An Island in the Sun

((This is a role play between Sirius Baren and I.))

Name: Bell D. Renard
Age: Twenty-two
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Appearance/Picture:
Personality: Conservative and polite, Bell is certainly not the type of guy you'd see out partying. He believes in traditional ways of thinking, and that a lady should be cared for and respected just as a man. He's studious and often much too consumed in his own work, which can make him completely oblivious to things that are right before him. Bell is a man known for passing up opportunities and taking on so much work that he often forgets he needs to care for himself, rather than his project.
Bio: Bell was born on an even smaller island than Mermorte, and carried out his studies as a carpenter. He quickly became interested in over-seas architecture and vowed he'd see the beautiful structures residing on the main land. His dream has yet to be realized, though, because he soon became intrigued by the rumors about the mysterious Mermorte, or Mermaid's Perch, and took it upon himself to take the next ship to said island to see if all was well, or amiss.
Other: Strongly believes in most myths, and wants nothing more than to be an architect when he finishes his studies in the art of architecture. He was born on an island called Mali.
Played by: Murdoch Rouge

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Name: Ray Soleil
Age: Nineteen
Gender: Female
Species: Mermaid
Appearance/Picture:
Personality: Ray was born an optimist, and always found a way to shed light upon any situation, no matter how grave. She's fairly innocent for her age and, unlike merfolk society, has yet to be courted. She's a bit of a goof, and often finds herself both confused and disoriented. In other words, she's stupid. Though, her capacity for good and her amazingly warm heart makes up for her lack of brains...slightly.
Bio: Ray has always had an interest in the human species, and the thought of meeting one made her giggle. She'd never found the courage to tell somebody her thoughts, though, as the mere mention of the human species either angered the elders, or made everyone around her quite violent. The subject of mortals is the one thing Ray knows to keep quiet about.
Other: Barely knows how to swim, and has a hard time maneuvering quickly in the water, albeit the fact that she is a creature of the sea.
Played by: Murdoch Rouge
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Name: Ella
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Species: Mermaid
Appearance/Picture:
Personality: Ella is kind hearted, and believes that even the destructive human race, deserves a chance. She believes in things that are good, but she does have a dark side. She can fight viciously for those she loves and are her friends. She can be like the ocean a lot of the time, calm one moment, fiery and deadly the next. She has her faults, as she is quite innocent, but she always believes in others and is willing to give others second chances. She loves who she is, and even though many other merfolk despise how they are since the only time they can ever come on land is with the island. Most hate humans, but Ella doesn't and is very intrigued by them and their ways.
Bio: Ella has grown up her whole life half on the land, and half in the sea. Her parents were caught in a fisherman's net and disappeared. Ella and others had tried to search for them, but it was in vain. Even though Ella knew she had every right to hate humans, it only intrigued her. She's always wondered what happened to her parents, but knows that she'll likely never know quite what happened to them.
Since then she has devoted her life to the sea, hardly coming to the island as she was always searching for something, though even with that she was unsure as to what she was looking for...until one stormy night that changed her life forever.
Other: Ella has figured out, or at least thinks she has, a way to have legs on land other than the island.
Played by: Sirius Baren
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Name: Duke Wellington
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Appearance/Picture:
Personality:Duke has a very magnetic personality, he's happy, and fun, but he does have a serious side that often brings the mood in the room down when he walks in. He's very much a realist and anything that seems to have the tad bit of a down side, he's a bit of a party pooper, especially if he's the one who had started the party in the first place. He enjoys coming to new places, and has the idea stuck in his head that he's about to find the next big discovery.
Bio: Duke grew up in London England, his parents didn't pay too much attention to him, but he was definitely the King of the Crowd as he knew what made people happy. He grew up with a group of boys from his street and was ready to have adventures with them. Of course many moved away, seeking riches, some married, and one of them even moved all the way to California America to try this new thing called Movies. He soon boarded a ship that was going to travel all around the world, after stopping at an island that takes on a few more passengers, he realizes the real danger when the boat is rocked with harsh waves and starts to sink...
Other: Always seems to know how things work, including people.
Played by: Sirius Baren
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The shallow sea air whipped in all directions, bringing with it random chunks of debris from the slew of small islands sitting once comfortably on the previously relaxed tropical sea. A ship, brave to travel in the state of hell the sea was in, sailed almost cautiously through the now navy-blue waters. A few odd travelers had been on the unlucky ship, and now they were all cowering in fear beneath the deck, begging the lord for their lives and hopefully an escape.

