Mermaid [Aidan]

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Too much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. It had been absolute pandemonium, to the point where Fae had realized - upon the sun rising on the second of October - that she hadn’t managed to sleep yet. Checklists had been made of places to check for fleeing animals, and while she generally agreed that not all of them would be recovered and brought back, they could do their best to try and mitigate that.

The Council meetings had been on and off all day, the last one ending around midnight, and from there she had wandered around aimlessly with Merlin’s staff, hoping it would do something that would maybe fix all of this. From what she had seen though, it was simply another magical staff and the power it had held the barrier up was seemingly gone. Or maybe even dormant. Unfortunately she didn’t have a knack for magical conduits like some on the island did, and there were already plans established to have the staff looked over. They needed to know what it was made of, and why it did the things it did. Until that knowledge was discovered, Fae refused to let it leave her sight. As far as she was concerned, this staff now belonged to her and would stay that way for the foreseeable future. It was her responsibility to fix the problem at hand, and the staff was going to help her achieve that. Somehow.

With the sun creeping over the horizon, Fae decided that it was fruitless to go home and get sleep. By this point, her family was probably awake and taking care of the few griffins that they had managed to wrangle and bring back to the farm, and they were going to start asking her questions the second they saw her. Even though her own house was nestled off to the edge of the farm land, they would still know if she was home or not.

Having all of that in mind, she decided to start her work for the day, the first task being to speak to the mermaids that lived off of the coast a ways. She wanted to make sure everything was fine there, unsure of how the barrier would affect the creatures that lived underwater. They usually went unnoticed and weren’t really thought about much since they were fairly self-sufficient, but it would be a sign of good faith to speak to the leader. The only trick was trying to get their attention, since their settlement was pretty far out into the water, from what she remembered. Aside from agreed upon meeting times, there had never been discussion on how she could get ahold of them quickly. Strolling down the beach that was closest to the mermaid settlement, Fae planted herself on a large rock to think. She was sure her sleep-deprived brain would come up with something eventually, and if not, maybe one of the mermaids would appear before then.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 496 ● Campfire by Laffey

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan never spent so much time on the coast, but he hadn’t been able to stay away since hearing about the barrier. He’d rushed home quickly to see if the rumors were true. It seemed like it– not every creature had disappeared, but Hy-Brasil was noticeably emptier than before. Virva had already tracked him down for a good family chat, so he felt closer to his usual relaxed self, but he found himself lingering by the shore a long time after she’d left.

It was still early, but he’d been very young when he first started waking up before the sun to watch it rise. It was different today without the barrier painting the sky special colors and without murtlaps scattered on the beach…but even so, the air was refreshing and it wasn’t too hot or too cold (his pants were also completely coated in sand at this point, but that was neither here nor there). Aidan hadn’t brought his wand or staff with him, but his lute was in his lap and he tuned it without thinking as he stared into the water.

He was conversational in Mermish – that’s what happened when you cut class to go chat with the merfolk – but he’d already tried shouting to get their attention without any results. They did love music, so he was debating trying to call attention to himself that way. He strummed a practice chord before making a face at himself and tightening a string. He was a fairly energetic person, so he didn’t fight it when he felt the impulse to get up and find a different spot along the beach. It took him a while to realize he wasn’t walking towards nothing but towards someone else.

Aidan’s face lit up when he realized who it was – the High Druid! What an honor! She was their fearless leader and she would certainly be able to tell him if he was out-of-tune. “Good morning!” he called out as he waved enthusiastically. She’d found a fairly large rock, and it seemed roomy enough, so Aidan didn’t think twice before planting himself next to her. He paused as he considered what he’d said. “Is it a good morning though?” he asked, before deciding almost as quickly, “Maybe not yet, but soon. A good morning for music, at least.” He couldn’t remember having many conversations with Fae – at least for sure not after she’d been chosen – but everybody knew everybody on the island and he missed being able to say whatever he wanted in Brasilic. Stupid mainlanders and their stupid English. He smiled at her as an invitation to answer.

