The Scientist and The Mermaid (closed)

[Strangebuddy]

"So how is the...subject?" Lauren asked as she stripped out of her clothes. The medical doctor who had been assigned to her team took her time answering the question, instead filling a hypodermic needle with a clear liquid.

Lauren bit her lip as she looked at the needle. Trying to distract herself from the thought of how much another booster would sting, she took some time to look at herself in the mirror. At 30 years old, she was still quite fit and not half-bad looking, at least in her own opinion. Spending months at a time out in the field, getting involved with local customs and projects tended to prevent the buildup of fat so she was as lean as she used to be in her swimteam days and her muscles were toned but not overly so...which allowed her to maintain a modest bust and a posterior that drew a few glances when she wore something which showed it off. Top it off with a solid tan over her whole body that was uninterrupted by any tanlines and a dark pixie cut that was easy to maintain but also offset her bright green eyes and she still considered herself a bit of a prize.

Of course there were some flaws she didn't care for: a chipped front tooth she always forgot to sit down and have fixed, dark rings around her eyes from days of study and insomnia caused by the multitude of jungle diseases she had picked up over the years. Then there was her skin...it had that lovely farmer's tan but it had become a veritable scrapbook over the years: a burn mark on her arm from where she was branded when studying extreme BDSM practices, a large scar on her left side from where a Somali pirate had attacked her with a knife. Then there were all the marks from...

"OW!!!" She cried out as the hypodermic needle was plunged into her ass, releasing the booster into her bloodstream. One more prick mark to add to the collection.

"The mermaid is docile right now, Crypt-girl. Now, on with your diving suit. Your SCUBA certification hasn't slipped, has it?" The doctor asked, smiling at the offended anthropologist.

"No, I was actually working an underwater exploration off the coast of Japan just-" Lauren started, pulling the tight material over herself.

"Good. You'll be going alone for first contact." The doctor said, impatiently shoving the tank and mask towards Lauren, "You'll be in a diving cage accompanied by a remote control robot. Relax, it just takes pictures and looks like a yellow volleyball. We use them for dolphin recording. Speaking of, there's a small pod of them one kilometer south of where you and the "subject"will be making contact. Your task will be to ascertain the subject's health, find out her diet, and try and make her comfortable communicating with us."

Lauren finished putting her gear on, puzzled at the doctor's hostility, "Okay, I think it sounds simple enough...though wouldn't you be better able to determine its health?"

The doctor made a mocking look of shock as she pushed Lauren out the door, "What? The trained medical doctor who treated her injuries and had to develop several procedures and devices on the fly to care for her might be better suited to judge a mermaid's health than some hippie cryptozoologist who wrote a one-off paper on theoretical human-animal hybrids? Nooo..."

Lauren turned around and tried to snap at the doctor, "Well, with a bedside manner like yours, I'm surprised she didn't leap right out of the water to give you a big-ole kiss. Besides, why are you so sure it's a woman? We're talking about a new species, pronounced breasts don't necessarily mean...

"Trust me." The doctor said poignantly, "when you see her, you'll know."

Lauren shook her head at the comment and walked through the pressure chamber that was attached to the medical bay and entered the diving cage. While her equipment was up to scratch, the diving cage was surprisingly low-tech. She supposed the Navy had to make do with what they could. The subject had only been discovered 48 hours ago and the 10 kilometer area they had cordoned off had most of its ships occupied with maintaining the titanium net they had surrounded the area in. Still, the thing looked like it was a rusty mess and even had barnacles on its side. The door was even held close with a simple latch. It would easily allow Lauren to get out...and for the subject to get in.

Lauren got in and shuddered as the gears spun to life, lowering the cage. She tried to calm herself by reviewing the details she had been provided:

1. The subject had been found washed ashore an undisclosed island in the Virgin Islands. Subject seemed injured and lost conciousness by the time Navy personnel were able to locate it. Subject was then treated by a shrill harpy who made the diagnosis of bruised ribs, blunt force trauma to multiple parts of the subjects upper torso, and multiple lacerations. Subject also had several "scales" missing from her lower body.