One of those quite obviously damned guests on that ship was Bell Renard, an islander from another far-off Pacific cay. He'd huddled himself into the corner of the room he and another traveler had been staying in, as the boat was too small for each person to have their own room. The dread-locked adult had to admit he was frightened, and worried mostly about his own life. It was his own fault that he was in such a promising situation, as it was his own insatiable curiosity that forced him onto that ship in the first place.

Amidst his rather dismal and bothersome thoughts, he felt the flooring of his room shake, as if something from the bottom of the sea had erupted and smacked the bottom of the ship with a great force. Bell's head was immediately thrusted toward the bedroom's wall as the ship began to lean to one side, and water had begun to lap at his feet. By now , Bell's mind had begun to scream for him to simply fall asleep and awake sooner or later at heaven's door, but he lashed out at himself and pushed open the door, allowing his roommate room to get out first. One look back was all he needed for the strength to run to the head of the ship, and he took off running.

Once Bell found the ship's hull, the ship was almost halfway lodged into the unusually frigid sea water. His heart was pounding, and he felt like passing out. Hazel-green eyes darted around himself in panic as he saw the horror on all of the passengers' faces. 'We're never getting off this ship!' Bell thought, biting his lip nervously, 'There's no way any of us will survive this...'

The tall man gave one last terrorized gaze out to the gurgling ocean before blacking out, as he was sure he was never to awake.

Ella was quite content sitting in the small hut she had built for herself. It was storming outside rather hard and she was afraid to go out. The island granted her and her people legs, but too much water and she'd have a hard time getting back to the ocean because of her fin. She finally decided to look out at the sea, it seemed unusually angry at the moment. As she came out, a few others had looked as well, knowing the ocean wasn't this angry when storms came. Ella's eyes widened as she saw the ship in the distance sinking.

Suddenly there were shouts as the merfolk abandoned all reason, at least the better swimmers, and ran to the beach. Ella was among them, she was one of the strongest swimmers. There were a few merfolk who just wouldn't go into the ocean much and had lost the ability to survive in the waters, but not Ella, she knew exactly what she was doing. She pulled her shoes off before she tossed them on the wet beach and dove into the water. The sensation was strange as her legs melded together into a long and powerful fin.

Ella and the other's swam through the ocean at speeds very high. She was deep in the water, seeing some of the already dead bodies. She shook her head before she broke through some glass and forced herself through the window. She swam through the half that was already under the water and up until she finally found someone she could save. A few were behind her, she knew others were rescuing those who had abandoned the ship and were struggling in the massive currents. Ella grabbed onto the young man who was unconscious, but seemed alive. "Hold on," she said as she held him tightly to her as she had to wait for the ship to sink all the way.

She could take him under the water without risking him dying on her, and she had to wait for the ship to disappear before she was in the clear to swim back to the island. She looked at his face, wondering where he came from as she waited for the ship to sink. She kept him well above the water as she wondered if it was his fault the ocean was angry. Finally the ship was sunk enough that she could pull him to safety. She felt her stomach crawl as people were crying out for her to help them, but she couldn't. This young man seemed to have a better chance at life.

As soon as it was clear she darted off, even though she was toting him behind her, she was still swimming fast, trying to get out of the ocean's way. She would have to wait until the sun came out before she could get back onto the island, but she was able to push the stranger onto the wet beach without getting stranded before she retreated into the water to wait out the storm.

On the shore of Mermorte Island sat a bronze skinned, childish looking young woman, a puzzled look on her round face. Her hands rested on her thighs, curled into fists as she let out a screech of impatience. A ship had come in on the horizon earlier that day, and when the sea began to toss, the ship had began to toss as well. She was annoyed to say the least as she watched the strong, talented merfolk dive gracefully into the ocean as they saved as many as they could from the sinking craft. Oh, how she wished she could swim...

Ray Soleil her name, she was considered a failure, being a mermaid who could not swim. If she had the mental capacity to, Ray was sure she would swim! The chocolate haired beauty simply whined until Ella brought forth a young man, unconscious, onto the familiar beach of Mermorte. A smile crept upon her plump lips as she gazed down at the human; he was still breathing.

