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It's so easy when it comes to using her powers.

While it's been months since she's done any sort of con and while she has nothing particular on the horizon, it feels strange not to be stretching her wings, so to speak, at least once in awhile. This is what she is, it's part of her very makeup, and there's nothing about being a siren that April has ever felt the need to apologize for. Anyone who has an issue with it can take it up with her, though the truth is she's just as likely to laugh in their face as she is to listen to any concerns they may have.

This is the way she'd been born and no one had been there to teach her how to use her powers. She had discovered them on her own and she knows she's lucky that she figured out how to use them. Surviving the foster care system might not have turned out quite so easy if she'd been without and while she hadn't been able to save every single exploited kid she'd come across, being able to do the things she can do had certainly helped here and there. It's not something she talks about with anyone, the things she'd seen across the various home she'd been placed in, the way some of the foster parents had treated the kids in their care, the abuse of all kinds. She keeps it to herself, but she hasn't forgotten any of it.

Children unsettle her. She never knows what to do about them and she's always been certain she doesn't want any of her own, but she's also never been able to stand a bully. When she sees the little boy being picked on, it's easy enough to send out little pieces of her power that carry with them the influence she usually only holds over the men whose money she's trying to steal. This time, though, she sends them to the much bigger boy picking on the little one and it's only a few seconds before he's turning away, before he starts to walk, then picks up speed, and runs straight into a lamp post.

It's not enough to cause any lasting damage, but it's enough to hurt and she doesn't feel the slightest bit guilty about it. Especially not when the little boy's tears seem to dry up all at once and he stares at his bully for a moment before the bigger boy runs away.

With a grin, she turns away from the scene and continues her afternoon walk down the boardwalk.

[Find April anywhere on the boardwalk. Feel free to have seen as much or as little of the scene with the bullying boy as you like.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, that is definitely his loss, because--" He lets out a low whistle, teasing, and then laughs as he wraps an arm around her waist as they walk towards his place. "I've seen Coop naked. I think he was trying to seduce me with naked yoga on his deck after I first moved in."

The memory makes him smile fondly and roll his eyes at the same, which he supposes is how most people react to Coop. He looks over at her and curls his hand around her hip loosely as they walk. He's excited at the prospect of maybe seeing her siren form again. She's intriguing in any form, but there's something exhilarating about watching her change. Part of it is knowing that he's one of the few that gets to see it, and knowing that he's earned that trust.

But also, she's just beautiful. She's always beautiful.

Her relationship with Coop is one she doesn't quite know how to explain. Somehow, despite all their flirtations, all the times they had both tried to actively engage him in her relationship with Les, they hadn't ended up together. And in some strange way, he'd become the person in this town she's had the easiest time talking to.

It defies any explanation she has, but so does most of this place.

"Should I be offended that Coop has never tried to seduce me with naked yoga?" she asks with a laugh. "I see him nearly every day."

"Maybe I'm just prettier than you," Caden jokes, perking up a bit when his house comes into view. He leads her toward it by the hand, obviously excited. It isn't long before Caden is unlocking the front door and leading her inside, toeing out of his shoes and heading for the bedroom.

"Now, do we wait the prerequisite thirty minutes before getting in the water?" He asks with a chuckle, pulling off his shirt and tossing it onto the bed. Usually when he gets undressed in such a hurry with April in the room, it's for a very different reason and the next look he gives her is the slightest bit heated before he turns and digs through his drawers for a swim suit.

"What do you think?" she asks with a laugh as she flicks through the drawer as well, reaching for a simple black bathing suit, one she knows she isn't going to be wearing very long. It's simply impossible for her to be in the water without wanting to be in her siren form and there's no need for a swimsuit when she has a tail.

"I'm not sure that rule applies to sirens," she says, grinning. "And if you get cramps, at least your fish-tailed girlfriend can save you."

And now she's said it, too. It doesn't stick in her mouth or come out sounding awkward like she thought it might.

"Hmm, I don't know," he says thoughtfully, pretending to think on it. "I am quite pretty."

He laughs and looks over at her, shoulder brushing hers as she looks for a suit. Of course he notices when she calls herself his girlfriend, and it means a lot to him, but he doesn't want to call attention to it. He just smiles softly and leans over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Can you save me even if I don't get a cramp? Being your damsel sounds fun." He kicks off his jeans and underwear and pulls on the trunks, form-fitting and black, tying them before turning around to unabashedly watch her change. "And hey, I like your tail. Which isn't something I ever imagined coming out of my mouth, but it's true."

