Jewel of the Sea (Open)

Ren turned the wheel and then let the anchor down. She excitedly ran down the middle of the boat jumping over the seats and metal middle pieces. Once she made it to the edge of the boat she tore her shirts and tank top off her hair in a bun and her swim suit nice and dry. She dived in and then popped back up. First swim of the spring was her favorite.

Nami had gone on a solo scout when she saw a young girl jump into the water. She partially hi behind the boat she jumped off from. She watched curiously as the girl went swimming around. She looked like she could be who she was looking for.

Nami watched her in silence for a few minutes. This girl seemed like a natural in the water. A little too natural. Nami squinted her eyes.

"Yep. This is her."

She swam back toward the boat slowly and took a deep breath. This was the good life. She saw someone by the boat and swam over there quickly. She couldn't believe that she wasn't the only other person swimming out this far. She hadn't seen another boat within the radius. Maybe this girl was a super swimmer who could swim to the shore all the way out here without getting tired.

Nami saw the girl approach, and assuming she knew her lineage, swam out in front of her.

"Hello miss, Ren, I think it was that I was told." Nami bowed slightly. When she was straight up again, she smiled at Ren in the cute way she always smiles at people.

Ren looked at the odd girl. "Um...Uh...How do you know my name?" She really sure what was going on and she absolutely knew not a thing about her lineage. She found the girl to be weirdly friendly. She didn't even know her and that freaked her out quite a bit. She wanted to swim away she tell her that she had the wrong girl but she clearly knew her name so she had to confront her. No running away.

"I need you to come with me, miss Ren." Nami grabbed Ren's hand and tugged her a little bit. "I can explain everything that's happening on the way to your father." She noticed that Ren wasn't exactly coming along.

"Are you not going to transform?"

"Tr-transform?! Wh-what are you talking about? My father? Where is he? I was told he was dead?" She was so confused so many questions ran through her mind. She had no idea what this nut was talking about but there was no way she could stop thinking about that the girl mentioned her father.

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. So maybe this girl didn't know a single thing about her lineage. Nami sighed, a little exasperated.

"Okay. Let me just explain this to you quickly. Your father is ill and, although it doesn't take too long to get to Kaioukoku, but you obviously need training. I mean both in transformation and in etiquette training. I'm not the best person for that, but I am the most knowledgeable person in Kaioukoku. You can call it Kaiko, most of us do. Your father, king of Kaiko has come down with a serious illness, and will be cut down before his time. You are the only blood tie to the throne."

Nami motioned for her to come sit on a small outcropping of rocks about 10 feet away. She pulled herself onto a rock, revealing her irridescent pink mermaid tail.

Ren was very weirded out. This is was not anything she expected, but she wanted to get to the bottom of this. She followed the 'mermaid' and sat one the rocks with her. She hugged her knees to her chest. She wasn't sure what to saw.

"Do you have any questions so far, Princess?" Nami was wringing out her hair, which looked fine when it was wet, but even better when it was wrung out and drying.

She tentatively picked up and inspected Ren's arms and hands and legs and feet, assessing how difficult this may be for her.

"He had to have a half human child didn't he?"

"Why me...? Why did it have to be me...? I don't understand. I was told he died at see, but he's really not dead..." She could barely understand anything or comprehend it. It really was confusing. She was going straight home and confronting her mother about this. She stood up quickly and dove into the water and started swimming toward the boat.

Nami dived in the water and popped up in front of her.

"You can't! Your mother must not know of this! It is in your best interest and hers as well!" Nami snapped her fingers. "I'll just live with you until you can transform and travel to Kaiko!" She grinned and flashed her big blue eyes at Ren, laying on the charm.

"Fine, fine. If I don't tell her, how do I explain the strange girl living in our house?" She was sure the blonde wouldn't know what to say. She swam around her and pulled herself up on deck. She walked slowly to wheel and anchor.

Nami was silent for a moment, then clambered up on the boat in her human form, but completely naked. "I'm going to say that I'm your half sister from before your mother and father met." She straightened the bow in her hair and looked out over the ocean. "I haven't been in human form in a long time. Legs are so difficult. I don't see how you get so used to them." She shook her head and got a little bit of excess water from her ears.

Ten went bellow board and graced some clothes and there them at the girl. She really did not expect her to be naked. She didn't even know that she could become human. "Put those on. We can't have you running around naked. Its pretty easy to use legs on land compared to on a ship." She went back to the wheel and hit the crank to bring the anchor back up. "You know my name so what is yours, sis?" She wanted something she could call her and sis wasn't going to do it.

Nami inspected the clothes, nodding that she liked them, and pulled them on.

"I'm Nami. Nami Hisakawa. You know, you are quite like your father. In looks I mean." She smiled at her. "He'd be very proud."

She hopped around the boat like a little bird, asking what this and that was, what those did, acting just like a little kid in a new place.

Ren could barely focus on the questions she was being asked. She looked like her father, he'd be proud of her. She reallydidn't want him to die bbefore she got the chance to meet him. She finally mustered up some thought. "We'll go shopping once we get on land. Get you some clothes and things. My mom might find it weird that you show up here without anything." She wanted to return home but at the same time she didn't know what she would say.

Nami was grinning like crazy. This was going to be so exciting, her first land trip! She stood next to Ren, watching her steer the boat.

"Do you go to school? Is school fun? I've never actually been to one, since we just kind of know stuff. Can I go to school with you? I bet people are kind of dumb though. You humans don't live as that long, so you sort of have to just stuff as much information in your brain as fast as possible. It's ridiculous really. But I still want to go! It'll be the best story to tell the guys back in Kaiko!"

Ren decided it was best to indulge the girl's questions if she didn't she'd just keep bothering her. "Yes, I go to school. I actually go to high school. It is one of the highest school levels. I mean if you like learning school can be fun, I don't exactly enjoy it. I would rather be on the ocean and swimming." She wasn't sure about the whole her going to school with her thing.

Nami nodded. Ren seemed to have the spirit of sea royalty, which was good. She'd need that.

"So, if you are in one of the highest levels, you must have a lot of experience then. What sort of things do they teach you?"

"Math, English, History, Languages, the usual stuff." She wasn't sure how to explain it to her. Once they made it back to the dock she jumped over the ship railing and landed on the wooden dock. She began tying it up and people said hello to her and waved. She politely said hello back and waved with a smile on her face.

"Oh... Those sound a little useless." She climbed down next to Ren and looked around at the scenery. It was actually very pretty. Pretty and simple. "When you get to Kaiko you won't need those, you'll have magic!" Nami accidentally said that a little louder, causing some people to look at her funny.

Ren lightly chopped Nami's head with her hand. "Watch what you say. Not everyone is the same as you." Ren knew this was going to be a long day. Ren crawled back into the boat and grabbed her clothes and flipflops. After putting on her tank top and shorts she came back down to stand next to Nami. In her hand was a purse with money for Nami's clothes.

Nami pouts and rubs her head. "It's not my fault you humans don't think we're real anymore."

Nami, although looking very younger than Ren, also had an older air about her. "You do know I'm older tan you right?"

Wren's mouth gaped open. "No way! I just thought you were a sassy 10 year old!!" She was truly surprised when she shouldn't have beeen. She slipped into her flipflops and began walking away. She needed to get clothes and a swimsuit for her. They were going to be shopping for hours with here.