on a lark

[alicornucopia]

She combs and combs the world aside and there is another world, just ahead, and she steps in.

The combed-away hole closes behind her. She puts her comb in her pocket.

Thanjen (Unbitwise)

Blueberry (kappa)

Hivers (Rockeye)

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"I walked. Can you teach me the mermaid thing or not?"

[wind_on_my_face]

“I am birds all the time. I don't know that much about swimming creatures. I'm sure there are much better books on the subject.”

[alicornucopia]

"That'd be slower."

[wind_on_my_face]

“If you're in a hurry, why not just try doing it? Then you'll know what you need to learn.”

[alicornucopia]

"And then you'll help me with that?"

[wind_on_my_face]

“If I know how to help, I will.”

[alicornucopia]

She frowns at him, sighs, and then starts making herself a mermaid tail out of griffin parts that she thinks will be relatively easy to reconstruct later. When she has something that is appropriately shiny and scaly and fits over her legs well she makes a big globe of glass full of air and then attempts to compress it down.

[wind_on_my_face]

(Of course she wants to breathe, too.)

Some discreetly frantic research later, he teaches her how to make a pressure regulator so she can safely breathe from it, and warns her not to dive deep with regular air.

[alicornucopia]

"How do I make not-regular air, then?" she asks, making a pressure regulator as instructed.

[wind_on_my_face]

“You need special materials and a particular machine to filter the air. And you also need to watch how fast you go down or up. It's complicated and I'm really not qualified to teach you how to do it safely.”

[alicornucopia]

"I guess I just won't go deeper than swimming pools, then."

[wind_on_my_face]

“It would be pretty silly to make a swimming pool that was too deep, wouldn't it.”

[alicornucopia]

Blink. "Yes."

She sticks her breathing apparatus to her back, puts the end of it in her mouth, plugs her nose, and flops reasonably effectively into the water.

[wind_on_my_face]

He dry-suit-snorkels along at the surface to keep an eye on her. Not that there are any too-deep places anywhere this close to the beach, but just on the general principle of who knows what she will want to do next.

[alicornucopia]

She mermaids about quite happily and doesn't drown. She seems to find having human joints under the tail inconvenient, and at one point flops out of the water long enough to grab more material from the griffin shell and add it on so her tail is longer and she can get more propulsion without unsightly knee-bending.

[wind_on_my_face]

(He's not a big fan of swimming, humanly or any other way, but this is actually kind of relaxing, comparatively. He thinks.

He is not cut out for talking people into things. If she won't take his advice he should just give up and — leave —

This is no longer an immediately serious personal safety problem. This is a “who raised this child like this” problem. This is even less his field than diving. He should ask for help.

He starts composing an explanation of the situation.)

[alicornucopia]

Eventually she flops back onto shore, reconstructs the griffin to make sure she can put it back together right, and then seems to be between activities (although she has collected some seashells and is idly claiming them).

[wind_on_my_face]

(Transmit.)

“If I get you a radio, will you take it?”

[alicornucopia]

"I don't know what I'd do with one, but I guess, if you want."

[wind_on_my_face]

“You don't have to use it. It would be just in case something happens so you have the choice.

Would you like to come with me to get one, or stay here?”

(He will not be especially surprised if she leaves to wherever it is she came from while he's gone.)

[alicornucopia]

"How far is it?"

[wind_on_my_face]

“About thirty miles. Maybe fifty minutes there and back if I go by myself or carry you, more than that if you want to fly yourself.”

[alicornucopia]

"That seems like a long time to wait just for a radio."

[wind_on_my_face]

“‘Just a radio’ can be the difference between life and death.”

[alicornucopia]

"How?"