♒ 'cause she loves a sailor bold ♒, SYRENA

[TAMARA]

Tamara was wandering in darkness, when rays of light penetrated through the water. She glanced upwards towards the surface. A bright, blinding light gleamed above. It enveloped her completely, embraced her with its warmth. Then there was silence…but one that didn't feel eerie. She felt complete, finally, and content...but then she was released, like a mother dropping its child from her secure arms. She was brutally ripped away from the light, and cast into darkness. Darkness did not frighten her, but the heat did. Her fingertips tingled, then everything burned.

Tamara awoke suddenly, her eyes wide as she gasped. She was immediately greeted with the familiar site of her shipwreck, and as she moved to sit up, she saw her sisters sleeping nearby. She stilled her breathing. For the first time in a while, Tamara had had a dream. But its purpose, she did not know. She brushed it aside as nothing.

The mermaid queen rose quietly, swimming outside. It was still early, and Whitecap Bay was peaceful. For Tamara, peace wasn't always a good thing. Peace meant the waters were calm, waves rolling upon another. Peace meant open water. Peace meant no food, peace meant the possibility of famine, which was what Tamara feared more than any other disaster for her sisters. They could lead a charge, but they could not last a siege.

But this was a good sort of peace. It was the quiet before the storm.

It wasn't long before she was greeted by a green-tail, who had interesting news for her leader. A bone had been found outside of Whitecap Bay. The mermaid presented it to her, and Tamara recognized it to be a bone from a finger…but not any finger, the finger of a mermaid. The claw of a mermaid. Because her sisters were the only ones who reigned the seas in this area, Tamara knew the bone would most likely be from a mermaid from their own circle…one who had died a long time ago, Tamara assumed. Still, she thought it would be good to search the area, in case other bones could be found. It wouldn't be right to leave them there, and they might be a clue for an unseen question. For now, Tamara forbade anyone to enter those waters, just to be safe. She entrusted the bone for safe-keeping in the meantime to the mermaid who had found it.

It was well known amongst her sisters that Tamara did not like for them to go alone to any place outside of their bay, because of all the unknown dangers. After a mermaid had died before their eyes after wandering alone into pirate waters, they didn't need another reminder. But this mermaid queen swam off on her own. Some thought it was because she, their leader, would be strong enough to deal with anything that floated her way by herself, but it wasn't the whole truth.

Tamara was one of the strongest in the group, though her experience far outweighed her factual strength. But in reality, Tamara was still brooding over her defeat not too long ago. She wanted to be alone. It was her fault that they had lost sisters…lost them in ways that didn't mean that they had died and wasted away into red sea foam, but in ways that meant Tamara had no knowledge of what had happened to them...if the pirates had gotten a hold of them and their precious tears, or if they had simply passed on like the others…maybe washed upon shore and left to dry out. But Tamara hadn't seen any corpses other than that of men on the sand. Whatever the case, it angered her, and when she was alone, she was able to unleash this sour fury without the other mermaids knowing there was something wrong. She couldn't show them any of her weakness. Tamara had to appear strong and reliable, a leader they could look up to and depend on. Her white hot rage had to be controlled in their presence, like a fire behind opaque glass.

Tamara paid no attention to the surrounding waters as she went on her way. Unlike some humans who took great fascination in their journeys, Tamara had little appreciation for the dark shimmering waters. Or rather, she never had the time to admire them. While she enjoyed studying new things, and sometimes even took delight in them, the mermaid queen had more on her mind than the beauty of the seas.

Tamara arrived in the waters in good time, and nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary. She had expected that. There was not a rock that screamed this area was special, nothing that made it stand out, yet here she was, with information that spoke otherwise. She swam swiftly, her blue eyes hard as they ran over all she saw, scrutinizing each grain of sand. Tamara did not know that these were waters not so far from the drying pools...those drying pools she had sought to find for so many years.

The bone that her warrior had found had belonged to a mermaid who had been more cruelly treated that others captured. She had been tortured in hopes of retrieving a tear, her immortal flesh marred, and her life extinguished. As the years decayed her rotting body, her bones had fallen into the pool, and gravity and time had brought them to this stretch of water.

Tamara worked as dutifully and meticulously as an sunfish laboring to make its nest. She searched for any trace of mermaid, her eyes vigilant and sharp. Hours passed, fruitless hours, but she refused herself frustration. She had to concentrate. She swam deeper, peering into a shallow, underwater cave. There was no sign of life in it, but just as Tamara was about to swim back up and search elsewhere, something caught her eye. It glimmered faintly. Tamara lowered herself. It looked like a thin black cord poking out from the sand, waving itself in the water as if it was a line of kelp. Tamara pulled it out from the sand; it freed easily. It was a small twist of a few locks of hair. Hair didn't decay as easy as the flesh did.

Without another moment to spare, Tamara dug into the sand. Something moved suddenly, startling her--she had upset an eel who had burrowed in the grain. It moved angrily, a snap in its tail as it went away, searching for another place to bury itself. Once it was gone, the mermaid continued, spreading her search out instead of going deeper, knowing that anything she sought for would not be buried so deep.

Her fingertip touched something gritty and hard.

Tamara pulled it out from the sand. It was a bone, a thin one from the fin. She brushed the remaining sand that stuck to it away, then looked it over, turning the coarse object over in her hands. It was a mermaid's...but it was old. It couldn't belong to one of the three sisters who had disappeared from that battle…they wouldn't have been reduced to skeletons so quickly, and even if circumstances said otherwise, this bone had passed through many waves of time. It was too small for the mermaid queen to pay tribute to the lost soul, as well. Tamara ran her hand through the sands once more to make sure there was nothing else she had missed, and when it was clear, she swam out of the cave. She sat down on rock covered in barnacles, continuing to look at the bone.

