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Stella smiled. " I would love to visit. Of course I will, " She never thought she would ever be saying that to a mermaid. But, she was, and she was glad of it. Well, she would be visiting, if the others were to get her yet. Where were they? " I'm sure that the others are planning to get me soon. I'm not that easy to forget, am I? " She chuckled to herself. Of course not.
 
Antheona leant closer to Stella to look her square in the eyes with the most earnest, most solemn expression that she could muster.
"You are not easy to forget. Don't think that." Hostility rose in her almost unnoticed as she spoke. "They couldn't have forgotten something like leaving you out in the ocean alone - not unless they didn't care about your life. So if they forgot, they deserve to have their legs chewn off while still alive. Tell them that when they get back."
 
Stella knew that she was being nice- nicer than Stella has ever seen, but there had to be a nicer punishment for something like that. They probably had a legitimate excuse. But, for Antheona's sake, Stella chuckled, and nodded. " I'll tell them, don't worry. And I might kick them in the shins for not leaving more canned food. Do you ever get sick of eating just fish? We'll have to look for more cans. We can have fish and beans tomorrow, if I find a can or two. "
 
"Get sick of eating fish?" Antheona's eyes went round for a moment. "Of course not. It's healthful. Though some are poisonous, but one learns to avoid those. But you live on land, so you may not know. I'll show you later."
But the soup was really good, so maybe Stella's idea had some merit. "I'll help you find cans. I know a place. It's where I brought these from." She pointed to the dishes, before drawing her hand back to pour more water on herself. "It's lower than these towers, and it has many cans. Bags too, but I don't know what those have inside. We can look tomorrow."
 
Stella smiled, and nodded. " It's a date, then. " Antheona probably didn't know what a date was. Besides a gross snack that her mother always insisted in putting in trail mix. She loved her mother to bits, she really did, but she had the weirdest tastes sometimes. There had to be a scientific explanation for that.

" Remind me to get you a small bowl, so that way you could get the water on faster, and in more places. " Stella cupped her hands together, and dipped it in the water, and then pulled it up to the surface. It looked pretty, with the light of the fire faintly reflecting off of it as it slipped through her fingers.
 
Antheona looked slightly confused. "Yes, tomorrow is a date, I know that." That was hard to doubt, but it didn't carry too much information. "Today is also a date."
She was starting to get tired. Part of that, perhaps surprisingly, was from being in one place for so long. And she already knew tomorrow was going to be a long day. She had to tell the others about Stella, and convincingly enough to not get her killed; then she had to catch fish, and show which ones weren't good to eat, and then they would go look for the cans. And maybe in the evening they could come up here again. If both of them were alive by then, of course. She was looking forward to that already. She decided she liked the fire. And the soup. And especially Stella.
"I'm tired. I should sleep. But promise you won't go into the water until I come to you tomorrow and tell you it's safe. Other than maybe to go to the other tower. That would probably be a good idea. The others will probably want to come to look at you, and they can't all go into this tower."
 
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Stella held up one of her hands, and used the other one to go over her heart- as if she was taking an oath. " Cross my heart, Antheona. I promise I won't go into the water unless you tell me. " She said, with a smile. " Do you need me to help you out again, or should I just take the bucket and dump it over the edge? "
 
"I can get out on my own," said Antheona, climbing out of the tub as she spoke. First she reached out to put her hands on the top of the tower, then inched forward until much of her tail was out, finally flopping the rest of her out of the water and onto the concrete. There she paused, preparing to roll off the building and into the water. "But I don't understand about crossing your heart. How does one do that?"
 
Stella slowly scooted with Antheona, as she inched her way off of the building. " It's another form of a pinky promise. It's suppose to mean that if I go against my promise, I'll die. It was originally 'cross my heart and hope to die,' but I never liked it that way. But, it still have the same effects as a pinky promise, more or less. " Stella said, as she sat upward.

" Human's are a very promising species. But, the funny thing is, they tend to go against their promises. "
 
Antheona was struck dumb. Stella actually swore on her life. All right, it was warranted in that she really might die unless she stays up here, but it was still... singular. Apparently to a human it wasn't so out of the ordinary, but she still couldn't help but be touched. Was that how important her warning was to Stella? She smiled.
"But you aren't going to go against any of your promises, are you? Because I never would." And somehow she didn't think that Stella would either. So she didn't even wait for the answer. She rolled around and off the building, turning around in the air to arrive headfirst. She then popped up once again before returning home.
"Good night!"
 
Stella looked to her from the top of the building, and smiled. " Good night! " She called, with a small wave. With that, Stella used the water in the tub and put out the fire. She took the still-warm wood and put it in the tub, and she then took the tub and climbed down into the room. She sighed, and placed the tub on the ground.

It was too warm to wear the sleeping bag to bed, so she just curled on top of it, letting it act as a knock-off mattress. She curled her body around the hole, because the cold sea-salt waters acted somewhat as a cooler. It was a peaceful sleep, with the waves splashing at the exterior of the building. It was comfortable.
 