fae iona cloudbreaker
[All dialogue in Brasilic unless stated otherwise ]

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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The overly enthusiastic call from off to her side broke Fae out of her sullen stupor. Sleep had almost overtaken her in those few brief moments, her eyes having become heavier with the lulling of the morning waves crashing gently onto the beach. For as much time as she had spent wandering the island prior to becoming High Druid, the beach had seemingly been absent from most of her adventures. The forests and fields felt more familiar to her than the sand did. Escaping every now and then to one of the hidden alcoves along the coastline to relax made up for that. But falling asleep on the beach? Unheard of. She didn’t know if the Sandman was real or not, but he certainly wanted her to drift off to the dream world right now. The approaching person, unfortunately, did not seem to agree with that sentiment.

Blinking back the encroaching sleep in her eyes, Fae adjusted herself on the rock so that took on her more normal, formal self. It was probably pretty obvious how emotionally drained she was from all of this, her hair having turned a tired, washed out gray. Yesterday it had been like she had dipped her head into a puddle on a starless night; a black void. If this person had tried to do this yesterday, she probably would have mumbled an apology and disappeared back into the woods. But today was different, and despite being beyond exhausted, there was little she could come up with in regards to contacting the mermaids at the moment. Talking with someone else was sure to clear her mind up a little.

“I don’t know yet…” Fae responded quietly as Aidan arrived at the rock she was perched on. He was one of the younger boys, one of the lucky ones that was able to venture off the island for work. Her own days of doing that were long gone now. Especially now. The idea that it could still be a good morning for music was inspiring, at the very least. She figured she wouldn’t be picking up her own instrument any time soon, the muse for it being lost first thing yesterday morning. There were too many other pressing matters to deal with before she could indulge herself again.

By the time she turned back to look down at him, he was basically sat next to her on the rock, causing Fae to move Merlin’s staff from between them and onto her other side. She kept one hand on it, still afraid of letting it go. There was no telling when it would be useful again. “You wouldn’t happen to know the best way to get in contact with the mermaids, would you?” she asked. At this point, she was willing to accept any help she could get, as long as it was useful.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 477 ● Friday I'm In Love by Phoebe Bridgers

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[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Fae looked tired, although Aidan supposed that made sense. He hadn’t been around when the barrier had collapsed, but had come almost first thing after when his family had contacted him. But he’d heard it had been an incredibly scary experience…and he didn’t really want to judge someone when there were so many possible reasons for why something had happened. Like the gray hair. Maybe it was a sign of sadness, but then maybe she wanted it gray. To get an idea of how she’d look in several decades, or maybe she just appreciated the color. Aidan certainly would if he could change it so easily.

She responded that she wasn’t sure if it was going to be a good morning yet, so Aidan shrugged lightly. “You can know right now. Do you want it to be good? Because if you want it, you can do it.” The thread of logic was simple, but Aidan thought there was something to the idea. There were very few things that could keep him down for long, and he’d long since discovered what made him happy. So the key wasn’t to avoid being sad, because really that was impossible, but to know what to do whenever you encountered a sad thing. Aidan had his family, and the outdoors, and creatures, and fresh fruit…and music, naturally. He’d been worried when he first heard about the barrier, but there just wasn’t any point to letting it weigh you down forever. You had to learn how to settle what happened to you in your heart.

Aidan brightened and laughed as Fae mentioned the merfolk as if she'd been reading his mind. “This meeting was meant to happen! I was just thinking about them earlier.” He hummed as he considered her question. Shouting hadn’t worked, both in Brasilic and Mermish, so there probably weren’t any merfolk too close to shore. Unless they didn’t like being shouted at. Now that was a thought. “Well…” Aidan said, dragging out the word. “Well, when I visit other families near mine, I usually bring a gift! Maybe they’ll come if we have something to give them.” Obviously, he was talking about the gift of music, because again – he’d learned rather early on that they enjoyed music. Their voices underwater were very appealing, and he'd played for a few merfolk before. It had been a few years since then, but how much could something like that really change? He strummed his lute idly as he asked straightforwardly, “Can you sing?”

