Nine years...they'd been trying for nine years after they had gotten married to have a child.

Iris didn't really mind if it was a boy or a girl, but it seemed as though Editia was beginning to give up.

She hadn't talked about having kids in a few weeks.

Iris slowly took his hat off, sitting on the shore of the beach outside the village.

Kibo village rested just a hundred miles from Ninjago City. It was a bustling city that had been built over eight hundred years ago. A legend was attached to the story of how Ninjago city was built. It always started the same way. A supernatural being bestowed an ability on a builder to help him finish the project early.

"A supernatural being? What, like an Oni? I suppose it's possible." Iris chuckled to himself, staring at the gentle waves that washed over the shore. "Who knows, maybe there are some beings out there that help folks." He sighed, running his calloused fingers over the brim of his hat. It wasn't their ages that played a role in the problem of conception, seeing as Iris was thirty six, and Editia was thirty four. They'd been trying for nine whole years, since Iris was twenty seven, and Editia was twenty five. Plenty of people his age had kids that were born recently..and biologically, too. Iris didn't mind the idea of adopting, but he had wanted a kid of his own. Looking up at the sky as a storm rolled in, he put on his hat to keep his head as dry as possible. He liked sitting out in the rain..it reminded him that storms weren't entirely destructive forces of nature.

Many plants and animals relied on rain for survival.

As the first raindrops hit the ground, Iris watched the way the drops broke and rippled over the surface of the ocean. "Peaceful, really. Rain helps a man think..."

As the pouring rain got worse, Iris moved to sit under a rocky cliff on the beach and watched the rain pour over the ocean and land. Taking a breath, he leaned back against the rock behind him, staring at the waves. "I would do anything just to see something other than a frown cross her face when I talk about kids...anything at all."

Sitting up to peer out over the waves, Iris could've sworn he saw a large tail fin slip back into the water-but the rain was coming down too hard for him to make out what species of fish or ocean dwelling mammals it was. "Ah...maybe it's a dolphin...hope the poor fella or lady doesn't get beached in this storm." Iris stretched and got comfortable, thankful he'd picked a spot away from the tide coming in. "I wonder what it'd be like to have a little daughter...teaching her the right way to cultivate the soil so the flowers thrive, which flowers and vegetables should be planted in which season...seeing Editia so excited to finally have someone to teach.." He wiped his eyes. "Damn.. the thought is enough to make my heart hurt...it's been nine years. At this point all that would help is divine intervention...if it really exists."

As Iris ponders his choices and the possibility of giving up, a rather strange woman is peering around a large rock from the water.

Laria hopes that this man can't see her.

After all, sirens are supposedly myths. No human has seen one.

She'd been listening to his woes for an hour, and despite staying mostly away from humans for the past several hundred years, this human interested her more than the woman running the tea shop near the forest.

He wanted a child...?

Laria silently watched him draw in the sand with a stick, pondering his plea as the rain continued. Despite being the original master of song, she was also a siren..she did have the ability to grant one wish to a human being in her lifetime. Perhaps she could grant his wish for a child. She had just never found a human being worthy of it. Not to mention, she tended to stay in hiding as humans hadn't exactly been kind to sirens over the centuries.

Some humans hunted them for sport-some for revenge.

Not all sirens were neutral or even kind, like she was. Some were vindictive and spiteful, luring sailors to their deaths so they could feast upon them.

Laria shook her head at the thought, sighing. She had more of a taste for fish and being alone. She saw the man lift his head to peer out over the ocean, so she ducked down under the water to avoid being seen.

Iris readjusted his hat, then rubbed his face.

Laria frowned, slowly lifting her head above the surface of the water so she could see him.

This man looked tired of trying, and worried about the future.

Thunder crashed in the sky as the storm raged on, causing Laria to grip the rock to try and hold on as the waves grew choppy.

