#slapping them with her fins and biting them

[softquietsteadylove]

What’s better than jealous Thena?

A very territorial Thena! Especially if it’s comes to Gil!

Maybe you can write something about how very territorial she is? Choose the AU 👀

"What do you think, Angelfish?" Gil asked as Thena held onto his arm.

For their day out this time, he had brought her to a soft sanded beach, with reasonable human activity but nothing unreasonably crowded. She had seen one in a commercial on tv - the box, as she was still calling it - and asked about it.

"It's nice here," Thena smiled, looking out at the sparkling water and practically feeling it against her skin. She could smell the salt on the air and practically taste its salinity.

"A lot of people like the beach," Gil explained faintly as they walked towards a nice spot somewhat away from the centre of things. "The bright sun and nice weather can make people want to be outside, and there are lots of things you can do here for free."

"Hm," Thena hummed next to him so he would know she was listening. But she was taking in all the different coloured towels people had and their large hats and sunglasses and children running around and screaming.

"How about here?" he suggested, holding out his hand to a nice soft patch of sand a reasonable distance from most everyone else. She nodded and he immediately spread out a blanket that couldn't possibly supply warmth. "Sit on this, Angelfish. It'll keep sand from getting stuck to you."

Thena did so, sitting on the beach blanket but pressing her palm to the sand. Just as he said, granules of sand stuck to her skin. She blinked, "hm."

"Sand can be a real pain to get rid of once it's on you," Gil murmured as he also stuck their umbrella into the sand and set down the bag of supplies he'd brought with them. He smiled, "although I guess it's not really a problem for you, huh?"

Thena smiled back at him. Gil was becoming increasingly comfortable with going out around other people. She had gained more and more practice among humans with his and Sersi's help, and he had even found a funny article of clothing for her to wear today.

Gil had on shorts made of a funny material, similar to a diver's proper scuba suit or rashguard. He said they were made for getting wet, and then they could change and dry themselves with the towels properly so their clothes after would still be dry.

Thena was wearing a white 'bathing suit' as it was called, which was a hilarious contradiction of words, but never mind that. Gil had showed her how to put her arms and legs through, and then to tie it behind her neck in a secure knot. On top of even that, he had still asked her to wear one of her dresses for walking around while dry, too.

Gil was rather attached to clothes and the mere concept of them.

"You hungry?" Gil asked as he finally sat down himself and pulled out a funny smelling lotion. "There's food and ice cream and stuff."

"Ice cream?" Thena perked up at the mere mention of it. She wrinkled her nose as Gil spread the funny smelling stuff on his skin, "what is that?"

"This is called sunscreen," he explained as he massaged it into his palms and then rubbed his arms first. "It protects human skin from the sun."

"Why are you in danger from the sun?" Thena frowned.

"Too much of a good thing," Gil chuckled, moving on to his shoulders. "Consider it like being in the sun too long and drying out."

"Ah," Thena nodded; she did know what effect that could have. "It can cause scale peeling."

"Right," he grinned at her as he massaged it into his legs too. He looked at her, "I...don't know if you need any or not."

Thena leaned away from him, "it smells unpleasantly."

"I don't want you to get sick, though," he sighed, although he tilted his head. "I guess your skin isn't really the same as mine. Do you...do you know what a sunburn is?"

Thena shook her head.

"Okay," Gil sighed, putting away the bottle of sludge. "But I'm gonna keep an eye on you. And if your skin starts to get red or feel warm to the touch, don't say I didn't try to help."

She laughed; Gil had such a worrisome nature, but it only ever endeared him to her. She tilted her head at him, her hair tumbling around her as she did, "I'm sure you'll keep a very close eye on it."

Gil blushed, although she wasn't sure what she had said that might embarrass him.

"Uh, h-how 'bout that ice cream?" he suggested, standing rather rapidly. "What kind do you want?"

"Mango?"

"And what if they don't have mango?" he asked, having explained to her that not all ice cream places had the same kinds.

She had argued that was understandable, but it didn't make sense for them not to have the best flavour.

"Whatever tastes like fruit," she shrugged, and Gil nodded, walking off with a little money he kept in the bag he'd brought. She watched him go before pulling the bag closer to rifle through it.

She tossed aside the bottle of lotion, then the water bottle and his keys and wallet and phone. She grinned, pulling out a rolled up bag of sardine snacks.

The beach really was lovely. It was picturesque and beautiful and everyone present seemed to be enjoying themselves. She did want to take Gil swimming, although she would have to keep in mind to keep her legs on while she was doing it. It was pretty instinctive to put her tail on, after all.

She looked down the beach, easily able to see Gil at the medium distance at a little stall. The sun was bright, hitting his black hair and bringing out the brown undertones in it. It looked soft and fluffy as the breeze moved it.

Thena tilted her head. A female approached Gil, seeming to ask him about the ice cream. She couldn't quite hear them over the roar of the sheer volume of people also present. And their backs were to her, or she would read their lips.

She tilted her head in the other direction as the female stepped more into Gil's space. The stranger didn't seem to know him, and certainly Thena didn't know her. And yet the human had cozied herself right up to Gil's side, as much as he tried to move out of her way.

Was not the purpose of a line to be single file and long?--not people next to each other side by side?

Thena stood, dusting off her sundress. She made her way towards the ice cream stand, watching two more females join the first. They were speaking about being friends, asking about Gil and why they hadn't seen him here before.

Because he hadn't been here before; what a stupid question.

The first one to approach him closed in on his border with her other two packmates flanking him, creating a tight triangle on each of his sides. They had blocked off his escape route.

Thena bit on her lip, keeping in mind to press her fangs against her tongue.

"That's so funny!"

Thena watched as the primary female laughed, throwing her head back, showing off her long jugular and putting her hand on Gil's arm. She walked faster.

"Uh, well," Gil squirmed, trying not to make contact with her or the other two as his personal space continued to shrink and shrink and shrink. "I should really-"

"So passionfruit, huh?" the second one asked, clearly next in the pecking order for their prey.

Gil gulped, "my girlfriend likes fruity flavours."

Thena had heard this 'girlfriend/boyfriend' label applied to each of them in several contexts by now. She never managed to pin down a description of what exactly they meant, and they seemed to change slightly depending on the circumstances.

But what was important was the 'my' that came before it.

"Aw," even the tertiary of the pack felt bold enough to speak up. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I do," Gil nodded eagerly. He was bartering for his release.

"Well," the primary was up again, moving closer to him again, "where is she?"

"Excuse me," Thena growled, already congratulating herself for her restraint for not hissing in the woman's face.

"Oh," all three of them made a surprised expression and stood back. "Uh, okay...not what I expected."

"Hey," Gil looked at her, holding her hand in his protectively. "I-I'm sorry, you should-"

"You're his girlfriend?" the primary asked. Her tone was sweet, but Thena couldn't help but feel that it was very fake. "You're so pretty."

Then frowned; the words were complimentary, but she had never felt so insulted.

"Is she from, like, Sweden?" the secondary joined the pack leader in their subtle intimidation display. Their arms sat crossed around them under their busts.

"I had a marine biology outpost in the Bering Sea until last year," Thena spouted off the practised line entirely naturally, by far the most practised detail of her human life she knew, by now. Second to anything relating to Gil, of course.

"That must have been lonely."

Thena wished she had her tail so she could wave it between her and Gil and them, beating her fins in a display of her anger. Instead, she clung to Gil's arm, pulling him closer to her. "It was before we met."

"Oh," the primary blinked. She was bad at acting.

"Look ladies," Gil attempted to address the pack, leaning both of them away from the pack's approach, "I'm sorry, but I'm trying to enjoy a date with my girlfriend."

"Oh, well, we wouldn't want to interrupt."

She was bad at lying.

Thena didn't quite know how to employ such subtleties to her speech, with their false meanings and tones and implications. She tilted her head at them, "you desire my mate."

"Uh," she scoffed in Thena's face at the accusation, "mate? What're you--from some old timey cult?"

"I do not know what a cult is," Thena answered straight forward. It continued to take the human women off guard. She stepped forward (but only enough to stare them down, not enough to have to let go of Gil). "But I know that you are unwelcome here. I would hate to have to engage in anything with you."

The women looked at her, and Thena didn't know what they were imagining. But she grew up with Ikaris--she knew how to fight, be it properly, or being reduced to biting and scratching.

The women laughed off the interaction, but they were both backing away and tightening their formation. They could act as superior as they desired, but they were still the ones retreating.

Thena maintained eye contact, never taking her eyes off of her enemies until they were turned and walking away. She could very clearly hear them talking about how 'weird' she was and how 'crazy' she seemed, and how her being with Gil didn't 'make any fucking sense'. She tipped her chin up; the victory was still hers.

"Hey," Gil whispered, pulling her back to him, "Angelfish?"

Thena slowly turned back to him, her chest aching faintly as she tried to even out her breathing. Having just lungs wasn't always easy. She frowned, "you should have called for me."

Gil blinked, obviously surprised at that statement, "what?"

She pursed her lips at him, "you were cornered, Gil. A pack like that, obviously aggressive about territory?--you could have called to me for help. I would have heard you!"

His surprise didn't quite disappear, but he smiled, "you'd come over and protect me, huh?"

Thena huffed, crossing her arms (a very human habit, if she did say so herself). "I wasn't going to let them try and edge in on my territory, like that. If we were in my habitat, our tails would be crossing and she would have my fang marks on her.

Gil continued to grin at her in that way that made him seem amused by what she was saying. His hand moved so he could settle his arm behind her, his hand landing on her waist. Her back sloped into the bend of his elbow naturally.

Thena tilted her head as she felt Gil's lips on her cheek. She liked it when he did that.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue, Cuddlefish."

Thena looked down at her sandy toes. Gil was right, the sand was everywhere. She toyed with the hem of her dress. "You protect what is yours, Gilgamesh. It is the most natural thing in the world."

"I guess I feel the same way," he said softly, holding her close to him.

She sighed, immediately melding into him. Sometimes - as impossible as it was - she felt she could miss him as soon as he was away from her for mere minutes. A silly thought.

"You still gonna order somethin', son?"

Gil blushed a vivid red, pulling himself away from Thena and stuttering at the older gentleman running the stand. "S-S-Sorry, I, uh, d-distracted-"

"That's clear," the man with a moustache snorted, although he gave Thena a nod, "somethin' for the lady?"

"Do you have mango?" she asked outright. There was no better way to ascertain things than asking directly.

"Mm, no mango," the shop keeper shook his head. "But I've got passionfruit, strawberry, blueberry cheesecake, and lemondrop."

"Hm," Thena nodded, wondering what 'cheesecake' would taste like. And what the difference between a lemon and a lemondrop was. She looked up at Gil, "what should I do?"

He beamed at her, "I was going to get passionfruit for you. It's kind of like mango. I'll get lemondrop, and if you don't like yours, we can trade."

Thena beamed right back at him, wishing she had her tail on to express some of her happiness for her.

The mustachioed man shook his head with a chuckle, already readying the individual scoops for each tub, "sucker."

Thena laughed as well, leaning against Gil's side as he handed over their money and waited for their ice cream, "my Suckerfish."

[minniesmutt]

♡ ━━━ ENJOY OURSELVES

♡ ━━━ WC: 1.4K

♡ ━━━ CONTENT: IMPLIED FIRST ROUND, SEX TAPE/PHOTOS, ANAL PLUG, BITING, HICKEYS, PET NAMES, ANAL FINGERING, BACK SHOTS, ASS SLAP, UNPROTECTED SEX, COLLAR AND LEASH

     “I feel bad you’re using your nice camera for a porn shoot,” Chan said from his bed as he watched his girlfriend set up her camera equipment. 

     “The quality is much better than a phone so I don’t mind.” Y/n smiled over her shoulder at him.

     “You just want exclusive photos for yourself.” Chan grabbed her waist as she walked by him and pulled her onto his lap. Y/n giggled as he started kissing her cheek, his hand running over her thighs.

     “I wasn’t done yet.” Y/n giggled.

     “Mhm.” Chan reluctantly let go of his girlfriend and laid back on the bed.

     The couple came back to Chan’s apartment after their sex shop date and did his usual single photos for his only fans— well, after going for a quick round. Chan was very impressed with how the photos came out on the camera and just how professional Y/n was about it. The last part he found rather hot too and now was needy for his girlfriend.

     So the entire time she had been trying to set up, he’d been trying to distract her, asking questions but in reality just watching her perfect lips move as she talked, not listening to a single word. Or keeping his eyes on her ass as she walked around the room, especially since she was just in his t-shirt. Something he’s come to love seeing her in.

     “You ready?” Y/n asked from behind her camera.

     “How are we taking photos like this again?” Chan asked

     “I’m recording video and I’ll pull stills from it,” Y/n sighed. To be fair, it was his third time asking that question.

     “M’kay. Hit record and come over here,” Chan sat up and made grabby hands at her.

     Y/n giggled as she double-checked the angle before hitting record and waddling over to him. Chan pulled her onto his lap once she was in arms reach, having her straddle him, hands holding her waist as his lips met hers. Y/n wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss. 

     Chan moaned as she rolled her hips against his hard-on. His hands pushed up her t-shirt before she pulled away and tossed the fabric off her body. “So fucking pretty,” Chan whispered as he kissed her neck. 

     Y/n ran her hands through his dark locks. His large hands move down to grab her ass and pull her closer to him. Chest to chest as he licked up the column of her neck. 

     “Tryna get photos or make a home video here babe?” Y/n asked 

     “I don’t mind having our little sex tape. Just for the two of us,” Chan smiled as he kissed her jaw, “what do you say, bun?”

     “Just for us?” Y/n asked

     “Just for us bunny,” Chan confirmed 

     “Better put on a show, Chrissy.”

     Chan smiled and bit the skin under her jaw and sucked a mark before he fixed their position. Laying her on her stomach on the pillows and moving slightly to fix the camera angle then moving back to kiss down her back. He still had on the collar from the singles she took of him and she could feel a bit of the metal on her back. 

     “My bunny’s missing her tail,” Chan mumbled as he kissed the swell of her ass.

     Y/n learned that when her oh-so-precious boyfriend wandered off on their date earlier, he’d found a little bunny tail. Mainly bringing it over to show her because he thought it was cute. He was not suggesting anything. Giggling a little bit as he showed her. Somehow the conversation had ended with them buying the little plug. No harm in trying something new— he also found a little bunny set but opted to not get it at the time.

     Chan laid on his stomach while his hands spread her cheeks apart and licked a stripe up from her cunt to ass. Y/n moaned into the pillow as he repeated the action before getting off the bed and grabbing the plug and a bottle of lube. He set the tail down on the mattress and then pulled her lower half onto her knees. Chan opened the bottle and put some on his fingers.

     “Ready?” Chan asked as he leaned over her, finger running between her cheeks

     “Yeah,” Y/n nodded as his free hand intertwined with one of hers. 

     Chan slowly pushed his finger into her tight hole. Y/n gasped and instinctually squeezed around him. Chan leaned down and kissed her shoulder, “I got you, babe,” Chan whispered. 

     He continued whispering praises and sweet nothings in her skin, pressing kisses everywhere he could. Taking time to help her relax before slowly inching his finger in more. Repeating the process till he was slowly thrusting his finger in and out of her. 

