like me, they might accept me a bit more. Not that it really matters now, I guess.." @em | enya + mallon

[9:47 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon blinks once at the unfamiliar device, head tilting slightly. “Okay,” they agree after a moment, sitting entirely still. Their lure is tucked away again, but their earfins flare out a little bit and the shells reform to cover the gash on their shoulder. The picture probably ends up looking a lot like :autismcreechur: .

“They did not welcome your abilities?” It seems like a strange concept to them. They hesitate before continuing. “..I could come with you. Not all. But for some time,” they backtrack quickly, faint uncertainty creeping into their voice. “If you would have me. To help your family understand.” Yep. Definitely the only reason, and not at all because they’ve newly discovered they don’t particularly like being alone. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:46 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah did a little smile and pressed the button down, which made a bright flash go off right in their damn faces. Slowly, a picture printed out of the bottom, which Hannah quickly took and placed upside down beside her.

"My parents hated my powers, especially my mom, who is the only parent I have left thanks to Roy-" Hannah took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. ".. I would totally be fine with you coming with me. But you'd have to be able to get back on the plane with me to Des Moines.... Do you have a passport...?" @em | enya + mallon

[9:06 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

@em | enya + mallon (when you get a chance tomorrow or whenever, I'll have Hannah's powers come back after your post)

[9:35 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon looks stunned for a moment at the flash of light, earfins flaring out for a few seconds before they start rapidly blinking to try and clear their vision. They look kind of ridiculous squinting to try and focus on Hannah.

“I am sorry to hear that,” they say once their vision’s mostly cleared. “I think that is a shame. There is much strength you are capable of.” Seems like their way of giving a compliment. They frown slightly, however, at the new unfamiliar words. “I don’t know what you mean. Is a plane like a boat.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[5:29 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Thank you." Hannah smiled a bit at the.. compliment. "And a plane is kind of like a boat but it- flies-.."

It seemed hard for her to say that last bit of the sentence, and she gripped at her chest. She opened her mouth to try to take in a deep breath, but could only wheeze and choke on the air.

She grabbed on to Mallon's arm, holding it tightly enough to potentially bruise if that was something that could happen to them. With her other hand, she frantically pointed over at the window which showed the water outside.

Her grip was quickly getting weaker and her arm fell back down to her side weakly. @em | enya + mallon

[9:01 AM]em | enya + mallon:

A faint hiss escapes them as Hannah’s grip tightens on their arm, but their surprise quickly shifts to concern. “Hannah? What’s—“ Their gaze snaps to the window and the water and it hits then all of a sudden—even though they don’t recognize it as Hannah’s powers returning, they do know exactly what it feels like to be drowning on land.

Hannah’s grip loosens and Mallon wastes no time before basically scooping her up in their arms and running outside to the railing of the boat. The shock of cold air is a welcome feeling after the stuffiness of the cabin, and they don’t hesitate. They hit the water on their back, Hannah on top of them, and shells rippling out across their skin to lessen the impact for them both. Underwater their eye glows faintly as they observe—ready to surface or sink, however Hannah reacts. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[10:10 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

As they sat in the water, Hannah didn't seem to be reacting at all. Maybe it was the shock of the cold water, or maybe Mallon wasn't quick enough despite their best efforts. Hannah didn't breathe anymore, her body limp and her hair flowing wildly in the churning waters.

And all was still for a few minutes besides the waves. Slowly, fish were surrounding them. First it was just a few arctic char approaching, then varied species of cod, some herring and salmon, an entire group of halibut.. Even Mallon felt a bit.. Drawn to her, at the moment? In an unnatural way.. If they weren't already holding her, they would have been compelled to get close.

And then a handful of sharks swam toward them. A ginormous basking shark, a greenland shark, a pacific sleeper, and finally a blue shark.

They swam right toward the pair, circling them menacingly.. @em | enya + mallon

[3:02 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Hannah doesn’t react, and Mallon’s eye widens in a shock of fear. They maneuver in the water so they’re holding Hannah’s shoulders, shaking her slowly at first, and then quicker. A thin keening noise echoes around them—interjected now and then by sharp clicking noises that only get higher and higher pitched the longer Hannah doesn’t respond.

They don’t notice the presence of the fish right away—there’s a weird pull in their chest that feels almost like they’ve wondered how their lure feels like, and it isn’t until the sharks arrive that they realize their surroundings.

