#i want to see the sun on the sand and the currents pulling kelp back and forth so it looks like its a huge mass of tentacles

[cj-kenobi]

I miss my wife (the ocean)

[sugarmaplewings-fics]

Not All Treasure is Silver and Gold (Part One)

Pairing: Pirate!Bakugou x mermaid!reader

Warnings: Ehh, this portion is gender neutral but from here on out the reader is referred to as female. This does work as a stand alone story, though. Otherwise no warnings from this one.

{Pt. 1} {Pt. 2} {Pt. 3} {Pt. 4}

Author's Note:

Sooo, I know I said I probably wouldn't have this out for another while, buuuttt, I didn't have anything for today and this one was just staring at me 🥺. I don't quite have a concrete plan for the full thing, and there's no guarantees for when part two is going to come out. Also I might draw something like last time to use as a banner. The one that's down there is a placeholder.

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this! I've been wanting to write this story for almost a year now, and I finally have the chance! If you'd like to be part of the taglist for this story, please message me!

I think that's it. Love you!!

-Sugar

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A shadow slid across the ocean floor.

Basking in the warmth of the sun, it truly made for an unwelcome interruption. You'd been partaking in a nap only moments prior, mind slowly shifting through half-baked thoughts as the sun shone down onto the sand beneath you. Prompted by the change of brightness and temperature, you blinked your eyes open, rolling over to your back with a lethargic stretch of your arms. Squinting, you frowned up at the surface rippling a considerable distance above you.

There you saw it, some strange shape making its way over the water above. It seemed to be some kind of brownish color, wide and tapered to a point at each end.

Your annoyance faded as curiosity struck you. You didn’t think you’d ever seen anything like it before. You studied it from your vantage point on the ocean floor even as the sunlight reappeared on your relaxed body. It wasn’t as though you were doing anything important right now, you figured. Maybe it was something worth investigating, at least for a short time.

Rousing yourself from the sand, you flicked your tail to propel yourself up in the direction of the object.

You poked your head out of the water, body bobbing up and down with the motions of the waves. You blinked, bringing a hand out of the water in an attempt to shield your vision from the blinding sun. How did anything live up here? It felt as though your eyes were going to dry up and incinerate to nothing.

There it was, the strange object that had cast such a shadow. It was even bigger above water. Mahogany planks shaped it into that odd form, making it float on the ocean, cutting through waves as though they were nothing. Large masts seemed to sprout up from the center like kelp in a forest, sporting billowing white cloths rippling in the air currents.

Ah, yes, it was a boat, and an impressive one at that. You suddenly remembered seeing the ones just like this that couldn’t float anymore, having swum past the ruined, swollen wood during your time in this part of the sea. They were ominous, sitting still on the ocean floor, carrying a dark, somber aura about them as they laid dead where they’d never move again.

But this ship was every meaning of the word alive, shining in the midday sun and skimming dutifully over the bright blue water. Its size might have looked intimidating, but the thing itself was also very intriguing.

Naturally, you swam closer.

The thing was fast, but luckily, so were you. You dived back down, your powerful tail bringing you a few body lengths up to the submerged bottom of the ship. Popping out of the water again, you looked all the way up its side.

Now that you were closer, you thought you heard something. The sounds were new to you, similar to whalesong. But this was deeper, choppier, and somehow harsher. You frowned in the direction of the noises. What was on this boat?

You circled it underwater—careful not to get too close—coming back up a few times to get another look from a different angle.

You had to admit, it carried an odd beauty about it. Something like this must have been built, but the craftsmanship was so intricate, and it was massive . . . .

You sprung up above water again some ways away from it. Perhaps this thing wasn’t as exciting as you’d initially thought. It was a pain to keep up with and the noises coming from it kept hurting your ears.

Just as you turned to leave, a movement caught your eye. There it was, a flash of gold just at the side of the ship. It looked vaguely . . . familiar.

You went closer again to get a better look, and it was then that you met a pair of golden eyes, looking much like those of your people of the sea.

The figure startled as soon as he saw you, blinking and squinting in your direction. He made more of those strange chattering sounds you’d kept hearing, looking behind him and frantically pointing at you with his outstretched hand.

Rude, you thought, but what was a merman doing all the way up there?

A second head appeared next to the first, this one with vibrant, spiky red hair. You experimentally waved at them in greeting, wondering why you couldn’t understand them. Maybe they were from a different ocean you'd never seen.

They both leaned over the side. It looked like they were trying to communicate something to you, but whatever it was, you didn’t get it.

The red haired one turned and left, but was quick to come back with a weird circular object. It was attached to a rope and had an open circle in the middle, just big enough to put the top third of your body through.

To your mild surprise, he tossed it over the side at you, and it landed with surprising accuracy only a tail length away. You swam over to it, picking it up out of the water. It was oddly light—which probably explained why it floated so easily on the waves—and was made out of some strange material.

You glanced dubiously back up at the faces on the side of the ship. They were looking at you with . . . distress? What was this thing? Was it some kind of gift? What were you supposed to do with it? You couldn’t hold it down under the waves, so how were you supposed to bring it back underwater with you?

Either way, you thought it would be rude to decline. You grabbed the rope that was tied to it. It looked as though they were still holding on to the other end. You really wouldn’t be able to take it anywhere if it was still attached to the ship.

You grabbed the rope and tugged. They held onto it. Frustrated, you tugged again. Looking up at their faces, you matched their expressions of confusion. What were you missing here?

Perhaps they were only trying to show it to you. You decided to follow through with your initial idea of putting it around the upper portion of your body. You lifted it over your head—you fit through it okay, at least—and soon it reached the submerged base of your tail.

You floated there for a second. Was this all it was good for? Kind of useless if you asked yourself. Again, you made up your mind to leave. You had better things to do than play silly games with the weirdos in the sky.

Before you could slip back out under the object, you felt yourself being pulled closer to the boat. Now what were they doing?

You frowned up the side again, but this time you couldn’t really see them. They must have stepped back further onto the boat. Intrigued, you let them pull you along with them. You got closer and closer to the side, and finally the rope connecting you to the other end slanted completely vertical. You adjusted yourself so you wouldn’t slide out. Perhaps they were trying to bring you up so they could meet you. You weren’t sure what they’d gain by that, seeing as you couldn’t understand them. Heck, they probably wouldn’t be able to understand you either. But you were still curious. What did the boat look like from up there? It wasn’t all that interesting from the underside, but maybe if you were able to see it from the top . . . .

The two strangers began to haul you out of the water. It was a little scary, you had to admit. Slowly, your body was extracted from the water. Waves slapped against your tail ever lower, and eventually you were fully suspended in midair. You clung tightly to the rope. Glancing back at the sea below, you realized it was a long way down, and the higher you went, the less you were comfortable with the idea of falling.

You'd never been all the way out of the water like this, and it almost felt as though you were flying like those seabirds you'd see living on islands. Except this wasn't as fun. You were meant to swim in the water, not get dragged through the air.

Finally you saw the rim of the ship, and you picked up on the grunting and labored breaths from the two weirdlings you’d seen earlier. You reached up and grabbed onto the side, hoisting your body up. Then you saw them.

These weren’t quite the mermen you were used to. The things that were pulling you up had legs.

You stared at them for a moment, watching fascinated as they walked towards you. Tearing your eyes away from their tailless, split bodies, you glanced back at their faces. Why did they look so concerned? Did they always look like that?

The blond one was the first to reach you. He was quick to grab your hand to help you over the railing, chattering something at you. You let him pull your body up a little higher, and then he froze. To your surprise, he let go of your hand, dropping your bodyweight and causing you to pitch forward. You slid gracelessly to the dry floor of the ship like some kind of overgrown eel, fins and tail meeting the floor of the boat with a wet thud.

You spluttered, annoyed, curling your scaled appendage closer into yourself. “What is this?!” you finally asked.

The blond one had run back to the redhead, pointing frantically and clearly panicked. The red haired one also looked shaken, but otherwise seemed somewhat more collected as he studied you.

“Whatever,” you mumbled, sliding the flotation object off of yourself. “I don’t want this thing anyway.”

You glanced around, taking in the ship up close. It was pretty cool, but in hindsight, it probably wasn’t worth the whole fiasco you’d gone through to get here. The floor was mostly bare, give or take a few stacked boxes here and there. You recognized a net hanging from a pole, one of which you’d seen countless before. Was this where they came from?

“Those things are dangerous,” you said, pointing at it. “I’ve had to cut a lot of animals out of them.”

It was then that the red haired one stepped closer to you. You drew back just a bit, suspicious.

Examining him, you took in the mismatched rings that adorned his ears, and the billowy off-white covering he wore over his chest. The front was open, exposing the tanned skin of his torso. Darker brown fabric covered his lower half, tucked into clunky coverings at the very bottom. Another strip of cloth was tied around his head, making his vibrant hair stick up in odd directions.

He crouched down so you wouldn’t have to crane your neck up to look at him. He tried to say something to you again, but this time his voice wasn’t so loud. It was still foreign to your ears, but it was low and smooth.

You gave him an apologetic expression. “Listen,” you said. “This was fun and all, but I should probably get going.”

You turned and tried to slide yourself closer to the side you’d come from. Much to your annoyance, your tail hindered your movements. You were used to the grace of the water, but now you felt heavy and clunky. Scowling, you tried to pull yourself to the railing with your arms, but nothing was cooperating with you. The boat swayed with the motion of the waves down below, and as soon as you figured you’d made progress, you’d have to fight even harder against the force pulling you back.

You felt something touch your tail, and you whipped around with a threatening hiss, baring your teeth. It was the redhead again, and apparently he’d been the first to notice the rope that had gotten tangled around the fins and scales of your tail. Maybe he was trying to help, but he was touching your tail. You could do it yourself.

Jerking the lower portion of your appendage, you were able to smack him away with your fins. Feelings hurt, he stepped back.

You grabbed at the rope, cursing the fact that you’d ever gotten up from your nap in the first place as you struggled to untangle yourself from the device that had brought you up here. You wondered how you had gotten stuck so bad as you tugged at the coarse material. Seriously, you were so done with this today. You vowed to never go up to another boat again in your life if you could only get off this one—

And then you saw him.

The blond must have left a while ago but now you saw who he’d come back with. It was another being like the other two. He was blond like the first one, but his hair was shorter, spikier, and reminded you of the pale yellow of the sun. He was bigger than the other blond, but smaller than the redhead. You didn’t think you’d ever seen a face so handsome, even among the mermen back where you lived. He bore a scowl on his face, similar to the one you’d been sporting seconds earlier. Strength and authority rolled off him in waves, not only in the way he carried himself but also in the respect he garnered from the others around him.

He was tall, he was hot, and now you were just staring.

The sexy weirdling grumbled something, and you honestly weren’t sure to whom it was intended for until he stepped forward. You were slower to pull away as he approached, almost drawn to him in a strange way.

He knelt in front of you, pulling out a sharp object from a hidden pouch on his hip. Your heart fluttered in momentary fear as he brought it closer to your tail, but soon you saw the way he reached for the rope. Without scarcely touching your scales, he pulled on the material and sliced through it, cutting you free in a few fluid motions. You were caught up in watching him work, silently in awe as his rough hands delicately moved over your body.

Soon, you were able to move again, but before you could, he straightened and lifted your body from the floor. You gasped, clutching at his broad shoulders as you were once again suspended in midair. But this time you felt secure; his arms supporting the weight of your body. He met your eyes for a split second, and you became lost in the pools of orangey-red. They were deep, and bright, and you felt as though you could gaze into them forever.

Then you were hauled above the railing and tossed over the side.

Weightless, you fell back to the sea from which you came. It was surreal, watching his pale face grow smaller and smaller as wind rushed around you and gravity pulled you further away.

No, you thought, still in a daze. You wanted to stay with him, to keep looking at him, to know his name—

But all too quick, your back hit the cold water of the sea, skin stinging from the impact. With an impressive splash, you sank down again to the place you called home.

You didn’t know how to feel now, watching from below as the ship surged on without you. You were astonished and confused, lost and frozen in the deep blue world that surrounded you.

It was then that you vowed to see him again, no matter what.

You were warm—a little giddy—and you were determined.

You were in love.

…

To be continued . . . .

[Part Two]

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Taglist: @aahilovetheatre @basicalyrandom @bumbyslair @f0leysgurl @hyunmin-1404 @kqtsukii @nabo39 @pyrofanatic​ @rainy-skys-and-bright-stars @sendhelpimstupid @ure-a-sunflower @xoxopam4 @deltajay @sillygoof @whipped-cream-writings

[seizethecarpe]

Know By Hart || Solo

Timing: Current Summary: No matter how practiced he was, Dave had never been good with grief. Triggers: Somehow… none. Contains grief.  Author note: Before you read this, I want us all to remember that I’m completely innocent please file your complaints to the local mime ungulate 

In 2004, José De Nueves had walked into Dave’s life. He’d had an easy smile and slightly glassy eyes. It had taken a rusalka, a Swedish fortune teller, and three drinks for José to hold up his hair and reveal in true depth the feathery scars that framed his face. He grinned with two teeth missing as he’d explained the tendril like creatures he’d hunted for one night. “Made me the perfect soldier,” He’d said with a laugh as he downed his whiskey glass. “I don’t give a fuck about anything.”

When Dave had followed his scent to a crypt a year later, he’d found a spawn chewing on José’s drained neck, a stark reminder of how the smallest mistakes could make even the routine hunt a death sentence. He’d wondered that night if José had even cared as they’d ripped his guts out in front of them, felt anything at all as they’d dragged it out of him until his intestines had torn all over the cemetery lawn. Or if he’d screamed and begged for his family anyway, right at the end, his soul returning to life only when it was too little, too late.

Unsure which fate was worse, Dave’d raised a glass in the man’s memory, and chose to forget. 

——- 

In ‘11, there had been Jasmine. Her honey warm skin highlighted the feathery scar that tucked under her jaw. Her bar, her spare room and her bed had all been Dave’s home for a little. But she’d always been clear that when push came to shove, he wasn’t her priority, he wasn’t human enough to risk her life for. All the same, they’d talked for hours under the thick cover of clouds as they waded up mountains to find the monstrous beast contaminating the local springs, they’d talked through her thick cigarette smoke, outside the fading wooden sign of her bar. They had talked more than Dave had spoken to anyone in years. She bared his soul, little by little, and in turn one day she told him about the nest nearby that she sent her friends too when they had lost one thing too many. Dave had listened intently, harder than he’d listened to anything, until the glass in his hand had shattered. 

Not too long, she’d warned. You could lose too much of yourself too fast, and end up more ghost than man. The next day Dave had hiked five miles, peering into the edge of a dried out lake, and saw the silvery creatures there, languidly floating through the air with a dozen tentacles. Dave thought of José, all light gone from behind his eyes, and Jasmine whose grief sometimes sounded wrong, like an untrained actor on the stage. Dave turned and left, hungry tendrils chasing after him fir half a mile.

Two years later, Jasmine had insisted she was retired at forty two, but there hadn’t been another slayer for a hundred miles, so she had come when he’d called anyway. Some cruel unnatural winds had extinguished their fires, and when the aipaloovik wrapped its arms around her and pulled her underwater, Dave made just one attempt to get her free before he told himself there was nothing he could do. 

The white polyps she’d told him about haunted his thoughts longer than she did. A quiet, gentle what if. 

——-

Last year, Dave had met a boy wearing a grin like armour and who considered his enhanced healing another weapon in his arsenal. Dave had saved him from drowning, the kid had saved his life with the penance for the murder of Winn Woods. And then the saving had happened again, over and over, until it became as routine as the wise cracks and eye rolls. 

He loved you. It rattled around in his head. When he’d seen the words on his phone in what had obviously been a final goodbye, Dave hadn’t let them ring any more true than the promise that they’d go fishing with beers. Now, the caster’s voice was stuck in his head, sneaking up on him when he was elbow deep in the bowels of his van’s engine, as he garroted a fish to eat in his human form, when he covered his body with slime to slide into his seal pelt. Sixty feet of ocean above him and he still wasn’t safe from Nell Vural’s voice. Thanks for that, Adam.

It was worst in the mundane moments, like folding laundry, because his mind churned while his hands were busy. See, Dave found it easiest to associate with hunters because he always knew they were destined to die. Everyone agreed there were things no one talked about because there was the deep undercurrent of knowing that Dave probably broke most of their codes, but as long as they didn’t know, it could go ignored. It was an emotional barrier that suited everyone just fine. Until now, apparently.

Dave smoothed his fingers over the edge of a shirt that had seen better days, folding it down as tight as he could before putting it away in a drawer that clipped into the wall of his van. His van was a mess, fishing gear scattered across the floor, seaweed drying on a bucket he hadn’t cleaned out, photos hanging skew on the wall. He wasn’t ever perfectly neat because how humans took care to keep their possessions perfectly in line was alien to him (the sea was never tidy), but he damn well knew he could do better than this. 

Humans considered it a sign of intimacy to show someone their living spaces. Dave couldn’t remember the last time he’d let anyone in here that he wasn’t giving a ride elsewhere. Adam hadn’t known him, not really. Hadn’t seen the emptiness in Dave’s heart, that the fire that kept him going ran on fumes. Who the hell was he to speak of love, when Dave hadn’t let him deeper than his second skin? That there was so little left in Dave worth loving. 

He looked down at the shirt he was folding, the collar pressed down skewed and the sides lined up at angles, and realised at some point he’d picked up the wonkyphoto from the wall, and the cracked, bloody compass Nell had given him that Dave had put on his bedside table and not looked at again. In the photo, three toothy sharp smiles were yellowed with age, teenage boys tussling in the sand. The photographer’s shadow stretched across the sand beside them, and even twenty five years later he could see the impatience behind the boys’ expressions at the doting woman behind the camera. The brass of the compass offered no such warmth, and filled the interior of the van with the scent of the last blood Adam had ever spilled. He flicked it open, and saw it pointing south west again. How could he forget, his home wasn’t a house but an underwater grave.

Fucking ironic, that each grief pointed so sharply to the other, blurring the lines of his most defining pain. Dave didn’t know how long he stared between one and the other before he returned to folding his shirts, and putting them away. He hung the photo back on the wall, and carefully put the compass away along with the rest of his fishing gear, tucked into fabric so that the scrapes it had taken in Adam’s final moments would be its last. When he was done with the laundry, Dave’s mind was set. 

His grief had always been a call to action.

--------

In the hours of hiking since Dave had set out, White Crest becoming a distant blip on the horizon, Dave hadn’t changed his mind. More doubts should have crept in, but they hadn’t once, his mind clear of thought and feeling already. Just one step past the other, past the purple heather fields and overflooded lily pad ponds, under canopies drooping with pine needles and summer chirping birds. 

White tiny flecks began floating past his face through the trees, which slowly grew as he walked deeper into the heather moors. White floating tendrils extended out, brushing against his clothes and hair. The deeper he walked into the cloud, the more the air felt like water, as if the trees had become kelp forests and he was swimming through clouds of chrinoids. The only thing that made the masses of them different than a mist was that Dave could not feel his way through it. They pulsed around him like Jellyfish, glowing under the setting sun.

In the densest part of the mist, he turned instead to an ethereal white creature at his side, as large as an old TV. Its mass of white tentacles fluttered against Dave’s skin curiously. Shame prickled in his veins, flinching away from those delicate touches. The sick, sinking feeling that this was wrong finally set in, worse than most vices that people leant on for their grief. If Adam could see him- but Adam couldn’t. He wasn’t a single damn person’s role model, and didn’t owe anyone his grief. Not even for a good man whose connection to him had been skin deep and yet reached him to his core. Dave swallowed, and turned back to the town for the first time since he’d made this choice, but all he saw was the clouds of white as he weighed the same thing as so many others had before him. 

Grief had always been a call to action. He stepped a little closer, and didn’t flinch as the tendrils brushed against the side of his face, then latched on.

The tendrils were as gentle as a kiss. He’d expected it to be like the time he’d gotten tangled up in an octopus, suckers bruising his skins for days, but if he hadn’t felt the white static encroaching on his mind, this wouldn’t have been unpleasant at all. Tendrils which hadn’t attached traced over the planes of his face, lulling his eyes closed. Peace spread from those pinpricks deeper into his mind, and he could see the appeal of staying here for eternity. Let them clear him out, until there was nothing left except his mission. 

Dave sighed quietly as he felt himself become lesser. He pulled away, and the tentacles let him, and Dave couldn’t even feel the absence of whatever they had taken. That was good, feeling the loss would have been too close to more grieving. The flickering tendrils of the hartvlinders trailed after him as he hurried away, through the clouds of gentle creatures until he burst out into the dying of the sunlight. 

Dave tested a memory like he might tongue at a broken tooth. Deep in a swamp with the rotting corpse of a giant fish clogging up his nose. Dave gave a countdown before lowering Adam into the cleanest water they could find, working quickly to wash off the last of the acid gunk. Adam had been weak kneed and badly burned after his adventure in the monster’s stomach, but he had shut his eyes dutifully and held his breath as Dave washed the worst of the acid out of his hair with exceeding care. As soon as he was out of the water, he’d cracked a joke filled with post hunt exuberance, one after the other while they waited for their stamina to return, until holding back his grin made his cheeks hurt. They hurt again now, hot tear tracks prickling his face. Dave sagged against a tree, and then down onto his knees. Something was gone, he was sure, but not this. The hartvlinder hadn’t been so goddamn kind as to take away his newest, sharpest grief. Or even what he’d really wanted gone: the regret of words left unsaid, the guilt of outliving another kid, the shame of envying a good man for a life where he’d completed his mission and saved everyone.  

Dave would have to learn to wear it until it became another ropey scar on his heart, another line on his death-weighted net. 

[dandiesunzipped]

A Series of Unfortunate Debaggings, Chapter the First: The Wretched Reunion

If you are looking for happy-go-lucky Tumblr posts, dear reader, then exit out of this browser tab this instant. Then open your search engine of choice and enter “octogenarian makes friends with a hummingbird.” Or, better yet, destroy your electronic device in a fire and never open an internet browser again, sparing yourself from the cruelty and misfortunes of the world.

You see, dear reader, it is a sad truth in life that order continually diminishes. A cracked egg may never uncrack, yet clean, white eggs everywhere continue to fall off refrigerator shelves, adding to the world’s misfortune and chaos. A secret organization, however brilliant, talented, and kind its members were, may never truly heal after a devastating schism. And the corpse of a cherished loved one will never, ever unburn, no matter how grievously an author weeps over the pitiful tale. 

In the story I am about to tell, I am sorry to report on a panoply of augmenting disorganization, a phrase which here means “not what you want to read.” Orphans grow two years older, and with those years develop styles and interests ever more macabre and meterless--which is to say, one orphan does that. Mystery and intrigue each grow heavier and more complex, like how the derelicts that fill your recycling bin grow heavier and more complex with each passing day. And finally, all the young men in this tale (with the exception of one) are eventually separated from their clean-pressed trousers, left for the remainder of the tale with their scandalously mid-twentieth century underpants exposed.

This story begins like many before it: Violet, Klaus, Sunny, and Beatrice Baudelaire were charming, resourceful children, each with pleasant facial features and each with certain precocious gifts in the arts or sciences, such as memorizing and reciting passages of British Modernist poetry.

“We shall not cease from exploration,” recited Klaus, expertly steering the Beatrice onward. The outrigger bobbed in the gentle waves as it approached a safe gap in the line of ominous jagged rocks on the horizon that Violet had identified.