     “Fuck,” Y/n whined into the pillow 

     “What’s going on in that pretty brain of yours bunny?” Chan asked

     “Feel good,” Y/n moaned 

     “Yeah? Think can handle another one?”      “Yes.”

     Chan kissed her spine as he slowly pushed a second finger into her, repeating the same process as earlier until he was thrusting in and out of her and scissoring her hole open. Y/n gripped the pillow with her free hand and muffled her moans with it as well.

     “Let me hear you bunny,” Chan released her hand for a moment to move the pillow out of the way, turning her head to the side to hear the whiny moans that fell out of her mouth.

     Chan pumped his fingers in and out until he and Y/n were both content enough to slide the plug in. Chan lubed up the tail’s silicone base and slowly slipped into his girlfriend. Y/n moaned into the mattress as the toy slipped into her. 

     Chan smiled when the toy was fully in. He gave her a quick slap on the ass. “Pretty little bunny,” Chan smiled wider as he lined his cock up with her entrance. 

     He pushed the tip in and grabbed hold of her hips as he sank in the rest of the way. Both moaned as he stretched her walls out. He gave them both a minute to adjust before Y/n told him to move. 

     Chan pulled out and slowly pushed back into her. Hands gripping onto her hips and pulling her back against him. His eyes watched the bunny tail hide the site of him disappearing inside of her, one of his favorite things about this position. 

     Gradually, his pace sped up until he was leaning over her with his hands pressed against her shoulders and pounding into her. Her walls clenched around his cock with each thrust. One of his hands slipped under her body and found its way to her puffy clit and rubbed circles into it. Y/n bucked her hips against his hand.

     His pace stuttered a bit as he felt himself coming close to his high as he worked to get his girlfriend to hers before him. His fingers rubbed her clit faster before her walls clamped down around him as she came on his cock. 

    Chan chased his high, fucking her right through hers as he’d done plenty of times before. Sitting up straight on his knees and grabbing her hips, bringing them back to meet his thrusts before he felt the rope about to snap and pulled out. Jacking off till his cum shot out onto her ass and lower back. 

     Both took a few moments to catch their breaths before Chan laid her fully down on the bed and moved to turn the camera off. 

     “You got it?” Y/n asked from the bed 

     “Yeah babe,” Chan said as he stopped the recording and moved back over to the bed for a moment. He leaned down and pressed his lips to his girlfriend’s head before moving to take the plug out slowly. 

     Once he got the toy out, he left the room momentarily to grab water and a rag to clean her up before coming back and cleaning the come off her back. Then taking off the collar. 

     “I love you,” Chan told her as he pulled her body on top of his, rubbing her back

     “I love you too,” Y/n smiled, “But can we go shower before we get too comfy?”

     “But I’m already comfy,” Chan whined, which made her glare at him, “Alright.”

     Chan got her into the bathroom before grabbing clothes for the two of them. Y/n did her bit of aftercare while she waited for him to come back and turn the shower on so they could wash up and then go to seep

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© 2024 MINNIESMUTT. DO NOT COPY, REPUBLISH OR TRANSLATE MY WORK ANYWHERE

[chrissv4mp]

october 22

the bedframe creaked. music leaked in through the small crack in the door. the headboard hitting the wall with each rough movement. his hands were all over you, lips caressing your skin so softly, a large contrast to the way he pounded into you. his eyes never left yours, pupils dilated and wild.

you don't know how you even got in this situation. it was a small party for his album release, a private one just for close friends and some family, but somehow you both had stumbled down the hallway and into his room, which reminded you of another thing. the door wasn't locked, and it was open just the tiniest amount. but, still, anyone could walk in. the idea only made your situation hotter, the thrill making adrenaline pump through your veins.

his hair was messy, but you didn't mind because it was your doing. you didn't care if he still had to go out there and greet people. your hands resided at his back now, clawing at his soft skin and leaving marks that would for sure ache afterwards. he sucked in a breath as you clenched around him, hips stuttering for a moment as he buries his head in the crook of your neck. his soft moans and breaths fall right into your ear, giving you access to even the smallest sounds that would leave his lips.

"close?" he slurs, eyes rolling back as you buck your hips in time with his thrusts. you stutter something, followed by a hum as your nails dig deeper into his skin, "need you to cum with me, baby." he speaks softly, lips leaving a wet trail of kisses from your collarbone to your own lips, swollen from biting them over and over again, "my present. please?"

"fin—fuck." you sigh, toes curling as your body convulsed beneath his own. one hand leaves his back, coming up to pull at his hair, eliciting a string of moans that consisted of your name and pleas for you to cum with him. your dress was bunched around your waist, his hands keeping it from falling and denying him access to your sweet pussy, "the—mm.. door."

he shakes his head, clearly not giving a single fuck if someone saw or not. his family knew not to come in without knocking, and his friends definitely would think twice before even grabbing the doorknob. you clench tighter around him, and when one of his hands comes down to circle your clit, you finally break with a loud moan. it was definitely heard from outside of the room, but all that was running across your mind at the moment was finneas. finneas. finneas.

his own orgasm hits him like a train, stars flashing behind his eyelids as he grunts softly, hips slapping against yours and creating a rhythm. all that he can speak is your name, his mind solely on you as he feels your grip on his hair tighten, nails dragging down his back again as the feeling starts to become too much. the door creaks, but neither of are really in the right headspace to even hear it.

"oh shit."

billie nudges you with a cheeky smile on her face, watching as you comb your fingers through your hair in an effort to make yourself look a little more presentable. she snickers, and that's when you finally give her the satisfaction of a small glance, "my brother, huh?" she giggles like a little girl, an emotion hidden in her eyes that you can't quite catch.

"shut up." you whisper, rolling your eyes as your face flushes a deep shade of red. you cross your arms over your chest before looking away. as you do, though, you feel billie come closer, her hands snaking down your waist and tapping the thin fabric of your dress. she scoffs, her lips dangerously close to your ear. your eyes stay trained on finneas as he talks to rat, laughing along with the boy as he sips on his drink.

"gettin' the best of both worlds, isn't that right?"

@sturnl0ve @eilishslut @zayluvss @hrtsdollie

KINKTOBER

[floweringlamb]

Long scenario :33

New law where all trans guys are considered property. I’m sold off, and a rich family picks me out for my youth and virginity, and because my breasts are intact. The wife has two young kids and an older son, but she was recently diagnosed with a condition that would make it dangerous to give birth again, so I’ve been chosen to carry on the work of creating a large family for them.

I wear a shock collar to prevent me from escaping, and it’s also used any time I’m disobedient. The husband roughly fucks me and creampies me every morning, every time he gets home from work, and every night. I try my best to not cry from dysphoria, so that I won’t feel the horrible electricity run through my body for misbehaving. But it’s a terrible feeling, to be seen as simply an object with a female body, to be used however they wished.

Soon enough, the daily pregnancy test I take finally comes back positive, and my poor cunt gets a bit of a rest, though I am still bent over any time the husband needs some relief. Their older son watches curiously, and ends up groping me and asking endless questions about the female body, which is incredibly embarrassing for me.

I walk around the house completely nude, and the mother oversees the progress of my bump, taking many photos and videos of me starting to walk differently with the added weight a few months in. I’m never allowed to leave the house, instead acting as a permanent housewife, cooking every meal, cleaning every surface, and acting as a second mom to the two little kids, helping them with homework and watching them play. I at least got to sit down for every meal at the table, and the mother would coo and feed me the most nutritious bites to make sure her baby would be born nice and healthy.

As the due date became closer on the horizon, I was made to do yoga and stretch to keep my body flexible and in shape. The older son would often watch me stretch, slapping my ass and making crude comments, which made me wet… probably due to the increased pregnancy hormones. In fact, whenever the son or husband decided to fuck me to relieve their tension, it felt incredible.

I even found myself masturbating, something I had never done before. During that, one time I squeezed one of my boobs and a bit of milk spurted out. I notified the mom, who immediately brought out the milking machine, and had me milk myself until I was dry every morning and night. Gallons were collected and frozen, and it was a relief to feel the weight off of my shoulders, as my breasts had grown heavy with milk. My nipples became more often erect, and they had become dark, which the husband liked to massage and drink out of.

My belly was huge now! Stretch marks lined the sides, and my belly button had popped out. I constantly held and caressed it, trying to keep a bit of the weight off of my hips. Luckily, my hips had adapted and become even wider, naturally in sync grow a child inside me. I began to have trouble getting out of bed, having to rock myself up.

I was cleaning dishes when the time finally came, feeling a rush of water run down my legs and pool onto the floor. I had expected more attention, but the family just went about their day, only the little kids watching in fascination as I screamed and cried, desperately trying to push out the wide head of the baby. After hours of agony, the baby fell out onto a puddle on the floor, and began to cry. The father and mother cooed and cradled their new child. I was ignored after that, so I went to the bathroom and washed my face with cold water. I stared in the mirror and realized I looked completely different to when I arrived at this house. My hair had grown long and silky, my breasts had puffed up and grown heavy with food for the baby, and my stomach now looked like a deflated sack, riddled with stretch marks. I turned and look at how thick my butt and thighs had become, and I realized just how much my body had changed during my new life. I was surprised to find that I wasn’t sad… it felt strangely right, to have a purpose.

[l-lend]

Hello there ^^, maybe the 23 from your sfw prompt from reader to Crosshair? I'm a sucker for gift giving myself so pls let the grumpy sniper get spoiled a bit. Have a lovely day <3

Hello there,

I decided to play with an idea with this one. I hope you enjoy.

23. “I saw this and I thought you’d like it”

@clonexreaderbingo Third square down I believe. Let's keep it going.

Blue divider by @saradika

@locitapurplepink, @rain-on-kamino, @writing-positivelyexisting, @burningfieldof-clover, @padawancat97, @ahsokastechie, @annwayne

A sigh passed the young woman’s lips as the sun began to disappear beneath the waves. The waves rocked her quaint vessel as if it were a mother soothing her child. Her meal as well as a plate of identical food remained untouched as she kept her gaze to the depths. Every ripple of its surface a reminder of the mounting minutes that her company kept her waiting.

It was a splash along the port side that alerted her to his presence. A deliberated movement since he often sliced through the surf with ease. She stepped up to the side, her forearms perched on the edge as she leaned over to greet her guest.

“You're late again.”

He met her gaze with a scowl, however most of its usual bite appeared to be missing.

“Not by choice.”

She shook her head, “Well, dinner's a bit cold, but I tried something different.”

He slipped back under the waves. Her gaze lingered on the water as the shorter dorsal fin on his tail briefly broke the surface. Just the sight of that appendage could send sailors and surfers alike scrambling towards dry land.

She straightened her posture before she headed to the stern. The two plates plucked up from was passed as a dinner table to be placed on the deck. He made his perch along the swim deck's collapsible ladder. His gaze followed her as she folded her legs under her. She scooped up a portion of her meal before it was lifted to her lips.

Her guest mirrored her movements, however he waited until she swallowed.

“I didn't do anything crazy to it. Promise.”

He regarded her for a moment before he tried the dish. Flavor met his taste buds which gave an odd tingling sensation. It was his puzzled expression that caught her attention.

“Nuna masala.” She Pressed on, “You seemed to like the peppers I brought the other day, so thought we'd try spiceful foods.”

Another spoonful lifted to his lips was his answer.

The pair continued their meal. A comforting silence enveloped them with the clinks of utensils on plates paired with the slapping of waves against the hull. She watched him as she moved the remnants on her plate.

“I got you something.”

He looked up from his half eaten meal, but did not speak. She moved her plate away and made her approach to the edge of the swim deck, an object clenched in her fist and she opened it.

“I never thanked you properly for fetching my bracelet when we met. It was the first one I made so...it's kinda special.”

In her open palm, rested a length of braided cord meticulously woven into a bracelet. A bracelet of a similar weave pattern was affixed to her wrist. A few delicate shells were nestled in between some of the more complex knots. The woven cord stood out prominently with its strands dyed a deep plum shade to further bring a attention to the tiny alabaster shells.

A gentle smile curled her lips, “I saw the colors and it just...made me think of you.”

He gingerly plucked up the mass of woven cord. The object turned over in his slender fingers, fingertips brushed the smooth surface of the shells. She was rewarded with a hushed chuckle.

“Look. If you think it's stupid, I'll take it back.” She pouted through pursed lips.

She reached out only for him to back away to hold it just out of reach.

“Thought it was a gift, doll.”

His cocky smirk caused her pout to soften.

“Well, don't lose it. It took forever to dye those strands.”

The vessel shifted as he surged forward. His hand planted against the swim deck. His svelte form being supported by his arm strength and what would have been his hip resting on the deck. The abrupt motion caused her to lose her footing; the edge swiftly approaching. She never met the swim deck or the surf just below, but instead met his chest. An arm snaked around her waist.

His sharp gaze pierced her. A thumb traced her bottom lip as more of the mesmerizing melody of his laugh met her ears.

“Weren't you supposed to be good on those legs of yours?”

[markwatnae]

Aquarium Highlights Tuesday 10/15:

I got to see them feed our peacock wolf eel via targeting and she was beautiful. I was mesmerized the whole time.

A girl found our palette surgeonfish aka Dory from Finding Nemo and said, “Look it’s Dory!” She pointed at a different blue fish and said, “That’s dollar store Dory.” I almost died.

Aquarium Highlights Wednesday 10/16:

Kid tried to pet a shark with his full hand. I asked him to not do that. He tried it again a few minutes later and before I could say anything, his grandmother told him off.

I witnessed shark on shark crime! Our epaulette shark Bert swam across the tank just to bite our other epaulette shark Ernie on the fin! Rude!

Aquarium Highlights Thursday 10/17:

I got to ramble to a group of women around my age about the kelp forest tank where our peacock wolf eel lives and all about her. Also told them that sea urchins wear hats sometimes. They were delighted and lovely and complimented me on my knowledge.

I asked a ~12 year old kid to stop knocking on the glass of the mantis shrimp tank. His friend gestured at me and said, “I told you so!” A++ kid.

Immediately after that, the man standing beside me said to me, “You handled that well,” and went on to tell me he was a middle school teacher for 20 years. Highest praise.

Had a small boy come up to me as I was telling a family about the coral reef tank and ask me, “What are you talking about?” So I gave him a rundown and he said okay and left.

A group of girls were in front of a tank and one started slapping the glass. I asked her to stop. They looked at me and she turned around and did it again a minute later. Her dad, who was chaperoning, scolded her immediately.

A very nice ~12 y/o boy in a neat red polo shirt politely asked me where our snakes were and I told him.

A young Hispanic boy had a bunch of questions for me about our large shark tank so I talked to him for a long time. His dad apologized but I said that he was great and I loved it.

I got to show a bunch of kids our eel when he finally came out of hiding.

Our octopus was out and about and very beautiful!

[snoffyy]

Chasm

There were creatures in the ocean. This, Yue had known all her life. Turtle seals, whale-walruses, koala otters… these were creatures everyone within the tribe was familiar with. Revered them, in a way. They gave her people food, warmth, clothing, tools. Every creature had purpose, and every purpose was thanked. Here, in the harsh, biting cold, their lives depended on it.

But there were other creatures. Stories of humans with fish tails. Translucent fins, scintillating scales, sleek, powerful muscles. They’d fascinated Yue when she was younger, and though there was enough evidence to prove these creatures were out there, most people went a lifetime without catching a glimpse of them.