Mallon wrenches their gaze away from Hannah, not letting go but baring their teeth as the sharks circle. Their spinal fin ripples out from among the shells covering their upper body in an attempt to seem larger, stronger, quicker, you name it—anything that might make them seem more threatening. But try as they might, even with their heightened senses down here, it’s difficult to keep track of four circling sharks with only one eye. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[3:54 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah was entirely unresponsive to Mallon's thrashing and vocalizations. All it did was mess up her hair more.

As Mallon showed aggression, the sharks did as well. They would lunge at them- snapping their teeth but only just missing. They were getting closer and closer with every pass. Even the peaceful thirty food long basking shark was not spared from the increasing aggression.

Hm. Mallon would start to feel an urge to bite Hannah. It was a strong compulsion, and it seemed like the sharks were feeling it as well as they changed their target from Mallon to Hannah. @em | enya + mallon

[6:13 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon growls under their nonexistent breath, gills flaring on the sides of their neck as they shake Hannah a few more times. Still not getting a response—they lash out at the sharks as they lunge in. Another weird feeling is slowly creeping in, but they’re ignoring it for now.

They snarl at the sharks this time, again swiping the water in front of them with a clawed hand. But the sharks have changed their attention now—and Mallon’s movements become much less aggressive and much more defensive as the sharks lose focus on them. They curl themself around Hannah, darting from one side to the other with each pass, and the shells covering their skin begin to shift—larger fan-shaped shells becoming smaller and more circular, backed by a dark and almost iridescent material not unlike the inside of a mussel, and covering nearly every inch of their body save for the lure dangling from their head. Defense is much more what they are built for.

But then, the feeling kicks back in, and stronger than before. They falter, momentarily, in their confusion—they’re protecting Hannah, not attacking her—but it tugs at them hard enough that their jaw aches with the force of keeping it shut. Their eye glows, locking onto Hannah, and that one single moment of hesitation? Enough to leave an opening. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[9:58 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

That brief lapse of attention was enough for the smallest of the sharks to slip through Mallon's defenses. It bit down on Hannah's leg and yanked her out of Mallon's grasp.

A cloud of red impaired Mallon's vision as the shark continued biting down on Hannah, ripping out chunks of flesh as it did. Hannah was still entirely unresponsive, which may have been a blessing at the current moment.

All the other fish and sharks quickly swam off as the blue shark got their target, and Mallon's draw to her faded. @em | enya + mallon

[10:27 PM]em | enya + mallon:

The glow in Mallon’s eye begins to fade and they blink rapidly, trying to focus their vision—that is, until red begins to permeate throughout the water around them. They squint in the haze, and their heart drops into their stomach. A horrible screeching noise of a scream escapes them at the sight they make out.

They don’t even acknowledge the disappearing fish and other sharks, brain automatically perceiving the blue shark as the biggest threat and drowning out everything else. Hannah still isn’t conscious, at least as far as they can tell, so Mallon lunges at the shark with as much force as they can muster and tries to wrestle it away from Hannah’s leg. But they’re starting to get desperate now, vocalizations increasing in volume, and it’s making them sloppy. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[7:21 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

They do manage to grapple the small shark, but it has a tight grip on Hannah's leg. Mallon doesn't manage to rip them away before a bright light envelops the whole area, and the shark vanishes from Mallon's grip.

Once the light fades, the only other creature around is a blue shark where Hannah had been, and she was entirely missing. @em | enya + mallon

[8:07 AM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon hisses at the blinding light, squeezing their eye shut and inadvertently losing their grip on the shark as they tumble forward in the water. By the time they shake themself out and whip back around to Hannah, she’s gone.

They freeze in place, eye darting around the frigid water for any sign of her. But there’s nothing to find. The clicking sounds peak loudly the more frantically they search until their brain finally catches up to their instincts—and Mallon’s intense gaze slowly travels back to the shark in front of them. They swim a little closer, hesitantly at first, and then a little quicker until they’re floating eye-to-eye. Their head tilts, and they vocalize something that even without words almost sounds like a question. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[9:07 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

The shark itself seems dazed, floating nearly on its side at the moment. It only straightens out and focuses its eyes once Mallon vocalizes again.

It stares ahead and Mallon for a while and simply nods once.@em | enya + mallon

[2:17 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon’s shoulders sag in relief. They circle around the shark once, eye scanning over it and faint, almost chirping-like noises following them as they do so. When they return to the front, it’s with a ducking of their head that they move in even closer, and very gently headbutt the shark’s snout with the hint of a smile creeping through the shells covering their face. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[2:36 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

The shark itself was about nine feet long and blueish on the dorsal side that faded in to white on its belly. It seemed unharmed from the injuries Hannah had sustained.

