{"sf1_id":972452,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 67","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":10972,"posted_at":"2016-03-05T08:04:00.000Z","tags":["Gay","Mermaid","Narwhal","Otter","Romance","Squid","Story Progression","Turtle","fish","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/972452-aquata-cove-chapter-67","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/972452","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=972452\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Aquata\nCove\nChapter 67:\nHomecoming\nArnaav quivers\nas he holds onto the Capricorn, on his own. His little heart is going insane in\nhis chest, beating a mile a minute as they move through the ocean.\nHe shouldn't\nbe doing this. The mark on his left chest symbolizes his betrayal, why would\nthey insist that he leaves? What if something happens? What are they going to\ndo once they see him?\nHe eeps as he\nsignals ahead, hearing a collection of voices from the distance. His body is\nheavy with fear and suspense. He wishes that he can just turn back, he\nshouldn't have to endure the ranting he is about to receive.\nMoments later,\nArnaav can hear the school of otter merfolk before him. He huffs and whimpers\nas the Capricorn slows down, still shaking to the point of vibration as he\nrises up. He huffs and whimpers as he sees a large white, furry mass at the\nfront of the pod, along with a female otter mermaid by his side.\nHis throat\nclenches as he rises up, and gives a very timid call. He gasps a little as he sees\nthe pod slow down, if only slightly. He gives another faltering call out to\nthem, and turns the head of the large Triton at the front.\nTriton Bertone\ngaps as he sees the tiny boy floating there, alone, looking very terrified just\nto be there. \"My boy...\" He mutters. Bertone immediately pushes his mighty arms\nto launch forth towards Arnaav.\nArnaav squeaks\nin fear as Bertone paddles swiftly to him, shaking with terror before those\nhuge arms grab him tightly. He grunts as he is forced into the polar bear\nmerman's big, fluffy body. Arnaav wriggles against him, and moves into a more\nsuitable position as he feels his father hold him tightly.\n\"F-Father,\"\nHe grunts as he tries to talk, \"I-I-\"\n\"I am so happy\nyou are back...\" Bertone whimpers. Arnaav's trembling starts to ease as puts his\nsmall paws onto the bear's chest, \"I have missed you so much...\"\n\"Y-You\nmean...\" Arnaav looks up with emotional eyes, \"You do not hate me?\"\n\"Mnnhh!\"\nBertone hugs tighter as he shook his head.\n\"We were never\nangry, Arnaav,\" Noita Rayette says she comes around, and gently caresses the\nboy, \"You are back, if only for a little while... We have always loved you...\"\nArnaav\nsniffles as he reaches an arm out, and feels his mother's touch. Bertone huffs\nwith emotion as he opens one arm up, and allow the Noita to come in closer.\nAdra Aricio swims around, and puts her arms in as well.\nArnaav purrs\nlowly as he snuggles in the crowded embrace, moaning in contentment as the fear\nmelts away inside him.\n-Almost 2\nYears Later-\nA large,\nunsuspecting flounder hovers by along the reef. Its body casually hovers along\nthe sand as it moves peacefully, minding its own business.\nIts body halts\nas its wavering fins slow for a moment, sensing a slight disturbance in its\nvicinity, like a wave of invisible prickling from all around.\nIn a flash of\na moment, a brown and cream blur hurls forth in a rapid wheel of motion! The flounder\nopens its small fins JUST before a pair of blades sink into it! At the hands of\nan otter merman as he grinned deviously at the kill, his tail moving to and fro\nwith suppressed excitement.\nArnaav removes\nthe ornate dagger from the flounder's carcass, while keeping the survival knife\nimpaled into it. He swims back to the ascending Piscien hiding under a large\nstone.\n\"That was a\ngood kill,\" Merrick commented as his protégé presents his prey to him, \"One-hit\nstrike, very decisive and precise.\" He observed that the flounder has not moved\nat all since Arnaav killed it, \"You are still sending one too many signals than\nyou need. At the last moment, it sensed that you were near.\"\n\"I am\nbeginning to understand what you say about knowing the prey's next movement,\"\nArnaav told him, \"The way it was moving its fins and tentacles, I was almost\nsure of where it was going to go, as if I can see into the future!\"\nMerrick\nchuckled as he scratched the otter's fuzzy head, \"Not quite. Intuition is not\nthe same as psychic. You are coming into your talents nicely, now that your\nFather has been able to instruct you when you see him.\"\n\"Yes, that is\nbecause he did not yell at me at each lesson!\" Arnaav stuck his tongue at\nMerrick.\n\"Oh, lay off,\nArnaav,\" Merrick tapped the young one's nose, \"I haven't yelled at you in\nyears, and I stopped soon enough. Besides, my own Father was the one who was\nharsh on me. My first kill was that of a swordfish, and that was when I was\nyounger than you.\"\n\"Hanngh,\"\nArnaav nipped at Merrick's hand with his mouth, before they chuckled and\nturned.\n\"Come.\nLet us return to the pod. I am wondering if it is time for me to return home\nyet.\"\n\"Hrrmm...\"\nArnaav's ears lowered as he murred sadly as they loomed forward towards the pod\nwhile Arnaav nibbles on his lunch. Moments later, they meet with the band of\nCoshitons, resting for a moment before continuing on to their travels.\nNoita Vanora\nhas her hands upon Deilan's head, her eyes closed as she feels his energy and\nstamina, reading into his body and analyzing his very being while her fingers\nradiate with abundant power.\nFinally, she\nopens her eyes and addresses the squid merman before her, \"You are not yet\nready, Deilan. I advise 2 more moons before returning to the land.\"\n\"Confound\nit...\" Deilan scowled.\n\"My turn!\"\nSyrinx says as she paddles up. Vanora places her hands upon Syrinx's temples,\nand began to feel her soul's aura as well. In a few moments, the Noita removes\nher hands gently from her.\n\"You are\nready, Syrinx.\" Vanora informed her.\n\"Wonderful!\"\nSyrinx rejoiced. Merrick's heart pounds as he swims up to Vanora.\n\"And me?\"\n\"Come.\" Vanora\nfeels Merrick's head, like the others, and reads into his aura. She winces\nslightly as she delves into his being - even after as much personal growth he's\nhad, the scars of his heart are still painstakingly obvious.\nVanora takes a\nfew more seconds, before opening her eyes, \"You are barely ready. But I would\nwager you would leave regardless if you were completely recovered or not.\"\n\"I need\nto be with my mate,\" Merrick smiled, \"What can I say?\"\n\"This is only\nyour second occupation in the pod, Merrick,\" Samudra smirks, \"So eager to live\non the land, you must truly yearn for your human.\"\n\"I am.\"\nMerrick nods, \"I almost cannot stop thinking about him the whole I am here.\"\nTriton Samudra\nchuckles before he sends a couple of signals, calling a Capricorn to drift\nalong to him, \"It is convenient that the both of you live on the same isle of\nland,\" He tells Syrinx and Merrick, indicating that they are to share a ride,\nso to speak.\n\"Yes.\"\nSyrinx nods, \"I am ready-\"\n\"Wait!\" Arnaav\npipes up. Eyes turn to the young otter, as he floats there, now looking shy and\nawkward.\n\"What is\nthe matter?\" Merrick asked curiously.\n\"I... Um...\"\nHe looks up with pleading eyes, \"T-Take me with you... Please?\"\nThe\nmembers of the pod gapped at Arnaav from his request.\n\"You...\nWant to come with us?\" Merrick asked, \"To the human world?\"\n\"P-Please,\nMerrick...\" He begged softly, \"I missed you so much when you left the first time...\nI felt so lonely without you...\" He whimpers as he looks up with those big,\norb-like eyes.\n\"Arnaav, an\naverage merfolk cannot last for more than 14 suns upon land, let alone as young\nas you are.