Lish had not been happy when he'd communicated to her that he planned to go to the surface. She knew the dangers that lay there for dark ones, for the children of Jalung. They were forbidden from being in sunlight and the longer they stayed out of the water, the more tired and sick they got. Jalung had imprisoned them under the waves to be her servants and only a few of them had ever breathed air, let alone seen the sun without a barrier of protective water between them. But Kasho knew that the girl could help. Old Blkk, the sea witch, had raved on and on about a day when they would walk the surface again. Many of the elders didn't believe it and encouraged the youths to stay away from the surface. Kasho had never been good at following directions and had swam with Old Blkk many a time, listening to her stories. And now, with what he'd felt when that girl entered the water... He couldn't ignore it.<br/><br/>Lish's signing had gotten so frantic and agitated that he'd stopped being able to understand her at all but he knew she was silently yelling at him even as he swam away, upward, out of the underwater caves and into the lighter, bluer water. Webbed hands and feet beat the water as he made for the surface, feeling that strange, sick feeling as the water lightened and he got closer to the sun. It was low in the sky so he waited.<br/><br/>As the sun sank lower, turning the sky a brilliant orange and purple, Kasho swam along the shore, keeping away from the more populated side of the island. He could smell the girl. She was either in the water or close to it and he made his way to her, seeing her walking along the beach. He swam toward the surface but was again barred by the last rays of the sun. He waited, following her along the shoreline, keeping vigilant for other land dwellers. The night was getting chilly. Most people weren't out. The tourists were staying in, close to the fires and torches on the outdoor verandas of the resorts, nightblind.<br/><br/>When the last sliver of sunlight fell below the horizon, the beach illuminated by the moon, Kasho broke the surface. At first, it felt as if he were suffocating. The absence of water was jarring. Without the weight of the water pressing on him, he felt a strange freedom of movement that caused his movements to be jerky and uncoordinated. It felt strange to walk and he stumbled up onto the shore, clambering to hide in some bushes, clutching his coral spear. Black eyes peered out from the leaves. He'd emerged on a deserted stretch of beach that ran right up against a little copse of trees. Everything smelled strange and he found that his electroreception was severely diminished. He could still smell the girl though, although now she smelled different, less like the sea and more like chemicals. Soap, was it called?<br/><br/>She was coming closer and he steeled himself, sticking his spear into the ground and leaving it there so as not to frighten her. He stepped out from behind the bushes, the moon illuminating a grey/black skinned, athletic and very nude body.