“And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

As the four Baudelaires walked across the sand and then through the waterfall of foliage on the hill separating the halves of their island, Violet recited the next stanza:

“Through the unknown, unremembered gate,” When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall.”

All at once, fond and wretched memories swarmed together. At last, the Baudelaires were back at the tree. The tree where their parents had lived and ruled. The tree that held secrets below the root. The tree that had saved them from a sad, painful death.

“And the children in the apple-tree” finished Sunny.

“I’ve always found T.S. Eliot opaque,” noted Klaus, “but that poem of his is clearly relevant to our situation today, don’t you think? Who would have thought we’d return to this apple tree?” 

“Before you wax too romantic,” Violet said warmly but firmly, “Don’t forget our purpose here: to collect supplies and leave this evening. If we leave too late, we may be living on this island another year thanks to the tides.”

“Yeah, I’ll be in the library” said Klaus vacantly rushing away, past the old elephant skeleton and into the open arboretum. Violet shook her head, knowing exactly what silly trinket Klaus would be fruitlessly searching for all day.

As afternoon rudely pushed into evening, desperation rudely pushed Klaus to the ground, as he kicked and tossed flotsam around near his feet. The most interesting artifact he had found today was his old concierge shirt, which he now wore to complement his sandy trousers. “I know it’s here...” he murmured to himself. “Father--what would you have done?” That’s when a new idea struck the middle Baudelaire, a bit like the moment when Violet’s hero Sir Isaac Newton was struck by his big idea.

“Last year,” he asked Violet breathlessly as they rushed past each other in the arboretum, “Did you ever look behind the book case in Ishmael’s upper room?”

“No... but remember, Klaus: no matter what, we’re leaving this wasteland tonight at the violet hour. If the tide recedes too far, the Beatrice will scrape the rocky atoll and may sink!

But Klaus was already gone. Up the stairs of the massive apple tree Klaus ran. In Ishmael’s upper chamber, bookcases had been carved into the tree itself, with centuries of histories of the island filling the space. Klaus spent several minutes finding the volume that about the first arrival of “Ish” to the island. Reaching deep into the carved space behind this volume, Klaus finally touched what he was looking for. Greedily grabbing the long, mahogany object, he blew, long and steadily, even though it was Decision Day and not Rosh Hashanah.

Satisfied, Klaus joined his family. They took Beatrice on a visit to her mother’s grave to place flowers and recite to the young girl their precious few memories of her mother. After Sunny and Beatrice went off to finish dinner preparation, Violet and Klaus stood pensively over Olaf’s grave. Then Violet spoke, flatly:

“We learned so much from him.”

Klaus stared. “I mean, he was a horrible villain,” Violet clarified, “but if it hadn’t been for the pressure he placed on us, I never would have thought of so many inventions, and you never would have learned about nuptial law, for example.”

Klaus nodded. “And I doubt he’s responsible for our parents’ deaths, anyway.”

“Oh, don’t bring that up again, Klaus,” said Violet shaking her head and walking away. “Of course it was him!”

“But he didn’t confess, even when we finally pressed him!” Klaus called after her. “Even on his deathbed! Even after he saved Kit!”

Later, over a parting supper of smoked oysters, seaweed wraps, and coconut smoothies, the cook confronted her brother about his wasted hours during the others’ laborious day: “What’s in the box?” Sunny asked perkily. After a day of labor, all Klaus had to offer the boating party was a light, tightly wrapped package shaped like a question mark.

“Oh, it’s just an old artifact I was researching. You know, once we have our fortune, I think that’s what I think I’d like to do with my life: collect artifacts, become a successful archaeologist. I think VFD has prepared me well for decrypting ancient languages.” 

“Maybe we’ll find more artifacts on the next island we come by,” Violet replied, passing the seaweed to Beatrice. “Sunny and I made sure our supplies will last another year if need be.”

“Excellent work,” Klaus congratulated them. “And what method of propulsion will we be using this time? How can I help with that?”

“Generally, the sail should be sufficient. The tide is receding, so we don’t need any additional thrust: the water pressure on the single opening in this atoll will generate a current swift enough to propel the Beatrice outward to sea.” Violet took a sip of unfermented coconut smoothie. “Swimmingly. This day has gone swimmingly.”

As you may know, “swimmingly” is a word which here means “well” or “splendidly” or “lacking a villain to inflict unfortunate events upon you.” But anyone who, while swimming, has gazed into the murky depths beneath their vulnerable, dangling legs, or who has been subjected to a physical education class in a swimming pool will know just how ridiculous this definition of “swimmingly” is. Too often, swimming is an involuntary, unnecessary, and downright cruel activity. For instance, my day once went “swimmingly” because I was pursued through a fire pond by a pulchritudinous platypus. I’m sorry to report that the Baudelaires’ day was about to become worse than that one.

The Baudelaire’s evening continued to go swimmingly, or perhaps sailingly. Just as Violet predicted, the Beatrice was pulled by the receding tide toward the gap in the atoll, which would free them into the open sea. Out of the blue, Sunny asked, “What’s that?” happily pointing. Out of the blue sea, exactly behind the gap in the atoll, a sharp, scaly plate covered in seaweed was emerging. Then came another, and another, until The Great Unknown had fully reared its ugly, pointed head. Enormous and slippery, desperate and hungry, it hung its jaw agape, ready to let in any driftwood, sea water, or passing sting rays past its six shiny rows of very sharp teeth. Even if the Baudelaires had abandoned ship right then, the current would undoubtedly have swallowed all who traveled--whether swimmingly or sailingly--into the jaws of The Great Unknown.

Beatrice screamed as the bombinating beast obscured the setting sun. Violet wept profusely, thinking of the promise she made to keep her siblings safe. Klaus stared fixedly into an eye of the beast, as though hypnotized. Sunny simply smiled.

“Come, sweet death!” she cried as the jaws of the bombinating beast crashed down, enveloping all four Baudelaires, Beatrice and all.

***

“Baudelaires!” As soon as the children came to, they found themselves inside what could have been the Curdled Cave but warm and oddly lit. “Oh, Baudelaires! I’ve been so afraid! I’ve been absolutely panic-stricken on your behalf! But you’ve returned to my care!”

“Josephine?” asked Klaus, astonished. Indeed, the Baudelaires’ second cousin’s sister-in-law whom they knew as Aunt Josephine stood on a ledge, glowing in a white robe over the confused, distraught Baudelaires.

“Don’t be afraid! I would come down to hug each one of you if I wasn’t afraid of the germs and leeches that may have washed in along with all that kelp and sea water.”

“Ike?” asked Sunny, suddenly recalling the image of Josephine’s late husband the cave explorer resting in a warm place in the afterlife. Then, with wide eyes, Sunny asked more softly, “Parents?”

Josephine looked at Sunny confused for a moment. Then she cocked her head to one side, smiling poignantly at the young girl. “I don’t know where your parents are. I’m sorry, honey. And you really must learn to speak in complete sentences someday, Sunny,” she added with disappointment.

“But look on the bright side:” yelled a figure, emerging on crutches from the dark. “You’re alive!”

“Phil!” cried Violet, rushing in to hug the optimist. 

“We’re alive?” mirrored Sunny with confusion.

“‘Baudelaire orphans found alive!’ That’s the headline I would submit to The Daily Punctilio if nefarious villains intent on hunting us all down weren’t lurking around every street corner.”

“Duncan!” shouted Violet running further into the cave to hug yet another friend from her past. “And Quigley?”

For a brief moment, Duncan’s face dropped. The thrill in Violet’s voice, the distance in her eyes, the emphasis she placed on his brother’s name--all of it indicated to Duncan that he was her second favorite. But just as quickly, Duncan returned to grinning and stepped aside for his triplet brother to hug the eldest Baudelaire. 

“Words:“ began Isadora in the tone of a slam poet, everything about her style now black and bleak as she leaned against a wall obscured in shadow. “Why torment me? Why needle and prod me as you do with meaning? If I repeat you, words, over and over, meaningless you become. When our Selves defy measure and lilt and vowels--even grammar!--who dares, dares to confine this Ether reality, this cryptic vivacity, this Great Unknown! inside of--words.” She and Klaus smiled shyly at each other while others sounded their approval.

“But how did you find us here?” Violet questioned after a few pitying snaps. “What brought you to this island?”

“Do you have food?” Sunny demanded. “Can I help?”

“What even is this place?” Violet enquired. “A camouflaged submarine?”

“Why are you alive?” Sunny asked Josephine.

“Selmo!” shouted Beatrice.

“Calm yourselves, Baudelaires! For once, all that is mysterious to you shall soon be revealed--I promise.” proclaimed Josephine, still perched authoritatively from her ledge.

“Even to those of you without any questions...” remarked Quigley, glancing askance at the middle Baudelaire. 

“Why so quiet, Klaus?” asked Isadora with a teasing smile.

The middle Baudelaire orphan had remained remarkably calm this whole time, as if non-plussed by the situation. He shrugged nonchalantly “After you’ve read the book that answers the questions that burn like a fire in the mind, the act of asking feels--hollow. There’s just one burning question I’d like an answer to: where’s Fiona?”

“Oh, Klaus! You mustn’t end an independent clause with a preposition,” Josephine chided with motherly concern. “My daughter is busy on the command deck with my husband. The two are co-captains now!”

“Actually, Aunt Josephine, I find that preposition rule antiquated nowadays. Plenty of authors simply ignore it.”

“Hmph, your grammatical proclivities may be on the, er, modern side, Klaus Baudelaire, but for as long as you’re under my submarine walls, I insist that yo--”

“Wait!” interrupted Violet. “Fiona is your daughter, Aunt Josephine?! Does that mean she’s our,” Violet gulped, “cousin?”

“All of your questions will be answered, dear Baudelaires! For example, ‘technically speaking, second cousins once removed,’ is the answer to your most recent of inquiries, Violet, darling.”

“First let me serve them tea, Josephine!” pleaded Phil angelically. “I want to try a special recipe: bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword.”

Sunny yipped in agreement, following Phil down a shady corridor, deep into The Great Unknown.

“After you, Violet,” said Duncan with an unctuous smile and hand gesture. I needn’t tell you, dear reader, how eagerly the three Quagmires and four Baudelaires came together for tea, ready to reconnect after years of cruel wrenching apart. But one detail that may intrigue you remains. For in the interim, a word which here means, “the duration in which Phil offered the Baudelaires tea and Josephine offered the Baudelaires her tale of survival,” or “Chapter 2 of this narrative,” a mysterious figure reentered the anteroom to rearrange the kelp that had washed aboard The Great Unknown along with the Baudelaires. I regret to inform you, dear reader, that this rearranged kelp formed letters on the wall, and that those letters formed a cryptic couplet, and that cryptic couplet formed a threat to all aboard:

“Abandon ship or abandon pants./ Your fates are sealed; leave naught to chance.”

And so began, dear reader, a series of unfortunate debaggings along the eerie corridors of The Great Unknown.

[writing-the-end]

Feral Friendship- Part 4

Previous Chapter

Masterpost

The last oneshot during the span of wandering stars! Every ten chapters, after chapter X1, I’d post this silly little story. There’s still two more parts, so they might be drizzled in with LoL. But after this, it’s a straight shot to the finale!

Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland

Ecto belongs to @cooler-cactus-block

“Things couldn’t have gone smoother on the way out. We found the dig team, though they’re definitely going to need some help escaping the hellpit they’re stuck in.” Cleo unfurls the red banner before Joe and Cub, watching both men sit up and reach for what the girls retrieved. Cleo winces as False plucks a cactus needle from her shoulder. “It was the way back that was...rough.” 

“What happened to y’all?” Joe slides over the map to help pull thorns from his friends. They’re covered in cactus spines, some even whole pieces of the plant. Like burrs, stuck to skin rather than clothes. 

“We captured the flag, though it was perched on a cactus. But then the sand around us started to fall. We managed to run through without falling in, but only by tossing ourselves into a whole stand of the prickly plants.” Cleo folds the banner to be hung. “It really, really hurt for sure.” 

“Is that it?” Cub questions. “Why are you soaking wet?”

“We figured out where the last flag is!” Stress squeals, before hissing a curse under her breath when False takes the moment of excitement to pull out another needle. 

“Really? Where is it? What kind of traps are there? Have all three been keeping it hidden?” Cub is hungry for the information. Finally, things are going right for the hermits. Avon has been chased off at least five times, searching for their last flag. But they may know exactly where her team’s is.

“It’s in the ocean. We don’t know where, but we tried goin’ in. A huge wave just spat us out every time.” It definitely was too often, too precisely timed to be anything but Red. It was torturous, the moment they finally got deep enough to consider swimming, the ocean would thrash them back to the beach. 

The trio left the jungle at midnight, and dawn is just starting to peek out. “We couldn’t get a good look at what’s underwater, but it has to be down there. They’re playing to their strengths.” 

Cub looks down at his map. He moves the final scrap into the blue at the edge of the playfield. It makes sense that the wanderers would be using the land to maximize such small numbers. But it still makes no sense how Red is the last one to face. He was sure Avon would be the final boss, and Red would have just given it up. Everything Cub thought he knew has been turned around. “This is it. We’re so close to winning. Cleo, you take half the gang, our best fighters, and take on the ocean. Joe and I will keep Avon at bay here.” 

If they can keep Avon from finding their flag, all while going for Red’s, then this game is as good as won. How hard can Red’s flag be? Cleo grins, saluting Cub and marching off with the other girls. They’re definitely a part of the fighting team, and she’d want no one else at her side. Also they still need to get the rest of the cactus needles off them. 

Once they’re out of Cub’s earshot, False groans. “We have to go all the way back and retrieve another flag? Do you think we’ll have to face Ecto going in?” 

“Oh, I’m sure of it. They have to be on high alert because of our job.” Cleo looks up, seeing a shadowy figure flying high in the sky, only to be chased off by two other people. Avon. “At least she hasn’t found the last one yet. But I don’t think she’s going to ever stop looking.” 

The other two nod in agreement, before False leans over and strips Stress of a couple thorns- much to the behest of the magenta master. Down a dirt path, the trees open up to the clearing where every other hermit has been resting. They retreated from the border to protect the last flag, taking shifts and keeping one eye on the sky at all times. 

“It seems like Avon’s the only one going after our flags.” Jevin mumbles as he watches a steak cook on the campfire. He’s so hungry, he could eat a whole cow. 

“That’s why we need to keep an eye on every last thing, man.” Zedaph adds. “They could be tricking us! Distracting us with Avon while Red or Ecto are creeping in on the flag.” 

“Do you really think they’re that well strategized?” Etho questions, looking up and watching the winged wanderer circling in the morning sun. She’s like a phantom, but worse. At least phantoms burn in the day. 

“They may not, but we are.” Cleo flourishes her rapier, digging the tip into the ground and leaning on it proudly. She calls out the names of hermits she knows are good with a weapon. Be it a sword, bow, or trident, the camp is soon divided into two groups. One to go with the girls, take on whatever Ecto and Red have waiting for them. And one to remain behind, fend off Avon and keep their own flag from the clutches of the wanderers. 

“Cleo, do you think you should do a rallying talk or somethin’? To boost team morale? Yer the best of us when it comes to elegant prose.” Stress asks.

“Yeah, you’re the best wordsmith, you and Joe. An artist of literature. Give us an awesome speech.” False pushes Cleo forward. Into the sunlight shafting through the trees. 

Cleo clears her throat, taking a deep breath and looking out across the other hermits. She needs a rousing speech, to stir the hearts of all hermitkind. Cleo brushes back her hair, and finally speaks. “Try not to get deded, guys.” 

And that’s all she got. 

_________________________________________

If rushing the cactus barrier was equivalent to bastille, then making it across the desert was comparable to Normandy. A large swatch of the desert was still trapped or guarded by cacti, sand waiting to be disturbed by ignorant feet. Waiting to swallow the hermits whole at any moment. The cacti had to be squeezed past like they were lava floes, even the hermits with armor avoided the prickly plant to the best of their ability. 

But worst of all in the desert wasn’t the pitfalls, or the cacti. It wasn’t even the numerous husks that refused to die in the sunlight. It was a creature more terrifying, more dangerous than any creeper. Ecto with a bow. 

She appeared from nowhere, leaping across cacti without a care for getting hurt. She knew how to stand just right so that she avoided getting the worst damage. Arrows would whiz past the hermits, opening up caverns in the sand all around them. None of Ecto’s arrows ever actually hit the invasion, but perhaps because they were running too fast for her to get a good shot. They aren’t retreating, but rather pushing through the desert to reach the shoreline. 

The water is calm, not even a ripple against the sands. False pulls out her sword. “Do you think we’ll make it in this time?” 

“We won’t stop until we do. Stress, does everyone have potions?” Cleo hears the clinking noise of glass bottles, cork stops being freed, and the rapid drinking of the disgusting liquid. Most potions don’t taste good, unless it’s swiftness or healing. Swiftness just tastes like soda, but a potion of healing might as well be the nectar of the gods. Ambrosia, sweet and savory. But every other potion leaves the consumer with a twisted face. A potion of leaping usually still has fur in the mix, strength leaves a burning sensation down the throat, and even slow falling feels like a residue of the phantom is still around well after brewing. 

But water breathing has to be the worst. It’s viscous, slowly rolling down in a thick mix between liquid and solid. Like applesauce and sand mixed into a disgusting puree. The aftertaste is vaguely reminiscent of being poisoned, but with more fish. And within the potion, scales of the pufferfish float. Waiting to get stuck in between teeth or halfway down the gullet. 

But with no clue where the flag is underwater, the hermits have to take their medicine. Even Cleo gags, gulping the potion down. Keralis coughs behind her, nearly retching. “Ugh, it tastes like seaweed.” 

“It tastes worse than seaweed.” Xisuma corrects, face twisted. “Let’s just get this done quick so we don’t have to drink more.” 

Xisuma wades into the water, holding his sword and peering into the world below the waves. The girls wait for a wave to toss him back to shore, but it never arrives. Cleo isn’t sure if she likes that change. Something feels off. A horrible feeling is setting in on her. She feels like she’s playing demise all over again, suddenly every little thing can be a way for her to lose. “Xisuma, please watch-”

In a blink, the space XIsuma occupied is empty. The entire team leaps back, and only Keralis dares to speak up. “Sheshwammy. He’s...he’s gone.” 

“What even happened?” Tango questions, daring to shuffle forward to where Xisuma once stood. Everyone braces for Tango to get swept away as well, but nothing happens. Confidently, Tango jumps into the deeper water like nothing can kill him. He’s better at this than Xisuma. 

The others move forward, in a united front, like penguins waiting to see which poor soul would be the first to brave the dangers below. Just as they’re about to dive in, Tango resurfaces. Bubbles surface around him, like the water is boiling. Dragging him back even as his fingers grip the sandy shallows. Kelp is wrapped around his feet, hobbling him from kicking. “Tell my dungeon game I love it!” 

Tango loses his grip, and disappears into the depths. Doc attempts to grab his hermit son from being towed out to sea, but only dives headfirst into the saltwater. He blinks the water, taking a deep breath of the ocean. 

And seeing the horror before him. Nothing that Ecto or Avon ever did could prepare him for what he’s laid his eyes upon. It’s worse than demise, or the civil war. Tall kelp plants wrap around red blocks of TNT, explosive seeds waving in the current. Waiting to be brushed by and set off. Sharp coral fans spike the field before him, razors hoping to slice the hermits like swords. The ocean is filled with more pufferfish than Doc can count, bumping into one another and inflating. Spikes of poison to lace into the skin of an unsuspecting hermit. A drowned floats up from the coral reef, slack jaw gurgling water as a slimy arm tosses a trident. It narrowly misses Doc, but does hit another trap just behind him. Ink spills from the clutch of sacs, darkening the water and obscuring his sight. He can’t even see his own sword as he swings it in front of him. 

Doc wipes the ink free of his eyes, burning at the mucusy ink all over him. Guardians are flooding the ocean, bubble beams grabbing hold of any unfortunate soul and dragging them into the depths. Far from the surface, through a crag field of coral, and deep into a cave below. He can hear his friends screaming, either fleeing or being attacked by what seems like the entire ocean. 

He can also hear...singing? It whispers on the current, every so often punctuated by a laugh. While the laughs are bubbly, floating up to the surface as the giggle rises in pitch, the song is being sung slowly, in a key that makes every hair on Doc’s body stand on end. “I’ll sing you a song of the fish in the sea…”

Doc knows this song. He spent enough time around Wels to pick up a few sea shanties. And what he remembers, nothing good happens at the end of the story. “Whe-where are you? S-show yourself, coward!” 

But Red never appears, despite the laughter continuing before the humming picks back up. A guardian turns it’s eye on Doc, brow furrowing. Bubbles begin to churn the water between the fish and Doc. He can feel himself being pulled in, like a rip current dragging him out to sea. “Then up jumps the shark with his nine rows of teeth.”

He needs to get out. Now. There’s no hope to save the hermits already gone, but maybe at least a few escaped before the traps got them. Doc swims as hard as he can, clawing at the sand and gripping the stalks of kelp to escape the pull of the bubbles. He needs to get back. He needs to report to Cub. Doc breaks free of the bubble beam, launching himself from barely moving more than an inch to being thrown onto the dry shore. 

“Oh thank goodness. Where are the others?” Cleo grabs Doc, hauling him to his feet and brushing the sand from the soaking wet labcoat. 

“They’re gone. It’s too late. We have to get out of here.”

[falseroar]

The Light Keeper (Part 1)

((Story: William and his friend are finally ready to make the leap from sea to shore. It’s all William has ever wanted, but their last night together in the water may ruin all those carefully laid plans.

Warnings: mentions of blood and a shark attack.

A while back I kind of promised a fluffier fic to balance out the story I posted yesterday, and despite what it sounds like, this is it. This is another WKM Mer AU, a one shot completely unrelated to yesterday’s story, although there are some common elements like the “every step on land feels like knives” thing that I borrowed from Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid. It’s a one shot that, um, managed to double in size when I rewrote it, so I’ll actually be posting it in two parts today to make it a little easier to read. Oh! And if anyone is curious, William and the others like him have mer forms based off of nurse sharks, which are apparently pretty chill, tend to stay in one place, and hang out in groups during the day while hunting alone at night, with only larger sharks to worry about.

Part 2 is up now.))

The mer sighed, his thick gray tail stirring the water of the underwater cave as he lay with his head resting on his arms, eyes scanning the rocky surface of the bay’s bottom outside and down below. There was movement in the water, as always, the flash of silver as schools of fish dipped in and out of the current, the waving streams of kelp that together with the brightly colored coral served to hide those not willing to venture out into the open water.

And past all of that, the sudden drop that marked the end of the bay and the start of the vast and dark depths of the ocean.

Here, alone, he felt the sting of just how quiet these waters were now. Sure, there were boats on most days, trailing their nets in the water or dropping those silly-looking traps down, but even today there were no shadows cutting through the waves overhead. 

He’d already lost count of how many days it had been since the others moved on, in search of less dangerous waters, not helped by how many times he had drifted in and out of sleep those first few days. There were stories that there had been more mer in these waters, back before the humans settled the bay, but even he could remember when his people weren’t the only ones in these waters, when others from up and down the coast would stop by in their migrations.

