Down By The Docks [Eli, Jason, Kennedy]

[littleredsiren]

 She'd been worrying about this all week. It was one thing for her friends to say they wouldn't freak out at her siren-ness, and another thing completely for them to actually see it. She'd set up three different times for them to meet, figuring one-on-one would probably be a bit easier to handle.

Iris flitted around her kitchen all morning, putting together a picnic basket with different treats inside. It all quickly started to get out of hand and she was glad she'd set up a plan with Jason to provide meals for the other homeless people in town, because she had way too much for just four people right now.

A quick glance at the clock nearly sends her into another fit of panic. Throwing on a bathing suit under a cover up and grabbing her basket, she makes her way to the beach nearest the docks in a hurry.

No one's there when she gets there and she breathes a sigh of relief, setting down the basket and hauling off the cover up, heading into the surf to swim off her nerves until someone shows up.

Comments

[littleredsiren]

She combs her wet hair out of her face and gestures at the basket next to her pile of clothes. "I baked!" she chirps, figuring he could guess what that meant. "But swimming has been nice. Relaxing."

[jasonwright]

Jason glances over his shoulder and immediately opens the basket, knowing it's for him. He pulls out a roll and cream cheese, smiling to himself as he doctors it up. "You swim a lot?" he asks as he takes a bit out of the warm roll.

[littleredsiren]

"As much as I can," she admits, rolling over lazily in the water. "I guess it's a siren thing? I just know it's calming, and good exercise. I got a lot of Little Mermaid quips growing up."

[jasonwright]

"I can see why," he says with a grin as he feeds Alfredo a bit of food. "Swimming really clears your mind. I prefer to be on a boat, but I'm happy to be in the water as well."

[littleredsiren]

She finally climbs out of the water, giving her muscles, warm from the exercise, a good stretch before wringing out her hair and sitting nearby. "I've never been on a boat," she admits. "There are ferrys in Seattle but we never used them. Is it nice?"

[jasonwright]

"It's amazing," he admits. "Hard to describe, really. You'll just have to go on one. There's something oddly freeing about them." He hands her one of the cookies from the basket before taking one for himself.

[littleredsiren]

She takes a bite of the cookie, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I'll have to rent one to take out one day, once I'm actually working," she reasons. "Oh, so, uh... You wanna see my siren-y... scaly-ness?"

She'd been putting it off, honestly, but she figures it's better to get it over with, sooner rather than later.

[jasonwright]

"Yes, I do! If you don't mind, that is. Anything I should know before you do your...thing?" he asks.

[littleredsiren]

Scratching her nose, she thinks. "Um... I can reassure you that I can't make you do anything without your express consent? The upside to having the charm on me. Other than that, I don't think so."

[jasonwright]

"Okay..." He doesn't know much about sirens, other than the whole luring sailors to their deaths thing. And here he is, a sailor, about to witness a siren transform. It doesn't worry him in the least though. "Alright, I'm ready when you are."

[littleredsiren]

"Okay! Okay. Um..." Her hands flutter nervously before she remembers she needs to grasp onto the transformation feeling. She shuts her eyes, scrunches up her nose, and concentrates. Within seconds, reddish, iridescent scales are crawling up from her fingers and toes, coating her body, and she can feel her nails lengthening into claws as her teeth turn into fangs.

She feels everything settle into place and opens her eyes, now completely black: sclera, iris and all. She resists the urge to bite her nails, having been told multiple times now that she could hurt herself trying to bite on claws.

"So... Um, there," she says, with a tiny, rather melodic giggle. Everything about her voice is a little more melodic and lulling now, though it's still recognizable as her own voice. "That's it. This is... me."

[jasonwright]

Jason's eyes widen as he watches her transform. The scales, the claws, teeth, even her eyes--everything is just amazing to him, his love of everything related to the sea probably softening the blow of such a transformation from Iris' human form to something as incredible and unbelievable as this. He smiles when she speaks. Still Iris, but he can definitely see why the charm was placed on her. If she wasn't limited, he would do anything that voice asked of him.

[littleredsiren]

Another giggle slips out and she covers her mouth as she grins, trying to hide the fangs. "Really? I'm not freaky?" she asks. "It feels kind of odd, especially since I have gills. You can see them when I'm out of the water, though. They kind of close up since I don't need them."

[jasonwright]

"Of course not," he grins. "Of course, I'm a bit biased. I love anything that comes from the water so." Alfredo barks, not recognizing Iris at first. He's protective of Jason immediately, standing in front of his owner. Jason reaches a hand out and pats Alfredo's head.

"It's okay, buddy. She's your friend."

[littleredsiren]

If she wasn't already red and scaly, she'd be blushing. "I'm glad I don't scare you,' she says softly, reaching out carefully to let Alfredo sniff her.

"It's just me, buddy. I packed treats for you an everything."

[jasonwright]

"You're not scary at all. This whole look fits you." The red definitely suited her. Alfredo sniffs her hand, reaching out tentatively to lick her at a soft spot on her cheek. When he recognizes her sent, he barks, jumping back into the water and paddling around her happily.

"See? I knew he wouldn't forget you for long."

[littleredsiren]

A giggle slips out at the feeling of the dog's tongue on her cheek and she reaches out happily to scratch his ears, mindful of her claws. "As long as the people, and dogs, I love don't think I'm scary, that's all that really matters to me," she admits. "I'll get used to it in time. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the controlling thing. I made Lara's bartender do the hokey pokey last time I practiced on him."

[jasonwright]

"Yeah? Well I'm sure most of the sirens here don't use the control thing for bad. Probably only when they're pushed, right?"

[littleredsiren]

"I don't think so. Lara's kind of the... Siren mother. Matriarch," she explains, blinking rapidly as she tries to get it all right. "She keeps everyone in line, I think. And trains us baby sirens who didn't know about our powers and didn't have family to teach us."

[jasonwright]

"Lara is?" He had started gathering supplies but hadn't began the construction work she hired him for. He knew about her...siren-ness, but not the whole matriarch thing. "She sounds pretty amazing."

[littleredsiren]

"Yup. And she's amazing. She's so encouraging and helpful," she sighs happily. "She managed to get me to use my powers properly a few days ago. She says I should practice them more between lessons but..."

Iris just scrunches up her nose and shrugs, splashing water at Alfredo for him to bite at.

[jasonwright]

The dog happily obliges, attacking the water as she splashes him with it. "But what? Shouldn't you practice?"

[littleredsiren]

"It's weird asking people if I can. Like, it requires trust and I don't want to put anyone on the spot, and I don't think I want to know if any of my friends don't trust me?" she says, scrunching her nose and focusing on the dog. Somehow it makes it easier to be frank when she does that. "Plus what if I ask them to do something and it embarrasses them and they get mad at me? There are so many factors to it."

[jasonwright]

"That's...a fair point," he says, tilting his head. "Start with baby steps? I mean, you won't be asking your friends to do anything life-changing or serious. 'Hold my bag for me' or something. Besides, I'm sure a lot of people trust you just fine."

[littleredsiren]

She lets out a nervous little laugh. "I guess so. I'm just a worry wart. I'd only really be asking them to do stuff like touch their noses, or to run from one end of the beach to the other. That's... not a big deal, right?"