Mermaids.

Every region of the world hosted them. Even in the bitter poles, they were there. Somewhere out there, at least.

Sometimes, Yue wondered if they led much more different lives than their land-dwelling counterparts.

Or, at least, Yue thought, as she clasped the betrothal necklace chained around her throat, if they led easier lives.

.

Ever since her engagement had been announced, Yue found herself wandering to the edge of the city to stare at the sunset, as if to count down the days of relative freedom she had left. It was peaceful outside of the towering walls, and the waters had always looked so pretty under the light of the setting sun.

“It’s my duty,” Yue said unconvincingly to the lapping waters. “I have to marry him. If I don’t, it will cause strife within the tribe. I have to. I must.”

The waters didn’t reply, of course.

“We can cooperate,” Yue continued. “My father wouldn’t have approved the betrothal if Hahn was unreasonable. I’m sure, at the very least, we can unite our interests in protecting the city.”

Below the waters, Yue thought she saw the shadowy mass of a seal animal flit briefly.

“The only reason my father would break the engagement is if Hahn did something truly terrible or if… I don’t know, he was accidentally killed during a hunt.”

A splash, and gentle ripples spread in a circular pattern. Yue smiled slightly. So she was correct; there had been an animal lurking within the waters.

“I shouldn’t say that,” Yue chided herself. “That’s horrible.”

.

Day after day, she returned to the waters, sometimes sitting in silence, sometimes talking about her day. More often than not, she’d unspool her thoughts about her impending marriage to Hahn. And without fail, the same animal she’d spotted that day would accompany her. She never managed to discern what animal it was, but she’d spy hints of it, from the dark mass travelling beneath the ice to the ripples and splashes it would make as if to agree with her words.

It was likely a large animal if the size of the splashes were any indication. She knew little else. Of its colouring, of its shape, of anything that could’ve given a hint as to what she was spilling her thoughts to.

One day, Yue had brought along a piece of raw meat, curious to see if it was a carnivorous animal. She’d tossed it into the water close to where she had seen the last indication of a splash before she returned home.

What a surprise it was to see the meat sitting on the ice the next day, completely untouched. As soon as she peered over the edge of the ice, a large splash caught her right in the face, the sound of a tail slapping against the water the only confirmation that it was the creature clearly miffed by her offering.

Raw seaweed? Tossed back.

Seal blubber? A tentative nibble taken out of a corner before it was left on the ice as well.

Finally, she brought a bowl of soup, setting it next to the water’s edge as if in offering.

The next day, an empty bowl greeted her.

It was amusing, in a way. Though Yue had to wonder what sort of high-intelligence animal had been keeping her company.

“What are you?” she finally asked after a week of leaving plated meals. “Who are you?”

A splash, and in the sunset, Yue stared, wide-eyed, as a long tail arched out of the ocean, water sluicing off glimmering crimson scales. It was nothing she had ever seen before. An indescribable beauty, almost otherworldly…

And then it was gone, slipping back into the water silently.

“Mermaid…” she breathed.

.

It was her secret, and it was supposed to remain her secret. Though the mermaid never fully revealed themselves, they seemed to be more comfortable with showing off their tail, lazily flicking it above the waves every so often or even giving her a glimpse as they dove into the depths.

Sometimes, if she was very lucky, she’d even see a flash of pale skin.

But she should’ve known that Hahn would grow curious. He’d been curious for a while, asking – no, demanding – to know where she ran off to at the end of every day.

She just hadn’t anticipated that he’d follow her.

“So this is what you’ve been doing every day?”

Yue paled, turning around to see Hahn pinning her with a fathomless stare.

“You’re giving our food to some animal?” Hahn scoffed. Then he seemed to remember himself, and a sickly-sweet smile spread across his face. “Sorry. I just meant, Yue, surely if you wanted to feed the animals, it’d be better to give them scraps instead?”

“They… have different tastes,” Yue managed.

“They’re just animals,” Hahn sighed. “They’ll be happy with bones. Besides, all animals are good for is for food and clothing. You know this, Yue.”

“They’re not…” Yue bit her lip. “Never mind.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

Yue reluctantly turned to head back with her fiancé, though not without gently setting the bowl of stew on the ice.

.

A week before the wedding, Hahn followed her out onto the ice again, this time with a spear.

“What are you doing with that?” Yue asked warily, hesitant to peer over the edge as she usually would.

Hahn smirked, flicking his hair out of his face. “Hunting. The wedding is in a week, and I’m supposed to provide the centrepiece of the banquet.”

“Right,” Yue said guardedly. “What are you planning on hunting?”

Her heart sank when Hahn approached the edge of the ice, the gleaming edge of the spear made sharper yet under the rays of the setting sun.

“I came out the other day at noon,” Hahn grinned. “And I saw something move underwater. It must’ve been your little friend. Red scales, too. There isn’t anything here that has red scales. Something that exotic would make our wedding the wedding of the century.”

“You can’t!” Yue protested. “That’s not a simple-minded animal, it’s… it’s…”

“It’s what, Yue?” Hahn asked, scanning the waters. “Come on, you can’t possibly think it’s a pet.”

“No,” Yue grabbed his arm, “but trust me when I say you can’t. Please, don’t do this. There are other animals that you can hunt, just not this one.”

Hahn’s eyes hardened. “Let go, Yue. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I knew I should’ve brought this up with your father. Do you even know what animal it is?”

“It’s not an animal,” Yue admitted. “Hahn, you can’t kill them.”

“Them?” Hahn echoed.

He was to be her husband, wasn’t he? It made sense to trust him, to divulge her secrets. How else was a relationship supposed to work? But reluctance stayed her hand, and she found herself at a loss for words.

“You can’t,” she repeated weakly.

And then, a trill.

Melodic, deep, crooning. Yue had heard many a song in her life. The greatest musicians in the Northern Water Tribe had sung at grand celebrations, fantastic orators reciting poems and stories of old. And yet none of them could compare to what she was hearing.

Hahn, on the other hand, was completely entranced. Enthralled in a way that was unnatural. Certainly not in the way he dropped his spear, stumbling closer to the edge, his eyes fixated on something in the water.

“Hahn,” Yue tugged at his arm, trying to shake off the reverie. “Hahn, get away from the water.”

“No,” Hahn murmured. “No. Let me go. I… I need to go to… I need to…”

Something, someone, crested out of the ocean. A head of brown hair, amber eyes, a proud nose. A man.

A man? Human?

No. A smattering of red scales crawled up the man’s neck, as crimson as the tail Yue had seen over the past few weeks.

Mermaid?

The man opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth.

And then he sang.

Hahn tore himself out of Yue’s grip, diving into the water in a mad scramble. She shouted in alarm, reaching out for him, but her hand missed him by miles, and with a resounding splash, Hahn started desperately swimming towards the man.

And the man… the merman, dove towards Hahn, still trilling that haunting melody. It happened faster than Yue could comprehend. One moment Hahn was bobbing in the water, and the next, he was gone, dragged into the depths, not even a spread of blood in the water to indicate he was ever there.

Neither Hahn nor the merman resurfaced again.

.

She blamed it on a piranha shark.

Her father accepted the explanation after one look at her tear-streaked face. The rest of the tribe too believed her story after Hahn’s corpse was fished out of the ocean the next day, several bites taken out of him, piranha shark teeth embedded into the open wounds.

Too ambitious, she heard the warriors sigh as they dressed his body. He shouldn’t have tried to hunt a piranha shark. Land animals would have been easier. At least he’d have more of a chance on the tundra.

Two weeks later, Yue returned to the ice edge.

She hadn’t even needed to wait a minute before the man appeared before her, resting his arms on the ice. Amber eyes peered at her curiously, surprisingly warm for someone who clearly had no qualms drowning a person.

“Why did you do it?” Yue asked.

The merman lifted a brow in amusement. “He wanted to kill me.”

His voice was deep. It had no underlying musical quality to it, unlike that night. But Yue still remained wary, making sure she was more than an arm’s length away from the water.

“I was going to stop him.”

The merman hummed, tail flicking behind him. His fins were broad, powerful, sending a strong ripple with such a lackadaisical action. “Hmm. I’m sure.”

“I didn’t know mermen could be so violent,” Yue admitted.

At that, he perked up, grinning as if she had unwittingly told a joke that only he understood.

“Merman,” he repeated, chuckling. “How quaint.”

Then he trilled once more, and the same thrall from that night overtook her. But before she could attempt to shake it off, he vanished into the waters, leaving her alone once more.

She had an epiphany, then. The trills, the singing, the drowning…

She paled. How could she forget? Mermaids dominated the fantastical tales she adored, but there were other creatures out there. Other creatures that did not possess nearly the same innocent reputation mermaids did.

No, not merman, indeed.

Siren.

[monterraverde]

Okay individual pokemon fights headcanon.

Adniel is easily the most aggressive, but still knows where the limit is with her. She grabs his horns and tries to drag him to the floor and he headbutts her gently, slaps her with his arm fins. She bites him on the head if he gets too aggressive.

Fafnir doesn't do much outside of throw her off him, he's mainly a blocking dummy for her to tackle, but his rocky hide makes tackling him painful.

Bappy doesn't fight back at all, any wrestling they do is done by her simply rolling him over, and when she gets tired and falls in the sand he crawls on top of her like a weighted blanket.

Kamina requires her to wear some heavy leather arm guards, but he's one of the only ones she can actually physically wrestle down and fist fight.

Gremlin is more of a game of cat and mouse, with him zipping around and slapping her or grabbing her ponytail- but thats the whole game- if she can catch him and pin him, she wins, otherwise she gets too tired and he'll mock biting her neck like the vampire he is.

Smudge is the only one who will use moves on her- Weak water attacks to keep her at bay, and if she can break through them and get her arms around the gastrodons neck, the slug just collapses.

The Don likes to have shoving matches with her, where she's grabbing his tusks and they're trying to push the other down. He hasn't lost a single match, but she also doesn't want him to break her arm again, so she'll give up before that.

[feifeiwrites]

But This Was Never Planned - Gabriel & Frayli

Riding the sea train, Frayli rocks in their seat and glances out of the Puffing Tom’s scratched windows. It’s incredible how they’ve managed to acquire passage, reaching into strangers’ pockets and borrowing their spare Berry for a ticket. Sea trains aren’t an everyday thing for them, especially when motion sickness almost ripped out their stomach for riding any vehicle in sight. Typically, they were a disguised stowaway on Marine vessels who scrubbed their dirtied floors or a nameless street-rat sneaking onto pirate ships to taste their food. In a way, Frayli’s fortunes rained upon them as a physical miracle — Water 7 is a beautiful island resembling a gigantic fountain with well-preserved waterways and canals.

Their scarred fingers reach into the mockingly small backpack on their side, pulling out a roughly-binded book whose notched pages carries unfounded knowledge. Achieving their dream of witnessing the Emerald City is one thing, but adventuring in the Grand Line alone without reliable allies, to speak of, is another.

Frayli yawns, nearly biting on their tongue when the train’s conductor finally signaled their arrival at the Capital of Water. Eavesdropping on miscellaneous rumors about popular shipwrights and the Galley-La Company, Frayli’s crimson eyes roll at these tourists as they slip the book into their shitty-looking backpack and walks out of their booth.

When sunlight hits their face, the rascal sighs and glances around the train station. The salty breeze clings to their bare skin, pulling them forward as a gentle lure.

Neptune sleeps, and Frayli prays that the Aqua Laguna leaves them alone.

( The ocean never does. That is the curse of a Devil Fruit. )

Seems like they’ve made a successful gamble, arriving at a popular time for vacation-goers and tourists. Frayli doesn’t naturally blend in, revealing their sharpened teeth with every smile and running away at the first signs of trouble. What kind of fish-man doesn’t swim away from danger? Most of the time, back home, Frayli witnessed their mother’s fighting prowess as someone who sailed with the Sun Pirates. Her entire body was weaponized to protect they and their Mink sibling from bloodthirsty foes or malicious pirates that renounced their dreams in exchange for destroying others’ livelihoods.

Right here, Frayli isn’t content with hiding their fish-man heritage. Paradise is more forgiving than the South Blue, where they witnessed the distinction between an ally and foe. Their human father was a trustworthy ally to the fish-men, said to have carried the dinosaurs of New World with a single hand and helped in freeing slaves from the Celestial Dragons. And yet, he fell to the World Government during a fierce battle between Admiral and Emperor altogether.

Frayli cringes at the thought of replacing their father’s place on a wanted poster, carrying such a high-risk bounty during an undercover adventure. They are supposed to discover necessary clues that led to the Eternal Sanctuary. The issue is, Frayli’s plan isn’t a thorough one and the Chaemsai name is recognizable enough to anyone that paid attention when reading from a News Coo.

Their tangled bangs dance in the air, unwilling to cling to their forehead. Gradual changes are preferable than quick ones, Frayli breathes, they’ll discover the buried secrets that’ll lead them to Emerald City and, maybe, they can live in peace.

The ocean has different plans to Frayli’s, bending reality on a whim. Their cheap bamboo sandals slap against the stone pavement and Frayli’s weary expression switches to a calmer one, as they strolled through Water 7’s streets in search for somewhere to hang out. Marketplaces weren’t their favorite places to be, and they are certainly not riding on a Bull.

Oh, they already forbid themself from doing so. Nobody wants fish vomit in their canals and sidewalks are free.

They briefly turn a corner, brushing the graceful fins behind their ears — accidentally bumping into a long-haired stranger, nearly reaching their height.

Frayli wobbles on their heel, ultimately landing on their backside. They wince, praying that they hadn’t caused any physical damage to the person or public property.

( Both are horrible, really. Frayli doesn’t have enough berry on them to recuperate. )

The half fish-man squeezes their eyelids tight, opening them to a sprawled-out palm and the concerned, albeit reassuring, face behind it.

“Hey, are — are you okay,” he sputtered. “Sorry about that, I should’ve watched where I was going.”

Hesitant to reply, Frayli nodded their head and pulled themself up with his hand, “Shit, you’re fine! It’s… all good, yeah? Falling on my ass ain’t gonna hurt me, it’s the sea that’ll.”

The pretty stranger opens his mouth to ask, eyeing their fins and shrugging. “Right, right. … Actually, I’ve never seen you around before. Are you new to Water 7?”

He gestures to the street ahead of them, beaming at Frayli’s tired frown. “Don’t worry! I’m not one of those tour guides, swindling isn’t my thing. I was just headed to a place where I hang out at.”

The ocean calls, sings, weaves magnificent tales in sea shanties and parties. Frayli doesn’t have the privilege of partying among others, nonetheless, when unwanted attention leads to cruel and unusual punishments. Their next stop should’ve been at Fishman Island, if their map-reading skills weren’t an indication that Frayli doesn’t know what the fuck they’re doing.

Staring into the boy’s eyes, Frayli musters a courageous, dopey smirk and plants a firm hand on his shoulder. Now, that they’re thinking about it…

“Sure,” they agree and gestures to the northern path. “It’d be nice to have a break once in a while. Lead the way!”