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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She didn’t exactly follow Aidan’s logic, or at least how that could be applicable to a day like today. Cynicism wasn’t a constant in her life, but following what happened the day before, it was hard not to shake it. If anything else had happened, bar the world falling part like it had, she would have no problem taking his advice and running with it. The problem was that she already knew today wasn’t going to be a good day, because it was already scheduled to be loaded with meetings between the Council and the Ministry. There were to be dozens of non-druids arriving on the island in only a few hours, most to conduct research and start attempts at tracking missing animals, and she found that alone was stressful enough to not make it a good day. Half of the herd of griffins that lived on her family’s farm were gone. How could she see today as good unless they all returned safely?

“I envy your positivity, and I thank you for it, but I don’t think you quite understand. Until everything is back to the way it was, I cannot think of it as a good morning. Not yet.” Had it been a normal morning, it would have started with a brilliant sunrise bouncing off of the waves. But even in all of its natural beauty, the fact was that this was not a good morning for her, and she couldn’t budge on that.

The only way it could get slightly better was if Aidan had a solution for her current problem. It would check a box off on her long list of things to do, but it would hopefully answer a few questions and solve a couple of problems currently going on. He seemed to know a little about the merfolk, suggesting a gift, potentially music. While she and the Council had presented them with physical gifts before, she had never heard of coaxing them out with music. It did make sense though – they were natural musicians of the sea, and she had heard them before while conversing with their leaders. As for her own talents in the art, she was unfortunately not going to be much help. “Not exactly…and definitely not in mermish,” she responded. “And I don’t have my harp on me either. Not that it would work underwater.” Having her sing wasn’t the best idea. She could hold a tune, but that was about it. Singing was too overt for her outside of official capacity. Doing it for ceremonies didn’t mean she had to be good at it, and simultaneously usually drew attention away from her voice. “Can you?”

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 445 ● L'eloge des dernieres fois by Ingrid St-Pierre

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[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

It was true what Fae said – there were quite a few things Aidan didn’t understand. Most things, in fact, until he’d had the opportunity to think hard about them and maybe receive an explanation or two from the people around him. It was why his parents had all but pushed him out of Hy-Brasil to get some experience in the outside world – they’d told him rather explicitly that he had a tendency to be overly gullible and that was a bad trait for a druid to have. Aidan wasn’t the resentful type, but the decision had hurt him. There were some things about the outside world he’d grown fond of, but he still looked forward to the day he would relocate permanently back to Hy-Brasil.

And if there was one thing that leaving had taught him, it was that nothing ever went back to the way it was. And he’d learned how to be happy with it. Still, he could sense that Fae didn’t want to talk about her responsibilities, so he just smiled and said, “Sometimes when a thing leaves and comes back, it’s not the way it was before. Like me! But that can be a good thing too.” But he left it at that, because the question of how to make contact with the merfolk was much more interesting and had captured his imagination.

He hummed in contemplation as he considered Fae’s lack of instruments. He had his lute with him, that was lucky, but she was right that it wouldn’t work well underwater – unless they maybe enchanted it somehow? And he knew exactly one song in Mermish. He wasn’t sure what information was relevant so he just said it all, counting off on his fingers as he spoke. “I have my lute, and it’s finally in tune! I learned a Mermish song once, but it sounds terrible above water. Like a banshee singing.” He stopped to laugh at himself as the image popped up in his head. Aidan tilted his head curiously. “But does it have to be Mermish? We could make something up. It’s more special that way,” he said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The idea was interesting, so he picked at the strings experimentally until he found a chord he liked. But he hit a discordant note soon after so he stopped. “We need a theme,” he decided. “Every good song has a theme.” He looked expectantly at Fae – even if she didn’t sing, she was the High Druid and must have many strategies for how to approach new and familiar people! Even if she wanted to stick with a tried-and-true song, there were so many good ones. It was a difficult choice.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Aidan’s optimism was astounding. There may have been a time, before she had been selected as High Druid, where she had thought similar things to the boy. While her former job as a tour guide wasn’t always the most entertaining position in the world, it had fit her goals quite well. Now she had responsibilities and expectations – tests of her willpower – and they were attacking from all sides. It was hard not to imagine, at least in the last twenty-four hours, that maybe the Ministry had a role in all of this. The fact that they had been pushing her more and more over the years had to mean the dissenters in the government weren’t going anywhere, despite shake-ups with the ever rotating Minister position. She wasn’t the type to normally be paranoid, but there were plenty of things to think about now. This was the perfect excuse for the Ministry to enter when the Council asked for assistance. So being positive, like Aidan, was still going to be difficult for a while. It didn’t matter if, or when, the barrier came back at this point. The damage was done, the island left raw, and exposed. No amount of well-wishes and happy thoughts could reverse course on what had already happened.