2. During treatment, which was conducted in a specialized underwater medical bay, subject was fed intravenously and its body seemed to accept the substances willingly. Treatment above the surface had some effect but was far slower than when done underwater. Subject recovered enough to escape the medical bay after 14 hours of treatment.

Lauren's eyes widened as the majesty of the sea greeted her. It was a diverse selection of tropical fauna.

3. 3 hours after the subject's escape, the Navy diverted a transatlantic flight containing her to an airport where she could be transported to the quarantine area. She was given a brief explanation, forced to sign some confidentiality paperwork, and then had her first booster administered.

4. 30 minutes prior, a sighting had occurred.

The cage hit its maximum depth and shuddered. Lauren was surprised at how far the rickety thing could go as she had to turn her flashlights on that had been attached to her shoulders just to see. She cautiously peered out through the bars, nervous about being stuck in a cage in the ocean depths but was also worried about the subject...mermaid.

After all, while it was true mermaids were something that use to amuse her and be a focus of her studies during her cryptozoology days, the only things the multiple accounts could agree upon were that they were women who were half fish. The other accounts had them range from seductive murderers who preyed on sailors to beings who saved and loved humans.

Still, how could she pass up the opportunity?

"I'm stepping out of the cage, control." She said over the com-system.

"Roger doctor. We'll send the robot down after you later. If you have any trouble, just press the white button on your left palm. We'll start withdrawing the cage."

"How will that help me if I'm outside of the cage?"

"Well...you'll need to get back in the cage."

Lauren steeled her nerves and opened the cage, kicking her flippers as she began to search for the mermaid.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Two Days Ago...

Nixie whined in disappointment as her lunch wriggled its way out of her grip. She'd been chasing this fish for an hour now, and she just couldn't get it. She almost wanted to let it go, it was clearly a tenacious little fish, but she was hungry, and snapper was her favorite. Her pale blue tail bent up to brush her back as she gathered her strength, before snapping her tail straight. She giggled as she torpedoed through the water after her lunch. This fish was fast, but there was no way it could match her speed, mermaids were the fastest swimmers in the sea after all. She was almost on her prey when she felt something surround her. It trapped her tail and tangled her arms, and try as she might, Nixie couldn't break loose. She struggled in the strange silver vines for hours, but only managed to cut her skin and rip scales from her tail. She had never been trapped like this, and she did not like it one bit.

After another hour the vines began to make a terrible screech. They began to squeeze Nixie, constricting her to the point that her bones hurt. She was pulled upwards by the vines, along with other fish and sea life also caught in the vines. Nixie was scared. She had been out of the water before, but she didn't like it. It hurt to breath out of the water. It burned her skin, and made her words sound harsh and shrill. Nixie called out for help as the vines dragged her out of the water.

---

"Agh! Shit! What the Hell is that noise!?" John shouted, gripping his ears and wincing from the terrible screech. "I don't know! Maybe the net's caught on somethin'!" Replied Garret, the other man, on the ship, equally upset by the deafening noise. "Look! In the net! What the Hell is that!?" John shouted, pointing at the wriggling, screaming fish caught in his net. "I don't know. Is that... Is that hair?" Garret asked, staring in disbelief at what looked like a redheaded fish woman caught in his net. "Holy shit man... I think... I think we just caught a mermaid." John said in shock. "Go call somebody. The coast guard I guess." He said, still staring at the struggling creature.

---

Nixie kept screaming as she hung, suspended by what she now realized was a net, above an odd looking boat. It had been a long time since Nixie had seen humans, but she remembered their boats looking a lot different. Wooden and slender with dragon mouths and big white squares, not this strange metal... Thing. But the humans looked the same as she remembered. Basically like her on top, with those weird trunks on the bottom. They looked scared of her. She was scared of them. She tried to speak to them, but out of the water, her voice was nothing but shrill shrieks. One of the humans disappeared inside of the boat, and in less than an hour, the water was swarming with even bigger boats, and lots of humans.

