fearlessly | mermaid: the squeakquel

mermaid: the squeakquel

[ things have not gone well for alisaie, since the day she saved the boy.

truthfully, things had not been going well for her before then, either, or for as long as she could remember. she did not fit in amongst her peoples, who hid deep beneath the waves. the surface was expressly, strictly forbidden, and for very good reason - the hyur who lived on the lands, the dominant species, are powerful, violent, and untrustworthy, vicious monsters that kill on sight.. or so the stories said. many thousands of years ago, long before the memories of even their most ancient elders, sahagin once thrived, spread across the seas, and the hyur were not unknown to them then. tales say that they once worked together, or at least tolerated one another, until the great hunt began, and while the two-leggeds were powerless in the water, they had great strength in their enormous wooden whales and weapons and vast, endless numbers.

no one can remember how it began, but nevertheless it was not a war, it was a massacre, and what was left of her people fled deep, deep beneath the waves where the weapons could not reach and the hyur could not swim, and it is here that they have remained ever since, rebuilding, surviving, yet still their numbers are so very few in comparison with the vast kingdoms they once kept. the hyur, it seems, have long forgotten them, and as far as her lord father is concerned, that is for the best. keeping away from the surface, away from the two-legged, was the only way to keep themselves safe. alisaie had disagreed.

she knows now that she had been foolish, and naive.

it is not so uncommon for rebellious youths to swim up to the sun, but even the most brazen of sahagin do not venture near to the shorelines. the hyur still swim, still sail in their great whales now built of unforgiving iron and steel, and the few sahagin who have swam higher have always been met with severe punishment. alisaie was a brazen youth, too, and far too stubborn and foolish for her own good. no threat or punishment could keep her away, and when her father found out that she had saved a young hyur boy from drowning, tangled in kelp, his wrath had been a terror to behold.

still she had not learned. she wishes now that she had. but the more they tried to to tighten their hold on her, the more they lost control, and alisaie's rebellious spirit had become her undoing. she had believed, truly believed that the stories could not be entirely true. so much drifts beneath the waves, little tokens of the civilization that they once knew, and so few of them are weapons, or danger. alisaie had found strange metal items, she had found adornments and pictures, bright toys, innumerable things she cannot know the use of, she has studied them, found fascination in them - surely like her own people, the hyur cannot all be so vicious. the drowning boy had looked so.. small, so soft, and afraid, and even these many years later she still remembers his eyes. they had not seemed so dangerous.

she was naive, her father said, before he trapped her in her chambers. she was a danger to all of them, revealing herself even to a child hyur, she puts them all in peril by drawing so near to she shores. she had hated him then, for his closed mind, for how he tried to control her.

now she wishes she had listened. the iron whales had coasted directly over their home that day, and brought with them a cacophany of great noise and flashing lights - the booming of cannons shook the firmament, and the fires rained bitter ash into the waters below. the hyur were fighting one another in a spectacular, horrifying display, and she had not been able to keep away. what a fool she had been. they caught her in their unforgiving nets, and since that day she has known only terror, and fury, and deep, full, unrelenting regret. her father had been right.

she cannot know how long they have kept her. many years, now. she is held somewhere dark, somewhere cold, and they are always watching her, studying her, scraping her scales and plucking her hairs and fins, stealing her blood. they speak to her, and for many years she does not understand, but in time their language becomes a puzzle for her to unravel, even if she does not understand the purpose of all of their words. what else does she have to do to keep herself occupied but to listen to them? there is nothing else to keep her mind from dissolving. when they discover that she can speak their words they are quick to teach her more, to share their language; they are cruel, but they are curious, and though she had been quite certain that they would take her life, they have not killed her.

sometimes she wishes they would. she has long ago lost all sense of the passage of time, and any hope that she would ever swim freely again. at first she would fight them with her teeth and claws and powerful tail, but soon they learned, tainting her waters with something that tasted sweet and sharp, that kept her drowsy. after a time, the hyur stop coming, only one or two remain to observe her, to keep her fed, and alive. she will die here, in this hole in the earth, in this cramped tank, in this water that tastes like rust. she should have listened to her family.