In the immediacy of her problems, though, Aidan was proving to be useful. He indicated that he had his lute on him, and that he knew one mermish song, so that was a start. There was still the issue of being able to play underwater, but there were easy fixes to that. She had cast spells around her own head before when talking to the merfolk, so modifying it around the lute would probably work. Aidan asked if the song had to be in mermish, and Fae shrugged. He had a point. They were both equally capable of creating something that could be heard by the merfolk, and if he played while she amplified the sound, it would surely reach the underwater city. “I need to reach them immediately, so anything with a sense of urgency would work,” Fae reasoned, though that was going to end up causing a snag or two. How did one convey a song of doom and destruction without scaring off the listeners? This was exactly why she had been a visitor guide, and not a musician. “Aidan, while I would love to help you compose a song one day, maybe we should just use the mermish song you already know. I can charm your lute to play underwater and amplify the sound.” Fae stood up, using Merlin’s staff as leverage, and hopped down from the top of the rock. “Please?”

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 446 ● Second Heartbeat by Avenged Sevenfold

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[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

There were a lot of emotions on Fae’s face as she thought about whatever it was that had caused her hair to go gray and her face to be pinched with worry. It might just be related to the barrier, but Aidan didn’t want to jump to any assumptions and besides, there was a lot that went into being High Druid that he knew nothing about. There was an Elder in his family, and Abria sometimes told stories about her years on the Council, but she’d been an Elder for a long time and never seemed to discuss anything more recent past Aidan's birth. At least nothing that Aidan had ever paid attention to – maybe his parents found the news more interesting than he did. Aidan didn't care much about what happened either on or off the island, just how it affected him and the people he loved.

At any rate, he wanted to be helpful. He was dedicated to the druid lifestyle, and there was nothing that entailed more than being loyal to the Council and their leadership. Besides that – it was just in his nature. He couldn’t stand by and watch a creature, any creature, suffer. So he was disappointed that they would, in fact, not be composing a song today, which was too bad because it was incredibly fun and challenging to do. But he responded well to clear directions, and Fae was currently showing off that natural leadership ability by giving him clear directives. Use the Mermish song he knew, charm the lute to play underwater, and reach the merfolk with a sense of urgency. After that, he was sure Fae would do the rest, all that complicated politicking and everything.

So Aidan copied her by standing up and then gave Fae a bright smile. He shot a curious glance at her new staff, because it much nicer than her old one had been, but he didn’t say anything (some druids were just picky about their wood). “Okay,” he said gently, “I can help.” He thought about the song he’d learned from a Mermish friend – he wasn’t 100% sure if the term applied but he certainly thought of them as a friend – then brightened. “I think I remember. It’s a working song so it’s very repetitive!” he said happily. He tested a couple chords on his lute, nodding in a satisfied way as they came together nicely. Aidan stopped playing as the thought occurred to him. “But we are going to write a song sometime, right?” he checked. Fae had said so, that she’d love to try it someday, but he wanted to make sure (because otherwise he was just going to forget, and that would be a shame).