This time Antheona arrived to the cave to find all the small bubbles taken. Well... that much was to be expected, she did come rather late. But she almost didn't mind. She wanted to wake up early to get this over with. And waking up early was all but guaranteed when she would feel whoever woke up first dart out beside her.
Sleep had to wait, however. It was next to impossible to be in the big bubble and not get drawn into whatever the others were talking about. Her friends were here, after all; well, her friends other than Stella. This was when they talked, this was when everyone was there.
Actually, speaking of that... she had to do this now.
"Can I have everyone's attention for a moment? I know, I am sorry, I want to sleep too. I have something important to say. Not now, we all are weary now, but in the morning. I'm asking for a council."
That was how things were done. Anyone could call a council. And now she felt self-conscious, and of course everyone was asking her what it would be about, but she couldn't answer, not yet. It took a long time for everyone to quiet down, and an even longer time for her to fall asleep. She was worried.
Maybe because she fell asleep so late, she slept somewhat longer than she necessarily intended to. She had hoped to catch something for breakfast first, as she thought it might run long, but almost everyone was awake now, and waiting for her. Even the rememberers had come out of their bubble.
She told herself she had no reason to worry, but it didn't help. They would know she was speaking truthfully, but that wasn't necessarily going to be enough. They were all liable to make mistakes, after all. And what she wanted to say was going to sound like a mistake, even if it didn't feel like a mistake. She knew that herself. But all she could do was present her case as shortly as possible.
"Recently I found a human at the stone towers. I let her live because I found her useful. She promised me information and that she wouldn't inform the humans about us, and in return I promised not to harm her. We talked much, and she indeed gave me useful information, including the way to gain the knowledge contained in books, which I will tell about later. And in the process of our conversations I found out that she was not hostile to us, even when I revealed to her that we sunk the towers which contained her tribe's protectors during a time they were at war with another tribe. We became friends. She made a solemn oath on that friendship, pledging one of her fingers to it, as did I. I would like to ask that you not hurt that human. She is not our enemy. I suspect that she has been abandoned by her people, she helped us with her information, and she deserves our benevolence."
So that was it. And for an entire minute, the silence was audible.


The merpeople, three of them - one female and two males - rose around the tower in perfect simultaneity. All three were armed with weapons of volcanic glass and armoured in mail crafted from seashells. They were bigger than Antheona. Stronger than her. And very, very silent.
 
Stella had broken her promise only momentarily. She swam in the sea, but it was a small swim. From one tower to the other, but it was alright. She knew what it was about, and she was more than aware of what would happen. But, at that moment, she was trying to read through a book. It was one of her childhood favorites. Alice in Wonderland. It was a book Antheona picked out, probably at random, but she really did have an eye for books. If she was using them or not.

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Oh, she absolutely loved the Cheshire Cat. She even named one of her cats that she had whilst growing up Cheshire. It was good at hiding, and it had the stripes of the cat, as well. But, it also reminded Stella that she might be mad. Who would have agreed to go on that trip if they knew that they would be alone, completely isolated? " I must be mad, " She said to herself, mentally. " I should have never came. " She would have to read this to Antheona, she seemed like she might appreciate it. Alice faintly reminded Stella of herself.

Stella giggled at the thought, but her giggle was cut short as her eyes peered over the soiled pages to see them- not Antheona, but others. They looked.... Scary. Like something from a science fiction novel. Stella nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized that they were in fact real, but she didn't say a word. She folded over a page, and placed the book away from her, to show that she wasn't armed or dangerous.

Stella stayed silent, and simply sat with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. She hoped that it would be quick chat. And where was Antheonba?
 
One of the mermen spoke first, after heavy moments of silence. He had long hair the pale greyish-green colour of the sea on a cold, clear day, and his face was framed by a sharp headdress that looked like horns curving out in every directions, the ends a very obvious marroon. His voice was not necessarily hostile, but not friendly either, and imperious.
"You have to come down. Do you have underwater tubes? Put them on, and come."
 
Stella was slightly intimidated by the appearance of the one talking. Slightly, only slightly. " I can only speak English, " Stella was about to say, but she changed her wording once more. " I can't speak your language. I have scuba gear- er, underwater tubes, but those would be useless if you were intending me to speak at all, or even listen. " It was the truth. They couldn't say that she wasn't obeying orders, they would just say that she was speaking the truth.
 
The three mercreatures looked at each other in silent agreement. That sounded possible, probable even. The one wearing the bloody horns turned back to address the surfacer again.
"That is fair, we believe you. Then you are to wait here. We will come to you."
With that, he disappeared into the waves, leaving his two comrades with the surfacer. The two immediately came closer, as if to compensate for their lessened numbers. They didn't speak, they just watched.
It was a good while before the sea moved again. And this time there was not just the one who left; there were many, maybe a hundred. Some of them armed, some not, some among them seemingly not fully grown yet - though no small children -, and one, a female with short, skeletally thin, clearly useless arms, had to be carried.
And among them, with an apologetic smile, was Antheona.
 