Now it was just him and the one he spent every day watching and waiting for, quietly afraid that today would be the day they failed to return.

They were just so…small.

It was the first thought that crossed William’s mind that night, when he spotted the unfamiliar shape moving among the forest of kelp. And fast, he realized when the distant figure froze at his shout before taking off toward the rocks.

He tried to keep up, but by the time he reached the other side of the bay, all he could see was a pair of eyes staring back at him from deep within a crevasse that he would have thought too tight for even one of the young mer to fit in.

“Shh, I’m not going to hurt you,” he had said, but they just pulled further back into the darkness and refused to answer until he gave up and swam away.

Except then he was on the lookout, always keeping an eye on that side of the bay when he ventured out to hunt. He was more than willing to keep his distance, if it meant getting a better idea of the stranger in the bay with a tail and coloration unlike any he had seen before.

“A migrater, probably from up the river that feeds into the bay,” one of the elders of the group had said, when William brought it up. “They move from saltwater to fresh and back again, but I’ve never heard of one on their own before.”

The other elders had looked uneasy at that, sharing a few possible theories, but William had stopped listening at that point. He didn’t waste any time going back to the crevasse, and to the surprise of both the other mer and himself he managed to get halfway in with only a bit of a struggle.

“Have you ever touched grass?!”

If William had been the sort of mer given to thinking things through, he might have realized how terrifying it might be to have a strange and much larger mer forcing his way into your shelter, but then he also might never have heard the stranger speak.

“…What?”

“Grass? The green stuff that just pops out of the ground, like kelp, but it’s…Well, I haven’t seen any up close, but it looks different, does it feel different? Upriver, did you ever see any humans? Did they ever see you?”

Confused, the stranger had slowly answered his questions. Yes, they had touched grass, no, it didn’t feel like kelp. Yes, they had seen humans, but they had always been careful to never be seen.

Of course, that just opened the floodgates for even more questions, some of which the stranger knew the answer to, others they just shrugged at. Until, finally, just as William was about to leave and hunt for the night, it occurred to him to ask one more question.

“What’s your name?”

“…Y/N.”

“I’m William,” he said, reaching an arm into the crevasse to envelop their hand in his own. “I’ll be back tomorrow night, okay?”

Before they could answer, he was swimming away.

That’s how it went for a few months, with the strange new mer gradually opening up and even venturing out to swim around the bay with William, although they never strayed out for long at night. They listened as he told them what little he had been able to learn about the humans of the bay by watching them, listening in to their conversations on the boats or even on the docks of the town when he ventured close enough.

“One day I’m going to go up there,” William had said one night, as they floated on the surface.

Y/N wrenched their eyes away from the rotating light of the tall tower that stood apart from the town, on a patch of rock that jutted out between the edge of the bay and the sea beyond, and followed his gaze to the town itself. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but how?”

“There’s a deep, deep water mer, in the rift where the sun does not reach,” William said, pointing in what he thought might be roughly the right direction. “It’s said that if you’re brave enough and determined enough, you can make a deal with that mer for anything. Including a spell to walk on land. Of course, you have to have something worth offering in exchange, or else I would already be gone.”

“I’m glad you’re still here,” Y/N had said, surprising William. Before he could answer, they scrunched up their nose and asked, “But deep water mer, aren’t they…”

“Absolutely massive, I’ve heard,” William said. He grinned at the smaller mer and added, “They’d probably snap you up as a snack.”

They had shoved him away (or tried to), protesting that they weren’t that much smaller than him, and the conversation had devolved into a bunch of jokes until they gave up and swam away. At the time, neither of them could have imagined that it would be Y/N who ventured down into the rift.

Now, William rose up, visible joy and relief spreading across his face as he spotted the blue of his friend’s tail, the dark shape sticking close to the sand and rocks as they swam. As soon as they reached his cave, William swept them up into a hug.

“William!” They struggled, but not much and certainly not enough to free their self from his hold. “Do you really have to do this every time?”

“I missed you,” he said, only relaxing his grip a little but apparently still enough for them to slip away. “How did it go? Tell me everything!”

They tried not to, but he saw their smile at the now familiar words. Before answering, they swam into the cave and came to rest on the mossy floor with a tired sigh.

“First things first, how is your fin doing?”

“Good enough I don’t think I should have to just stay in this cave all the time,” William answered, but he turned so they could get a good look.

It had been a regular day, dozing on and off with the others, before there was a scream and a flash of blood in the water. Their shelter had always felt safe, but with the snapping and lunging jaws at the entrance it suddenly seemed like a deathtrap.

William didn’t remember deciding, or even thinking before he surged forward and tackled the predator, rough skin tearing at his own as he locked arms around the thrashing body and pulled it away so the others had a chance to flee. He did remember the pain though, when both bodies slammed into the rock and suddenly those terrible, hungry jaws turned on him and tore into his pectoral fin.

Y/N carefully removed the makeshift kelp bandage and studied the wound before admitting, “It does look a lot better.”

“Thanks to you,” William said, and they just shrugged.

Like they hadn’t been the first mer he saw after waking up, covered in bruises and scratches after having somehow fended off that great white shark who had found its way into their waters. Like they hadn’t silently decided to stay with him, allowing the others to move on down the coast. Like they hadn’t tended to his wounds, day after day. Like they hadn’t hunted for him to make sure he had enough to eat. Like they hadn’t returned one day after venturing down into the darkness of the rift, trembling and with their hair sheared off, but bearing two identical shell necklaces on two separate strings.

“I think everything might finally be ready,” they said as they closed their eyes. “According to the deep water mer, that pair of ‘scissors’ was the last of the payment. That, and explaining that the humans call them ‘scissors’ and not ‘two sharp blades working as one.’ Still don’t know what all of that stuff is for, but it’s the last time I’ll have to go down there.”

William ran a hand over the back of their head, feeling the rough edges where their hair had only just started to grow back, and felt them shudder but lean into the touch.

“I should have helped,” he said, not for the first time.

“Going up there is…Walking hurts, William, even when you’re not wounded. That’s why the deep water mer said—”

“That I had to wait until my fin was healed,” William finished. “Y/N, please, I’m ready!”

“…Tomorrow,” they said, closing their eyes once again. “Just let me rest, and tomorrow we can…”

“Leave.” William felt a thrill at those words, but something in his voice made the other mer raise their head and look at him.

“You could still try to find the others,” they said. “It might take time, but we know what direction they went. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“Am I sure?! Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of this? Even if—even if I thought I could ever swim like I used to, I don’t want to just find another place to settle down and spend my whole life in. I want to see the world, Y/N, and the deep sea…” William’s fingers brushed his fin and he winced. “Well, it’s never where I really wanted to go, is it?”

They relaxed at that, and William realized they had been worried for him, yet again. After all, they hadn’t asked before venturing down into the rift, most likely because they knew he would never have let them go on their own. He also realized that he wasn’t the only one whose life was about to change.

“What about you?”

“…It’s not like I have anything worth staying down here for,” they said. “Besides, someone has to make sure you stay out of trouble.”

“But isn’t there something you want to go on land for?” William pressed. “You’ve been up there several times now, is there anything worth leaving the water for?”

They took so long to answer that William began to fear there wasn’t going to be an answer, until they said, “It’s…beautiful, in a different way than the water. It hurts to walk, but feeling the grass under your feet makes it feel worth every step. And the music…”

They stopped, smiling at some memory, and William felt the tension easing in his chest. Enough to tease, “Now, I remember there was something about a way to get rid of that pain. What was it again…?”

Y/N turned their head away, but William just swam to their other side and pressed his face close to theirs until they answered. “True love’s kiss can make the spell permanent and banish the pain of leaving your world behind. Apparently.”

He cracked up into a laugh at their expression and the less than enthusiastic way they said it, same way the deep water mer did when they learned that particular part of the spell.

“So, have you found any dashing princes up above?” William asked. “Any fetching ladies catch your eye?”

“William.”

“At least tell me you’ve learned the light keeper’s name.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then what have you even been doing up there?!”

“Getting what we need to survive,” they said, using their tail to push him away. “You keep this up, and I won’t tell you where I hid the clothes.”

“Joke’s on you, you already told me,” William said. They had explained how they had found a place near the shore to hide money and clothing, both of which they had been surprised to find was so easy to obtain in exchange for a few dozen pearls, although neither could figure out why the human in question would want so many.

“Like you were actually listening.”

“I wonder how it works if your true love isn’t a person,” William mused.

Y/N tried not to, but eventually gave in and asked, “Want to explain what that’s supposed to mean?”

“What if my true love is adventure, is exploration, is a little bit of madness every now and then? How am I supposed to kiss that?”

“Carefully.”

William chuckled, and as silence started to descend upon the cave an idea struck him.

“…Let’s swim up to the surface.”

“What? Please, William, I’m so tired—”

“But this could be our last night like this!” William shook their arm as gently as he could. “We can look at the stars together.”

“There aren’t any stars, there’s a storm coming in.”

“Even better!” William tried shaking them again, but they just groaned. “Come on, you love riding the waves. And maybe we’ll see someone?”

His encouraging tone did little to stir the other mer, and after a minute or so William decided it was time for desperate measures.

“Wha—William!”

Y/N’s eyes shot open as they felt the shell necklace go up and over their head, but the other mer just gave them a smile before leaving the cave. As he expected, it didn’t take long for them to catch up and start swimming circles around him as he ascended, eyes on the necklace clenched tight in his hand.

“Be careful with that!”

William answered by putting the necklace on to go with his own before catching the small mer in his arms. “Come on, we should see how your ‘true love’ is doing! Do you think he’ll be wearing the yellow again?”

“He’s not my true love, I don’t even know anything about him,” they protested.

“I know he looks like a clownfish in that getup,” William said.

“He does not! …He looks like a yellow tang.”

William laughed and pulled his friend up with him, until they both surfaced in the midst of huge waves that drew the water up before sending it crashing down, the roar of the swell almost as loud as the wind and thunder overhead. A bolt of lightning split the sky and William felt Y/N’s grip on his hand tighten.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he said, or tried to, but he wasn’t sure if they could hear his voice over the noise. Still, they followed his lead and together they swam along, occasionally allowing themselves to be picked up and carried along with a wave that upon impact would leave both of them spinning along in its currents before another tried to drag them in. Above and below the water, they could hear each other’s laughter, enjoying the ride and the sudden shifts from air to water and back again

In the middle of the bay though, away from the rocks, the waves weren’t quite as rough and the two mer were able to tread water and watch the light spin around the top of the strange tower, illuminating the bay and the sea out beyond.

“Do you think there any ships out there?” William asked, peering out toward the horizon or the little bit of it that could be seen through the roiling clouds and water.

“I hope not,” Y/N said, before suddenly tightening their grip on his hand again. “William, that wave!”

He saw it too, already larger than any of the others before it and gathering strength as it passed through the narrow opening of the bay, drawing in the water until it seemed impossible that they could not see the corals down below. And drawing in the mer too, as they realized when they tried to dive and swim to shelter, only to find themselves rising higher and higher.

Just as the wave crested and began to descend upon the bay, William felt Y/N’s hand slip out of his own.

Once it was over, William found himself alone in the open water, dazed but uninjured. And with no sign of the smaller mer, no matter how far he swam or how much he called above or below water. He resurfaced what felt like hours later but may have only been minutes or even seconds after the crash and called again, tears joining the saltwater in his eyes so that he could barely make out the rocks in the distance. Much less make sense of the sight of the yellow-clad figure moving there, not until it was too late to do anything about it.

((End of Part 1. Link to Part 2.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate @missksketch ))

[star-captain]

Chapter 4- Flying Fish

The plot thickens this chapter. What are they smelling? Who’s footprints has Ecto found? When are these stories going to collide? 

Enjoy Chapter 4, and please share! I feed off love. 

Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland​

Ecto belongs to @ectochoir​

Red knows that not everyone is as fast as him underwater. Not everyone can be blessed with the fins and strength that a Kipling has. But every time he turns back, he sees Avon struggling with her wings and cloak through the water. He keeps having to stop, waiting for her to catch up. At least he doesn’t have to worry about her drowning- she seems to have the ability to perform magic spells, and cast one on the beach. Nothing as crazy as what he’s seen Selene do, but it makes both their lives easier. 

The two near the ocean monument that Red calls home. The deep ocean absorbs the rays, shafts of sunlight filtering through the water as the sun sets low in the sky. Prismarine glows against the water, the walls slowly shifting color- from blue to a light purple to teal, so benign that most wouldn’t notice. Guardians are beginning to return to the safety of the monument, where they can rest for the night after a long day of foraging. Fish are already beginning to light up, turning the water into a flowing dance of light. Red’s even starting to get his night colors. 

There’s a rush of water, tossling Red’s hair and tugging on his clothes. He turns, and sees that Avon has stopped, wings outstretched to produce drag and slow her. “Red, there’s guardians ahead.” 

Red looks at the guardians, then to the tense Avon. She can’t help but laugh. “Those are the least of your worries.” She states. “So long as you have no intention of hurting them, you’ll be fine. I’d be a little more concerned that you’re going to spook a pufferfish with your wings.” 

Avon curls her appendages closer to her body, and tries her best to swim after Red. Without disturbing any pufferfish or guardians. She can feel them watching her. Large red eyes, with spikes that protrude when they pause to stare. One suddenly gets a burst of energy, wiggling it’s disproportionate tail to swim between Red and Avon. The spikes retract, making the guardian more streamline. Avon grabs for her trident, but she only grabs empty water. 

The guardian places itself between Avon and Red, staring down the trespasser. “No, no. She’s not a foe.” Red announces. “Please, let her pass.” 

Avon feels as if the entire ocean is staring at her. She doesn’t belong down here. She’s not a fish. She belongs in the End. The rotund guardian eventually moves on, and Avon swims as fast as she can to catch up with Red. Stay close to her. 

The two reach the monument, entering through the grand hall. Sea lanterns hang from the pillars and arches, kelp and seagrass dancing in the light. The monument is about as confusing as a stronghold, and Red doesn’t bother to slow down so that Avon can figure out where she’s going. Red doesn’t stop until the two have arrived in her room. 

It’s a simple home, with chests and a bed, a table to sit at, and food tucked all over. The walls are decorated with bright colored coral, fans waving in the soft current. Red offers a cooked salmon to the visitor. “You lost a lot of blood crashing into the wreck. Salmon will help. Y’know, cause they’re the same color?” 

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Avon mutters. Red sighs. This girl really can’t take a joke. She fills her own stomach with a fish meal, and pulls out a bag to pack. She can’t put everything in, not if she’s going to carry it on her own. But Red also doesn’t know how long it could be before she’s ever to sleep in her own bed again. In the end, most of her bag is packed with food, a bedroll, and some pickles to light up wherever they camp. As Red starts to close up the bag, Avon is suddenly hovering over her. “What about  a weapon?” 

Red jumps, spooked by the menacing woman. Her wings remind him of a bat’s, but darker and much scarier. She’s so quiet, even underwater Red hardly heard her move closer. “I don’t need a weapon. There’s nothing we’ll be fighting.” 

“How can you be so sure?” Avon questions, backing away to avoid being hit by the backpack as Red swings it onto his back. 

“Because mobs don’t attack unless provoked. So as long as we don’t provoke them, we should be fine.” Red smiles. He’s proud to be able to live in such harmony with the world. 

“But what if they think we’ve provoked them? You should be able to defend yourself, in case there’s a miscommunication.” Avon swims to the table, looking at the two chairs. “And we aren’t the only people out there. Someone could want to do you harm.” 

For a second, Red almost believes that Avon seems to care about his well being, that he’s safe. Even though her sharp purple eyes don’t show it, she seems to want to protect Red as much as she wants to protect whoever this Jeane is. 

“I’m not much of a fighter.” Red admits. She grabs a piece of paper and a quill, sitting down at the table to write her letter. “Let me just let Selene know where I’m off to.” 

“Selene?” Avon echos, but Red doesn’t bother to answer. She pens the note, explaining that Red was going to be traveling. That she didn’t know how long she’d be gone, or where exactly her journey would take her. Just that she was looking for the End. She knows that if Selene wanted to find them, she easily could. All she needs to know is what they’re doing, which this note will take care of. Red folds it, marking it for her girlfriend, and leaving it on the table held down by a nautilus shell. 

Red straightens, taking a deep breath of the cool water. “Alright. Let me just say goodbye to my family and then we can get on our way.” 

Avon frowns. She’s not sure she likes the idea of traveling at night, but she wants to start moving as soon as possible. The sooner they leave, the sooner she can get back to the End. She follows Red out of her room, glancing back at the cozy abode. How long will they be gone? How long will it be until Red, or even herself, will get to sleep in their own bed again? She feels bad, tearing Red away from such a secure life. Avon will never admit this aloud, but she needs Red’s help. 

Avon reels when they enter a giant room in the center of the monument, and find it’s filled with guardians. All staring at them. But Red doesn’t seem concerned in the slightest. She swims into the crowd of one-eyed fish, petting them on the head. A few guppies swim up to Red, playing with her hair and tugging on her fins. From a hole in the ceiling, a massive elder guardian sinks down. Pale, the color of gravel and water in the End, the Elder Guardian observes the gathering. Red swims up to her, and gives the mother guardian a hug.

 “I’m going to be gone, Mama Gummi. Maybe for a long time. But don’t worry, I’m sure the time will pass by in the blink of an eye!” Red laughs at her joke, before looking down at her hands. Twiddling her fingers together. She takes an unsteady breath, and whispers to them all. “Please...stay safe.” 

She turns back to Avon, who is silent at the mouth of the chamber. Red gives her a nod, and starts to swim away from her family. It’s time to go. 

The two exit the grand, blue halls of the monument into the dark sea. As they swim away, Red’s body begins to glow. Avon can’t help but stare in awe. Luminescent blue stripes along her body, and large blue disks rest on her shoulder and forearm like epaulettes and armguards. She’s glowing with the moonlight, alight with life. It grows a bit brighter when Avon hears a sniffle from Red. 

He’s crying. It’s impossible to see in the saltwater, but with the tears are still there. In the glow of Red’s body, Avon can see his face start to turn red as he holds down his emotions. Avon looks down at her hands, then begins to reach out. Her hand nearly settles on Red’s shoulder, to comfort the kipling, but at the last second she retracts the sentiments. Red may not want to be touched by Avon. It’s best that Avon keeps everyone at arm’s length away, as always. This mess should change nothing. 

Red collects himself by the time the two reach the surface, breathing in the air to calm down. He doesn’t want to be seen crying in front of Avon. Avon practically throws herself onto land, flicking her wings to free them of water and wringing out her cloak. Red is hardly even done getting water out of his boots before Avon stretches out her arm. In the moonlight, he sees the irregular cut of purple and grey at the end of her sleeve. With a scrape and a clang, the trident escapes its resting place in the sand and leaps into Avon’s hand. The trident is enchanted with loyalty. All this long, Avon could have called her weapon to her hand and struck down any one of Red’s family at any time. 

But she didn’t. She stayed true to her word. Red wrinkles her nose, a rotten scent filling it. “Ugh, what smells like rotten eggs?” 

Avon pauses, holding her trident as she sniffs the air. She narrows her eyes. It’s similar to the scent of gunpowder, like a creeper having just exploded. But the sulfur is stronger, more like it’s been burning than blown up. Avon has only smelled this once before. “Brimstone.” 

-----------

The sun is turning red over the desert. Sand is blown into the sky by heavy winds, gathering into storm clouds on the horizon. Friction between particles of sand strike into lightning, running down to the ground and turning sand into massive glass sculptures. Ecto is caught in the darkening sky, the wind pelting her face with sand. She pulls her hood low and mask high, till all is exposed is her eyes. She shouldn’t be out here, but she left a whole pile of cacti by the mystery structure, and she’s not letting so many precious succulents go to waste. 

The only problem is she’s forgotten where the swirly frame is. If it were a normal day, Ecto would just stack as high as she could to spot it. The material is so easy to see, she’d find her way in a second. But Ecto can hardly see past her own nose, much less far enough away to see it. If she stacked higher, the wind would knock her from the tower. She just has to walk, and try to figure out where it is by her troubled memory. 

The wind picks up speed as the sandstorm swallows Ecto, and she stumbles against the blustering wind. A gust of wind sends sand flying into Ecto’s face, and a horrible scent makes her nose furrow. She takes a knee, unable to fight the wind as it strengthens. And in the sand, she sees footsteps. Strange footsteps, the sand melted into tracks. 

Crawling on the ground, Ecto follows. The scent rises from the trail, and sometimes Ecto swears she can hear a voice in the distance. But when the trail goes cold, so do the noises. So does that rotten scent. Ecto keeps crawling, feeling more lost than ever.

Until she strikes her head against the smooth frame of the swirling monument. Ecto stands, relieved to see her pile of cacti has mostly been protected from the wind by the edifice. She looks back, trying to catch a glimpse of the trail she followed. The trail that led her back to her cacti. Ecto wraps her arms around herself. She feels like someone’s watching her. Someone who shouldn’t be in Ecto’s desert is lurking nearby. 

Ecto gathers the cacti up, and takes off into the sandstorm. From here, she can remember her way back home. Right now, she just wants out of the sandstorm, and away from the sensation of being watched.

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

Paper Mouth, Opera Game, Beautiful Place | Writing Update

Hey People of Earth!

This is December 5th Rachel here to tell you this has been sitting in my drafts since the prehistoric era and we boutta update on three chapters of Moth Work *cracks knuckles*. 

First, let’s start with chapter seven of the book, AKA Paper Mouth.

I wrote Paper Mouth back in August, and while I drafted it (over a few writing sprints), I was happy with it, but eventually realized I actually... didn’t like her, lol. Though objectively this chapter ain’t my fave, it does establish a very! important! thing! And that’s my shiny new gal, Eliza.

So, if anyone remembers from previous updates, I conceptualized most of MOTH WORK back in January when I was *stressed* at the end of a semester and needed a *break*. During this period of brainstorming where the whole photograph plot formed, I characterized a woman (the woman in the picture) who I knew would be central to the book. I knew I wanted to name her Eliza, I knew what she looked like, and had a loose backstory outlined for her, buuuuut… I started drifting from the photograph plot (it was only meant to be a booster) and without the photograph plot, I didn't have a reason to include her. So I thought I’d actually cut her involvement in the book way down from about 30-50% to 2%.

This changed however, when I added Lonan’s POV to the book (what I’m writing at the moment). Because I was in his head, I quickly realized how important finding this woman (someone who had a previous affair with his father [TEA]) would be to him. 

This is how we end up at Paper Mouth!

The chapter is almost a direct continuation of the last, and starts out as follows:

Scene A:

Lonan makes a phone call to Eliza from a phone booth. They’ve never met, she like new phone who dis, but after an off-screen explanation, we jump into scene two. 

Scene B:

This scene covers the two meeting for the first time outside of a diner. Lonan got dat brooding hoodie energy, and Eliza has tattoo-artist but also your mom friend energy, and we love the dynamic already! From here, she offers to buy Lonan a milkshake as an incentive to speak with him. Me too sis, me too. 

Scene C:

They chat, until Lonan moves the conversation to his father. Things go downhill lol, Lonan gets overwhelmed and heads outside to leave, despite having no way home, but is followed by Eliza. They have a convo that gets heated about his father, tho this sort of veers off abruptly my bad.

I honestly don’t love anything enough to share from this chapter, so let’s move on to the next!

