Aspect had never seen the ocean with her own eyes before, she'd only heard about it's beauty from others. It was only after she saw the sea in person, did she realize that the stories she'd heard hadn't done it justice. It was so vast and great and endless. It simply could not be described by words alone. She took in the salty air and took a contented sigh. She watched the waves roll gently up to the sand and then pull themselves back out again. She understood now, why sailors spend their whole lives close to the sea. She saw the magnetism that it could have over a person, it was like magic in itself.

She took off her boots and jacket and put them aside near a large rock. She gasped at the initial heat she felt radiating from the sand when she stepped into it. It took her a second to adjust, but she took another step, allowing her feet to sink below the upper surface to the cooler layers of sand beneath. It was an odd feeling, the sensation of sand between her toes, softly engulfing her foot. It was like cool mud, but when she pulled her foot out it was clean, very unlike mud. It was unlike any dust she had ever seen either. It was like very soft gravel and she enjoyed walking on it.

Just as shocking as the heat from the sand, was the coolness of the water when she reached it. It was so clear and the pull of the water out to see was like a vacuum. She felt it pulling her out to sea, and she stepped back into the sand to keep her footing. She walked up back on the wet sand and waited until the next wave came and broke against her ankles. She chuckled. She let it pull her out only so far and then she would retreat back up to the wet sand. She smiled. This was fun. She hadn't had fun in a long time. She looked up and down the beach, seeing no one, she let out a cry of pleasure. She ran up and down the beach, her red hair flying wildly.

After the debacle in Railoch with a particularly crazed demon hunter, Drake had found himself in Nisshoki, once more without the funds that he needed to continue forward.  So, he did his usual rounds to the taverns and job boards, which didn't take too much time out of his morning.  As luck would have it, though, no one seemed to have a need for a sword hand, whether it be the usual protection jobs, or a pest extermination.  While Drake found it a little odd, he was complacent with the fact that, for once, things seemed to be going well for one of the cities he visited.

This left Drake with a problem, though.  As he traveled through the streets, his cloak wrapped around his black, draconic wings to keep them hidden, he tried to find something that might suit his talents.  The issue was, since he had never settled down, he lacked the normal talents one would have gained growing up, instead focusing most of his skill set towards survival.  

Oh.

That gave him an idea.  With that, he returned to the tavern he had rented a room at.  As he entered, the keep looked his way, greeting him with a smile.  

"Thanks," Drake replied, giving a nod.  "I, erm, have a question.  I'm looking for some work, but the normal jobs that I would take are unavailable.  I know that you serve a qide array of dishes throughout the day and night, so I was curious if you were in need of any fresh supplies.  It may not look it, but I'm a decent hunter."  The draconian's silver green eyes shimmered with hope.

"Well," the tavern keep thought for a moment.  "I wouldn't say we need anything in particular, but if you need the coin…"  He looked at Drake with a keen eye.  "How are you at fishing?"

"Fishing?"

—

It wasn't long before Drake found himself walking the shoreline, two fishing rods in one hand, and a tackle box in the other.  The tavern keep had let him borrow his set, and shooed him off without a further moment.  The dark haired draconian had decided it would be better to leave the majority of his equipment back at the tavern, but he was still wearing his cloak, deciding it better to leave his mostly useless wings hidden.

Though Zanar is probably right, Drake thought.  Dragons were proud creatures.  Hiding his form, though, seemed to feel more comfortable.  At least it's just the wings.  I really shouldn't have pushed myself though.  He sighed.  "And fishing?" he said aloud.  "I'm decent at a lot of things…but this is new…"  Another sigh.  "Oh Gods, please help me.  I really need the coin…"  

She was still playing in the surf when she noticed him for the first time. Her demeanor changed at once, she was an adult after all, not a child. There was no point in acting like on in front of a stranger. Aspect ran her fingers through her hair to calm the wild flames back down. She adjusted her clothes to be more presentable and walked calmly through the surf as if she'd seen the sea a thousand times before. She'd have to hide her excitement for now, no matter. She'd have time to herself again.She walked up to the young walking along the surf, some rods and tackle in his hands. 