What did it mean?

She sighed and reached down at her waist, where thin, rubbery stems of kelp had been woven into a sort of twine and tied around her like a human's belt. She tore a strand free from it and bound wrapped the bone up. She would take it back to Whitecap Bay. Tamara was certain it would be of some use for future knowledge, and even if it not, it would be sacrilegious to leave the bone of a sister here. But just as Tamara finished binding it to her seaweed cincture, she heard something moving in these abandoned waters. Tamara turned sharply, and she saw a fin move past a reef. A mermaid? In this forsaken sea?

Tamara moved gently through the currents, hardly disturbing a soul. She was as quiet as possible for a mermaid swimming after another. She caught up with the other one…and she was a red tail. She was…

Tamara's brows lowered.

"Ligeia?"

When she saw it truly was her lost sister, Tamara's face lit up, happy to see that she hadn't died, or worse--been taken by pirates, after all. "You're alive," she murmured, swimming closer. She lifted her hand to Ligeia's face, her nails lightly grazing the outline. "We thought they had killed you…or stolen you away." Her smile deepened.

[OOC: Bleh >_>;; sorry for the slight god-moddingish part at the end, Gina! I just wanted to make sure I actually gave you something to reply too ;o;]

[SYRENA]

Everything seemed to happen so fast. She had brought Philip into her world to be with her and he seemed to happily oblige. Now it was getting him adapted to it, and getting herself accustomed to being away from her clan. She would no longer be able to feed off of her sister's leftovers. If she were to have proper sustenance, she would have to do the killing herself. Not only did she not want to do that herself, as she could not find it in her terribly humane soul to do such a thing, but she certainly could not do it in front of Philip. It was a false impression. She was different. She did not kill, despite her need for the food.

She was just going to have to find something else.

She had left Philip near a coast where he could rest upon land, more out of harm's way than if he was in the water. The ocean surely was not safe and she would prefer he wasn't on his own, especially not yet. So, with a sweet goodbye, she left him, diving deep into the teal ocean in a single graceful move, leaving her love with just the flick of her coral tail before she vanished beneath the waves.

Syrena wasn't sure what she was looking for. Even if she found a human, she didn't think she could bring herself to kill him for the food. She was going to have to suffice for fish, possibly a dolphin, squid or octopus, much like she and her sisters had to whenever there was a large space between feedings. She knew it would never really satisfy her, but it was better than nothing, and it was surely better than killing a human for her feast.

She had made a somewhat sizable difference between herself and Philip by the time she had gotten herself full with a few fish she had managed to seize. Most she came across were the smaller school variety, but eventually she had found the meatier kind that actually gave her some satisfaction. Now that she was sustained, she could go back to Philip. Circling around a reef, her shimmering tail propelled her through the waters, heading right in the direction of the coast she had left her love at. She didn't get far however, as she suddenly heard a deep familiar voice calling out her original name, bringing her to a halt.

Her head popped up from the surface and slowly she turned to gaze upon her leader, someone she certainly had not expected to see. "Tamara?" She spoke as her hazel orbs widened somewhat. The queen stated what she and the other mermaids had thought as she so tenderly stroked her fingertips down her face, and the red tail mermaid was shocked just a little about the concern, and the mirth that entered her leader's face because she was all right. She had to tell her the truth however, about what happened. She wouldn't mention Philip just yet, as that would just make for a disaster, but she had to inform her of the truth.

"I was captured." She told her in a gentle tone as she looked upon her queen. "I escaped." She wouldn't have even survived if it hadn't been for Philip. He had been her savior. If he hadn't been there, she would have either died of suffocation in that tank or dried out in those pools, much like many of her sisters before her. Still, she did not speak of him. Tamara would not take kindly to it, she knew. She detested men probably more than most of them, or possibly more than any of them. She pondered telling her that they had retrieved the tear from her that they had required, but she decided against it. She didn't need the queen's wrath in any way, shape or form. It would be of no service to her, not now and most likely not ever.

[TAMARA]

Mermaids by nature were not entirely affectionate creatures. They had been raised by no parents, they had been born with no maternal instincts. Loyalty rang the deepest in their hearts. However, this wasn't to say they were void of any kind emotion. Certainly mermaids grew fond of each other--they were all considered sisters, after all. While Tamara did not know of expressing love in human ways like an embrace or a kiss to her sisters, she showed the warmth she held for them in her actions. While the mermaid queen slaughtered countless numbers of men and devoured them, she was not made of ice. She would be happy to see any sister she thought dead to be alive, even if it was a mermaid such as Ligeia.

Ligeia had always been a strange one. Tamara doubted there was a mermaid in Whitecap Bay that did not know of Ligeia's odd ways…her unusual empathy for men, and her lack of spirit when it came to battle. Most mermaids felt nothing towards the two-legged land creatures, and their veins ran hot with the fires of war when it came time for an attack. But Ligeia only seemed to help or protect herself, and she relied on the scraps left over by others for her nourishment. While some mermaids did talk of Ligeia's mannerisms, Tamara turned a blind eye, neither scorning nor welcoming Ligeia's unnatural behavior.