\" Merrick says, \"I am going to be gone for a lot of moons.\"\n\"I do not\ncare!\" He says, \"Please do not leave me behind!\" He begged.\n\"What do\nyou think?\" Merrick asked the Triton.\n\"It is his\ndecision,\" Samudra says, \"He knows the limits. Or else you can appeal to the\nForbidden Ancient, if she might know a way to allow him to remain on land\nlonger.\"\n\"Even with the\nscales she makes for me, that doesn't make me any more resistant to the call of\nthe sea than I already am.\" Merrick said.\n\"Pleeeaase,\nMerrick, pleeeaase,\" Arnaav begs. Merrick smiles as he chuckles.\n\"Alright,\nyes. You may come.\"\n\"Yay!\" Arnaav\nraces up to Merrick and hugs him tightly. He hugs him back before the three of\nthem take a hold of the Capricorn, and wave goodbye as they start to leave the\nKenovani.\n\"He truly is\npushing himself too far sometimes,\" Vanora said, \"Deilan and Syrinx aren't\nnearly as impatient as he is.\"\n\"From what he\ntells me of humans and their opinion on same-gender love, I can hardly blame\nhim.\" Samudra says.\n\"How do\nyou mean?\"\n\"Men who love\nother men as mates, as Merrick tells me, are held as taboo amongst humans.\" He\nexplained, \"Males who are attracted to females have little to fear when they\nare together where all can see. But males who mate with males, and conversely...\"\nHe glances to a pair of mermaids of the Kenovoni - one has the Forbidden Love\nsymbol on her stomach, and the other has the symbol on her left shoulder, mated\nto each other, \"Females who are mated with females as well. They cannot show\nthemselves so openly to other humans.\"\n\"It is true,\"\nVanora says, \"The more you hide something, the more it will want to come out.\"\nShe sighs as she watches the three young merfolk riding the Capricorn ride into\nthe ocean, \"Given that, is it any wonder why Merrick feels so drawn away then.\"\nThe trio holds\ntightly onto the aquatic goat as it slowly races across the sea - while it\nseems and feels as if it is moving gradually, the three merfolk notice that\nthey are moving faster than it looks. They watch up above as a colossal whale\ncalls its haunting melody while they move through the open space of the ocean. \nThe Capricorn\nguides them through a roaming school of Hippocampi as their flippers gallop in\nthe water. Arnaav laughs in wonder as he reaches up to pet one of the\nhorse-like fish, feeling very excited as he feels along the very colorful flesh\n- so smooth, yet so very scaled with a small mail of shiny specs.\nAfter what\nfeels like an hour of no doubt probably half of a day from traveling through\nthe ocean, Merrick smiles with excitement, as he can taste the familiar waters\nof Hawaii, as well as his own sense of balance and perception of time and\nsurroundings shifting in his head as he can feel the Capricorn coming to a\nstop.\nSyrinx turns\nher head as something catches her peripheral vision, before her eyes widen with\na gasp.\n\"I think I\nknow the way from here,\" Merrick says, as he takes a moment to stretch his arms\n- the altered perception of time is now messing with his body and mind. Arnaav\nyawned as he started to float up, \"Syrinx, you-\"\n\"Merrick look\nthere,\" Syrinx nudged him. Merrick turns his face to look, and feel his insides\ntighten up.\nThere,\nfloating a fair distance away, shimmering white from her veil-like fins that\ndrape and waft around her body. Long tendrils of thin membranes drift from her\nhead while her long tail billows gracefully down like a giant, angelic beta\nfish. Her platinum eyes look upon the three merfolk as they gaze at her, alone\n- no other merfolk are present.\n'Why is she\nhere?' Merrick thinks as he trembles as a rush of emotion starts to surge in\nhis body.\n\"Do you know\nher?\" Syrinx whispered, \"I cannot recall if I have seen her before.\" She looks\nin fascination to this celestial being, as if she could be the Herald of the\nSea Mother Herself, coming to them like a heavenly messenger from the radiant\nmoon, \"She is... Beautiful.\"\nMerrick's\nchest feels like a fragile rock, with his heart feeling like a blunt hammer\npounding inside of him. His body trembles terribly as he sees the wavering\naurora-like mermaid come slightly closer.\n\"Muh...\nMother...\" Merrick whimpers. Syrinx blinks as her head quirked to him.\n\"THAT is your\nMother?!\" She asked, completely astonished. She takes a moment to glance at\nMerrick - in particular, the pearly sheen around his body, as well as the\nelegant membranes along the sides of his tail, and then back at the gorgeous\nmermaid all the way over there, \"By the depths...\" 'So that is an Arctic Veil\nmermaid...' Syrinx thought, 'She just looks so glorious...'\n\"Why is she\nalone?\" Merrick mumbled, \"I do not understand...\" Honestly, he feels terrified.\nHe has not even seen her ever since he was banished. Sea Mother knows just how\nshe must feel about him by now, \"Why is she here...\" He mumbles.\n\"Merrick...\"\nSyrinx puts a hand on his shoulder from behind, \"I think she wants to see you...\"\n\"But I... I\ncannot. I failed her,\" His eyes begin to tear up, \"I could not succeed my pod.\nI lied to her time and time again. I lied to the pod. I abandoned everything I\nwas supposed to be. I can never be the son she deserve-\"\n\"Merrick...\"\nArnaav paws at his arm. Merrick turns to look at him, and those big, innocent\neyes gaze back up at him, \"Do not leave her...\" Merrick's chest shuddered as a\nwhite wisp started to come from his eyes, \"Please go to her... Please...\"\nMerrick put\nhis hand onto Arnaav's paws, and gently moved them down, just as Arnaav took\nhis harpoon. Merrick turned to face the mermaid, and trembled as he undulated\nhis tail, while Syrinx and Arnaav stayed behind.\nThe banished\nTriton waves his tail up and down, finding himself sobbing little by little the\ncloser he comes to his mother.\nUmiato looks\nsadly upon her son. His aura... It's so different. It's been altered so much\nsince that day when she last held him in her arms - the day she left that mark\non the back of his neck. Consumed in so much, with rays of light rolling and\nroaming the darkness in attempts to heal itself, with more than half of it\nrestored, but with more energy that is still undone to be comfortable with -\nespecially a sudden spike of emotion just now, right when they saw each other.\n\"Come,\" Syrinx\nnudged Arnaav, \"Let them have a moment alone...\" She brings Arnaav closer, and\nbids the Capricorn to drift away.\nMerrick huffs\nas he swims to her, sniffling as he flaps his tail before he is right in front\nof her, and he stops, \"M-Mother, I-I-\" He didn't even finish his sentence.\nUmiato puts her hands around the merman, just before Merrick did the same. He\nsobbed as he squeezed her tight, feeling so much heaviness in such a short\nmoment.\nNoita Umiato\npresses one hand upon Merrick's back, and the other on the back of his head as\nhe hugs her, whimpering and crying into her breast.\n\"Hush, my\nSon...\" She gently said, \"I am here...\" Her veil-like fins waver slowly as she\nholds onto him, \"I am here...\" Lost, alone, or scared. That's always what she'd\nsay when Merrick needs her.\n\"Mother...\"\n\"Be still, my\nSon... I am here...\" Merrick takes deep, harsh breaths as he struggles to cope with\nhis inner demons while clinging to the mermaid who gave him life. To see her\nnow, after all that he's done to her.\n\"It has been\nso long...\" She muttered, \"I feel so much hurt and complexity inside of you...\" She\nsoftly pushes Merrick back a little, and presses her hand to his chin to bring\nhis face up, \"Let me see you,\" Merrick moved his head away, casting his face\ndown and shaking his head.\n\"No, Mother,\ndo not...\" He huffs and sobs as he can feel her aura try to see into him, \"Do\nnot, please.