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It had been a normal day for the young paladin trainee. Since there were no classes that morning, she decided to take a stroll along the shores of the republic. Mainly to patrol for any disturbances and partially to feel the summer breeze in that air.
Still, that walk was just that; a normal, calm stroll.
Or at least, it had been supposed to be one.
For when Kouign Amman caught a glimpse of a fin peeking through the rocks, her first instinct was to grab her sword, expecting to fight whatever it was attached to. But when she got close enough to see her opponent properly, she lowered her weapon, gasping at the sight before her.
The mer was bigger than any person Kouign had seen in her life, its tail alone surpassing the length of her sword. Said tail was surrounded by bright red fins that formed a shark-like one on the tip. Similarly colored fins and scales were scattered on the creature’s arms and upper body. And while a mane of long hair prevented her from seeing its face laying in the sand, the paladin could notice the tips of dark, scarred horns.
And speaking of scars…
While the hair and a dark cape obscured most of the view, the parts of its body that she could see were a complete mess. A fishing net was coiled around the mer so tightly that it made marks on its scales. Two half-burned spears clung deep on the start of its tail, blood trailing from the wounds onto the sand. And a pair of dark shackles were circling tight around its wrists.
Kouign stared at the mer for a moment, horrified. What happened to it? Had it been hunted? Or did it get injured while trying to hunt someone?
She shook her head. Whatever happened to it, it didn’t come out of it unscathed.
Carefully, she took some steps toward the creature. It lay there, almost completely stiff; had it not been for the slight rising movement on its back or the gills on the neck opening and closing alongside it, the paladin would have mistaken it for dead.
But judging by its condition, it wouldn’t stay like that for long.
She crouched a few centimeters from its side and cautiously reached a hand to touch it. The second she felt a rising heat from its scales she pulled back, wincing. The summer day was as hot as ever, and likely the cause of the heat.
It was worrying. How long had the creature laid there for its skin to be affected by the sun's rays? Kouign wasn’t sure, and she had scarce knowledge about how sea creatures worked. But if being in the open air for a few minutes was bad for most of them, she could only imagine how worse it would be if it was for hours.
The paladin frowned, eyes softening in sympathy.
What should she do?
A mer was a dangerous thing, there was no mistake in that. Even inland, it could overpower most warriors and end their lives swiftly. If the one in front of her decided to, it could simply lunge at her and tear her into pieces.
But… it was in no fighting condition, and she didn’t want to fight it. It would be unfair, and disgraceful to attack it when it had no chance of defending itself. As far as she was aware it didn’t even do anything to warrant an attack.
And besides… it had suffered enough already.
Kouign made her choice.
The first thing first, however, was getting the things needed to help.
The paladin stood up and picked her sword up. She turned to leave and glanced at the mer one again. It didn’t move. The paladin sighed in concern before running back to the academy. Hopefully, nothing bad will happen while she is gone…
~~~~~~~
A feeling of numbness was the only thing that Capsaicin could sense. Plain darkness and nothingness.
Was it because of how exhausted he was? Or perhaps, and more likely, because of how he got used to the pain even though it had been inflicted so, so much on him?
Either way, he was too tired to properly ponder about it.
And terrified.
In the far corner of his unconscious mind, a part of Capsaicin dreaded knowing where he would lay if he opened his eyes. The hunting boat his pursuers tried to use to hunt him down? An aquarium specifically made to keep him there? A completely barren place, with a new set of chains made to restrict his movements so that the humans could do as they pleased with him?
He didn’t know. He didn’t want to know.
And so, his body kept drifting into unconsciousness, unaware of everything but the numbness.
Some unspecified time had passed (perhaps an hour, perhaps an entire day) before his body started to feel things besides the darkness. The first being… pressure.
Strange. The water certainly had pressure, and the deeper one went the stronger it was. But even in his fogged mind, the mer could tell that he was used to it to the point that it was practically nonexistent. So, why did it feel like his body was being kept in place, on sand instead of floating in spite of it all?
It didn’t make sense. Why did it feel so different? Unless…
The fog on Capsaicin’s mind cleared at the thought, his body involuntary shivering as he slowly regained his senses. Immediately he realized that what surrounded him wasn’t water, but instead, the hot air of the surface world drying his scales. Out of instinct, his tail dragged from side to side in the sand, confirming his suspicion.