"Catching much?" She asked casually, trying to start conversation. "It's a beautiful day to be fishing and out on the water." She stopped for a minute to look at this young man. She hadn't met him before, that much was obvious. He was about her height and from what little she could see of him, he seemed rather lean. He wore a large cloak, which she found odd, considering how warm it was today. She glanced behind him and saw odd shapes jutting from his back, and wondered if he was disfigured, which was why he wore the concealing clothing. She didn't mind either way, regardless of what he looked like.

His face was rather angular for a human and she questioned if he was a mix of elf or something. He had a strange beauty around him and stunning eyes, the color of fog on a spring morning. He had longish black hair, that didn't appear to be terribly well kept. He was probably like her and didn't care too much about such things, considering when ever she changed form, it would just get messed up again anyway. He had a faint lingering smell of smoke, like the last remaining bits of smoke from a match. A normal person would likely not have smelled it, only because of her heightened senses could she tell. It was an interesting scent and she wondered if he lit the lanterns in the taverns nearby.

She gave him a small smile. He seemed a little shy and quiet. Possibly he wasn't from around here either. They could explore together, she'd appreciate the company if he'd be willing to provide it. If she could get him to open up and talk to her, it would be a good start. Who knows, maybe she'd be able to help him fish later. She didn't have a lot experience with a rod and reel, but perhaps her other abilities could help him out a little, depending on how much he needed to catch. It'd give her a chance to explore the water too, she had always been curious about the depths under the sea.

It didn't take long for Drake to notice the woman in the shallows.  She had apparently been enjoying the waves, which the draconian couldn't blame her for.  It was a nice day, and he was sure that the ocean water felt amazing.  He even briefly considered it himself after 'working' for the day, but that would be a decision for a later time.  Still, he couldn't help but take a brief moment to take in the sea as a whole before moving on to the woman.  

As she neared, she struck up a casual conversation.  Not one of Drake's strong suits, but he was willing enough to try as always.  "Not particularly yet," he said as he set down the tackle box and the rods.  "To be honest, I just got out.  It's been a long time since I've had to do this, but it'll earn me some spare coin for my travels."  He smiled, his eyes looking over the woman before him.  She was just a bit taller than him, which seemed a tad surprising to Drake, but not entirely uncommon.  Her hair was a striking red, which in contrast to the sea made it seem a little more fiery than it probably was.  But what caught him off guard was the almost mystical aura she possessed.  

Being new to magic meant that Drake was experiencing the world and its inhabitants in an entirely new way.  While he couldn't truly discern what she was, he could feel that she held a powerful form of magic, one that he had not come across since learning how to access his own abilities.  That being said, he felt that the world had much more to offer him now, even at the potential costs he was incurring during the process.   

"Er, sorry…" Drake apologized.  He had realized he hadn't said anything for a moment, and may have come off as impolite, or even possibly rude.  It was starting to become a bad habit, but with his new sight, it was hard to avoid.  "My name is Drake.  I'm a traveler, though currently low on funds for that.  It's a pleasure," he said, holding out his hand.  

Aspect listened as the young man spoke. He had a nice voice. She watched him set down his tackle box and rods and was slightly surprised to learn he hadn't fish before. No matter, she hadn't fished with rod and tackle before either. She thought of it as more of a waste of time, preferring to use nets or her own abilities to land fish and other creatures. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't have much experience using a rod and tackle to catch fish either." She smiled back at him and looked over the various equipment needed by most people in order to catch a simple fish. 

"I didn't realize that people needed so much in order to fish," she said. She chuckled to herself. She noticed he was staring at her. For a brief moment she was puzzled, but changed her focus back to the fishing gear. She was used to people staring at her, for more reasons than one. She turned and looked back at the young man as he spoke again. She smiled back at him. "No need to apologize," she calmly. He stuck out his hand and she returned the gesture. His hands were relatively large and strong. He had a good grip. "My name is Aspect. It's nice to meet you, Drake. I'm also a traveller, I've been a little bit of everywhere."

