MIrAE

"The Conservatory of Sorcery was a repository of all magical knowledge that survived the fall of Atlantis. Understandably when it fell people were more concerned with survival than anything else and many different approaches were taken. It was a dark beginning for the wonder we have achieved now." 

Kaldur's explanation continued as the group walked out into what appeared to be a small colosseum. "This is where many classes take place, the large room is for accidents when spells go wrong. Though you should spend so much time studying in the classroom that nothing of the sort happens, we have to accept that the first time a person works a spell, it can go very wrong."

"I'll say, that time you first tried the shock spell the whole class had to be tended for burns." A deep voice said. 

Kaldur, "Ha, ha, fair enough." Looking at Me and M'gann. "This tiny guy with a large mouth is La'gaan, also called Lagoon Boy."

We looked to see a crowd of about 5 figures. 

Beginning the introductions Kaldur said, "These are some of my former classmates. Ronal (looked human), Blubber (Looked like a small whale), Lori Lemaris (She looked like a traditional Mermaid), La'gaan, who you already met (Looked like a green boy with oversized hands and feet and bat-like ears along with solid red eyes with no eyelids.), and finally Nanaue Sha'ark (Looks like a shark man mix.)

Nanaua, "That's King Sha'ark Chum. And don't you forget it."

M'gann, "You're all so different... It's wonderful!" 

Kaldur, "As I was explaining, Millennia ago, Atlanteans were all surface-dwelling humans until the continent sank. By necessity, our ancestors used science and sorcery to adapt to life beneath the waves. Since then, the populace of each city-state has evolved along its own course. Now Atlantis is a continent of diversity and our capital Poseidonis is the most diverse of all. The Conservatory here draws the best and brightest from throughout Atlantis."

M'gann, "It's wonderful! My world could learn so much from such an example if only they could see that."

La'gann, "Are the two of you the normal or typical version of those on the surface?"

Seeing him swim towards the two of us and La'gann having no irises made it hard to tell just where he was looking but I would put my man card on him being a boob guy. I'm hoping to nip this little rebound in the bud, so I move forward to get between him and M'gann. "Not exactly." I reach for his hand a shake it with a bit of force. 

Little did I know that M'gann had left from behind me already and was changing her feet into a mermaid's tail, much to the surprise of the local mermaid Lori. "I have always loved mermaids, what do you think?" she asked as she showed off her new appendage. 

Lori, "I am flattered?"

Logan, "Now you're just showing off sis." I did not catch the head perk La'gann had at my words.

Ronal, "Well, this has been charming... But I should go! 

King Sha'ark, "What's the matter CHUM, don't like the numbers skewed in this direction?" He taunted at the retreating figure of Ronal.

La'gann seemed oblivious to the comments from King Sha'ark. "So, what's it really like on the surface?"

Blubber, "Other than being dryer." 

You have no idea what a talking small whale looks like, especially in a neon green shirt. Talk about a mental adjustment. King Sha'ark swam into my personal space and looked down menacingly (LOL), "And tastier, know what I mean Chum?" 

I smirk at him, "Nope, it definitely looks Tastier down here!"

"KALDUR" the group hears an excited shout from two figures swimming their way.

Kaldur, "M'gann, Logan. These are my dearest friends, Tula and Garth."

I see Kaldur visibly deflate as he sees the two figures approaching holding each other's hand. 

Garth, "You are both welcome to Atlantis."

Tula, "Yes. Any friend of Kaldur's is a friend of ours."

M'gann, {Do you feel that, Logan?}

Logan, {Yes, his longing for Tula radiates off him in waves. As does his guilt for longing for his best friend's girl. It does happen rather often, I am afraid. When feelings develop in a group of friends it usually isn't a pleasant ending. It also explains Kaldur's lack of focus, being Aqualad and leaving Atlantis guarantees he cannot fight for her favor.}

As Kaldur has trouble looking at his closest friends his eyes notice another of their class. "Topo?"

A small blue boy with the head of a squid picks up speed like he wants to run but Kaldur reaches out and catches hold of his hand. "Topo, I want you to meet my surface friends."

Topo, "Uh, maybe another time Kaldur." He tries to swim away but his movement reveals a cut on his chest previously covered by his tentacles. MIrAE is cut crudely into his skin.

  Kaldur, "Topo! Who is responsible for this? Who did this to you?"

Lori swam forward and removed Kaldur's hand then pulled Topo towards a building saying, "It does not concern you Kaldur'ahm." Blubber and La'gann swam away with them.

King Sha'ark swims in a different direction, looking at Kaldur as he goes saying "Squidboy is Chum. And Chum gets what it deserves. SWALLOWED!"

M'gann, "I couldn't read those markings?"

Tula, "It was ancient Atlantean Runes."

M'gann, "Spelling what?"

Garth, "IMPURE!"

Tula, "Let us show you around the city, I would hate for you to think this dreary old practice field was the normal scenery of Poseidonis."

Logan came up with a great idea, "Could you by chance show us some of the more visually appealing flora? Maybe something I could contain in a small globe I could change the water in to help keep it fresh?" (That would be a perfect gift for meeting Pam. Any botanist would give a limb to study the flora at the ocean bottom but it's just something I can randomly pick up here.) 

As we were being shown around, I saw Kaldur approach Garth. His bearing showed him to be in Aqualad mode not the lovesick teen we had seen earlier. "Speak to me of Topo, Garth."