\"\n\"Son, let\nme see you, please,\" She insists, \"It is alright, I am here.\"\n\"I\ncannot, my soul... It is too torn. I am not, please,\"\n\"Hush now,\"\nShe gently says as she brings his face up to see her. Umiato gasps as flashes\nof the past surface from just a glimpse of Merrick's sobbing eyes.\nDrying\nsickness raking every part of his being as an endless cloud of terror pulls at\nhis mind and heart from just looking upon the ocean, while falling into very\nbad health, desperate to stay alive while ashamed to live at all. Wasting away\nto nothing, yet feeling as if there is no right to grieve and seek aid; only to\nhide the scorching drain inside until everything goes black again. All in fear\nof a silent killer that will never leave him alone in the sea, to turn your\nback on something so desperately needed and desired, to adopt an alien life\nthat is slowly extinguishing one's soul.\n\"Ghh...\"\nMerrick's chest clenches as he sees Umiato gasp silently.\nLove and trust\nshatter in the wake of personal failure. Purpose lost, fractured holes falling\nlike glass shards, punctured by deprivation from those he holds so close to his\nheart, not cast away, forever out of his reach as he remembers who he was for\nthe sake of identity, like refusing to move from a tree that bares fruit that\nis too tall for him to reach, just for the sake of knowing that it used to\nsupposed to belong to him, now alone in a place where he knows nothing,\nsurrounded by unfamiliar creatures that can never even begin to know what true\nisolation and suffering is.\nHorror and\nsadness pours inside Umiato's chest as she absorbs Merrick's memories, \"Mother...\nPlease stop...\" She should not have come here. Though he does not see what she is\nlooking into, the expression of rapidly growing sorrow on her fair face tells\nhim far more than she has to say.\nEvil. Sheer\nevil. The sun turned into a weapon as a demon probes him with endless\nquestions, and robs him of life after he mocks and trap him in a never-ending\nmaze of deception and pain. A cackling guardian who laughs at each moment of\npunishment and ridicule that his lashed onto a dying merman. A human with a\ndead soul, mutilating, cutting, dissecting, unfeeling. Liars, liars everywhere,\nall monsters that deserve as much mercy as was given. So desperate for escape,\nrefuge, yet at all costs, secrets must be kept and locked away of a life that\nis no longer his to have, yet is determined to protect and preserve, even at\nthe cost of endless agony. The life of one so precious being forced out by\none's own hand, to soon snap back into the mind, and realize what kind of a\nmonster one has become. All to cling and preserve one's own self, on behalf of\ntheir own kind.\n\"Oh Son...\"\nUmiato shakes her head with great sadness as the tapestry of anguish seems\nendless, \"What has happened to my Son...\"\n\"I cannot,\nplease stop looking in me!\" Merrick clenches his eyes shut as he shakes himself\nout of Umiato's arms. \"Do not look at me, I am nothing now. Just-\" He starts to\nturn to swim away, feeling deep despair for letting his own mother see the pit\nof shadow and misery his aura has become.\n\"Merrick.\" He\nfroze, just as he feels a hand on his wrist. Merrick huffs as he keeps his eyes\ncast down. He doesn't have the heart to push her away, even though she\nshouldn't see what he is... He's not her son anymore...\n\"Son...\" Umiato\npulls him gently. Her eyes wisp for tears as she catches a last a glimpse of\nhis eye.\nWave-crashing\nguilt, spiraling constantly as a whirlpool of darkness. A shining future as a\nTriton of the Navyn Tail merfolk, crumbling away into fragments within a single\nhour. Contained deception, true love turned into a crushing secret, locked away\nand sinking like a knife, deeper and deeper into one's stomach the longer it\ncontinued. To let everyone believe there was so much hope, too much trust. To\nhide and deceive...\nThe one he\ntruly identified with... The one who always trusted him, he promised her to be\nthe best example one can offer. Everything there was, everything that was said,\neverything that was tried: Lies. Everything is a lie. Hopes and love shattered.\nTo betray someone who gave one life, led her on into thinking he was anything\nmore than distant prince, and then abandon everything and leave it all behind.\nTo never deserve to even look upon her again.\n\"Son, no...\"\nUmiato softly said as she brought him closer, \"Come,\" Merrick wept as she holds\nhim close. The negative energy inside of Merrick is so turbulent, it's almost\ntoo difficult to even hold him. He seemed almost fine and content when he was\nriding the Capricorn a few minutes ago, but ever sense he noticed her presence,\nthere was a sudden rush of hurt in his aura.\nHe shakes his\nhead, trembling more as he inwardly insists that he shouldn't have her here. \"I\nam sorry, Mother,\" Merrick sobbed as more guilt spiraled up inside him,\nthinking again and again the very point of how it all began - on that Red Moon,\n\"I tried, I tried... I could not help it... I am sorry, I have failed you... I have\nfailed them all... I do not know, I just, it-\" Black and blue fire rages and\nspirals inside of the banished prince as he feels the embrace of the Noita. He\ndoesn't even have the right to feel her, to hear her voice, to have her touch\nhim, not after everything... Not now. Not ever.\n\"I am sorry,\nMother...\" Merrick continued, \"I do not know what happened, I did not know what\nto do when it happened, I just... I cannot...\"\n\"Hush, Son,\"\nUmiato calmly repeated as she held him close, \"It is not your fault.\" She hugs\nhim tenderly as Merrick sniffled and choked, \"It was never your fault.\"\n\"But I\nlied to you... I betrayed you, I betrayed the pod... I turned my back to the sea...\"\n\"You did no\nsuch thing...\" She said, \"I learned you were mated to a human man before you were\nbanished...\" Umiato said, feeling a clench from her son's hands \"I was... Shocked\nwhen he informed me. But I can see that he was a good human... One who went so\nfar to protect you...His soul is a bright one.\" She looks down upon his head with\na soft smile, \"I was happy. You have found the one true love of your life.\"\nMerrick takes\ndeep breaths as he tries to cope with this very moment alone, \"From then on, I\nknew it was only a matter of time before you were made a Coshiton... I had hoped\nto talk to you before that happened,\" Merrick whimpers as his tail twitches,\nready to whip around and swim away, \"So that I may discover this new side of\nyou, Son.\" Merrick stops his tail immediately, \"You... My Son... So unique and\ndifferent from any merman I have ever seen, it seemed, with a different mind\nand perspective...\"\nUmiato\nfrowns slightly, \"But your Father...\"\n\"Mnnnhh...\"\nMerrick cringed.\n\"He knew... Before\nI had discovered, he knew, and...\" Umiato took a deep breath, and sighed, \"I\nbegged your Father to not invoke your trial - to call out your violation of the\nSacred Laws. But you know him...\" Merrick nodded against her chest, \"Nothing\nwould do but to have you answer for your crime. I sensed that he did not\nbelieve that you were mated a man. That invoking your trial would set you on a\nproper state of being...\"\n\"Please,\nMother...\" Merrick whined, his feelings only growing darker, \"Let me vanish,\nMother...\"\n\"Oh, Son...\"\nUmiato's aura began to shift and waft around her, \"You have been lost and gone\nmad within the darkness...\" Umiato whispers with tenderness, \"I should have\ntaught you how to hold the light... A long time ago.\"\nMerrick\ntenses as Umiato's arms held him closer.\nLaughter, and\nwelcoming sunshine. A human with warm brown hair, chocolate eyes, a smile that\nbrings the heartening breeze of a caring, beloved heart. He's such a beautiful\ncreature, constantly happy to give himself to anyone he knows and loves. He\nholds his arms out, and brings the light out of someone just from the mere\ntouch. To give and sooth, and protect, to give momentary life in a whole\ndifferent world, away from everything else.