Frayli learns about the stranger on their shared walk. His name is Gabriel, born in Dressrosa and raised in Water 7. He sneezes passing by a bouquet stall, has a rhythmic gait to his legs, and the most benevolent smile they’ve ever seen. His eyes remind them of glistening sapphires: enriched with a deep, resonating blue that calms them down, reflecting his truthfulness. How Gabe, that is what he prefers to be called, is able to stay honest in a cut-throat ocean filled with conniving liars and asshole keepers of “justice” remains unseen.

He has a restless nature to him, constantly moving and leaping around. When Gabe spins around on his heels, he’s graceful enough to balance himself on the sidewalk and avoid hurting those around him. It must be talent or a martial art. Frayli’s never seen anyone like him, not even in Alabasta, and they’re supposed to be a silent traveler.

Here, though? They’re having a casual talk with a living embodiment of the Blue Sea, dynamic and free like the bountiful ocean around them.

Upon their arrival at Blueno’s Bar, they’re sitting at the bar. Gabe offers to pay for their drinks and Frayli doesn’t accept, only for their acquaintance to spend Berry on them anyways. Frayli childishly pouts, mentally reminding themself that they’re around fourteen and it’s okay to have some dependence once in a while. Even if it hurts their pride.

Gabe leans back, stretching his legs out and looking over to Frayli. He studies their reddish-brown hair and the scarlet markings covering their skin, noticing their conventional apparel before focusing back onto their blemished cheeks. He thanks the bartender, taking his sparkling beverage to sip.

“I hope you don’t mind if I ask,” Gabe leans forward onto the counter, soft mane brushing against wood. “Where are you from? You don’t talk like you’re from the Grand Line — uh, no offense!”

Frayli stares into their clear glass and to Gabriel, grinning. “None taken! Let’s say, I’m from South Blue. First time anyone’s asked, not that I’ve spoken to.”

They watch Gabriel fidget, twirling his bangs around his finger. If he’s able to catch on that quickly, maybe - things will turn out alright. Until Frayli leaves for another island after spending a week here, they have to hitch a ride on someone else’s ship and act like their cabin kid.

“I was given a real hard time trying to get here. It’s not surprising, the world’s fucked up like that.” Frayli smirks, adjusting their posture to appear confident. “Still, stepping into Water 7’s an achievement when the odds are against me. Why’d you ask?”

“Mostly `cause I hadn’t caught a ride from home before,” he said. “… And I’m thinking about things. The future, maybe? People are going out and explorin’ the world, in this Great Pirate Era, and…”

Gabriel runs a hand through his scalp, groaning. “… I’m stuck here.”

Oh, they understand having a dilemma about leaving home and chasing after your dreams. Frayli chugs half of their glass, placing their rugged hand over Gabriel’s, and kindly squeezes it as a playful jolt. Obviously, Gabriel yelps at the sudden move and bites his lip, catching onto Frayli’s determined smile that tugs at his heartstrings. For the first time, he wasn’t sure what to think or do, aside from what his father wants for him.

“Can you keep this a secret?” Gabriel lowers his voice to a whisper, searching around the bar with his eyes for intent listeners. “It isn’t exactly secret, but… this is just an expectation.”

Something he never wanted.

Frayli nods, lowering their eyelids. “Go on, tell me.”

“Ugh! Okay, this is going to be brief,” he inhales and begins explaining. “My dad wants me to be a shipwright. He wants me to be manly, tough, strong enough to fight the pirates who come here. He says that I have to, because if I don’t —“

The flying fish snorts, holding up Gabriel’s hand. “Then, what are you waiting for? Just go.”

At Frayli’s careless reply, Gabriel yells at them in mild shock. “What?! Are you kidding… I — No, Frayli…! It’s not that simple. What’s keeping me here, is that my mom gets worried. Ever since Grace —“

Gabriel pauses in his rambling, swallowing his words and sighs in a disappointed manner. “Sorry. There’s just, a lot. There’s a lot that I’m taking care of and it’s splitting me in two. What kind of person am I if I ran away from home without saying anything? What if I die out there?”

Frayli doesn’t pressure Gabe for an answer, reading the room for once and furrowing their bushy eyebrows. “… Sheesh, you worry a lot, too. I don’t know what you’re on about, but… take your time. We’ve got a week to plan things out!”

( Gabriel’s response is to wallow in silence for a bit. He never considered exploring the world soon, it wasn’t supposed to happen so early. This is his opportunity to escape and follow his dreams. )

( Along the way, he could find out what happened to Grace and return back to Water 7 with news. )

There are times where Gabriel wishes that he can predict the future. Harnessing the power of a Devil Fruit means sacrificing his love for dancing near seawater, running around to embrace the Blue Sea and her sleepless waters. He enjoys galloping in the Shopping District, greeting the folks around his neighborhood to where they knew Gabriel Guerrero differently from his father. His fondness for gossip attracts some unsavory characters, but he accepts that local news is kept interesting when world-famous ( or infamous ) celebrities step into their humble city. From the gluttonous Bonney Pirates to the highly-professional Heart Pirates, whose unconventional vessel was the talk of the town, Gabriel listens to the ocean winds and they’re always hinting at something new.

When Gabriel met Frayli for the first time, he never thought that destiny would push him in the direction of adventure. Thirteen years old, and he’s already dragged into the unexpected by a certain someone’s lack of self-preservation and carefree attitude.

It was like the ocean wanted him to go, and who could blame her?

He yearns for the freedom to chase his dreams, to become the greatest dancer in the world. Similar to Black Leg style, Gabriel’s inspiration to train came from witnessing Galley-La’s toughest shipwrights. Their experience in fighting allowed them to guard the shipyard and stop bystanders from getting hurt, involved even. They are Water 7’s protectors, whom Gabriel wanted to be like - someone who fights with grace.

( He would never become a shipwright. That is his father’s dream and Gabriel isn’t Bernardo. )

( “Gabe’s Gabe.” Grace told him as they watched the Puffing Tom. “I like you for who you are, not who Dad wants you to be.” )

Gabriel returns home one night to Bernardo’s scrunched nose and gritted teeth, unsatisfied with his son’s presence. The other half of Los Guerreros residing in a lonesome home, drenched in overbearing sorrow and the uncomfortable silence inside of it. He couldn’t hide from reality. The truth is, Grace has disappeared for a year and the last day of the week - today - is the daunting anniversary of her vanishing.

Nobody knows her fate. Not even Gabriel.

She was taken from Water 7, away from her family, and Gabriel wants to confirm that she’s alive. Doing well, if she’s on a pirate ship. If it were the Whitebeards, Gabriel would smile and thank whoever’s above that she is in responsible hands.

Nonetheless, Bernardo and his mom always said that Gabriel was strange. Even the townsfolk picked up on his abilities. He hangs around the Shopping District and observes visitors, hearing messages from precious objects and artifacts. From the meek whispers of rumored-to-be-cursed katanas hanging in stores to the occasional stuffed animal transformed by a young kid’s love.

Everything to Gabriel has a voice, yet none of them had Grace’s.

He sits at his desk, looking at his ridiculous attempts in blueprinting and to the morning skies shifting into a welcoming blue. Gabriel’s reflection mocks him, sticking his tongue out and cackling at the thought of achieving his dreams. He wasn’t a shipwright or a hero, Gabriel is Gabriel and he is struggling to accept that - in the moment - he needs help like everyone else, that he shouldn’t try and investigate on his own. It doesn’t help that he’s stuck in Water 7, unable to reach out for — well, there is Frayli.

Gabriel doesn’t know what to make of Frayli. He messily scribbles a letter on thin notebook paper, remembering to underline the important bits:

I’m sorry. I’ll be gone soon. Don’t look for me.

The fish-kid smells and feels troublesome, having a strange air of charisma around them that must’ve mesmerized him into accepting the call for adventure. He wasn’t the most talented twin out of the pair, often scrambling for acceptance and to be seen as someone’s first choice. Gabriel barely held himself together around his father, spilling his tears on the floor and trying to toughen out his hot temper.

( Being Gabriel means being soft. )

He is dishonest about himself in convoluted ways, wishing to fit in somewhere rather than stand out.

( But, isn’t the point of being free to be different? )

If Gabriel were on a pirate crew, he wouldn’t have a role to begin with. He could pass as a decent cabin boy, having experience in cleaning after Bernardo’s messes and tying ropes.

( When he ate lunch with Frayli, Gabriel talked about the constellations above them and the stars creating their shapes. He found the star ocean to be wonderful, but it was untouchable. Out of their reach. Frayli poked Gabriel on the cheek, telling him that he’ll be able to touch a star someday. )

Gabriel stands up, taking a duffel bag and packing his things before his parents wake up — toothbrushes, clothes, Grace’s pointes, snacks, some of the Berry he stole from Bernardo’s savings. He dresses in something recognizable, something blue in order for his sister to recognize him, and he tears down the bounty poster in his closet: a wanted poster of “White Vaquera” Dolores Rivera of the Pale Horse Pirates; Dead or Alive; 76,000,000 Berries.

With his good luck charm and idol of justice rolled up in his bag, Gabriel carefully shuts the bedroom door behind him to dwell on his second thoughts. Sure, he’s impulsive. It doesn’t mean he should make life-changing decisions with dire consequences.

Instead of turning back on Frayli’s offer, Gabriel climbs downstairs on his tip-toes and quietly heads out of the front door. He doesn’t lock, sprinting down Water 7’s sidewalks and vaulting across wide canals without slipping into its shallow waters. One turn into an alleyway leads to another canal, and another, until he’s descended far enough to the Blue Station.

Gabe breathes in still air, slowing down to take in his surroundings and remind himself that he’ll come back next time around with Grace in tow.

Los Guerreros will be together again.

( The next stop would be the Day Station. That would be Secon Island, right? )

He stands next to Frayli, the one who encouraged him to take the next step, and holds their hand. His seawater pools meet smoldering rubies, signaling to each other that they’ll have to trust each other from now on.

The Puffing Tom roars to life with Frayli carrying two tickets in tow for the morning ride.

“You’re gonna do great, we’re not gonna be alone in making our dreams come true,” they utter in confidence. “It’s gonna be you and I, Gabe.”

“Now, c’mon! We’re gonna get steal a ship and you’re gonna be the Navigator!”

[privatevideo]

SAM BATES: FERVENT. TO HAVE SEX WITH MY MUSE AFTER A FIGHT. insufferable. that's what she is. they couldn't be in the same room with one another for more than ten minutes without a yelling match, sometimes lasting an hour before one of them decided it was time to leave again. and they didn't even see each other that often, anymore. ever since the break up, they'd been going their separate ways, only reaching out to one another when they absolutely had to - and the situation, at least for fin, had to be dire. what irritated him the most was that they seemed to have been getting along when they were throwing back beers at the bar. he had even seen her laugh, which he thought he hadn't seen in a year or two, even when they were together. but as soon as they returned to the motel room he'd been renting, the fighting began. one quip about her attitude ( finley had been half joking, but he guessed his tone had set her off ), and everything went back to normal.

spit flies, words sting. they're closer now than they've been in a long time, breathing hard into each other's faces. yelling ceases for a moment as they stare at each other with crazed eyes, waiting for the other to start it up again. instead, finley finds himself quickly bending down and hungrily taking sam by the lips. when she doesn't pull away ( truthfully, he expects a slap, but it never comes ), but instead tightly wraps her arms around his neck, fin bends his knees and lifts her up, swinging his ex around so he could more easily toss her onto the motel bed. fiery eyes never leave hers as he removes his shirt, exposing the large, white scars across the entirety of his chest, followed by his pants before throwing the pieces of clothing to the floor. he steps to the edge of the bed. long fingers make quick work at the button and zipper of her jeans, yanking them off and leaving them with his own clothes. somehow, it always came back to this - adrenaline filled movements, angry scratches he knew would soon be along his back. he wished, as he lowered himself on top of sam, pressing down against her, that they could just skip the middle part and be happy together again. until then, he bites at her bottom lip, hoping she felt a little bit of pain with her pleasure. @fakehunts.

[sillymuses]

"Ah, right...." Fins dipped ever so slightly as she turned her attention back to the rubble that was previously his ship. Hopefully there hadn't been anything too personal in there, which was probably a stupid hope to have, but what else could she think? The kraken was going to try and not beat herself up too much about this. The important thing was that she was able to fix this issue she created! Maybe not in the most perfect manner but at least she could give him shelter and food till help arrived to take him home. That was far better than staying out here all night long.

"Nethers?" One can see the sparkle in her eyes shining at the mention of his species name. She got a name! That's so exciting! One can see she's trying her hardest to hold herself back from asking further questions. Hands are quietly slapping together as she bites down on her lip. The question is welcome as it allows Ruby to focus elsewhere and hopefully not drive Neftin crazy with questions about his biology and people in general.

"Well, not quite. On foot for a regular person it'd take them about an hour or two. It's on the very edge of Oceanside and we're kinda in middle area right now. But in my giant kraken form it'd only take us a few minutes. Provided you're uh, okay with being held in my hand?" Ruby would offer.

As much as the massive Nether wished he could stay mad at the young kraken for crushing his poor cruiser, he would be lying if he said that he didn't feel bad for snapping and scaring the poor thing into hiding. Yes, he had a reason for doing it, but he couldn't stay mad at someone so young. It was shameful and, honestly, the lowest thing he could possibly do. Accidents were accidents and, well, young people were pretty much magnets for that. "What am I doing..." A sigh escaped him as he mumbled that to no one in particular and let his muscles relax, finally allowing the hand that had previously been on the back of his neck to fall to his side. Now that his anger was gone, the heart pump had gone back to its normals pace, making it clear that he was much calmer than earlier.

Neftin didn't go back to being angry at the young kraken's suggestions. He just kinda... stood there, ears and wings all lowered, with a sad look on his face. "Yeah, but it would have been better to have my cruiser here with me. It did contain a lot of my stuff." That and he sometimes slept in it if he didn't want to leave the planet right away and had nowhere else to sleep.

However, it wasn't there with him now, so the lighthouse would be his best option until someone came and picked him up from earth. Not the worst place to sleep at, but definitely new. Hopefully it wouldn't be too uncomfortable for him.

"And don't feel sorry for asking- it's okay of you to do that, just maybe nothing too personal. I don't know what type of height is normal for my kind, but I would guess most Nethers are at least somewhat smaller than me. I didn't get this big naturally so... yeah." Seeing as it was a rather touchy subject for him to talk about, Neftin wouldn't tell the young kraken more than what he already just told her. "But I will take up on that offer. You said the lighthouse is a few minutes away from here?"

[noellawrites]

Runaway (2) - Yandere!Rafael Barba x reader

part one is linked here

summary: Barba is questioned and put on trial for assaulting you.

a/n: the legalese might not be quite accurate, but I tried my best.

warnings: discussion of assault/sexual assault

You rushed through the squad room, trying to avoid your co-workers gazes as Sonny grabbed a digital camera from his desk.

"(Y/n), are you okay?" Amanda asked, standing up from her desk and walking towards you.

"I-I don't know," you said truthfully.

Amanda brought you into a hug, then Sonny interrupted.

"Liv's here, she's bringing him in right now. We gotta go," Sonny said, and you nodded in response.

He escorted you to one of the less formal interrogation rooms, motioning for you to sit down. He turned on the larger camera, which was on a tripod. The one you use for interrogations and victim statements.

"Liv's going to take pictures to document your injuries first, alright? Then she'll take your statement. Fin's going to do Rafael's interview, so I'm going to head out," Sonny explained, then shut the door behind him.