"Ella, you found a boy!" she howled, gushing at the man's features, hair, and clothing. It'd been a long time since the last real humans had reared around Mermorte Island, and never had she seen one around her and Ella's age. "He's pretty, Ella, look! He's pretty! He has long hair too...like me and you, Ella! He could be a merman; did you check?"

The young sea maiden babbled on about the possibilities of this human, her eyes drawing themselves everywhere as her curiosity got the better of her. "Ella, what are you still doing in the water? This is far too interes--Wait, are there others?! Like him?! More humans on that floating monster, yes? Oh, I'm so excited! Can we tell them that we're mermaids, Ella, would that be alright?"

Ella had her arms on a rock, staring at the young man as the waves came in, soaking him from the knees down every time. She was trying to think of what would happen to him, she knew if he went passed the boundaries on the island, he'd be in deep and grave trouble. She flipped her fin for a moment before she heard Ray bubble about the human. In all honesty Ella felt annoyed, she had travelled all over the world and had seen much more than most of the merfolk on the island, but this one seemed different, even as he slept in an unconscious state.

"Yes Ray, I found a boy." She sighed as she looked at the girl. As she looked back to the human, she couldn't argue with Ray, he was handsome. "No Ray, he's not, otherwise I wouldn't have had to rescue him from the ship." She declared irritated as Ray was sometimes a bit of an idiot when she babbled on about whatever held her interest.

"Ray, I can't get out of the water until the sun comes out and the storm goes away, you know that." She stressed. There were several merfolk on the island like Ray, they couldn't swim, and were more human than they were mer, but Ella was a pure as they came. It was a drag sometimes, unable to escape this somewhat curse of a blessing. "No Ray!" she said sternly. "They can't know, you know exactly what would happen if the world found out about us." She scolded. "We can help them, but they must never know what we are." She said before she knew that the boy would be waking up soon. She sighed and hated to leave Ray alone with him unattended, but she had to wait until she could come back on the land with two legs.

"If he asks, or anyone else, you have to say that he washed up here with the others. They can't know we rescued them." She tried to get her point across to Ray before she sighed. "I'm going to meet up with the others, please pass the word along about them." Ella said hopefully before she dove back into the water and to a very beautiful coral bed where the other merfolk were waiting for her. They needed to figure this out, what they could do with so many humans.

The petite young mermaid stood and waved heartily to her friend as she disappeared into the furious blue sea. Moments later, Ray gazed down at the human, his chest was rising still, so he was alive to say the least. "What should I do? You'll catch cold if you stay in the water for too long...The queen," the brown haired Mermorte resident mumbled in reference to the sea, "she's been awfully spiteful lately, hasn't she?"

Bright hazel eyes flicked open as life breathed through the once sleeping man's body; Bell jolted upward, causing a shriek to emit from Ray's rose hued lips. She had long golden-brown hair, tanned skin, and bright caramel eyes that twinkled with the essence of ignorance. Yes, she was beautiful, but it was strange...he wasn't expecting to see quite this someone sitting before him. "Wh-Who are you? Where am I? What happened to the shi--lord--what happened to all those people?"

Ray grasped desperately at her chest as her heart beat vigorously, this human boy startling her with his sudden regain of consciousness. The plain white cloth she wore over her body blew in the sudden angry gust of wind and Ray nearly fell to her knees in pity as she watched Bell's body wrack in the cold. "Relax! I-I'm here to help...You washed up on the island a while ago, and I wasn't sure what to do. I guess it'd be best for me to take you back to my hut. It's just off the shore, I'm sure I wouldn't be in too much trouble for..." the young mermaid trailed off as a slew of incoherent mumblings followed her statement, her bare feet shuffling softly in the sand below.

Ray's hut had been one of the closest to the sea's shores, despite her lack of knowledge about the great and seemingly untouchable skill of swimming. Considered to be on the outskirts of the Mermorte community, Ray helped this surviving human back to her hut and found a cotton sheet for him to keep warm in. Eventually, the shocked boy had fallen asleep, leaving Ray alone with her slightly empty thoughts. She sat down in the doorway of her small home, gazing out at the calming sky. "Ella, please come quickly..."

