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Elen took a few more spoonfuls of soup before smiling at him. "Human food is...quite strange, but it's very good," she told him before returning to eating. She paused briefly when he rubbed the side of her belly again, but then continued eating. Having her mouth full allowed her to avoid conversation and gave her time to think.

It was a bit strange. Most sea animals, including her own, weren't designed for monogamy. There was very little romance involved in mating. It was left to the mother and her pod, usually made up of the young's grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins and any older siblings. To have a male interested in her when she was not ready for mating was new, but she found she liked it.

After a while, she decided to try and make a little conversation. "So, besides fishing, what other things do you usually do?"

(I did a little research into killer whales wink )

Elen listened. She didn't entirely understand the concepts of painting or reading as hobbies, being at least semi-nomadic. She gave a nod. "I see. Well, since we don't really have permanent homes, those aren't exactly activities we participate much in, though we do understand the concepts." She smiled a little at his description of himself. "Well, there's no shame in being a simple person. We can't all be geniuses, powerful warriors or wise leaders. It's simple, ordinary people who are the backbone of any group, isn't it?"

She saw the way he looked at her, and it started her heart beating quite rapidly. What was going on? She hadn't felt this way before or since her mating. She had heard of the concept of love outside the 'normal' of ones biological family, but had never thought to experience it. Was it possible that this was what she felt? But he was human, and they had only just met...

Shaking herself back into the current reality, she smiled a little and held up her wrist, shaking it to make the bracelet shiver a bit. "I admit, I'm a bit of a collector. I had a large bag of different...odds and ends that I carried with me. I had all sorts of things in it. when I had the time, I would sometimes use the things I found to make all sorts of other things; tools, a few weapons, jewelry. My sister and I made pretty much all of this," she indicated the rest of the things she wore.

Elen allowed him to examine her jewelry. "Thank you." She raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Really? You think? I've trade some things before with others below. I didn't know that humans would be interested in such things." She laughed at his story of finding the chest. "That must have been interesting hauling that in. I've looked through a few of them, sometimes I'll find useful stuff, other times not."

Though it wasn't the same as the relationship she shared with her family, she found it extremely easy to talk to Matt. She had always feared humans were monsters, but from what she could tell, he wasn't at all. She didn't know what the future was going to hold, but for now, she thought she could be happy here.

When he stood and yawned, she looked out the window and noticed how dark it had become. She was slightly surprised to realize how late it was. She gave him a nod. "I will. Sleep well and be careful tomorrow. I will see you tomorrow." She gasped a little at the kiss, surprised, but not in a bad way. "Goodnight," she managed to get out as he left.

She watched where he disappeared for a short time before sinking down into the water to an area where she would feel comfortable for the night. Sighing, she couldn't help but feel lonely. She wished that she could go with Matt tomorrow morning, get a chance to experience the human world with him. She had heard that her people could will their tails to transform into human legs, but she had never tried it, and she had never actually heard of anyone who had.

Taking slow, deep breaths, she closed her eyes and attempted to envision her tail splitting in two and forming into human legs. She was shocked when she actually felt something starting to happen. But she was so sore and tired from everything that she'd already had to go through, she felt her head starting to spin long before she had actually managed the transformation. Knowing that she didn't dare continue on, she stopped and allowed herself to return to her normal mermaid form.

She panted a bit, relaxing on the bottom of the pool. Her babies apparently didn't appreciate the activity, because they started squirming around violently inside her. She rubbed both hands over her undulating belly, trying to calm them down. "Alright, little ones. I know; that probably wasn't very smart. Go to sleep now." As the children settled, she allowed herself to drift off. Well, at least now, she had a good idea that it was theoretically possible. Maybe once she was healed some more and had regained her strength, she would be able to succeed.

It was late morning when Elen finally woke. Stretching experimentally, she found she was feeling much better than yesterday. Swimming to the top of the tank, she looked around. "Matt?" There was no answer to her call, so she figured he must still be out.

A little disappointed, she sank back down. Well, he had warned her that she would likely be alone when she woke up. As she looked around, she found the net full of fish. Smiling, she pulled one out and took a bite. She was surprised to find that it wasn't just plain raw fish, but it tasted so good, she quickly ate the whole net full.

Once she was full, she surfaced again, resting her arms on the edge. She looked around a bit, trying to decide what she could do to keep herself entertained until he returned. It occurred to her that, since she was feeling stronger than yesterday, perhaps she could try again to transform. It had nearly worked when she was still weak and tired, maybe she could succeed now that she was better.