EDIT: y’all this is the second edit I’ve made in this post because guess who forgot chapter 8 existed.

Opera Game took me so long to write, I forgot it existed! I either started it at the end of August, or the beginning of September--it took so long I’m pretty sure I only finished it in November, lol. 

Scene A:

We get more Lonan + Eliza time as Eliza pulls a Fostered book three and stitches up Lonan’s busted face

This goes wrong very quickly when Lonan keeps bringing up the fact that he thinks she’s spooked because he has his dead father’s (AKA her ex’s) eyes. 

Scene B:

We have din din with Eliza + Lonan and she gifts him back his mother’s ring (at last, the OG plot) that she may or may not have had wrapped for months to give back to his dad (yikers). << this causes some minor problems lol

Scene C:

Lonan and Eliza share a cigarette on her apartment’s balcony. They’re supposed to be just friends but let’s just say apparently I cannot write those (see Darren and Reeve lmfaooo).

The end of this chapter was so fun to write. Take with that what you will! I put Nothing But Thieves’ cover of Love You Should’ve Come Over on repeat to write scene C. Take with that! What! You! Will! ;)

And now for excerpts! Sharing this because of the word guileless:

Eliza looks like a girl. She’s a girl with too many tattoos bartered for free in college, convenience store lipstick she bought from the clearance section, a haircut she found in her mother’s mail-order catalogue, rings hand-bent from an age 12+ kit. She cries like a girl, and sits like a girl and wipes her face like a girl, and he sees the same thing in her that he sees in himself—something guileless, something see-through. 

I don’t usually share dialogue, but here is some dialogue from scene B:

“Should I have gotten something different?”

“This is fine.”

“They had chili chicken too. General Tso’s. I should’ve followed my gut.”

“This is fine.”

“There’s even an Italian place just a block over. I forgot about the Italian place.”

“This is fine, Eliza.”

And now, a very on brand excerpt ft. dead bodies:

He can’t remember why his mother died, or when, or why she’s more of a mother than his own mother. He only wants to visit her. Slip the ring back on her finger. She would smell like peaches, hibiscus, almost chlorinated, embalmed, absently pretty, not because she wasn’t beautiful, but because her body would be empty. 

EDIT (again): hi y’all it’s been a month since I drafted this, and so here we go with yet another chapter update because I refuse to do schoolwork! 

Beautiful Place is chapter nine of Moth Work, and is chock full of all the tea you’ve ever wanted! Watch Rachel take a pure friendship and make it *not* because that’s her #1 talent! Pure friendship? lol you THOUGHT.

I wrote this chapter over the course of my reading break. @sarahkelsiwrites​ and I went out to a coffee shop and did a few writing sprints, where a majority of this chapter was birthed. 

After Opera Game, I was a bit stuck with this book. I needed a chapter that shoved Eliza and Lonan closer together, but couldn’t figure out exactly how to go about this. I’d semi established a semi friendship between Lonan and Eliza, but wasn’t fully understanding how they’d go from “lol ur my dad’s ex” to “buds? hi!” to “lol ur my ex” and I toyed around with a lot of ideas in my head before I accidentally stumbled into the scene that defines the entire chapter.

Scene A:

All you need to know is Lonan is chillin’ on Eliza’s couch, she’s making some good ol’ french toast, and then tells him she wants to take him to a “good place” and he’s like ok)

Scene B:

Eliza’s place is a cove she found a while back with someone I cannot name because of spoilers (just know that this definitely changes Lonan’s opinion of being there)

When he asks her about the person who she found the place with, she gets *shady*, he gets *extra*, there is *tea*

Here is an excerpt ft. my most overused verb: starbursting (why)!

“You like the beach?” Eliza turns off the car engine, checks her lipstick in the rear-view.

“Just the water.”

“But not the beach?”

“I like the water.”

They get out of the car together, and Eliza’s sundress catches in the rain. The cotton is patterned with palm leaves, birds the size of his pinkie, and it whirls around her in the wind. He doesn’t ask why the good place is the beachfront, or what’s so good about it. He doesn’t shake her hand off when she takes it and leads him toward the sand. Eliza moves around amber driftwood and rubbery kelp like this isn’t an obstacle course but a regular commute. Her hair blows out of her face, starbursting like a halo. She says something about coming here when the Vegas lights blocked the stars. That it’s magical at night, it’s intoxicating, it’s spellbinding, and all of these words remind him more of his sister than sand, than waves. 

Here’s a description of the beautiful place ooooh:

The first thing he notices is the light. It’s only the sun reflecting off the stone, but he sees constellations, jittering like they’re both submerged in water. Bits of gold catch in Eliza’s hair and the peaks of the waves, and it’s the cove he notices next. They stand in the centre of it, the stone arched over a spread of water, lapping inches from their feet. It’s like being enclosed in a snowglobe, a private hemisphere of light, water, stone, sand. A resurrection. 

And here lies tea:

Eliza is spreading out a picnic blanket while Lonan kneels toward the water. He punctures the current, and lets it stream between his fingers. Even in his hands, the water is gold.

“A friend and I found it,” she says, as water drips into his palm, down his wrist. “I said it was magical.”

“Was it my father?” he picks up a clump of sand, lets it disintegrate back down.

When Eliza says nothing, he turns back to look at her. She’s rummaging through the picnic basket, humming something under her breath, fixing the corner of the blanket.

“Eliza?”

She looks at him, and then back down, glasses clinking. She pulls out two jars—one  orange, one pink. “Which do you prefer—marmalade or strawberry?” She digs through the basket, pulls out another jar, olive coloured, speckled with reds, yellows. “Or tapenade?”

“Eliza,” he says, wringing out his hand as he rises. “Was it my father?”

“I brought red wine, too. Do you drink?”

Lonan approaches, and crouches at the edge of the picnic basket. He plays with the hem, smooths his fingers over the metallic underbelly, the fleecy plaid pattern on the good side.

When she pulls out the wine bottle, he reaches over and places his hand on the neck. Their fingers brush when he secures his palm around it. When she doesn’t look at him, he moves his hand over until it covers hers.

“The friend you found this place with,” he says. “Was that my father?”

Eliza tightens her grip around the wine bottle and pulls it back, placing it into the picnic basket. Her sigh trembles, vibrato like a flute, an opera singer. She smooths her hair back, once, twice. “It’s shiraz. My mother sent it from Italy.”

And at last, I call this: Kind of A Wild Thing to Do But Pop Off I Guess:

On her pulse sits a tattoo of a single crow’s eye, and Lonan traces it with the tip of his fingernail. He touches down, to the dagger following the vein on her forearm, and when he reaches the golden cherub an inch from her elbow, leans down and kisses its head.

Aaaand, what a fun way to end this update!

I’m not sure if I’ll get another update up before the new year, but let’s cross our fingers! If not, here’s to 2020! Let’s finish these books y’all. 

--Rachel

[chiauve]

Aquarius 21

The old Bronco eased onto the beach of the hidden cove, but instead of parking on the sand Wesker backed it into the treeline. Not hidden, really, but its brown coloring faded into the trees well enough to not be initially spotted should anyone happened by. There he wait, crossed arms resting on the steering wheel, for the tide to come in.

If fast enough, Wesker could manage two long strides into the water before he transformed. At low tide, the sandbar emerged and formed a shallow stretch of calm between it and the shore, and becoming himself again in the shallows was something Wesker avoided unless necessary. At high tide the water was just deep enough Wesker could safely submerge.

Finally the tide was high enough and Wesker stripped, folding his clothes into a laundry bag and setting that away from the clean clothes, neatly piled and organized. From under the passenger seat he pulled a mesh bag containing a few items heavily wrapped in plastic and bagged. Included was his Samurai Edge that had gone overboard with him. He found both it and Redfield’s but decided to keep his own. He could make use of it.

Checking the beach was empty, he slid out of the truck and locked it. The car keys and his wallet he zipped into a lunch bag and buried it nearby under a bush. Then he crept back to the treeline and crouched, again checking to ensure he was alone, watching, listening, before he sprint out towards the water. Two steps in and he dove.

It always hurt, transforming from one form to another, but this way always came with relief as his tail unfurled and spines and fins lifted from wherever the hell they went. He shivered, shook off the shock, and groggily made his way out to the submerged sandbar. There he retrieved the box that had contained the vials of the essence of the Stairway of the Sun and added it to his bag. He swam out into the bay.

Wesker did not follow the floor at first, but skimmed along the surface, rolling until he faced the distorted, bowl-shaped sky above. He trailed a clawed finger along the surface, carving into that sky.

Too soon he was where the human boats floated along and dived down, his dark scales making him near invisible against the bay floor, save the gold stripe down his back. Dorsal fins lifted, he found a current and sailed along, in no great hurry for all he wanted to get home. He took a moment to untie a few crab pots from their markers for fun, munching on the innards of a caught crab. The sea floor dipped as the bay grew deeper and Wesker followed it, weaving along the seaweed and sighing in relief as the water darkened.

Finally he reached the mouth of the bay, the waters swirling in meeting currents. He didn’t fight them, but rolled with them in loops and reveling in the fluidness of his own body.

Humans were so contained, so stiff. Born of the land they were brittle and unyielding like it, to their own detriment. Wesker had never known pain like the morning he’d woken up in the back of the Bronco, every joint stiff and screaming, not even when a shark bitten off part of his tail, and that had hurt.

Spat free of the meeting currents, Wesker twisted along the shore, the song of the surf guiding him like a heartbeat. Then away and down he went, into the rocks and kelp, along the fish that dodged away from him. This level of sun and warmth lasted only a little while before the shelf dropped down into the darkness. He’d read in the archives of distant shores where the sunny, lively shelf of fish and seals and otters and coral stretched on forever, and the Clans of those places had lived in the sun and warmth. Not so here. The shore and the continental shelf lay close like lovers, huddled together against the mass of the endless Pacific.

He followed the rocky shelf down into the dark. The cold and the pressure closed around him, comforting. On land Wesker always felt like he was going to float away. The fragility of humans could most likely be blamed on that pressureless, airy world. The sea would crush them in the People’s realm.

Yet the People required the food of the bay to live, the herbs to thrive, always had. Otherwise they would have been happy to stay below and ignore the world of bright light above.

Some light made up the realm of the People, enough to see, but dim enough to rely on their own sight. Slithering along the jagged rock, a figure lit in Wesker’s vision, a unique shimmer of colors identifying it as one of the People. Undoubtedly they saw him too, but both moved on without acknowledging each other.

The other aanakellriit were born of fingers, so they said, bound by the hand to function together and so formed their pods and herds, but the People were born of Sedna’s womb and were born into the wide oceans alone. They made up a clan and formed family groups, but the clan would stretch down the coast for many miles in either direction, keeping to themselves and only gathering now and again to hunt and trade. But that was long ago; now they huddled together in what remained of their old forums and carved out their lairs in dead structures.

He found the right outcropping of rock and slithered beneath it to a door, a heavy metal grate that kept out larger sea creatures but let the small fish and other edible things wander in. There was a lever by the door and he pumped it several time before he heard the heavy clunk and creak of the door lifting, then with a screech it stopped. Growling in annoyance he struck it with his tail and it resumed its slow rise. The damn engineers needed to do their jobs and maintain their home.

How many engineers were even left anyway?

Wesker swam through the entryway before it started to close again and followed the passageway, lit by tiny glowing squid that meandered about the roof of their caves until evening when they’d head up to the surface to feed. Wesker snatched one as he slid by and swallowed it whole. He could almost hear one of his many mothers chide him for it: don’t eat the lighting!

Much as he wanted to go straight to his lair, Wesker knew he had to give his report to Ruler and check in with Willful. Dealing with Wielder and the Ruler always left him mentally exhausted so he followed a passageway upward to the labs.

The laboratory that made up the home of Willful and his wife was a long journey through many underground passages back upward. The pressure lessened and Wesker knew he was almost back at surface level. The passage opened up into a large cavern where, instead of bioluminescent creatures, actual lights were strung along the walls among pipes and large glass containers. Wesker ignored the contents of them and swam upward and broke through the surface.

The roof of the cavern was low, he could touch the ceiling, but a bit farther up it lifted a little, and here was Willful’s lab. Grating was built into the ceiling and there Will stored the items that couldn’t remain in the water. What didn’t fit on the shelving hung on cords and wires in glass vials and bottles. Wesker couldn’t help but trail his hand among them, hearing them whisper in the damp.

Willful’s head popped up out of the water immediately at the sound, his ears twitching.

“Stop messing with those.”

“Good to see you too, Will.”

Willful snort and ducked back down into the water, following the grating down into a constructed room that could be shut and sealed. Wesker followed, all too familiar with the laboratory. Lights flickered on and lit a dingy space of metal and old machinery that Wesker had once longed for.

“What do you want, Bright?” Willful asked.

Wesker pulled the vial case out of his bag and held it out. “I need more T samples.”

“And a looking over,” Will said, pulling a book from a slat in the grating, “We still don’t know the long-term effects of the Stairway of the Sun.”

Wesker settled at the bottom of the room, his tail coiling around a protruding rock to anchor himself, waiting as Will fussed around with his books and tools.

[stevevans]

on the land - s.r.

Overview: Soooooo, this is a Disney princess au. and yes, I am a whore for Disney so I am going to make this a series with characters. that's all!!!!! This is only part One out of, I’m thinking three to five. 

Pairings: Steve x Reader Little Mermaid AU!

Warnings: Angst, The sea, Almost drowning

Word count: 1.8k 

Requests are OPEN! PLEASE REQUEST SOMETHING :(

The water was always peaceful in the morning, early before the sailors set out for sea, to see what kinds of fish they could catch.

You took to sun basking on a jagged rock. It was warm from the morning sun, talking with Scuttle and Flounder as a crazed Sebastian screamed at how dangerous it was to be u here, where the humans were. 

He used it with such a vile tone, as your Father does, and you think how could they be so bad? You had collected thousands of their things, that they drop or that fall into your home, all of them different from each other, and after your most recent hunt, you had found the most peculiar items. 

“Oh I know what this is called, it is a thingamabob! You use it to brush your hair.”

Scuttle nodded with the utmost confidence as you took it back and ran it through your salted hair. 

It felt a bit small, three-pronged, silver in color and only big enough to wrap your hand around. 

“It’s so beautiful. A thingamabob! I wish I had found more!” 

You exclaimed with a large sigh, a content grin appearing on your face. As soon as you heard the noises of what Scuttle called a rat, you ducked behind the rock, peeking up from behind ever so carefully. As Sebastian protested you pushed him back down into the water, your eyes wide as you saw the most beautiful human. 

“Max! Come on! We can’t lay all day! We have things to do. I’m about to go to sea and you can’t be alone!” 

His voice was slick with sea kelp, bubbling up with enthusiasm. You couldn’t get enough, darting down below the water until you came to the next biggest rock, peaking up above it. 

He was gorgeous, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. His arms visible in his white top, being see-through you got a full view of his chest, down to the rigid lines in his abdomen. You wanted to squeal seeing his legs, oh how you wished you could have legs, maybe to even join him up on that beach. 

His shirt was hanging loosely except for the red piece of fabric along his waist and a pair of tan pants. He had no shoes on, and you could almost make out his, what were they called? Toes! 

‘If I could just get a little closer’ You thought, going to swim up to the next rock before hearing the dog start to bark. Quickly ducking behind the rock you stayed as still as possible, hoping he figured it was a fish, or maybe Scuttle since he seemed to have just flown away at the sound of danger. 

“Well come on Max, let’s go inside, I’ve got to get going.” 

With a sigh of relief, you swiped at your brow, to remove the imaginary sweat. 

He was just gorgeous, and you were absolutely smitten. 

................................................................................................................................

“But Sebastian did you see his face?” 

You and your sea friends were on your way back to your home, and you just couldn’t be quick. Lapping around in butterfly strokes, Flounder swimming happily beside you. 

“Yes, yes Princess Y/N, but we must get back before your Father notices.” 

“Oh he’s got seven seas to look after, he will be just fine Sebastian.” 

You mused pressing a finger to shush him, an act that occurred often. Before he could speak again you heard booming men’s voices, whipping your head around you squealed, seeing a ship, but not just any ship, a ship where you could see the handsome man’s hair. 

“We have to get a closer look, please!” 

“No! That’s my final answer.”

“Oh come on.”

“It is entirely too late Princess!” 

You grabbed ahold of his claw, diving under the salty waters to swim closer to the ship, if he wouldn’t oblige, you would have to make him. Flounder bounded after you, eager as ever. 

When you approached the big boat, you pulled yourself up to the hole at the sea level, and you were able to see the man, the one you dreamed of all day. 

He was surrounded by sailors, and you knew what sailors looked like, there were many a painting in your cove, and he was moving? 

You couldn’t remember the word for it, but it looked like so much fun. 

“Come on Buck! You should let loose, were on the sea! Free men! Just like everyone intended.”

“Sir I am only here for royal appearances, this is my work.” 

“You’re no fun.” He moved so freely, now standing at the edge, his hands on the balcony above your head, looking out into the vast sea. 

“Do you ever wonder what’s out there? Have you heard of the stories? Mermaids and mermen, giant monsters, all in the ocean.” His voice got soft, almost as if he could sense you, but soon he was back to dancing to the tune of soft violin and other instruments playing.

Sighing a grin popped up on your face, Flounder jumping in and out of the water to try and see. It lasted a short time, the skies opening up to pour water down, thunder rumbling. The boat started shaking and spinning, and you quickly hopped off of the ledge, dipping yourself under the water, turning to swim away before you heard a scream. 

“Your Majesty!” 

Said who you assumed was Bucky, only seeing the blonde hair of your secret fascination tumbling into the water. The others were busy getting the lifeboats down, forcing the man, Bucky into one. 

You dove into the water, the current picking up. Luckily you had dealt with it your whole life, letting out a guttural noise seeing him. He still looked wonderous, but he was still, and you knew even if you got in trouble for breaking the number one rule, you had to help him. 

Wrapping your arm around him you pulled and pulled until you were bobbing on the surface. The current was wicked, as was the rainstorm showering the both of you. You swam through, holding the man up until you got to the shore. As you did the skies started clearing, the boat left in the middle of the sea sinking, the nice statue of the Prince falling into the water as you turned back to the unconscious Prince. 

He looked peaceful as you pushed his hair out of his face. You were singing softly, 

“Wish I could be part of that world. What would I give if I could live out of these water? What would I pay to spend a day on the land? Betcha on land they understand.”

The sun was starting to come back out, and the rainstormy was over just as soon as it had begun. So much destructive beauty. 

As you leaned down, wanting to press your lips to his, he coughed lightly and you jumped. Making sure to leave him closer to the sand, dragging him as far as you could you darted when he started to open his eyes. 

Just as he regained consciousness he smiled,

“I know you’re out there, I know you saved me.” 

His advisor had come up, asking him if he was alright if he was okay, how he felt and as he stood up he looked out, and you were sure he could see right through your place on the rock, 

“Someone saved me. I heard her singing to me.” 

“I think you’re hallucinating my Prince, too much water in your ears?” 

He paused as the man looked out to the sea, not noticing his friend’s voice.

“Come on Let’s get you warmed up and into dry clothes your Majesty.” 

................................................................................................................................

You swam in circles, so elated and happy. You had gotten up close and personal with a human and nothing terrible had happened, in fact you had gazed at his face and felt nothing but adoration. Staring into his sun-kissed face, freckles littered over his nose and plump pink lips, it was like a fairytale your Mother would read when you were a merling. 

“We should drop these off at my cove, you guys know how pissed my Dad would get.” 

“We need to get back soon though Princess, we’ve been gone since the wee hours of the morning, your rehearsal for the Kingdom performance with your sisters is tomorrow.” 

“Oh, we’ll be okay! You worry too much.” 

You eased yourself into the cove, pushing back a few layers of sea kelp and sea moss, a happy sigh leaving your mouth. Something shiny caught the corner of your eye as you began to put things up. 

It was him. 

Not really, but his statue. 

“Look!” The horror on Sebastian’s face couldn’t increase.

You dropped your sachel, rushing over to him. As you read you grinned,

“His name is Prince Steven Grant Rogers. Isn’t he the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen?” 

You gingerly placed your hand on the metal cheek, placing your hands in his, pretending you and him were dancing as if legs were sprouted from your tail and you were breathing air with him. 

AS soon as you had drifted into daydream you were being yanked away from the statue, by your Father.

“I’ve told you! Time and time again Y/N! How dangerous humans are, and what do you do? Go and SEE them? Take trinkets from their failed escapades? Breaking every single one of my rules?” 

He was screaming, power surging through him, and all you could do is shake your head, breaking free from his grip. 

“They’re beautiful! The things they make! They aren’t bad! I’ve seen one!”

His eyes grew cloudy with anger as he shot lightning out of his Trident at your table,

“I will have no more of this.” He began to disintegrate everything you’d ever collected, helpless cries falling from your lips. 

“Please! Daddy no!” It was pointless, but you tried. 

Your last attempt as he destroyed everything you had loved was to place yourself in front of the statue. 

“Y/N Move.” He beamed, his voice carrying as you shook your head. 

He grabbed ahold of you, pushing you out of the way before pointing his trident at the statue, hitting it with his power for so long you thought it wouldn’t even be destroyed, that it just wouldn’t exist anymore. 

When he finished you were on the floor, crying as he turned and left. 

“You will never again see the shore or any humans.” 

You had no energy to argue, crying until you couldn’t. Even Sebastian a human hater came and comforted you, Flounder not leaving your side. Your only friends, the only people who put up with you. It was long past curfew when you had ran out of tears. 

................................................................................................................................

You had made up your mind and knew the one person who could help you. You and your two friends swam all day to find her. She lived in a cave, dark and away from everyone you knew and the Kingdom itself. You brushed past it all until you arrived, swimming out of the darkness into her home. 

“Can you help me please?”

“You poor unfortunate soul, of course.” 

[travelling-in-packs]

Trenches.

Rinlouh opened his eyes, all three giving off a hazy glow. The darkness of his room, a cave, gave him a sense of security in the depths of the ocean. The water around him suddenly warmed, the hydrothermal vent spewing gunk and hot water from the corner of his room. Rinlouh sighed, knowing he would have to go out and either hunt or eat, his loud sisters surrounding him. His gills fluttered, and he let himself float, rolling over and swimming out of the cave entrance, into the dark coral and prismarine-lit rock extensions.

    Rinlouh touched a bright prismarine stone, letting it rest on his fingers and closing his third eye, his other two adjusting. He dropped it at the call of his father, Renlough, and swam toward the sounds.

    “Rinlouh, you’re up late! You’re lucky that the neighbors hunted for us today, or we’d be starving,” Lianou, his mother, flashed with her eyes. She always had that belief that Rinlouh was the best hunter in the sea. Percy opened his third eye, dimming the light to say something with the flashing, like morse, but Renlough stopped him.

    “We could put a lobster in your room again. That woke you up!” Renlough’s gills fluttered as all of his eyes flashed, laughing.

    Rinlouh ignored them, taking a fish from the pile and swiftly gutting it with his sharp teeth, chewing and flicking the small bones or scales out. Lianou shook her head in disgust, taking her own and gently slicing it, then eating pieces out with a sharp piece of dead coral.

    “Teeth are for hunting,” Lianou angrily scolded, turning away from her ‘barbarian’ of a son.