The humans on the bigger boats were dressed in odd dappled dark blue clothes, and the freed her from the net, but didn't let her back into the water. Instead they put her into a small glass box filled with water and loaded her onto one of their ships. She tried to speak, but they couldn't hear her through the glass. They took her to a place that she didn't understand. It was like an underwater cave, but made of glass and metal instead of rock. She could see the ocean, but she couldn't get to it. A giant wall of glass kept her from her home.

Nixie wasn't alone for long. After a few minutes, a human came inside of her strange cave. The human treated her wounds and fed her. She tried to thank the human, but it didn't seem to understand the languages she spoke. She knew two human tongues, but the human spoke in an unfamiliar one. She begged the human to let her go, but begging in the wrong language didn't seem to help.

Nixie stayed in the cave for several hours as the humans tested her. They poked her with strange quills that drank her blood, took locks of her hair and scales from her tail, they marked her pale skin with dark ink, they measured her breasts, hips, arms, neck, head, ears, and tail, they shined lights into her green eyes, and did lots of other things she didn't like or understand. Nixie decided she didn't like these new humans.

After what seemed like forever, Nixie was given a respite. The humans left her alone, and that's when she made her escape. She smashed her fists into the walls of her prison until the glass cracked and gave way. She smiled as the warm fragrant ocean water washed in and mixed with the stale water in her cage. Nixie quickly swam through the hole she'd created, and into the warm waters beyond. Nixie swam for several hours, but in every direction she went she came across a think metal net that kept her from the rest of the ocean. She did everything she could think of, but couldn't damage the net at all. Finally she gave up on running. There was nowhere to run. But she could still hide. Nixie swam to the sea floor, searching until she found what she was looking for. A large outcropping of rock, dotted with caves and filled with intersecting tunnels. She swam deep into the rocks and settled into a small cave. She was exhausted from the events of the past two days, and after nestling into the sand on the floor of the cave, she drifted into sleep.

 

[Strangebuddy]

Lauren looked at the caves with great trepidation. Swimming in the open was fine but underwater caves? She tried to see how far the flashlights would reveal but their beams immediately struck a cave wall. Lauren was about to call for advice when she suddenly felt something bump into her. Turning around she saw the robot ramming its front camera into her back.

"Sorry doc but we have to get a move on. Robot can only operate an hour without power and your rank will only last two at most. Don't worry the caves are pretty stable."

Ignoring the technician's use of any word other than "unquestionably" to describe the stability of the caves, Lauren entered the network of caves, grunting each time the robot ran into her.

"So how will I even communicate with her? I don't exactly have a marker board and you haven't found a linguist who could decipher what she was speaking yet."

"Well, your breather is actually fit with a small amplifier. Sound carries underwater so she should hear you. As for the language barrier, didn't you do that study in the Amazon among that tribe of natives who have a non phonetic language? Just do what you did there."

Lauren growled. That had been an achievement but she had a team with her and the natives still had universal body language. Would something that lived underwater even have the same language origin? In fact, would it even be able to read her own body language with the diving suit on?

"Relax doc, she was a real sweetheart. Couldn't understand a word she said in or out of the water but she seemed nice enough." The technician mused. Even over the comm system Lauren could tell the tech had a serious case of puppy love.

"Well that's good. So when she escaped her tank, her reinforced tank, she just gently swam out of it?"

"Well...uh, keep your eyes open doc."

Lauren grumbled but continued swimming. Putting caution to the wind, she finally called out using the amplifier. Electing to sing her first inquiries, she chose a C note and called out:

"Helloooooo. Hellooooo. Can you hear me, hellooo?"