She glanced back at the ocean. "Well, almost everywhere." Her smile softened and she turned back to look at Drake. "I'd really like to see what it looks like under the surface. I would feel better if I had someone with me though, for safety and such. I normally feel comfortable going alone, but I've never been in the ocean before." She looked at him, the initial excitement returning to her. "Would you like to go in the water with me and explore for a bit? We may be able to find where the fish are and when we return we can go to it when we get back to fish. I'd be more than willing to help you too, if you need the money. I can catch more than enough fish for you and whoever is paying you." 

She unbuttoned her top shirt and took off her pants, so that she was only in a very thin sleeveless blouse and undershorts. She balled up her clothes and threw them further up the beach so they wouldn't get wet by the waves. She turned and started walking in the water. It was cold and it moved differently than the lakes and rivers she'd swam in before. She let the light sucking of the sand pull her into the water. When she was in just past her knees, she turned around and gestured to Drake on the beach. "Come on in!" She called at him. "You can swim, can't you?"

The fact that he had met another traveler was not uncommon, but again, he was fascinated by the aura she gave off. What was strange, though, was her comments on the fishing gear. Perhaps she had a better way to gather fish? It wouldn’t be entirely surprising. Drake had considered trying his hand with magic, but after his first few experiments with unpracticed magic going awry, he wasn’t comfortable trying again without further lessons.

It’s taken me far too long to get back to Parvpora. I’d hate to accidentally gate myself back to the other side of the world again… He shuddered at the thought. His coin purse could barely handle the first journey…he’d never be able to make a second.

AS he heard her name, he smiled. “Aspect. It’s a good name,” he said. She seemed genuine enough, and he had no reason to distrust her intentions. “It’s nice to meet another traveler once in awhile. The locals are fine, but they tend to stick together at times and it’s a tad uncomfortable.”

As she turned her gaze to the ocean, Drake looked as well, wondering what was on her mind. As she glanced back to Drake, he listened as she explained her desire to see beneath the ocean. It seemed she wanted him to come with her, which he was excited at for a moment. Seeing something like that would be fun, and he had never considered.it. And she had offered to help catch fish. He started to blush, though, as she stipped down to her blouse and undershorts. A part of his was thankful that she stopped there.

The draconian shifted a little uncomfortably, though, when she asked if he could swim. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to swim. Far from it, it was something that came natural. However, it was swimming with wings, though, that he had no idea how to do.

“I can swim,” he said. “But…not now. It’s a bit complicated.” He shifted off his cloak, letting it fall to the sand, and spread his black, scaled wings. They were fairly large, and Drake was more than thankful that they could fold in as small as they would. Overall, when he stretched them out, it was just a little more than a ten foot wingspan.

It felt good to stretch them out, but again, he shifted uncomfortably, and avoided her gaze. “These wings are a bit…new to me. I can’t even fly with them yet. And, for the most part…they’re stuck. The rest of my body can shift easily, but…well…I’m used to being human. Being able to change back is easy enough with everything else…except these.” He folded his wings back, and finally looked at Aspect. “But I’m not sure how they’d work in the water.”

Aspect continued into the water up to her waist and turned around to look at Drake. He was still standing on the beach. He answered her question, as well as he could anyway. He could and couldn't swim at the same time. No matter, she could swim for both of them. She understood his odd answer when he took the cloak off and she was able to see his large reptilian wings. The black wings were what had given him the unusual posture, not a natural disfiguration. She admired them, they were in a way beautiful. She wanted to see his full form if she ever got the chance. She thought he was likely to be magnificent.

"They are beautiful," she called out to him. He stretched them and she was able to see their full span. "Too beautiful to be covered by an old cloak. I have met dragons before, and all of them were magnificent and had great pride in themselves. In time, you will get that pride and confidence too." She gave him a genuine smile. She understood now why he was shy and quiet before. It probably wasn't the easiest growing a pair of wings and not being able to put away again as before. But it wasn't anything to be embarrassed about, but she could understand his lack of confidence in himself. He was like a young foal just learning to walk, and stumbling every so often before getting his footing secure. The initial trials were weird and uncomfortable, and occasionally awkward at the beginning. But once he became comfortable with them, they'd just be like every other part of him that he wouldn't question. She'd be willing to help him learn to fly if it would help him get his confidence back.