Here this mermaid swam before her, after days of the mermaid queen believing her gone forever. But while Tamara was relieved to see that they had not lost three sisters… "You don't seem happy to see me," Tamara remarked, her sanguine tone now spotted with a single trace of suspicion. The surprise on Ligeia's face was evident, and Tamara was sure she was startled to see the mermaid queen so far from the bay, and after so long a time. But why was she not pleased to see her?

"I was captured."

"Captured?" Tamara frowned upon hearing the news. Deep down, she knew it was logical. Ligeia had been missing for a while now…if she had not been captured, why would she not return home? Her hunch had been right after all. Those pirates had taken one of her mermaids captive, like so many of the others before. Tamara's eyes ran over the red-tailed mermaid, measuring her. She was not injured…there were no signs of her being severely hurt by humans, though Tamara knew that she could not only judge by what was on the surface. However, Ligeia's voice was eerily calm for someone who had been through such an ordeal.

"I escaped."

Tamara's brow cocked up in surprise as if she could hardly believe the gentle Ligeia was capable of such a feat, when mermaids much more hard-hearted than her had failed. She herself had been captured once before, many years ago. It was a story she kept secret. She had been able to get away rather easily, but it was because the circumstances were favorable. Had Ligeia's own fate been so kind? She could not be certain. But Tamara could not deny the raw proof--Ligeia was here before her, and that would not be possible unless she had been able to get away. In Tamara's mind, humans had never been kind enough to free a mermaid, even if they acquired the tear they needed. Tear or no tear, her sisters were left to dry out…except for this one. Her eyes flickered darkly with intrigue, but she knew her thirst for information would have to wait to be quenched.

"Tell your story," Tamara began. "When we are back in the bay. I'm sure everyone will want to know how you evaded their clutches." It would be foolish to linger here and have Ligeia tell her tale, only to have to repeat it once they returned. Tamara was sure she wanted to go back as well...why wouldn't she? She didn't understand why Ligeia hadn't gone back earlier, unless she had been lost, though that was an unlikely story. But whatever the case...the truth would out soon. A smile touched her lips, and the mermaid queen turned tail, beginning to swim in the direction of home. She would continue her search another time. She was pleased it had not been in vain--she had found both another bone, and a sister.

[SYRENA]

Tamara didn't fail to point out one of Syrena's small yet meaninful mistakes. She had not seemed pleased to see her queen, like what was expected of her. In any other circumstances, the dark haired beauty would have been delighted, but in her situation now, she was not happy to see her. In fact, she couldn't say she was happy at all. The simple reunion could ultimately lead to Philip's death, something she could not have. The pain and loss that had overcome her when she thought he had died was treacherous, never mind if such a thing was to occur to her now. She had found her love, her kindred spirit... She could not lose him.

"You surprised me." She excused without much hesitation, but not too quickly, not wanting to raise the queen's suspicions. It wasn't too much of a lie, as the sudden presence of her queen, especially in these waters, had startled her. If anything, she wanted to pretend that she was happy to see her, but it would just not come to her. It was a lie, one which Syrena just didn't want to bother with. It would just lead to more complications, due to their now conflicting interests.

She merely nodded in response to her inquiry of her being captured, confirming it, but giving her no details. She knew her queen would want to know the location of the drying pools. She wanted to show her, to save the fates of the sisters in the future that would be caught, as it was inevitable, but not now. She didn't have the time. If she left Philip waiting too long, he would worry about her, most likely start looking for her some time after the worry started. She couldn't have that.

The siren knew it was hard for her queen to believe she had escaped. She was not the strongest nor the most ruthless of mermaids. It was near impossible to escape on your own, but for now, her queen had to believe she had done it all by herself. It was something she couldn't keep going forever however, something she fully realized when Tamara told her to tell her tale once they got back to their home waters. She could not go with her... No, she would not go with her. She was very capable of leaving with her, abandoning Philip and going back to her old life, but she did not want it. She was eager to stay with her new life, despite the fact it was absent of her sisters. As much as she appreciated their closeness, their bond, to her it did not compare to the way Philip spoke to her and cared for her, or how she felt the same for him in return.

"I will not." Syrena stated with the same firmness she had used to address the cruel Blackbeard at the drying pools. It was a tone she had never dared to use with the leader before, but she knew it was necessary, for she couldn't have Tamara thinking she was playing around, because she certainly wasn't. "I am not going with you." Her body was rigid as she stayed where she was, bracing herself for when the golden haired queen would no doubt turn around with pressing questions for her.

[TAMARA]

There was something strange about this reunion. Tamara couldn't place a finger on it. It went even beyond Ligeia's behavior, which the mermaid queen had always known to be different. She eyed the red-tailed mermaid. She didn't look any different…not younger, not older, not even worn and haggard from her adventure away from the bay, which was what Tamara would have expected. But it was of no importance. She was sure she would find out soon.

"You surprised me."

This was no lie, that was plain enough to see. Tamara had seen the shock on her face. Yet after surprise, other emotions came into play. Tamara had been surprised as well, but her pleasure soon overcame it. But with Ligeia…her astonishment melted away into apathy, even hinted at distress, as if she was troubling her. The mermaid queen was not one to be hurt emotionally by things such as this. Her heart and mind lacked that amount of sensitivity. Instead, when such an instance occurred, the mermaid queen turned to anger and irritation. But now, it was not immediate, nor was there even a promise her becoming so, not yet. She had the grace to wave this blunder aside…just this once. "Not as much as you surprised me," Tamara remarked, continuing on, even amiably. "You have been missing for many days, ever since that night of fire." The tinge of a smile on her lips faded slightly at the mention of that night of her defeat. But now was not the time to speak of such bleak days. No, there was never a time to speak of her loss, not in the open and not to a living soul. Tamara had always be the strong force that supported her sisters. There was no room to falter.