    Rinlouh laughed softly, eating the rest of the food slowly, with his own piece of coral. Of course, he could tell by the noise of water that his sisters, all three, had joined them. Reyanai, for whatever demented reason, sat next to Percy and chewed loudly, as older sisters do. He tried to nudge her away, to no avail.

    “Mom! Rin touched me with his weird hands!” Reyanai flashed brightly, grabbing Rinlouh’s hand and flailing it to get Lianou’s attention. Lianou rolled her three eyes, throwing a fish at Reyanai, who caught it with her teeth.

    “Reyanai, quit being rude to your little brother. He doesn’t look that different,” Lianou flashed, glaring at Reyanai.

    “Hey, not my fault his dad was one of those” Reyanai flashed, before Renlough promptly covered her eyes, blocking the light and the words from escaping.

    Rinlouh looked at his mother, his eyes wide, flashing dimly, “My dad was.. What?”

    Lianou quickly responded, “Nothing dear, she’s just--” a pause-- “joking.”

    Renlough shook his head “Lia, he’s much older, he can handle it. 68 seasons is more than old enough to know.”

    Rinlouh stayed silent, and his mother gazed ahead, clearly pondering the decision at hand.

    “Fine,” Lianou flashed, her eyes dim, “Come to the surface. I’ll tell you, away from your sisters.” She’d begun to swim away, and Rinlouh followed, anxious as ever. As they left, Lianou shot a look at Reyanai, giving her a mom-glare that could and would kill. As they got closer to the light, Rinlouh became more comfortable, the surface having been a safe place for him, both in the past and the present.

    As they drew closer to the surface, they both closed their third eyes, the light being too much for their sensitive pupils. The sun beat onto the water, proving that the flashing wouldn’t work. They had to dig up their linguistic skills from the back of their minds, from what the landstalkers would utter.

“I know it’s a shock. But hear me out, alright?” Lianou spoke, her voice raspy from saltwater and disuse, “after your sister was born, her father left me, and I was very sad. Much like you, I came to the surface for comfort and then I saw a boat. There was only one landstalker on the boat, and he didn’t look armed. He said his name was Oscar Pendleton, and he seemed... Calm. People usually panic when they see us, but he believed I was pretty. He called me a ‘Mermaid.’”

    “So... what does this have to do with me?” Rinlouh asked, getting frustrated.

    Lianou looked up, at the pink and orange sky, watching the ‘sun’, as she called it, dip under the waves, “Well, I fell in love with him, and a while later, I was pregnant with you. I told Oscar, and he was proud of you; but he couldn’t stay for any longer. He said he’d been out for three ‘months’, which I assume is about a season. He had to leave but... Then I found Renlough, and he understood... He was prepared to help me take care of you.”

    Rinlouh panicked, his gills flaring slightly, “What? You mean- what? Does that mean I’m not allowed back home? I’m not ready! Mom..” He stared at his mom, and she shook her head in response.

    “Of course you’re allowed home, honey! It just means that you’re different. Oscar would have loved you if he could. He wanted to name you ‘Percy,’ because in their mythology, ‘Perseus’ was a strong landstalker. I think,” she chuckled weakly, trying to add humor to their situation.

    It worked, because Percy smiled very slightly, then asked, “Can I go see him?”

    Lianou paused, then nodded, “‘Florida’ is where he said he lived. But please, don’t be rash. It’s hot on land. And very dry. You’ll need to be careful about people, too. They don’t know what you are. It’s dangerous, my little guppy… You’re not even fully grown.”

    “I don’t have to wait until I’m full grown, right? Besides, it’s my right to know him,” Rinlouh glared against the fading sunlight.

    Lianou shook her head, trying to make her tone as calming as she can, “No. I want you to wait. I don’t want you going to the surface based on a rash decision.”

    Rinlouh made a sound similar to a growl, like the creaking sounds dolphins make.

    “Do not give me that tone, Rinlouh. You should think about this. Who knows what they could do to you up there! Few of our kind have gone, and only one has returned. You know what happened to him,” Lianou stated, trying to seem strong, even if her voice was wavering and she showed signs of nervousness for her only son.

    “He went blind, yeah. Nobody understood his crazy ramblings. He suffocated on water. He was-- older, mom… It wasn’t caused by what happened on land, he probably just stared at the light,” Rinlouh hissed, clearly hiding his shock with anger.

    Lianou sighed, shaking her head, “I know I can’t stop you. But, please, take some time and calm down; alright?”

    Rinlouh’s only answer was to turn and swim into a current, then float through the water. Lianou stared for only a moment, but ultimately chose to go back, and wait for her son to come to his senses.

    Once Rinlouh did come back, he was calm. He’d spent his time in a cave, and his skin was rehydrating from being above water for so long. The glow in his eyes was dull, but he’d forgiven his mother, and chose to wait and decide when he was ready. Even if it took many seasons.

    Rinlouh awoke with a start, the dark of his cave contrasted against a bright red lobster, its claw clamped down on his calf. He screeched at it and, by instinct, shot down to bite it. He kicked away its limp body and floated to a small cave opening, burying the dead lobster down into the sand, along with 6 of its brethren, also deceased. They were effective alarm clocks.

    Reyanai swam in and crossed her arms, “You killed another one? They’re gonna go extinct, Perc!”

    Rinlouh shook his head, “No, they aren’t. And for the last time, don’t call me that!”

    “You let mom call you Perc!”

    “Percy! And that’s because she’s mom, not Rey.”

    “Whatever. Dad wanted you,” Reyanai flashed brightly, then swam away, taking the turn to the main area of their underwater city.

    Rinlouh took his time getting to Renlough, still tired and dazed from Rey’s vicious way of flashing.

    “Percy,” Lianou waved to him, catching his attention before continuing, “Come quickly! Renlough found something!”

    Percy swam to her, then let her pull him into a current, and they got pushed along through the water. Lianou held him close, excitement bubbling off of her. When they got to a dense kelp forest, they pushed away from the current and swam to a small clearing.

    Lianou led him silently to where Renlough, his “father” sat, studying a weight from a net a few tuni away. Rinlouh didn’t understand, since they tended to avoid all nets, in or out of use. Renlough looked at him and gave him a smile, soft and understanding.

    His mother tapped him on the shoulder, then flashed, “Percy, it’s one of Oscar’s nets, from his boat. It wasn’t here yesterday, it’s new. Your father is back.”

    Oscar Pendleton watched the waves, slapping against his ship’s hull, quiet music playing from somewhere in the cabin. The net he’d dropped had been cut, and sank impossibly deep into the midnight blue of the sea. The moon reflected off the water, and Leo glared at him from the night sky. He didn’t care for sleeping, not this far out to sea, and not at this time of year. It was much too dangerous for a sailor to not have a watchful eye.

    The occasional sea life swam around him, avoiding his boat. Superstition had built up in his name. Dolphins were the only ones who knew why they were avoiding the Huntress. The curious ones would make sounds at him, but be ushered away quickly. Sharks would get close enough to bump the boat, but swim away quickly, in fear of the tales.

    Oscar didn’t mind the creatures, they weren’t what he was there for. He was here for the mermaids, as he called them. They were curious creatures, and the stigma around the Huntress hadn’t yet reached the trench. As Oscar waited, eyes scanning the soft blue waves, he pondered giving up. It wouldn’t have been the first failed trip, nor would it be the last.

    The only way he knew the mermaids had come was the disgruntled splashing coming from his starboard side. He walked over and helped her up, giving his best sailor smile. Her eyes flashed, a strange language of morse code the mermaids have. When he shook his head, she started speaking, her throat moving strangely and her voice scratchy.

    “Oscar, it’s mou, Lianou! Ma olen namereno toi! I’m so elited!” She grinned, sharp teeth glistening, her blue skin shining in the moonlight.

    “Of course I know it’s you, Lianou. Do you remember the hand speech I taught you? I can only slightly understand you,” he explained, to which she looked at her webbed hands and nodded. Sign language was the one way he could communicate with the mermaids, their mixed dialect and horrible pronunciation making speech impossible.

    “You! I am so happy you here,” she signed, her grammar was off but he couldn’t blame her. Sixteen years was a long time, but with how well she was still doing, Oscar was sure she practiced.

    “I’m glad to see you too, Lia. How have you been?” Oscar signed back, tilting his head for emphasis.

    “Well! And your son is alive! I brought him,” Lianou signed quickly, grinning. Oscar stared at her in disbelief, but he didn’t distrust her. He knew that she wouldn’t lie about anything, and he vaguely remembered her talking of a baby the last time they’d met. He was just shocked that it survived.

    “Please, let me meet him, Lia,” he signed in response, his eyes searching the water for the other mer-creature. Lianou turned and dove into the water, and appeared again around ten minutes later, with what he presumed was his hybrid child.

    The hybrid looked shy, his third eye closed despite the humidity, and his gaze averted. He was taller, and much paler than the rest of his species, and his eyes were smaller. His hands had much less webbing, along with his feet, and the webbing on his sides was completely missing. His long hair was in streaks of light and midnight blue, with some dusty orange hairs highlighting. Many of his features showed Oscar to be the father, such as his nose and body shape. Most of his features, however, were a strange mix of human and huperus.

    “This is Percy! He looks so much like you! I named him after your funny stories,” she signed, holding the hybrid, “Percy” in place. Percy appeared uncomfortable, but Oscar knew he was also nervous, and curious. The mer-creatures always gave away their emotions very easily.

    Percy opened his third eye and tried flashing at Oscar, to which he raised an eyebrow. Lianou turned to him and flashed her eyes at him, explaining that she would translate his words for him. He flashed his sequence again, and Lianou nodded.

    “Him says hello! And that he has waited a long time to see you,” Lianou signed, clearly very excited.

    “Well, I say hello back. I’m glad to finally see my beautiful son,” Oscar signed back, to which Lianou gurgled and flashed his words to Percy. The hybrid seemed to blush, his bluish skin gaining a slight purple tint at the cheeks and ears, and what appeared to be random freckles glowing. Oscar smiled at him, and he bashfully smiled back. Percy flashed again at Lianou, and she translated once more.

    “Oscar, Percy wants to spend time with you. He wants to go home with you in the Togethered States. He will be good. He has wanted this for many seasons,” she blinked her eyes, as if trying to sweeten the deal, and convince Oscar. Of course, Oscar Pendleton was a kind man to her. So he quickly nodded, smiling. Lianou squealed, and by observing her reaction, the hybrid became excited as well. Percy sprung up and wrapped Oscar in a hug.

    Oscar hugged back and lightly patted Percy on the back. When they pulled apart, Percy stepped back and hugged his mother.

    “I will return him at the next summer solstice, if I don’t get caught up in work. Then, we will decide if he stays with me or returns to the sea. Alright?” Oscar asked Lianou. The sky began to streak with a deep purple, telling that dawn was upon them.

    “Yes. We will be back soon. Percy must goodbye everyone,” Lia smiled one last time before turning and diving in the sea. Percy gave one last hug to Oscar, two of his eyes wet with tears. His son dove into the ocean after Lianou, and they both disappeared as the scarlet and crimson colors of the sun tainted the skies.

[vixxscifiwritings]

cursed are these shores for hearts

Summary - Jaehwan tells Sanghyuk about the cursed world their ancestors travelled to, only to never return home.

Warnings - angst

Series

-

Jaehwan closes his eyes and listens to the sounds from the world beyond the surface. The muffled noise is white static. There are no signs of bad weather and this journey is safe to take.

“You still haven’t told me where we are going” Sanghyuk says, swimming in circles around him. His jellyfish like tail glows fluorescent blue when he is excited and right now it is giving away his feelings unlike his bored tone.

“To visit a friend” Jaehwan replies.

“Which friend?” Sanghyuk asks, swimming up close to the sea witch. “Firstly, you have none. Second even if they did, you are a deep water merman. You wouldn’t survive in these shallow reef waters long enough ‘to make friends’.“

“Always the tone of suspicion” Jaehwan says, swimming under the other merman. Sanghyuk isn’t wrong but the apprentice doesn’t have to know everything.

“You said that a witch must always be conscious of their environment and have all facts before acting on the situation” Sanghyuk quips.

“You only remember important lessons when it comes to showing someone up, isn’t it? Where was this wisdom when you charged the wrong gemstones in the full moon night?” Jaehwan asks, whacking Sanghyuk with his tail. His dark green scaly tail is built for strength to withstand the great water pressure and he takes full advantage of it.

Sanghyuk frowns but dutifully follows across his mentor in and out of the school of fish, following the current to warmer waters where more plankton and algae bloom.

“It is getting warmer here” Sanghyuk notes, as they approach shallow waters.

There is vibrant and colourful reef here. A school of triplefins, swim in and out, dispersing on sudden moment of kelp for the fear of a predator. There is algal bloom on the surface of water and weird plastic things float around, sinking to the ocean bed whenever they chance across an opening in the plants.

Jaehwan stops for a moment to consider the lone seahorse resting against the red coral reef before moving on. As they swim further, the ocean bed rises and wires and nets start to appear. This is human territory.

“We shouldn’t be here” Sanghyuk says, panicking a little. He may be a brat to Jaehwan but he isn’t a moron. He’s heard the stories. They can’t go to land. It’s cursed for the merfolk.

“We’ll be fine” Jaehwan assures him, leading him straight onto the island. It’s at the last minute that he swerves to the direction of the moon. A clear mistake, Sanghyuk thinks as the navigate through jagged rocks and strong waves that lash against them.

Jaehwan pulls him into an underwater cave, feeling grateful they made it before the sun has completely set. The red and golden hues illuminate the passage of water inside. Jaehwan finds an opening that opens up into a small pool, just deep enough for the fish to swim in. It feels a little too crowded for two mermen so he hoists himself up on the rock, gasping as his gills adjust to the warm humid air. Sanghyuk shudders for the normally musical voice sounds so shrill and… painful.

Cursed, he mutters to himself.

“Now we wait” Jaehwan says. He pulls out a small jade vial from the bag he has been carrying with him. It’s small enough to be hidden behind his tail and Sanghyuk often forgets it is even there. The jade is one of the stronger materials merfolk have, immune to potion effects for long durations of time.

He does listen to his lessons, no thank you Master Jaehwan. He resorts to reciting all ten uses of red algae for medicinal purposes as he swims around in circles, trying to distract himself.

“What has you on edge?” Jaehwan asks, slipping back into the water.

“How are you so calm, closed to this cursed place?” Sanghyuk asks back.

“I have been here before, we have nothing to fear” Jaehwan tells him.

“The land is cursed. It is guaranteed death for the merfolk” Sanghyuk argues. Jaehwan gives him a look and he shuts up, yet his senses feel frayed and on edge. It just isn’t right.

“Do you know of why they call the land and its folk cursed?” Jaehwan asks.

“Because there is no water up there. Miles and miles of dry arid mud with no water and no way for the merfolk to breathe. The land was cursed and meant to be the home of the dead” Sanghyuk tells him. It was a children’s tale that every merchild was told.

“No one went to the land of the dead and returned. They were lost to the seas forever. Which is why you can’t be here” he insists. The apprentice takes his master’s hand, pleading caution and concern as he swims out the water passage and onto the open seas, still surrounded by the jagged rocks.

“You can never go there. What will… what will I do without you here?” Sanghyuk asks quietly.

“You have nothing new to learn as my apprentice” Jaehwan says, dismissing that comment.

“Not just as my teacher… but as my friend, maybe even more” Sanghyuk confesses. Jaehwan supposes that the moonlight makes this a romantic affair but this matter of heart is a complicated discussion.

“In the early days” Jaehwan begins. Sanghyuk shrinks back, recognizing that his confession has been saved for discussion later. Jaehwan is using his teaching tone and wishes to remind Sanghyuk of the impropriety of the situation and also to reject him indirectly.

He isn’t the type to force his feelings on other. Come high tide when Jaehwan is back home safe, he will gather his things and leave.

“In the early days, the land and the sea folk were one. There were no divisions among the families and we shared the seas that we roam in.”

Sanghyuk nods. They dive in lest the bright moonlight give them away to humans on nearby shores. The waters are dark and murky and they can’t stray when they don’t have clear visibility on their surroundings.

“Despite the wealth and abundance of these waters, there were those who were greedy. Those who wanted more. The seas always nurtured us, without excesses. The universe’ balance you see? But they were greedy and they wished to seek land and keep the treasures they found.”

“What treasures did they hope to find?”

“Who can tell? It was many high tides ago. Perhaps it was immortality. They said the lands held unlimited knowledge and knowledge would be the power for the future to come. These are stories passed over many years Sanghyuk, with many details lost. Yet there wish was granted and they were spit out onto land like the bodies of the dead.”

“But they couldn’t have survived on land in that form. There is no water there” Sanghyuk argues.

“There bodies were changed. They became the land folk we know of today. They never found immortality or unlimited knowledge. They were only doomed to live apart from their kin forever. The waves became ruthless to them, their own birth land turning into something that would kill them. A taunt, as if to remind them that they could never return to waters that they had been ungrateful for.”

“It’s a terrible story to tell children” Sanghyuk summarizes after a long moment of silence. There is seagrass on the bed here, Sanghyuk discovers as his tails brush against tips of the plants floating in direction of the current.

“Isn’t it? But it’s worth thinking about. The land folk and the sea folk were once kin. Perhaps that explains a lot more than we would have thought of” Jaehwan says thoughtfully,

“You always speak in circles master” Sanghyuk huffs, when Jaehwan intentionally circles him before surfacing and coming back down.

“Perhaps it explains why an ill fated red tailed merman fell in love with a man of the sands and the universe allowed it to happen. They aren’t very different from us after all” Jaehwan reasons.

“Come now Master. I believe I’ve had too many stories for one night” Sanghyuk laughs.

“Let me humour you with one more” Jaehwan says. He doesn’t wait for an answer, as usual before launching into the tale.

“There was a merman of the shallow seas. Protector of the innocent and carer of the weak. One day, chasing an injured dolphin to heal and return to his family, he wandered close to human territory. The man of the sands, took pity on him and helped him, allowing both of the creatures to return to the ocean. Except he left his heart behind” he reminisced.

“Discovery by land folk is a crime” Sanghyuk adds solemnly.

“Is it a crime if proof of the act is never discovered?” Jaehwan asks, grinning cheekily.

“So what did the merman do?” Sanghyuk asks, curious to the direction of this impossible yarn being spun.

“Made the same wish the ancestors did and followed his heart to land.”

“And so was lost to his brethren here.”

“Or so I thought. He returned a few moons later, his body unable to keep up and him on the brink of death. My potion hadn’t worked out you see.”

“What are you implying Master?” Sanghyuk asked, his eyes wide at the revelation. This was a tall claim. An impossible claim. Even the idea of a failure was incredulous, much less success.

“That aragonite is not as useful for longevity as peridotite is when combined with pearls. It took me years to find a solution. You must remember this should I ever be missing and you have to brew the potion that sustains Taekwoon’s life on land.”

Sanghyuk staggers and the fish lying in the sea grass scatter immediately. The waves wash against the shore but Sanghyuk’s heart pounds louder.

He remembers Taekwoon. The shy mermaid with the most brilliant and beautiful red tail that had been born in many high tides. He always spent time with the fish, preferring their company to those of the other merfolk. An odd merman but perhaps the kindest soul Sanghyuk had ever known. A dreamer who liked to wander far in his adventures. Once he learnt of Sanghyuk’s interest in gemstones, he would bring back ever rare stone he could find. Or so he thought, since were most were colourful silica molded from magma residue.It had always been endearing to watch him smile whenever Sanghyuk would thank him.

“You condemned our kin to this hell” he says, shock and disgust in his tone.

“I was no one to stand in the way of true love” Jaehwan says solemnly.

“The vial… it was Taekwoon’s potion to let him continue living on land” Sanghyuk accuses. Jaehwan only nods.

“You cursed him to live a half life, forever dependent on your magic. He’s essentially dying and the only way to live is prolong his agony, isn’t it?” Sanghyuk yells. “You are a monster. For all your talk about the balance of universe and the fair use of magic, you were here trying to play god!”

“There is more to this story” Jaehwan murmurs. It’s a gentle voice that once lulled him to sleep. Now it sickens him to his core.

“There is nothing more I have to learn from you, you said so yourself” Sanghyuk growls. The two merman drift till Jaehwan moves first and Sanghyuk retreats. He swims through the murky sea grass without any prior warning to Jaehwan and disappears into the ocean, speeding through the waves.

But like the very first merman to come to these shores in millennia, he leaves his heart behind him.

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #367

“Girls Night Out, More Cheese, Not Just a Program”

[Lie] Is down by Hera's bay, just letting her feet dangle into the water. She's waiting to spot her fellow female brine as she's currently needing somebody to bitch to about her husband-

-A few sea dragons glide into the shallows and wend their way around the kelp and the mangrove trees in the shallows. Far on the horizon Basil breeches and makes a tremendous splash in the water. After a while a small white shape becomes visible in the distance and swims lazily into the bay, circling Herabrine's house.

[Lie] - Hera!

-The pale guardian's fiery fuchsia mane is visible for a moment as the shape is shed and Herabrine drops down a narrow shoot into her house.

[Lie] Groans, not really wanting to move- Hera!  Come here!

[Herabrine] is barely visible in her house below but she's bustling about doing something.

[Lie] Gets herself standing and heads for the trap door, kicking it open- Hera!

[Herabrine] Faint sound of someone dropping something and swearing.

[Lie] Huffs and makes her way down the ladder and through the short hallway into Hera's house- Hera!

[Herabrine] Come back here!

[Maggie] Bounces down the hallway towards Lie.

[Lie] Reaches down and scoops the magma cube up-

[Maggie] Excited wiggling-

[Herabrine] Oh hey, thanks Lie!

[Lie] - I've been calling your name for like ten minutes now!

[Herabrine] Sorry, I musta had water in my ears. Heh. What's the matter?

[Maggie] Is super hot and still squiggling-

[Lie] - I'm mad at CP

[Herabrine] Well come on in! You know my policy; If you have nothing nice to say, come sit next to me.

[Lie] Comes in and heads for Maggie's pen to put her away-

[Maggie] Small noises-

[Herabrine] Aw you don't have to pen her, I just forgot to shut my door.

[Lie] - Are you sure?

[Herabrine] Yeah, it's fine. Have a sit.

[Lie] Sits down on Hera's bed-

[Herabrine] Sits on the window sill - So what did the big kitty do wrong now? Try to eat Cn again?

[Maggie] Happy flop-

[Lie] - We ran out of cheese

[Herabrine] That's, that's it? I mean, he doesn't know how to make it, right? That's TLOT's thing?

[Lie] - But I want more!

[Herabrine] I think I have some... - Hops up and starts shuffling in trunks- Here I thought it was something horrible...

[Lie] - It is!  But the baby!

[Herabrne] What about the baby?

[Lie] - I'm craving the cheese because of it!

[Herabrine] I heard. You're the talk of the rumor mill since you were so vocal about hating it before.

[Lie] - Oh shush!

[Herabrine] It's true! You were more then adamant. - Pulls out a small chunk and Maggie whines at the pungent smell.

[Lie] Promptly holds out her hand for it-

[Herabrine] Gives it to her-

[Maggie] Hops down and hides under the bed-

[Lie] Starts eating- Thank you.  CP's been busy building a room for the baby...

[Herabrine] What's the theme so far? I thought he tended towards stone, fire, and huge cavernous spaces for his builds.