He's only seen April's siren form a few times, and while it was a little startling at first, he really does find her beautiful. She's elegant, ethereal, and predatory all at once, and Caden likes the way her dark eyes track him, and how her scales feel under his fingers. But mostly, he likes how comfortable she seems wearing that skin. It makes him happy, seeing her like that.

Once she has her suit on, he comes over to draw her in for a kiss, long and lingering to distract her before he scoops her up under her arms and knees, laughing brightly as he shoulders open the sliding glass door leading to the patio and carries her towards the sand. "Time to get wet."

"I'll see what I can do," she says when he asks if she can save him regardless, then lets out a startled laugh when he scoops her into his arms. It's nice, though, and she lets him carry her out toward the water, the waves already calling to her. She can feel it, like a pull in her blood, like the pulse in her throat.

It's the only place she's ever felt at home.

Once they reach the water and Caden puts her down, she wastes no time in walking out, through the waves. They're still cold, but not nearly as cold as they could have been and she likes how the water feels against her legs.

There are few sights Caden enjoys more than watching April walk into the ocean. The waves have always felt like home to him, and April is such a commanding presence as she moves fearlessly into them. Two things he cares so deeply about melding together, and he finds it hard to look away.

Eventually he manages, and he grabs his surfboard before wading in himself. The water is cold as it envelopes his thighs, and then his hips, but he expected that. The water would warm for him if he asked it to, which is still so incredible bizarre, but the likes the shock of it. He knows that he'll get used to it eventually.

He comes up behind April and tugs playfully at the string of her bikini without untying it, kissing the curve of her shoulder before pushing his board out and diving under the water, cutting through it easily. He's always felt comfortable in the deeper waters, especially when he has his board. That's a feeling that's only grown as he's learned about his powers. The ocean as always been good to him, and now he knows why.

It's not until his lungs ache that he surfaces again, head popping up out of the water with a happy grin as he pulls hair into his lungs. His board floats towards him and he swims after it, propping his elbows on it as he watches April.

"Our own little slice of heaven." They're the only ones in this part of the water, and along this stretch of beach. It's more populated on the other side of the small bay, near the touristy areas and the public beaches. This is just theirs, and Caden is glad for it.

She hasn't transformed yet. She doesn't know if she will, but she doesn't have to. Even being in the water like this feels good, as natural as nearly anything else and she's floating on her back, kicking her legs lazily when Caden speaks and she looks over at him. "I have to admit, it's preferable to a public beach," she agrees and maybe it's awful of her, but she knows if she hadn't met Caden, she would have found another way to use someone's private beach. Even if she's not running a con, there are plenty of ways in which she can get what she want and being close to the ocean has always been a requirement.

"No teenagers," she says with a laugh. "No screaming toddlers and then equally as loud parents. No tourists."

Not that she really has a leg to stand on, being barely a permanent resident herself, but at least she's not a tourist.

"Hey, I've lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and here," Caden says with a laugh, lazily swimming over to her and resting his arms on his board, watching her with a smile. "You don't have to tell me about tourists."

Caden had wanted to surf, but now that he's out in the water he's content to just lounge. He takes in a breath and floats up onto his back near April, closing his eyes against the brightness of the sun as the waves lap at his skin. Being back in the water is like greeting an old friend, and Caden spreads his arms out, fingers brushing April's shoulder as he lets out a pleased sigh.

"Toronto was never big on tourists," she says, although she didn't really live in Toronto proper. She'd spent most of her childhood in the surrounding area -- Mississauga, Oakville, Etobicoke -- but it was close enough. And it didn't compare to any of the places Caden has lived.

She's lived there, too, but under different names and a different times. She's getting closer to tell him, but it's not coming just yet.

"Maybe it was just that no tourists wanted to visit foster homes," she adds with a smirk, then flips over the water quickly. One moment her feet are in the air and the next it's a tail that slaps at the water once, sending a spray in Caden's direction.

Caden turns his head at this new nugget of information she's given him, all set to ask her about it, but when he opens his mouth all he gets is a spray of salt water. The wave she sends cresting over him leaves him spluttering, but he resurfaces with a bright laugh and swims after her.

"Dirty pool, Ross." He's grinning as he swims up to her, looking at her shifted form with the same helplessly fond expression he always wears around her. He slides his hand around her hip, thumbing at her scales as her tail brushes against his leg. It's an interesting sensation, and one that he finds that he likes.

He watches her for a moment and treads water as he leans in to kiss her without hesitation, mindful of her sharp teeth but not really worried about them. Caden knows that she wouldn't hurt him.

"Careful," she says when he pulls back, grinning to bare her teeth at him. It's mostly playful, but she's not entirely insincere when she warns him. They're sharp and given how few people have been this close to her in this form, she genuinely doesn't know the sort of damage she can do, even by accident.

She's always felt like a bit of a shark. This suits her more than anything else might.

"Don't you know to beware of sirens?" she asks, sliding her hand along his wet shoulder. "We sing men to their graves."

Caden hears the honest warning behind her reply, but he still isn't afraid of her. He still wants to be close, to touch her. He just smiles and nods, cupping the side of her neck and thumbing at her jaw, pressing in slightly just below her bottom lip before letting his hand fall back into the water.

She touches him and he's drawn in, but it's not by her song. It's not by what she is. It's just because she's April. It's easy for him to tread water, and easier still when he wraps his arm low around April's waist. Her tail is moving back and forth in the water and Caden slides his hand down lower, over the curve where her ass would normally be, and down to where her legs usually open. All he finds now is a smooth expanse of scales, and he pulls her in closer, pressing their bodies together.

"I guess I like living on the edge," Caden says quietly, biting his lip for a moment before leaning in to kiss the curve of her jaw. The scales feel different than skin, but they're smooth against his lips. He pulls back enough to brush her wet hair out of her face, smiling warmly and when he finds his own voice, it comes out a little rough. "Are you going to sing to me?"

"I don't really do the whole singing thing," she answers with a look of amusement. In this form she feels far more like herself, but she doesn't know how she feels about being this close to someone -- even someone she's come to care about -- when she's like this. She's far more used to people being afraid of her, reacting with revulsion instead of this. There's a part of her that likes it, that appreciates Caden's response to her like this, but there's another part that isn't sure what to do with it.

She's never faced this before. She doesn't do well with the unfamiliar.

"There never seemed to be any point when I could just say the words and have someone do whatever I want," she adds, her tail moving powerfully in the water, keeping them afloat. There's a hesitation, but it has nothing to do with him and everything to do with her, then lays her hands on his arms.

"Mm, that'd be nice. I'd make my agent stop calling me at eight in the morning," Caden says with a husky laugh. Even speaking, April's voice carries a musical quality when she's in this form. Caden finds himself relaxing, wanting more of that sound. He knows that she isn't exerting any power over him, and that she wouldn't, but sometimes he wonders what that might be like.

"I like your voice," Caden says quietly, shivering slightly when her tail fin brushes up the back of his calf. "You could use it on me sometime. It could be fun."

He isn't even really sure what he's saying. All he knows is that he likes the sound of her voice, and he trusts her not to take advantage of him. Whatever he's thinking, it definitely takes place in a bed.

There's a slight hesitation in the way she touches him and Caden realizes that this is probably new for her, just like it is for him. It makes him happy, knowing that he can share in one of her firsts, but it's more important to him that she be comfortable.

"Is this okay?" He asks quietly, sliding his hand up her back to tug at the knot of her bikini top. The small scrap of black fabric blends in with the darkness of her scales, and Caden finds that he doesn't want anything between them, not even that.

"I don't know," she says, figuring she owes him honesty at the very least. This is all uncharted territory for her and she doesn't like anything that's unknown to her. April has spent most of her life avoiding the things that are uncertain to her, she's spent her whole life putting herself in positions where she's always on top, where she can always control the outcome and this is not one of those situations.

She trusts Caden, but that doesn't make it simple. That doesn't mean she isn't a little afraid regardless.

"Yes," she says. "And sometimes no. I don't know. Most people... well, I told you. People have been afraid of me like this." Les wasn't, but even Les hadn't gotten this close to her like this and she had preferred it that way. It isn't that she wants Caden to back off, she's trying her best to be open to him, to give him what he wants and it isn't like she doesn't want it either. She just needs to go slowly. She needs to figure out what to do. Maybe she doesn't always been to be in control, but she does, at the very least, need to feel comfortable.

"Yes," she says again, then kisses him softly, still taking care not to hurt him with her teeth.

As soon as she shows hesitation, Caden lets go of her bikini top and leaves it in place, keeping his hands resting innocuously on her hips instead. The last thing he wants to do is pressure her into anything, but especially this. It's a little strange to see her so unsure of herself, but he kind of likes it too. She's working through something here, and Caden just watches her patiently.

"I'm not afraid of you," he says again, stroking a hand up the center of his back. "But whatever you're comfortable with."

He smiles when she says yes and leans in for a kiss, and he slides his hand up into her hair as he kisses her back. It's different and familiar all at once, and he lets out a soft, pleased sound against her mouth and swipes his tongue against her bottom lip. They have to be careful due to her teeth, but Caden kind of likes it. He likes all of this, but he goes slow. This is a big deal for her, and he wants her to be comfortable. After a long moment, he pulls back to give her a slightly dazed smile. "Not so bad, huh?"

He says he's not afraid of her and she's fairly certain she believes him, at least this part. The truth is that he doesn't know all the things she's done, the things she's capable of doing and she thinks she wants to tell him, but she still isn't ready.

And she doesn't know what he might think of her then. Maybe he won't be afraid of her, but he might not feel the same anymore.

Still, she smiles when he pulls back and shakes her head. "Not so bad," she agrees, the musical quality of her voice at odds with the shark toothed smile she's giving him.

Her voice makes him shiver in a very pleasant way, and he grins as leans in for another kiss. "Now that's a ringing endorsement. Caden Carter, not so bad."

He laughs and lets his tongue glide along the edge of her jaw, cataloging all the differences between her two forms. It's unsurprising to him that he still wants to touch her all over, everywhere, but maybe he's a little surprised by just how much he wants to do so. He slides his hands up her sides, letting his thumbs trace the curves of her breasts before he moves his hands to her back again, kicking his feet lazily in the water.

Not like this. She realizes that as his hands roam over her. She doesn't want it like this and she changes in the water right there. It's not something she wants to think about right now and it isn't something she wants to talk about, but she knows what she feels and having him touch her scales... it feels strange. Not wrong, necessarily, but not something she's ready for.

Within just a few seconds, she's entirely human again. She kicks in the water, her legs not quite as useful as her tail, but then she smiles at him and she almost apologizes before she bites it back. He wouldn't want her to apologize for her own comfort and she doesn't think she's sorry anyway. She is allowed to make choices and she's making this one.

"Not in that body," she says simply, then leans forward to kiss him again, harder this time, a little more eager now that she no longer has to worry about her teeth.

There's a second when she shifts back so suddenly that Caden wonders if maybe he did something wrong, or pushed too hard, and he's slightly embarrassed for reasons that he couldn't even explain.

But then she's back in his arms and she's smiling, expression slightly soft, and Caden lets the feeling go. It's especially easy to move on when she kisses him like that, and Caden responds just as eagerly, licking at the seam of her lips as he wraps his arms around her waist to pull her closer.

Even in her regular form, April is a strong swimmer, and she kicks gently in the water, tugging Caden with her toward the beach. He's warm and strong under her hands and she feels like she can actually touch him again like this. Like she can feel him. With the scales protecting her, nothing gets through and she's never known why, but it's never mattered before him. No one else has ever touched her like that.

"I can feel you better like this," she explains as she presses kisses along the edge of his jaw. "With the scales I can't feel you the same." And while that's not the whole truth, it's close enough to being at least half of it. Her discomfort with her own body isn't something she wants to get into now.

She really does just want to be able to feel him.

Her explanation warms him and he nods, pulling her back to the water's edge and falling back onto the wet, hard-packed sand with little regard to their surroundings. His beach is technically private, but he still gets a thrill at being out in the open like this.

"And how do I feel?" Caden asks in a low voice, pulling her down on top of him and sliding his hands up her wet back, digging his fingers into her soft skin. She seems to glow in the sun and Caden pushes her wet hair out of her face, sliding his hand down the side her neck and down her chest, resting his palm between her breasts as he looks up at her.

"Warm," she murmurs, ducking her head to press a kiss against the side of his neck, her teeth scraping lightly over his skin. "And hard." She punctuates the word with a roll of her hips, grinning against him. There are times when she finds herself falling back into the playful act, something she's used on countless cons before, but she wonders more and more often if this just isn't what she's really like. Maybe this is who she is, because Caden gets more honestly out of her than anyone.

It's a strange thing, she thinks, to be discovering the truths about herself at this stage in her life.

"How do I feel?" she asks in return, still smiling as she slips her hand down his broad chest, her nails turning over and lightly scratching across his abdomen.

"Accurate," Caden huffs out, breath catching when she rolls her hips against him. He laughs softly and arches up as he hands travel along his skin, sliding his hands up her back to untie her bikini top. The scrap of fabric falls away and her nipples, pebbled from the cold, drag along his skin.

"Wet," Caden answers with a sly grin, sliding one hand up her wet back and reaching down to press the other between her legs, rubbing at her through the thin, wet material of her bikini. He pulls her down into a heated kiss, mouth open against hers as he slides his fingers under the material, letting them slip over her clit. "Mm, look at that. I was right."

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