Opening his eyes slowly, Jack groaned as the familiar pain washed right through him. As his vision focused, the Irishman became aware of his new surroundings. At first he was utterly confused, the past hours foggy in his memory, but as he sat there, thinking, they became a lot clearer. Mark returning to the land, Jack being attacked by sharks after leaving the nook, only to be save by dolphins. Lolling his head to the side, he noticed that his damaged arm was wrapped in seaweed, which he knew he hadn't done. It worked exactly like a bandage, and as he flexed his arm slightly, he could feel crude stitches in his flesh as well. It definitely was not a comfortable feeling.
Looking around, the room which he was in was fairly open, with a few holes in the roof providing light. There were a few other rocks like the one he was laying on protruding from the floor, and some underwater plant life that decorated the walls. But other than that, there was nothing to the room. He was almost expecting something again, like the Little Mermaid. He really needed to drop the stereotypes and learn to surprised by anything and practically everything in the underwater realm.
"You. Awake finally. English, yes?"
"Yes, I speak English. Who are you? Where am I?"
"My name, Sybil. Your name?"
"Sean, but call me Jack."
Jack tried to sit up using his good arm, but a pale hand suddenly appeared before him, pushing on his chest to make him lay back down. They swam in front of the Irishman, carrying more plants from what he could see in the dim lighting. Sybil was extremely pale, few wrinkles decorated her skin, eyes a clouded blue, and hair as white as snow, long strands floating around her. She was thin, almost anorexic, and her tail was a pale blue, almost identical to her eyes. She could have easily passed for a ghost if she hadn't touched Jack. Her voice was aged, rough with pronunciation, but softened by the tone carried by a caring elder. She could easily pass for a grandmother.
"You rest. Lucky to live."
"Thank you for saving me. Where am I though?"
"My home. I hide here, man poisoned us. Man kill mer-people, I run. I know little English from only man friend. He died, me alone. You, pain?"
"Yeah, I am still in pain."
"Eat. Help heal. You, rest, stay here."
"Once I am better though, I need to find my love. He will be worried about me."
"Man love?"
"No, he is a merman."
"Lucky you are. We are dying. We are few. We are lonely. Here, eat eat."
Sybil handed jack the plants in her hand, watching him expectantly. He couldn't quite tell what they were, but he felt like he could trust this mermaid. After all, she had saved his life. It seemed as if though everyone was having to save his ass lately. He didn't like being the 'damsel in distress', but it seemed as though that would be the case for a while longer. Taking a bite out of the first plant, Jack grimaced and retched, almost spitting it back out immediately. But under Sybil's glare, he managed to choke it all down.
