The waves this evening were particularly calm as Himiko swam towards the shore. Her sleek seal skin helped her to shoot through the water at record speed, the gift (a freshly caught fish) for her Shore Girl held firmly in her sharp teeth.

Close ahead was the shore. Himiko prepared herself for a transformation.

The night air was not nearly as warm as the ocean. The wind whipped this way and that, biting at her skin. Her breath fogged in the air, and floated away in little white curlicues. She set the fish - still twitching every few seconds - in the sand and began to transform.

The transformation always began with her skeletal system - building a strong foundation for her muscles and an adequate cage for her organs. Himiko's skull flattened in the snout, shrinking the size of her jaw. Her teeth - far too big and cumbersome for a human's mouth - fell from her jaws and fell in the sand, reflecting the moon on their pearly white surface. Her human teeth, which were still quite sharp for a humanoid creature, pushed through her gums and blood pooled and fell from her lips. It steamed in the cool night air.

Her limbs (femurs and humeruses, fibulas, tibias, radiuses, ulnas) elongated, and her phalanges shrank. The spine cracked and stretched. Her skin smoothed, turning a pretty pink instead of slate gray. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders with a wet smack.

It was done.

Himiko's transformation always left her covered in blood with aches and pains in all of her joints. They didn't particularly like being stretched and compacted at different intervals after all. She's gotten used to it, over time. She liked how she looked covered in blood and steaming gently. It was almost as if she held unimaginable power. It made her feel strong. When the blood dried, however, she felt sticky and gross and she often ended up getting chaffed.

She had picked up her seal skin and was going to wash off in the shallow waves, when she heard a gasp come from further up the shore behind her. Her heart dropped to her stomach in excitement when she saw who exactly it was.

"Aw, now you've gone and ruined my surprise. I guess I can deal with that since you came to see me in the flesh, though," Himiko giggled at her own pun. She was, afterall, only clothed in her flesh.

"Oh good gods," was all that her Shore Girl had to say. It wasn't what Himiko expected, but she'd take it.

"I wouldn't consider myself a god but it's very flattering for you to say so," Himiko had a feeling that her lack of clothing was making the other girl uncomfortable, so she slipped her seal skin down around her chest and wrapped it like one might wrap a towel around their body.

The other girl (who - Himiko noticed - was only in what seemed to be her nightgown and a shawl) cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. She was brave. Himiko liked that.

"Well," her voice still wobbled slightly, despite the brave face she put on. "if you aren't a god, then what exactly are you?"

"Name's Himiko Toga!"

Himiko went to get closer to the other girl, but she backed away. Himiko's heart fell slightly, but she wasn't giving up. They had just met, after all. This wasn't indicative of how they were going to get along - or, at least, that's what Himiko hoped.

Confusion pulled at the brunette's brow. "That - that doesn't answer my question? Wait!" She squinted, and seemed to take in all of Himiko's details. The fish - covered in sand and blood and fully dead at this point - still lay at her feet. "This can't possibly be real. Your kind doesn't exist."

"Of course they do, you silly seagull, I'm standing right here! A real selkie, right before you!"

"But-" she seemed puzzled. "You're not going to snatch me up? Drag me down to the foamy depths and never let me go?"

"My goodness, it almost sounds like you want me to do that. If that's what you wanted, we could have done that a long while ago."

The other girl blushed, but continued her inquiry.

"How are you even here right now in this form? I thought that selkies only became human every full moon, but that obviously can't be correct, can it? I mean, you're standing right there."

"The full moon thing only applies to werewolves. Do humans not know anything about selkies?"

"Considering that I thought your kind was a myth before I met you, I do believe you have your answer."

"Hold on one moment," she grabbed both sides of her shawl in one hand and pointed to the ground in front of Himiko. As she did so, a necklace of some kind slipped out from behind her shawl. She looked as if she had just realized something momentous. "Are you the one who's been leaving things on my window?"

"You betcha! Every morning, like clockwork." She smiled wide when she realized what the necklace consisted of.

Two pearls, a tiny skull, and a shining silver chain.

"Now, I've told you my name. It only seems fair that you give me yours," Himiko clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels in excitement. She's wanted to know this for so long.

"'Give' you my name? Selkies may not be a sector of the fae, but I don't exactly trust your wording there. I shall let you know of my name, but I will give you nothing."

"Those green haired friends of yours taught you well."

Confusion clouded the other girl's expression, but she still stood firm.

Himiko's grin turned hungry. She needed to know the other girl's name like she needed oxygen.

"Ochako. Ochako Uraraka."

Himiko let out a squeal and got closer to Ochako marginally. "Your name is so cute! I should have known that such a cute girl would have a cute name to match!"

"The fish."

Thrown off by the abrupt change in topic, Himiko halted where she was.

"Huh?"

"The fish. It's meant for me, is it not?"

"Oh! Yes," Himiko picked up the fish and rushed over to Ochako with it in her hands. She cleared her throat dramatically and bowed a little at the waist to present the fish. "For you, dear lady of the shore."

Ochako took the offered fish delicately into her hands with an amused look. "I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Lady, but thank you all the same."

"Oh, I know you aren't a Lady by blood," Ochako's amused look turned slightly strained. "But even so, you are a Lady to me."

The sun, which was just starting to peek over the gently rolling waves, painted the shore blood orange. Ochako looked even softer in this light than she normally did. Himiko's heart did a softly excited swan dive at the sight.

Making direct eye contact, Himiko said, "Would you look at the time," Ochako's smile made Himiko want to melt. "I believe I must be going. Go home and warm up."

While she had been talking, Himiko had begun to back herself into the ocean. The water was now up to her waist.

Ochako took a few frantic steps towards Himiko. Holding out her hand, as if to grasp Himiko and pull her back to shore, she shouted a quick "Wait - !"

Himiko took another step backwards. She gave Ochako one last sharp-toothed grin.

"Until next time, m'lady," Himiko said as she ducked under the water and swam away.

On the shore, Ochako stood stunned; wondering if it was all a dream.