Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Alright..." he smiled nuzzling her. "Alright -" He eyed the sun that had almost disappeared. "I need to go. You," he gave her a quick kiss. "Keep brushing your hair and keep that picture near."

Sleep was not an option that night. Instead Proteus crept down into his father's library and busied himself trying to learn as much as he could about the water and any related spells, particularly paying attention to any spells that would allow one to remain underwater for long periods of time. However, all he found transformative spells that could change him into different creatures. Somehow he didn't think Naida would find him quite as charming as an eel...

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

Proteus turned around to see Valzar standing in the doorway. "Geeeze, you gave me a heart attack. I thought you were Dad...."

"Proteus?" Valzar frowned at the pile of books. "Since when did you take such an interest in reading?" He eyed the titles. "And why the sudden interest in the ocean?"

"Have you ever had something that you just had to learn everything about," Proteus asked not looking up from his current book. "Not so much because you wanted to but because you had to...for the sake of someone else...."

Valzar nodded slowly, his eyes inadvertently drawn to the section on protective magic and dark creatures. "I am familiar with the situation..."

Several hours later Valzar groaned, "We've been looking in the wrong place all this time!"

Proteus just blinked, "What?"

"There was somethings in your mother's library about water related magic....that's where we should have been looking!"

"Great time to remember now..." Proteus muttered yawning.

"Well it was Erian who mentioned it to me, I don't really remember what it was we were talking about but he said there was a spell that would allow you to breath underwater...."

"You're just remembering this now!"

"Yeah, it was called the bubble head charm or something like that..."

"Nevermind...I'm already a bird brain, I don't need to be a bubble head on top of that..."

Proteus flopped over, "That's it - I quite...I think I've read more tonight then I have in my entire life..."

Valzar smiled, "It is a good experience for you without a doubt."

"Yeah whatever..." he groaned as he looked out the window. "Aw, man. Almost dawn...I gotta get to the beach..."

"The beach?"

"Yeah, Naida..." he tried to get up but stumbled over a pile of books. "She'll be looking for me..."

"At dawn?"

"Well...sometime after it..."

"But you haven't slept at all..." Valzar frowned. "Go upstairs and get some sleep."

"Since when did you start telling me what to do?"

"Go on," Valzar nudged him. "I'll let Naida know you're catching up on sleep..."

"No, no -" Proteus yawned. "Well, maybe tell her I'll be there after noon?"

Valzar nodded, "I think she'll except that..."

"I hope so..."

Valzar offered a small smile to the woman's who's head broke the surface, "Good morning, Naida, right?"

"I have no desire for confrontation," Valzar said raising his hooves. "I have a message from Proteus."

"He won't be down here till afternoon," Valzar said. "Don't blame him, blame me. I couldn't let my little brother go out after staying up all night reading without getting some sleep. Though I fully understand why he was interested in anything to do with water magic."