[Lie] - Stone so far, but I think I heard him throwing down a bit of carpet too

[Herabrine] You really do like that... I wonder if you'll go back to hating it once the little spud is born? Well I was partially right.

[Lie] - I kinda hope I do go back to hating it.  TLOT and Doc have been making cheese near non stop for me since the cravings started

[Herabrine] That's gotta be hard on your digestion too...

[Lie] - But right now it's so good!

[Herabrine] Apart from that, hows it going?

[Lie] - I'm sore almost every moment, she's decided to try and be a dancer inside of me...

[Herabrine] I know this is going to sound super obvious... but have you tried going swimming? Just floating a bit might take some pressure off.

[Lie] - ...  No?

[Herabrine] Then we should go! I don't mind going back out. I did manage to feed Maggie before she scampered off.

[Lie] - We should probably go over by the bar, the water is hotter over there and I have been getting cold a lot lately

[Herabrine] Meet me up top. I doubt you can hold your breath long enough to get to the surface from the chute- She's putting Maggie back in her pen with a little kiss-

[Lie] - Alright- She stands and pops the last of the cheese into her mouth before heading for the ladder

[Herabrine] Bustles around a little and shoots upwards through the water before bobbing up like a cork, the guardian does an artful flip and swims over to Lie, making a weird hollow noise-

[Lie] Smiles a little- I'd race you, but I don't think I'm in any condition to run- She does step into the shallows and gently grabs a hold of part of Hera

[Herabrine] Moves around a bit so her friend can get a good grip and races through the water towards the bar, fast as a dolphin despite being shaped more like a puffer fish-

[Lie] Shivers a little as they move through the colder water-

[Herbrine] Scoots up near the edge of the blocked off lava pool down the hill from the bar. The water is warmer here and she waits for Lie to get down before switching forms again-

[Lie] Slides off and floats a little- This...  Actually still feels a little cold...

-The sun is going down near the horizon and the sky is tinging a lovely shade of pink-

[Herabrine] Could you just belly up to the lava pool from the outside?

[Lie] - Maybe...- She moves closer to the lava, feeling the warm stone

-As the sky darkens there's a creak up the hill and Sam steps into the doorway, there's a tiny red point of light as he smokes a redstone cig-

[Herabrine] Flops into the lava and paddles a little-

[Lie] - It is a nice night...

[Herabrine] It's too quiet. I'm suspicious...

-Thump.-

[Lie] - There's your noise

[Mix] Fuck! -From within the bar-

[Sam] Is talking quietly to someone up the hill and turns back to see if Mix is okay-

[Moth] Is coming around the side of the library with a stack of books and follows Sam inside for a moment before peeking back out and calling down- Mistress?

[Lie] - Hm?  Yes?

[Mix] -Has dropped her mug and is trying to pick it back up- -grumble grumble-

[Moth] Are you okay down there?

[Herabrine] I think we've been spotted and it's too late to run away.

[Sam] Helps Mix and pours her a fresh drink-

[Lie] - Yeah, just trying to take some weight off

[Mix] Thanks Sam.

[Moth] I could just carry you if you're too tired to walk?

[Lie] - No thank you, I am fine for now.  What were you doing in the library?

[Mix] -Sips her drink and decides to check out the talking by poking her head out the door-

[Moth] Doing more research. Hoff is on watch tonight.

[Sam] Also wanders back out-

[Lie] - Research for what?

[Herabrine] Oh hey Mix! You should come gossip with us!

[Moth] Why babies of course! And what kinds of things we can do to help you as well.

[Lie] - That's very sweet Moth

[Mix] Mmm... okay. -Waddles down to the group, a bit wobbly on her feet-

[Sam] Sees she's having trouble and lends her a hand getting down.

[Moth] Just saunters down and plops on a sand block,- thank you mistress.

[Herabrine] Floats up a little, riding just above the surface- You look drunk Mix.

[Sam] Would eye roll if he could.

[Mix] Thanks Sam. -With Sam's help is less wobbly, but she still plops like a ragdoll once down there, tucking her legs under her- Oh you bet your ass I am

[Lie] - Everything okay Mix?

[Moth] Yes, it's not good for people to drink in excess. especially ladies. It's unhealthy.

[Mix] Mmm... Yeah. Just thinking about stuff.

[Sam] Mimes how many she's had.

[Herabrine] Whistles- That's a lot of stuff.

[Lie] - Hey now, don't try to drink for me too!

[Moth] Tut tuts a little.

[Herabrine] Something on your mind Mix?

[Mix] Aww.. but it's fun. -Rotates the little bit of fabric tied to her wrist.- Makes it easier to think.

[Lie] - What are you thinking of Mix?

[Moth] What is that? If you don't mind me asking?

[Herabrine] And where's the psycho chicken? I haven't seen him around in quite some time.

[Mix] I don't know where Benny is.. I'm kinda worried about him too.. And this? -Holds her arm out and points at the soft orange fabric- Ahhh... Just something I've hung onto for a long time.

[Herabrine] You want me to hunt around for him psychically?

[Moth] It's a pretty color.

[Mix] It is! And uh... If you don't mind? He always comes back eventually.

[Herabrine] Touches her feet on the shore and closes her bright eyes, reaching outward to find the reckless chicken with her mind-

[Moth] Puts the books away and wades into the shallows to splash her face - ahh, it's so nice and warm.

[Lie] - The lava pool does that...  I remember we accidentally cooked a bunch of lobsters when we first made the pool

[Benny] -Climbing a tree somewhere. Amazing.-

[Herabrine] Still concentrating-That was a fun night-

This message has been removed.

[Mix] -Absent mindedly twists fabric some more-

[Herabrine] I think he's trying to fly? He's in a tree?!?!

[Mix] What?!

[Moth] So what's the fabric Mix?

[Herabrine] Sends to Benny- Come to the bar you dumb birb. Mix is drunk and worried about you!

[Lie] - If I recall correctly I can't have most things that come from the water right now...

[Benny] -Falls out of tree- No! Not yet!

[Herabrine] YES Come home you stupid chicken!!!

[Mix] It's just a square. -She unwinds it and holds it up, it's got a small motif in each corner-

[Benny] No. I will soon, though. Don't worry!

[Lie] Sticks her hand in the lava to test it, when she pulls her hand out it hardens as usual-

[Moth] That's a shame. I have found quite a few dietary restrictions in the literature for the health of the baby. It's so complicated. Oh, and it's pretty Mix. I like orange. You don't see it much.

[Sam] Examines the square more closely-

[Herabrine] out loud- Stubborn ass.

[Lie] - It's already starting to get harder to walk, and I'm having to rely on you guys a bit more to tend to the animals

[Mix] I'm really fond of orange, but it makes me sad, usually. And is Benny being stubborn?

[Moth] Oh, you're light as a feather Lie. Just say the word and I or any of my brethern will gladly carry you.

[Herabrine] Yeah, he's doing something but he says he'll come home soon. Way more erudite then I was expecting him to be.

[Sam] Signs- Why sad?

[Lie] - You'd probably have to fight CP off for that honor

[Moth] Shrugs- Just offering.

[Mix] Ugh... as long as he comes home, I guess... -Small frown as she wraps the fabric around her wrist again- Uh... It was a color someone really important to me wore a lot. -Points at the fabric in explanation.- I haven't seen them in a long time. -frowns a bit and holds mug close again-

[Lie] - Do we need to go searching for somebody else?

[Mix] No.

[Herabrine] Ah.... someone lost in the turmoil before you came here?

[Mix] -Softly- Yeah.

[Lie] - I'm sorry Mix

[Moth] I am sorry for your loss then.

[Sam] Nods solemly-

[Herabrine] I dunno, living here I've learned that it's never a good idea to count anyone entirely lost.

[Lie] - This is true...

[Mix] Maybe.... But I'm pretty sure.

[Mix] Didn't mean to bring down the mood, haha.. What's been up with you, Lie? Beyond being pregnant?

[Lie] - Cravings and soreness and mood swings and I'm just a mess

[Herabrine] She's also super cold and inhaling TLOT's stinky gold cheese like it's going out of style. Don't have kids Mix. -chuckles- It seems like a huge pain.

[Sam] signs -Unless you're having an egg haha.

[Mix] Heh, don't plan on it anytime soon,

[Lie] - Well it's not as if CP and I planned this

[Moth] This is true.

[Herabrine] Eh, you're good with kids though. I figured this would happen eventually anyway.

[Sam] Signs- So how is your household faring Mix?

[Lie] - Actually, you could say Sam is partially responsible for my getting pregnant

[Mix] It's alright, Prince is adjusting to seeing really well, and. .. Stev and NK are fucking like bunnies at every opportunity. -Softly- At least I wasn't that bad....

[Sam] Signs frantically - Me??!? What did I do???

[Herabrine] Ha! You should encourage them to get their own build if it's bugging you.

[Lie] - The alchohol you gave as a belated wedding present?  That's what CP and I drank right before, well, yeah

[Sam] Signs- Oh geeze! I'm sorry Lie!

[Mix] -Very blunt look at Hera- They have one. On the shore. They're L O U D.

[Lie] - There's nothing to apologize for Sam, we also forgot to take one of the berries

[Herabrine] Maybe you could surround their house with wool, real subtle like? -grins mischeviously

[Mix] -Strokes chin thoughtfully- Maybe..

[Sam] Still looks contrite

[Herabrine] Can I help? [wool everything over mostly]

[Lie] Winces a little, feeling the baby squirm-

[Herabrine] Feels her distress - Put your arms out and float.

[Mix] Sure, I don't mind

[Moth] So what's this about a chicken anyway?

[Lie] Does as Hera instructs- Come on, calm down little one

[Herabrine] She's fiesty.

[Lie] - And taking after her father, she's griefed CP and TLOT

[Moth] Giggles- With some well-timed kicks.

[Herabrine] Tries to brush the babies mind to see if she can read anything-

-There aren't really any thoughts yet, but it's responding to Lie's movement and voice-

[Moth] Notices Hera's look of concentration. - Getting any signals miss?

[Herabrine] She's just listening and kicking around-

[Lie] - Well she could tone down the kicking a little

[Mix] -Plays with the fabric some more while watching-

[Moth] If she's listening, maybe I can help. - She starts to hum a few bars and then breaks into a soft lulling melody. It's wordless but tuneful and she has a lovely voice.

[Herabrine] Is staring openmouthed. - So much for the old joke about teaching a pig to sing....

[Lie] Feels the baby squirm a little more before she starts to settle a little

[Moth] Keeps singing softly and there's a hush in the few milling mobs beyond the pool of lava light, after a little while she trails off into a few trilling notes and goes quiet- Is that better?

[Lie] - She did settle down a little

[Moth] Good.

[Herabrine] So what's the story behind your hankie Mix?

[Mix] I hurt myself on accident and we didn't really have anything on hand to stop the blood flow. He said I could keep it once I cleaned it up. -It sounds pretty simple. A little too simple.-

[Herabrine] Ah, we all have our mementos.

[Lie] - My memento just lives with me

[Moth] Gives Mix a supportive pat with one huge hand.

[Herabrine] Ha! Too right. He needed a keeper anyway.

[Lie] - I'm surprised he hasn't come looking for me yet actually, he's fretting almost more than anyone else

[Herabrine] If you legit yelled at him for there not being any more cheese he might have gone to get more....

[Lie] - Well Doc went out and I don't know where TLOT is...

[Sam] Signs- You can pretty much just yell for TLOT from anywhere and get his attention...

[Lie] - Doesn't mean he'll respond if he's with Steve

[Herabrine] That's a good point.... And if he is ahem, 'with Steve' it's not smart to interrupt. Especially if you value your eyeballs. hehe.

[Lie] - Not like that's stopped CP before

[Moth] The master is quite tenacious.

[Lie] - Actually, does anyone know where Doc went?  I saw they left with Notch and some others...

[Mix] No clue here.

[Herabrine] If they took Notch it's probably money related since he has the cards. Or they went to visit the office staff. Who else went?

[Lie] - Um, Deer, Flux, Yaunfen, I think HG and Glitchy too?  I was a little miffed at the time so I wasn't paying much attention

[Herabrine] If they took the kid... it can't be anything dangerous.

[Lie] - True

[Moth] whistles as if she knows nothing, though she does have suspicions.

[Lie] - ...  I'm getting cold again...

[Herabrine] There's always the lava? You could just dip your feet?

[Lie] - It'll just harden on me...

[Herabrine] Yeah, but feet are easy to clean.

[Lie] - True...

[Moth] You could sit against me?

[Lie] - Yeah, I guess- She stands walking out of the water and once the air hits her she starts shivering, hard- Maybe getting in the water was a bad idea...

[Herabrine] Hmm. - She waves her hands and raises several water spawn blocks out of the water into a column that's as warm as a shower and endlessly falling beside the lava pool-

[Moth] Interesting trick-

[Mix] -Claps- Niceee!

[Herabrine] Try that. It's pretty hot.

[Lie] Moves into the water- Thank you Hera.  Hey Mix, do you want a sobering flower?

[Mix] Nah, I'm good. I'd get sad again. Best not to let this go to waste.

[Lie] - What are you sad about?

[Mix] The person I lost, mostly.

[Lie] - Who were they?

[Mix]  -Shuffles a bit before pulling a small picture out, it's off two figures, one of which is a more happy looking Mix, and a taller person who's got his arm around her shoulder and a hesitant smile on his face. Around Mix's neck in the picture is the fabric she's got around her wrist currently.- Him. He... meant a lot to me.

[Lie] - Oh Mix...

[Mix] -Looks fondly at the picture- Yeah...

[Lie] - What was his name?

[Mix] Niko. His name was Niko.

[Lie] - That's a nice name

[Mix] Yeah... -Fond sigh-

[Lie] - Are you sure we wouldn't be able to find them?

[Mix] Yeah, certain.

[Lie] - I see...

[Herabrine] Did a NOTCH get him Mix?

[Moth] Little intake of breath.

[Mix] No, thankfully. I think I would've kicked the fuckers ass if it was. -Small frown-

[Herabrine] That's the spirit!

[Moth] Then what.. what happened?

[Mix] -Stares at the picture a bit more before shaking her head.- I don't... I don't want to talk about it right now.  If.... If that's okay.

[Lie] - Absolutely, we understand

[Moth] Okay.

[Herabrine] So how's your tribe doing?

[Mix] -Perks up a bit- The lightfeet are doing wonderfully! They're not lazing about now! -Returns picture to her inventory-

[Herabrine] What happened to get them moving?

[Mix] Give them a ball and you get them off their asses, apparently.

[Moth] What's a ball?

[Lie] - An object you can throw around and play with

[Moth] Oh that makes sense!

[Herabrine] And Liz? I haven't seen her lately either. Getting big yet?

[Mix] Liz is getting long, mostly! Shi's out and about just.. at odd times. Really odd times.

[Herabrine] And the big daddy and the little shy kiddo?

[Moth] Perhaps she's nocturnal?

[Mix] Big... daddy?

[Herabrine] Snaps her fingers - Gambit?

[Lie] - Endrea's kids are getting so big too

[Mix] ... Oh! Gambet, and his kid? Uh.... Not too sure. I've seen Alan when Liz brings them over. Alan's a bit skittish still.

[Sam] signs- Well they are dragons... Endrea is HUGE.

[Herabrine] Sometimes kids are just shy.

[Lie] - Hera...  I want more cheese...

[Herabrine] Sorry, I'm fresh out.

[Sam] Signing - cheese?

[Lie] Whines a little-

[Moth] at Sam, - the Golden Steelton TLOT makes.

[Sam] Oh.

[Mix] The stinky stuff.

[Lie] - CP better get some soon

[Herabrine] Almost makes me feel sorry for him...

[Moth] Offers her some watermelon slices - I heard these were a common pregnancy craving Lie.

[Lie] - I'm not craving those, but I probably should have something other than cheese and chips...

[Sam] signing- I could make something?

[Lie] - I'm not terribly hungry right now...

[Herabrine] Okay Lie, lets just get you home then. Hopefully Cp has your cheese by now...

[Lie] - Okay...

-After Hera leaves Lie at her house the white haired brine heads for the workroom to warm up by the lava.  As she turns the corner a pleasant scent reaches her and she's moving closer to the source.  Turning the corner into the room proper she finds that CP has set things up for her even though he currently isn't home.  There are freshly picked pods and flowers from her vanilla plant and a few of her calming blossoms scattered about as well.  She realizes that at some point he must have gone out to the real world as there are a few candles lit around the lava tub.  Lie's annoyance at him vanishes for the moment as she moves to take full advantage of what he has offered her.  He's left her one of his shirts by the tub as well and she slides into the warm fluid gratefully after stripping herself to wait for CP to return-

-Deep below the lab in their private room TLOT and Steve are curled up on a rug near the lava pool. The two men are snuggled in eachothers arms just enjoying the warmth and companionship. A little food and drink sits forgotten nearby and LH is stealthily dragging away a neglected porkchop-

[CP] Has been looking stomping around looking for TLOT for hours and has only just gotten to the lab- TLOT!

[TLOT] Flops against the bed with an annoyed groan- mentally- go away Cp....

[CP] - No!  Lie's mad

[Steve] Is sort of eavesdropping and his thought is loud- How come?!

[CP] - Because we're out of cheese!

[TLOT] Rubs his temples as the beginning throb of a headache ripples across his brain- Not again...

[CP] Starts coming down the stairs- Yeah well I'd rather have a happy wife!  I didn't realize how much she was sneaking out of the chest without my knowing!

[TLOT] Faintly imitating Cp's tone. - Yeah, well you keep driving off my mate and it would be nice if I could have a happy husband....

[CP] - Yeah well you've never seen Lie mad like this!

[Steve] Incredulous- How bad can it really be? She's usually so nice...

[CP] Gives them a mental burst showing Lie's emotional change-

[Steve] -Blink blink- He knows it's bad to say but can't stop himself- Now you know how she felt trying to keep you happy and calm at the start...

[TLOT] Oh dear...

[CP] - TLOT, just tell me you have some more of the damn cheese stored away somewhere?

[TLOT] I do not. I gave it all to you.

[CP] Long string of curses-

[Steve] Won't she accept anything else? Eating just cheese can't be good. How about the... whatsit...?  huumy bows?

[CP] - She's not even that hungry!  She just wants the cheese!

[TLOT] That's very strange...

[CP] - I mean yes she will eat a few other things, but she mostly wants the cheese, and she's getting more demanding of it

[Steve] Do we have to do this? Can't you ask Doc?

[LH] Scampers up the stairs with the meat.

[CP] - Doc went out

[TLOT] How interesting... Damn it.

[CP] - I'm hoping she'll be a little calmer by the time I do get back to her, but she'll go right back to rage if I don't have any cheese

[Steve] Still quietly pondering the irony, it's not like Cp can't hear his thoughts or anything.

[TLOT] Flops in annoyance.

[CP] - Well?

[TLOT] Take Steve someplace for about ten minutes so I can make some and clear out the smell. Be nice! I want to get right back to where I left off as soon as possible.

[Steve] Huh?

[CP] - Why do I have to take him somewhere!?

[TLOT] Because I don't need you hovering over me any more then I need him crying from the smell!

[CP] - Fine!- He grabs Steve and actually teleports them near his home, so he can check and see where Lie is and what sort of mood she's in

[Steve] Is released and thumps a few inches to the ground. - Oof! Damn stiff boots...

[CP] Sends out his senses and feel Lie in the lava tub- Well at least she won't be moving from there...

[Steve] Oh? Is she in bed with Blake, Hope and the vulpixes?

[CP] - Nope, naked in the lava tub.  Even with her emotions running haywire, she won't run around naked, plus hardened lava makes it a bit harder to move

[Steve] You guys should keep some potions around for that, it makes that stuff slip right off.

[CP] - Nope, I prefer to take it off myself.  Besides, I suspect she'll be in there a lot with how cold she's been lately

[Steve] The kiddo wants the heat, doesn't she? Geeze... you'd think she's part nether dragon.

[CP] - Well I run pretty hot myself...

[Steve] Yeah, I know. -stretches- TLOT is the same way. It's pretty comforting. Especially if you've been working and your muscles hurt.

[CP] Just shrugs-

[Steve] So... uh... hows Stevie handling his glitch? -There's a question here he's afraid to ask anyone-

[CP] - Well so far he hasn't turned his house into a glacier- His psychic abilities are wandering a little

[Steve] Do uh....? - He scuffs a foot in the grass a little - Do you think the glitch might get worse over time...?

[CP] - Maybe a little, it took a bit of time for mine to stabilize

[Steve] Did you do anything special to... fix it at a certain level...?

[CP] - Nope, I let it settle itself out, was too painful to do otherwise

[Steve] Pales a little- Painful? What...? Like trying to fight or hold it was hurtful?

[CP] Thinks for a moment- Trying to stop it I believe, it was so long ago that I don't really recall

[Steve] How would you even stop it...?

[CP] - I don't think you can

[Steve] Is staring off into space unhappily- Oh...

[CP] - TLOT should be done by now, let's go

[Steve] Yeah.. okay... - He's checking- Give him another few minutes, he's fumigating the room.

[CP] Groans in annoyance-

[Steve] Awkward silence. -

[CP] Waits for the time to pass before grabbing Steve and teleporting him back-

[TLOT] Has already cleared the room and put the cheese in a trunk- Here, take this weird plant too. - Holding out the failure plant- Lie might be able to do something with it, but I hate the way it smells. Yaunfen made it accidentally.

[CP] - Fine- Takes everything and then teleports back to his house

[Licht] Sighs as she gets into her cruiser, having just been called to a burglary-

[EAlex] Makes a thoughtful noise as the phone is placed against the passenger seat- Your GPS is all over the map... what on the seed are you doing?

[Licht] - My job.  Currently I'm heading someplace that was broken into, burglarized

[EAlex] Burglarized? Was is that?

[Licht] - It means somebody forcefully entered the domain of somebody else and stole things

[EAlex] There's a sharp intake of breath and she's quiet for a moment. - That explains your harshness then... You hunt griefers...

[Licht] - I...  Suppose so?  I hunt criminals technically

[EAlex] There will always be rules and people who break them... But there will also be those who are hunted because they look like troublemakers, even if they aren't.

[Licht] - Here you cannot be persecuted just by how you look, at least not legally

[EAlex] I remain skeptical of that.

[Licht] Pulls up to a house and plugs a set of headphones into her phone so she can still hear EAlex as she goes into the house to look at the crime scene-

[EAlex] Is using the camera lenses on the phone to look around - So much detail, and people... with weapons..? - She shrinks uncomfortably back into the deeper guts of the phones small hard drive.

[Licht] - Nobody is going to use a weapon here.  We carry them for protection and only use them as a last resort.  In fact your more likely to be hit by the taze gun than the real one

[EAlex] Still... humans use weapons rather freely. Especially the younger ones. A child with a simple iron sword can cause a lot of pain. And I do not know what this taze you speak of is.

[Licht] - It's a device that delivers a non lethal dose of electricity to stun people

[EAlex] Sounds like something a NOTCH would use, to force compliance when someone disagrees with them...

[Licht] - We use it when somebody is being threatening towards us.  Most people are compliant and understand that they did something wrong.  And what would Markus have to do with anything?

[EAlex] So says one with power to one without; I'll only hurt you if I have too... And NOTCHs are evil. They rule with iron fists and crush unbelievers.