He winced as the motion opened the wounds caused by the spears. But to his surprise, he didn’t actually feel the metal weapons on him. He didn’t even feel the open air enter the wounds as if they had been covered by something.
The net, however, was still there. It had always been there; he had sensed it the moment he regained consciousness and now as it coiled tighter when he moved his hands to his sides. Capsaicin tried his best to ignore the pain, the tears that threatened to spill from his still-closed eyes and focused on what he was trying to do.
Carefully, he pressed his hands on the sandy floor and pulled his upper body upwards. He had only managed to make it a few inches off the sand, but it was enough. There was still some sand on his face, which he shook off, knowing well enough that wiping it with his hands wasn’t going to work here.
Finally, he opened his eyes.
It took a few blinks for his vision to become clear, but when it finally did, the first thing he saw was his shadow on the sand below him.
For a moment, he stood there panting, otherwise frozen. Then, he dared to look up, immediately regretting it when the bright sun pierced his still-sensitive eyes. The mer lowered his head, teeth clenched in pain.
Suddenly, he felt something: the net on his body had been moved, accompanied by a strange scraping sound. His ear fins snapped upwards and his body tensed. Capsaicin turned his head to look over his back.
And then he felt his blood go cold.
At his side, mere inches from him was a human. A human, looking at him while she was kneeling on the sand, one hand grabbing the ropes of the net while another brandishing a small knife ready to be put in good use.
Both stared down at each other, not making a single move or sound as their minds processed what they were seeing in front of them.
Then, hesitantly, the human started to speak
“Hey, um… hello?” followed by a small, nervous smile.
And Capsaicin’s reaction followed immediately afterwards.
All of the fins in his body flared up, getting bigger and pointier as a combination of a terrified scream and hiss escaped his mouth. The human also screamed, barely managing to stumble out of the way when the mer lifted a clawed hand to swipe at her.
A wave of pain followed the movement, but he completely ignored it, all senses focusing entirely on the human, who stood up and ran a few feet away from him.
She was small, at least in comparison to him, but he knew better than to think of that as a sign of weakness. Her kind, after all, was always dangerous regardless of size.
His thoughts were proven correct seconds later when she grabbed the hilt of a giant sword that lay on the sand and hoisted it up without a single struggle, pointing it toward him.
Capsaicin’s eyes went wide; his posture still remained tense, but the shaking in his body gave it off as less threatening and more like one of pure terror.
He- he couldn’t fight her off. In this condition, in this state, he wouldn’t even be able to do so.
With his options limited, there was only one option he could take: to flee.
The mer’s eyes flicked off from the girl to the water. Thankfully the waves didn’t seem to have brought him that far from it, but it was still some distance away.
Still, even with this net, he could manage to get there, right?
Before he could ponder about it, the human took a small step forward, weapon still pointing at him. Capsaicin flinched, acting without thinking.
And that proved to be a horrible mistake.
As soon as he turned his upper body to scamper away, the net coiled firmly, digging deep onto him. The mer let out a cry of pain, body twisting to try and pry that heinous thing off.
“Wait, stop!” someone, very likely the human, cried out. But he paid no attention to it; he continued struggling, kicking sand up in his movements, but it was useless. The more he struggled the more tangled he became in the trap.
Eventually, after another moment of struggle, he stopped his movements, except from the heavy breathing in his chest. Then, he looked at his body, and both the sight and feeling were far from pretty: the net had now trapped all his cape and fins, creating marks wherever it was. Moreover, his arms were now tangled as well.
Capsaicin continued staring, realizing what he had just done.
Oh no. Oh no.
A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Once again, he turned to see the human, who had been slowly making her way up to him, stopping the moment when she was seen. This time, she didn’t have any sword in hand.
That was hardly any comfort.
He hissed at her, forcing himself to move away from her in spite of his trapped state. He only managed to get so far as to press himself against a rock before the pain made him wince, only made worse by the constant heat that was radiating from the s-
Wait.
Heat.
Maybe, just maybe, he could burn this thing away…
Motivated by this small glimmer of hope, he concentrated. Slowly, he started to feel his body heat rise, alongside a glow from his fins and hair.
Judging by how the human gasped, the effects were clear. Most importantly, the web was heating up.
