Kazimir stared at Perry as he looked around the room, moving to one side then changing his mind and going the other way. Aeralie pressed herself back against the glass tank, hand over her mouth and yet Perry walked towards her like he had planned to meet her there.

Kazimir shot to the edge of the tank, hands pressed against the glass and Perry smiled at him.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt them," he said, giving him a small bow of the head before leaning forwards and looking down at Aeralie. "Hello there."

Aeralie jumped, tensing, before looking back up at him.

Perry's face turned red and instantly his voice seemed to stick in his throat as he stared at her.

"Uh... ah... he... hello!"

Aeralie flinched at the burst of sound as he greeted her and Kazimir frowned at him, watching the blush deepen as all the calm-collected charm he'd seemed to possess while talking to his captain drained away in the face of a pretty girl.

"I... you... ur... Perry, I'm Perry!"

Kazimir rolled his eyes and drifted away. "Moron human," he muttered.

Aeralie in turned stared at the hand Perry was offering her before slowly reaching up and taking it. Perry shook it on instinct, then gasped and pulled her up instead, so fast she almost fell over.

"Sorry!" he cried, catching her, "Sorry! Are you alright?"

Aeralie nodded before looking down at their hands. Perry looked down then quickly let go, backing away and Kazimir gave one of the nearby rocks a withering look.

"You— um... you're... are you alright standing?" he asked quickly, "It's not too tiring?"

Aeralie quickly shook her head, then paused and nodded, looking down.

Perry smiled slightly. "You... ur..." The words stalled for a moment. "Ur... you can speak... if you want."

Aeralie looked up at him, then touched her throat, glanced at Kazimir – who wasn't looking – and shook her head.

Perry looked at her in surprise, then quickly shook his own head and pointed to his temple. "No, I meant you can speak with your mind – I can understand you."

Aeralie and Kazimir stared at him as he seamlessly slid between physical speech and mental and he gave a wincing smile at the wide eyes.

"You're one of us?!" they both cried in shock and he jumped, holding up his hands.

"What? No, no," he said quickly, "no, not at all. Completely wrong element."

"Wrong element?" Aeralie asked.

"What are you then?" Kazimir shot back.

Perry smiled, lifting a hand. "Well... not quite opposite... I suppose," he said.

A soft breeze filtered through the room, strong enough to lift Aeralie's hair from her shoulders and her eyes widened.

"You're a sky siren!" she shouted, pointing at him and he winced.

"Well, something like that," he said.

"What in the name of the sea is a person of the sky doing with humans? Pirates no less?" Kazimir said, frowning in disgust as he folded his arms.

"Hmm, for the fun of it, mainly," Perry said and Kazimir glared at him.

Aeralie just stared at him, her eyes shining and Perry smiled.

"Hey!" Kazimir snapped, slamming a fist against the glass, making her jump and look back at him, "This is great and all but aren't you forgetting about something?"

Aeralie looked blankly at him.

"Me!" Kazimir snarled, "If you gained legs to get me out of here, then get me out of here! The second I'm free, we're going home!"

Aeralie looked at him for a moment, then shook her head.

Kazimir stared at her – as did Perry.

"No? What do you mean, no?" Kazimir said.

"I can't go back, not right away," Aeralie said, "I said I would find something for your mother. I have to stay."

"So you're going to leave me in here?!" Kazimir snarled.

Aeralie winced. "Well I'll free you, of course, but then you'll go straight back and I'll be alone! Or it might be that as soon as you're sent back I lose my legs! I can't do anything without them! And I... I..."

"What?"

"I'll... I'll never get another... chance... with him," Aeralie said, biting her lip.

The sound of glass cracking was like lightning splitting the mast of a ship, making both Aeralie and Perry jump, staring up at the tank before scrambling back.

Kazimir stared down at her, eyes wide and black as night, rage thundering through his handsome features, muscles rippling, hands clenched, the water rippling around him, pushing against the glass, the pressure building and building until it cracked the tank, the cracks spider-webbing upwards, distorting his features as he glared out at them.

Aeralie took another step back and Perry automatically stepped in front of her.

"Now, let's calm down," he said and Kazimir spoke over him.

"I am not sitting in this god damn fish tank, chained like a dog, while you play make believe romances with a prince who barely even registers your existence beyond that of a mystery guest," he hissed, another crack forming to the left.

Aeralie gaped at him, tears instantly springing to her eyes.