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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She didn’t want to decline the young druid’s assistance when he was so adamant to help her, but Fae was already starting to question whether or not she should have kept this problem to herself. Dragging her people into it wasn’t very leader-like of her. The Council always had varying opinions on how she went about things, and she was sure there would be a few dissenters about what was going to happen in a moment here. At the same time, he was capable with music from what she had seen. Eagerness wasn’t always a flaw, and while it was certainly a bane for her, it was one of Aidan’s boons.

He followed her movements and joined her on the beach. Feeling the sand beneath her feet, she faced Aidan and dug her heels in, raising Merlin’s staff in his direction. She had used it to cast (unsuccessfully) already when it came to putting temporary barriers up around the island, but this was the first mundane spell she would be conjuring. As with the other ones, Fae concentrated on what she wanted to cast versus using the proper enchantment. Calling it non-verbal casting would be doing the staff a disservice, because it felt much more than that. The wandmakers on the island were always going on about how wands and staves were just vessels, which was why the druidic folk were able to accurately cast with instruments, should they wish too. Merlin’s staff though? It had power. She felt bad using it just to cast a simple amplification charm on Aidan’s lute, because it seemed like such a mundane thing to do, but she had to.

As he plucked away on different notes to give her an example, and asked one more time to get confirmation on creating a song, Fae nodded her head again that she would. She wanted to get this done and over with. Letting her thoughts get carried into the staff, a swirl of white light was produced from the gnarled, knotted end, and shot into the lute. “Give that a try,” Fae stated, then quickly held her hand up at him, “Underwater. This staff has strong imbuing powers.”

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 363 ● Magna's Heart by Couer De Pirate

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[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan tilted his head curiously as Fae lifted her new staff. He was very familiar with the different conduits druids used to cast magic, be they wands or staffs or instruments. So he knew what it felt like to both cast and be on the receiving end of magic that was directed through wood, and how it felt different from wandless magic. But Fae’s magic didn’t look anything like what he expected and he raised his eyebrows as white light shot from the staff into his lute. Maybe the High Druid got a nice fancy staff as part of the job? He didn’t know, but that was definitely no ordinary conduit.

He was about to pluck the strings experimentally when Fae raised a hand and warned him not to try it above water. He didn’t completely understand – really, how strong could the spell be? – but he nodded anyway and gave a confused smile. “Okay, I trust you!” Fae would know best, after all, and he had complete faith in her judgment. Since they were about to go underwater, and Aidan was a little unsure about using his instrument to direct his magic, he cast the Bubble-Head Charm on himself without using the lute. It was an easy enough spell, and druids were used to casting magic without any conduit from a young age.

Without further ado, Aidan began to wade into the water (which in October was already chilly, but he’d get used to it). His lute was already enchanted not just as a conduit for magic but to avoid getting wet or dirty – which was useful because Aidan spent most of his time in situations that involved getting wet or dirty. Soon he was completely submerged (he checked behind him to make sure Fae was following) and floated weightlessly in the water. He laughed excitedly –he really didn’t get the chance to visit the Merfolk much anymore – and spent a little time floating and enjoying the view. Then he remembered why he was here, turned around to face Fae, and mouthed at her, “Ready?” Aidan plucked at the strings, then stopped in shock at how loud the music was -- she hadn't been kidding! His mouth fell open in surprise, but he began to play again uncertainly after a moment, unused to the sheer volume and vibration he could feel from his lute. His fingers slipped on the strings a few times before he found his rhythm.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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She half expected the boy to give the lute a test strum right then and there, despite her warning. It would have been understandable, of course, but they also probably would have both gone temporarily deaf. The last thing she needed right now was to be incapacitated in any sort of way. Having the island in total chaos was bad enough.

Thankfully Aidan did as instructed and refrained from giving into the temptations of playing the instrument. She knew that if she had been in a similar position with her own harp, she would not have been able to refrain from plucking away at it. It was a side effect of always wanting to play a happy little tune. Nowadays she was too busy to bring it around with her, but once upon a time she always had it on her person. The guests she gave tours of the island to were always intrigued by the fact that druids could utilize their instruments as magic conduits. Though she always preferred her wand to her harp and former staff, it was still a neat treat to show them.