Capsaicin couldn’t help but smile as a slow giggle emerged from him. Yes, Yes! He just needed more heat, more fire to get this thing off, to get out, and even to scare the human away while he was at it!
The mer glared at the other and lifted one of his hands. He could feel it now; his inner fire glowing within him, concentrating to go out as-
A pathetic spark, which disappeared as soon as it came.
He blinked.
He tried again. The same thing happened. He also became aware that nope, the net hadn’t burned away.
He tried it once more. And again and again, all while the human watched until it became clear that no; this was all that he could manage.
Capsaicin stared at his hand, confused. Why wasn’t this working? Why wasn’t he out?!
And then, a vague memory of his fight flashed in his mind; a fight where he used all his strength against his attackers.
Did… did he exhaust his powers? Did he not have enough fire to save himself?
It could not be possible. It could not make sense. And yet it did. And the moment the realization hit him, he broke.
“No.. no no no…” the mer whimpered, body trembling in horror “no no no no no no-“
“Hey-”
“Stay away!” He snarled at the human. Whether the words came in her language or not, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He tried once again to invoke his flames. This time, nothing came.
He tried again and again all while tears slipped from his eyes, all while knowing that nothing was going to change.
Finally, after slamming his fist against the sand in frustration and despair, he curled as much as he could against the rock and dug his head in his arms, sobbing.
He was doomed. He was so, so doomed…
~~~~~~~
Kouign Amann stared at the mer, not knowing what to do or say. She’d had been caught off guard by its- or rather, his; the voice sounded masculine, at least - sudden awakening, and so she immediately went for her weapon. In spite of her desire to help, and the fact that she had an unfair advantage over him, she wasn’t foolish enough to think that she wouldn’t be met with resistance.
She was dealing with a dangerous creature, after all.
Still, the picture presented before the paladin wasn’t one of a flesh-hungry monster from the depths bent in killing anyone on sight; Instead, it was one of someone who was trapped and cornered, someone who knew he had no chance of escaping no matter what he tried and was at the complete mercy of anyone desiring to hurt him.
Someone, who was absolutely terrified of her.
And if the state he was found in and the broken shackles were any indication… he had a good reason to feel that way.
“What did they do to you?”, she wanted to ask, her gaze filled with pity and sympathy. Still, she didn’t speak; at least, not yet.
Instead, she focused on what needed to be done now.
The spears on the tail had already been broken and removed, and subsequently the wounds caused by them had been cleaned and bandaged. It was far from her best work, but the fact that they remained tightly in place in spite of all the shaking was good enough.
Now, all that remained was the net; and she had already been in the process of cutting it off before the creature woke up and made things worse in his panic. Thankfully, in spite of the fact that it had gotten tighter and had made new marks on the arms, he could still breathe and move somewhat.
But, should he trap himself any further…
Kouign shuddered at the thought, shaking it away quickly. She had to concentrate on the objective: Get rid of the fishing net and set the mer free… without getting sliced into pieces in the process.
By now, she had managed to get a few feet close to the mer, who surprisingly didn’t react much; instead, when small whimpers gradually replaced his sobbing, he kept his head in place, laying there unmoving except for the heaving in his chest.
Now, how would she do this? Obviously she had to use the knife to cut the thing, but she didn’t want to scare him any further. If he panicked or tried to defend himself against her, things would likely get worse.
So, taking a deep breath to calm her own nerves, she started:
“Hey” she used the softest, sweetest voice tone she could muster “It’s ok, i’m not going to hurt you”.
The mer didn’t move. The paladin kneeled on the sand, trying to look as least intimidating as possible, and continued.
“ I know you are likely very confused and scared right now, but I assure you I-“ she paused, remembering her previous actions the moment she herself thought she was in danger. Her words right now sounded kind of contradictory, didn’t they? “Ok, I guess I almost used my blade against you. Sorry.”
Again, no movement or response. The paladin frowned.
“But anyway, I really have no interest in fighting you. I just saw you like this and well… I wanted to help”.
This time, something did happen. The mer’s fins flicked as he tilted his head a little to the side, allowing a yellow eye to glare through the paladin’s soul. The dried tears in its corners mitigated the intimidation factor a bit, but Kouign still couldn’t help but shiver a little.
Well, at least it was clear he was listening.