Ella spoke with the elder's under the water as they were trying to figure out what was going to happen with the humans they had rescued. They had deliberated for a while, enough that as they finished, the storm had finished by that time and Ella swam to the surface. She gave a relieved sigh as they crawled onto the land, their fin seperating and forming into human legs. She quickly pulled herself to her feet. She found it was easier to wear a dress so she wouldn't lose her pants when she transformed.

Ella quickly moved back to the spot where she had left Ray and the human, she saw they were there and headed towards her hut. She opened the door and saw the human tucked in a cotton sheet. She sighed as he looked pitiful. She hoped he wouldn't get sick. She looked over at Ray before she moved to the human and brushed some hair from his closed eyes. "How is he?" she turned and looked at Ray, wondering how the human would take to the island life. Ella loved her island, but it was always overwhelming for outsiders to be on it without going through some trauma.

The island wasn't normal. There were many things about it that even the merfolk didn't understand. It was dangerous for the humans to cross the border, otherwise the more unfriendly merfolk would delight in killing them off rather painfully.

((Sorry it's a little short.))

((S'alright. Right now all I'm concerned about is the survivor of the accident that you're going to play. Send the information to me as soon as possible, and if you need some help, don't be afraid to ask! =]))

Ray planted her legs semi-comfortably on the reed matting, the makeshift flooring for her cozy home, and twisted awkwardly to beam at her more mature friend. "Ah, he seemed alright...Though he is pretty confused and sleepy. I can't blame him...I know I'd probably be dead if I were in his place."

The ocher locked mermaid toyed with a stray strand of hair, switching focus between Ella and the unnamed stranger. There was the sound of nothing but the ocean lapping playfully against the white sand beaches just a few yards from the tiny hut the three had been currently occupying; it was comforting, in a way. Though the salty blue water of the sea was the first thing that had come naturally to Ray, and all of the other merfolk inhabiting the mysterious island, it was also one of the most frightening and intimidating things that she had ever had close contact with.

Standing abruptly, the little woman trotted out of the hut with her usual up-beat, goofy smile. Ray glanced back at Ella and Boy, as she'd decided to call him, and waved gingerly. "I'm going to walk the shore and see if I can help with any survivors.Try to keep Boy awake...it's bad for him to sleep if he has a concussion, right?" Not waiting for an answer, the tan mermaid took off towards the ocean's limits, being sure not to fall into the waters.

((Yeah, I'll try and have that to you tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on if I find time in my busy schedule tomorror. I do need a little help...how can I pull him in?))

Ella watched Raw as she spoke. She sighed in relief as the boy seemed to be alive and healthy, other then the fact that he had just been through a very traumatizing experience. She watched him as he continued to breathe. She thought to herself as to what she should use to help him cope with the trauma. She looked up as Ray shifted slightly.

Ray was immature, but she was smart when there was a call for it. She watched as Ray got to her feet. "Yes, alright, as soon as he wakes up I'll do my best to keep him awake." She responded as Ray left, hardly hearing her response. Ella shrugged her shoulders before she began to prepare a simple, and rather cold, soup that would help heal from the inside out if he had any damage to his insides. She was quite busy preparing it that the boy was hardly in her awareness as she was wondering how they could hide such a secret from so many people. Before there had maybe been perhaps 1 or 4 people that would come to this island...but they had 13 as of now.

Ella hoped they'd all live, and she hoped that they'd be able to get off the island. It wasn't smart to have so many humans. They were destructive and a violent race, though she knew that some of her kind could be worse than them, but at least the merfolk knew how to respect the natural world unlike the humans who seemed to want control over everything. Whether it breathed or not.

((I'll PM you about it in a second. Also, I apologize for the size of the post. Mostly dialog, so...))

An intoxicating and altogether nauseating scent shuffled around Ray's home, nearly smoking out Bell's senses as he awoke with a fit of coughs. "What is tha-that?" the messily haired islander hacked, clutching his throat as his eyes darted frantically around the room. His deep brown eyes fell upon an unfamiliar figure on the other side of the hut and he rose groggily to his feet, bounding slowly towards the figure, which he'd soon found out was a woman. She wasn't the same as the woman he'd met earlier on the beach...

