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— just above a whisper, tender and warm, bordering on.. something... something new he hadn't expected to feel in that moment. "Nothing to be afraid of."

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— supported him again, he looked to the man still held in his arms and brushed any obscuring blonde locks from his eyes with one hand. The stars glittered high above their heads, framed by bordering jungle, but Caelus could only focus on him, continuing the earlier petting. "See?" His voice was —

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— and potentially more uncomfortable depths, Caelus brought them to the surface which... Oh... They'd made it to the opposite side by that point, where smooth rocks offered themselves up to lay upon; an ideal spot to bask were it the afternoon, alas. Drifting backwards until the slope of soft sand—

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— They stayed like that for a little while, spiraling gently along unbothered, with Caelus ghosting fingers down the expanse of Aventurine's back; connecting scales together in idle shapes... but their little paradise seemed to dip down quite a ways... so before they could sink into colder—

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— other once more, until Caelus could properly entwine his arms around his friend and gently pull him in, chest-to-chest. 'Let me be your tail for now.' His voice calmly filtered through the sounds of water; of their drifting as he eased them into slow, leisurely circles. 'I have you.' —

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— simply remain at the other's side as they drifted without a care in the world, never straying too far from him even in those playful bouts— a realization settling in that told him rather bluntly that he'd rather be with him than without. A simple, precious truth that lured them closer to each —

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— luminescent to everything else in the area, while the merman did well to abide by Aventurine's wishes, showing him all he could as they swam together, wishing the night would never end. The difference in speed and strength was notable between them however, so eventually Caelus allowed himself to—

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— with him or detached just long enough to loop around him in an effort to tease and coax the man after him, that cenote had offered them a haven made only for the two of them. Freshwater fish Caelus had never seen swam nearby, seemingly unconcerned with their newest guests and also similarly —

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Caelus's delighted laughter was Aventurine's only response, clear as a bell within his mind while the merman allowed himself to be pulled beneath the surface, immersed in glittering blue waters. It was soothing under there... No matter if Caelus, with his powerful tail, pulled Aventurine along —

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— without an ounce of disgust to be found. "Does that sound good to you?"

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— see your burdens lifted. Your fears, your worries.. let them melt away in these waters until the morning. We will keep ourselves hidden as we always have when the sun rises..." His golden eyes never left that mismatched pair for a moment, drinking deep of all they could see —

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— thoughtfully. "Gemstones.. you wear the same wild colors- pieces of the early night sky all over your body... and you've had to hide it all this time?" His other hand came up to mirror the first, with the merman drifting just the barest bit closer. "Even if it only lasts this night, I would —

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— taking one last gentle lap around him to observe him before coming to rest right in front, peering into those eyes, uncaring of scars or anything akin as he reached up and cupped that wounded side tenderly with his left hand, brushing his thumb slowly against warm skin. "Sea glass," he muttered,—

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— in the same currents. If there was any lingering doubt or ire left behind from the day he had been wrenched from the waters and pinned beneath the previous crew, it had faded off like a wisp of smoke. He looked beautiful, though. Caelus had never seen anyone like him. Slowly did he drift over, —

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— have been to hide a secret of that magnitude... how often he asked questions nobody could answer that he dare not utter aloud himself lest he risk his life in the process. Lonely... Yes- it must have been so painfully lonely. They both had been, hadn't they? Two very lonely souls, caught up —

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— something coveted and protected up until the moment it was revealed. Knowing little of others despite all he'd seen, that didn't mean Caelus didn't understand how much such a simple act could weigh. That pang however came from a thought that was just as simple- the wonder of how painful it must —

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As scales and fins blossomed all over Aventurine's body and revealed to Caelus all that the captain had fought so hard to hide from all others, the very first thing the merman felt was a warm pang in his chest. How lucky he was to see such a thing- a treasure handed over in its own way, for it was —

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— both hands, this time in encouragement. "I want to see you as your truest self."

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— through the water for the first time in a small age, or so it felt, and popped up a few feet away again, covered in a grand constellation of fading blue stars, happy as could be. "Submerge, won't you?" He encouraged with a soft laugh, gliding through the water towards Aventurine and taking —

100

— brushed against him now and again, ever gentle despite its natural strength. The realization of all the space he had finally hit Caelus in that instant, and in a flash he dove under the water, only perceivable due to that bioluminescence that showcased just how fast he could be as he zipped —

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— bloomed in the waters around them bent and swirled with every move they made, their bodies framed with that unearthly hue. Caelus thrived in it, releasing Aventurine only so that he could properly drift around him in slow, languid circles... ... but he remained close enough that his tail fin —

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— bottom grew steeper and steeper still. Fins and tail restored themselves; a pleased sigh emphasizing the merman's relief and left him smiling, perfectly at ease. "It has been some time since I have shared gentle waters with anyone," Caelus admitted. "I'm.. happy that it is you." The light that —

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— followed with curious eyes as they spread across the captain's skin. "Yes," Caelus replied, reaching over and gently taking his hand. "But not as cold as the ocean, and something we both will grow used to." Further and deeper in he led him, until the glittering waters reached their hips and the —

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Caelus, as Aventurine suspected, cared little for what he regarded as the more natural state of being, and was more than happy to get rid of his garments, haphazardly tossing it all away to join the other's. If anything, the first thing to lure his gaze was the appearance of those scales which he—

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— us here, so I plan to indulge in these waters as I am meant to... so why not take a swim with me?"