You were alone for a split second before Liv rushed into the room.

"Hello, (y/n). Rafael is with Fin right now, okay? We're going to take both of your statements but first, is it okay if I take pictures of some of your injuries?"

You nodded, and Liv took pictures of the bruises on your ribs, the sprained wrist and some other minor injuries. She sent them to the SVU server, allowing Amanda to print them for Fin.

"Liv, I'm not pressing charges."

"(Y/n), these are some serious injuries. You seemed very afraid when we found you, and I'm worried about the long term effects of what you might not be saying," Liv explained.

"Look, I'll go to therapy, I'll do anything, I just can't get fired. Please," you sighed, biting your lip.

"You're not going to be fired, (y/n). I believe you," she insisted.

"Can I give you my statement and decide later?" you asked, and Liv nodded.

—

"(Y/n), you shouldn't be watching this," Amanda insisted as you stopped outside the interrogation window where Fin was questioning Rafael.

"I need to know what he's saying," you said quietly.

"They started a bit late, we had to notify the DA's office and Barba wouldn't talk without his lawyer, some goof named Dworkin," Amanda explained.

"What's she saying? This is all just a misunderstanding," Rafael said, giving a light chuckle. His body language was relaxed, not like the Raf that had hit you at all.

"I suppose these are misunderstandings too, huh?" Fin asked, slapping down the pictures of your body. You saw Rafael's eyes narrow slightly as they comprehended the pictures.

"I didn't make those, if that's what you're asking."

"Know who did?"

"She was having issues with an ex, same person who sent those threats."

"You got the guy's name?" Fin asked.

"Shouldn't you? You're the detectives, after all," Dworkin said, looking bored.

"Yeah, and he's the victim's boyfriend. He knows her better than anyone," Fin replied, and you knew he was close to rolling his eyes. This was Barba, it's not like he was going to confess that easily.

"I can't watch any more of this," you sighed, and Amanda nodded.

—

The trial was painful to sit through. Dworkin questioned your police work, your relationships and your personal life. He tried to make you look like a liar, even implying that you'd cheated on Rafael.

You hadn't wanted to go to trial, but Rafael wouldn't accept a plea deal as he was confident he'd get cleared of the charges. His smug demeanor pissed you off more than anything.

Olivia testified and your lawyer showed the jury some of your injuries, along with an old picture you had of a time that Rafael had slammed you into a table and bruised your back.

Dworkin made you look like a klutz, a liar for never reporting the "alleged abuse" and not telling anyone, even a co-worker.

"Miss (y/l/n) works for the Special Victims Unit for God's sakes! If we can't count on her to be honest and come forward when she's apparently being abused, how are we supposed to trust her with helping victims?" Dworkin explained to the jury as you tried to hold back tears.

Your lawyer was an old friend of Olivia's, Bianca Frederick. She commonly helped in custody battles or domestic violence cases, and Olivia trusted her so you did too.

—

"In the charge of attempted rape in the third degree, how do you find the defendant?"

"We find the defendant not guilty."

After the first verdict was read, you couldn't hear anything. The world felt like it was swimming, and you couldn't hear anything the judge said.

You were brought back to reality when Bianca touched your arm gently.

"Guilty of assault in the second degree, that's a felony. He's going to do time, (y/n)," she explained as silent tears streamed down your face.

You could only watch as Barba's eyes went wide in disbelief. His eyes instinctually searched for yours, and his mouth was set in a threatening line.

"You did this to me," he seethed as Dworkin attempted to turn him away from you.

Bianca and Olivia escorted you out behind Sonny.

Now, you just hoped you could find peace.

[wolken-himmel]

In which (Y/n) turns into a siren after drinking one of Azul's test potions to fulfill her side of their contract. Somehow, she manages to seduce Jade before she returns back to normal.

Next day, having forgotten about this little incident, she has a lovesick eel scaring the everlasting life out of her.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

You shot Azul a slightly frightened look as your hand gripped the glass bottle that contained an ominously dark liquid that slowly crept around the insides of the bottle whenever you tilted it from one side to another. Jade and Floyd who stood behind Azul shot each other amused glances, their fangs showing.

"Even if it wasn't, you'd have to drink it anyway," Azul murmured under his breath, annoyed since this whole charade had been going on for almost half an hour now. As patiently as he could, he pulled the golden contract that bore your signature on it from his desk to hold it in front of your doubtful eyes. "It's black on white here."

"...that's not helpful, Azul." You furrowed your eyebrows, gulping.

"Nee! It's time to fulfill your side of the contract," Floyd cooed, his eyes shimmering under the late afternoon sun. Even more desperate than before, you let out an exasperated huff. You turned to Jade for help, who only shot you a sadistic smile as he tilted his head to the side mockingly. Cheeks growing red when he shot you a mischievous wink, you finally relented.

"Fine," you murmured as you screwed the bottle open and put it against your lips. Closing your eyes, you made a quick prayer. "I better not die from this..."

The overly sweet liquid ran down your throat, somehow sticky and thick. Once the bottle was empty, it slipped out of your shaking hands and collided with the ground, shattering into pieces upon collision. Your limbs turned numb, and all you felt was the hard impact of the ground. When you opened your eyes, purple smoke had surrounded your near area, alarming you even more when you couldn't feel your legs anymore.

"Did it work?!" Azul asked excitedly through the smoke, waving his hands around in the air. Floyd let out a few drastic coughs, and Jade couldn't help but squint his eyes to get a better look at you who lay on the ground.

Once the smoke cleared, you were revealed to be slowly sitting up and propping yourself up onto your elbows. A distant sigh escaping your lips, you held your head in pain. "Ugh... I feel like a fish on land—" You stopped in your tracks once your eyes travelled to where your legs were supposed to be — only now that they were replaced by a shimmering tail. "Where are my legs?!"

Ignoring your panicked screams, Azul knelt down at the far end of your tail, picking it up gently with his eyes lighting up in utter delight. "What a pretty tail..." he hummed as he ran his hand across the scales, nodding to himself. "Yes, now I just need a few scales so that I can put them into the face cream for Vil..."

Indeed, the scales on your long tail were a beautiful (F/c), same with your shell bra. You couldn't help but awe at your newly acquired tail, admiring it with wide eyes.

Suddenly, shock and surprise fading from your face, the long overdue siren instincts kicked in. Your lips curled up into a seductive smile as you gracefully reached your hand out to the male inspecting your fins. "Azul~ come closer..." you cooed, frowning when he precautiously took a step back. A pout snuck its way to your lips as you teasingly slapped him with the end of your tail. "I promise I won't bite!"

"That's what she said," Floyd snickered whilst punching Jade's shoulder, who had a hard time standing straight somehow. He chuckled along, albeit more nervously than usually.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot." Azul grinned as he put ear-plugs into his ears, sending you a smug grin. You narrowed your eyes at him whilst crossing your arms in defeat. "Only people who already have romantic feelings for you will fall for your tricks, siren. But ear-plugs never hurt."

Crossing your arms, you rolled your eyes and let out an exasperated huff. "Ugh, at least get me to a pool if you won't let yourself get seduced."

"Good idea. We wouldn't want your scales to dry out," Azul mused as he rose back to his feet to wave the twins over. They immediately appeared by his side, as professional as ever — but you managed to catch onto the way Jade's gaze remained on you longer than it should have. "Floyd and Jade, pick her up and put her into the pool in our backyard."

"Shrimpy's tail is so pretty—" Floyd cooed as heaved up your tail while Jade picked up your torso, his gloved hands unusually careful and handling this job rather delicately. Floyd flashed you a little grin. "It reminds me of my own."

"Thank you, sweetheart~" you replied, shooting him a wink. "Maybe we could go for a swim sometime?"

"I'd love that— wait no..." Gaze hardening, he quickly swiped the pair of ear-plugs Azul had given them earlier out of the pocket of his jacket. Once he had stuffed his ears, which successfully drowned out your alluring voice, he let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah, that's better..."

You started to frown at being ignored, and opted to turn towards Jade. "You would never ignore me... right, honey?"

He seemed to have a harder time resisting the wonderful melody your voice carried. "You're not making my job any easier..." he simply muttered once you arrived in the back area of the Mostro Lounge where they somehow had a big pool. The sight of water excited you, and you wished for nothing more than to hydrate your dry scales.

They threw you into the pool, not exactly gently. You let out a little yelp when you flew across the air in an arc before colliding with the peaceful surface of the water, causing splashes to fly towards the twins. They stepped to the side just in time, avoiding their fates. Floyd, who clapped his hands in delight like he always did when finishing a job, had already turned around to march away, but Jade remained hunched over at the pool side, quickly pulling a pair of ear-plugs out of the pocket of his jacket.

You quickly returned to the surface after a quick dive through the relatively deep pool. As you took a relieved breath, a more or less satisfied smile appeared on your lips. Realising that Jade was still hunched over at the edge if the pool — just within your reach — you immediately swam over to him with a certain excitement to your moves. You watched him curiously; eventually you noticed his hands shaking uncharacteristically.

"Jade, my love, why don't you forget those ear-plugs and give me some company?" You gently grabbed his wrists, smiling brightly. He hesitantly raised his gaze, for once feeling something akin to fear — fear that he would lose himself in your eyes. Staring into his orbs, you realised for the first time that they were full of hidden desire and adoration. "I'm so lonely... all alone in this big pool."

He tried his best to keep up the composed facade that usually hid his feelings away well enough, but deep inside, he seemed to be struggling horribly. "Oh, (Y/n)..." His hold weakened enough to let the ear-plugs dropped into the water, and he seemed to be caught under your spell well enough. But before you could hoist yourself up to press your lips onto his — which would seal the deal — he regained control of himself in a moment of luck. Ripping his wrists out of your hold, he stepped back with the usual unreadable steel expression on his face.

"Jade!" you whined, tail splashing against the water in discontent, desperation, and finally — anger. You reached one hand out towards him, and even attempted to climb over the pool edge, but he simply was too far away. "Don't go!"

"You thought you got me there, didn't you?" he asked, grinning calmly like usually. Little did he know that you were able to catch onto the way he desperately avoided your gaze, and the way he made sure to distance himself further from you. "No chance, my little siren~"

"Let's go, Jade!" Floyd mumbled as he grabbed his brother by his forearm and pulled him back into the building, which Jade was incredibly thankful for. In truth, he had to put up all his willpower in order to resist the control you held over his rapidly beating heart.

A disappointed sigh escaped your lips whilst you let yourself sink back into the depths of the pool, your tail propelling you through the shimmering water with a force unmatched. Looking up at the surface that reflected the last shimmers of the afternoon sun beautifully, you let out a longing sigh. "What fun is there in being a siren if there's no one to mess around with~?"

Throughout the rest of the day, Jade had grown incredibly restless, shaking with anticipation and barely being able to form a word. Of course, he still remained calm and unreadable on the outside to most people — but no one could fool his closest confidants: Azul and Floyd.

Azul, who had noticed his growing change in demeanour, took him aside once he finally had enough of the inefficiency his behaviour created: Jade had barely managed to get a customer's order right. His efficiency had gone down dramatically, which Azul — the almighty business man — definitely didn't like.

"Jade, are you unwell?" the octopus asked whilst pushing his glasses up in annoyance. "It won't prove profitable if you work yourself to death— the longterm consequences would be way too much."

Jade rubbed his temples, wondering if he should just tell Azul the truth. In the end, he decided against it; he wasn't the type to talk about his feelings and problems. "It's nothing," Jade replied, a forced smile on his face, as he tried to walk past Azul with a few dishes in his hand. Much to his dismay, the octopus would have none of it: He waved over another waiter to relieve Jade of the plates.

"Brother, go to bed!" Floyd cried out he appeared beside Azul. "I'll take over washing the dishes for you!"

Jade raised his eyebrows, caught off-guard by his twin's generosity. "You would do that?"

"Only if you do the laundry for a week." Floyd shot him a mischievous look, knowing it was a deal he couldn't shoot down. "What do you say~?"

Letting out an annoyed sigh at having to waste time with this useless chit-chat, Jade complied — mostly because he couldn't wait to see a special someone. "Fine..."

"Good," Azul hummed, glad that the business was taking care of. "Now, does Floyd need to escort you to your room?"

"No," Jade said, his answer shooting right out of him in a way that made him sound a little bit suspicious, as well as alarmingly desperate. He quickly managed to regain his composure though, which caused Azul and Floyd to shoot each other confused glances. "I will manage on my own."

Azul nodded before shooing him out of the lounge, something akin to a worried frown on his face. "Then get some rest. You better be well again tomorrow."

The two didn't notice as Jade walked into the exact opposite direction of the Octavinelle dorm, his legs carrying him towards the pool in the back of the establishment. Even though his mind had fought hard, the longing of his aching heart had eventually won the war.

The way there was long and dreary, even though his long legs made haste. The longer he had to spend time away from you, the more he felt himself running out of air, suffocating.

Finally, he arrived. The backyard was already coloured in dark colours, the night having replaced the vibrant rays of the sun. But the stars and the moon up in the night sky shimmered beautifully, reflecting off the surface of the pool.

As Jade slid the door open to the backyard, he could feel his hands shaking in utter anxiety and excitement. He wasn't the one controlling his thoughts, his heart, and his body — you were, although you weren't aware. His legs a little bit wobbly, he still managed to walk over to the pool which seemed alarmingly quiet. As he knelt down at the edge of the pool, his eyes watched the entity gracefully gliding through the dark water as if he was in a trance.

Eventually, you revealed yourself to the enarmoured male, your head appearing right in front of him. The splashes your sudden appearance created soaked his pants around the knee-area, but he didn't flinch as he felt the liquid touch his skin. "Jade!" you cried out happily as you gently took his hand that idly lay next to him on the ground while making sure that your eyes always were staring into his lovingly, enchanting him even more. "I knew you'd come back for me."

"(Y/n)..." Jade repeated your name over and over again as he extended his other hand to push a strand of wet hair behind your ears. You giggled as you snatched his wrist right up, pressing his palm against your cheek. Your laughter sounded so heavenly — had it always been this way? A radiant smile on his face, he couldn't help but whisper, "You're so pretty, (Y/n)..."

"Have I wrapped you around my finger?" you cooed, your enchanting voice drawing him even closer. There was a vicious grin on your face when you noticed the way he occasionally snapped out of his trance, only to slip and lose himself even more. "You're usually not this... open~! But I like this side or you, Jade."

His eyes darted around the pool in a moment of clarity. Hesitantly, his hands retreated, which was met by a few cries and pouts from your side. "This isn't true, is it?" he mumbled as his hands clenched his heart in pain. Normally, he had no problem concealing and ignoring his feelings — but now, he felt like a fish flopping on land, desperate to have your attention.

"Oh, that doesn't matter, Jade." You opened your mouth, knowing you would have to use your backup plan since he proved quite resilient to your charm. After all, a siren's greatest weapon were her vocal abilities. "Come to me, come to me..." you sang, your voice as alluring as the way your eyes bore into his, able to see all his hidden desires and emotions.

Gripping his head in newfound despair, Jade hissed out, "No... I can't—"

Learning your torso over the edge of the pool, you extended your arm towards him to beckon him over to you with a flick of your wrist. "Come to me... you're the only one for me~" you cooed, the melody invading his mind and taking over his mind until he couldn't form a proper thought anymore. The more his lips curled up into an unnaturally big smile, the more you grew satisfied. "Come to me, Jade."