"Keep the cloak off and come out with me. The ocean doesn't judge appearances and neither do I." She dipped under the water and swim out for a bit. She'd felt the itch to change ever since she went in the water. Sea Lion. She felt her arms and legs tighten and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. She felt herself grow and her weight gain tremendously. She felt herself both sink and float at the same time. Her body and face lengthened. When she opened her eyes, she could see under the water in sharp focus. She felt her limbs turn to flippers and her hair and external ears disappear. When she surfaced again, she was a golden-red Steller Sea Lion. She turned and looked at Drake on the beach.

She floated on her back and swam closer to shore, her large flippers handling the water much better than hands or feet ever could. She felt like she belonged in the water. The water slid right off her fur. She stopped a short way off so that she wouldn't beach herself, but not so far out that he couldn't walk out to her if he wanted to. She rolled over in the water and looked up for him, offering him her back. "Do you trust me?" She asked, her whiskers twitching with each word. "I promise, I will not let you drown." 

As Aspect admired his wings, Drake felt himself start to blush. It was really the first time that he’d let someone look at them willingly. All of the other times had been forced, and the situation demanded their release. Each time, though, he had been met with regard, and not fear, and that had been something that had genuinely surprised him. Even Aspect, now, seemed more open than fearful.

Once again, he heard that word. Pride. Dragons were prideful creatures, and deep down Drake knew that. He could feel the black dragon, still, slumbering inside of him. The power he held was a part of him, yet separate. Is that why he lacked pride? Or perhaps it had everything to do with the power being out of his full control. Regardless the reasoning behind it, he knew for the most part that Apect, and Zanar as well, were right. There was no reason to really hide them, and in a way they were beautiful.

Aspect urged him once more to join her in the water, and started to swim out. Drake silently agreed to let her take the lead, and stripped the rest of his clothes off, down to his britches, though as usual his shirt gave him the most trouble. He was forced to pause, though, as he felt the aura that Aspect held shift. Immediately, he understood why her magic felt so different as her form shifted from the tall red haired woman to a great, golden red sea lion. The shift itself was barely visible due to the ocean itself, but he got the general idea of how it worked due to his own transformation.

“Incredible,” he said to himself, finishing up with his clothes and tossing them lazily to the side. By this time, she had come back.

He moved closer to the water, and slowly dipped his feet in. The cool ocean swept across his feet with as the waves washed over them. He moved forward at a fairly moderate pace, finally coming up to Aspect. Now that he was close, he admired the sea lion form she had taken. “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen a sea lion up close before. For that matter…I’ve never seen a sea lion outside of books…” A part of him wanted to pet her, but he figured that was outside of the boundaries. She wasn’t an animal, just another being like himself, and he knew he’d hate being pet by a random stranger.Hearing her voice come from the sea lion, and the way her whiskers moved as she spoke brought a smile to Drake’s face. It was almost absurd, but somehow fitting for the moment.

“I trust you,” he said after a moment, and awkwardly managed to mount himself on her back. “Lead the way, then, Aspect,” he said. He was nervous, but excited. After all, it wasn’t every day that you experienced the ocean with someone who could explore it in this way.

Aspect smiled. "Hold on tight," she told him glancing back. Once he was settled as best as he could, they took off. Her flippers and slick body helped her glide through the water with ease. She didn't even notice the weight on her back. She almost flew across the surface of the water, leaving a small wake behind her and throwing up water at her sides. This was wonderful, she hadn't felt freedom like this on the ground, the only thing comparable was when she was flying. She had so much speed and power in the water. She understood how drawing the sea was, and why most creatures never left.

Once they'd gotten a far bit out, she turned and could just see the shoreline. She looked up at Drake, still sitting on her back. "Are you ready to dive?" She asked him. "When you get close to running out of breath, say something and I'll return to the surface." She twitched her whiskers at him and gave him a toothy smile. When he was ready, she tensed her muscles and lunged under the water. She torpedoed below the water, even with the awkward weight on her back, she had so much speed. Her eyes adjusted and she was able to see under the surface of the water, the sunlight illuminating a whole nother world. The beauty on the surface wasn't even comparable to the beauty it held below.