"Doc, what are you doing?"

"Quiet. If it can't understand the words...maybe it will at least like the tone. Helloooo please come out, hellooo."

She noticed the robot no longer followed her.
"Well, didn't think my singing was that bad."

Lauren took another turn. She soon realized she might get lost if she didn't find the subject soon.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Nixie woke with a start. They'd already found her! She could hear a high pitched voice, calling out in the same unknown language as before. Nixie didn't know how the human was able to speak underwater, but she had more important things to worry about. She had to escape!

Nixie shot out of her hiding place in the cave and into a tunnel. She swam as fast as she could in the tight spaces, doing her best to avoid scraping her tail on the rocks. She was getting close to an exit when she turned a corner and slammed right into a human! Nixie hissed in suprise as she pushed away from the strange looking human. It was wearing a strange looking black suit with tubes coming out of its mouth. It looked strange, even by human standards, and Nixie just wanted to get away from it. She turned away and shot back the down the tunnel she'd just left. She swam as fast as she could to get away, scraping her arms and tail on the sharp rocks as she did so. She swam as fast as she could, but the tunnel she was in ended in a dead end. She was trapped between a wall of rock and the human.

"Leave me alone!" Nixie shouted in the human languages she knew. She was frightened and hurt, and she didn't understand why the humans were doing this to her. She didn't remember humans being so mean to her. She even remembered some who were kind to her. Humans she loved. But she couldn't imagine loving these new humans. She imagined something else though. Something she would have thought impossible three days ago. Nixie imagined having to fight off the humans. The thought made her sick, but she saw no other options. She picked up a large rock from the cave floor and waited, hoping that the human would understand her words and go away.

 

[Strangebuddy]

Lauren yelped as the mermaid barreled past her. The contact was brief, and hurt like hell, but it was very telling. The mermaid, and now that she had at least gotten a glance she was willing to call it that, was strong and fast but it was clear its interest was in evasion, not confrontation or attack.

"Doc, are you okay? Did you see her? I'll send the robot to-"

"NO!" Lauren cried, louder than she should, "please, wherever you have it, just leave it there. The sub...the mermaid is running scared. I'm going to try and talk to her and I don't need a yellow ball flashing her with light and poking her.

"Okay, just careful." The technician said, "I am going to have the captain move closer in case you need an evac."

"Oh now you're concerned for my safety." She grumbled as she turned to follow after the mermaid. It didn't take her long, the mermaid had hit a dead end and had turned around with a fierce look in its face.

While Lauren's throbbing heart and fear were enough to hold her in place, the sheer wonder and beauty of the creature before her froze her for another reason: she was utterly gorgeous. As Lauren looked at the mermaid's flowing hair and piercing eyes, she felt a sort of instinctive attraction she hadn't felt since her first girlfriend in high school. While Lauren's tastes tended to lean more towards butch, the creature in front of her was such a prime example of mysterious feminine beauty, even with her lower half, that she couldn't help but feel a rush of blood go out to warm her face.

Then the mermaid spoke and Lauren broke out of her trance. It took almost a full minute for Lauren to understand what was being said. Even with some of the equipment built into her suit, Lauren still had a bit of trouble hearing her. It then took her a few seconds to realize that the mermaid was trying to speak Latin. Lauren was fortunate at that bit of luck. She had gone to Catholic school growing up and a requirement had been Latin lessons. She was rusty but as she saw the mermaid draw a rock into its hand with the intention to defend itself, she tried her best to give a calm response.

"Please, I don't mean you any harm." Lauren said, slowly raising her hands to show they were empty, "Can we talk? I won't stop you from leaving but I want to understand you and help you understand us." She underlined the statement by extending her right hand towards the mermaid when she addressed her as "you" and then drew it back towards herself when she referred to herself, "My name is Lauren Cooper, what's yours?"

