Day 23 Jewel, Ondina/Weilan, 725 words, Rating G

The Jewel of the Sea was a legend. A large, blue stone not quite a Moon Stone, said to contain the spirit of the Ocean trapped within it. It was said to be instantly recognisable by the sheer beauty the stone contained. More beautiful than any jewel known to any land person.

Weilan never believed any of the legends. Then she saw the Jiao Long come to life in front of her eyes and get broken with a magic bracelet.

Wholeheartedly inspired by that land girl Rikki, Weilan made it her mission that she would be the Mermaid to find the Jewel and whatever other items and treasures she found along the way would build her own career. Rikki even offered to help through her own industry connections.

It was harder than she thought though. Not in the sense of the effort of diving, navigating pressure changes and watching for deep sea predators without the sense to stay away from Mermaids; but in being away from Ondina.

They'd had such a rough beginning filled with sniping and arguments but the blonde Mermaid had such a fire inside her it drew Weilan. Everyone defended Ondina's shitty behaviour at first and while Weilan definitely didn't condone it she understood where Ondina had been coming from.

Those months at Mako had been filled with a lot of tension between the two and not just the arguing and when Ondina agreed to come with her to Shanghai it was like the stars aligned. That night they shared their first kiss on the beach at Mako after sneaking away from the celebratory BBQ on the beach with all the land capable Mermaids.

The months in Shanghai had built their relationship up into one Weilan was so happy to have. At first her diving trips had been an afternoon or so and perfectly manageable but as she worked her way further and further out she was away for longer and longer. The nights felt so lonely, camped out in whatever cave she could find or in some random hotel on land.

As she prepared to dive again Weilan's heart felt the familiar longing ache for Ondina. By tides she missed her so much. It made her wonder if the time apart was hurting Ondina as much as her. All Ondina had to do was say the word and Weilan would stop this. But then Ondina was stubborn. Weilan was stubborn. They were both very stubborn Mermaids.

Weilan swam downwards and the waters changed as less and less light permeated the deep. It grew colder, the temperature on the same downward trend as the visibility. Still on she swam, letting herself glide gracefully downwards conserving as much energy as possible for once she hit the ocean floor.

It was always on the downward swim she constantly wondered if it was even worth it. All this time spent at the deepest parts of the sea away from Ondina searching for a jewel that may not exist.

Still on she swam, searching for the stone who's blue colour would no doubt pale in comparison to the blue of Ondina's eyes. The ocean floor slowly came into view and Weilan let herself float for just a second. There was always a different feeling down there, the water heavier, pressing down the way a weighted blanket does. It was nice and comforting.

Save for the darkness.

Weilan settled just above the ocean floor and began her search the same way as always. Nice and methodical until her lungs would be crushing too much and she would have to ascend. For now she was fine, scanning along the sand without disturbing too much, keeping an eye out for any structures things could get lodged in as the current moved them.

Three hours later she was on her way back up, taking it very cautiously and dedicating her full attention to the shifting pressure. While Mermaids didn't get the bends the same was as land people, ascending too fast could still be a very uncomfortable experience.

She was returning again with no Jewel but a handful of other treasures. Still she felt happy, excited and all too ready to return to Shanghai. Besides who needed some legendary stone when she had the best thing waiting at home for her. She had Ondina and that was everything she needed.