so it comes as a great surprise when more hyur come, one day, when they drag her from her pool and into a small, cramped tank that barely fits her, and haul her away from the hole in the ground and up to the bright, searing sun. alisaie hisses and spits, slamming her body against the glass walls, but the sweet, sharp taste comes again, she is sedated, and a dark cloth is draped over her tank.

she is groggy still when, many hours later, after a long rumbling and swaying, the cloth is swept away and the bright sunlight streams in again. alisaie cannot see clearly, but there is.. a man before her, a man she has never seen before, adorned in dark cloth, his eyes hard but not unkind, not critical like the eyes of the hyur who had kept her before, and when they sweep over her she feels.. seen in a strange way she cannot entirely parse. behind the man are four others, younger, and behind them a vast staircase leading to a great, shining building.

she's so tired..

through the thick glass their voices seem dull and distant, but she hears words - gift, and lucis, mermaid and peace and keep. she will look better soon, they say, she is dull from the stress of travel, and soon her pale scales will shine pearly white and lush pink again, her torn fins will mend, she will be beautiful, a sparkling, priceless gem worthy of a king. there is no other like her. her head pounds, and her eyes are bleary. in time, the man in dark cloth draws near to the glass, and his piercing eyes find her, see her again, and when he speaks she knows that he is speaking to her, and no one else.

You will be safe here. I will give you all that is in my power to give. I'm sorry.

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[ Damn, though, even if she's slowing down, she sure did put a dent into the plate he brought for her. But he almost doesn't notice that, because he's more caught up in how much her demeanor has shifted. She doesn't look exactly...friendly, no, but she does look less like she wants to shank him, so, that's something. ]

Oh, uh, a buddy is a friend! D'you know...what friends are? Do they got friends under the sea? Like, singing crabs and all that?

[ What, it's a reasonable question!!! ]

And...I dunno, what do you like to do for fun? Besides read, I mean.

[ friend. right. she knows that word.. somewhat. it, also, was not commonly used by the imperials, but used much more than "buddy" for sure. ]

Singing.. crabs?

[ she's looking at him like he has three heads.. THIS AIN'T THE LITTLE MERMAID, BOY, SHE WILL EVISCERATE U IN WAYS ARIEL NEVER WOULD..

maybe she just mistranslated him... anyway, for fun?? it's been a long time since alisaie did anything even remotely.. fun. her expression falls a little, her gaze distant as she thinks, tries to remember her life before all of this. ]

I enjoyed.. the waves.

[ mermaid surfing!! ]

[ well no wonder she got captured if she's out surfing the waves

That might not be the answer that Prompto would have expected, but then again, it's not like he knows a lot about what mermaids do in their spare time. Like, she can't read...books, can she? Maybe they have seaweed books or something. But ever since she got here, she's mostly just been swimming around and lurking. He still knows so little about who she is.

And there's not a clear way for him to make her surfing the waves again possible, but the wheels in his head are already turning... ]

Yeah? Wonder if there's a way to create waves in this water...like at the pool!

[ Wave pools!!! Sure, it's not the same as the ocean, but it'd be something. ]

[ she thinks for a moment, takes another cookie, and then slips back into the water to swim a little nearer to him. only a little. there's still quite a bit of space between them, but not she can at least peer into his face a bit more easily. ]

The pool?

[ she knows what a pool is in the.. literal sense. a pool of water. but it sounds like he is referring to something specific. ]

[ ...Right, she isn't gonna know what a pool is, huh. At least, not the way he means it. Fortunately, unlike baking, this one is a little easier to explain. ]

The pool! It's a place humans go to swim that's, uh, a little more regulated than the ocean. Like, the water's always warm, and clean, and sometimes they have machines that can create waves in 'em.

[ Does she see where he's going with this?? ]

[ for all she has learned, she knows very little about a hyur's.. recreational habits. she knows their language, their mannerisms, and plenty now about their cruel sciences, but few enough of the technicians ever spoke about their personal lives. so she knows what machines are, but not the function of a pool.

it seems they do it.. for fun? hyur would often swim in the oceans - it is how she had first found him, after all - but she cannot understand why. they're not aquatic!! ]

Why do hyur.. swim? You are land mammals.