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Nixie was suprised when the human spoke in the same language. They could understand her! So why did they wait until now to speak to her? Nixie was very confused and scared of these humans. She didn't trust this one, but she didn't want (or know how) to fight. After a moment she hesitantly lowered the rock, but still kept it firmly in her grip.

"Nixie." She said after a few tense moments. "Why are you following me? Why did no one talk to me if you knew what I was saying? Why is that net surrounding me? And how are you breathing and speaking down here? The humans I remember could not be down here without help. And where is your face, Lauren Cooper? Are your eyes made of glass?" Nixie asked, her natural curiosity overcoming her fear. She didn't understand these new humans, and maybe this Lauren Cooper could provide some answers.

 

[Strangebuddy]

Lauren was shocked when Nixie responded to her. She listened to the mermaid, tying to focus on what was being said rather than who was saying it.

"Nixie," Lauren said, keeping her distance, "I am sorry about the net. I didn't lay it out but it is to keep you safe. You are swimming in a place that has a lot of boats. The net is making a barrier on the surface as well so there won't be anyone sailing around until we can make sure you are healthy and we can take you somewhere safe."

Lauren wasn't sure how true the last part of that statement was, though she didn't want to share any concerning theories with the already frightened woman.

"I am afraid that people don't speak this language anymore," Lauren said, "I'm a scholar so I still know it, I'm sure they would have treated you better if they knew it."

When the questions about her equipment came up, Lauren chuckled. "Humans can't breathe or talk underwater normally. The tools I wear let me do that."

Still, the mermaid's line of questioning gave Lauren an idea. "Nixie, my eyes are not made of glass. This is a mask. Would you like to see my face? I need the tool on my mouth to breath and talk to you," she pointed to the breather, "but I can show you my face. I won't be able to see though for a few minutes once I take it off. Could you please hold my hand so I know where you are?"She reached out with her right hand while she moved her left to slip off the hood of the diving suit, revealing her hair. She readied to take off the SCUBA mask but waited to hear Nixie's response.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Nixie didn't like Lauren's explanation about the net. Nixie had been swimming all of the oceans for a very long time. She knew about boats. Although... Before her sleep the boats were made of wood and were slow. And humans didn't have any way to speak or breathe underwater. Maybe she did need help. But she didn't want to be taken anywhere. The water was her home. All of it. From the deep dark waters to the warm coral reefs. From the icy cold waters far from land to the sandy tropical waters. All of the oceans where her home.

"I do not want to be taken anywhere, Lauren Cooper. I have swam freely for a very long time. I have never told a human what lands to walk, and I do not accept humans telling me where to swim. Take away the net and let me swim freely. Then, and only then, will I hold your hand and speak with you. Until then we have nothing to discuss." Nixie said firmly, hoping her fear didn't come through her voice. She tried her best to look authoritative while crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't like being mean, but these new humans had already made her a prisoner once. She feared what else they would do to her. She didn't understand what they wanted with her, or why they wouldn't leave her alone. But maybe this human could help her. Nixie hoped that the human would.

 

[Strangebuddy]

This would be a tough sell, both for Nixie and the Navy, Lauren thought. The net was there to stay. Even if the order was given, it would take a day to withdraw the net. The Navy meanwhile would at least want something out of the exchange and even if it was only for Nixie's own good, withdrawing the net would let in scrappers, treasure hunters, reporters, and anyone else who would want the inside scoop on what was going on down there.

Lauren pulled the hood on her diving suit back up

"Nixie, you're right. If I was told where I could go or if someone was keeping me trapped, I would hate them and not want to work with them. However, you got hurt and there are a lot of people out there who would want to bother you. We just want to make sure you are safe and that you have a plan for what to do so you don't get hurt again or to find out what we can do so you don't get hurt again."

"Hey Hippie, give her the ointment." The doctor from onboard the ship came on the comm unit, "And tell her I'm sorry for taking her scales."