Brushing her sharp bitterness to the back of her mind, Tamara had started to swim towards home at a steady pace. She knew that although some mermaids were not exactly fond of Ligeia for her lifestyle, they would welcome her back nonetheless. And depending on her story, she could become their hero. If Ligeia had escaped by the use of her own wit and strength, the others could learn from it. She would become more accepted than ever before. And even if her story was not one of bravery, it would be a useful one. Never had there been a mermaid who had been captured and lived to tell the tale. Tamara wondered how far they had taken Ligeia…had it been all the way to the drying pools? She hoped so. The leader needed intel on that more than anything else. She had desired it for many years.

"I will not."

To say this defiance shocked Tamara would be an understatement…she stopped swimming immediately, her halt so sudden it seemed as if the universe bent in time. The mermaid queen never faced insubordination from her fellow mermaids. Disobedience was unthinkable, and in their coven, there was hardly ever a need for it. But she did not know of Ligeia's circumstances. Tamara turned around slowly…but then she propelled forward as fast as an anchor dropping on dry land. With any other mermaid, she would have taken such insolence as a joke. But Ligeia was not one for humor. Tamara's pale eyes bored into the red-tailed mermaid like a sharpened knife pricking into soft flesh. They ran over Ligeia's face, searching it for any clue that might lead to a reason for this sick resistance. What could possibly give her reason to refuse? A look of exasperation began to cross her features. Tamara was not asking her to swim to the surface, sit at a sandy cove and burn in the daylight. She was not asking her to offer herself to pirates. She was not asking anything. She was telling her they were going home.

"I am not going with you."

Her further rebellion only spurred Tamara's vexation more. If Ligeia was not careful, she would face the raw wrath of the mermaid queen. She circled her slowly, carefully, like a ravenous shark, her fin waving around the mermaid. She contemplated causes for Ligeia's desire to not come home, but she could not think of any. The most logical one to Tamara was that Ligeia had been captured, and the pirates had managed to obtain a tear from her without torture being used [for as far as Tamara could see, she had not been harmed]. This was the upmost weakness, the height of shame, and should a mermaid commit such an offense, the mermaid queen would not be surprised if she would not wish to go back for guilt and disgrace. However, this did not seem a likely a story, as Ligeia's dissent was stiff…brazen.

Tamara stopped encircling her, right when she was in front of Ligeia. She leaned in close as if ready to pounce. "Not going?" she spoke, the warmth drained from her voice, the timbre of her voice--cold, yet in mock surprise. "Why?" Her tone hardly raised a note at the end, suggesting this was not a question, but an order, an order from her natural-born superior. Tamara could not remember the last time she had to use authority to get an answer from a mermaid…but no, this wasn't mere authority. This was a threat.

[SYRENA]

Syrena could have predicted Tamara's reaction to her defiance. She knew the queen was not used to such serious resistance against her orders. No mermaid would dare, nor did they even want to usually as Tamara was indeed a fair queen and her intentions, they thought, were always in their best interests. However, the copper haired siren was not part of that clan anymore. She had to defy her past leader, for now she had a new beginning to attend to. She had Philip. She had a future with him, on land, as the ocean was no true home for a human. It was not safe for him. She could adapt on land, but her mate could not adapt in these forsaken waters. He ignited a potent desire for her to leave her current life in order for them to live together in safety and harmony.

She knew Tamara wouldn't understand.

Syrena felt a bolt of fear strike through her being as Tamara started to circle her like a vulture around it's decaying prey. She could barely make eye contact with her, for her leader's shocking azure eyes only left the red tailed mermaid with a bitter chill. Her gaze was so stony and unyielding, as if nothing would be able to change it. Finally, the golden haired queen came to a halt in front of her, and with the most threatening of auras around her, preceded to ask Syrena why she would not be going with her.

She couldn't lie, and there was no way she was going to be able to get around the queen's questioning this time. She had to give her details. Syrena knew that what she would tell Tamara would not please her in the least. If anything, it was only going to cause her anger to intensify. No mermaid fell in love with a man. They didn't fall in love in general. It was strictly taboo in the greatest sense. It wasn't a usual longing for mermaids. They had no aspiration to fall in love, but Syrena had always been a bit unique.

"I wish only to be elsewhere, Tamara." She knew that wouldn't be good enough. She had to give her more. She kept her voice stern as she spoke, making sure to let the leader know just how strongly she felt about all this. "I must go back to someone." She hesitated, but just momentarily, "A man." She said no more, knowing that the queen would put the rest of the pieces together. Why else would she so freely travel with a certain man unless she fancied him? No, she did not just fancy him. She loved him. She doubted Tamara would understand such a concept though. What mermaid would? It was preposterous idea, and she wasn't positively sure how the sovereign would react to it.

[TAMARA]

She wished to be elsewhere? The mere thought was insanity, for what mermaid would wish to be away from her sisters, her only kin, her only companions? What was on this red-tailed mermaid's mind? Why did she wish for solitude? Tamara did not know anything of Ligeia's special circumstances, of course, so her mind was rapidly coming up with its own reasons. It was as if Ligeia had chosen exile for herself, but why? Tamara ceased the questions from drowning her mind, however, for she knew she only had to wait but a moment for the true answer to be revealed. Her expression did not change. She waited.

"I must go back to someone."

