Vision

The hotel was encased in drywall now, close to completion, and the lights at night from the construction site were no longer shining at all hours. Apparently they had caught up to schedule. The lack of intrusive spotlights no longer bothered (Y/N), although it felt like a hollow victory; it meant they no longer needed to rush to completion. It meant the tourist droves would be here soon, with their noise and fuss. Still, it felt a little quieter walking down to the beach in the dark that night; a little safer, a little more private. She felt less likely to be noticed.

In the bay, she had paddled out some distance before she realized that he might already be in one of the coves—or he might not be here yet at all. She sighed. If there were even some way to communicate ahead of time, some of the stress might be alleviated. She settled on making a course for the cove nearest to her house, and then remaining out in the sea so she could have a wider view of the area. As she approached, she scanned the coastline, unable to see any figures on the beach. He hadn't arrived yet.

She knew waiting wouldn't be so bad tonight. The chill had left the air ages ago, and it was warm out these days. She leaned over the side of the boat and stretched her hand down towards the water, wondering if the air hovering just above it would be cool. As she lowered her hand, the sight of something glowing just beneath distracted her from her experiment—he had arrived.

She withdrew from the side of the boat and sat up straight, waiting for him to surface somewhere ahead of her. As the seconds ticked by, she began to wonder why he hadn't appeared—and then she heard the gentle clearing of a throat behind her. She turned slowly, so as not to throw the boat off-balance. Orm grinned at her in the moonlight.

"Back to your old tricks, I see?" she smiled in return.

"You didn't see me on the coastline so I thought I'd test your perception," he replied, gesturing to the cove.

"Oh—it's so dark over there, I suppose I didn't see you." She noted that he had come with smooth, dark armor this time, which wrapped him in thin plates of metal. "You look extra-stealthy tonight," she said.

"But not handsome?" he pouted, feigning insult.

"You're always handsome," she said softly.

"You flatter me," his voice had picked up a deeper, sweeter tone. "Shall we go to the cove?"

She nodded, reaching for the motor-pull on her boat. Before she could grasp the little plastic handle, he stopped her.

"Wait, can you lower your anchor here?"

"Yes, why?" she withdrew from the motor pull.

"Well…would you like to ride a sea dragon?" he eased the creature closer to the starboard side, and a short burst of brilliant blue light flashed down its flank. She tossed the anchor overboard.

"Is that a trick question?" (Y/N) rose to her feet, ready to join him on the back of the beast, but unsure of how to proceed. Her hesitance must have been visible.

"You can stand on her back—it won't harm her. Just step over," he offered, turning so he could offer her his hand in support. She took it, and stepped over gingerly. Through the thin soles of her shoes, she could feel the creature shift underneath her, but it held itself steady. Slowly, she released her grip on Orm's hand, and kneeled on its back. Its scales felt like silk against her bare legs, and she was thankful she had opted for shorts tonight—less wet clothing to cling to her when they got to shore. She was surprised at the warmth of its body. She finally dropped her legs over its flanks, into the water, and could feel the heaving motion of its breath under her. It was not unlike a horse—although she had never ridden bareback, (Y/N) had spent a summer horseback riding as a child, at some far-off summer camp, the name of which she had forgotten.

"What's her name?" she breathed, wrapping one arm around Orm's waist and running the other across the creature's back.

"Dorci," he replied. She wrapped her other arm around his waist, and felt him lean slightly to the left as he tapped Dorci's side. The creature moved forward, after a moment of hesitation. "She's never carried anyone else," he said. "I think she's trying to figure you out."

"Hopefully she likes me," (Y/N) replied. She could bury her face in his neck if she wanted to; she hadn't been this close to him in awhile. She could feel his shallow breathing between her arms, and hoped it meant he was as nervous as she was.

"I don't see why she wouldn't," he said. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell by the pleasant lilt in his voice that he was probably smiling. He tapped Dorci's side once again, and she gained speed towards the cove. (Y/N) was tempted to reach out and skim her fingers through the water, but knew that she could do that from her own boat—best to hold on to Orm while he was around.