Lauren reached down to her belt and pulled out a small compact which she unscrewed to reveal some topical cream.

"This is medicine. The woman onboard the ship who treated your injuries wants you to have it. You can rub it on your injuries and the pain should get better. She says she's sorry she took some of your scales. She had never run into a mermaid before so she was looking at them to see if it could help with your treatment."

She held out the ointment.

"Nixie, if we did take the net away right now, do you have somewhere you can go? Somewhere safe? You don't have to tell me where it is, just tell me what it's like. Do you have any family who would be looking for you?"

Lauren was in disbelief. She was talking to a centuries old mermaid and she was asking it questions she would ask a child.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

After a moment Nixie hesitantly reached out and took the ointment. She unscrewed the lid and gave the pale goo a sniff. It didn't smell good, but it lacked the smell of poison. Nixie scooped out a handful of the stuff and began to rub it into her various scrapes and cuts.

"There are lots of safe places." Nixie finally said, after finishing administering the ointment. She handed the empty jar back to Lauren before continuing speaking. "The ocean is vast and filled with hiding places. No one bothered me while I was sleeping. It will be harder at stay hidden when I am awake, but I can do it. As for family, there are not any awake right now. One or two of my people might wake up during my cycle, but most of them will stay asleep for now. We have not all been awake at once since before you humans were alive. I wish I had been alive to see that..." Nixie sighed wistfully, imaging the zenith of her people before continuing. "I am rather young by my people's standards, but I am older than any human. I will adapt to your new world, as my people always have. I do not wish to fight any of you. Please implore your leaders to remove the net. I will leave this area if that is a problem, but I can take care of myself. I will not be caught in a net again. Please, Lauren Cooper. I beg you. Let me leave. Let me be free." Nixie said, clasping her hands together as she begged for the net to be removed.

 

[Strangebuddy]

Lauren sighed, or at least as best as the mask allowed her to. Nixie seemed set on leaving and was desperate to do so. The scientist in her was desperate to get to know more about her, the society she came from, how she ate, etc. The more sympathetic side of her wanted to just hug the mermaid and let her know that things would be all right.

In the end, sympathy won out. Lauren closed the gap and put her hand on the mermaid's shoulder. She rubbed it gently and tried to think of what she could say.

"Nixie," she finally said, "I'm sorry, I promise you will get to swim free but can you please give us some time? I know you think you will be safe and that you can navigate this new world you've woken up to but you got caught in a fisherman's net this time. What if you got caught by a ship that..." she struggled for the right word for processed, "chopped up fish without any fishermen to see you?"

Inspiration struck her, "Nixie, what if I could give you some tools? Some items that would let you save yourself from nets and call for help? The last humans you met couldn't speak underwater like me, maybe we could make you some tools, too. I could give you information on dangers you would face and you could get to know about this world you woke up to"

"Can you just give us three days? Please?" She pleaded. She didn't know why she said that amount, she just wanted to get a bit more time with Nixie, "We will get the net lifted then and you'll be better prepared when it gets lifted.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Nixie almost shied away as Lauren swam forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. But it had been a very long time since Nixie had physical contact that didn't hurt, so she stayed put and listened as the scientist spoke. After listening and thinking over the offer, Nixie finally spoke. "Three days?" She finally asked in a hesitant voice. "I... I guess three days is not so bad. If you are teaching me things about your people and how the world has changed." She said, still sounding very unsure. "But you must swear to me Lauren Cooper. You must swear that after the three days I will be free. If I have your word that I will go free, then I will follow you now." Nixie said, trusting that Lauren would keep her word.

 

[Strangebuddy]

"Dr. Cooper! You have no authority to set terms, you-"

"Cram it," Lauren said quickly, "unless you can find another anthropologist who can scuba-dive, knows Latin, and has already talked to Nixie, then you deal with me."

