Many come, though she does not pay attention to them. They are not of the sea, though her attention does drift to Aquila as the mare breaks out of the surf. The seahorse does not seem to notice Syrena, though the seal-gray mare doesn’t blame her. It is so rare the sea Is noticed in Helovia, so rare for creatures like them to fit in. Aquila has more at stake than even Syrena does, because for that mare, perhaps her home still exists. Perhaps, at least, there’s information about the place the seahorse comes from. Not that Syrena thinks of these things. She simply dwells on Kis, attention focused on him in a way it is never focused on others.

She does not doubt him. Perhaps she should. No, certainly she should. But how could she bring herself to ever doubt the sea? Even a version of the sea made of trash and scraps. Even a version of that sea that is entirely capable of lying. She doesn’t care. He is still the sea, and she is still tied tightly to its depths. Besides, if she is being perfectly honest, dying in the depths of the ocean is not a terrible way to go.

Kis steps back, revealing seaweed that floats to the surface. When he speaks again, he addresses all that have arrived. He talks of a coral reef that sits well below sea level now, of wanting the residents of Helovia to visit them. She loves the prospect of a swim, of diving well below the depths, but she wonders just how he plans to accomplish this. So magic is necessary – even she cannot breath under water. There are few who can, so far as she knows.

Kis, for his part, plays it off as a joke. Something Syrena is no good at, having little patience generally and even less so now with the prospect of the sea so close. And not just a swim from one shore to the next, but truly an adventure beneath the waves. Home, she thinks. He keeps talking, revealing that the seaweed would allow them to breath underwater. She wonders if she could keep the seaweed forever – just take it with her and dive below the depths of the ocean whenever she pleased. Probably not, but still, she might have to try.

He challenges them to trust him. Ah, but it doesn’t matter to her if she trusts him or not. She will go because the sea calls, because selfishly, there is nowhere else she’d like to be anyway. Perhaps she will drown beneath the waves, but she cannot find it in herself to care about that. He dives down quickly, and though she longs to rush to the seaweed, she waits long enough for the influx of others to do so. Why? Because rushing headlong into a mass group of horses just isn’t her thing.

She’s on the shore, waves lapping at her feet, long enough to hear a familiar voice muttering about idiots. She turns her head, in an uncharacteristically good mood, and there’s almost a spark in her eyes. She finds the beast with the upside down hair talking to some other stallion – loudly, since she can hear. “Ah, maybe it’s the cautious that are idiots. What reason does the sea have to be your enemy?” A lip quirks slightly in what might actually be considered a smile, something that will likely not be seen again. Not that she expects an answer to her question. For most of these horses, the sea very well could be their enemy. But for her? It is simply home.

She finally grabs a piece of seaweed and dives into the sea after Kis. She’d prefer, of course, for there to be far fewer horses. Aka just her, or maybe just her and Aquila. She liked Aquila, at the very least, because they are so very similar in the only ways that matter. But of course, all of Helovia’s curious and bold had come out, and so the sea churns with bubbles all around them from too many hooves flailing through its depths. But even still, she cannot find it in herself to be too sour. Home, home, home, her heart sings.

les words "chat chat"
Talks to @Albrecht, notices Aquila

Syrena

let the water take me