No, this specimen was almost completely different. Her skin was paler, her eyes were darker, and her general outlook appeared...less light-hearted. "What happened to the girl from before?" Bell grumbled, placing his hand exasperatingly upon his burning forehead. "Who are you...who is anybody, and where am I? The last thing I remember I was looking at the ocean...it was so dark; Almost black. W-Was I imagining something?"

Ella turned around, surprised as she heard coughing and then someone speak. She tucked her dark hair behind her ears as she watched the young man go into a small panic attack. She frowned slightly as she quickly stirred in the last ingredient of the soup before she turned back to the stranger. "It will help you with healing." She stated to his first question as she watched him cautiously as he got to his feet. He shouldn't really be standing on his own, he could topple over at any moment and cause terrible damage to himself.

Ella took in a deep breath. "She left to go help others. I'm sorry I had to leave you in her care, I had to take care of something." She spoke softly as she watched him. "You're on Mermorte," she stated quietly before she quickly walked over to him. He was burning up. Ella frowned, she didn't have much time to help him or he'd get very sick and probably die a rather painful death. "No you weren't, it's amazing you struggled in the ocean, a few of our better swimmer went out to help, it was very difficult, but we managed." She didn't specifically say they were merpeople, but Ella was still very wet from being in the water. "Come now, I need you to drink this." She grabbed a coconut shell and held it to his lips, hoping he'd take it. It didn't taste too good, but it worked.

Painfully gulping down the foul liquid, Bell drew back swiftly after most of it was gone, snarling in disgust. "Ugh...S-So I see. Were there any other survivors, or am I the only--No--It's not possible I'm the only one, am I? Jesus Chri--Tell me I'm not the only one!"

The dread locked adult's heart pounded furiously in his chest, causing the panic to set in as more sweat trickled down his face. It was all too much pain, too much to handle. He mustn't have been the only survivor of that unfortunate accident, he couldn't have been. "What of that other girl...who found me on the beach. Wh-where is she?" Bell choked out, grasping desperately at his throat as his fever increased with worry. "I can't remember, though; was she in the crash too? Or was it..."

The dark skinned man brought an iron strong grip over his face and down his sharp chin, toying lightly with the less-than-thick patch of hair that lie there. He turned on his heel and his eyes focused in on the empty doorway, revealing a straight shot to the shoreline. Bell's legs moved almost mechanically as his destination, the water, was the sole thing in his mind. He figured some water could satiate the growing temperature in his core, unlike that heinous soup that he'd just been fed.

"G-Give me a moment, Miss. I'm so-sorry." Bell tossed the words over his shoulder at the kind and beautiful woman who'd helped him alongside the other very kind and beautiful woman, the taste of sea salt evident on his lips as he licked them out of pure dehydration.

Ella watched him gulp the horrible stuff down before he spoke. She shook her head as she watched him cautiously. "No, there are twelve others, thirteen when you include yourself." She stated as she watched him panic.

"She went to go help the others. I'm sorry I had to leave you in her care earlier, but after pulling you out of the water, I needed to speak with the elders on this island." She said softly. "No, she lives here." Ella said as he looked absolutely terrible. She stared in shock as he walked forward. She shook her head and quickly went after him. "You can't come out here!" she said, afraid as they moved close to the water. She was terrified to be near it at that moment, she couldn't risk more than a cup full to hit her, or her body would react and change in front of him. "Please, come back!" she grabbed his arms.

"We have clean water, the salt water will dehydrate you further, come with me please!" Ella begged as she tried to pull him back. "You're sick, you need to rest." She stated as she saw a few bodies along the beach, other merfolk helping them out. She bit her lip as she was trying to keep this young man under control. It was one thing for her to be able to tame the ocean, another to try and get this young man to come away from the salty water.

Bell deflated slightly with a defeated sigh and went on to follow this anonymous young heroine into the small shoreline hutch. The dark haired young adult licked his dry, chapped lips one last time and gave a short yawn. His lips parted a final time, ready to speak, but was hushed by a perky, loud voice. He groaned exasperatedly and, out of sheer nerve reaction, grasped the anonymous young woman standing before him's shoulder with a squeak.

It wasn't long before Ray bounded up to the pair, a nearly intoxicated smile gracing her sunny features; she was surprised to see Boy up already, and was glad to see he'd had a chance to 'bond' with Ella. Something was amiss with the less than skillful mermaid, though, as she'd been dragging along a delirious man who'd had an expression that simply bled the words 'What the hell just happened?'.