\nA healer. Fair\nand calm, serene and caring, if not strictly prohibitive. Talks, so many talks,\nabout life and matters that seem to trivial but feels fulfilling at the same\ntime, while also in a place full of words and paper, with other such people\nwith similar interests and energies. A healer who, despite what she may have\nthought after breaking the heart of her friend, stayed by one's side, and\nhelped him as the blood of the earth poisoned his veins, and held his hand as\nit tore him apart. She never judged, never gave a harsh word.\nSomeone fun to\nbe with, a virile, beastly companion who is so free with the body, to be one\nwho understands casual bareness. A soul who has had so much burning turmoil, to\nfeel more alone than anyone for so young, as well as being punished by the law\nfor a crime he never committed. Given means for a new home, he recovered so\nlong ago, and even has a different family that suits him for more than anyone\nhe's ever had.\n\"Hold the\nlight, Son...\" Umiato mutters as her aura slowly but surely cleanses into\nMerrick's body. His heart beats harshly as a semi-foreign feeling starts to\nbathe into him, \"The dark will always be there, but you left behind the light...\nI will see you find it again.\" The Noita puts her hand over the mark she left\non Merrick's flesh, so long ago.\nA lost boy,\nabandoned by his own pod, so young he can barely swim on his own. Though the\nFather scorns him with sheer, arrogant anger, one comes back to the fledgling,\nand gives him means of survival. Compassion that eludes most, but shines\nbrightest in even the least good deed given.\nOne step at a\ntime, planting one foot over the other upon a blazing hot rock. Looking up into\nthe eyes of excitement and pride. A rush of butterflies and happiness surges in\nthe belly as one's limbs are used for the first time, to walk on his own to the\none he loves. Finally evolved to make the effort for him. To make him happy.\nTreading a\nworld that is completely unfamiliar. Humans, countless faces, everywhere, yet\nnone show a single trace of malice or interest. Many places for them to be, for\nhim to be, everywhere he looks and everywhere he goes, new discoveries,\ninfinite wonders, passing fancies, endless possibilities, every single second\nis a brand new adventure all on its own, with the hand holding of one's mate to\nensure safety that may not even be needed.\nOn every full\nmoon, every mermaid comes to the surface, and pays due respect to the Sea\nMother through beautiful song. Charm the moon, move the tides with harmony,\ngive thanks and earn needed forgiveness for one and all. Sister leads them all\ninto song; so young, so new, but so ready as she gives the first melody to the\nmoon. Swelling pride and happiness comes to one's chest as she performs one of\nmany duties of a Noita. She will one day surpass that of her mother, as the\nwinds themselves grace her very voice.\nMerrick's\nbreathing calms down. The crackling shadows of his heart is weakening, waning\nin the sight of Umiato's heart.\nWaking from\ngrueling nightmare of black slime and crippling poison. The smell of trees and\nold soil come into be as the eyes open, spotting the Ancient as she pours a\ndark essence into a jar. Fatigued, she smiles as she helps him up. The bad\nblood is gone; the body feels so much lighter now. Breathing is harder at the\ntime, even as he looks out to see sunlight beaming into a bright river, and\nsees the love of his life there. He's there, as always, right then. Waiting for\nhim, always waiting. He's never left his side.\nA new life. A\nsolved puzzle once set is now scattered in a new array, like a piece of glass\nthat can be pieced together. It's not an easy task, nor is it all that welcome.\nBut bravery and determination drives forward. Always must keep moving forward.\nThat is what the humans do, and thus begins a journey in its new form.\n\"Nnhh...\"\nMerrick squirms a little as the good memories try to bring the other ones back\ninto the surface.\n\"Let them\nflow, Son...\" Umiato says quietly, \"Let the light balance the dark...\"\nA whole moon brought\nnothing but anger and despair. In a lair of monsters, come emissaries of trust\nand goodness. Familiar faces appear in the darkness, loving and helping. They\nfree him, they heal him, and they find his mate. Against all odds, he leaves\nthe lair of endless torture, hand in hand, escape into the open air.\nMerrick's arms\nsoften quite a bit. His gills loosen as breathing becomes so much easier.\nUmiato smiles softly as his grip becomes firm, but smoothed. He's finally\ncalming down. The tears have finally stopped. The shroud is finally mending\nproperly.\nThe creature\nwas never meant to end him. So much fear of the ocean, so much time trying to\nevade the vast envoy of the world, all for naught. A mighty rogue comes to\ngracefully bring so much perspective and knowledge. In only a single night,\neverything becomes so clear, it's almost too much to bare, too much to believe.\nA voice of\ninnocence, long believed to have disappeared into the depths of the sea. A boy,\nleft behind from his pod, survived after all of this time. A way back home, to\nthe other place where one belongs.\nOne will never\nbe alone. Others are there to share his pain. They are there while he fights\nhis sorrow. They understand him, they want him. They care for his life, they\nare his kind. They understand the ravages of his life, as greatly large as it\nis.\nMerrick\nbreaths a quivering breath, feeling more lighter than he has ever felt, in a\nlong, long time.\n\"Are you still\nashamed to see me?\" Umiato asked, \"Because I was never ashamed of you...\" Merrick\nshakes his head 'No.'\n\"I also\nsense that you have been touched by the Land Father...\" She says, \"Are you...\"\n\"One could say\nthat...\" Merrick smiled, \"My Mother and my Father, as well as the Forbidden\nAncient, protected me.\"\nThough\nconfused by the cryptic answer, Umiato holds him closer. Merrick's soul... It\ntruly is as good as new. Once again, it's the worthy tapestry of life that it\npreviously was.\n\"Mother...\nWhy are you here?\" Merrick asked, \"How have you found me?\"\n\"We were\nleaving, and I sensed your aura...\" Umiato said as she moved back, \"A Coshiton\nmay never come back to their pod. But a member of the pod may always seek out a\nCoshiton,\" She brings up her hand, \"I barrowed a treasure from Daughter so I\nmay see you again.\" Merrick smiles and chuckles as he sees a very little\nscallop shell, scripted with the Chinese kanji for 'Light'. \"I could scarcely\nbelieve that... After all of this time, you are here... Alive.\" Umiato says with\nutter happiness, \"I had thought... I had hoped you had left the sea to escape the\nCapricorn-\"\n\"We were\nwrong,\" Merrick said as he looked into her eyes, \"The Capricorn - it was never\nmeant to guide anyone to their death.\"\n\"Then,\nwhere did it deliver you, Son?\"\n\"Other rogues.\nLike me.\" He answered, \"Coshitons who have been lost, and then found.\" He\nsmiles as his mother looks at him with surprise, \"We are called the Kenovani.\nWe have alliances with a few other pods, those who still see us, even as\noutcasts of the Laws.\" He smiles to her, \"We live, we fight, and we traverse\nlike any other pod. The Capricorn protects us.\"\n\"Oh Son...\"\nSparkling white wisps begin to waft from Umiato's eyes again as her heart\nswells with joy and relief.\n\"I someday\nhope that...\" Merrick smirks as he shakes his head, \"That you and Father may someday\nalign with us.\"\nUmiato\nchuckles weakly, \"I doubt he will agree. But if he does not,\" She puts her hand\nonto his shoulder, \"I will align in his place.