#dreaming

"My people need..." CLem shakes her head then "Holy shit what's wrong with me?"

She rises up, "We gotta get out of here..."

Jessica seems relieved that Clem agrees with her tentative assertions. "Please Cayls... we'd like to go home. Safely."

"This will explain, it speaks to me" He shows them a pearl, almost the size of a soccer ball, glistening, shinning... and they feel the pearl's love.

Clem says "Jessica...smash It.. I can't..."

Jessica lunges for the Pearl; is she had her maul... but she doesn't. She tries to grab it and slam it with her full strength onto the floor.

It cracks, and screams... and then with another wham, it breaks!

Calys cries out 'no I...where..where am I?"

And the pressure on their minds is gone, just that simple.

Jess stares at the shards, then looks to Clem. "You ok?"

"Better, thanks..." CLem says "But I am mortified beyond all believe... and.. our host is... I think he was another victim"

Jessica looks around to him. "Calys... are you ok?"

"No.. I remember bringing..oh it used me. I fed them to it...they... oh oh no" He looks horrorfied

"Hey.. hey..." Jess might be just a bit nervous. "Look, let's... can you come up to the surface?"

"Yes, I..for a time... but I lead so many here, I thought I was helping them... and..the pearl devoured them. I never noticed, never remembered." Calys looks shaken

Jessica is more focused. "Well, it didn't get us, and we need to get back. Can you help us?"

"Yes, yes, please I will show you the way through the trods, and I can help you breath water for a time." He says 'Though you have no reason to trust me"

"We also don't have much of a choice." She points out matter of factly.

"Actually I could turn us both to fish and we could at least get the heck out of here after we guessed which way shore was" Clem says

"Can you turn us back before we get to land?"

"Yes, unless you want to do it his way?"

A frown, and she looks at Cayls. He was distressed.... and he is, in theory, part of her fief? What could be learned?

"I swear to guide you back safely whence you came , many any injury be done to me that would be done to you while you follow me in this...should you trust." He gives an oath "By the swells and the waves, let it be so."

"Let's risk it." Jessica says slowly. "He's... he's here. And you -did- suggest establishing ocean ties....

That last not without humor.

"Weird way to start a friendship, but yeah" A bit of a smile on Clem's face.

"Ok, Cayls. We'll trust you in this."

The journey back is more memorable than the way to. Without his siren song pulling them they know where the trod is, and how to get through it. It's odd breathing water, but apparently that's a magic in his keeping. They return to the shore they were at ..looks like a bout three hours have been lost.

Jessica squints at the sun, looks back at Cayls. "Listen... I'd like to stay in touch. Can we do that?"