“kiss me (kill me)”, or “titania and oberon finally discover the OLD_DATA and end up widowed” (cw for body horror under the cut)
in an effort to gather info on improving their deckbuilding abilities and possibly deposing the scrybes entirely, oberon and titania seek out a potentially new source of power. the OLD_DATA possessing infinite knowledge is merely a rumor, something the scrybes are said to keep under oath or between the four of them, but prying knowledge from their subordinates had found them a lead.
titania had been the one to pay the price before she was promptly shot and killed by a well-dressed Man In Blue, never to be seen again. it was just standard procedure.
the two of them began their descent into subterranean territory, in an undisclosed location. oberon always carried the sigil of pentacles with him, so paying a small price was of no concern. titania, on the other hand, always kept her belt fastened to her hips, stocked infinitely with a variety of tools and solutions for any situation. she struck a match and lit a small candle, providing a flickering source of light in the humid darkness.
the two of them descended furthermore, the tension prickling in waves across their backs, but still determined to see this katabatic journey through to the end.
suddenly, and with no previous sign of diminishing beforehand, the flame from titania’s candle fizzled out, grey smoke wisping away into the blackness that encompassed them. only an overwhelming, damp, and alienating eigengrau.
then, oberon felt a small tingle. warm, with energy, but at the same time as cold and unfeeling as the rest of the environment. his ears perked, looking in the direction of where titania might be, judging by the way she shivered against him, her other hand gripping his arm tightly.
“did you feel that?” he asked her, and received a tense “oberon… i think it’s here,” in response.
a crackling, again. maybe not a crackling exactly, but whatever words either of them had to describe the sight before them would not have been enough.
(in front of them would be) in front of them is a blooming cacophony of sound and color (in front of them was), a corrupted fragment of void and lack thereof.
they were told not to handle it barehanded, if one should find a small piece of it, as if it were made of pure azoth, or the fragments of a fallen star.
however, out of sheer anticipation to inspect the fragment closer, they both rushed to seize it, overcome with an exhilarating feeling of power.
titania had been the one to seize it, what with her larger stature and longer arms. of course she had been. she had been the one who had worked the most to seek it out.
oberon rushed to her, never parting from his wife for even a second as he caught a glimpse of the crackling and ever-shifting mass in her hands.
“this is the purest form of energy i have ever laid my eyes upon” were her last coherent words before the crackling spread, erupting in a loud cacophony of static, raw energy, and ones-and-zeros, oberon nearly blinding himself by being in such close proximity to it. he could only imagine for a passing second what titania might have felt.
the cacophony grew louder and louder, oberon shrieking in pain as his ears rang, and every touch felt like pressing himself against the core of a burning star. despite the pain, he opened his eyes, flinching a few times before prying them open.
at the center of the cacophony was titania, writhing on the ground as scattered fragments of energy from the corners of the room spread out into lines across the ground like circuits, ones and zeros beginning to fade in and out periodically in the corner of oberon’s vision. her body was in agonizing pain, only able to let out desperate cut off screams before wretching forward and coughing up rendered blood and spaghetti code.
oberon weakly crawled his way forward in a desperate attempt to reach his beloved wife.
but before he could do so, titania’s upper torso burst from itself.
she stopped moving for roughly 5 seconds, oberon in disbelief, before she writhed again, her size growing exponentially in what had first seemed like a small room. her clothing, including her precious alchemist’s belt, had been torn to shreds and spread across the room in meager scraps along with what used to be cards and broken glass. at the center of it all was titania herself, a writhing abomination with more limbs than before and translucent wings breaking through the surface of her backs.
oberon stifled the urge to start screaming, cupping his mouth tightly over his nose and mouth as tears flowed.
titania (or what appeared in her place)’s large, vacant eyes stared into the darkness for a moment as she stumbled forward, trying to stay upright, before they met oberon’s, her darling husband’s little, loving green eyes.
“kiss me, oberon…” the creature lilted in her voice.
“k i s s m e . . .”
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When Thena heard in the news about the 4th fisherman drowning out at the sea she fears that it will happen to Gil too. So she decides to do some swimming lessons for Gil to make him stronger and more secure in the water. She doesn’t tell him why all of a sudden she wants to spend time with him in the water, Only later Gil learns her true intentions.
For the mermaid one!
Gil hit the surface, taking in a deep gasp of air.
"Hm," Thena pursed her lips, swimming closer to him in a second, "that was only a minute."
"Only," he huffed and puffed.
They had been practising getting him to hold his breath for longer, gradually. Thena had been positively horrified to learn that most humans could only hold their breath for about a minute before their lungs demanded oxygen. So horrified that she had insisted he strengthen his lungs, as well as plenty of other swimming skills.
So, every night after work, they would spend a little time in the water together before he had a shower and started their dinner.
"Yes, 'only'," she huffed right back at him, circling him with ease thanks to her tail cutting through the water. "Gil, your average has only increased by ten seconds. You are a fisherman!"
"Yeah," he panted faintly, swiping water and his weighed down hair out of his eyes. "And I do my fishing up on the boat, believe it or not."
She gave him a very unimpressed look. "I met you because you fell overboard."