\" Merrick blinks from that.\n\"You...\nWill align? You can do that?\"\n\"Tritons and\nNoitas are balance within a pod - equal in ruling. Not every alliance is made\nby a Triton - I have made pacts with other pods when Kaiken has refused.\"\n\"Hah,\"\nMerrick smirks, \"I pray I will see that sun come to pass.\"\n\"Hmhmhm,\" They\nhug again, before the shell upon Umiato's headband begins to glow and vibrate,\n\"Oh, Denizyr, he calls.\"\n\"I see.\"\nMerrick nods, \"I wish to know how the pod fairs, but we will meet another sun,\nMother.\" He moves back to move away.\n\"Wait, Son\"\nShe stops him, \"Before you leave, I wish to give you one more ease of mind.\"\n\"Huh?\" Merrick\nquirks his head as Umiato adjusts a lovely tether made of silk from a\nhuman-made gown.\n\"I sense that\nyou worry for the pod,\" Merrick's eyes beamed as he looks into the frilly pouch\nas her hands tuck into them, \"The Sea Mother has blessed us, my Son.\"\nMerrick takes\na huff of disbelief as Umiato holds up what looks like a very large opal in her\narms. Light from the sea's surface dance the light of the opal beautifully in\nan array of colors along smooth lines on its surface.\nMerrick stares\nin wonder as he puts a hand onto the large, smooth jewel. He feels a distinct\nwarmth and inner voice within the stone itself.\n\"Your\nFather refuses to tell me.\" Umiato said, \"May you-\"\n\"Yes.\" Merrick\nsmiles as closes his eyes, and puts his forehead to the opal, and gives a\nsingle signal.\nMoments seem\nto pass by as Merrick swims alone through the warm waters around him, his heart\nfluttering like it never has in a long, long time.\n'Tell Father\nthat I am sorry for what had happened, but what is done is done. What I did is\nindeed my responsibility, but I do exist no matter what he wishes to think. I\nam his Son, and I will have him always remember that.'\nMerrick\nsmiles as he sees the Capricorn.\n'Tell Sister\nthat I have missed her more than she could ever possibly imagine. If she ever\nwishes to play with me again, like the old suns, I will, anytime, and anywhere.\nI'll spare any moment she would have of me.'\nArnaav perks\nup as he looks at him, smiling eagerly as he swims closer. Syrinx is already\ngone.\n'Tell Brishen\nthat the game and the wager is still on. He swore before the sea that he will\nbecome the greatest hunter in the sea, but he cannot do that when the score has\nbeen left unattended. If he would have me, I want to hunt with him again.'\nMerrick rubs\nArnaav's fuzzy head as he takes back his harpoon, and dismisses the Capricorn.\nThey both swim forth into the shallow waters.\n'I miss you\nall; you are the place I was born, and are responsible with how I came to be,\nand I could not be more happier with how the Waves of Fate have washed over my\nexistence. I often worried how the pod would go on once I was banished. So I\nthank you, Mother, for absolving me of my darkness, and showing me the light that\nI had forgotten.'\nMerrick takes\na moment to take his scale necklace from his pouch, and ties it around his\nneck, immediately transforming himself into human form.\n'And I wish\nyou all the best of luck with my new Brother. May the Sea Mother shine upon\nyou, may the Guardian Leviathan protect you, and may the Waves of Fate guide\nyou.'\n~~~\nUpon the\nshore, Merrick walks partially naked as normal as can be, while Arnaav barrows\nhis harpoon as a walking stick to tread the sand, still in his true form as an\notter merman - Triton Samudra regularly has the pod go on land to practice how\nto walk in their human forms.\nArnaav looks,\nand spots a strange-looking ship surrounded by logs of white-ish reef, \"Is that\nwhere we're going? Where the humans live?\"\n\"Yes, that's\nit.\" Merrick answered, \"It's called a 'House'. That's where humans usually\nlive.\"\nThey move up\nto the back porch of the house, where Merrick went to a wove-basket, and picked\nout a couple of towels. He turned around and bent over to start running the\ntowel on and round Arnaav's body.\nHe dried off\nhis hair, face, torso around his sea gear and belt, and legs morphing his body\ninto a humanoid shape.\n\"What's that\nfor?\" Arnaav asked.\n\"It's better\nto be dry when you go inside a house.\" He said, before drying himself off, and\nlocating a hidden key to unlock the glass sliding door to open it.\n\"RAAAH RAAH\nRAAH! ARROOROOOROO!\" Comes a loud, golden flash of abrupt noise and force.\n\"AAEEEHHH!\"\nArnaav screams as he clings behind Merrick as the loud barking continued.\n\"HEY!\nHey-ey-ey, get back! Get back!!\" Merrick yelled. He shouted a few strange\nhollers at the creature, doing little to calm it down.\n\"What is that\nthing?!\" Arnaav yelped, terrified, \"Make it stop!\"\n\"Easy! Down\ngirl! Down!\" Merrick commanded, \"It's ok, Arnaav, it's just the dog, she won't\nhurt you.\"\n\"RAAHH! RAAHH!\"\nThe golden retriever jumped about, her tail flopping left and right as she\nbarked. Merrick growled before he grabbed a nearby chew toy, and threw it\nacross the house. The dog then raced after it, barking still until she sank her\nfangs into the squeaky plush.\n\"That is\nSally,\" Merrick said as he brought the shaking boy around, and held securely to\nhim as he quivers with fear, \"She's Jamal's dog. Humans have a common habit of\nkeeping animals in their houses.\" The poor boy sniffled and moaned with\nbewilderment, as Sally viciously shook her toy around in her maw, \"Don't worry,\nshe won't hurt you. She's just loud and obnoxious.\"\n\"Thhrraawwr~?\"\nComes a more welcome, mellow noise. Merrick looks down and smiles as the\nsemi-fluffy, orange cat trots up to him.\n\"Hi there,\nRoxas~!\" Merrick got down and pet the cat as it came purring to him, pushing\nhis face into Merrick's palm as he gently picks him up, \"Aww hello, little buddy~.\nHow's da cutie little kitty~ Yesh he is, he's so soft and fluffy~\" He coos to\nthe feline. \nMerrick turns\nand holds the cat up for the boy to see, \"Here, this is a cat. His name is\nRoxas.\" Arnaav whimpers as he took a step back, \"It's ok, go ahead and touch\nhis head, like this,\" Merrick pets Roxas, \"He's a good boy, don't worry.\" \nArnaav gulps,\nbefore reaching a shaking hand over and softly touching the soft fur. Roxas\npurrs as he watches Arnaav carefully, even as he cautiously strokes him.\n\"Yeah, that's\nit, don't be afraid.\" Merrick encourages. Arnaav smiles weakly as he brushes\ninto Roxas's warm neck fur.\nMerrick lets the\ncat go, and stands back up, \"Ok, follow me.\" Merrick says as he turns and walks\ninto Adam's room. Arnaav looks all around the house - it looks so different, so\nunlike the sea. So many foreign objects for who knows how many different\nunknown purposes, what do humans possibly do with so many different things? And\nthis is only where they live.\nThey enter\nAdam's bedroom, and Merrick picks up his iPhone from his shelf. He immediately\ndials Adam's number, and holds it to his ear. Seconds later, Arnaav jumps as a\nsudden playful ringtone jingled out of nowhere. Merrick jerks around and\nscoffed with displeasure, \"Ah dammit, he forgot his damn phone.\"\nMerrick ended\nthe call, and started to strip down from his equipment - removing his\nshark-tooth headband and cross-belts. Not exactly sure what to do, Arnaav does\nthe same.\nOnce completely\nnaked, Merrick goes to the drawers, and fished out a pair of nice satin boxers.\nArnaav watches with estrangement as Merrick bent over, and pulled up the small\npiece of shiny cloth up between his legs, and then putting on a long piece of\ndark blue up to his waist, that covers his legs completely. Merrick pulls on a\nshirt as well, before he looks to the kid, who is just standing there, wearing\nabsolutely nothing.\n\"Oh damn, that's\nright...\" Merrick winced, \"We don't have any kid clothes here.\"\n\"Kid... Clothes?