Stella never expected that many mermaids and mermen. She only expected five, or six, or ten maybe! This was like an entire tribe. It was... really intimidating. Stella's jaw dropped. She really didn't know how to feel. Slowly, she stood up. Slowly, so that way the others could see that she wasn't about to fight and slowly because they could object to her doing that, and she could sit down again.

But she didn't. She stood upward, and looked over everyone. It was unlike anything she has ever seen or experienced. In the crowd, she saw a familiar face. She made a small face at her, one that stated, " YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD ALL COME. " She really didn't know what to expect. What was she to do? Tell them what she was doing? Teach them all to read? Are they going to ask questions? Oh, this was going to be a long day.

Stella felt faint. Maybe it was the sun. Maybe it was all of those teeth. Stella slowly sat down, with her legs cross and her elbows on her knees, and her chin in her hands. Oh, this really was going to be a looooong day.
 
Antheona hadn't intended it this way. She had wanted to leave Stella out of it as much as possible, but of course it wasn't possible, given that she was the topic of their discussion, and she should have expected that and warned her so. She didn't know how long this was going to take. But until she gives up, they won't hurt Stella; and she didn't intend to give up.
But what more could she tell them than what she already told them a hunded times? How could she make that any more convincing? She couldn't promise that Stella would not break her word; she herself said that humans did that often. She only knew that she believed in Stella, and that was not what she needed to convince them of.
She swam closer to the tower, rising half out of the water, leaning with one elbow on the edge of the structure with her back to Stella.
"Look at her," she told her people in her own language now. "She is no warrior. I could have killed her at any point, and once I practically threatened to, but she drew no weapon even then. Even her equipment to call for help is out of order. Please try to imagine her situation. Can you picture how it feels to be all alone in a foreign place where everyone thinks you an enemy? How it feels to have a throng of them gazing at you with weapons in hand? Can't you see we are overwhelming her?"
She turned around now, towards Stella, almost with a pleading look on her face. This time she spoke in the human language.
"Please help me. Tell them. Say something. Say you are not an enemy. Help me help you."
 
Stella watched in awe as the other began to speak- but in a language that not even she knew. She looked so consumed in though and full of spirit. She was so eager to help Stella. All in return for just some know-how about books and common knowledge! But, Antheona was smart already- Stella knew that she was older than her, but not by much. Antheona was amazing, actually. Antheona seemed so smart, it took her little effort to switch between languages. She didn't even know what to say.

" What do I say? " She whispered, slightly panicked. Does she just say that she was to leave soon? That she was going to be true to her word? That she was indeed Antheona's friend? Oh, she was ever in one of these situations before. She never wanted to ever do this before... Stella's mind was racing, and she was ready to pass out....

But she couldn't let Antheona down like that. She had to say something, anything really, to get them to trust her, and that she was no enemy. Stella looked to Antheona, and smiled at her. She made sure to rest her hand on her wet skin momentarily, just to make sure to tell her something without telling her anything. Stella stood upward, and looked to the crowd. She was nervous, yes, but she was also ready. She wished she could have made a small note-card stack before she agreed to do this, but she knew that she was a good speaker. She had this in the bag. Or, she hoped she did.

It was a good thing that she doubted that most of them knew english. Stella balled up her fists, and inhaled. " I made a promise, " She started, " To my friend Antheona. At first, it was just to protect myself, because we were both enemies who needed to get something done. I only came here to do research- to look for things, to help human's learn more. They... Well, " Stella shrugged. " I honestly don't know where they are. But Antheona has shown me pure kindness- probably more than they ever have. "

Stella looked over the crowd. They might still know where she was going with this. " I don't want them to abuse the kindness that I worked to get from her. I promised- I solemnly swore that I wouldn't tell them about her- or any of you, and I intend to keep that promise with my life. " She said. Her life, quite literally. She knew that if she told a soul, Antheona would have her neck. " I'm not an enemy, I'm anything but that" Stella continued finally. " I'm just a foreigner. "
 
Antheona nodded, stirred herself at Stella's speech.
"And I vouch for these words with my life."
That was all she could add, first in her own language, then repeating her words as well as she could in the human tongue.
A short silence followed once again; the silence in which the merpeople looked at one another, trying to gauge each other's reactions. Finally it was the female with the skeletal arms who spoke, she too repeating it in human speech afterwards.
"I believe that the human speaks the truth."
Relief crossed Antheona's eyes upon hearing this. They were all equal, none of them had to follow another's decision until they were all agreed; but a rememberer's words still had a distinctive weight, and Antheona felt that the battle was more than half won already. Quiet discussion followed, and she didn't join in it, only when someone turned to her with a question. She could feel their opinions shifting in Stella's favour. She turned back and allowed herself to cautiously smile at her human friend. It would be well now.
 
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