Someone? Now this was truly strange. Who could it be, Tamara pondered deeply. Had she met a mermaid from another realm…? No…no, that would make it sound as if Ligeia was leaving her Whitecap Bay sisters…and turning her back on her queen, for another group. Tamara's eyes lowered. She had known since the beginning that Ligeia was many things. But a traitor? No. She wasn't. She couldn't be. Tamara refused to believe that any mermaid who lived in her watery dominion could betray not only she, but her own sisters, the only beings she had known since birth. Ligeia's voice was determined, her mind made up, but this was not a surprise to Tamara. Different the mermaid may have been, but shy she was certainly not. She just followed her own way of life. Tamara had always believed that one day this red-tail would interest her, but she never would have imagined it would be in this sort of way. Tamara narrowed her blue eyes, daring the mermaid to say anything that would provoke her, daring her.

"A man."

And so Ligeia took the dare. Something inside Tamara snapped. She knew that this child did not mean a man as in food. She had never made effort to devour man…no, she stayed on the sidelines and helped, then ate what was left over from the battle. And the way Ligeia spoke of this man…he obviously held importance to her beyond sustenance. To Liegeia, he was a "someone", while to Tamara, he would have simply been a "something". The first thought that came to Tamara's mind was a memory of one of those sea ditties she had heard from a ship, one of a foolish mermaid who had fallen in love with a man, and who would give up anything to be with him. She had not know such a thing would be possible, and certainly not in her own group.

"I see," came her eerily smooth reply. Tamara reached her hand up towards Ligeia's face. From far away, her touch might have seemed affectionate, as it had been when she had first found her. But it was not so. The mermaid queen's finger traced the mermaid's jawline, as if she was wiping away a smudge of blood from eating time. But when Tamara's fingers approached the end of her jaw and met Ligeia's chin, they curled around it, and the leader gripped the mermaid's skin. Not hard, but firm, firm as Ligeia had spoken. Tamara's eyes darkened into black, like empty pools that went on and on into an abyss of oblivion. She peered into the eyes of the mermaid.

"And what business have you with a man, Ligeia?" she questioned in a menacing whisper, as she clasped her jaw and held her face so close to her own. What business, indeed, beyond consuming for survival? Had she not been captured by humans themselves? Had she not seen their cruelty, greediness, and irrationality firsthand? "Have you been negotiating for peace?" she mocked, almost cruelly, for she knew indeed that that was an idea that this mermaid certainly did not hold in disdain. Tamara released Ligeia then, hungry for a reply that she already knew would not satisfy.

[SYRENA]

Syrena became as rigid as a stone when Tamara touched her this time, feeling like icicles were running among her velvety skin. Her former leader didn't approve of any of this, and that was obvious enough. The golden haired queen knew how to showcase this disapproval in a way that made the subject the most fearful. It was like time had slowed, and at any millisecond, she would rip your throat out. Though she may not actually commit such an act, it was if that possibility hovered through the salty air.

Like a sea serpent, Tamara's finger slithered around the younger mermaid's chin, getting a solid grip on her as she pulled her even closer, not leaving much distance between them. Syrena's pure amber eyes never left Tamara's, not about to falter in front of the queen. She refused to be weak, and that included not being even the least bit submissive to the monarch.

"And what business have you with a man, Ligeia? Have you been negotiating for peace?"

The red tailed mermaid could feel her strong jaw clench in response to the queen's mocking. Never before could she recall a time where Tamara had taunted her for her choices in the past. That wasn't what was important now though. "It's Syrena now." She stated steadily, something she knew would only agitate Tamara more. A human had given her another name, and she had accepted it.

"He is different, Tamara." The longer the blond held onto her chin so harshly, the more she wanted to rip away from her, but she knew that could only lead to her being even more aggressive. She hesitated just slightly at her next words. It was all so taboo in her world. "He saved me." Ha, a human had saved a mermaid, and she was grateful for it. It was unheard of. She felt as if she was sabotaging herself for telling Tamara these things. "Just as I saved him." He had seen the good in her, just as she had seen the good in him. They saw how different they were from the others, and it had brought them together. The queen would never understand, and yet, she continued.

"I fancy him." It was so much more than that. She had fallen in love with him, just like those stories they heard so often. She felt an odd commitment towards him. She felt the need to protect him, just as he wanted to protect her. She wanted to give up her aquatic life to be with him. It was all things that the queen would highly detest, and Syrena was willing to face the repercussions.

[TAMARA]

The red-tail did not flinch in her grasp. Tamara hadn't expected her to, but she almost wished she would, just so she would have something to take her anger out on, this anger that was steadily building inside her depths of her heart.

"It's Syrena now."
"Syrena," Tamara echoed, wondering if that was some foreign language that meant "deserter of kin". "I suppose that's only right." Her dark eyes became sharp suddenly, her irises like prickling iron as she stared the mermaid down. The red-tail had not only defied her by saying she was wrong, but she had insulted her nearly beyond reparation by choosing another name. Whether she changed her name herself to adapt, or allowed for herself to be named by another, the fact remained that the human was the reason for it, and this exasperated the queen. "Ligeia is dead, after all," Tamara spoke, her words biting, like the clamp of shark teeth on soft flesh. She lifted the chin of this Syrena to get a better look at the mermaid, as she was entirely new to her. Tamara closed her eyes, as if to better see into the child's soul, to understand her. "It's only natural." Her eyes opened. "One life must end for another to begin."

"He is different, Tamara."

