Washed Ashore Part 5

Elana sighed, once she had finished inspecting his wounds. "Good none of them reopened when you fell." She paused. "I'm sorry." She said pulling her hands away from his tail. Kai grabbed her wrist. "Don't be, I was the one sitting on the edge. It is a bit harder to keep my balance with my tail." He said with a smile.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Am I falling for him? No it can't be he's a merman. But his smile... and his lips, I can't stop thinking about them. She thought, and started to move away but before she could escape he pulled her closer.

"Why do you keep trying to leave? Am I doing something wrong? Are you afraid of me?" Kai couldn't understand why she was behaving the way she was. He hadn't known her for long but he was starting to realize it was more than curiosity that made him want to stay.

Elana looked at the merman in confusion not expecting to be questioned. "I..." She started and paused to think. "I'm afraid... but not of you." She placed her hand over her heart. "Afraid of what I feel."

Kai carefully examined her. "So you are not scared or disgusted by me being a merman?" Elana shook her head. "No, I think it is fascinating, your tail is quite lovely. I love the colors." She said laying her hand on his tail. Kai smiled, and leaned toward her. "Just don't leave when you get scared, I think I did something wrong when you do that. But last night was my fault I did surprise you, which I'm sorry about. It was just the only thing I could do to thank you." Elana smiled. "No it's okay."

He smiled back. "Good, I am not accustomed to your ways." He sighed.

"Can you tell me what merpeople are like?" She asked her own curiosity peaking.

Kai nodded, "We mostly keep to ourselves, but certain times during the year we gather... actually it's off this coast. There is an ancient underwater city where a few merpeople reside year round. It is where our King, his family and followers live. We hold festivals so all merpeople can celebrate our holidays and normally try to find a mate. I actually am one of the few who live in that city." He sighed.

Elana looked at Kai in awe. "Won't someone come looking for you?" He shook his head. "No, we just held a festival and it is natural for us to explore the seas till the next one is held. I was seen leaving so no one would suspect anything happened for a few months."

"What is that city like and what is it called?" She asked, he closed his eyes. "We call it Ervine. It is completely made of coral and we live in caves carved out of the coral. The King and his family live towards the top of the coral city, then by rank merpeople live under him. The lowest ranking merpeople are on the bottom of the coral city, although it is not entirely residences. We have gathering grounds and a market so we can trade items we found during our travels."

Elana listened intently imagining what Ervine looks like. "I need to get in water or put on breeches. My tail is drying up and I know you don't like to see my bare legs." Her cheeks turned a slight rosy color as she nodded. "Is it okay for you to go back in the water and relax? I do need to get some chores done." He nodded and she stood up and held her hand out. Kai took it as she pulled him up, he was unable to support his weight with his tail and collapsed into her arms. Elana turned scarlet realizing how helpless he was when he was out of water and had his fish tail. She lifted him and carefully helped him into the bathtub, then pumped water to refill the half empty tub.

"Thank you." Kai said as she finished. "Let me know if you need anything while to relax, I'm going to change before I clean up all this spilled water." She said before she left for her room to change. He sighed and sank under the water closing his eyes he drifted off to sleep.