Geralt merely shrugged, as if to respond with 'If you say so...' It was then that a flash of water and light caught his attention and drew his gaze to the water's surface once more.

Cora had seen Akane's gesture, and smiled to her, nodding her agreement. As the young Kitsune began paddling toward the surface, Cora let her take the lead for a moment, but couldn't help but be playful now that they were in the water. With a burst of speed, she caught up to Akane, took her by hand and pulled her behind as she rocketed toward the surface. Though her "human" or "land" form seemed frail, slender, and weak, in the water, Cora realized her true strength. Her legs had been traded for the tail she'd had since birth, and the water flowed through and with her like the blood in her veins. She was one with it and a resident of it at the same time.

She'd gathered enough speed in just a few strokes of her long powerful tail and fin to break the surface of the water with Akane still in tow. A brilliant burst of water came forth as they broke the surface, droplets falling all around them like diamonds as they shot into the air. Because she was still carrying Akane, the two of them didn't go too high, but it was high enough to make a spectacle, and all of Cora's fish-like features were visible to onlookers if they were paying attention.

Geralt caught the trick mid-way through, and it was then that he realized his suspicion was correct. Cora had to be a mermaid. He spotted Akane's red hair and the tips of her tails, the crimson of her swimsuit, before the two women were obscured by water and foam once again. But of Cora, he saw green scales glinting in the sunlight, translucent fins the color of mist. long green hair like seaweed, and her long muscular tail, the opalescent fin at the end of it arcing through the air like the wing of a gigantic butterfly.

He just managed to keep his jaw from dropping as the two became invisible once more beneath the water's surface. He looked back at Lucien, even sparing a glance for Aurel and Illyana who were standing nearby, his eyes glistening with genuine wonder. [color=crimson]"I...well..."[/color] he paused, chuckling as he pushed the hair out of his face and shook it, [color=crimson]"I [i]want[/i] to say that now I truly must've seen everything...but, I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of what I may see if I stick around."[/color]

Illyana had been watching Aurel's face as he'd joined them, and she didn't even need the melancholy in his aura to tell her what he must have been thinking about. In the old days, the four of them would come to the lake sometimes when they were out or needed a break from the routine of their lives. Lucien and Faolan and Aurel would go swimming, even though the water was so cold. Faolan and Aurel would splash her sometimes as she sat at the water's edge, just letting her feet dip in. She would scream, and pretend to be mad that her book had gotten wet, and instead take up great fistfuls of mud and hurl them at her attackers. Lucien would laugh with them all, and even managed to coax Illy into wading a bit, but never past her hips. Swimming wasn't really her forte, and she had no desire to learn...but she liked watching them. Remembering the smiles on all of their faces, it made her long to see it again...even if only for a moment.

She looked over at Aurel, smiling as Cora and Akane finished their arc through the air, and nudged him with her elbow. [color=598527]"You going in?"[/color] she asked, playfully. She could tell that he wanted to, but something was holding him back...probably Geralt. She knew that Aurel was self-conscious, and though he was comfortable with all of them, he wouldn't want to show that man his back. He was still a stranger after all. But still, she thought she should play with him a little bit, make him remember that she and Lucien were still here, even if Faolan couldn't be.