\"\nArnaav said with an estranged look, \"What does that mean?\"\n\"Well... See what\nI'm wearing right now?\" Merrick asked while pulling on his shirt and pants,\n\"Humans are notorious about covering up their bodies with sails and nets -\nthey're called 'Clothes'. If you walk around like... How you are now,\" Arnaav\nlooks down upon his exposed body, \"They would start to freak out.\"\n\"Why?\" Arnaav\nasked, \"That seems a bit weird.\" \n\"It is. Frankly\nit's annoying half the time, but it's bearable. Here,\" Merrick pulled out some\nextra small underwear, and went down to put it on the boy. Merrick then picked\nup his wallet, and opened it, \"Kay... 5, 10, 20... Got $24 in here... Lemme...\" Merrick\nthen took his iPhone from his shelf, and dialed a number.\n\"Huh?\" Arnaav\nblinked curiously as Merrick held the strange, flat device up to his head, and\nstood still. He took a moment to dial a few other numbers onto the phone, and\nheld it up to his ear again. After a short pause, he nodded once and hung up,\n\"Still have over a hundred dollars in there, we're good.\"\n\"Good? I don't\nunderstand.\"\n\"Oh, um, well\nsee,\" Merrick opened up his wallet, and showed Arnaav the slips of pale green\npaper, \"This is called Money. Humans use these to trade items and services.\"\n\"Don't they\ntrade item for item instead? That might make more sense.\"\n\"No, they don't.\nThey used to, centuries ago, but in this age, their whole sense of trade\nrevolves around money.\" Merrick pockets his wallet, and goes to put on a white\nleather jacket, \"And we need this to get you some clothes.\"\n\"If you say so.\"\nArnaav said, \"H-Hey, Merrick? You know about... What we know about humans... Are\nyou sure they're not as powerful and colossal as we think.\"\n\"Oh yeah. All\nexaggerated and made-up. Humans are no more powerful than we are - except they\ncan't conjure and cast like Noitas at all. Hang on...\" Merrick looks, and picks\nup a couple of small boxes on his shelf - parcels he ordered, \"Sweeet,\" He\nsmiles as he cuts them opened, and pulls up his satchel. Arnaav watches as\nMerrick puts the contents of his parcel into his pack, and equips it over his\nshoulder.\n\"Ok, all set.\nLets go.\" He said as he escorted the boy outside, and straddled onto his black\nand gold moped.\n~~~\nMerrick leans on\nthe wall next to a door of a changing room for Arnaav to finish. It's taking a\nlong while, but Arnaav insisted on figuring out how to put on the clothes by\nhimself. Merrick chuckles as he can hear the boy grunt in discomfort, shuffling\nin there, before the door opened for him to walk out, wearing a yellow and blue\nstar shirt, blue shorts and nearly tripping in Velcro sandals.\n\"I don't like\nthis,\" Arnaav whines as he plucks at his shirt, and tugging at his shorts, \"I\nfeel so trapped.\" He waddles and skids in his open-toed footware, \"How do\nhumans even do this?\"\n\"It takes some\ngetting used-to,\" Merrick said, \"I felt the same way.\"\n\"Do I have to\nwear this all the time?\" Arnaav groaned as he squirms on the spot, \"Can I take\nthese off when we are back in the house?\"\n\"Uummm...\" Merrick\npondered, \"Yes, but you still have to at least wear that shiny cloth I gave\nyou. Even in the house, humans prefer to stay in their clothes, and one of the\nhumans who lives with me is pretty strict about wearing clothes.\"\n\"Aaawwwooo...\"\nArnaav moaned as they walked to the cashier, and paid for the clothes.\nOnce they walked\nout of the clothing shop, Merrick takes his iPhone out of his pocket, \"Hang on,\nI'm gonna make a call...\"\n\"Call?\" Arnaav\nlooked, \"Call what?\"\n\"Just one of the\nhumans who live with me.\"\n\"Huh?\"\n\"Hang, just a\nsec...\" The phone rings a couple of times, before it's picked up on the other\nline.\n\"Hello?\"\n\"Hey Yuri! Guess\nwho!\"\n\"Oh my God,\nMerrick?! When did you get back??\"\n\"About an hour\nago. Hey, do you know where Adam is? He left his phone at home.\" Arnaav looks\nat Merrick with an expression of bewilderment and curiosity. He can distinctly\nhear \n\"He's probably\nworking at the Fish House, I don't know.\"\n\"Ah damn. Better\nhead over there then.\" He leaned on one leg, \"Other than that how're things?\"\n\"Well-\" In the\nbackground, there came to crash on Yuri's end, \"Oh shit, gotta go. A patient\njust wrecked some of the equipment.\"\n\"Ok, bye-\"\nMerrick winced as Yuri already hung up, \"Ah crap,\" Merrick closed up the call.\n\"What was that\nnow?\" Arnaav asked, \"Why were you talking to nothing? And I think I heard a\nhidden voice somewhere.\"\n\"Oh yeah,\"\nMerrick smiles as he then shows Arnaav his iPhone, \"This is called a 'Cell\nPhone', or 'Phone' for short. It's one of the method humans use to communicate\nfrom almost anywhere in the world.\"\n\"Reeaallly??\"\nArnaav gasped in amazement, \"You can talk to anyone, no matter where they are,\neven if they're on the other side of the world??\"\n\"That's right.\"\nMerrick nods.\n\"Could you even\ncontact the Kenovani pod?? Or could you let me use it to talk to my Mother and\nFather??\"\n\"Heh, actually,\nno, it doesn't work like that,\" Merrick said, \"In order to call someone using a\nphone, they must also have a phone with them for the connection to work. And\nphones can't function in the water at all.\"\n\"Oh, ok...\" Arnaav\npouted. Merrick smiled as he took his hand.\n\"Come on. Lets\nhead for the pier.\"\n~~~\nMerrick locks up\nhis moped in the parking lot of the Kele-Kolika Pier. Arnaav trembles with\nnerves as he looks around the countless cars, and even spotting a few humans\nhere and there. Merrick smiled softly as he kneels down, and gently rubs the\nboy's shoulders.\n\n\"Everything's gonna be fine, ok?\" He muttered, \"Just stay close to me, and\ndon't talk to stangers.\" Arnaav nods, and walks forth, trying to keep his\nbalance in these confounding sandals. \nMerrick guides\nArnaav to the Pearly Seagull, where the jingle of the door's bell startles\nArnaav, just as it did to Merrick all those years ago.\nArnaav looks,\nand his hazel, orb-like eyes widen as he slowly gasped while he looked at\neverything in sight of the candy store.\nGems, jewels,\nstones everywhere, held inside invisible barriers, infinity of colors dazzle\nand shimmer in the light as he walks forward. He's never seen such a whimsical\nsight, like someone somehow built a brand new treasure chest full of wondrous\nriches on a giant scale, from the inside.\nThe clerk, old\nBertha, looks and smiles as she sees one of her favorite regulars walk in,\nalong with a youthful specimen, looking more amazed with every step he took.\nWhile Merrick goes to the counter, Arnaav darts to the tall columns of jellybeans,\neach glass cylinder holding a separate color, and making a rainbow in a total\nof 10 colors/flavors. Arnaav gasped and plants his small hands onto the tops of\nthe containers of rock candy, beaming upon the array of sparkling crystals\nwithin. He turns, and giggles as he sees the silly images of the gummies.\n\"Well howdy do,\nMerrick!\" Bertha greeted as the tall, blonde male came to her.\n\"Hey, Bertha.\nHow's biz?\" He asked.\n\"Oh, business as\nusual. Who's you're little buddy?\"\n\"That's Arnaav,\"\nMerrick answered as he turns halfway around to glance at the boy, \"He's my\nlittle brother... Sort of.\"\n\"Oh, he just\nlooks about the sweetest little thing in here~\" She says as Arnaav squeaks in\nbewilderment as a popcorn machine starts to pop and crackle, before the hidden\npot within starts to overflow with white and yellow clumps.\n\"Heh, yeah, he\nis. Although, fair warning, he's sorting out the same kind of social problems\nthat I used to have, and this is his very first time in a candy shop, so\nplease,\" Merrick puts his hands together, \"PLEASE forgive him if he breaks\nanything or makes a mess.\"\n\"Oh that's\nalright, honey~!