Aidan cast a bubble-head charm over himself, and Fae followed his lead. It was almost scary how easy it was to cast with Merlin’s staff, only having to tap it gently on the sand. Satisfied with the impressive capabilities of the staff, she stepped into the ocean behind Aidan. Shivers shot up through her as the ice water came into contact with her legs. She had sort of forgotten that it was October already. They were going to be in for a fun swim that was for sure.

Keeping her distance from Aidan as he began to pluck away on the strings, she was amazed that it actually worked as she intended it to. That was a first in the last two days. While he continued with his song, she kept an eye out for any shimmers of mermaids in the distance. From what she knew, the actual settlement was a good ways out in the ocean, and deeper than anything she had explored. For the time being though, she floated peacefully in the water, waiting for her mermaid compatriots to hear her call and arrive.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 373 ● Place Royale by Ingrid St-Pierre

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

It had been so long since Aidan had been underwater. Once upon a time, he’d escaped to the coast several times a week. He’d always been fascinated by the Merfolk and aquatic creatures, and his Mermish had improved at a faster rate than his English (no doubt to his mother’s frustration). Sometimes he would even cut class to go visit the Merfolk settlement. His teachers would always talk his ear off with stern lectures later about his shoddy attendance record, but Aidan didn’t have the attention span to sit quietly in class. And anyway, wasn’t it better to get the experience first-hand? But since he’d left for Hogsmeade, it had been ages since his last trip underwater. He’d forgotten the sensation of the current running through his hair and clothes, or the strange feeling of being completely weightless. Since it was October, he had goosebumps all along his arms from staying still too long, and he wished he could swim around a little to warm up. But as much as he loved his lute, there was no way he could play and swim at the same time. Those kinds of skills he left to the masters, incidentally the same masters they were trying to call now.

The Mer song he knew was a work song, repetitive and with simple chords that anyone could play. He adjusted quickly to the vibrations that came from playing underwater, and even how different the lute sounded with Fae’s magnification spell. But he couldn’t see any mermaids on the horizon, and as he repeated the song for the third time Aidan felt his attention wander. Maybe it was time to try something different. Aidan brightened as he considered his lute and remembered that it had just the same magical capability as any other conduit of his. He stopped playing for a moment, trying to remember the tune for a summoning song he had learned from his grandmother.

Maybe a summoning song was a risky move, since the magic woven into the music compelled those who were nearby to come closer. Maybe the Merfolk wouldn’t appreciate it. But it was definitely faster than any old song, and he’d even played it once before for his friend. He wasn't really one to consider the big picture, however, and he just knew it would be faster this way. Either way, Aidan experimentally hummed the tune to himself to remember how it went, then began to play. The first song had been much more steady and somber, while this one had a quicker tempo and required him to move his fingers faster. It must have been working, as a few curious grindylows came to investigate, and eventually more and more magical types of fish and crabs as well.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Trying to understand whether or not the amplification spell would underwater or not was beyond her scope of magical knowledge, though she certainly knew when something wasn’t working the way it was intended to. Despite Aidan plucking away as he was supposed to, the muffled music emanating in a fuzzy sound, the only creatures that dared approach were the ones in the immediate vicinity to the druids. Fae doubted that was because of the song though, and more from the sheer curiosity of two humans floating underwater and attempting to summon the merfolk. The passing grindylows took an extreme interest in her billowing dress, poking at it with their pointed fingers. Outsiders always made the squid-like creatures sound like horrid beasts, and while their reputation was certainly different elsewhere, the ones in the water surrounding Hy-Brasil were peaceful enough.

Aidan changed his tune after a little while, picking up the pace of his playing. She wouldn’t call it one of urgency, but going from the first one to this definitely gave it that feeling. The problem at hand still was whether or not they were reaching the merfolk community. Fae didn’t know where the colony actually lived, the only mention of direction of where it could be was where they were in the water. Outside of agreed upon meeting times, there was very little communication. It was also certainly easier for the merfolk to get the attention of the druids than it was the other way around.