"Do you want to dive under for a moment?" he asked as they had closed half the distance to the cove.

"I'd love to," she replied, after a moment's thought.

"Okay. Tap my shoulder if you need to surface for air," he replied, removing one hand from the reigns to guide her hand to his shoulder. Somehow, wordlessly, he had already communicated to the sea dragon to dive. They were descending.

(Y/N) took a deep breath and exhaled one puff of air as the waterline reached her nostrils, hoping it would be enough to keep the water out of her nose, but not enough to waste her breath. So much for keeping my clothes dry, she thought. As the water reached her eyes, she fought the urge to close them. The salt stung, and she could feel her eyes tearing up—as if more saltwater would solve the problem. Beneath the surface, there was little visibility, but she could see the moonlight glint on Orm's dark grey armor even down here. It highlighted the graceful curve of his shoulders. Dorci sent another wave of blue light along her back, as if she knew her second passenger wouldn't be able to see a thing underwater. The light barely illuminated the next few feet. Despite the dark, (Y/N) could tell they were traveling at a much faster rate now. She had held her breath for several seconds, but the pressure was building up in her chest. As she began to exhale, she tapped Orm's shoulder, knowing she should allow for some time before they could completely surface.

They breached the surface, and she filled her lungs again, wiping the saltwater away from her eyes. Remarkably, they had already reached the cove. They were a few feet from the shallow shelf of land which extended from the beach.

"I was about to surface anyways," he laughed. "Shame there weren't many fish down there. I guess my dragon scared them all away," he mused.

"I wouldn't have been able to see them, even if they were there." She replied. "How can you see when it's so dark?"

"I can show you," he said, running his hand back through his hair, removing stray strands of it from his forehead. She realized that for the first time since they had met, he was not wearing a crown. "Will you go for a quick swim with me?" He had already swung one leg over Dorci's back. He slipped gracefully into the sea, then tread water, waiting for her response.

"Just a quick one—I can't hold my breath for very long," she conceded, swinging her own leg over Dorci's back the way she had seen Orm do it moments before. Carefully, she lowered herself into the sea, hoping it wasn't a far drop below her. As she tread water, Orm offered her his hand. With another deep breath, she grasped it and they dipped below the surface once again.

The saltwater sting was less intense this time, but still made her eyes ache. As they lowered, she could make out Orm's face in the moonlight—and something else; his eyes were luminous in the dark. They were still the same steel-blue as usual, but filled with a vibrant light like the glowing scales on Dorci's back. Surprised, she struggled against the impulse to inhale. His expression was imperceptible to (Y/N), but Orm smiled, able to read the shock clearly on her face. And then, to her further surprise, he spoke:

"All Atlanteans have this ability; we developed it over time. Our eyes can adjust to the dark of the sea the same way yours adjust to nighttime," he said. The water added reverberation to his deep voice, making it feel like he was speaking to her from all sides at once. Giving her hand a squeeze, he led her back upwards, and they surfaced once again.

"That's amazing, Orm," she gasped, after regaining her breath.

"Thanks," he bowed his head slightly, for just a moment. Locks of his short hair fell across his forehead. He released her hand so she could tread water again. "We can head to the beach now, if you'd like."

"Sure," she replied. The two swam, side-by-side, towards the cove. She noted that he hadn't dove below the surface, although she was sure that would have felt more natural to him. Instead, he swam with his head above water, occasionally glancing towards her to ensure he wasn't outpacing her. As they reached the shallows, the two rose from the water to their feet. As they made their way through the receding water, she slipped her hand back into his.

"You looked beautiful underwater," he said softly, leaning close to her ear to deliver the message.

"So did you," she replied. "I've always liked your eyes. I like them even more now," she replied. Capitalizing on his nearness, she tiptoed to brush a kiss on his cheek. Elation bought him to a halt in the ankle-deep water, and he turned towards her, bringing a hand to her face. Gently, he leaned forward to kiss her.