\" Bertha merrily says as she waves her hand down dismissively,\n\"He looks just like MY boy when he was that tiny~\" She giggles as Arnaav\ninstantly becomes mesmerized as he presses his face and hands against the glass\nof the ever-working taffy puller, rolling and stretching a fat ribbon of green\napple taffy, \"He's just about the most precious thing~!\" She almost squealed.\n\"So do you know\nwhere Adam is?\" Merrick asked, \"I've been looking for him, and he forgot to\ntake his phone with him.\"\n\"I saw him\ndriving his fish cart a while go,\" Bertha answered.\n\"Great,\" Merrick\nsmiles. He glances at the astounded otter boy darting about from location to\nlocation, before taking a couple of plastic bags, \"I better take a little bit\nof everything, see what he likes.\"\n\"Take your\ntime~\" Bertha said.\nMoments later,\nthe two boys walk out of the shop, Merrick licking his strawberry ice cream,\nand Arnaav crunching on some purple rock candy, still hardly believing that this\nis one kind of jewel one is supposed to eat. \n\"Haannngghh,\nkkkklllgggg, Nnnaanngghh so this is what humans eat??\" He asked.\n\"Sort of. Humans\nget hungry a lot, so they make morsels like this to nibble on when they're just\na little hungry. Heh, and don't get me started on just what they can do with\nfood, or even what they'd eat!\"\nThey walk to the Fish House,\nand Arnaav tucks his bag of treats into Merrick's pack, just as he smells a LOT\nof fish somewhere nearby. Merrick smiles as they push through the glass doors of\nthe front area of the Fish House, and entered into the nicely kept lounge - a\nfew years back, the Captain a business deal for some major renovations; the\nFish House now has its own tiny fish market, as well as large tanks full of\nexotic fish in a reef. \nArnaav quirks and turns his\nhead everywhere, gasping and beaming as he sees dozens upon dozens of fish,\noctopi and squid, and crustatians, adorned with green vegetation upon beds of\nice! Arnaav growls with hunger as he quivers with anxious yearning as he looks\nupon everything in sight! They're calling him. They mock him.\nMerrick\nkneels down, grinning, \"Crazy, isn't it?\" He asked.\n\"Yeeeaaahhh.\"\nArnaav half-squeaked as he nods.\n\"Though don't touch anything\nthough. Humans react every badly when you just take things without permission\nor trade.\"\n\"Can we come here every\nsun???\" Arnaav whimpered, his little nostrils completely filled with the aromas\nof so many different prey, just LYING there, almost begging him to sink a\nweapon in them for an instant hunt!\n\"Heheheh,\" Merrick pats his\nshoulder, \"We'll see.\" He stood up, and peered about until he spotted the fat,\nold, pirate-like boss of this establishment, looking as ornery and crusty as\never. \"Hey, Captain, excuse me?\"\nThe grumpy looking man turns\nhis attention the blonde trick striding up to him, \"So what the hell do YOU\nwant??\" He growled.\n\"I- um, sorry, Captain, it's\nme,\" Merrick said, a little taken aback by Captain's demeanor, as always,\n\"Mer-\"\n\"What\nare ya talkin about? I've got shit to do.\"\n\"I-I know, I-I'm just looking\nfor Adam, remember?\" He said, earning a narrow, sinister squint from the older\nsea dog, \"Merrick? I'm his boyfriend, I'm looking for him.\"\n\"Merrick, oh Merrick! Yes,\ngoddammit, I git it,\" Captains also suffers from acute Alzheimer's; it's not as\nbad as it can be, but it's caused a few problems here and again. Times like these\nshow that he hasn't taken his pills today, \"You're my fuckin good-luck charm.\"\nHe chuckles with his cigar-scraped voice as he roughly pats Merrick's\nshoulders, almost knocking him off balance.\n\"Heh,\nyeah, I'm looking for Adam, I just got back into town.\"\n\"Adam\nwho?\" Captain snarled.\n\"Adam,\nAdam Bryant.\" Merrick reminded him, \"He has brown hair and uh-\"\n\"Ah yes! Yes! I'm sorry,\nblondie, I can't even remember 5 minutes ago today.\" He growled, \"I think he's\noff work now, I'm sorry.\"\n\"Ah dammit.\" Merrick took a\nlook around and gasped, as Arnaav is now dangerously near a small spread of\nshrimp. \"ARNAAV!\" \nThe boy whips around, looking\nstartled as his mouth gnaws on the upper part of the shrimp. He looks nervously\nas Merrick strides to him, \"Arnaav, I told you, don't take things without\npermission!\" \n\"I-I'm sorry, Merrick,\" The\nboy stammered, while Captain comes laughing over, \"I just- I dunno, I can't,\nI'm sorry!\" \n\"I'm very sorry, Captain,\"\nMerrick apologized as he turned around, \"He has a hard time listening\nsometimes, I told him not to. I can pay for it.\"\n\"Oh fuck off, it's fine!\"\nCaptain laughed, \"It's just one damn little shrimp it ain't gonna hurt nobody.\"\nMerrick rolled his eyes as Arnaav was encouraged to eat up the shrimp - he's\ntrying to restrain himself from going on a tangent like his own Father would,\nbut if Merrick ever pulled a stunt like that in front of Kaiken, he would not\nstop hearing about it for hours.\n\"Now quit yur bitchin and\ncome fishin with me,\" Captain said, \"I got a fuckin bet to settle before the\nend of the week, and I need your fishin mojo to git me a huge-ass fish.\"\n\"Language, Captain?\" Merrick\nsaid, \"My brother here is only 11 years old,\" He estimated on the spot, though\nArnaav is rather short for such an age, \"And do you know where I can find Adam?\"\n\"Ah,\nfind him later, c'mon!\" He insisted, \"Bet's over in 3 days. Lets get a move\non!\"\n\"I can fish with you later,\"\nMerrick said, \"It's getting late out, and my brother's not used to being out at\nnight.\"\n\"Ah you fuckin priss.\"\nCaptain growled, \"Fine, but Bryant's already off the clock. He still has that\nsecond job, doesn't he? Over at that gay bar.\"\n\"It's\nnot a gay bar, it's a nightclub.\" \n\"Whatever,\"\nCaptain grumbled, \"That's where ya probably find him.\"\n\"Right. Thanks.\" Merrick\nnodded. He looked to Arnaav, who still looks remorseful up at him, groaning\nwith minor sorrow for another misdemeanor. Then again, he hasn't exactly had\nmuch to since that flounder. He goes to the counter for this particular stand,\nand rings the bell for service.\n~~~\n\"Hanngh hannnghh, nnhnnhnn,\"\nArnaav crunches into an orange crab as the two of them walk down the side walk\nof a more city-oriented area, finishing the last of the sea meat as they\napproached a long line of people waiting outside of a bustling nightclub.\nMerrick brings out his\nmembership card as he and Arnaav approaches the beefy bouncer at the front of\nthe line, next to the door, \"Hey, Steve,\" Merrick says as he shows him his\ncard.\n\"Whoa whoa whoa, hang on,\"\nSteve stopped him, \"Who's the kid?\" He asked.\n\"Oh don't worry, he's with\nme.\"\n\"You know we don't allow\nminors in the Waltz, Merrick.\" \n\"Only on Exotic nights,\nSteve.\" Merrick crossed his arms while giving a quizzical look, \"Is it Exotic\nnight tonight, Steve?\"\n\"... No.\" He pouts before\nletting them in. Merrick holds onto Arnaav's hand as they entered into the\nclub. Arnaav beamed about as he looks upon the décor all around, big, soft\nlooking sponges placed upon large soft reefs around one area, while there are\nhumans dancing in a large, flat scape.\nThey moved over to the bar,\nwhere Merrick picks up the boy, and places him on one of the tall stools.\n\"Oh, Merrick!\" Comes a\nsemi-thick, feminine voice. Merrick turns and smiles as he sees Rajani right\nnext to them.\n\"Raja, hi!\" Merrick greets as\nthey hug tightly.\n\"Oh my Gohd, when did you\ncome back into town?\"\n\"Just today. I've been\nlooking for Adam all day, but I keep missing him.\"\n\"Oh I see, he checked in\nabout an hourr ago. No doubt He and Chloe are having anodder on of there\nfights.\"\n\"Hahaha. Ohh! Raj, Raj! Lemme\nshow you what I got for Adam!\" Merrick whips out his iPhone.\n\"MMMM!\" Rajani flaps her hand\nabout just while in the middle of drinking her margarita, and putting a sudden\nrush to it. \"MmOhh, show me, show me!