The Water-Man

Chapter 12--Agatha Dalton

"What are you doing?" He said blearily.

Pearl turned back to the tray. "Getting the tea," she answered. "What are you doing?"

Charlie snorted and continued through the door. "My job!" He muttered over his shoulder.

Pearl shook her head. Charlie was as much a servant to Master Thomas as she was to Miss Agatha—surely he didn't have all those bothersome secrets to keep!

Across the lane, near the edge of the dunes overshadowing the beach, Celian stood on the ground in front of the porch of the little cottage. The wind whipped through his lanky hair, and blew the short sleeves of his shirt open, revealing a slight glimpse of the tattoo on his shoulder that the Groves had come to accept as the symbol of his Leonie form. As long as he took other forms, the same symbol appeared somewhere on his body.

Dr. Ashley approached behind him. The sun rose over the roof of the cottage, warming the tops of their heads.

"You're up early," Ash mused, by way of informing Celian of his presence.

The lanky man didn't flinch.

"I'm going to ask her."

Ash let the significance weigh on the silence. "Are you sure?"

Celian sighed and nodded without taking his eyes off the rolling surf in the distance. "I am ready. I will ask her permission, and she will bring me to the house because I must ask permission of her parents." His mouth shut firmly, his jaw squarely set.

"And then?" Ashley asked, feeling very much like a father figure to the grown man who wasn't naturally a person at all.

Celian shrugged. "What will happen, will happen."

The doctor sighed. "What if they refuse? What if Agatha refuses? You've only known each other for a week, at the least."

Celian's lips tightened, and his throat flinched. "What happens," he repeated firmly, "will happen. I have known her for much longer than she has known me. I will tell her the truth. If she refuses me, I will... make my return to the sea." His steady gaze finally broke, and he glanced down to his hand, as if recalling the smaller one so constantly tucked there.

Ash laid a comforting hand on Celian's arm. "You'll come by to see us first, if that happens?" He queried. "To say goodbye?"

Celian looked back toward the beach and nodded. "I will." He squinted up to the sky and stepped away from the cottage.

"Celian!" Ash called after him.

Celian stopped. "Yes, Dr. Grove?" He replied over his shoulder.

"Just..." Ash took a moment to find the words. "If you ever need anything, you know I will not hesitate to help you in any way I can."

Celian nodded. "I know," he said. With a heavy sigh, the slender man lumbered off to meet his friend.

Agatha arrived on the beach and found it mostly empty. The wind tossed the waves and pulled at her hair and clothes, but she clamped a hand firmly on her hat and set about searching the crags and shoreline for Celian. She could usually find him near the water, even on brisk days like today.

Finally, she spotted his long, lean form, watching the waves in his usual, pensive manner. Agatha increased her pace, and finally her fluttering scarf caught his attention. Their eyes met, and Agatha thrust her hand in the air to wave at him.

Celian pulled his massive feet out of the sand to close the distance she had to travel. Well he did, because not five paces from him, her next step sank deeper than she expected, and Agatha flailed as she stumbled forward.