Enemies in the Midst

Leila grinned. "Agreed. Now, I don't know how badly this will hurt, but it's sure to hurt less then falling on the ground. I suggest you take a deep breath or something and get read to swim." Leila hugged the mermaid, took a deep breath, and warped the pair so that they were just above the surface of the water. They hit the water with enough force to easily soak those on shore, and while they would survive, the impact drove all the air from Leila's lungs and stung horribly.

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit is what Kira wanted so yell out, but she didn't have enough time to as she was suddenly soaked with water. Her face darkened and her fists clenched, her rage boiling inside her once again (well, outside her too, obviously). After all that work staying out of the water, screaming at Leila not to let her get wet, getting saved by Elliot, just for Leila to go and be stupid and get her wet anyway?!?!

Elliot winced when he saw Kira get drenched, Elliot was spared the water from his shield, but Damien was soaked head to toe, obviously annoyed as well as Elliot scratched his head softly. "You okay Kira?" He asked her nervously, walking beside her. "You can scream, it is okay, let it out."

Joseph blinked as he looked to his soaked clothing, groaning softly as he looked to Rurei. "I guess your fine, you were already soaked." Joseph said laughing softly, the mermaid emerging from the water.

"Thank you for not killing me." The mermaid said as she swam to the surface, rubbing her shoulder which took the brunt of the fall. "Ouchies...."

Rurei shook her self a bit and laughed. "Haha well one of the many benefits of prewashing your tiny!" When Rurei saw the mermaid surface she turns her attention to it. "Where is Leila! The fairy, what have you done with her!" The young woman puts her fists up awkwardly obviously having no prior fighting experience.

Leila remained silent when the mermaid spoke to her, and anyone who knew what effects drowning had on people could easily tell why. The landing in the water had driven the air from Leila's lungs, and that had caused her to breathe in while underwater. While she wasn't dead yet, she obviously needed help right then and there, or else she would be dead.

The mermaid saw Leila, suddenly growing worried and remembering she could not breath underwater like she could, freaking out as she lifted Leila up, laying her on the shore and looking to the people there. "She is drowning." The mermaid said in a calm voice, but hiding a bit of panic, feeling indebted to her for sparing her life.

Elliot knelt beside Leila, touching her neck and feeling her pulse, sighing in relief as he pressed against her chest, preforming CPR on the young fairy, breathing into her mouth as he continued, his shield expanding to protect them both as he preformed CPR, Damien watching on, showing a bit of worry, he liked Leila, and he knew Elliot did too, it wasn't often he befriended a predator.

Rurei would have helped but Elliot was already on it. So the former tiny decided to speak to the mermaid. "Thank you Ma'am for saving my friend, and for stop trying to eat us." There was no sound of fear in her voice or that she was trying any tricks. She was simply being polite. "I'm Rurei Laen a pleasure to meet you." She bowed slightly.

Kira, her new friend now in trouble, pushed her anger aside and rushed over to help Leila. She approached Elliot's shield, hoping, threatening in her mind, that she would be able to get through it.

(Sorry I should clarify Elliot's shield XD It protects him from objects like swords or knives from that distance but he is unable to keep other humans or sentient beings out of it, so anyone can enter his shield and attack him if it was a fight, they have have to get close. He can keep animals out though, he finds it less difficult.)

Kira ran up beside Leila. "Need stronger lungs? I got 'em if we do," Kira said to Elliot, wanting to help. She really couldn't stand to watch him touch his lips to Leila's, but as they say, any port in a storm. She was also ashamed that she decided to get pissed off about getting wet instead of rushing to help her right away. Really dropped the ball there.

For a while, Leila didn't respond to the CPR, but eventually she did start to cough up water on her own. The coughing lasted a few seconds as she cleared her lungs of water, then the fairy took a deep, gasping breath. Her eyes finally opened and she looked up at Kira dn Elliot with a small smile. "Sir,"she said weakly, " I didn't know you had feelings for me...sorry I screwed up...Don't stop...on my account, ok?" Her eyes closed again and she gave them a small smile. If Elliot or Kira checked her now, they would find that Leila was breathing now, even though they were short and shallow breaths, and her puls remained steady. Leila was simply resting now after having drowned.