Garth, "He was a victim of the Purists. They are a group that considers themselves the direct descendants of the ORIGINAL Atlanteans."

Tula, "They attempt to scare anyone they consider impure into leaving Poseidonis."

M'gann, "What qualifies you as impure? You all breathe water."

Garth, "Tula and I appear human and thus are considered pure..."

Kaldur, "But my visible Gills render me impure."

Tula was quick to come to his defense, "But only by the most rigid and ridiculous standard Kaldur."

Logan, {Hmm, she doth protest loudly in defense of one not her beloved don't you think M'gann?} 

M'gann, {You think she has feelings for him?}

I shrugged at her question.

Kaldur, "But I was just here and there was no word of this."

Tula, "The old prejudices have always lurked under the surface Kaldur."

Garth, "But the clash between skin and scales, flesh and fins has escalated rapidly and seemingly without cause, into violence and intimidation."

LET GO OF ME!!!

The shout drags our attention to a group of young people who appear to be at odds. In the group, there is almost everyone from Kaldur's old class on one side, apart from Ronal who is on the opposite side with three other fully human-looking teens. 

King Sha'ark had a fist full of Ronal's outfit and was looking at him with every intent to do him harm very soon. 

Lori, "We know your group are the purists, you can't hide behind your robes and hoods forever!"

A female in Roanl's group shouts "Do we appear to be hiding BARBARIAN?

Another boy, "Your kind already infects Tritonis, Nanauve, Neptunos, Lemuria, Shayeris, and even Crastinus."

All four of us swam in that direction quickly. Kaldur, "Sha'ark, what are you doing with Ronal?"

King Sha'ark, "Preparing supper!"

M'gann uses her telekinesis to separate Sha'ark and Ronal, "You will let him go!"

King Sha'ark, "Careful EARTHER! Come between a shark and his meal and you will become the meal."

Logan, "Watch how you speak to my sister Sha'ark, or I will prepare you some of your own shark fin soup and force you to eat it through your broken teeth."

Kaldur, "Who started this?"

"THEY DID!" Both sides said at the same time. 

Ronal, "My friends and I were minding our own business when these FISH-HEADS attacked us!"

Lori, "And what was Topo doing when you and your friends attacked and mutilated him?"

Topo seemed to want to turn invisible as he shrunk into himself as much as he could. "Please leave me out of this."

Ronal, "You cannot know that was us!"

Girl, "But if YOUR KIND does not like your treatment here, you are welcome to leave Poseidonis."

Logan. "Easy Lori, he is correct. You can't claim these are the cowards that only know how to gang up on the smallest member of your group. Surely even these four strong and able Atlanteans would look down on such craven acts. It would be unfit for anyone who had any self-respect in their bloodline to attack only when outnumbering an opponent by more than triple.  Don't you four agree?"

Ronal who I asked the question of, looked like he wanted to explode but couldn't without exposing his group as the ones that attacked the defenseless Topo and suffer the repercussions from that act.

Guy, "What do you know of it EARTHER? Your very presence pollutes the waters of Poseidonis."

Logan, "See Bubbles, that settles it. There is no way they are purists, because they want to look like the original Earther Atlanteans, right? To answer your question, I know the nobility of the Atlantean people from working with heroes like Princesses Mera, Kaldur here, and the Prince of Atlantis Arthur Curry."

Guy, "That pathetic half-blood is not MY Prince!" he said with a sneer on his face.

Kaldur reached for his weapons and everyone else took a deep breath at what was said. I, however, reached out with my hand as quickly as I could and grabbed him by the neck, then pulled him towards me. 

Ronal and his friends looked like they were about to jump in but when they saw my skin change to dark green fur and my fingers became claws, they looked on in horror, having never seen something like this before. My face became a snout full of long sharp teeth, and I was careful to keep the lung and gill setup so I could breathe. But other than that, these native, water-borne Atlanteans were seeing a Werewolf for the very first time. In fact, this may be the first time a Werewolf ever went this far underwater. Deciding this wasn't enough impact, I grew to the height of 16 feet and made my body shape match and show the power of this form.

I started with a hand around Ronal's friend's neck but now I simply pinched it with two fingers, and he still couldn't breathe. My form exuded power and ferocity the likes that none of these sheltered children had ever seen. Even Kaldur's friends looked at me with fear and trepidation. 

Kaldur, "Easy Logan, don't do anything rash."

I pulled the guy closer to me and said in my growly scratchy voice, "If you EVER disrespect Prince Arthur in my presence again, I will grow to a size that would allow me to swallow you whole so I can feel your struggles as you slide down my throat and into my belly still conscious. Then I would pause to listen to your screams as my stomach acid started melting you alive and you went mad with the horror of it all." I let him go by tossing him at Ronal. His group collected him and quickly swam away. 

As I changed back to my normal form King Sha'ark said, "This is not your concern Earther. But I like your style." He reached out and grabbed Topo and said, "Come on Chum, let's swim. The group went the opposite way that Ronal's group went. 

La'gann, "Did you guys see how he grew to such a great size? I want to learn to do that." His excited voice traveled back to us as they swam away.

M'gann, "That scared me, big brother. I wasn't sure what you were going to do."

Tula, "Well I know what I would be doing if I was that guy, looking for a clean pair of swim pants."

Everyone laughed at Tula's attempt at cooling the atmosphere, but I laughed at something more. When M'gann used telekinesis to force apart Sha'ark and Ronal, I heard the sound of a door creaking open in my mind.