“I think I have done enough for now” she explained, hand circling in the direction of the broken spears and her handiwork. By now the creature has properly lifted his head to follow her gestures, expression wary “ All I want right now is to remove that thing from you . I promise I'll be as quick as I can and then I’ll leave you alone, ok?”
She watched with bated breath as he took another look at his surroundings and then back at her again, eyes narrowed in suspicion and contemplation. Clearly, he was out of options if he wanted to get out, but what if he rejected her aid? What would she do then?
Would she give up and leave? Would she leave him be like he desired and leave him to his fate?
No. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
“Look” she started “I know I’m probably the last person you want to be helped by and you’d rather go back to the water, but … but we can’t just leave you like this! That thing is already harming you so much already. You are barely able to move and if that thing gets tighter around you, or if something tries to get you, or if I left you to dry in the sun things will only get worse!”
The paladin was barely aware of how her voice cracked as she spoke, how the mer was now intensely paying attention to her every word, but she couldn’t help herself.
“I know that! We both know that! Honestly… I have no idea what happened to you or if you did something to deserve it. But what I know is that you need someone who can help you. And as a paladin of the light, it is my personal duty and responsibility to do just that, regardless of who is the one needing it!
“So please..” she added in a softer, almost begging tone “For both of our sakes, can you allow me to help you?”
Kouign finally paused, taking air again and realizing that her speech had been way too passionate than what she intended. Normally, she would have no shame in that, but in the current circumstances it probably came off as intimidating and demanding.
For a moment she feared that she had achieved the exact opposite effect of what she wanted. But as she looked at the mer, she found no trembling or scared expression; instead, the creature gazed between the netting and the person before him with an unreadable look.
And, after what felt like an eternity… he let out what she could only describe as a sound of resignation and defeat, and gave her a nod.
A sigh of relief soon escaped the paladin’s lips.
“Thank you..” the paladin murmured, giving the mer a small smile “Just, give me a sec…”
Kouign Amann turned and walked back a few steps to pick up the knife left in the sand. It was a small, sharp thing; mundane compared to the way larger blades used by everyone in her academy. That didn’t mean it lacked a use, however.
When she returned and got closer, brandishing the tool in her hand, the creature visibly trembled, nervous eyes following her every movement. Still, he didn’t make any other move.
The paladin took a deep breath for what felt like the millionth time on this day, and picked a loose part of the netting with her free hand.
“Alright, let’s do this,” Kouign said, almost to herself, before cutting that part with a swift motion. When the mer flinched at the sight, she gave him a reassuring smile “Don’t worry, i won’t do the same to the rest”.
“Now” she continued, eyes focused on the lines in the body “let’s start with the ones on your neck and-“
The words barely left her before they were interrupted by a snarl, followed by the creature glaring at her, gaze filled with disapproval.
“Sorry sorry! It's just… I think it would be best if you could breathe more freely first!”, and that would also mean that he could move more freely too, meaning that he could more easily attack her if he changed his mind about letting her help him. Still, it needed to be done. “I’ll be as careful as possible,ok?”
The mer’s eyes narrowed at her, but still nodded. Those eyes never left her, even as he went completely stiff when the paladin got right next to him.
Careful not to touch his hot scales, Kouign slowly picked a part of the netting that had created reddish marks near the creature’s neck- thank the Divines it missed his gills- and started to work.
Unlike her previous demonstration, her movements were slow and methodical, as if she had been cutting a fruit. It made the process slower, but the risk of accidentally cutting the creature trapped within was lessened.
In spite of this, his body had tensed up, already bracing himself for any kind of impact coming from the tool.
And yet, such a thing never happened. Instead, the netting keeping him in place gradually loosened and fell as the parts keeping it together were broken off. Soon, the paladin started to notice that, over time, his breathing was becoming less forced as he was getting more and more space to breathe.
And, as soon as she cut a specific line that had forced some of the others to press against his torso, she could have sworn she heard a sigh of relief.
Good.
As she moved to help pull off the netting stuck on the arms, Kouign’s eyes fell on the shackles locked in the wrists. She gazed back at the mer - who had briefly shifted his focus on the what would hopefully be temporary net-like marks on his body- and, after a moment of contemplation, lightly tapped one of the metal things with the knife.
“Should I…” she started to ask when surprised eyes turned to her direction, yet before she could finish, the creature shook his head in reply. No, then “Ok”.