Having completely succumbed to his desires and affections he had always held for you, he let himself be beckoned closer — until he was kneeling down at the pool edge again. "Yes, my little siren..." he whispered, letting out a blissful sigh when he felt your wet hands cupping his cheeks, pulling his face down towards you. Teasingly, you ran your hand across his neck and shoulders, watching his changing expressions in mischief. The way his eyes fluttered close when your lips ghosted over his ears, as you filled his mind with a soft lullaby, made a vicious grin appear on your lips.

"What a good eel you are..." you cooed as you sensually ran your fingertips down his left arm, causing the fabric of his jacket to dampen. You knew you had him completely ensnared, which is why you could reap your reward now. "Won't you give me a little kiss?" You pulled away, so that you were facing him again.

"I love you, (Y/n)," he murmured, his voice genuine for once. "I've always loved you..."

"I love you, too, Jade~" you cooed before you propelled yourself up with your tail to let your lips collide with his. He reciprocated immediately, leaning into your touch — so much that his fedora slipped off his head and sailed down onto the floor. Giggling mischievously, you wrapped your arms around his neck, and pulled him into the pool with you. Your lips stayed locked in a passionate kiss, even as Jade collided with the surface of the water and eventually disappeared beneath it with you, his arms wrapped around you tightly.

The next day, you awoke in your own bed with a big headache, unable to remember what had happened yesterday. The last thing you were able to recall was having made a deal with Azul in an attempt to prevent him from forwarding a complaint to Headmaster Crowley about Ace and Deuce destroying one of the lounge's fish tanks.

"Azul..." you mumbled as you gently sat up, your head hurting like after a hangover. A groan escaped your lips. "Maybe I should go ask Azul..."

"Finally awake, eh?" Grim asked as he strode inside of your bedroom, a can of tuna in his paws. Casually, he plopped himself down on the end of your bed. "You looked horrible when Azul and Floyd dropped you off yesterday around midnight."

"...did they say anything?"

Grim shrugged, chewing away on his beloved tuna. "The scary one only said that you were a bothersome little guppy."

"I see..." you hummed, the dreadful feeling from your stomach not really gone. "I need to visit the Mostro Lounge then, Grim. Feel free to help yourself to some more tuna if you're hungry."

The cat's eyes lit up in happiness as he eyed you curiously. "Oh?! Did they give you some 'generosity-potion'?" he mused, grinning from ear to ear as he stormed out of your bedroom and towards the kitchen. "If yes, then you should hang out with them more often~"

The lounge was still closed when you arrived after having basically sprinted there. Chest heaving up and down, you entered to find a lonesome creature cleaning the tables and setting down the chairs: Jade. "Oh hey, Jade—" you chimed, smiling obliviously. "Is Azul around here?"

He immediately shot upright once he recognised that familiar voice. Pupils dilating, he slowly turned around to face you with an eerie smile — one that made you step back in fear. "My little siren..." he whispered, as if someone had flipped a switch inside of him. The more steps you took back, the more he advanced towards you. "I missed you, you know that?"

"Wait, what?" you managed to stutter out when he had you cornered against the bar.

"You just ran away yesterday." He grinned as he planted his hands onto the counter beside you, successfully caging you in. His voice was incredibly calm, to the point it unnerved you more than if he would have screamed at you. "I think someone ought to punish you," he cooed quietly as he brought his face closer to yours.

Not able to keep your calm any longer when he nuzzled his nose into your neck, you yelled out with a red face, "Azul! Floyd! Anyone! Help!"

"Sh, stop yelling..." Jade whispered, his chuckles vibrating against your skin. Your eyes were wide in shock, and your cheeks were as red as a tomato. "Why won't you instead sing a song for me?"

Your heart skipped a beat in relief when you saw Floyd's head poking out from the kitchen. "Oh— Jade found her first..." the energetic eel mused as he carelessly skipped over to the two of you. "Just like yesterday."

"I can't... breathe—" you seethed through clenched teeth, thinking you would die of embarrassment any minute now. Jade wasn't a big help when he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you into his lap to sit on a bar stool. "Please, help!" You flailed your hands around like a drowning sailor.

Azul peeked out from his office, grinning when he realised what situation you were in. Of course, his mind was only focused on getting the most perks out of the situation. Humming to himself, he suggested, "We could come to an agreement if you signed a contract—"

Close to losing it, you screamed, "Azul! I swear—"

"Fine." Azul rolled his eyes, raising his hands in a mocking defeat. Waving Floyd over, he pointed his finger at Jade who seemed to be rocking you back and forth in his lap, an innocent smile on his lips. "Get your brother away from her, Floyd."

A relieved breath escaped your lips when you were finally free from the eel's death grip. "What's going on?" you asked, unnerved to see Jade rather angrily squirming in Floyd's arms, his eyes filled with such malice that you wanted to hide behind a table. "Seeing Jade like this is terribly unnerving— even more so than usually!"

"...I'll take that as a compliment," Jade mused, shooting you an almost invisible wink that managed to make your heart skip a beat.

Azul put his fingers to his chin, pulling his lips into a little frown. "So, you turned into a siren yesterday after you drank my potion. Then, you managed to ensnare my best worker with your voice..." he explained before shooting Jade an amused look. "In retrospect, Jade must have already harboured strong feelings for you if the effect was this big."

"Does someone have a crush~?" Floyd teased his brother whilst booping his nose, giggling. "How come you never told me that you liked our little guppy here?"

Jade let out an exasperated huff before viciously hissing, "Brother dearest, I swear if you don't let me go, I'll tell everyone about this one time you cried because someone spilled ink on your teddybear—"

Floyd immediately removed his arms from his brother, rolling his eyes. "Fine, he's your problem now, Shrimpy," he said, watching in amusement as his brother immediately waltzed back over to you, only to stand behind you and put his chin onto your shaking shoulder, a satisfied and close-eyed smile on his face.

"A-Ah, it's all good, Jade—" you murmured, wondering if it was safe to push him away — which you knew wasn't, so you decided to ignore the sweet nothings he whispered into your ear as best as possible. "Azul, how long is he gonna be like this? I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the old Jade — this one is even scarier somehow..."

Azul shrugged, somehow finding amusement in your suffering. "It should wear off after a few days. Until then, you just have to live with it, I guess. You knew the risks when signing that contract with me." He wagged his index finger in front of your eyes while cheerfully exclaiming, "And no! Taking legal actions against me is not an option."

"...wouldn't you lose a waiter if Jade is in this condition?" you asked in an attempt to solve this issue peacefully. "You could at least try to act a little bit more concerned..."

"That's why you're gonna work here until he's back to normal," Azul replied easily, looking down at his gloved hands, whistling a soft tune to himself. "Having you around should do the trick. It might even increase his concentration!"

"What?!" you yelled out angrily, which didn't startle Jade at all. He instead patted your head affectionately, simply smiling with closed eyes like he often did. "That wasn't part of the contract—"

"Well, if you want to be left alone with Jade—" Floyd trailed off, which immediately made you jump in horror. You hesitantly turned your head to your right to find Jade smiling at you, showing off his sharp fangs. You shuddered in fear as you inched away from him.

"Fine... fine..." you hissed, seething angrily. Still, you accepted your defeat. "I'll never make a deal with you again, Ashengrotto."

"That's what they always say when I come out on top~" Azul cooed, throwing a waitress uniform at you that Floyd had just brought to him. You caught it with a little yelp, stumbling slightly.

Jade's eyes lit up in excitement as he more or less gently took your hand into his. "Does this mean I'll see you every day at work now?" he asked, looking at you with shimmering eyes filled with utter happiness that hid the real danger lurking behind them.

Your heart sinking in dread and yet skipping a beat when he kissed your knuckles, you cried out, "Mom, come pick me up I'm scared."

[thecreaturecodex]

Mishipeshu

“Mishibizhiw” © Kate Pfeilschiefter, accessed at her deviantArt here

[Welcome to aquatic cat week! In the greater “world tour” umbrella, there’s some points where thematically similar monsters are going to end up paired together. For example, lore of some manner of aquatic feline is pretty much global, which makes sense considering the outsized impression that both big cats and dangerous water have on the human psyche. This week I’m covering two fairly different takes on this trope.

First, the most famous, the mishipeshu, or “underwater panther”. Many cultures east of the Mississippi, up and down the American continent, have a mishipeshu or similar creature in their legendry. Some monsters that have already appeared in the Codex that may have been influenced by the mishipeshu include the hodag, gowrow and piasa. Some tribes posit that the underwater panther and the thunderbird are enemies, so I went with that. My mishipeshu is the same size and CR as a PF1e thunderbird, and even has the same ability scores.]

Mishipeshu CR 11 N Magical Beast This massive creature looks like a scaled, finned feline. Its webbed paws are tipped with claws, and its tail is long and powerful. Copper scales cover its tail and appear as accents along its spine and joints.

Mishipeshu are sometimes referred to as “underwater panthers” or “underwater lynx”. To the uninitiated, that might suggest a small or mundane creature, but mishipeshu are neither. They are masters of aquatic habitats, and each is the ruler of the lake or river they inhabit. Mishipeshu are somewhat temperamental creatures—when appeased, they can protect people living by their shores and drive fish into their nets, but when angry they drown travelers and pelt settlements with devastating storms.

Mishipeshu prefer to fight from the water. They churn bodies of water with their mere presence, slowing down and battering anything in the water with them. Their claws and teeth are deadly, as is their great bludgeoning tail. They can spew torrents of water at great distances, knocking standing creatures prone and flying ones out of the sky. On the rare occasions that they are bested in combat, mishipeshu do not hesitate to retreat, although they may take their injured pride out on their neighbors afterwards.

A mishipeshu’s lair can be underwater or on land, as they are equally comfortable in both environments. What usually limits their location is a deposit of copper—mishipeshu require large amounts of copper in their diet to keep their scales healthy and to protect them against the elements. Mishipeshu and thunderbirds are traditionally enemies, and their clashes can be heard from miles away. The two great beasts are evenly matched—a thunderbird is faster in the air and has ranged capacity, but the mishipeshu is stronger in melee and is resistant to the lightning cast by the thunderbird.

Mishipeshu        CR 11 XP 12,800 N Gargantuan magical beast (aquatic) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +20, stormsight Aura churning (60 ft., Fort DC 21) Defense AC 24, touch 9, flat-footed 21 (-4 size, +3 Dex, +15 natural) hp 161 (14d10+84) Fort +14, Ref +14, Will +7 Resist electricity 20, fire 20 Offense Speed 40 ft., swim 80 ft. Melee 2 claws +18 (2d6+8/19-20 plus grab), bite +18 (2d8+8), tail slap +16 (2d10+4) Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (20 ft. with tail slap) Special Attacks breath weapon (100 foot line, 7d12 bludgeoning damage, Ref DC 21, 1d4 rounds) Spell-like Abilities (CL 11th, concentration +12) At will—control weather Statistics Str 26, Dex 17, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 13 Base Atk +14; CMB +26 (+30 grapple); CMD 39 (43 vs. trip) Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (claw), Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +16 (+20 jumping), Perception +20, Sense Motive +18, Swim +30 Languages Aquan SQ amphibious Ecology Environment cold and temperate freshwater Organization solitary, pair or family (3-6) Treasure standard Special Abilities Breath Weapon (Su) Any creature that takes damage from a mishipeshu’s breath weapon must succeed a DC 21 Reflex save or be knocked prone. A creature that flies with wings must succeed a DC 21 Reflex save or fall 1d6x10 feet, taking falling damage if it strikes a surface. The save DC is Constitution based. Churning Aura (Su) The waters within 60 feet of a mishipeshu churn violently. They are treated as difficult terrain for all creatures swimming in the aura, and all creatures and objects in the aura must succeed a DC 21 Fortitude save or take 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage a round. Mishipeshu are immune to their own auras, and to the auras of others of their kind. A mishipeshu can suppress or resume this aura as a free action. Stormsight (Ex) A mishipeshu ignores all vision penalties and concealment from magical and mundane weather effects.

[whimsii-cal]

Chorus / Book I / Chapter I

It is Cold Outside.

next

masterlist

warnings: very mild language

significant characters: Tawkerr, Maggpi, Bowgart

summary: Strange things are afoot in the shattered world of Cantilyra, and a mysterious pair of siblings have appeared out of nowhere with no memories of their past. Tawkerr and Parlsona awoke on Plant Island together, but the distress of their situation is getting to them, and uncontrollable oddities seem to fellow the two wherever they go. Without explanation, Parly has fled Plant Island, and Tawkerr sets off to a wintry land across the sea in search of his sister.

snowflakes are gently falling,

each one on a journey.

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

Tawkerr • Jan. 1st

Tawkerr awoke with a start to the bite of bitter cold on his skin. Drowsy and disoriented, he drew his cloak tighter around his shoulders, fingers aquiver in the chilling wind.

For a moment he remained still, trying to collect coherent thoughts from the stirring slew in his aching head, and then he finally remembered just what he was perched atop and why he heard the roaring of waves all around him.

He lifted his weary eyes to meet the back of Bessie’s long, azure neck and sighed, leaning back against the saddle strapped to her shell. “Aye, sorry, Bess…must’ve dozed off.”

The lamphrie craned her neck back to peer at her rider and crooned softly, slapping her fins against the water. Tawkerr sighed sleepily. “I know, I know, ‘s not safe…hey, where are we?” With a rub at his eyes, he suddenly realized the dichotomy between the freezing sting of the air around him and the warm, floral winds he was familiar with. “…Good Galvana, we must be a long way from Plant Island. How long have we been moving?”

Bessie trilled once more and tilted her head to glare at him.

“You’re the one who agreed to take me!” Tawkerr shot back.

Bessie snorted in a manner more reminiscent of a bull than an amphibious sea steed.

“Okay, okay, my bad…” Tawkerr yielded. “Are we at least near land, ya’think? With civilization, I pray…?”

Just as he said that, squinting his eyes at the horizon, he noticed the faintest, blurriest shape on the distance, peering right back at him from the fog. For what he could make of its size relative to its distance, it had to be big enough to be a proper island. “Speak of the devil!” He said breathlessly, fixing his frost-glazed hair and gathering up Bessie’s reins in his hands. “Pick up the pace, Bess! This may be where Parly’s run off to.”

Perhaps Tawkerr’s entire form was shivering and fangs chattering as he reached the shore, but however freezing he felt, the heat of his determination kept him moving forward. Bessie finally came to a steady halt, the swishing of her fins on the waves evolving into repetitive impacts against wet, icy rock. Tawkerr swung his legs off the side of the saddle and let himself slide down. An icy slush of frozen mud and gravel crunched beneath his boots as he hit the ground, stumbling at the sudden weight on his feet. “AH! Geez! H-Haven’t actually used my legs in a while, huh?” He laughed shakily, leaning on Bessie’s slick shell for support. “I’d better find some kind of building before I become a bleedin’ ramsicle…you alright here?”

Bessie gave a quiet trill of confirmation. Tawkerr patted her on the fin, then immediately regretted getting his hand damp, as the cold now bit at it harder than ever. “See you…wait for me here, okay? If I dont come back in a day or two, then… I-I don’t know. Gosh, I’ve probably got the king worried sick, huh?”