Elliot blushed noticeably when Leila began breathing again, being caught off guard. "Well any excuse to kiss a pretty girl right?" He said laughing softly as he looked to Kira softly. "I think we should rest here until she is ready, then we can cross the lake. I know she said not to stop but I don't like moving when someone is injured like this, it risks their life unnecessarily.

The mermaid looked to Rurei softly, smiling to the young, seemingly human girl. "Well I am just happy to be alive, as I am sure you are too, I am Samantha." She said softly, willing to wait to help them cross, her brief time getting to know them may be fun after all, she was in no rush.

"Hello Samantha." Rurei smiled in return. "I assume you made some type of deal with Leila? I hope that we can be considered friends one day and not just on a temporary truce. Oh and I bear you no ill will for trying to eat us, I understand that you need to eat too. I hope you understand us wanting to live to." Rurei was pleased that the mermaid seemed so nice, and actually hoped they would form a friendship. She was filled to the brim with curiosity about what a mermaid might be able to teach her.

Kira frowned at Elliot. She reached over Leila and gave him a punch to the shoulder - not too hard, but not strictly 'playfully' either. She wished he would stop being a dumbass. Though he was right about one thing.

"Sounds like a good plan. We can't afford to be carrying dead weight when we're traversing water." Calling Leila 'dead weight' left a somewhat bitter taste in her mouth, but, to her at least, it was the truth. If she hadn't been so stupid before she wouldn't have had to do what she did and nearly end up drowning. Stupid fairy.

Kira rose back up on her feet and turned away, looking out over the water. Even this river was almost like an ocean, with the opposite side just barely visible, even on Felarya's flat horizon.

"I am glad your of the same mind." Elliot said to Kira as he lifted Leila up, one of his men laying a blanket down that was in his carrying pack as Elliot laid her down on it so she wasn't laying in the sand the whole time. "Set up a Perimeter, I don't want anything surprising us while we are here."

"I understand, I don't like killing things, or uh people, not things, fish just are not to filling. I don't see many people this side of the river, so it is rare I even eat anyone." Samantha said seriously as she looked to Rurei, seeing a man standing beside her. "And who is this?"

"I am Joseph, one of her friends, I try and stay close, she saved my life, to I try to stay close enough to save hers, should the situation arise." He said softly, looking to the mermaid cautiously, she was frightening to any human, but the fact she is being rather civil calmed him down a bit.

Damien sat beside Leila, checking her pulse, nodding, steady. He was trained medically, a gift of being in his field, he may do terrible things to living beings under the veil of science, but he knew how to treat wounds as much as cause them. "Leila do you hurt anywhere?" Damien asked her softly, checking for bruising or any sore spots where she may have broken something, ribs, arm, ect.

"So far he is doing a pretty poor job seeing as you almost ate me Samantha hahaha!" Rurei joked at Joseph's exspense. She was confident that he was a big boy and could handle it. "People really don't come to this side of the river?" Rurei asked curious. "Why is that do you think? Oh and now I feel worse for us getting away from you I really do apologize. Not that I want you to eat us mind, its just that I sympathize often more than I should." She blushed a bit, thinking she was coming off as susicidal. (I can't spell! Xo)

Leila didn't respond to Damien as she was still asleep at that point. She would remain sleeping for at least thirty minutes.

Kira looked over at the mermaid. Sure she was a giant, but she definitely felt more comfortable around her than that stupid dridder. It occurred to her to wonder why she hated men so much. It didn't take her long to figure out. "Overprotective father moulded my mind," she thought, which made her chuckle. Then deja-vu occurred as she realized she already knew that and had forgotten. She then turned back around to face Leila and the others.

"You'll let me know if we need a defibrillator, right?" she asked. She knew that'd be one job she could do no problem, and yeah, she did really want to help more than she seemed to have so far. Really, if she hadn't spoken up about killing the mermaid, Leila wouldn't have nearly drowned. Then again, it was her fault too for being a stupid killy-kill-kill idiot, so maybe this would help drill the lesson into her head.