Making sure she had a strong grip on the edge of the tank, she closed her eyes and focused. Now that she had an idea what she was doing, it was much easier, but it still took a lot of energy, and it was also a bit painful. But she just kept focusing on how surprised Matt would be when he returned if she succeeded. They would be able to be together then, without the barrier of the tank between them.

When it was finally completed, she clung to the tank, panting from the exertion. But it had worked. She could feel her tail had split in two and when she looked down, there was a pair of perfectly formed legs dangling in the water beneath her large belly.

Once she had regained her strength, she decided to hop out of the tank and take a look around the house. It took a bit of work to pull herself out, and once she was on dry land, it took a little to get used to the weight of her pregnant body on the pair of skinny legs, but once she was used to it, she started exploring.

She was in one of the back rooms when Matt came home. When she heard him call, she walked back out and found him near the tank. "Welcome home, Matt," she called, giving him a smile. She stood a few feet behind him, her lower half completely naked, not really understanding the concept of clothes outside her bikini style top.

Elen heard the desperation in Matt's voice as he called to her. When she joined him and he turned, she saw tears in his eyes. It made her heart stutter a bit. He really did care for her, apparently.

She tilted her head curiously when he blushed, not understanding the reason for it. She was just about to ask him what was wrong when he ran over and hugged her. After a startled moment, she returned the hug. "I'm sorry, Matt. I didn't mean to scare you. But I got bored and lonely after I ate breakfast, so I decided to see if the old legends were true, about merfolk being able to walk on land. As you can see, it worked. I was exploring your home while I waited for you to return."

She smiled and reached up to brush the tears from his cheek. "Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly alright. It took a lot of energy to do, but I'm perfectly fine."

She followed him back to his bedroom, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Why? You were fine with my tail, why are legs any different?" She took the pants that he held out to her, looking them over. Well, they certainly seemed soft enough.

When he asked if she knew how to put them on, she looked at him, down at his own pants, then back at the ones in her hands. She also started to blush a little. "Umm....maybe?"

Elen listened as Matt explained. At first, she didn't completely , but it slowly started to fall into place. As she sat on the bed and lifted her feet so he could slip the pants on, she nodded. "I see. I think I understand." She let out a bit of a sigh. "Being human can be complicated, can't it?"

She swayed a little when he helped her to her feet, still not completely used to standing on legs yet. She held his hands until she managed to regain her balance, then let him finish with the pants. She blushed a little at the feel of his hands sliding up her legs, hips and belly. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was a bit strange.

Next came the hard part. Swallowing he moved the pants up and carefully had her stand. Pulling them up over her bottom and hips and over a little of her belly, she would find they were comfortable and still gave her enough stretching room. Sighing with relief he placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled.

She blushed and giggled at his compliment. "Thank you. It was hard work, but if you like it, then it was worth it." Her eyes lit up with excitement when he mention taking her to town with him. "Really? That would be amazing! Thank you." She blushed and and laughed when her belly rumbled. "Well, like I said yesterday, it takes a lot to keep these two going," she lovingly rubbed her belly.

Elen followed him out to the dining room, chuckling at him a bit. "This is definitely different than what I'm used to. Under the sea (cue Sebastian xp ), as long as you are able to, you have to do your own hunting. I'm not used to being waited on like you've been doing. But thank you."

She sat down in the chair he led her to and cocked her head in curiosity when he dashed off. What could he be up to? She tapped her toes in anticipation, waiting for him to come back.

When he came back, she saw how wound up he appeared. What could be going on? When he held out the necklace, she gasped, one hand going to her chest before reaching out to hesitantly touch it. "Oh, Matt. It's so beautiful." She pulled her hand back, shaking her head. "But you didn't need to. I mean, I appreciate the thought, but I don't want to make things hard on you. I'm sure this must have cost quite a lot. I know you could trade for a large amount below."

(OOC: S'alright. Life happens. )

Elen shifted her head, pulling her hair aside as he put the necklace on her. She really didn't want to insult him, so if he insisted..."Thank you. I'll treasure it always." She reached up to touch the necklace, but her heart constricted at the idea of returning to the sea. It was something that, logically, she should want desperately, but yet she found herself saddened at the very idea. If she went back, she'd be alone with only her babies unless by some miracle she was accepted into another pod. Here she had at least one friend.

She shivered a little as he touched her leg. It was a slightly different feeling than when he touched her tail, but not at all unpleasant. She took a few breaths to try and clear her mind so she could focus on what he was saying. "Hmm, yes, I suppose so. I've...never actually tried to do this before, and I've never known anyone who's done it. I've only heard legends, and they all seem to agree that I will have to return to my natural form eventually. With time and practice, I may manage to keep this form for longer periods of time."