"Ella," Ray sang whilst reluctantly pulling forth the newly discovered survivor of the shipwreck, "I found another pretty one! He doesn't have hair like Boy, though. Speaking of Boy, I'm happy you're awake...Do you know Shell?" It was almost ridiculous how ignorant the golden haired woman of the sea was. She'd just quickly come up with nicknames for the two unfortunate sea travelers, one even more ridiculous than the other. The petite lady turned on her heel and hugged 'Shell's' arm close with the flash of yet another goofy grin. "Well go on, Shell! Say hello to Ella and Boy. They're nice, I promise; they have good hearts...I can tell."

((Sorry if it's short...and 'Shell', is Duke, by the way.))

((I am so sorry it took so long to reply, school and work burst into very busy!))

Ella stared at the stranger, what was his problem? She moved about the hut until she got some cool, and fresh, water and gave it to him before she sat close to him on the floor. Ella cringed as Ray bounced in, toting a poor fellow with her, he looked completely out of sorts. Sometimes Ella became very annoyed with Ray, and right now she wished the girl would just go somewhere and stay there!

"Ray, just knock it off, they're already traumatized, they don't need you being girly!" she said irritated before she sighed. "Ray, they have names." Ella scolded as she gave the girl a very dark look before she watched the newcomer stumble forward slightly before he fell to the ground. "If you want to help, go get some water." She said to Ray before she looked at the other two.

Duke was completely unaware of what was happening, he was having a hard time comprehending it all as the two beautiful girl's were there. It seemed like the slightly younger looking one, had a better head and was scolding the other one. He shook his head, this was so strange. "Where are we?" he mumbled as he rubbed his head. The more serious girl sighed and shook her head before she looked at him. "Mermorte, and I'm Ella, this is Ray." She stated before she got to her feet and began to bustle around the hut. Mermorte? The island of legends?

((It's okay! I knew you'd get around to responding at some point. =]))

Ray nodded almost regretfully toward Ella with a dimming smile; it was almost impossible to tell whether Ray had too much pride to be truly upset, or if she was honestly incapable of being sad. Surely such a sunny and perky young woman had some downside, but that was her brainpower...or lack thereof. The slender, pretty little thing nestled herself on the padded flooring of her cozy little hut near 'Shell'. "Ah, so! Boy and Shell are the names I saw appropriate...but I'm sure they'd prefer I call them by the name they were given by the elders of their homelands. Shell, what is yours? Boy's too?"

Bell felt heat rise to his face as he drew his hand back into place, his light eyes drawing themselves over to the other mysterious woman who was sitting on the other side of the house, next to yet another unknown person. Though, the newest addition to this 'group' was somewhat familiar, in fact, the dread locked islander was positive he'd seen him before. "Me? M-My name is Bell Renard. I hail from Mali...and to be completely honest, I can't think of any place I'd rather be than here. Ella, I think it is, you did say this was the island Mermorte? Th-The island with all the stories of mermaids floating about? The entire reason I boarded that ship in the first place was so I could come here...and see if the rumors were true."

While this newly discovered 'Bell' went on about his knowledge of the island, Ray nearly hacked on her breath when she heard the mentioning of mermaids and other sea creatures inhabiting Mermorte. "Wh-What?! There are rumors going on about this island? Really?! How could that...I mean...That's preposterous! Mermaids...wh-why the very thought of a half-human half-fish! Believe me, Bell, there's nothing unlike any other island here."

((Quick heads up, I'm finishing up school, so that's why I haven't been able to reply as much as I wanted to, but come June, I'll be fairly free. Haha, I love Ray's character, but she kind of annoys me, lol.))

Ella watched Ray, she wanted to hit the girl with a heavy rock and see if it did anything. Perhaps it would jog her brain to catch up with her age. Either way she tuned out her friend and put her full attention back on the two stranger who really seemed out of it. "Ray, please, you're scaring them. They don't need more scaring then they are going to get." She hissed under her breath, hoping the two dazed foreigner's wouldn't catch her words.