"Of course Kira, the powers you demonstrated in the forest when you first met Damien were impressive. I am sure they can be put to good use." Elliot said smiling to her kindly as he looked to her, glad she was molding into the group very well. "Thank you for sticking around Kira, you are a big help."

Damien chuckled, noticing she was out as he patted her head, leaving her there as he made sure everything was set up and their men did their jobs.

"Well I can still eat you." Samantha joked as she giggled playfully, smiling to Rurei.

"Well I will make sure I do a better job next time, I was taken a bit by surprise." Joseph said chuckling softly, tempted to tickle Rurei as he glared at her playfully. "I guess I'd get eaten for you."

"You got me there Samantha, but you don't even know if I taste good maybe later I will let you eat me when I'm not doing something important." Rurei then turned her attention to Joseph. "Only 'guess'? Its just as well you would probably just give Samantha a tummy ache and get spit right out!" She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

After a while, Leila finally opened her eyes. She started to sit up, but her head instantly started aching, so she laid back down with a small groan. Her body ached everywhere from hitting the water, even her lungs still hurt. After laying with her eyes closed, she finally tried sitting up again. Much to her relief her head didn't hurt this time. That's when she noticed that she was on a blanket, on the beach, with everyone standing around and chatting. The fairy rubbed her eyes and pinched herself, to make sure she was awake and not dreaming. "W-why-" She started to talk, but broke down into a coughing fit. When it was over she tried again. "Why is everyone standing around? What's going on? Are we across the river? Was I out that long?"

"We had to wait because your brain is stupid," Kira answered in a level tone, turning around and giving Leila a grin that she hoped showed she was kidding. Though really she was only half-joking. She turned fully around and walked back over to her, begginning to ask questions as she consciously attempted to mask a worried tone. "Are you aching all over? How are your wings? Do you need help to dry them off? Am I gonna' have to carry you?"

Even though that last question came out with a somewhat snarky tone, it had been meant more as an offer than a complaint.

Elliot chuckled softly, letting Kira handle it as he smiled to her sweetly, glad Leila was awake as he looked across the water, sighing softly.

Damien saw Leila awake as he knelt beside the fairy, looking to her. "Do you think you may have any broken bones? Even a rib, I do not want you to get injured further." He said softly as he looked into her eyes sadly, not often showing he cared about someone, but he liked to her. "Kira and I are here to help, we will not move until your ready."

"I think I would taste absolutely delicious, but that is not for any predator to find out." Joseph laughed softly as Samantha shook her head playfully at him.

"I think Joseph want to have a taste of you Rurei!" Samantha said laughing out loud as she smirked to Joseph, wanting to embarrassing him. "But I am sure you both would taste delicious, but I made a promise not to eat either of you, or anyone else here, and I will keep it. So we might as well be friends!"

"Ha what?" Rurei said at Samantha saying that Joseph. "I never saw Joseph as the predatory type, or else he probably would have tried to eat me when I was still my tiny height." She was more thinking aloud then going on any joke patteren they were doing. "I'm glad we can be friends Samantha, my offer is completely serious I know Leila likes to taste me from time to time. Us being friends now the offer extends to you! Anything to make my friends happy." Rurei shot a worried glance over at the others taking care of Leila. She felt pretty bad not being over there helping too, but she had nothing to offer. The tiny had no experience in the medical field, and she would only get in the way. She returned her full attention to the mermaid with a smile. "Are you the type of pred who can resist swallowing a friend if they were in your mouth Samantha?"

Leila blushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys...and for making such a stupid decision. I guess...I guess working for Nergal has rubbed off on me a little...And I'm alright Kira. Any aches I have are just from hitting the water hard, so no broken bones. To be honest, the mermaid probably feels worse then I do...My wings aren't broken, even though they're soaked. I won't be able to fly till they dry, and while I really am grateful for your offer to help Kira, it's always best to let them air dry on their own. I'm pretty sure I can walk, and again, thank you for the offer." She slowly stood up, wincing a bit, and stretched. "Well, I'm nearly ready to go. I just need to do one thing..." She suddenly hugged all three of them. "And that's thank each and every one of you, as well as apologize for being so foolish, making you worry, and getting you all wet."