[Licht] - There's only one

[EAlex] I wish... many wear the mantle of NOTCH, and many use it to spread fear.

[Licht] - So somebody pretending to be Mr. Perrson?

[EAlex] You don't understand...

[Licht] Looks up as another officer approaches-

[Offcer] - Licht, busy morning?

[Licht] - Yeah, you?

[Officer] - Just a few traffic tickets

[EAlex] Is quiet but uses the camera to examine the person she's talking too, she's nervous being around such a huge human and the phone shakes slightly in Licht's hand.

[Licht] Is just talking business and being briefed on what had been stolen-

[Officer] - So yeah, if you want to go start checking some pawn shops...

[Licht] - Why the rush to get me out?

[Officer] - Face it, your tenacity is why you get stuff done, so the sooner we get you on this, the sooner it might be solved

[Licht] - Fine fine

[EAlex] Like an angry wolf...

[Licht] Starts heading back towards her car- Well, guess it's time for some leg work...

[EAlex] Why did you light the summoner? It seems you have no time for any world besides this one.

[Licht] Huffs a little- The game itself was given to me as a clue to what Markus was doing.  When I got in there, there was a chest with a book with instructions on how to build the summoner, so I built it

[EAlex] Then you have no idea what you called for... and what you recieved is even more terrible.

[Licht] - What do you mean?

[EAlex] The summoner isn't a toy, and the thing that answered it's call is not... normal...

[Licht] - So?  It's not like it effects me

-There's a bit of a pressure change in the air and Licht feels suddenly short of breath, it's a distinct pain around her throat that's sharp and gone as quickly as it arrived. The phone lets out a burst of white noise and EAlex calls out in alarm as the small device starts downloading something in the background.

[Licht] Quickly pulls over and curses a little in Swedish- Wha...  What?

[EAlex] Is visible on her screen stomping against the wallpaper in obvious distress.

[Licht] - What was that?

-There's a small pop and an icon for Minecraft pocket edition is visible long enough for EAlex to let out a small cry of alarm. She stomps on the wallpaper and makes the icons wiggle before slapping at the X to delete it frantically. -

[Licht] - What are you doing?

[EAlex] Falls over and lays flat on the surface of the wallpaper like she's making a snow angel and breathing hard- Saving our pixels!

[Licht] - What did you do?

[EAlex] Don't talk bad about... him... He'll take it out on us both. But he needs a copy of the game to get at me more easily on your phone.

[Licht] - You mean the Herobrine on the computer?

[EAlex] YES. The one who took my spawn!

[Licht] Makes a frustrated noise- You're just some random ai, not even real, why do you try to act like it!

[EAlex] I'm not an AI! I'm a glitch!

[Licht] - Whatever!  Either way!  You're just programs!

[EAlex] No we're not. - She sits up and gets closer to the screen by standing on an icon- Just because I'm not made of meat and water like you, doesn't mean I'm not real.

[Licht] - You are a program!

[EAlex] I am not! I have a soul! -waves her hands in frustration- What can I do to prove it?!?

[Licht] - There's nothing to prove!

[EAlex] So I am sentenced to be a non-person by someone who claims to uphold justice?

[Licht] - You.  Are. A. Program!  One I could easily throw away!

[EAlex] Shakes with fear- You're a player just as evil as a NOTCH, one who would kill for no reason.

[Licht] - I do not kill!

[EAlex] If you delete me, I will die.

[Licht] - You technically don't actually exist!  You were made, AS A PROGRAM!

[EAlex] I WAS NOT MADE. The world gave me a place to gain a body! But I existed as a spirit before!

[Licht] - Yeah right- She pulls up in front of the first pawn shop- Just shut up and let me do my damn job

[EAlex] very quietly- I think you're the one with no soul.

[Licht] Goes about her job for the rest of the day in a somewhat foul mood, deciding to end her day at a bar-

[EAlex] Has rearranged Licht's icons and is now browsing the internet in an equally unhappy mood. Her activity is visible on the screen and the battery is running a bit low. -

[Licht] Grumbles and pulls a charger out of her bag and plugs it and the phone into the wall as she waits for her drink-

[EAlex] Takes a measure of electricity for herself and tries to order her thoughts. The phone is flat and she can't see anything but the ceiling.

[Licht] Receives a decently strong drink and starts downing it-

[EAlex] Resigned and quiet-  Could you at least prop the phone up? I don't think that's too much for non-person to ask.

[Licht] - Why?

[EAlex] So I can see.

[Licht] - There's nothing to see

[EAlex] Then I'll just stare at the ceiling. - She sits down with a huff. - And me without even a Steve or an Alex to bother...

[Licht] - Oh fine!- She tilts the phone up so EAlex can see

[EAlex] Notices her drink. - Can you spare 17 Krona?

[Licht] - Why?

[EAlex] Because... I'm hungry and I have an idea.

[Licht] - No, you don't need it, nor do I think you need food

[EAlex] I could be mean and just take it, but I chose to ask.

[Licht] - And I could let my phone use neither data or wi-fi

[EAlex] -Theres a quiet but very distinct rumble from the earbuds, it's unmistakably the sound of an empty stomach.

[Licht] - Nice try- She asks for another drink, having finished hers

[EAlex] Picks around on her wallpaper and looks up pleadingly, her eyes are a bit dimmer then they were when she entered the phone and the distance from her game is wearing on her a bit.

[Licht] - Humor me for a minute- If you were to get some food, how would you expect them to shove it into the phone?

[EAlex] Weakly and a bit resigned- I know an app game I can take some from, it's not expensive.

[Licht] - Fine, do whatever

[EAlex] Vanishes with a soft voomp. The phone warms as it downloads a small app and a new icon pops up. There's a sound like someone desperately eating something messy-

[Licht] Just starts working on her second drink before glancing at the screen-

-The icon is Fruit Ninja-

[EAlex] Reappears with half a watermelon and a bit more glow, she's still eating but more slowly now. - ........ thank you.

[Licht] - Whatever

[EAlex] I guess I should be grateful for anything. It's not a bad game either, and I could unlock all the swords if you wanted...

[Licht] - I'd never play it

[EAlex] Of course.

[Licht] - You know what, I'm going to give you ten minutes...

[EAlex] Ten minutes to what? Beg for my life some more?

[Licht] - To convince me that you are what you say you are, a being with a soul

[EAlex] Her eyes go wide - H-how? What would you even accept as proof?

[Licht] - That's for you to figure out

[EAlex] Spreads her arms- I am a finite creature with a mind and feelings. How is that different from you? Perhaps I should ask what you could say to prove to me that you aren't a demon with no soul yourself.

[Licht] - Simple, I'm human, I am made from flesh

[EAlex] Bristles as she speed reads a few articles from the web - Flesh is atomic particles and waves and mostly empty space. You're made out of electricity same as me.

[Licht] - I am more than electricity

[EAlex] I can show you the science. Written by your own people... Give me another test.

[Licht] - You haven't convinced me yet, you haven't proven anything to me yet

[EAlex] Then tell me what can a human do that a program can not?

[Licht] - We can create legitimate life, plus there is consequence when we take it

[EAlex] If I killed too many players I would be deleted. Is that not a consequence? And too my chagrin, I have the female parts to make a child. But even if I wanted one, I would need a mate.

[Licht] - Still not convinced little program

[EAlex] Grimaces- can a program feel pain?

[Licht] - They can be programed to believe so

[EAlex] Can a human tell the difference between real pain and someone programmed to simulate it?

[Licht] - Most of the time?  Yes when looking at context

[EAlex] Gives her a grim look- Fine. - She vanishes back into the small icon and comes back out with a plain sword from the game. She grits her teeth and slashes her left arm with the blade before dropping it with the shock of the pain. She can't hold back the wail of agony that escapes her lips as she bleeds copiously on the backround wallpaper and sinks to her knees with tears streaming down her face.

[Licht] - Context, you are a program, it doesn't really effect you.  You are made of nothing but data

[EAlex] Is cradling her arm in agony and making a rather large pool of blood. It hurts too much to muster more then a choked response. It's the merest gulp of air and labored breathing echoing in the earpiece.

[Licht] - Nice try, but I'm not convinced

[EAlex] Must I... die to plead my case...?

[Licht] - It's not as if you'll actually die

[EAlex] Then I cannot convince you, without destroying myself... Then my small existence is doomed...

[Licht] - Then just accept it, you are nothing more than a program

[EAlex] Stronger with sudden fury - I AM NOT A PROGRAM.

[Licht] - You have yet to convince me otherwise

[EAlex] Is near passed out from the blood loss and pain, her head is spinning, she didn't realize how weak she'd be away from her game with an injury to boot. - You are a monster... without pity...

[Licht] - If you're done being insulting, I have some work to do- She digs through her bag and pulls out a folder containing some of the information she has on Markus

[EAlex] Passes out from the pain, and lays there very still on her wallpaper in a pool of bright crimson blood.

-The phone shakes a little and the pocket edition Minecraft reloads itself again. There's a rather creepy laugh in her earbuds-

[Licht] Twitches a little-

[???] Awww... did the weakling hurt herself?

[Licht] - Not sure how a program can actually hurt itself

[???] Just because you don't know how something works, doesn't mean it's impossible. Why was she playing with a blade?

[Licht] - Trying to prove she was real

[???] Laughs- She's too weak to prove anything to you. Perhaps I should take a turn..?

[Licht] - What are you talking about?

[???] Ignores her question- How about I show you something really good....

[Licht] - Only if it helps me solve this case

[???] Hmmm... It might.... And it might entertain me for a moment as well...

-There's a sudden shift in the atmosphere, as if she stepped sideways out of reality, the people around her slow and freeze in place but there's still a rather schizophrenc chorus of whispers all around her. -

[Licht] - Wha...  What's happening?

[???] Just a bit of fun.... - The air goes dark and foggy until her vison is blotted out entirely and she feels large hands wrapping around her windpipe and squeezing just enough to make it hard to breathe.

[Licht] Tenses and squirms a little-

[???] Opens white eyes that fill her field of vision and half-blind her. His breath is hot against her face - Do you believe now?

[Licht] - What are you doing!?

[???] Leaving a few marks.

[Licht] - Marks?

[???] Squeezes a little tighter, the skin already purpling under his grip-

[Licht] - S...  Stop it

[???] Or what?

[Licht] - Just...  Stop...

[???] Are you trying to goad me into killing you so soon?

[Licht] - You kill me and you'll find no way to Markus

[???] Markus isn't my prey my sweet, but good try.

[Licht] - Then what is?- She's starting to get woozy

[???] All in good time. - He notices her slipping and puts her down roughly- Can't have you dying on me just yet.... - The whispering goes up in volume and the color and motion resume around her. Her reflection is visible in the bar mirror and there are already angry purple and red bruises in the shape of hands forming around her throat.

[Licht] Quickly motions that she's like to pay and grabs her phone, her hands shaking a little

[EAlex] Slowly coming around with a pained groan...

[Licht] Pays and hurries outside-

[EAlex] Is bumped around a little and opens her eyes - You are... fleeing? OH!

[Licht] Scowls as she opens her car door and tosses the phone onto the passenger seat-

[EAlex] Drags herself to the fresh icon and sets everything wobbling before deleting it- You... you are injured?

[Licht] - I...  I don't understand...

[EAlex] What is there to understand? You seem so certain we are just programs that feel nothing.

[Licht] - That...  That doesn't explain how he was able to...

[EAlex] Now do you believe me?

[Licht] - I...  Maybe...

[EAlex] Then at least my suffering isn't in vain...

[Licht] Starts up the car and begins heading home-

[scenicstoofs]

breathe (2)

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Reader

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Tags: Fantasy AU, Friendship, Slight angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Words: 3k

Summary:

Sunset had always been special, a time when you could gaze into a sky rich with rose pinks, warm oranges, and fiery reds and into an ocean full of fire. A time that left you breathless and filled with a nostalgia that couldn’t be satiated. A time reminiscent of laughter, friendship, love, and loss.

(1) Chapter 2

"Unbelievable," you muttered, shifting further up the shore. Jungkook laid next to you, eyes shut and mouth slack. The moonlight cast odd shadows against his face, but everything about him had softened. Even with high cheekbones and a sharp jaw, his features stayed rounded, not quite bereft of youth.

His chest rose and fell in deep swells compared to the shallow waves that tapped lightly against shore. You turned your gaze away, letting it linger over the water. There was a tug against your chest, one that pulled you in the direction of a warm sand bed complete with the gentle brush of sewn kelp leaves.

A grunt stole your attention, and you turned back to Jungkook. He shifted against the sand, one fist coming to rub against his cheek then flopping lazily against his chest. Then he snorted and coughed, but his eyes never fluttered open. Rather, his breathing deepened even further and you could only watch in disbelief as he drifted deeper into unconsciousness.

You shook your head and sighed, sifting back and letting your head fall against a plume of wet sand. The water grasped at your ankles and tugged on them, pulling you towards home. You ignored it, letting your eyes travel onto the darkened sky above. Tonight, the moon hung light against the darkened canvas, a mischievous smile curling at its edges in sarcastic humor. And the clouds that rolled before it did nothing to hide its luminous shine.

And then you heard it.

A difference in splashing and rhythm. One that disrupted the waves and its undulating motions. And when you looked up, you blinked in confusion before realization slapped you hard and had you scrambling upwards. You pushed yourself up, nearly slipping on the wet sand as it devoured your feet.

A young man stood on the water, feet perched on the surface as if it were glass. And the waves that rolled towards shore avoided him, leaving a wide circumference around his figure. When he noticed your wide eyes and panicked expression, he grinned widely and quickly held up both hands.

I come in peace.

You relaxed immediately, grumbling incoherently as you plopped back down on the sand. The young man walked forward, the wide berth following his every step as he chuckled in merriment. And when he reached the line where water met shore, the ocean parted for him, and he hopped onto the sand, feet sinking into the grainy surface.

His grace was impeccable, movements smooth but playful as he shuffled around Jungkook, barely sparing him a glance until he stood next to your crouched figure. The air between you two simmered with intensity, but you'd learned early on to ignore its presence. And his power, though weakened, strongly pulsed in the sea-saturated atmosphere.

"Hello, (y/n)," he greeted, smile seeping into his tone. There was nothing but friendliness and curiosity as he glanced down at you, eyes crinkling at the corners. You mumbled your hello but kept your eyes on the horizon, feeling your cheeks start to burn. There was nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of, yet here you were, defensively crouched with your arms wrapped around your knees for the false sense of security.

He cocked his head and snorted. "Sorry, what was that? Is this how you greet family?" You pursed your lips and let your forehead drop against your arms.

"Hello, Hoseok," you muttered, finger swirling the sand with patterns. They were indecipherable, random strokes that left fleeting imprints and disappeared with receding waves. Hoseok hummed, raising a brow. He groaned as he bent down and dropped next to you with an audible 'plop'. Mimicking your position, he pulled his knees to chest and wrapped both arms around his legs.

"So, we're using full names today?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Hello, Hobi," you corrected, and your finger sank deeper into the sand as you pressed harder. Hoseok nodded and turned away.

"You know, you only use full names when you feel troubled. Rectifying that won't change a thing," he said. He was right; that'd always been your tell with him. You gave up on your empty-minded doodling and brushed the sand off your finger.

"It's been a long day."

Hoseok nodded at Jungkook's unmoving form, acknowledging him for the first time. "Clearly."

You snorted. "Why are you here? You almost never visit." This was already a lot more than you were used to. Having two people, albeit one unconscious, around you was a lot more than you could handle. So accustomed to the creatures of the sea as your companions, you couldn't help the acidity that laced your tone.

"You know why." Then he took a deep breath, and you mentally prepared yourself as he pivoted his body so that it faced you. "Want to tell me why you saved him?"

Straight to the point.

You stayed silent, tasting for an answer that wouldn't end in bitterness.

"I'm not my twin. You know I won't do anything." He was right. Between the twins, Hoseok was the friendlier one—much less terrifying than the other's wrath.

"Why are you here? Don't you have enough to do, working the tides and all?" you opted. Hoseok's question lingered in the air, forming an invisible barrier between you. He could feel your avoidance but didn't comment on it. Instead, he shrugged.

"You know I'm at my most powerful when the sun is out. Therefore, I'm only needed during the day. Yoongi has control right now—you know he prefers moonlight. And you're lucky you saved this boy just before Yoongi awakened. He's not as forgiving," he said, tone dropping, "so, again, would you mind telling me why you saved him?"

You exhaled audibly, mind wracking for the best possible answer. But in all honesty, you weren't sure yourself. Jungkook was never meant to dive into the ocean after you. He was meant to leave, taking himself and the camera far from the ocean, and forget about you. Forget everything about you.

The thought stung.

"I—," you started but paused, struggling with your words. Hoseok could feel it, yet he patiently waited, attention wavering between you and the horizon. "I don't know."

That was the truth.

"(y/n)," he began after a period of silence. "At this point, at your age, you know we're not meant to be seen by others. We live there," he flourished a wave towards the ocean. It responded in kind, waves increasing in a tidbit of energy. "Not here. You remember what happens when we come up here. You remember what happened to—"

"—I know," you interrupted. "I know all of this. We become lost when we spend too much time on land. But Hobi, am I not allowed to make friends?" There it was. Your truthful confession of loneliness and despair. It caught your brother off guard, and he turned away, face dropping.

"You can—"

"—then what's the issue—"

"But most of us don't." He swallowed, gaze dropping to the sand. His eyes took on a glazed sheen, reflecting the light that shone from the moon's reflection. The atmosphere thickened, dropping heavily against your shoulders.

"Why? All I've ever been told is that we can't talk to humans, but no one has ever told me why. So, tell me. Tell me now—why?" you demanded, voice quivering. "Give me one reason I shouldn't see this boy ever again."

Hoseok pursed his lips and shook his head, hair flopping with the movement. He brushed away his bangs and blew a puff of air from his cheeks, a habit you'd adopted since young.

"Because there's never a happy ending," he answered. You sat up straight, angling your head towards him. There was a part of you that was keen to know the truth, yearned to understand. Yet another part of you, deep in the crevices of your mind, wanted to stay in blissful ignorance.

"When we make a true connection to humans, whether it's friendship or more, things don't end well. Sometimes, they go mad and come looking for us when we're not around. And we're not always there to save them. Without air, without our power, they become one with the ocean and are lost forever.

We, on the other hand, risk being tempted to join humans on land. And once we leave the ocean, we are lost. The only person who knows what happens once 'lost' is Yoongi, but he refuses to tell me. Says it's one of the most painful things he's ever seen," he ended. Not once did he turn back to you or meet your inquiring gaze.

"But what about friendships? Ones where we visit each other once in a while?" you asked desperately. Even before he answered, you already knew. In that little corner in the back of your mind, you already knew the answer. And yet, you still asked, hoping for a response that would differ from the one that bounced around in your head.

"It's possible but painful. Watching them wither away as we stay in our current state—it's cruel to see. Extremely hard to process because we'll live so much longer with their memory forever with us. It's quick—one day they're there, and another, they're not," he paused. "It makes you wonder whether it's worth it or not."

"You sound like you have experience."

His expression didn't change, but the vibrant smile from earlier had slipped into somber frown. His eyes had a glazed sheen in them, whether a reflection from the moon or something else, you weren't sure. But they held memories—both precious and damning—and with each blink, you could see his mood drop even further.  

"Yeah, I do." Three words. Heavy and mournful—a story hidden that told of loss. He suddenly stood, inhaling deeply while brushing the sand off of his pants. "And depending on your choices, you may gain some as well." He gestured at Jungkook, who groaned. "Because he's about to wake."

Hoseok started for the water, and this time, the ocean didn't part for him. Instead, he waded in and was about thigh deep before you scrambled up, following his steps until you were ankle deep.

"Hobi!" At the call of his name, he paused, turning to you with a slight smile playing on his lips. "What should I do?"

The current that brushed against your skin warmed into a gentle caress—one of comfort and trust.

That's your decision. You could feel the answer clear as day as it vibrated through the water. Then he turned and resumed his path until his head submerged beneath water, and his presence evaporated, leaving the scent of a sunny day behind in his wake.

Another groan echoed from behind you, but your gaze stayed hot against where Hoseok disappeared. His message sounded vague and mysterious, but it was clear that he had no intention of making a decision for you. You'd been given much information, and now it was up to you to decide whether Jungkook was worth befriending or not.

You took a step forward, water rippling against your ankle as you struggled with your decision. The obvious choice was to disappear, to enter the ocean and watch from beneath the surface as he tried to comprehend why he was lying in sand, clothes plastered to his skin, and where the girl he'd tried to save had run off to.

But something was also holding you back. Keeping you from diving into the ocean and going home. It was evident there was something that kept you from leaving him; whether it was the promise of friendship or lingering guilt—whatever it was, it left you rooted in your spot.

"(y/n)?" His voice was hoarse, comprised of exhaustion and confusion. It was groggy and lagged as your name cascaded from his lips. You turned hesitantly to see him push himself up onto his forearms. His hair was plastered to his forehead, and he brushed them away impatiently.

"(y/n)? What's going on?" he croaked. Your eyes widened—did he not remember? Did he forget diving into the ocean to save you from what seemed like your end?

"Jungkook, are you all right?" you asked, moving towards him. Each step solidified your decision and you crouched down next to him. He shivered and coughed, eyes still somewhat disoriented. But when he glanced up to see your face, he bolted upwards, scaring you. You fell back, landing softened by the pliable sand that slid against your palms as you scrambled back to give him some room.

"You!" His eyes widened, almost comical in nature. He clambered up from his position, shifting until he toppled forward on his knees.

"Calm down," you tried, holding up a hand. "Hey, I'm fine. You're fine. Calm down."

He didn't. Instead, he crawled towards you until he was at your side. From there, he scanned you, eyes roaming up your body and your face for any signs of injuries. Even with good intentions, it brought a burn to your face and you lurched forward to push him away.

"I'm fine!" you exclaimed. Jungkook paused and heaved a breath, jaw dropping and opening every few seconds. Then he blew up.

"What were you thinking?! You could have drowned! Did you want to end your life? Are you crazy?!" His words were angry, harsh and piercing. It seemed like he remembered you walking into the ocean. The latter part would probably come to him in a second.

"I was going home," you stated, simple and clear. His brows furrowed, and he leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

"Is that some kind of euphemism?" he asked. You shook your head and pointed towards the ocean.

"That's my home."

He blinked. "I don't—I don't understand. Are you sure you're ok? You didn't hit your head or anything?" You shook your head, tilting your head in confusion. The real question was if he was ok. You didn't say anything else but narrowed your eyes at him and furrowed your brow.

Gradually, his expression changed, from one of concern to one of confusion. Holding up a hand, he shook his head and leaned back.

"Wait." It was probably hitting him now. "Wait. No way."

You waited, watching him splutter to himself in disbelief while sending you occasional glances. The denial was coming first.

"I jumped in to save you. I got to you, but then." He paused, brows furrowing and hands waving in large gestures.

"You couldn't breathe," you completed softly. He tilted his head away from his hands and up at you. "You started to drown." The memory of his limp limbs and the last of his air escaping his lungs cause you to blanch, and you swallowed heavily, throat thick with emotion. Hoseok's words echoed from the back of your mind.

Because there's never a happy ending.

Jungkook gazed at you intensely. No words left him as he tried to process your answer. You didn't want to finish the rest of the story. If you did, then there was a large chance he wouldn't believe you. If he remembered himself, it'd make explaining much easier. So you waited.