Iris peered out over the ocean, lost in thought. "Maybe we'll give up and adopt. It wouldn't be the same, but I know Editia and I would love any kid as our own." Shifting his position in the sand, he tugged his hat off and sat it aside. Running a hand through his hair, the brunette man's blue eyes looked down at the sand in defeat. "Maybe Editia and I ain't built to have kids naturally." Iris shook his head and picked up a shell out of the sand, running his thumb over the ridges in it.

Editia would like this pretty little shell.

Laria watched the defeated gaze of this man and slowly swam closer, staying under the water now.

He truly deserved the one thing she could give in her long life.

It wouldn't kill her, but it did take a lot of power. Slowly rising up out of the water near the shore, the blonde, lavender eyed siren looked at the man sitting under the cliff.

Iris couldn't believe his eyes.

There, leaning against a rock near the shore...was a siren.

He watched her tail fin lazily sway just under the surface of the water as the rain lessened to a drizzle. "Am...Am I seein' things?" Iris rubbed his eyes as Laria chuckled.

Humans were a little funny to her. "Maybe you are. We're a myth, aren't we? You truly wish for a child, do you?"

Iris silently nodded, watching this siren before him. "We...We've been trying for nine years, Miss."

Laria nodded as she listened to him. "What is your name, sir? Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you."

Iris takes a breath, swallowing a little. "My name is Iris Fair, Miss. What's your name?"

Laria lifted her head from staring at the water, giving him a smile. "My name is Laria. My kind don't tend to have surnames, but...yours is rather nice. Nine years...my, you must really wish to have a child with this woman."

Iris chuckled a little and scratched his stubble covered cheek. "I do. I love Editia with all my heart. Have from the first moment I saw her."

She nodded, tracing her finger over the surface of the water. "I see...and I take it you've almost given up on trying for a biological child. I believe I can help you. Tell me, have you and your wife decided whether or not you would like a son or a daughter?"

Iris had to think about that. He was a bit of a forgetful man, always had been-so it took him a moment to remember the first discussion they'd had after getting married. "If I recall, Editia and I don't really mind if it's a boy or a girl...but I know we had talked about having a daughter first, though we'd be happy with either."

Laria watched Iris. "This is what the both of you truly wish? I see..."

Iris swallowed in slight fear. "Did you need anything in order to make this happen, you know I'd do any-"

Laria held up her webbed hand to silence him, shaking her head. "No, this is a gift of life...kind sirens like myself gift a wish to human beings deserving of a kindness, since they have struggled so much. I will not ask anything of you for this wish, but...tell me, what is today?"

Iris tilted his head. "Today? It's May twenty-third."

Laria nodded, watching Iris. She slowly shuts her eyes for a few moments and stays still...before opening her eyes to stare at the water. A shaky breath leaves her-and with it some lavender wisps seep from her mouth.

The scent of lavender that fills the air calms Iris, and his eyes shut for a moment.

The stress is gone.

Renewed will fills his heart.

Laria seems tired, now. "I see...please, try again a week from today."

"What did you do?"

"You will soon see, Iris. One gifted from the sea will soon enter your life."

Iris frowns, watching the Laria and walking a little closer to the shore where she is resting on the rock in the water. He kneels down in the water, making sure his knees hit the sand. "Are you alright, Miss Laria? You seem so tired after shutting your eyes for a bit. Do ya need to go back in the water all the way? Like fully submerged?" Iris carefully reaches forward and cups Laria's slightly scaly cheek in his hand, watching her eyes to check for any signs of fatigue or distress.

Laria can't help but chuckle at this man's kindness. "Iris..." She sighs and slowly moves his hand away from her cheek. "I am alright. Giving a gift so large does take a bit out of me, but it's not life threatening."

He only nods, slowly pulling away from Laria and standing up out of the water. "Please, take care of yourself Miss. And thank-" A large wave crashes along the shore and over Iris, and as soon as it calms and moves away...she's gone.

The rock she was leaning against is empty, as if she were never there.

Iris rubs his eyes, a little confused as he begins walking back toward the village and his house to see his wife. One of the many thoughts running through his mind seems to stick out, as he questions his mind and sight. 'Was she ever really there at all?'