With the lack of lines keeping them in place, getting the net from his arms was far easier, only requiring the mer’s help to slide them out of it before cutting the lines so they didn’t get anything stuck again.
By now, half of her work was done; only the tail needed to be freed. And that distant part in the paladin’s mind that feared what the creature would do the moment his arms were properly out of those restraints was quickly soothed when he instead laid them lazily on the sand, seemingly happy that he could finally allow them to put them somewhere without feeling much pain.
Kouign decided to take a brief moment to shake off some sweat and have a breather. As she did, she turned her head towards the waters before her. They were as blue as ever, light reflecting in their surfaces and small waves crashing along the shore and rocks. Nothing unusual really.
Until, in the corner of her eye, she caught movement: a reddish shape, quickly banishing under the waves.
She blinked in confusion, and turned in that direction.
The paladin didn’t see anything at first. But before the paladin could wonder if she was just seeing things or not, the shape appeared again. peeking over a rock. They were not the only ones there; gradually, others of various shades of red and orange appeared by their side.
She gasped.
The sunlight combined with their distance made it difficult for her to discern their individual forms, but there was no mistaking what they were: a group of merfolk.
Could they be…?
Kouign looked back at the mer behind her and snapped her fingers together, gaining his attention.
“Look!” she said, pointing at the group. What first appeared to be a look of confusion on his face soon changed to one of surprise. Then his expression turned to one of joy and hope, eyes widening and shining as a small, but noticeable smile crept on his face.
“Are those your friends?” The paladin couldn’t help but ask even though the answer was presented right in front of her.
So instead, she turned to the still netted tail and began to cut the lines in it, causing the mer to glance at her in surprise. Her movements were surprisingly faster than before, motivated by the fact that the trapped individual was soon going to be properly out of this net when she finished… and a sense of urgency.
The paladin had no doubts about her fighting capabilities, but she’d rather not fight an entire pod of merfolk by herself ; especially if they were hungry , especially if they saw their companion’s injuries and turned their anger towards the nearest person on sight.
She didn’t need to look up to know she was already being glared at.
But alas, after more knife slashes and having to drag the still loose net far from its prisoner, the tail laid steadily on the sand. Its owner was finally free.
“And done!” a smile spread across Kouign’s face as she announced those words, while a hand shook off some of her sweat.
Her eyes briefly traveled to the pod of merfolk (which was still glaring at her) before falling to the one laying before her. He looked back at her, and then at the water waiting for him.
Well, this was it.
The paladin took some steps back, intending to give him some space. He probably wouldn’t want her to follow as he went back to his pod. She made a gesture towards the water, indicating that he was free to go.
But to her surprise… there was no movement to leave. Instead, the mer repeated his earlier motions before his gaze went over his marked body, and the equally marked tail.
“What 's wrong?”,she asked, confused. She was so sure that he would have fled to the seas the moment the net was off from him. Yet, in spite of his previous behavior, he remained in place. Something was off.
There was no answer. He kept staring at the scars and bandages, and then dragged his tail across the sand, as if testing it. The movement was slow, stiff; judging by how he winced as he was doing so, it also took more effort than expected. A clear difference compared to the previous, faster swipes made after his awakening.
The paladin watched, eyes narrowed and lips pursed. And then, it hit her.
“You… don’t think you can swim?” she asked slowly.
His eyes flickered to her as a sheepish look fell on his face, clearly not wanting to admit such a fact. Eventually however, he gave a small nod, head facing away from her.
“Oh”
Huh.
…So, now what?
She could just leave him there and let his companions take him back. That was a simple solution. However, not only could his wounds reopen as they dragged him back, but the sun had already dried his scales to the point that she felt that leaving him there was far from a good idea.
He needed the water. Soon.
And then, she came up with a solution that, considering the circumstances, could probably be qualified as crazy.
“Well, what if I just carry you to the sea?”
Her answer was a look of complete bewilderment as the mer turned to face her. His mouth was half opened, and she could have sworn she had heard a faint but clearly confused “What?!”, before his mouth quickly snapped shut.
Kouign didn’t blame him for it. After all, in spite of all the help she had given, he didn’t exactly trust her.
“It isn’t too far anyway” she continued, “I’ll just have to drop you in water deep enough for your friends to get close and pick you up!.. If you allow me to do so, of course”.