As Mallon pressed their head to hers, Hannah feigned a little snap at them and swam away playfully, occasionally glancing back to see if Mallon was following. @em | enya + mallon

[3:17 PM]em | enya + mallon:

A sharp yip of a sound slips out in surprise as Hannah snaps at them, and Mallon gapes at her for a second before immediately giving chase with a high-pitched trill. Their spinal fin ripples in the water as they dart after her.

Little by little the shells are beginning to fade away, though there’s still enough left turning their skin to armor that they aren’t quite as fast as Hannah would have seen them before. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:13 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah also wasn't as quick as she had been before, since she was trying to get a handle on this new body and all. The biggest difference was definitely the tail, she had to move it a lot more to reach the same speeds she could before. Her pectoral fins were also much longer, leading her to wobble from side to side occasionally as she adjusted.

She swam up toward the surface toward the boat after letting Mallon chase her around for a little while. @em | enya + mallon

[8:40 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon almost gleefully chases after Hannah, their speed picking up the more the shells fade away back into their skin as they duck and dart in circles around her. Their vocalizations are still loud, bouncing around through the water, but this time full of energy and excitement.

That is, until Hannah begins to swim up in the direction of the boat. Their sounds slowly fade out and their movements slow too. A few shells begin to emerge here and there around the edges of their scarred eye before they hesitantly follow along. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:28 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

If Hannah noticed Mallon's rising silence, she didn't react to it.

Just below the surface of the water she put a lot more power in to her tail and breached the surface. She only got about two feet out of the water and smacked the side of the boat before falling back in. @em | enya + mallon

[8:05 PM]em | enya + mallon:

A sharp sound escapes Mallon at the sight, and as Hannah splashes back below the surface they duck a little bit closer with another questioning hum and faint concerned frown. Whether subconsciously or not, they keep shifting around slightly—keeping Hannah in between them and the boat. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:57 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

The shark swam lopsided for a moment, before straightening out. It slowly morphed back in to a human shape- confirming that it was in fact Hannah, who seemed unharmed.

"Can't jump." Hannah said loudly through the water. Seems she could breathe in the water as well. @em | enya + mallon

[2:11 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon blinks once, hums, then exaggeratedly shrugs. Seems they didn’t exactly consider the return aspect of things when they’d jumped off the boat initially. They frown slightly as they stare unblinkingly after the slowly retreating boat, then abruptly jerk their head in a direction a little bit off to the side of it. Not like they can really use words at the moment, but they’re doing their best to try and suggest swimming to shore instead. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[3:53 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah spun to look at where they were gesturing. The shore was just barely in sight. She quickly morphed back in to a shark and slowly swam after the boat. @em | enya + mallon

[4:54 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon doesn’t seem at all bothered by the distance. In fact, they look fairly relieved that they won’t be getting back on. They swim after Hannah, still keeping a wide berth around the boat. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:33 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

After a while of swimming, they arrived back at the beach. Hannah plopped on to the sand and turned human again, taking some deep breaths.

"We.. made it... oughhhh.." Hannah said as she laid her face in the sand. @em | enya + mallon

[7:06 AM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon sits down next to her once they reach the sand, crossing their legs and chittering something in reply that doesn’t exactly seem to have any real meaning. What they’re really focused on is staring directly at Hannah—their eye scanning her up and down, with clear worry on their face, for any sign of injury or harm. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[7:36 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah seemed entirely fine and back to how she looked before her.. Drowning incident. Her ears seemed a bit pointier, and were her arms longer..?

She rolled over and plopped her back on the sand, really taking in the sun.

"I missed the heat so much. Oh my god- it was so miserable there.." Hannah huffed.

Upon further inspection, there was a little shark tooth embedded in her shin, but she hardly cared to worry about it right now. @em | enya + mallon

[1:54 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon frowns faintly at the shark tooth, but if Hannah doesn’t seem all that concerned they they’re willing to look past it. They grumble something under their breath—a mix of disgruntled huffs and clicks that seem to say no, actually, they didn’t miss the heat at all.

They quiet slightly, though, and slowly turn to look back out in the direction of the island. Something still feels wrong about all this and it’s not shaking off. Their voice should come back soon, though, so they’ll be ready to go then. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline