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((brb, going to the store))

Mac understood well, he wanted her happy, "Well then I'll stay too". He felt uneasy, he wanted to see how he was doing too, mostly to the fact they had to stay in the waiting room for an indefinite amount of time.

((OOC: S'all good. Happy birthday, hun!))

Eventually, a distant mental voice answered - just within hearing range. "Joshua? Is that you? What is it?" Katalina had caught part of his thoughts; he might have just not realized how much he was broadcasting as he called to her. "What about Acadya?" She sounded worried - oh, yes, she knew who Acadya was. And she knew that no one in Tianara's family would ask for Acadya to be called unless the need were dire.

But why else would Joshua know her name?

~

Tianara waited until Joshua had gone to follow her mother deeper into the caverns, snaking through various twists and turns until at last they reached the healer's cavern.

Kiro slept peacefully enough on the floor, looking like a statue someone had let fall there and forgotten about. He was the only one there that Tianara could see. She flashed a confused glance at her mother, who only shook her head wearily and beckoned the girl on.

When they actually reached the tiny cavern where Adamantia was, Tianara sucked in her breath. Only the knowledge that the young mergirl was sleeping kept her from actually screaming in horror.

She'll never survive, was Tianara's first coherent thought. Not even Acadya can fix this.

The child had not just been 'caught' by the propeller. She'd been mangled. If Joshua had seen her the way she was now, he never would have realized it was the same girl - Tianara doubted even her own mother could know her at the moment. It was impossible to believe that she was still alive, but the fact that Rokshiden remained by her - and his pained expression as he continued to struggle to heal the hurts - spoke volumes of the will of this little girl.

Katalina wasn't much closer to Adamantia than any other child of that clan - she knew her bold nature and friendliness, and admired it, but cared for her as she would any other child. At the words 'caught in a propeller', she went very still and quiet. Even mentally, Joshua would be able to tell. "Oh, God. All right, Joshua - she's not far from here. I'll fetch her; you stay where you are. We'll come to you. Give us a little while."

Then she closed off the link. She had to find Acadya, after all, and the mermaid was notoriously difficult to deal with. And if Adamantia needed help as desperately as it sounded like she did, Katalina had no time to waste.

With Katalina's speed, it had taken her a bare few minutes to make her way to the clan that Acadya lived in. When she arrived, there was a general expression of concern - Acadya's clan was fairly isolated, and wasn't the kind of place one dropped by for casual visits. They all knew what she wanted, and two or three of the younger ones were dispatched to find Acadya. Katalina wouldn't be able to do it on her own; Acadya was very shy and reserved, disliked most on general principles, and knew how to hide from visitors even of her own kind.

It was certainly a little longer than the 'little while' Katalina had told Joshua before he would see them coming his way. Katalina looked weary and decidedly on edge. The mermaid behind her was lagging back a little, looking at Joshua as though trying to judge how hard it would be to kill him. She was lovely in her way, as all the merfolk were, but in her case it was a very cool beauty - icy-blue eyes, very pale gold tail, and long whitish-blonde hair that left her looking almost colourless.

"Joshua, Acadya, Acadya, Joshua," said Katalina, barely slowing - just enough that Joshua would be able to keep up. "Come on, Joshua. You can catch a ride if you'd like, but we're going to have to hurry."

"Before Acadya can change her mind," her mental voice explained to him. "She might get nervous about being near another clan - she's been known to change her mind and run before, if the wounds weren't life-threatening. I think it's serious enough this time that she'll hang in there, but she can be...difficult."

"I know, Joshua. That's why we're hurrying," Katalina replied. "The more urgent it seems, the less likely she'll remember that she has to go into another clan's home caverns to do something about it." She had had to slow to make sure Joshua could keep up, and it was chafing her, no doubt about that. But she said nothing about it. He couldn't help that he had no tail and wasn't made for the water.

Acadya kept pace with Katalina easily, but seemed to occasionally slow down - not as though she were tired, but more as though she were debating whether or not she really wanted to do this. Each time, Katalina would wave her on and the pale mermaid would silently speed up once again. She was almost reminiscent of a ghost - she had said not one thing since arriving, and had barely responded to Katalina's introduction, brief as it had been.

"All right, Joshua," said Katalina once they were nearly there. "You go on ahead and tell them we're coming. Acadya and I need to get something to help her and Rokshiden fix this." She was vague about it, because she didn't know exactly what the 'something' was. Acadya had just informed her they needed it, and it was easy to find just here.

For what felt like hours, there was no response. Then a soft, timid and rather surprised voice replied, "Joshua? Is that you?" Tianara had had no idea that it was possible for a non-ocean-child human to initiate contact with another human. But apparently he could do it.

Was Sorry's magic maybe beginning to seep into him? she wondered.

Giving her mother, Rokshiden, and Adamantia one last glance, she slipped out of the cavern and went to meet him. Upon seeing him, she shuddered once, violently. "Joshua," she said softly, her face very pale. "Oh, God. Oh God. I..." She closed her eyes, fought to regain control of herself. "Are they...where are they? There's no way you beat them here."

She was perfectly unaware that such words could be interpreted cruelly. It was a simple fact. Unless Katalina had been meandering along - not something she would do with a young mermaid's life on the line - there was no way Joshua could have beaten them there. Had Acadya refused to come? Was Sorry still trying to persuade her? Tianara didn't know, and it frightened her.

Tianara, startled, tensed when Joshua hugged her. Once she realized what was actually going on, however, she relaxed a little and dropped her head, even wrapping her arms around him briefly in return. She hadn't realized how much she needed someone to just hold on to for a moment. "Okay," she said softly - either in response to his words or just to comfort herself, it was difficult to tell. "Okay."

She looked up at his question, and the hint of colour that had come back into her face disappeared again. Trembling, she lowered her face to his shoulder, just for a moment. "It's worse," she replied softly. "Joshua, she...I can't believe she's still alive."

On that decidedly downbeat note, there was the sound of splashing once again. Katalina and Acadya had arrived at last.

Tianara, the regret evident, pulled away from Joshua. "I have to take them to her," she said softly. "I...Come with?" She didn't want to expose him to it, but she needed support if she was going to face it again.