While catching up with Courtney something happened "I told you my pocket dimension isn't magic, just accessing it is-" I was trying to explain how that worked when some gun shots were being fired and Courtney shrieked. A bit further down the mall there was a lone gunman with a handgun. He seemed to be a minotaur elf, someone half transformed, and trying to do some magic while trying to go on a rampage. The cause? Could've been nearly anything from frustration at the world, insanity, or some personal hatred of the community/shopping mall. Didn't change the fact that a gun and basic magic wielding super human was charging down the mall right towards me, my friend, and my brother who was somewhere.
Courtney started running the other way when she noticed I hadn't started running and in fact turned to face the aggressor "Run! or flyswim or teleport!?!" she had no idea what she was asking or talking about or had any idea who I had really become. She just saw my outer shell of sorts. Her friend who had gained a magical essence.
"No, I'm stopping this." I stated as my voice started to distort as if underwater, the air itself started shimmering as light started to refract oddly, and my form shifted. Obviously as I became my mermaid self my legs had turned into a tail, but unlike when I had first turned I had allowed my scales to grow and engulf most of myself. Plus my scales were not just one color, but in the Marianas Trench had become a bioluminescent rainbow like a certain jellyfish. My hair lengthening and billowing in the air water... and I had immediately become target #1 for the gunman who was shooting as much as he could at the seemingly flying highly magical mermaid. The bullets never even reached me as their velocity slowed as it entered my area where the air had become similar to water and they slowly drifted towards the ground spent and harmless. I took a deep breathe and concentrated where my sound went. Instead of summoning the pressure of the deep ocean, the inferno of the volcanic vents, or an imitation of some of the horrors of the sea I sang. A simple spell Kriash had taught me to get Shirley to bed on time. A Mermaid's lullaby. As I sung I realized I wasn't that great at limiting my sound as some people nearby looked kinda drowsy, but in minutes the Minotaur elf did all he could to bring me down and then fell asleep ready for the police to take him in... whenever they got here.
Finally I drifted to the ground, shifted my gills to lungs, and turned off my little water world. Humans weren't so fond of extremely magical effects going on... taking a look around did they think I was an extremely magical effect inherently? Some people were recording me, and most likely some had already recorded how I took care of the shooter. Obviously a commotion was caused and I was now the center of attention. I could see the eyes of the crowd, I also had Courtney's attention, and I could imagine my brother was also looking along with who knows how many people on social media. Most had the same look on their faces...