Helene sort of flinched, moved back a couple inches, when the dolphins arrived. She had never seen any up close—usually she saw them when she was on a boat or in videos. They were bigger than she thought they would be this close.
“Oh, um, nice to meet you!” She managed with a laugh.
One of the dolphins, Breathe chirruped to Mira, not quite understanding what Helene had said. Mira responded in a series of chirps, letting her know that it was the humans' way of greeting someone. Breathe then gently head butted Helene in the chest, letting out a bunch of chirps and squeaks. "Aw, they like you already! Better get ready for more play like that then," Mira laughed, rubbing Silky on the head playfully.
‘So they’re like dogs,’ Helene thought, taken a little aback by the headbutt to the chest. Tentatively, she moved her hand to the top of the dolphin’s head and rubbed it slightly. Smooth. “So these three are like your pets?”
"No, not even close! They're… how do I say this, they're like friends, but they have their own families to get back to, don't you, little dolphins?" Mira murmured the last bit. A bit later, the dolphins got bored and soon were "tossing" a shell back and forth farther away. Their excitement at finally meeting a human had dissipated just as quickly as it came.
Helene nodded along, eyes returning to Mira. Her fingers gripped the shell in her hand, making sure she wouldn't let it go or lose it. She wanted to stay here forever, maybe keep the acquaintance and perhaps even become friends down the line. That would be nice, a friend who loves the ocean just as much as she did. "Do you, um, swim around here often? I can visit a bunch if you do. I don't know how much oxygen I have left on me right now, but…"
Mira gave a sheepish grin. "I, uh, I'm really fascinated by humans, so I usually hang around closer to the surface, despite everyone's warnings."
“Really? We’ve been a bit fascinated with you guys for… centuries, really.” Oh no, was that weird? It might have been weird. “As in, like, poets and artists. Your kind is the center of a lot of intrigue.” A small blush tinted Helene’s cheeks, and she looked away for a moment.
"Uh, really? I - they don't really think we're real, do they?" Mira asked, fear reappearing in her voice and she backed away.
Helene quickly realized her mistake. She tried to make her response more reassuring than anything, shaking her head. "No! No, just… speculation, I guess. Lots of people brush any 'sightings' off as hallucinations, or something. I wouldn't worry."
(i was really busy today– sorry for the late reply!)
(Oh that's fine)
Mira laughed nervously. "I - sure… But what about the others? The humans that do believe what they see?"
"Uh, the rest of us usually haven't believed them. It's hard to get everyone to believe you, especially because we thought mermaids were just myths," Helene replied hurriedly. She grimaced at her quickly put together words, hoping that they at least made sense.
"Oh," Mira replied a bit mournfully. "Do you think I'm a myth?"
“I… I did. Before today. Not anymore though,” Helene responded, face softening. She didn’t realize the effect her words would have.
Mira blinked twice, brushing back a stray strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear. Her soft dark grey hair framed her face well, and she cast her eyes downward. "I -…" She was at a loss for words, and didn't know what to say. The distance between her and Helene seemed to grow larger and larger every second, even though she wasn't moving.
Helene didn’t know what else to do but stay frozen, regretting bringing it up at all. It was uncharted territory, for anyone really. Her grip around the shell in her fingers tightened as her face grew red in embarrassment
“I’m sorry… I can leave. I didn’t mean to offend you-“ Helene began to ramble. She readied herself to go.
"No, no, please stay," Mira said softly, looking Helene straight in the eyes.
“I- Really? You sure?” Helene asked softly. She thought she messed it up for sure. In all honesty, she was used to it. But she was endlessly glad she hadn’t.
"I - I want some company," Mira continued, casting her eyes downward, and painfully aware of the light blush that had risen to her cheeks.
A small smile spread across her lips for a moment. “Okay,” she said softly, moving back towards Mira. “Is there a private place we can go that isn’t underwater? I think my oxygen’s about to run out…” She flashed an apologetic smile towards the mermaid.
"Um, I don't know anywhere private that's aboveland. We don't make a habit of letting any body part appear above the surface of the water…" Mira rolled over onto her back, sighing.
“Alright, well…” Helene looked around, searching for something at least somewhat shallower than this. “Not even just your head? We could stay just above the surface, nothing else?”
A tiny lightbulb went off in her head. "Wait, I think there's a cave around here somewhere…" She scratched her head, trying to remember where that cave was. "Oh yeah, it's over there some." Mira pointed to her right.
“That sounds great,” Helene replied, honestly. She preferred the dark and coziness of a flooded cave. It may be a bit creepy, especially at dusk, but she got over it quickly. She began to swim in the direction Mira pointed in.
"Awesome," Mira swam off with Helene, her sharp eyes darting around for the cave. She hoped there would be enough oxygen in there for Helene.
Once they reached the cave, Helene crawled up onto a small flat rock surface to rest. She was relieved to take off the gear she had on. She hadn’t realize how damn heavy it was. With that burden off her back, she felt much more free to talk.
Her eyes caught on movement on the walls. A small group of hermit crabs skittered around the edge of a small pool. “Hey, look at these little crabs!” she said, lowering herself so that she was next to them.