[ it's not like she goes for strolls on the earth.. though okay, she might have, if she could. ]

[ You mean Alisaie doesn't want legs for jumping and dancing?? Ariel would be so disappoint. But I guess this is not really a Little Mermaid AU...tho someday... ]

Just, you know, for fun! It's good exercise, keeps you fit, and...yeah. It's just a lot of fun, swimmin' around in the water. Even if we don't have fins.

[ She seems to enjoy it plenty herself, though he certainly can't swim anywhere near as good as she can. No human could. She's a sight to behold when she cuts through the water like a torpedo. ]

[ i mean she could probably be into it sure but she never really thought about it?? swimming is just so much better. its like being able to fly except only in the wet.

as near to him now as she dares to approach, alisaie leans into a closer rock, her tail swishing languidly in the water behind her. ]

But you are so bad at it.

[ no offense......... u humans just kind of flail around in the water like distressed seals. ]

[ He doesn't fail to notice how close she's dared to swim, and the closer she nears him, the more he's afraid to move, as if one small move might startle her away. Or convince her to pin him to the ground like she had that first day he'd visited her. But that...must be a good sign, right? She is at least curious enough about what he has to say to draw a little nearer, and he can only see that as a step forward.

Her remark makes him burst out with laughter, though, sooo hopefully that's not too alarming! ]

Heh, I'm sure we look super bad at it compared with what you're used to! But still. It's fun.

[ See, even humans can get behind swimming! ]

[ it is definitely a little alarming.. not because it's a laugh, because she knows what laughter is, but it is so sudden and explosive that it startles an already edgy mermaid, and she leaps back immediately into the water again, behind the rock, peering up over the edge of the stone at him.

oh. he was just laughing. but she's easily spooked!! ]

I.. I see..

[ ahem. she flushes pink in mild embarrassment, and leans into the rock again. ]

Well, it is strange. And dangerous.

[ lest he forget he nearly drowned!! ]

[ Oh, oops...look, he has a boisterous laugh, he can't help it!!! It's also a little amusing when she skitters away, but he makes a modest attempt to smother that one at least. They haven't quite reached the "teasing" phase yet. ]

Yeah, tell me about it! If it weren't for you, I would'a died because I tried to swim. But I guess...have you ever wanted to know what it was like to run on the ground, or fly in the sky?

[ Maybe it's strange, and maybe humans aren't very good at it, but they can't help but want to try something that doesn't come easy to them. ]

I suppose I am curious, but..

[ she's ariel, after all, which means she wants to be where the people are, but she also loves the sea. it's vast, so, so, so much bigger than every landmass combined, there's an infinite space of caves and reefs and trenches to explore, far more than she could ever see in a lifetime. the ocean feels like.. freedom. ]

But swimming is just as flying, in the water, is it not?

[ there is nowhere she cannot reach beneath the surface, and swimming feels weightless and liberating. this tank might be a prison, but even having this much space has felt incredible, to be able to stretch her body and swim in broad, open circles.. she feels alive again. ]

[ He chuckles again, though much more quietly this time!! Lest he startle her away again. ]

Guess so. Aaaand neither are things humans are really good at, but that doesn't stop us from trying.

[ Humans do a lot of things that they might not be good at, but still want to try. With mixed results, sure, but Prompto is an optimist. He likes to think that they wouldn't be where they are today if people hadn't taken risks along the way. ]

Yes, you certainly are an.... ambitious sort.

[ she says, almost darkly, her gaze distant and turned aside. so far as she sees it, their ambition is a double-edged sword, and not something she is particularly fond of. it built them great cities, but it is also the reason they took her, how they were able to torment her, and keep her against her will. alisaie is not terribly keen on the ambition of mankind..

but.. well, she won't say that he is different, because in truth she does not know that yet. not really. alisaie was never the sort to trust too easily even before her life was turned upside down, but now it is even thinner. so no, she does not trust him, but.. just as all sahagin are not alike, she must admit that mayhaps not all hyur are, either. mayhaps he is different. mayhaps he is not. but for now he is pleasant, and kind, and generous.

she sighs. ]

I do hope you have gotten better, at least.