\" She sets down her glass while Merrick\nswipes his fingertip on the screen, and then shows her his phone.\n\"OOOOEEEEEHH!\" She squeals as Merrick also acts in the same giddy fashion, \"Oh\nmy gohd, you are so bad, Merrick!\" She holds his phone as she laughs.\nOn the screen of his phone,\nshows a set of skimpy lingerie - thin, borderline transparent pink fabric laced\nwith small jewels along the line of the waist, with a single larger jewel tied\nat the rear area of the panty. A matching bra is shown above the bottom piece.\n\"It arrived before I came. I can't\nwait to try it on!\"\n\"Good lord, Merrick, dis is\ngirly even for you!\" Rajani laughs, \"What in Gohd's name are you gonna do with\nthe bra?\"\n\"What, I can't wear it?\"\nMerrick jested with a smirk. Rajani laughs out as her face turns a little red.\n\"Oh my gohd! Hahaha!\" She\nthen gives the phone back, almost forcefully, \"Send me deh link. Send it to me\nnow!\" She urged, \"I need an orange set of these!\" \n\"Haha, you got it,\" Merrick\nlaughed as he copied the link of the website, and then pasted it to a text\nmessage, and sent it to Rajani's number. Rajani grins as she sees a new message\non her phone.\n\"You have amaezing taste,\nMerrick!\" She says, \"Honestly, I neva know where to look for the kind of things\nyou get.\"\n\"Yeah, you don't find fancy\nstuff like that at Lovers. Ooh! Lemme show you a toy I bought too! It's a neat\njockstr-\" Merrick takes a minute to realize that he's still around a kid right\nnow, \"Ah, maybe later.\" He chuckles as he puts his phone away.\nArnaav tilts his head as he\nlooks at this brown-skinned woman. She sounds a lot different from all the\nother humans he's heard today.\n\"Ahnd who is this?\" Rajani\nasked as she turns her gaze to the younger male.\n\"This is Arnaav, he's my\nlittle brother.\"\n\"Ohh, I didn't know you had a\nbrother.\" She said with surprise.\n\"He's my adoptive brother.\"\n\"I'm surprised they let him\nin, hello~\" She says with a welcoming smile. \n\"Why do you talk\ndifferently?\" Arnaav innocently asked, causing a wave of awkwardness to stun\nMerrick's face, \"I don't understand.\"\nRajani laughs at such a\nquestion, \"Escuse me little man!\" She smirks, \"Aren't you a bold little cutie,\nhuh?\"\n\"Damn, I'm very sorry, Raja,\"\nMerrick said quickly as he put his hands firmly onto Arnaav's shoulders, \"He's\nnever met any other ethnicity. This is his first time talking to someone from\nIndia.\"\n\"Oh that is fine, no harm\ndone,\" She dismisses, \"He's just so damn cute~!\" Rajani says as she feels at\nArnaav's cheeks.\n\"Whassup, sunSHHIIINE??\"\nComes a fun, playful voice. Merrick turns and grins to see Jamal on the other\nside of the bar.\n\"Hey, Jamal, you horny\nbastard!\" Merrick grabbed Jamal's approaching arm, and pull each other in for a\nslapping hug over that bar.\n\"And whassup wit you, lil\nman??\" Jamal says as he ruffles Arnaav's hair.\n\"This is my brother, Arnaav,\nJamal.\" \n\"Wait, what?\" Jamal quirks a\nbrow with a look of disbelief.\n\"He's from the Kenovani, and\nhe's gonna be visiting us for a couple of weeks.\"\n\"Oh! Aight, I get ya.\" He\nnodded. He smiles as he looks to the small boy, \"What can I getcha, lil man?\"\n\"U-Um, whaa?\" Arnaav meeped,\nhaving no idea what's going on here, let alone why Merrick's talking about the\npod.\n\"He's shy, don't worry\nabout,\" Merrick says, \"Just get him a glass of water, Jamal. I'm gonna have a\nSky Mix.\"\n\"Heh, sure thing!\" Jamal\nshuffled about the glasses.\n\"Kenovani, huh? What does\nthat mean?\" Rajani asked, \"Is dat a club or something?\"\n\"It's just where Arnaav is\nfrom; it's kind of a boarding school. It's where I go every few months as an\nintern to get some experience. Though Arnaav can only stay for about 2 weeks\nbefore he needs to go back.\"\n\"Ahh, I see.\"\n'Merrick...' Arnaav thought as\nhe looked up at him, 'Why is he lying? What is he even saying? Surely humans\nalready know about merfolk, right?' He pondered this while the big, dark human\nplaces a tiny tank onto the bar - similar to the tanks from this Fish House\nplace Merrick took him, but it's a lot smaller than those, and it doesn't have\nany fish in it.\n\"It's ok, Arnaav,\" Merrick\nsays as he takes his own drink, \"You just drink it like this.\" He demonstrates.\n'So it's already traded?'\nArnaav thought before he takes the glass as prompted, soon becoming mildly\nsurprised as he can smell the very fresh water inside the clear object.\n\"So when's Adam coming on?\"\nMerrick asked, \"Do you know?\" \nJust then, the lights dimmed\nall over, and the stage gained the attention all around.\n\"He's coming on now.\" Jamal\nanswered. Merrick whipped right around, and pats Arnaav's shoulder.\n\"Here, Arnaav, look! Look\nlook look look!\" He spoke rapidly\n\"Hm?\"\n\"My mate's up right over\nthere!\" Merrick said eagerly.\nA warm tone rings of the mix\nbetween guitars to the steady beat. In the complimenting light of mostly dark\nwith white spotlights and many dots of white star lights all around, Adam walks\nto the front of the stage, mic in hand, and dressed in sparkling apparel as the\ncrowd cheers.\nThe music plays on, and Adam\nbrings the mic to his mouth.\n\"~Oh you shine briiiight~\" The\ncrowd gives a generous round of cheers as Adam began to sing, holding his arm\nup and out beside him, \"~Brighter than all the staaarrrs~\" He smiles as he\ntakes in the praise and calls, \"~Brighter than firewooorrrrks ~So I give you\nall my loooo... OOooove~\"\n\"Hoohhh...\" Merrick is\nliterally left breathless just from the first few verses. \nArnaav stars as his jaw\ndrops, seeing a MALE, of all things, singing! How can males even sing? Only\nfemales can ever sing!\n\"~And you're perfection, even\nin your mistakes~\" Adam walks to the side of the stage, along the ridge, \"~Give\na~ffection, even when your heart aches ~When I'm away,\nyou're who I'm thinking of,\nbecaaauuse~\"\n\"~You are my home, home, home~!\"\nThe audience cheers as he holds his hand out and up, \"~Where ever I may rooaam~!\n~You are the place where I can rest my weary bones~\" He puts a gentle fist to\nthis chest, \"~You are my home, home, home ~You are my home, home, home~\"\nThe music plays in a powerful\nand pounding rhythm as he dances to the beat, before continuing to the next\nlyrics\n\"~You're a diiiamond ~Brightening\nmy cloudy skyyyy ~Sparkling all through the niiighhht ~Light me up like firefliiiiii~iiies~\"\nThe few star lights circulate around him as he walks along to the other side of\nthe stage, \"~I see you, shining even in the darkness ~Stand be~side me, when I\ndon't deserve it~\" He points his index finger up as he gestures, \"~That's why I\nsay ~I give you all my love, because~\"\n\"~You are my home, home, home~!\n~Wherever I may roooaaam ~You are the place where I can belong ~You are my\nhome, home, home ~You are my home, home, home~\"\nThe beat speeds up as he\nsings/talks in a steady tone while pacing here and there, and gesturing with\nhis hands accordingly to the words, \"~You're my number 1, there's no doubt ~And\nwe stick together throughout ~Like boy scouts we are 'bout ~All for one till\nlife out ~So babe, where you at? ~Wave your hands, front to back ~Everybody\ntake a look around ~At my babe, up in the crowd~!\nThe music gets more dramatic\nas the conclusion of the song comes about, \"I love you, babe~!\" Adam calls out\nto the club, unknowingly causing a surge of ecstasy to a certain someone at the\nbar.\nThe music calms for one more\ninstant, \"~You are my home, home, home~\"\nAdam lets the mic down, and\nholds his arm up to have to the crowd, smiling as humbly acknowledges his\nperformance.\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/964067-aquata-cove-chapter-66.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/977758-aquata-cove-chapter-68.json"}