Night Swimming (Open)

[asharpertongue]

It's been a trying day...week...month, if she's honest. The situation with Bach and the missing elders was getting on her last nerve.

She needed a swim.

Pulling her phone from her bag, she sent a text to a few of the more senior members of the siren community:

Night swimming tonight from sundown on the wrecking beach. All welcome. Food and drink provided. Please spread the word.

That should do it.

She send another note to her contacts at the police station so the unaware human element would be steered away. The wards would be up around the beach, discouraging vanilla humans from coming down there but it didn't hurt to have insurance in these matters.

Hopefully the sirens would come, maybe some of the witches. It would be nice to sprawl on the rocks for a few hours with friends.

Comments

[mattthesiren]

Ugh. People.

It was a beach kind of night. More attacks, more fear and anger and hurt everywhere. Between dealing with that and the beach? No contest.

Except suddenly he hears women's voices not 50 yards ahead of him on the shoreline. He can see them a little, too, in silhouette.

Matt freezes. He should go. Really, talk about a situation that never ends well.

[asharpertongue]

A young man is hovering at the edge of the beach. He looked torn as to whether he should join them so she waved, smiling a friendly smile. The little boy she was teaching to control his change in the shallows followed her line of sight.

"Who's he?" He asked, pointing.

Lara smiled. "I don't know. I can't see his face from here. Shall we get him down here and find out?"

The boy nodded and let out a warbling cry using his siren voice and Lara laughed. "We're going to have to get you singing lessons, little man." He grinned up at her and Lara ran a hand over his hair, ruffling it. "Shall I try?" He nodded and Lara sent her will across the beach to wrap around the newcomer in a friendly welcome.

"All are welcome. Come down. The waters lovely tonight."

[mattthesiren]

Matt feels a rush of calm joyousness, and it's pulling him towards the group. Shit. They must be sirens. Matt shouldn't be here, he definitely shouldn't be here. But there's something about that song -- he can really see how a guy might swim to his death to pursue it. Matt can't resist satisfying his curiosity. He walks forward.

[asharpertongue]

Lara smiles and sends the little boy off to his parents as the man approaches. She lets her scales recede a little and splashes out of the shallows up the beach to greet him.

"Hello. Come to join the fun?" She gestures out at the groups of people splashing around in the waves.

[mattthesiren]

::laughs it off nervously:: "Better not. I didn't come to swim. Just... walking. Nice night."


To be honest he has no idea if all the other sirens know what he is. But if he can avoid the question entirely, all the better.

[asharpertongue]

Lara cocked her head at him and hums thoughtfully. "Well swimming isn't compulsory." She waves a hand at the buffet and drinks. "Eat, drink and be merry. It's all on us, mister....?"

[mattthesiren]

Oh right. "Matt. Hi. I, uh, I teach at SCCC." He looks at the food and rink. "I shouldn't, I mean, I don't want to impose." Is that brie? It definitely might be brie.

"Ah, but," he refocuses. "I don't know your name either."

[asharpertongue]

Lara nods. She'd heard of him but he'd never made a nuisance of himself so she'd let him be. Traditionally speaking he should have declared himself to her a while ago, but those kind of rules were for the older families. She didn't enforce them on sirens that wanted to live quietly.

"You're the teacher. I've heard your name before." She smiled. "My name is Lara. Lara Quinn. I'm the Matriarch of this town." She watched to see if he'd react.

[mattthesiren]

::flattered smile:: "Oh yeah? My kids call me Mr. Summers, usually, at least to other people. It's a fun job."


Ohhhhhh. "The -- so you're the siren head honcho?" He gulps. "Wow. And hey, congratulations."

[asharpertongue]

Lara chuckled. "Thanks. I like the job." She gestured at the food and drink. "Help yourself. Dormant or active siren - we're all friends here."

[mattthesiren]

"You--," O__O "do you all know?" The prospect is terrifying.

[asharpertongue]

"Of course we know. We're sirens." She raised an eyebrow. "Did you honestly think we didn't? You're a teacher in a town full of witches and sirens, teaching the children of witches and sirens as well as the humans. You were vetted in every way it's possible for a person to be vetted, through regular and...other channels." She smiled and sent a calming and reassuring tendril of power out to brush against his. "But you were approved by the whole community unanimously. So there's nothing to worry about."

[mattthesiren]

The lore was inconsistent, and he'd never noticed the ability in himself. Maybe it was learned. "Okay. That's okay. Okay."

Matt backs up a few steps, and then trips and lands on his ass in the sand with a thunk.

"Gimme a sec though."

[asharpertongue]

Lara settled on the sand a little distance away from him so he didn't feel crowded. "I'm sorry if I startled you."

[mattthesiren]

::shakes his head, still a bit dazed:: "No, it's good to know. Guess I just sort of hoped I was passing." He laughs. "Not a sound strategy, it seems."

[asharpertongue]

Lara nodded. "Don't worry. No one will hassle you for anything. If you want to live dormant then that's your choice. We'll respect it."

[mattthesiren]

He sits back and takes a deep, slow breath.


"That's really a load off, actually."

[asharpertongue]

Lara made an interested noise. "Oh?"

[mattthesiren]

Smiles a little. "Well I don't have to worry about other sirens finding out, at least."

[asharpertongue]

She nodded and smiled gently. "You've been dormant your whole life?"

[mattthesiren]

Dormant -- you mean, incognito?

[asharpertongue]

"I mean that you don't use your powers."

[mattthesiren]

"Oh! No." He shakes his head emphatically. "No. I mean I used to make mistakes, but it's all good now."

[asharpertongue]

"Mistakes? Well...Everyone makes them occasionally. It happens. But as you say. You've got it under control." She smiled and relaxed a little. He was an anomaly and he intrigued her but he wasn't a threat. "So. No swimming?"

[mattthesiren]

He sighs and gnaws his lip.

"Is everyone here like us?"