"This is not a game, Aeralie!" Kazimir shouted, leaning forwards, "I am a prisoner! That man you think you love nearly strangled me! He's showing me off like I'm his possession! He would do the same to you! He has no respect for the lives of others! He is not the wonder you believe him to be! He's a monster! You are so completely out of your depth and you're too blind to understand that!"

"I'm not," Aeralie whispered, looking down.

"You're stupid!" Kazimir snarled and Aeralie stared up at him in shock, "You're putting him before me! Who cares if you don't get another chance? You had a chance! You lived your dream! For a whole day! That's more than most would get in their lifetime! And you're asking me to sit here, longer than I have to, so you can continue this charade!"

He slammed his fist against the wall and they felt the ground tremble.

"I don't know what my mother asked you to find," he hissed, "But you either get me out and I help you find it, or you damn well better go home and let my mother help me. I have no confidence in the likes of you right now."

Aeralie started to openly cry and Perry was stunned by the complete lack of remorse in Kazimir's brilliant eyes.

"Even if I do just get you free," Aeralie cried, continuously wiping her eyes, "I still need to find out how to get you out! That will take time!"

Kazimir narrowed his eyes at her, then pinned at venomous eyes on Perry, making him jump.

"You're a pirate, thus a thief," he said.

"I guess," Perry muttered.

"There is a key to this collar. Find it. Bring it here. Do her job," he ordered.

Perry winced – he was quickly regretting seeking out the girl who had been hiding, his curiously had got the better of him when he'd sensed her presence and now he was stuck in the middle of an argument that had blown way out of portions far too quickly. He was just grateful Cole had been too focused on the merman to pay mind to much else in the room.

"Well... I mean..."

"I'm not giving you an option. Find it. By tomorrow night," Kazimir stated.

Perry's eyebrow rose. "Or what?" he asked, frowning, "What can you possibly d—"

"FIND IT!" Kazimir screamed and the agonising frustration that roared through him made his voice tear; pain and fear bleeding into the words, cracks speeding through the glass.

"Alright, alright!" Perry shouted, panicked – anymore unnatural pressure and the tank wouldn't last. "I'll find it! I promise! By tomorrow night! Just stop!"

Kazimir stopped and Perry realised his heart was in his throat when he tried to take a relieved breath.

"I'll find the key and get you out," he promised.

Aeralie stared at him and he avoided looking at her.

She turned her eyes on Kazimir instead.

The look he gave her was filled with such hatred, she recoiled.

Without a second glance, he turned and vanished into the back, disappearing behind the rocks and all strength failed Aeralie.

She collapsed and Perry caught her at the last second.

"Ah, let's get you back to bed, standing this long must be tiring on new legs," he said, slipping one arm under her arms and the other under her knees before easily hoisting her upwards.

Startled, Aeralie gripped his shirt and Perry quickly left the room – only remembering half way back to Aeralie's room that he hadn't actually got the merman's name and, considering the tension rippling off Aeralie, asking then would have been in bad taste – eh, the captain was going to moan.

"Don't mind what he said," Perry said hesitantly as she pointed that he go up a flight of steps. "I can't imagine the level of stress he's under in his situation. People say all sorts of things they don't mean when they're mad."

"Kazimir isn't like me," Aeralie muttered, her voice quiet even when it was right inside his head, "He doesn't say the thing he hopes will hurt most to spite someone. He doesn't lash out in the heat of the moment and regret the words later. He's honest... he's always honest."

Perry cringed at the idea of knowing everything he'd said was true. He couldn't really imagine what either of these two were feeling – yet his heart was already aching for them despite knowing them for all of fifteen minutes.

"Are you going to find the key?" Aeralie asked when they reached the doors to her quarters – he'd so easily dodged the guards he agreed with Cole: better security.

"I promised," Perry said, gently setting her back on her feet.

"Can you to promise to hold off a few days?" Aeralie asked as she opened the door.

Perry smiled. "He asked first, my loyalty lies with him for tonight, sorry."

Aeralie glanced at him, then looked away.

"Hey, question."

Aeralie looked back at him.

"When are you going to tell him you have no voice?" Perry asked.

The look of fear she gave him made him regret asking.

"I... later... when he's not so mad," she said, then walked into her room and slammed the door, ending the night's drama as quickly as it had started without even 'goodnight'.

~~~

Next Up: Thursday

Art by: Pinterest Image

Hmmm, Kaz is scary when he's royally pissed off~