She had a point. Gil avoided her eyes, kicking his feet and swishing his hands to keep himself afloat. "Angelfish, I appreciate the training and all. But it's been a hell of a day, I really-"
"But-!" she started and bit into her lip with her fangs. He raised a brow, waiting for her argument. She sighed, though, swirling her tail to keep herself stationary. "Perhaps you're right."
"Thena," he sighed, watching her swim slowly over to the ladder of the dock. "Angelfish, wait."
"No, I'm sorry I insisted on doing this every night," she offered him a contrite smile, "you must be exhausted."
"Hey, c'mere," he reached for her, keeping his other hand on the ladder to alleviate his own burden. "What's going on? I asked already what this was about but something's up."
Thena dodged his eyes, moving her tail, feeling the water bending around both her movements and Gil's. Humans really did have to work so, so hard to stay afloat. All that air in their lungs and it lasted less than a minute on average. And Gil's muscle was so dense, and those strong arms of his weren't actually doing the most work when he swam.
"Cuddlefish?" he tried to persuade her with sweet words again, leaning closer and kissing her cheek.
Thena sighed, leaning into the affection and bringing herself closer to him. Even in the water, although it made his skin feel damp, he was still so warm. "I was worried."
"Yeah, I'm getting that impression," he smiled again, running his hand over her hair, the water beading and running right off. "But I mean why, though?"
She sighed more harshly, flicking her tail fins more. "You saw the news."
Several deaths of fishermen had been reported on recently--enough that the local news had announced that it was unwise to be out in open water without proper training and equipment. They were even investigating exactly why the fishermen had all met their ends, and it seemed unfortunate but natural causes due to them tumbling overboard and simply being at the mercy of the sea.
"Even the strongest human is a guppy when you're out in those waves," she frowned, pressing her forehead to his chest. "The stormy season is upon us and if you fall in, or get tangled in a net again, and-"
"Hey, hey, it's okay," he cooed, kissing beside her ear and tucking her head against him. "Nothing like that is gonna happen, Angelfish."
She bit his shoulder gently (like tugging on an ear). "Net--overboard."
"Right," he remarked, and they both had to chuckle. He held her tighter though, "okay, you got me there. But you saved me."
"And what if I'm not there to save you next time?" she pulled her head up to frown at him. She pulled her hand from the water to touch his cheek, "what if I'm too late? What if you fall so deep that even if I do get you back to the surface, your lungs are already depleted?--or the pressure has crushed you beyond repair?"
"Thena," he said more firmly, even going so far as to silence her with his lips pressed to hers. "I promise I won't let that happen."
She glared at him, letting her fangs press into her lower lip. "You cannot promise that. You do not know what can happen out there!"
"Maybe."
She huffed; whose side was he on?!
"But I can promise that I'll be careful," he smiled, hoping to encourage her into doing the same. "I keep my tether tied if the weather is bad, I make sure I'm not standing on the nets anymore. And I have stuff on the boat to help too, y'know."
She tilted her head at him, hoping to convey how unconvinced she was.
"I know you're worried about me," he sighed, pulling her hand from his cheek to he could kiss her palm. "But humans are tougher than you think. And hey, my girlfriend is a mermaid--I have more experience in the water than even the average fisherman, now."
Thena rolled her eyes; merely knowing her did not make him a better swimmer. Although she had to admit, Gil's form was better than some of the other fishing boat idiots in the area. She pouted, "swimming is not a talent that can be passed on through mating."
Gil just laughed before leaning in to kiss her again. "Maybe we'll just have to keep trying, hm?"
She attempted to remain cross with him, but it really wasn't working at all. He was far too charming for a human. She leaned in to kiss him as well, her tail taking on a mind of its own to push her closer to him so she could wrap her arms around his neck.
"And hey, we can keep swimming like this," he shrugged, running his fingers up and down her back where skin met scales. "You like it, right?--having your tail on, just swimming around for fun?"
She did enjoy it. It felt nice to have her tail on in its natural state, and swimming with Gil made her feel...closer to him, in a way. She felt more connected over the gap between human and mer.
Gil kissed her again, still holding onto the ladder. "How about this--you let me start dinner for us. And tonight, when the moon is out, we can swim a little again before bed."
Thena brightened visibly, her tail practically wagging. Two of her favourite things were promised: swimming with Gil, and sleeping with Gil. What a hopeless thing she was.
"Okay, come on," he smiled, beginning the trip up the ladder. Once he was up he did shiver some.
Thena followed him up quickly, always happy when her feet could navigate the ladder easily (one of the hardest actions she'd had to learn with her legs on). "Come on, let's get inside."
Gil pulled his towel around his shoulders, although he pulled her into him with it, both of them walking slowly and awkwardly cocooned together within the fluffy cloak. "So, what do you want for dinner?"
"Hm," Thena mused, happy to shuffle along at a cucumber's pace if it meant being tucked into Gil's side. "That rice porridge you made was tasty."
"Oh yeah?" he brightened. He liked that recipe, and although it had been a remedy for her feeling unwell at the time, she had come to like it too. "Okay, I'll add some extra seafood."
Thena eyed him, "and sardines?"
He bent his head down, kissing her forehead, "anything you want, Angelfish."
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