Ella was completely caught off guard by Bell's words. "You mean you wanted to get stuck here?" she asked him, her mouth hanging open for a moment. Well that was just bizarre. "Sure, but they're all stories. Right Ray?" she turned to the dark skinned girl, hoping for help on this. "Why would the rumors be true? I've lived here my whole life, spent a considerable time in the ocean, I've never seen any merfolk. I can't see why we are so littered with these ridiculous rumors." She said, baffled, but hoped that Bell would give up his quest to see the truth about the island and her people. This island was dangerous, anyone with an insatiable curiosity...ended up dead. There was no exception, but that was usually because it was better to have the humans off dead then rescue them. After all, that was how the rumors had began. Ella was glad that Ray had at least that much sense to keep their dark secret.

Duke looked at them bewhildered. He too had been curious about the island, and to think that the ship had crashed offshore of the exact island was a miracle. "Wait, but the storm was terrible. No person could swim through it, so how in the world did us two end up here?" he asked, trying to sort things out in his head. "That wasn't luck, perhaps they hide well. Surely the mermaids did help us." He seemed so sure of himself, though a frightened look flashed through the girl, Ella's, eyes.

(( I can't say I blame you. Ray's older than Ella, but she's really a kid...and kids are annoying, so I guess I'm having her stay in character well then! xD ))

"What makes you think it was a mermaid who helped you, Shell?" a chuckle from the other end of the room was heard at Ray's complete disregard for the survivor's actual name, though she was just given the information. "You are aware that not all mermaids are kind and beautiful, yes? We have a trained team of strong swimmers here on Mermorte, and believe me, this is not the first time the queen...er, the sea has taken a ship. Or...is it you do not believe in the gods? Miracles are extremely possible, and perhaps the lords of the sky have so allowed your existence on this blue Earth."

Bell took in the small woman's words and gazed back at the beautiful Ella, who's reaction he was so excited to see. "Well...that's a rather philosophical way to look at our being here, Ray. Be that as it may, though, I'm sticking with 'Shell' and now that I'm so lucky as to have survived on my dream island...I'm going to find my mermaid. Now, would any of you girls happen to have some dry clothing? I'm still sopping wet, and despite the warm weather, afraid of catching my death...being I have a weak immune system as is."

Ray flounced up and swayed to a small wooden chest and pulled out two pairs of pants, placing them delicately over her forearm. "I'm sorry, I ran out of clean shirts. I'll run to the fresh watering hole right away, if you want. I have some of my father's old shirts, but the last time I had them...well, I tripped and they were covered in sand. I haven't found a reason to watch them since, so either way it'd be in my best interest to wash them now."

As the golden haired beauty babbled on, Bell had already snatched the clothing from the girl with a smile. "No need, though a shirt would be nice. I'll make do with what assets we have for the time being until you return."

((Well I have to say you do her character impecably! I love it...well, as the writer and reader, but I hate her completely when I try to work around her! lol Great job!))

Duke couldn't help but grind his teeth. "It's completely unlikely that anyone would be able to swim in that storm. I saw it gather and I was there when we sailed into it, it was too dangerous, even if you do have a team of highly trained swimmers. I'm completely aware of that, but some of the rumors state that there are definitely mermaids on this island that would save a human in a heart-beat." Duke was getting a little frazzled as he was tired of these two stubborn girl's telling him he was wrong. The legends and rumors had to be true, they just had to! "I don't believe in the God's, as you put it, but I do believe that you and Ella are hiding something." He glared at them, too angry with the world at the moment, especially these two strangers, and so he got to his feet and left the hut. He tottered a little from side to side, still suffering from the trauma of the storm, but decided to find a quiet place to think. He would get to the bottom of this island and her myteries.

Ella sighed and rubbed her eyes as Duke left. "He's only going to get himself killed with that mind set," she muttered to herself as she shook her head. His accent was strange, very forgein, even Bell's sounded slightly familiar, but "Shell"s was entirely different. "Why are you two so set on finding a mermaid?" she asked Bell in a quiet voice, her sudden denial gone from her eyes as she was filled with sadness and a little frustration. "This place is dangerous, everyone who has looked for mermaids, always end up dead. It was luck enough you survived the storm, why are you going to go commit suicide chasing a fairy-tale?" she asked questioningly.