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— thing or the next, from delicate flower petals to the moss that clung to the walls, dancing off of them as well. "You must be weary too, aren't you?" He asked, unbuttoning his shirt without rush. Curious eyes lifted to Aventurine where they lingered; his smile soft. "No one will see —

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— pleasantly surprised when the water seemed to react; a glittering blue that only lasted a moment, but renewed itself with every movement. The sun had set, but it appeared their shelter was just waking up. The plants, too, were slowly reacting to the lack of light; bioluminescence gracing one —

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— was a sight. It would have taken even an experienced swimmer a large sum of time to swim from one side to the other. "Don't worry, if there's any trouble, I'll hear it before you do." Tiring of his footwear, Caelus kicked off his boots and stepped into the shallows, only to find himself —

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— Aventurine's line of sight before long, though he hardly minded being caught by him. Instead, he just offered a smile and beckoned him over. "You cannot rest either, can you?" He nodded over his shoulder, down the sandy shores. "Come this way; let's walk together." The size of that cenote truly—

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— Caelus, it added a layer of secrecy he needed at that moment. That water had been calling to him from the moment he'd first laid eyes on it, and he wasn't about to miss out on what may have been his only attempt to regain some strength. Familiar footsteps brought him pause; he stood in —

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The cenote's shoreline was dotted by natural rock formations; walls of wind and water-eroded walls that better supported their natural sanctuary and kept what ceiling they had from crumbling any further. It provided shelter for the others; hiding places and more natural cover. For —

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— haloed a well of deep, clear water. Various murmurs reflected their awe. A water source and something more suitable than trees for shelter was better than one may have hoped for... "What do you think?" He looked to Aventurine. "A haven for the night seems like a blessing from the Gods."

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— there." Fortunately for him, it was not so secret a sound that others couldn't have heard it too eventually- the gentle current of river water that, upon pushing through the last of the foliage, revealed to be rushing from the mouth of a great cenote— a huge basin bordered by soil and sand that —

100

— was growing weary. The cover was nice, but they had yet to find anything that protected them from the elements proper. That was until.. he caught wind of something; the faintest trickling that could be mistaken for nothing else. "Up ahead," he piped up. "I hear something through the trees over —

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— could say that. A long time apart from the port, yes." But it was an arduous trek. With no prior footpaths, one had to carve the path themselves when necessary, chopping down vines and branches in order to proceed apace.. and by the time that deep gold light had turned to a dusky pink, Caelus —

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— it scurried off. "Not been on land in a fair while, aye?" One of the others noticed Caelus's enchantment and offered a good-natured slap on the back with a laugh in tow. Having given the merman an out without meaning to, the silver-haired man offered a smile as if embarrassed and nodded. "You —

100

— just in the midst of its final act for the night, pleasantly ringing in the merman's ears; a sound unheard until that moment, and a prompt that lured his curious gaze skyward until a rustling underfoot quickly pulled it back down.. just in time to see a bright blue flash of a lizard's tail as —

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— so much to see and hear. Once the beach had vanished behind the sea of leaves and other various flora, and the skies had been covered by a great canopy of mossy trees that stretched taller than Caelus had ever seen, the jungle presented itself as a verdant treasure all its own. Birdsong was —

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"You know this game better than I," Caelus's answer was quiet in the small space between them, but he wore a smile, equal parts confident and excited. "I cannot wait to see what awaits us." And oh, though the sun's light had become a deep gold by then as it reached for the horizon, there was still—

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— he felt the subtlest shift in the force that thrashed around them, their destination was but a short trip by rowboat away, and he called to Aventurine. "If we fail to raise the sails and drop anchor we'll be beached before long- we'll need to make the rest of the way by other means!"

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— horizon, Caelus's warning of rougher waters had proven themselves violently correct. Winds howled at the sails while swirling, angry waters shoved against the ship itself; a great barrier around an isle that continued until Caelus began to see the seabed in the late afternoon light. The moment —

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— efforts at times, for it was surely odd to the average human that he could "gauge" rougher patches of water or reefs well before they got there, but he ignored it; claimed he'd sailed those waters many times, and nothing happened further. By the time the first sign of land emerged on the —

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— face as he scowled down at his legs. "Damned things," came the mutter, followed by a deep and resigned inhale. "Not long now." The helm was where he remained for the rest of the day, quietly assessing the waters and piping up when they needed a shift in course. He obtained some odd looks for his—

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— that the Quartermaster knows the way through these waters," He muttered, pushing himself to his feet after the brief respite, only to stumble a little when a particularly large heave took him off guard— likely nothing to more seasoned sailors, but a great annoyance to him, and it showed on his —

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— a slightly heavier rock of the boat; a sign of harsher waters and a stark reminder that the bottom of the ocean lay miles below them then. He peered away from Aventurine then and towards the floorboards, as if he meant to look into the depths he'd grown so familiar with. "I should go and see —

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