There was no response to her words. The mer just stared down, thinking.
But, unlike a few moments ago, there wasn’t much fear in his gaze; instead, the emotions that it broadcasted were more of doubt and insecurity. Whether that was an improvement or not, she couldn’t tell.
The silence extended for just a few precious moments more, in which the paladin took another brief glance at the pod. They hadn’t moved from the spot yet, but were actively watching her every move. Kouign was just about to try and ditch her previous suggestion when a heavy sigh reached her ears.
She turned to meet the amber eyes of the creature , who slowly shook his head in hesitant, but clear, approval.
The paladin stared back at him in surprise, before the slow dimming of the glowing red hair snapped her back to reality. Was he… lowering his temperature, to let carry him without trouble ? Was he really allowing himself to go through this?
Either way, her conclusion was immediate: Be as quick as possible, and do her best to not make him regret this decision.
“Alright” she said, more to herself than anything else, “Alright. Let’s do this” she repeated, before extending a hand towards him.
Anyone who wasn’t from the republic or at least hadn’t heard of her would have immediately doubted that she would be capable of carrying someone way bigger than her. And yet, the weight of the sword she had chosen as her weapon proved otherwise. This moment proved otherwise too.
True, he was a bit heavier than the blade, and picking an item was far simpler than picking up someone, so there had to be some shifts and rearrangements in position to allow for such a task. But alas, after such efforts, she had managed to lift him up off the ground, her hands pressed on his back and tail.
During and after such a process, the mer had been taking slow breaths clearly trying to allow himself to calm down a little. Yet that didn’t stop him from shivering when he was first properly touched; even now, the paladin could feel the small trembles of his body as one of his hands cautiously traveled to grip her shoulder, likely in fear of falling from her hold.
Still, he didn’t look particularly surprised at what was very likely an unfamiliar experience for his kin. Maybe he had already experienced this before.
Maybe it hadn’t been pleasant for him.
She was tempted to try and move her hands to comfort him, but that probably would be crossing more lines than necessary. So instead, she gave him a small smile and carefully made her way to the sea.
With her view partially obstructed by the mer, the sound of the waves splashing against her boots was her only indication that she had stepped in the water. She took a small glance at her charge, whose eyes were focused on the great expanse of blue before them, and carried on.
With each step she took, moving had become quite an effort, as the water gradually surrounded and dampened her dress, adding more weight, making moving her feet quite a task.
Still, the paladin pressed on. It was not until the water got up to her waist that she finally stopped. By this point, her dress was floating gently around her, and part of the mer’s cape was partially submerged as well.
“Do you think this is deep enough for you?” She asked. She already felt that the answer was clear, but she wanted to make sure just in case. And when it was evident that he thought the same, she couldn’t help but smile “Alright”
Carefully, the paladin lowered the mer into the water, making him sigh when his scales touched the sea. When he was half submerged, Kouign’s grip loosened until eventually she pulled her hands from under his body.
As soon as she did she let out a pant and put one of her hands on her forehead. She turned her head towards the mer, and couldn’t help but giggle as she saw a relieved and, honestly, truly joyful expression on his face at finally being back in the water.
Her own happiness was soon cut short , however, when she saw something dashing towards both of them, and her momentary confusion soon turned into horror.
Oh right, the pod!
Kouign took a step backwards, eyes flying between the approaching mer and the one in front of her.
She was quick to give him a fleeting smile and a small wave, before her other hand grasped her dress and she moved as fast as she could towards the beach.
Even when water dropped from a splash and a shout of surprise sounded behind her, she didn’t dare stop her retreat until she was out of the sea and well away from the waves.
And when she did turn, her heart fluttered at the scene presented before her.
The mer she had helped was now surrounded by his pod, who either hugged or surrounded him as they cried in their concern and worry, all the while their companion did the same and clung to them.
The paladin smiled, feeling proud and happy at what she had done. But, being aware that the other merfolk weren’t likely to be happy at her presence, and that she needed to get back home soon, she took her sword and started to walk away.
After taking a few steps however, she briefly turned her head to the group once again, just in time to catch the dark mer’s eyes staring at her. Another smile soon appeared on her face and she waved her hand at him once again before she departed from the sandy beach.
Unbeknownst to her, had she remained in place, her ears might have picked up some muttered words coming from between the splashes and songs.
“Thank you”