Lauren then addressed Nixie, hoping she didn't pick up that conversation, "you have my word Nixie...three days and nets come up or we will get you past the nets, and in the mean time, we will work on teaching you what you need to know."

She took Nixie's hand in her own and briefly took away the breathing mask so she could show Nixie her smile, "Now let's head out of here...and if you could lead the way, I would greatly appreciate it because I got a bit lost when I was trying to find you."

 

[Aliceinchains36]

"Very well Lauren Cooper. I accept your deal. For three days we will learn from each other. Then, I will go free." Nixie copied Lauren's smile, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth, before taking the doctor by the hand. She pulled Lauren into a tight bear hug, her impressive bust pressing into the other woman's chest, as she squeezed the doctor close against her body. "Hold on tightly, Lauren Cooper." Nixie instructed, before bending her tail about thirty degrees, and unfurling it.

They moved through the water at a pace rather slow for Nixie, but probably terrifyingly fast to the doctor. Nixie navigated through the caves easily, until the emerged from the caves into the open ocean. Nixie could've released the doctor at this point, but Nixie had forgotten how nice it felt to have a human pressed against her chest. Instead of letting Lauren go, Nixie squeezed the doctor a little closer, squishing her breasts against the other woman's chest even more. "So Lauren Cooper, where are we going?" Nixie asked, not addressing the fact that her breasts were pressed tightly against Lauren's.

 

[Strangebuddy]

Lauren would have yelped when Nixie flashed her teeth and wrapped her in a tight embrace but the mermaid had acted so fast that the scientist only had time to wrap her arms around Nixie's back and hold on tight as the mermaid jetted them out of the cave. She did have time to gasp however, releasing a collection of bubbles from her mouth as they darted out into the ocean. The doctor felt Nixie tighten her grip and a growing pressure on chest increased as well. Opening her eyes, she took a quick look down and saw Nixie's surprisingly large breasts mashed against her own chest...Nixie's surprisingly large, bare breasts...that were only separated from her own flesh by the thin material of her diving suit.

Lauren only then felt her quickened pulse and the growing patches of goosebumps on her flesh. She quickly turned her gaze back up towards Nixie's face, hoping to hide her oogling.

"You're just pumped up from meeting a real life mermaid and getting swam at mach speed out of a very claustrophobic tunnel." She thought, trying to calm herself, "Besides, it's been what, 2 years since your last date? You're just under sexed, a little nervous, your adrenaline and dopamine are pumping like crazy, you're going to handle this like a professional and not leer at Nixie."

As her eyes opened again and she beheld Nixie's face, she almost immediately betrayed her profession and dignity. She had clearly overestimated how deep she had sunk as daylight was beaming down through the water and letting her have the first real look at Nixie...and it was glorious. The mermaid's hair was suspended in the deep ocean water, making her full head of red gorgeous locks hang behind her. Then there were her eyes...how long had it been since someone's eyes had made Lauren feel so weak in the knees? They were pressed so close together...why did she have to be wearing this damn suit?

"So Lauren Cooper, where are we going?"

Lauren finally broke out of her infatuos daze and quickly stumbled for an explanation, glad that the breathing apparatus hid her blushing.

"Well, since the net is our concern, I figured we could go to one of the boats that is keeping it in place. It seems like it would be a good lesson and we could spend some time together...getting to know a bit more about each other." She involuntarily gripped the mermaid tighter, "Sorry Nixie, I just wasn't expecting...you're a very beautiful swimmer. I mean, it was such a thrill when you swam with me...just please keep holding me tight when we go to the boat, okay?"

God, she was acting like she was back in Catholic School, sharing a shower with the girl's basketball captain...except that was the early feeling of lust a young woman who was just learning what her desires were, Lauren may have gone months if not years at a time having to suppress or leave her needs unsatisfied whn she was in the field but she had known lusts and satisfaction from fulfilling them, with Nixie though...she felt, she shook her head and gripped Nixie tighter. She'd figure it out later.