Ella desperately wanted to tell the two that everyone, native that is, on the island were mermaids, that if they sought for the truth, they'd only find pain and death, but she couldn't. It was against the law to tell a human that one was a mermaid, it only caused trouble for Ella and her kind. She walked over to Bell and took his arm, she pulled him away from the hut, and away from Ray. She took him to a quiet spot surrounded by palm trees. "Please, give up this foolish quest. We can help you and the rest of the survivors build a boat and you can sail away from this place. You may think this is a wonderful island to crash on, but I swear that it is deadly. Please, just don't try and look for the mermaids." Ella was so caught up in trying to convince Bell to give away with his silly idea, that she had literally slipped up and implied that the mermaids actually existed.

A glint of something almost sinister found its way to Bell's hazel eyes as he gazed calmly down at Ella, a smirk curling upon his lips. "Fine, fine, as you wish. I'll stop searching for my mermaid, but I'm not leaving. Not anytime soon, that is. My mermaid will come to me in due time, Ella, I know it. Hopefully the same will go for that 'Shell' fellow." Bell took a pause to cough uncomfortably into his strong, tanned fist before continuing, "Not that anything would want much to be found by him. In my humble opinion, he seems to be a bit...abrasive. Too intimidating to hope to find anything...I'll have to show him a thing or two about research. So, what are the customs on this island? Surely there must be a reason for the mermaid rumors; they couldn't have just arisen from no where right? Perhaps a festival or...?"

It was interesting. Something had just been born in Bell at that very moment, as he stared outwardly at Ella through a happy facade. On the inside, he was realizing something much more than he had anticipated. Something was amiss on this lovely island, no doubt, but he hadn't realized fully up until that instant that the thing amiss was not particularly the island, but rather the small, seemingly harmless woman before him. "Or is it you?" he choked out, temporarily losing control of his mind.

"Oh, dearest me," Ray spoke softly to herself before running after Shell, frantic with worry. "Shell! Shell, don't be angry. You mustn't leave the beach! I...I command it! I command you! No, wait, I-I beg of you, Shell!" Seconds later, the caramel skinned beauty caught up with the blatantly off-put 'Shell', immediately settling her hand on his forearm in anguish.

Ray furrowed her eyebrows, her gentle eyes pleading him not to go any further. "You aren't completely wrong. Though I may not know anything about these rumors or how truthful they may be, please don't do anything rash because of it. There's something...about Mermorte that even I don't know that attracts tragedy and sadness. I, unfortunately, was born here, so I'm to be cursed should I leave. Tha-that is all I know...I pray you won't leave us now. Ella and I would be... devastated should anything happen to you or Bell. If anyone past this beach found you, you'd be killed where you stand, so please..."

Ella bit her lip slightly, she didn't believe Bell's word. "I don't think you're mermaid will come Bell, even if they did exist, she'll probably hide away from you." She pointed out with as much firmness as she could muster, which wasn't very much. "I would hate for him to get caught up in this messy island, the way he spoke will only prove to be fatal for him if he is as serious as his words suggest." She sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck for a moment. "I don't know why, there are plenty of tropical fish, large ones even, and we enjoy swimming, that's probably how it started. They just caught someone swimming with the fish and mistook whoever it to be merfolk." She shrugged her shoulders non-chalantly in hopes that it seemed believable.

Ella's eyes widened with obvious fear as she gasped and looked up at him. How in the world could he have come to that conclusion? Of course he was right, but was she seriously messing up that much for him to connect the shady dots? "What?" she said almost too quickly. "I-, no!" she said, too defensive. "How could I be a mermaid, I though they only live in water?" she asked him, her attempt to seem...human...failing a little as she was trying to think of a way to convince him she wasn't what she was. "Honestly, if I were a mermaid you'd probably be dead by now, they are dangerous creatures not to be triffled with." She stated out as if it was a plain fact that she knew for sure.

Duke looked over his shoulder, surprised to see the darker of the two women chasing after him and put her hand on his forearm. He stared at her with obvious discomfort, not at her touch, but by her words. She was suggesting this place was extremely dangerous, the way she spoke, despite her denial, suggested she knew the island very well. "You can't stop me from looking." He said stubbornly, but intrigued, and a little frightened by how she had spoken of the place. It was as if she suggested the place had a mind of its own and would swallow anyone to it disliked. "But why? Surely the reason so much grief is held here is because whoever is behind it, is trying to bury a secret deep down." He said softly, his anger cooling down now as he looked at the troubled girl. "My name is Duke by the way." He muttered with a small smile at her.