A smile came to Tamara's lips at this, but it was not a smile of laughter or happiness, but a cynical one of incredulity. She released Syrena's chin roughly…it was strange. Her initial grasp on the mermaid's skin had been gentle, and now that she was freeing her of her hold, it was harsher, more abrupt. "All humans are different," Tamara replied, her voice snapping like the tail of an electric eel, but then it calmed, moving into smoother, deeper tones. Her glance shifted away from Syrena, turning towards the small cave where she had found the bone. "They use spears, they use guns." A wistful look crossed her features, thinking on those who had fallen, but when Tamara looked back at Syrena, her face hardened once more, as if every arch in her face was carved from marble. "But all infest the earth with their wrong doings."

"He saved me."

Ah, yes, Ligei…no, Syrena, had spoke of being captured. It all made sense to the mermaid queen all of a sudden, as she had been swimming murky dark water and had now suddenly reached the clear. "So he is the reason why you are here," Tamara said. "You did not escape by mere strength and wit alone." But by the aid of this human, this "man". A mixture of emotions filled Tamara now. She had received the answer she had wanted, she had learned how this mermaid had survived while others had not. But it wasn't the tale of bravery and blood that she had wanted to hear.

"Just as I saved him."

So Syrena had repaid her debt to him. Although Tamara had strong distaste towards humans, she did not entirely condemn one being doing a favor to another in return of the other's charity…if it could even be called that, for Tamara was not used to the idea of charity, that strange benevolence from which the giver would suffer and the receiver would be spoiled. But even if Tamara did not completely disapprove of Syrena's action, she could not accept it so easily either. "And how did you do that?" Tamara questioned, for indeed, she wanted to know just how far this mermaid had gone for this human.

And then, before Syrena even replied, Tamara knew.

Syrena had spoke of returning to him earlier…and she did not have legs, nor would she have a reason to return to the sea if she was using them. This mermaid had bestowed a kiss on the human, the sacred kiss which gave a sailor the ability to live in their underwater domain. This was too much for the mermaid queen to handle. No mermaid gave away such a kiss, no, not ever, not to her knowledge. The kiss was used as a lure in their game, but it was never actually given. And she, Syrena, had bequeathed this kiss so easily to this man simply because--

"I fancy him."

The mermaid bone hanging from her waist seemed to grow heavier, as if a reminder of man's true feelings towards mermaids. A feeling so hot that it burned cold spread through Tamara's veins, like a poison. She swam around the mermaid, placing her icy hands on Syrena's small shoulders. "Enough of these…diplomatic responses of yours, Syrena," Tamara hissed into her ear, and then released her, moving in front of her once more. "You choose your words so very carefully. Speak plainly," She knew very well how tactful the red-tail was, how she didn't want to offend her, most likely in fear that she would retaliate in ways that might harm her human. "I don't enjoy these games."

Tamara held her head high, in a patronizing way that she never did in front of her sisters before, but she felt that this mermaid was a sister no more to she and the others of Whitecap Bay. But the mermaid queen did not believe she was forsaking the mermaid. She felt Syrena had forsaken them first, for him. "You love him, although his kind captures and tortures fellow mermaids without qualms," she spoke frankly before Syrena could have a chance to do first. She did not want to wait. Just like in battle, Tamara wanted to get down to the heart of the matter, the meat. "He loves you, although we have destroyed countless of his kind." Though Tamara believed that these two weighed very differently on a scale, but she knew that Syrena was already aware of how she thought of the matter, so she didn't venture further.

"And so the question remains…what am I to do with the both of you?" Tamara said, arching her marble brow. There were many things she could do, if she was so provoked. She moved closer. "What do you think I should do?" she challenged, the look on her face so cold that it was glacial.

[SYRENA]

Syrena felt her own eyes resemble that of the hardest stone as Tamara merely brushed off her words about Philip being different. She couldn't understand. She would never understand. She would never see what she saw in Philip. To her, humans were simply pieces of meat, with no redemption within them. It was why Syrena was the black sheep. She saw the goodness in them. She knew they were not so different from each other. She could connect with the humans, and she connected with Philip the most. Tamara probably never dreamed of connecting with any human. It seemed to Syrena that the queen thought the barnacles that adhered to the rocks were more worthy.

"You did not escape by mere strength and wit alone."

The words may have insulted others, but Syrena was unaffected by the words. She knew that without Philip, she would have gotten nowhere. In fact, she would be dead right now, dried out in her oceanic form due to the blistering sun. She knew there hadn't been a chance for her to escape on her own. There had been so many pirates. There had been no escape for her without any assistance.

"And how did you do that?"

The siren was silent, pondering on how to answer. What exactly did she tell her? She could tell by the look in Tamara's eyes that she had guessed from what she had said before. She saved him with the kiss, but she had also rescued him before he had even known her. It would seem even more ridiculous that she had saved a human before they had helped her, or before she even knew him, but something about Philip, from the moment she laid her hazel eyes on him, spoke out to her.

Syrena felt a shiver slip down her spine as the golden haired maiden moved behind her, placing her icy hands upon her delicate shoulders, calling her out for the way she spoke. It was true. The mermaid was not one to speak so freely. She was careful with her words, and wasn't one to just prattle on. Of course, it depended how she felt about who she was around. She could speak more freely with Philip than she could around Tamara, for she knew that wrong words could harm her in the end.