Frowning in her air bubble, Fae swam in front of Aidan and pointed up with her finger. She didn’t want to spend all day down here if the merfolk weren’t around, or if they were bust tending to their own issues following the barrier break. Quickly breaking the surface of the water, her bubble dropped, and she started wading back to shore, still feeling the slight tugs of the grindylows on the tendrils of her clothes.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 323 ● Colour In Your Heart by Roo Panes

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[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

To no one’s surprise – Aidan got distracted again as he continued plucking at the strings of his lute. Whenever his grandmother or one of his aunts would teach him a new song, they required complete concentration from the boy. That meant that he could play the tunes he knew easily, without thinking, maybe even blindfolded if he really wanted. And actually, that sounded cool, he definitely wanted to try that sometime. It was good news for ensuring a successful performance, and the curious grindylows floating around them was certainly evidence that Aidan’s song had been able to summon something. But it also meant that his attention wandered very easily, and he let his eyes drift across the landscape of the bottom of the ocean floor.

It was truly a strange sight – two druids completely submerged and trying to catch the attention of the merfolk. Around them, Aidan could see several grindylows hovering around Fae, and fish were starting to gain the confidence to float closer and closer. It was out-of-the-ordinary, it was completely bizarre, it was so unique to Hy-Brasil that Aidan felt a warmth in his chest at the thought. He’d really missed this. Completely, unequivocally missed that feeling of knowing he belonged somewhere. The mainland was interesting, no doubt about that. Hogsmeade had interesting storefronts – Aidan was enchanted with Honeyduke’s – and he had made connections with just about every magical creature that called the nature reserve its home. But it just wasn’t the same as being home, around other druids and in situations that were completely unique to the magical island.

Aidan blinked out of his thoughts as he noticed Fae gesturing to the surface, and he nodded wildly to show he’d understood before kicking his legs to resurface. Once he’d stopped playing, a lot of the curious creatures lost interest and began to gently float away as Aidan followed Fae back to the beach. Many druids sometimes retained features of their animagus form even while they were human, and true to that expectation Aidan instinctively began to toss his head and shake out his hair much like he might as a dog. He gripped his lute loosely in his hand and walked a few shaky steps before remembering how to walk on land again. Aidan laughed and shot Fae a happy look. “That was fun! Did you see the grindylows? They were so sweet, they didn’t even try to pull on our legs,” Aidan cooed as he thought back to the peaceful creatures. They’d undoubtedly been more curious than mischievous that day, but either way…they were so cute.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Gently plucking at the sharp claws of the grindylows away from her dress extensions was more difficult to do in the water than she would have thought. They were latched on tight, like burs from bushes that littered the island. The creatures meant no harm and were more than likely not stuck on purpose. She waded further towards the shore, stopping when her feet felt sand. It was easier to remove the grindylows when she could hold onto them with one hand and work their claws out of the material with the other. As she did so, they struggled but didn’t bite: she was used to pulling thorns out of her griffin herd, and they did the same thing. The soft, druidic touch told the creatures that she wasn’t there to harm them at all.

Aidan appeared from beneath the surface right as she pulled the last grindylow free and let it swim away, laughing about how much fun he had playing underwater. “I did, though next time I do not think I will be wearing this. They may have thought it was seaweed,” she explained as she held up her sopping wet ends of her dress, where the grindylows had embedded themselves. It made perfect sense to her.

“We may be out of luck today with the merfolk,” she commented, letting out a sigh that she didn’t even know was possible at this point. Everything was so exhausting that it actually hurt to do. “Once I find someone that can sing in mermish, I will most likely return. I would like your assistance again at that point. If that is alright with you?” she asked Aidan as she started sloshing through the water and back towards the beach. There had to be one or two of her people that could. Mermish was rare, obviously, but there were plenty of druids that were more in touch with the ocean than she was. She felt more at home in the mountains and the air, after all. The world under water was still very unknown and foreign to her, despite her proficiency in the mermaid language.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn ● 354 ● Flash Mountain by Djo

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0