The lamphrie blinked at him sadly with her dark, wise eyes, as if to say “yes, you do.”

Without another word, Tawkerr tugged his bag from the saddle and started off, stepping over rocks and chunks of ice jutting from the ground as he headed toward the center of the island, where mountainous structures of rock towered above the sparse wintry wasteland and converged in a peak.

It didn’t look too terrible a climb, especially for someone as agile as himself, so he supposed it would be worth taking a look…

The world around him was now cloaked in a cold, murky gray, as if it had been dredged in a fine layer of bleakness and shadow. He couldn’t tell if it was day or night, as the sky was dark and cloudy all the same. He only spotted the occasional tree, and even those were bare and blackened, looking as though they must have been long dead. The further he walked, the more uneasy he began to feel…the chill settling into his bones and singeing his skin didn’t help. Suddenly he wished he knew pyromancy.

He kept walking.

Had it been only minutes? It felt like hours.

Still walking.

He didn’t feel any closer to the mountains.

And still he walked. He walked until he felt like he couldn’t anymore.

And then he reminded himself of his sister, and it kept him walking.

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

Maggpi • earlier that day…

All evening, Maggie had been counting. She counted each swing of the axe, each loud, crisp crack of the logs splitting in two beneath its blade. She had split 47 logs, now, and made 94 pieces of firewood.

Keeping track of numbers usually kept her mind anchored and stopped it from wandering, but nothing could pry her thoughts away from the worries in the back of her head.

Crack. 48 logs, 96 pieces.

She only now noticed how badly her arms ached, the subtle shaking each time she lifted the axe again, but she didn’t allow herself to pause. She couldn’t afford to think about anything else. But here she was, mind still racing.

CRACK. 49, 98.

Maybe it was just the atmosphere getting to her. Everyone had been acting strange lately. Practically all of Cantilyra knew about it; Irrational decisions, casters’ magic acting up, ferality at an all time high…Everyone she had spoken to about it agreed that they had been affected by it too. But what was it? Some sort of arcane anomaly? And it wasn’t like it was a select thing— Elves, humans, centaurs and tabaxi alike felt this inexplicable off feeling. Something stirring deep inside their instincts, causing them to just act…strange, overall.

CRACK. 50, 100.

Maggie paused. Her trembling arms let the axe fall to the ground without further prompting, and she plopped down clumsily against the side of the toolshed. Sweat trickled down her face, despite standing amongst snow and ice.

…Or maybe she was just sad and scared. Maybe she just wanted to know who she was, why she was here and where the hell Stoowarb was.

“Maggie?” A quiet voice piped up, piercing her thoughts. She lifted her head to see a familiar four-armed, blue-coated figure standing in the gateway of the yard. Bowgart gave her a nervous wave with three of their arms, using the fourth to fidget with their coat button. “Uh, hey. I…saw something?”

Maggie squinted at them, wiping her forehead with her sleeve and rising back to her feet. “What is it? You sound worried.”

“Well, I was just collecting berries for dye over by the edge of the woods, and I spotted somebody coming up the mountain from the east side. They didn’t look familiar…I know they may just be a traveler, but we never get travelers up here!”

Maggie furrowed her brow. “Odd. What did they look like?”

“They were a small fellow, with horns— sort of like you and your brother, but more thick and curly like a ram’s— with silvery hair. They were far off, so I didn’t see much, but they looked awfully young…”

Maggie felt a painful pang at the mention of her brother, but didn’t let her expression betray it. “Ah. I-I’ll go check it out, it’s probably nothing to worry about.” She picked up her axe and stuck it into the thick stump beside her, moving to step past Bowgart and out of the yard.

She stared ahead at the snowy landscape with hesitance, and for a moment the anger and fear crept back into her mind. She hated this. She hated everything about the present.

But once again, she told herself it would be alright, and it was just this weird phenomenon affecting her mind. She set off toward the edge of the thicket.

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

Tawkerr

Tawkerr had been told many times before that he was too stubborn, but now he was starting to see it himself. As he threw himself against a wall of rock with an exhausted groan, nestling into his cloak that seemed to provide no warmth, he finally realized he had probably bitten off more than he could chew.

…probably.

His numb fingers found their way up to the brooch around his neck, circling the insignia pressed into the gold plating, and he felt his throat tighten. He had to keep going. He was so close to the top.

But before he could rise, he went still, ears twitching at the sound of something, or someone, approaching. He didn’t know whether to be hopeful or terrified, so he just shuffled back against the rocks and stayed quiet.

“…I see you, you know.” A gruff woman’s voice sighed from out of Tawkerr’s view. An accent he didn’t recognize roughened the edges of her words, making them sound somehow coarser and growlier.

Tawkerr squeaked and stiffened, peeking out from behind the crags. Standing cross-armed before him was a stocky woman with a serious expression laid across her fierce green eyes. She had mahogany horns and fuzzy ears like him, but other than that, it felt like staring straight at his polar opposite.

She had warm dark skin and wild, silvery-mint hair that fell over her face messily, swaying slightly in the wind. She was dressed far more warmly than Tawkerr, probably because she actually knew what she was doing in this environment. She looked over the tiny boy before her and clicked her tongue. “You lost?”

“Maybe,” Tawkerr answered curtly.

“Care to explain how you got here? Hardly anyone visits this place willingly.”

“…Uhhhh. Is “big turtle thing” a valid answer?”

The woman sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do you want help or not? You’ve got snow in your hair and look like you’re about to collapse. Look, I’m in a bad mood. Tell me your name and why you’re here or I’m leaving.”

“Fine, fine!” He scrambled to his feet and scrubbed his hands through his hair to find that there was indeed a fine film of frost coating it. How much could he even say about his situation…? He decided to keep it simple. “Name’s Tawkerr O’Charo. I’m looking for my sister.”

“Really?” The woman quirked her brow and looked to the side briefly. For a moment she looked genuinely surprised, but it faded into a scowl just as quickly. “You seem to be far from home.”

“…I’m…not all that sure where my home is.”

She was silent for a moment, then her head bobbed just barely in a short nod. “…Me neither, Tawkerr. Me neither.”

Tawkerr shifted uncomfortably. What was that supposed to mean? He rubbed his forearms anxiously and decided to throw in another snide comment to wave away the tension. “…You gonna tell me your name? Or was that just a one sided thing?”

“Maggpi.” She said briskly, then added “…call me Maggie. If you want. I don’t care. Now, as much as I’d like to leave you here, I’m shackled by sympathy. Follow me to the castle. We’ve got warmth and food, at least…or freeze to death, if you’d prefer.”

Tawkerr perked up. A castle! Maybe this place wasn’t all that different from Plant Island, after all? “The former sounds…mighty favorable!”

“Then keep up.” Maggie spun on her heels and started off into the crop of spindly trees that speckled the mountaintop.

• • •

Neither Tawkerr nor Maggpi spoke a word for the entire walk. Tawkerr’s throat was burning even more than usual with the cold, and Maggie simply didn’t seem like much of a talker.

Soon, though, Tawkerr spotted icy, crystalline spires shooting out above the treetops. The two broke out of the thicket and into an open space of pure white snow, riddled with footprints and shoveled pathways snaking between buildings. The bright expanse was mottled with many small cabins made from dark mahogany wood that stood out starkly like an arctic fox’s eyes amongst the white, along with a few larger buildings boasting colorful string lights and soft, warm glows pouring from their windows.

But most prominent, front and center of the town, was the castle— a breathtaking mass of sparkling, spiky sky-blue spires that appeared as though they were made from pure ice.

While not even a quarter of the size of Plant Island’s castle, It was a centerpiece that stuck out strongly amongst the more quaint cottages that surrounded it. Tawkerr stood for a moment, admiring the strange structure, before scrambling to catch up with Maggie. He felt a tug of hope somewhere inside him.

As they approached the castle, a four-armed figure in a blue knit coat came into view, standing stiffly by the central door and fidgeting with ten of their twenty fingers.

“Bowie!” Maggie called ahead to them, gesturing to Tawkerr. “This the guy you saw?”

“That’s him,” the Bowie person squeaked in a soft voice. They regarded Tawkerr with worried brown eyes and a small frown. “Is he alright? What’s he here for?”

“Told me he’s looking for his sister. We’ll get to the details later. Either way, he’s freezing out here. Let’s get him inside, okay?”

“Ah, yes!” Bowie agreed, pushing open the castle doors and scurrying inside. “You two, sit down in the lobby. I’ll get you some tea.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Tawkerr murmured, feeling a little safer already at the stranger’s kindness. Maggie led him inside as Bowie set off to another room.

The castle lobby was, again, rather small compared to Plant Island’s, but still a lovely sight. Gazing up at the center of the lobby allowed a view all the way up to the dome at the roof’s peak, with crystalline chandeliers hanging from either side of the ceilings formed by the second floor. At the back wall, a pair of symmetrical stairways overarched a massive hearth and met at the second level, where he could see many doors lined up— presumably guest rooms.

Along the sides of the lobby were carpeted areas filled with chairs, couches and coffee tables, a cozy sort of contrast to the striking and sharp beauty of the rest of the castle’s interior.

Maggie sat him down at one of the couches closest to the fireplace and handed him a thick, bundled-up blanket that had been sitting on a nearby ottoman, then plopped down with a sigh on an armchair across from him.

He muttered another thanks and buried himself in the blanket hastily. The inside of the castle was already much warmer than the outside, with the heat of the nearby hearth steadily seeping the chill from his bones, but the blanket was like a warm hug. The chunky knit material felt thick and fluffy on his pawpads, and the subtle flaws but visible care in the knitting led him to suspect that it was handmade. How charming.

Tawkerr leaned against the arm of the couch and let his weary eyes fall shut for a moment, comforted, even if it was just for the time being. He only shifted again when he had to restrain a purr from forming in his throat.

Maggie just stared off into the hearth’s flames distantly as Tawkerr basked in the newfound warmth, eventually turning to him. “Any better?”

“Yeah…god, ‘s cold out there.” Tawkerr rasped.

“Well, we are on Cold Island.”

“…this place is just called…Cold Island?”

“It’s an island that’s cold.”

“Ah. I suppose you’re right. I can’t say anything when I’m coming here from Plant Island.”

“…Let me guess, it has plants?”

Tawkerr chuckled quietly. “How’d you guess?”

“Hm. Just had a feeling.” The corner of Maggie’s mouth turned up just a tiny bit. Tawkerr feigned a gasp. “What? You have a sense of humor? Never woulda guessed that!”

“Are you usually this irritating?”

“Mhm.”

Maggie grumbled and crossed her arms behind her head, her fluffy, mint-tufted tail curling up beside her. “Well…welcome to our little town, I guess. I haven’t…been here that long, but as secluded as the island is, it’s a fairly nice community. Small, but close. And better than being stranded in an icy wasteland by a longshot.”

It was then that Bowie reappeared and set down a couple of ceramic cups filled with steaming, golden-brown liquid. “Here, that should warm you up. Let me know if you need more.”

“Thank you,” Tawkerr said again, but didn’t touch the glass. He eyed it cautiously as Bowie slipped back into the room beyond the seating areas. As much as he felt it would help warm him up, he couldn’t bring himself to take a sip for some odd reason. Why…?

“Hmm.” Maggie lifted the cup to her lips and closed her eyes, seeming to relax slightly for the first time. Slightly, but not completely. She sat back up and set the cup on the table with a soft clunk. “You said you were looking for somebody?”

“My sister,” Tawkerr affirmed. “We were on Plant Island before, but things have been…weird. Tense. Got into a big fight, she didn’t want to talk to me, and after I went looking for her the next day I found nothing but the fact that there was a hot air balloon missing…so, y’know. I took a lamphrie from the docks and decided to search, because the king couldn’t send out an immediate search party.” He didn’t mention the…other things. He couldn’t mention that.

“Jeez.” Maggie furrowed her brow, visibly concerned. “Does she even know how to fly a hot air balloon?”

“Probably not. She’s only 16. That’s most of the reason I’m terrified.” Tawkerr clenched the edge of the blanket to stop his hands from shaking. “…I’m really, really worried. I don’t want to think about what could be of her right now.”

Maggie nodded silently. “Well, we haven’t seen anybody new in town in the past few days except you. Especially not anyone in a balloon.”

Tawkerr felt his heart sink. “Oh. Okay…”

“…But we can ask the chief here to contact the other councilmen and see if she’s been spotted on any other islands.”

He sprung up again. “Really? You’ve got a quad council member here?”

“Sure do. Not the most influential, but he’s got connections. I imagine king Entbrat has started a formal search by now, huh? …why did you even go yourself if you know he’d send people looking anyways?”

“Because I knew it wouldn’t be immediate…? I guess. Ugh, my…my reasoning sounds stupid now that I think about it.” Tawkerr hid his head in his hands. “I-I sort of freaked out, okay? I was in a rush and it was all I could think to do. I’ve just been feeling—“

“Off?” Maggie finished for him.

“Yeah,” Tawkerr said slowly, giving her a bemused gaze. “…Off. How did you…?”

“Making quick decisions without thinking, being suddenly more short tempered and aggressive, bouts of confusion and distress…” Maggie went on, listing each point on her fingers. “…everybody in Cantilyra has been feeling it. There’s something out there that’s disturbing everybody’s instincts, but nobody knows what. It just started a few months ago, apparently. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it.”

Tawkerr leaned back on the cushions. “That explains a lot. God, I…what’s going on?”

“We don’t know. Nobody knows.” Maggie folded her hands in her lap with a small shake of her head. “But it can’t be good.”

“Ah.”

“…Anyways, we’ll talk to Deedge. He’s the councilman around here. Since we’re such a small community, he’s fairly easy to contact and is close with the people, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble.” Maggie said. Tawkerr managed a small smile, glancing at his untouched tea. Something was off. “…Maggie?”

“Hm?”

“What did you mean earlier? When you said you didn’t know where your home was either?”

He noticed her tense slightly, gripping the arm of the chair a little tighter. “What did you mean by it in the first place?”

They locked eyes for a moment, both of their gazes skeptical…but slowly fading into recognition. Something about them both felt too similar. Different, but the same, like two sides of a coin. They both seemed to realize it— so many things that were far too alike. The plating on their horns, the gold undertones in their eyes, all their specific features that they didn’t seem to notice on any other creature in Cantilyra except one another— and most of all, their apparent situations.

Somehow, it felt like they were one in the same. A moment of mutual understanding dawned on the two, beyond words.

Maggie let her hands relax again. “How long have you…been here?”

Tawkerr’s eyes widened. There was no way she was referring to anything else. There was no way that was a coincidence. “You’re like me.”

Maggie straightened in her seat as well. “…You woke up a few months ago somewhere with hardly any recollection of where you were. With nothing but—“

“My sister.” Tawkerr finished.

“And for me, my brother.” Maggie murmured.

“…Wait, did your sibling—?”

“Go missing too? Yes. They— They’re on the lookout for him right now. His name is Stoowarb.” For a second, Maggpi looked as though she might cry, but she blinked it away quickly and pursed her lips. “I nearly did the same as you and ran off myself to find him, but the townsfolk have been monitoring me since I appeared here. Can’t blame them.”

“…What the hell, Maggie.” Tawkerr said blankly. Not a question, just an expression of pure bewilderment. How were they so similar? What was this? “…Who are we? Why is this happening?”