However, if that was what she wanted, she would attempt to give it to her. "I saved him the night they attacked." The tone in her voice revealed she did not regret this in the least, "While in their grasp, he rescued me three times." It truly bewildered her, how one human could be so kind and compassionate towards her. He had given her air when she was suffocating. He had come back for her and freed her from her bonds when he had been free of his captors, and he had even come back for her a second time when he had been so wounded in order to free her once again. "I saved him with our kiss, Tamara." She informed her, though she had probably already guessed. There had been no other records of a mermaid actually giving a man her mystical kiss, as the mermaids rarely ever showed any mercy towards a man, so Syrena knew the leader would not approve, but she didn't care anymore.

It was the last straw for the twitterpated mermaid at the queen's frank words about their love. A hardness cast over her face, nearly as harsh as Tamara's, but yet her's held the warmth of a soul wrapped in love's embrace. "They are not all the same, Tamara. Philip is different. He protects. He is kind." She didn't even realize she had spoken her love's name. "He treated me as more than just some creature." He had given her respect and treated her with great dignity, unlike any of the other humans. "You don't understand." Her voice held the same venom as it had when she had addressed Blackbeard at the drying pools, "You never will."

"And so the question remains…what am I to do with the both of you? What do you think I should do?"

Syrena felt like she was done. All she wanted to do was return to Philip. He was going to start worrying about her, and she did not want to put him through unnecessary stress. "Do as you see fit to me, Tamara, but you may not hurt him." She could not recall ever being so bold to her queen, but she had never had a reason to be so before, not until now. With those strong words lingering in the air, Syrena started to swim back, ready to return to her beloved, but not about to turn her back on the vicious ruler.

[TAMARA]

"I saved him the night they attacked."

Tamara had not been expecting this confession. All along, she had suspected that Syrena had slowly fallen for this human after he continuously treated her with this so called benevolence of his. But to imagine that Syrena had been the first to move? That seemed to change everything in the space of an instant. Tamara almost believed she could feel the tranquility inside of her break and splinter, but the air of her countenance hardly flickered on the outside as she listened to her story, of how they had sickeningly played hero and heroine for each other. Her hand spidered on Syrena's back, and moved to intertwine itself in Syrena's hair, like an affectionate mother combing her daughter's tangles idly with her fingers. But it was as if a snake was curling itself around its prey with its almost gentle caress before it wrenched its life from its body. When Syrena was finished, Tamara knotted her claws in the tendrils of Syrena's hair and yanked her towards her, their faces barely inches apart.

"So it was you," Tamara snarled, her fury oceans away from pacification. Her growl melted into a low hiss. "It was you who began it," she breathed, releasing Syrena from her hold. The human was not the one entirely responsible. He may have saved her three times, but Syrena had initiated the chain of events. Tamara said nothing more to her, feeling no need to, and her white hot anger preventing her from being able to express herself in only mere words. "You never will."

Syrena's tone seeped into the water like oil, oil which made Tamara's temper flare. "I would hope not," Tamara remarked in growl so low it seemed as if thunder was crackling in her throat. No, indeed, if understanding meant she would have to experience the same thing as Syrena, the mermaid queen would rather die. Tamara had told Syrena to speak frankly, but she had meant with honesty in her story, not with the raw intensity of her defiance. The heat that emitted from the purse of Tamara's lips alone demanded that Syrena would watch her tongue, or see it removed.

"Do as you see fit to me, Tamara, but you may not hurt him."

And now she was ordering her about? "My, but you have climbed high, Syrena," the mermaid queen taunted. "Not a year has passed since your absence…and yet you already act as if you do not know who rules these seas," Tamara laughed without any amusement in her face. The notion of Syrena ordering her to do something sank slowly into Tamara, like a stone falling into a deep ravine. "You may have your love, Syrena, but I have my warriors…and I will do as I please." And she would do wise not to cross her, for to defy Tamara was to awaken a most vicious shark from its honeyed slumber. In her blackest ire, Tamara's eyes appeared unfocused. She thought for a moment to herself, on what she should do in this troublesome situation caused by a mermaid and a man. It took her only a moment to come to a decision, and her eyes focused once more, her temper, waned.

"You will take me back with you and lead me to your human so that I may see what sort of creature he truly is," Tamara began, her eyes never leaving Syrena's face. "And I will measure his worth, not based on whether he has feet or a tail, but by his soul alone." She had to know what human had captured this little mermaid's attention and held it, perhaps now forever. She had to know, not only for the sake of future occurrences, but to assuage the constant, unrelenting curiosity that stirred even the darkest recesses of her mind.

Tamara knew that Syrena would not want her to meet her love. The mermaid had seen Tamara on the battlefield, and her way of fighting was a little unsettling. She didn't lunge into the fight and devour with a vigor strengthened by adrenaline. She did it all emotionlessly, thinking nothing of the human's death, the mermaid queen only catering to her appetite alone. But she would not harm this Philip. There would be no reason to. "And I swear to you on pain of death, that I will not harm him," she spoke, her words heavy with meaning and oath. "May my fate turn against me if I break this vow." Cruel she could be, but lie she would not. Lies and betrayal were only for her food, and neither Syrena nor Philip classified in this category.

"Or," Tamara continued. "If you would rather leave now without me, go." Her eyes began to cloud over, like ink spilling over into clear blue water. "But I will not guarantee your safety, nor his, neither from myself or the others." Her posture straightened, and she seemed taller, all of a sudden. "The choice is yours." She prodded Syrena between her collarbones with the tail bone of the dead mermaid, drawing a invisible line down her as if dividing her in half to make the decision.