[ i mean he's still alive after all, hasn't drowned yet. ]

[ Is she...teasing him...is that what's happening right now?? But her question is valid, too. He did kind of sort of almost die because he was a bad swimmer, and he's only here right now because of her, so...

Still, his smile is amused when he responds, tilting his head to the side as he glances at her. ]

Eh, enough to get by. I stay away from the kelp nowadays, though.

[ Good swimmer or not, anyone could get tangled up in those! ]

I'm more of a runner myself, though.

Hmm..

[ she was sort of teasing him before, but not really. now, though.. she narrows her eyes, peering at him carefully. ]

You fancy yourself quick, then?

[ Heh, he sure is quick, wink wonk...

He has no idea where she's going with this, it's not exactly like they can race head-to-head...so why does it sound like she's sizing him up? ]

Er, yeah...I'd say I'm pretty quick! I wasn't on the high school track team for nothin'!

[ Bragging rights........ ]

[ being quick in a wink wonk way isn't something to be proud of, prompto......

anyway, she's definitely sizing him up, her eyes moving up and down his body, taking his measure. he can't possibly be that fast with those two clunky legs, she's never seen hyur move very fast at all. but he is so boastful!! alisaie narrows her eyes. ]

I do not know what a high school track team is or why you would be on it, but you do not look very fast to me.

[ slipping back into the water, alisaie flicks her tail. ]

Shall we put it to the test?

[ His expression narrows thoughtfully as his gaze follows the flick of her tail. ]

What exactly did you have in mind?

[ Because if she wants something head to head, he already knows he's gonna lose that! She can swim way faster than he can run. But he still might go for it, just to keep her engaged. He's not about to turn down one of her ideas. It might not exactly be her warming up to him, but it's...something.

Besides, he's a competitive sort, he can't help but want to take her on. ]

[ she is also definitely competitive, and it has been a long time since she has been able to indulge such a feeling. ]

A race, of course.

[ how else to find who is the speedy one?? but she doesn't expect prompto to swim, of course, because that wouldn't be a competition any more than her flopping around on land might be a competition to him. it would just be a slaughter, and that's no fun, really. she points downward. ]

Go to the window.

[ the large viewing window at the bottom of her tank, that is. it's enormous, and he should be able to run alongside her with relative ease. ]

Should you be up to the task.

[ Oh...now he's starting to pick up what she's putting down. She'll probably still slaughter him, but at least they have a decent way to go head to head down there. His grin slanting, he nods and hops to his feet, clapping his hands together. ]

Alright, alright! You're on. What're the stakes? Or are we just racin' over bragging rights?

[ If this were a romcom, it would be for a smooch, but he is definitely not about to suggest that. For him just a "hello" would be more than enough... ]

[ this is the first she has felt anything like fun in so long that the feeling is almost foreign, tickling her belly. alisaie's eyes narrow, and he'll never know what the stakes are, because without another word she's diving beneath the surface, swimming hard to the bottom of the tank.

bye, sucker!! ]

[ Wow, excuse, him???? What a cheater! If she wins, he's totally blaming it on this, she's given him the perfect excuse. But Prompto does not remain there dumbfounded for long — quick as his name, he bolts, making for the stairway and running down them as fast as his legs will carry him, glancing at the tank every now and again to discern her position.

How far ahead of him is she?? ]

[ lucky for him she's not a dirty cheater!! alisaie is simply waiting at the bottom of the tank, swimming slow circles while he gets his slow human legs down the stairs, and once she spots him she gestures for him to follow, then begins swimming toward one edge of the tank, where the viewing window begins.

this seems a fair enough place to start from. if he ever gets here, that is!! prompto huh, more like slowto!! ]

[ O........Prompto (and me) definitely thought she was trying to get a head-start. What will his excuse be when he loses now?!

She won't be waiting much longer, though, as he arrives just a few moments later on his side of the viewing window. Running down here was a mistake, he's already a little out of breath...but it's fine!! He's made of pretty stern stuff when it comes to running.

He meets her gaze through the glass and offers a nod. He's ready when she is! ]

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