#21 - Fear of Drowning

Ashworths were not particularly good swimmers, but mainly from never been taught apart from a few very early lesson they were too young to remember. Perhaps those lessons subconsciously came in handy now, as Reen managed to get quite far out without too much trouble apart from exhaustion and awkward movements.

It would probably take her a lot less time if she knew more than a sort of doggy paddle.

But she was there, and the potion was drank. However, none of its effects happened -- as she was yet to submerge underwater. Once she was fully under, the potion would enable her to breathe freely with... well, a Bubble Head, as the potion implied. It would last indefinitely, for as long as she remained under the surface.

It was preferable if there were less clouds obscuring the sunlight, but Saoirse still had a decent view of various shapes and the forests of kelp below. It was still too green / murky to make out much else, just the general movement of the the underwater plants -- and the occasional hint of something else now and again.

There was simply too much going on and not enough visibility to make out anything useful or to guide her. So deeper and deeper she went. Being that far under the lake's surface was almost like an entirely different world, especially as Reena didn't need to worry about air and could simply enjoy it -- moving around freely, and just taking it all in.

Swimming underwater proved to be much easier than on the surface, especially without any concern about needing air.

But beautiful as it was, she was here for a reason. It was easy to get sidetracked, but some suspicious movements among the kelp reminded her this wasn't about sight seeing. There were creatures in the lake with her, many of which she'd never seen before. If she'd taken COMC in 3rd year or not, it still only amounted to a handful of lessons.

DADA had taught her much about combating various creature, but still Reena felt was if she wasn't nearly prepared enough to face what may be down here with her.

She was definitely not alone. Reena heard something aggressive nearby, shifting through the kelp. Her presence had woken it, and the creature attacked -- all she saw where a hint of teeth an fins, though thankfully it wasn't bigger than her. But it clawed to get closer, intending to grab her and drag Reena further into the depths of the kelp. And away from where she needed to be.

She'd have to act fast, or risk getting completely lost.

Or worse.

The creature shrieked, not too differently than she had a moment earlier, as her spell forced it to release her. It was unclear if the spell also harmed it or if the creature, whatever it was, simply got spooked from the fact she was not an easy target.

It decided not to try its luck again, and fled into the depths of the kelp. It may not be the only one nearby, or the only creature in general, so it was best for Reena to move on as quickly as possible.

She went further through the lake, though not straying too far from where she needed to be. It was a good thing she didn't need to hold her breath, as she'd have surely lost it when there was a sudden screech nearby. Something thrashed about near the shadowed area of some thinner kelp -- a mermaid, tangled in some sort of magical plant. She panicked, trying to break free, but her webbed hands and anxious state were of no use.

The mermaid was wary of Reena at first, but clearly understood her perfectly. At the mention of possibly helping to free her, the mermaid immediately calmed.

'It is gone,' she said -- gesturing to something moving away from them among the kelp. 'They do not come this far.'

Her gaze urged Reena to approach, and nodded permission for the Slytherin to assist in freeing her if she truly intended to do so. The mermaid leaned back, giving Reena easier access to the entanglement. It may as well be some sort of netting, for how woven it was -- and how bound she was in it.

Luckily, the mermaid knew exactly where the problem or weak spots were and could direct Reena's attention to them. Having calmed down, it was much easier to work on trying to free herself.

The mermaid flinched at her wand being aimed at her, but remained still and tried to trust that this unknown student's intentions were good. Surely enough, the spell cut through the kelp. It wasn't direct freedom, as there was quite an intricate tangling going on, but the mermaid was able to slip out of the torn mass.

It was lucky that Reena knew a spell to help, speeding up the process and saving her hands from what would have been a rough ordeal. One did not exactly think to bring fancy scissors when going diving deep underwater. 

Swimming free, the mermaid couldn't resist checking herself over. Just in case. Spells were clearly something merepeople were unfamiliar with to not trust, yet knew enough of how they worked and general concept to even allow Reena to cast it. She was clearly so grateful, yet gave the area a nervous glance. How had she gotten so entangled? Unless she was fleeing something too quickly to have noticed where she'd ended up?

'Thank you,' she said, though gave Reena and odd look -- as if only now realising how strange it was for a child to be down this deep. And alone. 'Why are you here?'

'I know of what you speak, though I cannot confirm which items are there,' she said, drawing herself up importantly. 'I believe the place with the answers is through the enchanted cave.'

She gave Reena directions to it, which was actually nearby. In fact, now she knew where to look, she noticed an odd crack just outside the tallest kelp zone -- an opening of sorts, easily overlooked among the formations of rock and coral. The whole thing was still underwater, but that wasn't an issue when her Bubble-Head potion would remain intact.

It seemed impossible for her to have found it without the directions, as Reena was certain she hadn't seen it before. Perhaps it was only visible to those who already knew it was there?

'That is not for you to know,' she said, regarding her own name. 'But it was fortunate to meet you, Reena. It is not my duty to prepare you for those answers, but I do hope you find what you're looking for.'

And with that, she turned tail and swam away -- back towards where Reena came, but avoiding the area where the sharp-toothed creatures were. In a blink, she was gone among the murky lake water.

All that was left now, was for Reena to enter and investigate the cave. There was a rippling barrier of magic when she got close, but it easily allowed her to pass through.