"Think what you will of me," Tamara began, withdrawing the bone. She was well aware that the red-tail might think her cold and callous, although it was not so. It was true that towards humans, hardly a sliver of sympathy existed inside of Tamara, but towards her sisters, Tamara did what she thought would be the most beneficial to everyone. "But it will please me not to have to destroy one of my kind." These words were strange…they seemed both affectionate and menacing, if such a thing was possible. Tamara did not wish to rid the waters of Syrena and her human. Even if Syrena's insolence in the past hour was insufferable for the mermaid queen, taking the life of a mermaid who she had once held with respect would not come without deep lamentation and regret. But if Syrena chose incorrectly, Tamara felt she would have no choice but to this eliminate this rogue mermaid.

[SYRENA]

Syrena felt an eerie chill run through her as her sister's silky hand touched her, making it's way into her auburn waves, a gesture that on the outside seemed kind and affectionate, but was far from it. It seemed like eternity yet also only short moments before her former queen gripped at her locks and harshly pulled her forward, a pained hiss escaping the mermaid before she swiftly regained her composure, though her breath pressed a little heavier through her nose.

"So it was you. It was you who began it."

"Yes. It was I." She replied in a faint breath before Tamara let her go, allowing the younger mermaid to jerk back, creating more space between them, though it really made no difference. Mermaids were far too fast in the water for it to make any difference at all. Any distance could be closed in a flash.

Syrena could easily tell that she was playing with fire here. As the fair haired siren responded to her unauthorized order with a threat, she knew that she would have to tread more carefully, though the subject of her beloved sent an odd need to protect through her. She would do whatever she could to make sure that Tamara, nor the sisters that were the warriors she spoke of, did not harm him.

Suddenly, the mermaid queen gave Syrena a proposition that spread a bitter cold fear through her heart. The idea of Tamara being anywhere near Philip frightened the maiden, for such closeness could lead to her tearing him apart. Though she nearly felt honored that Tamara possibly wanted to actually evaluate Philip and his worth (Which was great, in her eyes), she just couldn't allow for such a thing to occur. What if, and this seemed likely to the fair creature, Tamara didn't find her love to be worth anything at all? Would she attack her Philip and take him away from her? Syrena wasn't too sure she would be quick enough to stop her before it was too late.

Syrena parted her ample lips in order to refuse in as gentle a manner as she could, but Tamara stopped her in her tracks with her intense vow not to hurt Philip. She knew Tamara, and knew she wasn't about to break such a promise to her. Whether she had rebelled or not, she was still her sister. She closed her mouth as the queen continued on, her amber gaze staring into Tamara's cloudy eyes, easily able to hear the somber tone in her deep voice as she informed her that if she were to leave right now, bad things could happen. Things that Syrena just couldn't risk.

"The choice is yours."

What choice did she have? She knew what would happen if she were to choose the latter option. To most, it would have seemed the proper thing to do, to run instead of allow the vicious creature anywhere near the man you loved. Those who knew the viper that was the mermaid leader, however, knew better than that. She had to take her to Philip and allow her to evaluate him, despite the possible risks. As Tamara ran the pointy marrow down her delicate clavicle, Syrena could feel the pressure becoming greater and greater, feeling like it could suffocate her.

"Think what you will of me," The queen pulled back the siren bone as she continued to speak. "But it will please me not to have to destroy one of my kind."

Syrena was aware that Tamara did indeed care for her, the way she cared about all of their sisters, and knew she truly did not want to bring any harm to her. However, she also knew that she was probably being the most rebellious mermaid there had ever been in their group. No siren fell in love with a man, no mermaid left her sisters for said human, and no inhuman creature defied their leader for something such as love. It was completely unheard of. She was breaking all the rules, and it was within Tamara's natural being to handle it this way.

She understood what she had to do.

"I will take you to him." She finally responded to her former queen, her copper eyes shining as she stared into the cold gaze of the golden haired mermaid. She didn't know if she would regret this decision, for she was risking the small chance of Tamara taking away the one she held so dear to her heart. What would Philip think when he saw her? Would he trust in her and know things would be okay, or would he think she had betrayed him? She wanted to believe he would never think the latter, after all they had been through together. She would never do such a thing to him.

Syrena said not another word, instead merely turning towards the direction of the shore she had left Philip at before she dove beneath the calm surface of the water, her fuchsia tail gleaming in the light of the slowly setting sun as it flicked above for a moment before smoothly slipping in behind her. She cruised through the sea, cutting through it like a knife, sure that Tamara was close by, following her lead for once.

She arrived at the shore of the rocky cove soon enough, and gradually she surfaced from the waves, her magnificent visage surely a comfort to her beloved, if he had been present. Syrena was greeted by empty land, not a single being in sight. An acute pain stabbed at her heart, before it vibrated out, sending a rigid chill throughout her body. Where had he gone? "Philip?" There was no answer, despite her calm yet resonating tone. His scent was stale, indicating that he was indeed not anywhere near the area.

He was gone.

Had he left her? After all that had happened, after all the words he had said, after he had saved her. Had he truly abandoned her?

If he had just gone off for a stroll of some sort, wouldn't he be back by this time? She was late, as running into Tamara had made her little excursion lengthier. However, she wasn't so late that he would have thought she had left. Surely not. Philip had acquired more faith in her than that. So, where was it that he had gone? Syrena did not want to fear the worse, but she felt the worse was what Tamara was thinking.

Gradually, she turned in the water, in order to face the cold countenance of the mermaid queen. "He must be nearby." She insisted, wanting those words to ring true. Her heart did not want to believe that Philip had deserted her. It could not be true.