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That's it, just a little bit closer.

Wide black eyes held mischief within them as he decided it was time to stop teasing the Lady Hydra within her own dream. He approached her, noticing her attention had finally fallen on the colorful world below. Nuzzling his nose against her hands, he gave her a moment's respite to once again return to petting him before he darted off.

There was no turning around, no beckoning for her to follow - he simply swam straight for the largest assortment of coral and made his way behind the largest piece, hiding his blubbery self within the sky blue coloring.

Fins turned into fingers as a black nose grew tan - sandy hair sprouting from the top of the seal's smooth head. In a matter of moments, the seal was replaced with a more familiar looking Seal... black eyes turning ice in color as he suppressed the urge to look back and see if she followed. His own grey tail bobbed below him impatiently, but the Guardian held his patience.

For now, he could only wait....

She'd caught him sooner than he'd have hoped, his transition being something he'd never cared to show to anyone - not even the wildlife in his own domain. It was personal - almost intimate - and now the curious eyes of Lady Hydra had born witness to it.

Ah well, there would be time to be embarrassed later. It looked from her own expression that she was experiencing more than her fair share of it!

One hand moved up to run through his hair as he gave her a sheepish laugh, his other arm moving down to rest over his bare stomach. Seal's Eye had never given thought to trying out a mermaid's perspective of things, but he'd been willing to indulge in the dream - it wasn't his own to bother with, after all.

"Forgive me, my lady." Blue eyes practically sparkled with humor as he swam forward, creating a gentle circle around her as his fins pushed him forward. "I couldn't resist. It seemed easier to approach you by other means while you were... adjusting to things."

One hand hovered out as he paused in his circling, gesturing to the coral forest now seated in the depths of her dream. "But speaking of... would you like to give your new fins a proper chance, with me?"

Tilting his head, the other hand moved behind his back as he looked at her hesitantly, "Unless you'd rather I find you a different undersea friend to be your companion for this dream?"

"A fool, no. Never." Both hands moved to reach out to take hers, gently tugging her forward as he moved to swim backwards. His tail was mindful not to knock into her, allowing space between them. "A bit adorable in her clumsiness... perhaps, but never a fool."

The sheepish expression morphed into a sly smile as he gave her a wink. Considering it was her first time with fins, she truly wasn't doing half bad. Even he had struggled, the first time he'd become a seal. Years of practice had perfected the man's swimming skills, so he didn't expect her to become a natural overnight.

It was a bit easier, pulling her by hands now instead of prodding her forward with his nose or fins. Soon enough, he was releasing one hand and moving to float by her side. "See, you're getting the hang of it. Just remember, push down on your tail when you want to be propelled forward - like this."

His large fin pushed downward, sending him forward several feet and by default, her. Fingers squeezed gently and he glanced over at her, offering a smile. "You'll catch on in no time, my lady."

He paused and looked at her quizzically, fingers gripping around hers as he turned on his back once more, still moving them forward but returning to an angle that would allow him to face her. Peering at her curiously, he did his very best to pretend like he had no Earthly idea what she was referring to.

"You were talking about me? What in the world for, my lady?"

Seal's Eye knew he was playing with fire and he decided that perhaps he should calm down on teasing - far be it for him to cause her to fuss so much that she'd wake abruptly from such an innocent, pleasant dream-adventure. He was a Guardian first and foremost and should behave as such - a humbling reminder that he was a visitor in her world and not anything more, regardless of what he'd like to consider himself as being.

Changing the subject, he mused idly at his own personal memories.

"Easy? You should have seen me in the beginning. Talk about a guppy, of all things." He laughed at the thought, grateful that no one had been around to witness such blunders. "Perhaps you shall simply have to recreate this dream a few more times until you achieve the hang of it?"

He couldn't help but grin, his eyebrows lifting as she called him out on his not-entirely-innocent inquiry. As far as his origins went - it was a story that had only remained between the three Guardians, their Highness and the two Chaos-infused beings that had inflicted the curse upon them.

It had been a dark time - a dark and confusing time - but even while clinging to the dream that he would one day return to becoming an ordinary teenager, Seal's Eye had found solace in the waters he'd been given by the generous Lady Helios. Normalcy would never return, but he would at least later come to embrace the waters and responsibilities with pride, as opposed to obligation.

"If the fair Lady requests an animal companion to escort her through her adventures, then I am at her service. She needs only to dream and I will be there for her."

He meant it. Even as the dark crevices on her chest and forehead stared back at him, warning him to be wary of the fact he'd chosen to tag along with a magical being as opposed to the normalcy he'd preferred to keep his company with. It was an issue he'd rather sweep under the watery sands than focus on... so he didn't.

Instead, he tugged her hand forward, leading them into the depths of her dream and whatever world she'd created. He could add color and creatures, but it was ultimately her master design and he refused to interfere with a dreamer's dream on such a magnitude. "Though you know, being as it is a dream... perhaps she should just dream of having the knowledge of swimming and make it so?"

The wry look he gave her was unmistakable. "Unless you prefer the challenge of learning naturally? Or losing your fins entirely?"

His fins slowly began to dissolve, the grey scales fading to reveal a pair of familiar looking legs (blessedly covered by the same pair of blue trousers she'd always seen him in). The loss of fins immediately halted the speed of his swimming, but his hand still held firm to hers as he remained stagnant, floating still in the depths of her dream water. "Once again, Lady Hydra, we are but at your dream's mercy as to where we go or what we do."

A kick of his feet together and the long mertail was back, as if it had never disappeared in the first place. Fingers squeezed her hand and he waded where they floated. "So is there anything you would like to accomplish, before it is time to awaken?"

"Some of the best things come from working hard to earn them."

How right she was.

He said nothing in response, however, merely pulling her hand up to his lips to place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Allowing the gesture to linger for moment, he hesitantly released his tether to her, allowing her to return to her own control but all too aware that she was depending on him for guidance. He wouldn't fail her - he couldn't. She was his fair lady and he found himself at her beck and call - the sea calling out to her sailor.

Or, rather, seal - semantics.

And lead her, he did, into the corals and maze of her dream, where creatures of wonder and delight lay in wait of discovery. Time passed on, neither knowing or caring how to quantify it. She worked on her turns, her flips and her halts, the young man at the ready to catch her when she found herself unsteady. The fish surrounded them, each one greeting the two newcomers as if they were old friends. While they lacked the familiarity of his own sea's residents, they were delightful to behold - Seal's Eye knew that Hydra's imagination was far more vast and wonderful than she could ever grasp, herself.

As colors and creatures began to wane, the wide grin across his face began to slowly fade, transitioning into a simple smile as the awareness was quick to set in. The fading was always the first sign - like with every dream, this one too required an ending.

Nodding his head in her direction, he once again took hold of her hand, respectfully kissing the young maiden as he held to her pale fingers especially tightly, as though silently regretting the idea of having to let them go.

Looking up at her with bright blue eyes, he offered her a final smile.

"Until next time, then, Lady Hydra."