Maggie’s eyes told Tawkerr that she was equally baffled. She chugged down the last of her tea in one gulp before speaking again, and when the cup left her face, her eyes became cold, determined and steely again. “I don’t know, but it seems like we’re in this together. I don’t know if that’s comforting or disturbing.”

“Comforting, I think.”

“…I guess so.”

Silence.

“Alright.” Maggie started to get to her feet. “Let’s go talk to Deedge. Maybe then we can find out what’s going on.”

to be continued.

Glossary

Aurochian- a race of horned humanoids, which Tawkerr, Maggpi, Stoowarb and Parlsona belong to. Not many Aurochians still exist after the Worldwipe. Aurochians are split into two main groups, the Eldos and the Illmi. Eldos carry bovine and canine aspects and are known for their larger and sturdier builds, strong senses of smell, physical prowess and adaptability. Illmi are smaller in comparison, appear more ovine and feline, and possess high agility along with keen senses of sight and hearing.

Bessie- one of Plant Island’s transport Lamphries— Tawkerr and Parly’s favorite. Loyal, but has an attitude. Can be bribed with lettuce.

Cantilyra- the world that the Cantilyric Saga takes place in, currently in a state of repair due to an catastrophic incident that occurred 25 years before the events of Chorus.

Cold Island- a small island nation, aptly named for its chilly climate. While seemingly a hostile environment, Cold Island’s small but close-knit community is very warm and welcoming, watched over by Chief Deedge.

Feral- a term used for when certain inhuman species of Cantilyra, such as satyrs, tabaxi, aurochians and the like revert into a temporary state where they behave more animalistic and instinctively, sometimes to the extent of becoming completely confused and nonverbal. This can be caused by stressful situations, overexertion or person-specific triggers. The frequency, intensity and effects of ferality differ from person to person, some not experiencing it at all.

Lamphrie- a large species of aquatic reptilians characterized by their long necks and thick shells, commonly domesticated and used as water transportation.

Maggpi Hermeas- one of the mysterious aurochians who appeared in late 24-post. A no-nonsense woman with a versatile skillset, sharp of mind and tongue. She’s tough to crack, but is soft-hearted and caring deep down…though she’d knock you flat sooner than she’d show that.

Plant Island- A large island nation known for its temperate climate and fertile land, ruled by King Entbrat. Despite its size, it’s towns are scattered and large portions of it are uninhabited, making it the second most populous nation next to Earth Island.

Quad Council- (Not to be confused with: Quarrister Council) also referred to as the Council of Quads, informally as “The Bosses” or simply as The Council, the Quad Council is a group of prominent island leaders— referred to as Quads or Councilmen— who banded together around the start of post with the goal of unifying their nations and rendering the rule of Cantilyra more coordinated and peaceful. The primary members of the Council currently consist of King Entbrat, Chief Deedge, General Riff, Princess Shelby and representatives from the Quarrister Council (yes, a council within a council.), with several lesser-involved members from the fire islands.

Tawkerr O’Charo- one of the mysterious aurochians who appeared in late 24-post. A charming and princely yet rather roguish fellow with a knack for getting up to no good and little tolerance for being bossed around. Has some sort of chronic illness affecting his respiratory system and voice, but still manages to never stop talking.

[cryptidinspace]

Dangerous Waters, Ch 2

Warning for actual vore in this chapter! As well as mentions of death and digestion, though none of either actually happen

Also, I might have called them high school students in the previous chapter? That’s my bad, these are actually meant to be university aged kids

———

United Oceans University. It looked like something out of a movie, vast and carved out of stone. Bright coral decorated every nook and cranny. Colored Seaweed was twisted into ropes and banners that swayed in the current.

The hallways were lit with glow fish swimming in lazy circles. Massive stained glass windows depicted various scenes, probably historical, with glistening eyes that seemed to follow the students.

“Looks more like a cathedral than a school. Like Saint Ruby’s back home.” Lacey was swimming just ahead of Irridesse, running her fingertips along the textured glass. “I bet the rooms are massive! And the food is gonna be amazing-“

They really were excited about this, huh? Irridesse followed just behind, fins bristled, watching the crowded corridor they swam through. On the way over, her plan had been solidified; she would find the biggest sea monster in this school, and put the fear of herself in them. They’d likely laugh her off at first, or even try taking a bite out of her…but she’d soon show them how unafraid she was.

“Found it!” At Lacey’s beckoning tail, she swam over. It was the door to her room, with two other names beside hers posted on the door. “It’s too bad we don’t get to share, huh?” Lacey gave her a playful pout, before looking at their own schedule. “Gotta go find my own r-“

“Yeah sure, but-“ Irridesse grabbed their shoulder, cutting them off. “Remember what I said. Tell me if you end up rooming with any sea monsters.”

Lacey’s eyebrows knitted together. “They wouldn’t do that, right? Put Mers and sea monsters together? Even a siren would be better…um, not that I’m afraid of sea monsters-“ They glanced nervously at Irridesse’s annoyed expression. “Uh, you know what, it’s fine.” They gave her a sunny smile, before darting away. “I’ll let you know!”

Once they were gone, Irridesse straightened their back and gave the names another once over. Magna Esprit and…Atlantic Mura.

Her face twisted into a scowl. Lovely. The most obnoxious little manchild she had ever met. Hopefully, he’d manage to stay out of the way. If she could just ignore him, her plan could go off without a hitch.

So she shoved the door open, creating a cloud of bubbles as she darted into the room. Three different beds, one considerably larger than the other, with kelp rugs placed on the floor, and stony desks. And not a person in sight.

Irridesse took her pack, dumping it on the bed, scanning the room. Why was one bed bigger? Were they a sea monster? The other normal sized bed was a bit of a mess, with the blankets thrown everywhere, and a very expensive suitcase half open on the floor.

That must be Atlantic’s. She swam over slowly, eyeing the flowing shirts and shimmering jewelry. But a heartbeat later, a hand wrapped around her tail, yanking her violently to the floor.

“SONOVA-“ A hand slapped over her mouth, as she was tugged beneath the bed. Turning her head, she saw Atlantic’s eyes staring at her through the dark. He looked positively terrified, and she could feel his trembling through the water. “Atlantic, what the hell are you doing?” She hissed.

“There’s a…s-sea monster.” He whimpered in gasping breaths. “In our r-room. She tried-d to eat me!” His voice reached a panicked whimper, just as a door slammed open.

Irridesse peered from beneath the bed, feeling an unwanted sense of unease crawl up her spine. No fear. This is what she had waited for. Her nails dug into the packed sand floors. It’s time to take your chance. Show this beast that you are not to be trifled with! She glanced at her quivering companion. And Atlantic can watch, I guess.

Bright blue tentacles dragged across the ground, just inches away. She could hear a growling, rumbling noise nearby, and for some reason, her body wanted to flatten to the ground and stay in the shadows…But I’m not scared.

Ignoring Atlantic’s panicked scrambling, Irridesse flung herself into the open. She slammed straight into a taller woman, and felt squishy tendrils push her back a bit. Looking up, she looked into a masked face. She was odd looking, right off the bat…the mask covered her mouth, but her eyes were a piercing dark blue, and her skin a soft purple color. And looking down, she saw tentacles, the length of her entire body, bright and supple.

“Hey there!” The woman boomed, arms folded over her wide stomach. There was something slightly off about her voice, something Irridesse couldn’t place. Something other than the sheer depth and volume. “You must be Irridesse, hm?” Her eyes strayed to the bed that she had darted from under. “Is blondy hiding under there?” She could imagine a wicked grin on the sea monster’s face, as one tentacle snuck toward the shadows.

She’s actually going to eat him. Irridesse clenched her fists, fighting back to instinctual urge to run. “Hey!” She barked. “Sea Monster! Get your tentacles away from him.”

The limb retracted, and the woman looked back at her with curious eyes. “Hey now, no need to be so uptight…how abouts we get a little better acquainted?” Her arms unfurled, and Irridesse looked down at her stomach in shock. Her mouth was on her belly. It was massive, wider than Irridesse’s shoulders were, fully of pointed teeth, with a bright blue tongue that lolled out hungrily. She heard a low growling noise coming from the maw, and her tail lashed, pushing her backward. “Don’t act like that…geez, you little fishies are so unfriendly.”

“And you sea monsters are all the same!” Irridesse scowled, her tail fins puffing out into a storm of blue. She had never met another sea monster, of course, this ravenous stranger was the first. But she matched the descriptions that she had been given her whole life…hungry and insane. “Might as well give up now, I’m not going to be lunch. And I won’t let you devour Atlantic either!”

“Loosen up!” Her voice was both commanding and playful…did she see them as nothing but toys? Rage boiled in Irridesse’s chest, overcoming the fear churning in her stomach. She burst forward, crashing into the woman’s chest at full force.

She grunted and spun backward, tentacles flailing in the air. “Well now you’re just being eager!” She was teasing Irridesse now, and her blue eyes narrowed to slits. She scrambled for purchase on the woman’s smooth and slick skin, trying vaguely to do some kind of damage, then gasped as a tentacle wrapped around her waist.

“Just chill…” The woman purred. She looked amused. “Just gonna have a taste, don’t be such a stiff.” Irridesse thrashed furiously, letting out a hiss of anger at the sight of her belly-mouth opening. That bright blue tongue came out, pressing against her hips. It was a bit like a soggy, twitching cushion, tasting her slowly. Saliva clung to her, making her skin slick. It slid upward, to her stomach, onto her chest, until it enveloped her face. Irridesse let out a screech and bucked her tail up and down. Where the fuck was Atlantic?? Maybe he couldn’t exactly save her, but he could try to do something.

Coward.

The tongue pulled away from her face, and Irridesse gasped in air. “Unhand me…” She croaked, aiming a faltering punch at the woman’s ribs. “Now!”

“Later.” Later? There was no later, she was about to be digested and turned into fat on the woman’s belly! But just as she had been told about sea monsters, there was nothing that could be done. She was so much weaker than she had thought, and now, she couldn’t stop the tentacle pushing her toward the brightly-colored maw…instead, her eyes dropped to her final resting place. It was a massive mouth, bright cyan in color, each wall padded with squishy slippering flesh. Another loud grumble rang through the air, as the walls of the woman’s stomach pulsed with anticipation.

The tongue lifted and slid under Irridesse’s body, guiding her downward as her head passed the massive fangs…was the sea monster going to chew her up first? Or just let her sit here, slowly digesting until her mind was burned away?

At that thought, she let another strangled roar and attempted to pull away, even as the tentacles gathered to squish her further into the stomach lining. It squeezed around her, conforming to the shape of her head. And before she could fight any longer, the jaws shut behind her with a snap of finality.

Irridesse froze, breathing in short, ragged gasps. Her body was folded in on itself, tightly enclosed in this squishy, wet chamber. Strange fluids coated her arms and tail, and she shuddered. She could still see…the inside of this mouth-stomach was glowing softly, shedding blue-green light, over everything.

Another growl rang out, and the tongue lifted her body, pressing her against the roof of the woman’s mouth. Irridesse continued to thrash, her fists and tail thumping painfully against the stomach lining. The monster didn’t seem to be bothered, and she heard a chuckle from above, loud and unnaturally encompassing. She was tasting Irridesse, wasn’t she? Her tongue flipped the young woman around, sliding down her spine, coating her in more saliva. The water in here was growing thick with her juices, and beginning to taste faintly like lime.

A loud gurgling began all around her, as the walls began to knead her body roughly. Fuck…this is it. I failed, before I could even really try. This probably wasn’t even the biggest sea monster here.

Feeling the stony chill of defeat, Irridesse slowly went limp, settling into the soft tongue beneath her. It twitched reactively, twisting up to coat her face in another film of drool. Now that she was quiet, she could hear a lot more…the sound of the sea monster's heartbeat, for one. A steady, thundering pulse somewhere above her. And the soft whooshing of her gills filtering water. And she noted, this stomach really couldn’t fit another person. If nothing else, this meant Atlantic would be spared a bit longer…

A moment later, the world suddenly tilted. She must be moving again, swimming, as her belly swayed from side to side, rocking Irridesse gently. Another turn, and she felt as though she was now resting on top of something. The woman must be on her back now, with the weight of her full stomach pressing down on her.

“So.” Irridesse’s eyes widened at the sound of the sea monster’s voice. It was loud and clear, and all around her. She heard a strange noise from above, and suddenly the stomach constricted firmly around her. Her face was pushed further into the soft stomach lining, and she grunted faintly. “Now that we’re chilled out, you’re Irridesse, right? My new roommate? Not gonna lie, I haven't seen a Mer before today. Glad you’re so bite sized!” A loud chuckle made her belly tremble and shake. “And you fill me up so nicely…lucky, huh?”

Lucky?! For you, I guess. She squirmed around, covering her face with her tail fins. Not that the sea monster could see her anyway, but still. There was another squeeze and another gurgle, and the stomach walls pressed into her skin once again. She let out an angry groan. “Quit toying with me, okay!” She felt a growing pressure behind her eyes, and squeezed them shut. She would not cry about this. “If you’re gonna eat me, at least let me die in peace. So shut up!”

There was a long pause, as the woman shifted her weight. “Die…?” She sounded genuinely confused, then chuckled again, her insides bouncing Irridesse. “Fishie, you aren’t gonna die. Drama queen.” The walls squeezed around her again, and Irridesse realized that she was being prodded from outside by tentacles.

“But you…you’re going to digest me. Do you not know how your own organs work??” Her tone was scornful, mingled with confusion.

“Course I do.” The woman snorted slightly. “We’re sea monsters. We decide if we digest what we swallow.” There was a moment of silence. “Don’t Mers do that too?”

“Um…no.” Her fast breathing had begun to slow, and she very cautiously relaxed. “We don’t.”

“Weird…”

“What’s weird, is trapping a stranger in your stomach!” Her fins flared up, along with her temper. Now that she wasn’t in immediate danger, Irridesse’s indignation had returned tenfold. “Let me out of here, right now!”

“Not where I’m from.” The woman answered mildly. “That’s just watcha do, when you’re gonna be spending a whole year with someone. About as friendly a greeting as you can get.”

“Don’t care, let me out now.”

The woman let out a long sigh, carrying Irridesse up and down with the motion of her body. “Oh alright.” The cursed jaws finally eased open, and Irridesse shot out from between them.

She was covered in saliva, clinging to her skin and refusing to float away. Her face felt hot with anger, as she stared down the woman who had just eaten her up. “Never do that again.”

“Most Sea Monsters your size love it.” She said, twisting a loc of blue and purple hair around her finger. Her stomach mouth appeared to be smirking, as if it found this whole situation amusing. “But okay…unless I get hungry~” Irridesse shot her a glare, and she rolled her eyes. “You have my word.”

She got up from her bed, tentacles fanning out in a spiral, and held her much larger hand out. “I’ll introduce myself the boring way then. Magna Esprit, I major in communications.”

“Well, you’re bad at it,” Irridesse replied flatly. Though she took Magna’s hand, shaking it as briefly as possible. “Irridesse Azraq. Political science.”

“You and I are gonna be good friends.” Magna glanced back at the bed. “Now to get your friend out of hiding.”

“He’s really not my friend…” She protested, though followed Magna to the bed. Already, she could hear the boy’s panicked wheezing. An interesting start. A lot to think about. And even more potential