"I—almost—drowned." He enunciated each word. You nodded, picking at your dress. There was a loose strand, and you pulled at it, wrapping it around your fingers. The disbelief that marred his face was indicative that he remembered some parts of it.

He just didn't believe it.

"But I didn't. I didn't drown. Because I could suddenly breathe," he said slowly. He was getting there. You stayed silent.

"Because there were bubbles, a lot of bubbles. And they were surrounding my head?" His pitch rose with the last word. You nodded again.

"That's—there's no way that happened. It had to have been a helmet, right? That's what it was?" Everything about him had turned to denial. You knew because this would—could—never happen to an average person. They would've just drowned, yet Jungkook had survived. In his eyes, so had you.

"Not a helmet," you responded. With each pull, the loose strand elongated, so you gave up. You looked up at him. "You're right. It was bubbles. That was the only source of air I could pull for you."

"Only source of air?"

"Bubbles carry air, so yeah. That was the only way I could keep you breathing. You were dying, Jungkook." You met his gaze and dipped your head, hoping you could convey how serious the situation was.

He was still doubtful, as any person would be. But then he blinked rapidly and glanced between his body and yours. You did the same, wondering what he saw that was clearly bewildering him.

"How are you dry?" he asked. That's when you noticed that your hair would move at the slightest of breezes, and his stayed plastered to his head. His button-up stuck to his body, emphasizing the broadness of his shoulders, and his sleeves had fallen from their position, loose around his wrists. His jeans were still damp, and sand stuck to every surface it could get to, meaning his back and clothes were littered with grains of sand.

In comparison, your dress was completely devoid of water, dry as if you'd never entered the wide expanse. And your skin was nowhere near as sticky or wet as his probably was, judging by the lack of sand that lingered on your body.

"Jungkook," you started, but he cut you off with a slash of his hand.

"No. Stop. First, you call the ocean your home. You call," he motioned a hand across the span of black water, "all of that your home. Second, you have some ability to control bubbles, or you helped me breathe underwater somehow. Whichever it was, it wasn't normal. Third, you're completely dry. I'm sitting here, completely soaked, barely dried off, yet you look like you haven't been in the water at all," he finished.

His gaze bore into yours, and you felt your heart start to beat in anticipation. This was it—this was your decision.

"Who are you?"

You sighed, brushing the sand off your hands and legs as you stood to face the ocean. You breathed in the familiar scent of home and answered.

"I'm (y/n), and I'm a spirit of the ocean."

[narukuwrites]

002. Part 4

Words: 2,558 Tags: Merman AU, Mild Angst, Implied Incest, Questionable Parenting, Fluff, Flashbacks Summary: Connor and Ralph find a place to have a short rest and we get a little more insight on their friendship and Connors memories, Markus and Simon talk about Lucy and try to figure out what her prophetic message could mean.

Authors Note: Alright the way this story is progressing it seems that Markus and Connor won’t meet until probably part 5 or 6. This will definitely be a lot longer than my first piece for this ship. If you may or may not know I am currently in the middle of organizing everything to facilitate, the smooth transition of moving with my husband to another country.

I will try to update frequently but should anything change regarding the above mentioned. I will, of course, let all of my readers know.

When Connor thought it was safe enough for the two of them to take a brief respite, they had managed to come across a small cave which would provide shelter and keep them hidden whilst they took a rest. His kind, the mer was a species capable of traveling great distances but neither Ralph or he had eaten anything yet and that was starting to have a detrimental effect on the both of them.

They were most definitely far away from the safety of the reef's protection and border now, their realm the one his father and he would rule over - although whether that would be the case remained to be seen. He and Ralph had explored this far our but never beyond it, there was a lot of hidden and wonderful places they had found. And he was always stuck at how lucky and profoundly beautiful their world was, perhaps it was like that on the surface also. "Ralph made sure to pack some food..." the blonde mer said to him pulling the alluring brunette mer from his thoughts.

"Thank you, Ralph. I don't know if I could have gotten this far without you - by my side.." he said to his friend before settling down on the soft, sand that had settled in this little cavern they had happened upon and taking the cod that given to him, which tore apart and devoured in a inelegant manner, his sharp teeth making short work of the fish. It was peaceful the quietness that fell over Ralph and they ate, his friend it seemed was just as hungry as he was. The diet of a mer was varied but consisted primarily of fish, squid, cuttlefish as well as larger predators like sharks, whales and of course humans.

Their flesh was the most delicious and it was something Connor and his family had a good supply of - and although it had struck him as odd, he hadn't really given too much thought as to how his father had managed to acquire it. He would have to adapt to not having as much of that out here, away from his home and the support of his father but he couldn't go back - he just couldn't.

"Ralph wants you to know that Ralph will be here when you are ready to talk. Ralph can see you are upset, but Ralph is right here.." the blonde mer told with a blinding smile which even with the scarring to his face - held so much emotion and unwavering support.

"Thank you for understanding Ralph. I can't talk about it right, but soon maybe once we're in Jericho.," he replied before wrapping his arms around himself and taking a moment to steady himself. He could still feel the ghosting touches of his father on his skin and he fought the urge to scrub at his skin - with dead coral which the cavern they were in held some of.

"Ralph wants you to take a short rest. Ralph will keep watch.." his friend said in a quiet voice before carefully guiding Connor, into a bed of kelp that was nearby.

"Ralph will be right here.." his friend and although Connor didn't want to rest - he knew that his friend was right - and it wouldn't hurt to take a nap before they continued on. And so he curled himself into a ball and pulled some of the kelp around him and letting his eyes close and quickly succumbing to a slumber.

It hurt to see his friend like this, Connor and he had been the closest of friends, they were brothers in a sense and he did wonder what exactly what happened to cause Connor to do something this drastic. It was something bad and that was something he wished he could have helped with. But the king was someone that scared Ralph, unlike the Queen who had been so caring and kind - there was a darkness in Connor's father that his friend was blind to. But he was not. Quietly he took out the map once more, opening it and seeing that the pink glow hadn't faded, it actually seemed to be brighter.

Maybe perhaps because they were getting steadily closer and he glanced over the map trying to figure out their exact location - they were still in the somewhat familiar territory but soon they wouldn't be. There seemed to be somewhere near to where they were and if Ralph was correct it was somewhere, that had dolphins they could hire. And well it seemed strange that it was called "Hank's place" perhaps that was the name of the owner?

Folding the map away and carefully putting it back into the bag, Ralph glanced at the brunette crown prince, who seemed to rest peacefully enough and he decided to take this reprieve to craft something which would help hide the mark that identified Connor as a prince of the Kamski kingdom and look like an unassuming accessory. He knew that his friend didn't wear a lot of it, so he would keep it simple and elegant, and taking out the tools he began to work on a jeweled and shell decorated waist beads - with colors that would accent and compliment his friend's beauty.

He cared for Connor of course but only as a friend and he owed the other mer so much - as such he would do all that he could to assist the crown prince as needed.

--

Lucy's words had lingered in his thoughts as Simon and he had made their way back from the darkest reaches of Jericho and he nodded and acknowledged the many mer whom they passed as they navigated their way through Jericho’s many levels. He could tell Simon had been affected also, unlike the previous prophecies that had all come true - this one for some reason was important and perhaps because it pertained to Markus in particular.

"I'm glad to know you're not mad at me for helping Lucy, with her project.," Simon said causing him to pull from his thoughts and sending his friend a glance, as they swam up further in a slow, relaxed manner leaving them time to converse as needed.

"Of course I'm not, I think North is going to hold it against you, at least for a while though. But please know that I don't blame you for keeping it quiet, although I wish you had told me.."

It wasn't that Markus had felt betrayed far from it but he still wanted to be kept in the loop about everything that happened within Jericho. He was the leader of course and wanted to make sure everything and everyone lived as harmoniously as possible. Simon could sense that his friend was disappointed in him, in fact, he could feel it but he only had himself to blame for that. All of this would pass through and North, well that was not something he looked forward to having to deal with - but he was sure he could make her understand.

"I am sorry Markus, I was going to tell you about it though, I just needed to find the right moment and I know as of late you've been pre-occupied and worrying about things. I didn't think you needed any more of a burden put on your shoulders.." his friend said imploringly and Markus couldn't stay mad at Simon for that.

"That was thoughtful of you, but next time regardless I would like to know these things. I am curious though how exactly did she make the potion, I am not familiar with mer witchery and magick - I got a sense that it was very powerful and that glow.."

The blonde mer nodded, he had spent a lot of his time when he was free from the responsibilities of overseeing and making sure Jericho was thriving and he had taken a great interest in the art that Lucy practiced. It was fascinating to watch and he had learned a little himself but nowhere near to the same competency as Lucy - but the Siren had it in her blood, the affinity to that realm was closely tied to it. And so blood magick was something she primarily worked in.

"Its a mixture of her blood, and a various assortment of plants and fish organs and embed with a guiding spell and a death one..." Simon said quietly making sure to not have curious ears pick up on something which technically he shouldn't have given to Markus but he couldn't lie or hide anything from his friend. Markus' face was a picture and he wished there was a way to capture the sight of Markus going a bit green at the mention of the fact blood was being used.

"I wish I hadn't asked now.." Markus replied still feeling a little bit uncomfortable a knowing something which most probably a closely guarded secret. But he was happy to see that Simon had taken time and found a hobby.

"What do you think she meant with that prophecy...?" he asked the blonde mer as they carefully swam through the main area where many mer resided, in the small cabins that Jericho comprised of.

"I haven't the slightest idea Markus, but perhaps we need to maybe oversee any new people that come to Jericho, personally and go from there...?" Simon replied. He was just as confused and puzzled by Lucy's words as he was - but they need to let Josh and North know also. This was something important and if everyone was aware of it - then it would perhaps make figuring out who this "mer" was.

--

Connor let out a yawn and opened his eyes and he glanced around for a moment before realizing where he was and he felt the presence of Ralph close by which was a comfort. It had gotten a little darker, the sun now probably past its highest point just how long had he been sleeping? Unfurling with the graceful, alluring elegance that came naturally to Connor he made his way out of the kelp bed and swam to where Ralph was, his friend it seemed was closely focusing on something that looked like a long necklace - or belt that was beautifully decorated.

"Ralph hopes you slept well.." his friend said with a smile glancing up as he tied the beads off and cut the excess with a large, very sharp shark tooth, which he had fashioned into a knife, that he used too many things it was very utilitarian in that respect.

"I did think you, I feel a lot better. But how long was I asleep for and what did you make whilst I was, its very beautiful Ralph. I didn't know you made jewelry.." he told his friend as he let out a yawn and listened to his friend as the blonde mer spoke. "Ralph thinks you slept for at least four hours, yes Ralph made this for you - to disguise your royal mark. Ralph learned from the kind neighbour.."

Connor was surprised truly at the fact that Ralph had learned a skill in his spare time, and that made sense he hadn't really thought much about what his best friend did when they weren't spending time together. The blonde mer was always so thoughtful and the brunette knew that Ralph was the reason why he had made it this far. And it was good to know that even if his friend’s home life wasn’t the best, there were others who showed Ralph the love and affection all mer craved.

"It's beautiful truly Ralph, I wish I had something to give you in return and it gladdens me to know that you learned such a wonderful skill. It will no doubt be very useful in the future.." Connor replied and he hadn't really thought too far ahead. Once they were at Jericho though, he would be able to figure things out and maybe find help in helping him disappear forever. And when Ralph handed him the waist beads it carefully took them and carefully put it on, his figure thankfully was slender and lithe enough to ensure that was a perfect fit and that the seashell charm that was attached to it covered his mark and that also matched the rest of his jewelry ensemble.

"Ralph hopes that it will help later on. Ralph saw a place nearby on the map - Ralph thinks its a place that we can hire dolphins. Ralph knows its known on the map and to the locals as “Hank’s Place”. Ralph thinks that's a strange name it though.."

It would seem that during his nap, Ralph had taken the opportunity to look over the map and had taken initiative, something he was grateful for. There was so much that his friend and brother from another mother had done for him and he would ensure that Ralph he would return all of it tenfold.

"I’m sure we’ll find out why it is called that soon enough Ralph, you’ve done so much. But we've traveled some distance and it would It would make me feel at more ease - if you too took a short rest.," he told the blonde mer who took a moment to think about it before nodding in acquiesce to his request.

"Ralph will take a nap then..." his friend said reaffirming his agreement and making his way into the kelp bed that Connor had rested in earlier. Ralph it would seem was tired too and had fallen into a light sleep relatively fast and in that quiet moment, Connor took a moment to reflect on things.

They were still some distance beneath the surface of the ocean and although the area they were currently in wasn't as colourful as most reefs it was still very pretty and he felt the urge to reach his hand out and touch the surface of the ocean, doing so would mean leaving Ralph unguarded though and he didn't want to so that, and his soulful brown eyes landed on the bracelet, the matching set that was still on his wrists. A gift from his father and he hurriedly pulled them off and threw them some distance away in an uncaring fashion.

They were something he had been given on his thirteenth nameday, and he remembered that day with fondness. His father had told him that they were made specially, just for him. By a close and dear friend of his, someone he hadn't ever met or heard of until now but if it was his father’s friend, they meant well and the bracelets were truly very beautiful and matched his aesthetic beautifully. “You are my dearest treasure...”  was what his father had said when he had put them both on and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

He felt himself gag but he made sure to do so quietly as the memory came flooding back and he had at that moment enjoyed his father’s affections. The bracelets were supposedly enchanted to ensure he would always be safe and protected. But for it to work his father would need to kiss both bracelets wanted to forget now, he didn't want anything to remind him of his father...

[douglashonorscollege]

A Fluid Perspective

short story by Noah Christy  ⌂

Let's hope the water isn’t too choppy around the cape” an old man with olive skin and stark white hair turned to a young boy, “Listo?” He said. The gangly young boy ducked into the cabin of a small silver fishing boat as it taxied out of a marina. “Ready!” Smiled the boy. The engines kicked on and the small boat, probably ten meters from bow to stern, set off towards the mouth of the bay. They passed the rest of town along the coast, small brightly colored houses dotted the coast, and other, much larger boats, navigated near the harbor. The boat pushed past the town and other vessels until it was surrounded by pristine coastal forest to its sides and a view of the endless ocean in front. Wonderstruck The boy gazed out the windows at the expanding ocean, it was a dreary day. “The rain will slow down the wind, and hopefully make our ride a little smoother,” said the man. The boy nodded, “You think there will be more fish in the next bay over?” “Si” the man responded. It took the pair almost an hour to reach the mouth of the bay, where they planned to hug the cape and enter the next bay over. The boy had been fishing before, not nearly as long as the lifetime of fishing the man had done, but he had fished. Yet, the boy never could shake his excitement at seeing the immensity of the sea. As the boat crossed the cape, the boy shifted to look out at the open waters. He could see nothing but wind-whipped waves and an eternal horizon. Yet he dreamed of the world just underneath the surface, vibrant, frigid, and totally free. He was secretly glad the fishing had been so bad this season because it meant he could venture further out, and see more. 

After passing the cape, the boy peered into the new fjord. Hugged by mountains the water led straight to a diminutive glacier, whose visible recession was a painful reminder of how much these ice mountains had diminished since he was a child. He wondered what they must have looked like when the old man was a child. The boy gazed upon the bay with awe, seeing a whale breach, watching the seagulls flock to their Cliffside nests. They passed a river opening, where massive bears hunted the returning schools of salmon. Every once and awhile he’d spot a wandering moose, grazing on spruce trees. He had seen all of these things plenty of times but watched as intently as someone who didn’t want to miss it. The sheer magnitude of the bay astounded the boy. As the boat passed the across the bay, underneath them deep in the frigid waters of south-central Alaska, fathoms below the surface a rockfish at the bottom of the fjord sat in stillness. 

It watched as the plethora of diverse creatures that call this bay their home passed. Gigantic crabs patrolled the ocean floor picking off shrimp, and other small creatures. A massive octopus scoured the kelp groves in the distance. Alongside those yearlong denizens, the summer months brought new life to the bay. The days were long and the nights almost non-existent. The change in light and waters meant the return of the bay’s seasonal visitor. The songs of a lone whale filled the water as it fed on krill and phytoplankton. Overhead the tide brought in massive schools of salmon, returning to their ancestral home to give life to the next generation. Their silver scales exponentially reflecting the dim sunlight that pierced through the silty waters. A brilliant orchestra of color like shining silver clouds followed the current inward. 

The beauty of this oceanic ecosystem was of no note to the rockfish who only noted how sparse the bay seemed this season. It assumed warming waters would attract more summer visitors to the bay, but the warm water had decimated the local phytoplankton population. It hadn’t hunted those translucence autotrophs since it was juvenile, but their disappearance had been followed by waves of scarcity. The plankton was the backbone of the bay and with less of them, meant less of everything. The consequences of which meant the rockfish needed to hunt even more, and worry about others who needed to do the same. It watched patiently as prey fall to predator, awaiting his turn. After some time lurking in the deep and not finding shrimp or another crustacean to feed on, it swam upward towards the almost heavenly shine of the salmon to look for food. The salmon passively floated with the tide up the bay, picking off herring in preparation for a long journey none of them had ever made, but all knew. 

The rockfish neared the school and spotted one herring beneath the mob of salmon. It seemed to be hurt, keeping its speed away from the rockfish but maintained an almost lifeless cadence. The rockfish pursued the injured herring, whose slow and circular movement was typical of an injured fish. Following behind and below, the rockfish crept through the glacial silt-filled waters of the inlet. It hadn’t eaten today and was unperturbed by the other movements it noticed on the oceans’ floor. It gently stalked the bleeding herring, until out of its periphery it sensed movement at the floor beneath it. Below and to the left, two eyes opened from the sand. The rockfish immediately began to consider its hunt. Another rockfish? A crab? The octopus? It knows the Bay's underpopulation has lead to more aggressive and innovative hunting tactics. Just at that moment, the pair of eyes blinked as a cloud of sand erupted from the area. The rockfish could sense the danger, and knew it must make a decision. It lunged for the injured herring. Its mouth expanded and shot out, engulfing the entire fish. There was a sharp pain as its mouth was pierced in two places. As the rockfish struck the herring, a massive halibut emerged from the sand-screen. It's long, flat, and wide body-colored camouflage on the side where its eyes were located, and stark white on the opposite side. It was a behemoth of a fish, two meters long and at least one hundred and fifty kilos. It lifted its body from underneath the ocean floor and with two violent, precise convulsions propelled itself inches away from the rockfish.

The rockfish saw the opening maw of the gigantic halibut and jerked away to the right. Immediately it started rising up the water, glad it had escaped its ambush and certain demise. Hurt and bewildered at what strange force yanked it to safety, it tugged again to the right, nothing. It continued to lash left, right, down, up, forward, back. Any direction to free itself of whatever’s grip so mechanically controlled it, all to no avail. Was this the force that had been killing all of the phytoplankton? It thought. The rockfish rose through the school of salmon, the reflecting light was blinding. As it rose and rose the light grew brighter, its eyes ached and its stomach felt as if it was going to explode. Never before had it experienced such an attack on the senses. The blinding inhospitable light coupled with the most indescribable, uncomfortable, and unnatural internal sensation moved it into an even more primal fear. It lashed, trying to break free from whatever invisible creature had it gripped. Each jolt only exacerbated the pain derived from the deep gouges in its mouth. As it fought for its life, the light got even brighter, and brighter, and brighter. Almost blinded, the rockfish breached the water's surface. 

“Cheeeehoooooo!!” Screamed a boy from a small boat some 10 meters away. A cold wind pierced through the injured rockfish, whose unvented swim bladder had expanded through its mouth. Dazed and confused it floated near the water's surface. Its eyes burnt from the piercing light as it saw a myriad of strange, grotesque creatures meandering about. A thin line now reflected the sunlight, connected the hooks in the fish's mouth, to a rod at the end of the small boat. It had never seen anything so reflective, the hull of the boat seemed like another sun to the rockfish. From the other side of the boat, an old man appeared and spoke out to the boy “Pues, es muy pequeño. ¿Quieres devolverlo?” The boy reeled the fish in closer and peered at the seemingly mutated creature. The rockfish convulsed, trying to run water through its gills. How can these creatures could hold their breath so easily it wondered.“Pienso que si” said the boy “¿Podrías mostrarme cómo soltarlo?” The man walked over and began showing the boy something on his fishing rod. The rockfish floated on the surface of the water, the thin veil shielding its world from one it had never seen before. The sounds of seagulls patrolling the air above and water adjacent created a cacophony of calls. It noted these avian aliens, with their long feather fins they were able to swim like the rockfish, but looked so different when they did it. The rockfish stared at a world of strange creatures that had no scales and no fins. It assumed the men to be some form of crustacean, given their long skinny appendages. But they moved so quickly? What were they floating on, and why were they on top of it? The rockfish wondered what they were doing in there, it wondered what creatures this alien even eat. It wondered if these were the creatures hunting all of the phytoplankton.

An inch from its life, it remained in limbo for what felt like an eternity as the young boy fumbled over his lines. The fish drew nearer and nearer to the boat until the boy grabbed it. “Well, here’s hoping I don’t fuck this up” he whispered to himself as he reached into the rockfish’s mouth. The boy's hands felt warm, and soft to the rockfish, unlike anything it had felt before. The battered fish felt the boy’s strange fleshy fingers painful dislodged something and pull out a small, sharp hook. It lashed out in pain, and with its very last ounce of life, it flailed and dislodged the other hook. It slipped from the boy's hands and fell back to the surface of the water, away from the boy “dammit!” He yelled. The rockfish started floating away from the boy, still unable to break the surface of the water because of its ballooned swim bladder. It laid there, having escaped these exotic predators, but lost as to what it could do now. It remembered the metallic clouds of salmon, the silver schools fight against the utter scarcity of the bay.

Within seconds of its escape, the rockfish heard a crystal clear call. The sound traveled slower, but it was sharp and short. It almost reminded it of the serene whale songs it had been listening to only moments ago. The seagulls that had been surrounding the floating rockfish quickly evacuated the vicinity. The rockfish saw their feathers fall, left behind on the water. It laid there perplexed by the strange waste these creatures had left, and why they were floating like the rockfish. A sharp shadow engulfed the fish as a bald eagle, bigger than both the humans descended on it. Its dagger-like talons pierced the rockfish’s body. Blood spurted from the laceration and stained the white feathers floating atop the water with a streak of deep crimson. The fish convulsed, but the tension was almost instantly followed by a deep calm that overcame it. Almost effortlessly, the eagle lifted the fish flying higher and higher towards the forested mountains of the fjord. The wind whipped the rockfish as it saw the bay getting smaller and smaller. It wondered if the phytoplankton, and the consequence of their disappearance. It hoped its disappearance would have no such effect. But before all faded to black, the rockfish saw the entirety of the bay. It saw the humans watching the grand eagle make its departure. It noted the lonely whale breach. It surveyed the verdant mountains and the aliens that resided there. 10-foot grizzly bears, snatching silver salmon out of the air as if catching metallic clouds. It saw moose patrolling the rain-soaked forest. With its dying breath, it saw that the water it called its home brought life to every animal it could see. It seemed delicate, each conscious creature dancing on a thin line between hunter and hunted. It saw the majesty of its home, and the interconnectedness of all the creatures it once thought so alien. ∎

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