There were fish, the gods knew how many and what they were. There were so many. So many sizes, colors, shapes, sizes, all swimming around together. It would take her almost a whole day to just shift into each different kind of fish she saw. She kept swimming through the group of fish and saw the bottom of the ocean for the first time. It was similar to the land, but different. The plants were different from those on the surface, longer or shaped differently, some with bright colors, almost as bright as the fish. They were both short and incredibly long at the same time. Creatures even lived on the leaves of these plants and she could see them swimming around. And there were rocks, in many different colors all over. Some hollowed out, some in just irregular shapes. But they weren't rocks, not entirely. She got the feeling that they were alive and she briefly entertained the idea of what it would feel like to shift into a living rock. Or corals as she recalled reading somewhere.

She went down more and got a closer look at the caves and canyons made by these living rocks. She could see small shrimp-like things scurrying around, reminding her vaguely of spiders. She saw sea snakes, very similar to the terrestrial varieties, swimming in and out of the holes hunting for prey. She saw thick snake-like things, with toothy mouths and glassy eyes, she recognized them as eels. Ugly things. She thought to herself. She felt Drake shift on her back, and turned her attention back to the surface. With several quick flips of her flippers, they were above the water yet again. She waited for him to catch his breath again before speaking.

"That was so cool!" She exclaimed. "Did you see all those fish? There were so many, so many different kinds and colors. It would take me a week to turn into everything we saw down there. And those plants, what were those? I've never seen anything like them. And those rocks, those rocks were alive! Living, feeling things. That's crazy! And did you see those little spider things?…" She went on for a short while, asking him questions but not really giving him any time to speak. She was just so in awe, she couldn't help it. Eventually she ran out of things to say. "That was awesome," she said, looking at him. Her grin evident even under the fur and whiskers. Her eyes sparkled. She looked forward to returning back under the surface when he was ready.

The draconian finally settled on Aspect’s back, and gave her the go ahead that he was ready. The nerves started to fade a bit as she swam out farther from the shore, the wind whipping around him as she rocketed through the water with speed and grace. It was an amazing feeling, and Drake wondered if it would be a similar feeling once he learned how to use his wings to fly. That thought got him a little excited, but also reminded him that once Aspect went to dive, that he would have to fold his wings in as tight as possible.

As she slowed, and looked back to the shore, she asked Drake if he was ready, giving him the chance to take a moment. Drake took a few deep breaths, readying himself before finally nodding, and almost immediately he felt the powerful sea lion beneath him tense. What came next was one part exhilarating, one part terrifying. Despite being part dragon, Drake had never experienced the strength of another beast like this. As she dove and torpedoed through the water, Drake held on with a good bit of his strength, hoping to the Gods that he wouldn’t fall off. The feeling was not unlike having the wind whip around him, though the water held much more mass.

At first, it was a shock to his system to be submerged, but as he adjusted and managed to open his eyes, he was surprised at how well his vision adapted, though to be fair, the draconic side of him was more than likely helping. There were strange waves of light, refractions from the sun above, that lit up different kinds of fish, countless in number and variety. The sounds, though, were something that Drake couldn’t begin to describe. A heavy silence seemed to hang in the water, but instead of being oppressive, it was comforting. There were noises, of course, if you listened hard enough, of the fish swimming, of creatures all around speaking to each other, of something unspeakable farther in the depths.

It was all coming together to create a beautiful, somehow impossible picture. As Aspect moved through the caves and canyons, Drake hesitantly let his hand trail across the stone. It wasn’t much different than the world above, but somehow the world below made it seem like so much more. Finally, though, Drake was starting to feel the lack of oxygen. He tapped her side a few times to get her attention, and Aspect made her way back to the surface.

Drake took a deep breath of air as they broke to the surface. He coughed a bit, his lungs remembering the sweet taste of life. After a few more breaths, he looked down as Aspect. Her excitement was remarkable, because once she managed to start speaking, she didn’t stop. Drake was smiling the whole time, though, because he understood. While he was much less vocal about it, he too was in awe at everything that they had witnessed.

“I can go another round,” he said finally, as she waited for him expectantly. “After that, though, I think I want to try swimming a bit on my own. After watching some of the fish and how they move, I might have an idea on how to use my wings. It might take a few tries, though…as long as you don’t mind making sure I don’t drown.”