mers oh my

[shikosuki]

Merchoro PSL

Comments

[shikosuki]

[ and then ]

There's a catch though, isn't there?

[fishchild]

...eh?

[Flounder that was quick.]

I...I wouldn't call it a catch. It's more like I can't just give away all of my spells to people for free. If I did, then I would never get any rest, and as much as I would love to do things out of the goodness of my heart...I like having things too, you know.

[shikosuki]

[ He's a smart boy....... sometimes. He sighs. ] Yeah, yeah... so tell me what it is I have to do in exchange?

[fishchild]

Hmm...

[What does he have to do...she seems to have to think on that, starting to circle him again. This time, her fish move back to watch from the shadows, their eyes focused on the witch as she eyes Choromatsu in a way that's crossed between intrigued and predatory.]

It's not so much what you can do...but what you might be able to give me.

[She's taken a lot of things from other merfolk for the past in exchange for the gift of her powers. Some big, some small, most of the time all devastating in their backfires. But since this is the son of Poseidon, the very being who has banished her to this area of the sea, she has to think big. She has to think of a way to bring this back around into her favor.

After a moment, a cloyingly sweet smile spreads across her face.]

Oh...I know just the thing.

[She swims towards him again, and then taps his chest with a clawed finger.]

Your voice.

[shikosuki]

...Eh? [ he... can barely even comprehend the request. in fact at first he thinks he heard her wrong ] My... voice? But...

[fishchild]

That's right! I want your voice, Choromatsu. You didn't think turning you into a human would come at a small price, do you?

[His voice is a very specific thing to want, though...and it might even be a deal breaker.]

[shikosuki]

[ his hands go to his throat, protectively ]

B-But... why though? How am I...

How am I ever supposed to talk... or sing again...?

[fishchild]

Oh, that should be easy for you! You see, I'm just...borrowing your voice.

[She starts to swim around him again while she talks.]

Think of it as...collateral. Just in case something in our deal doesn't exactly...pan out.

[Is that the truth? Well...maybe...it's up for Choromatsu to decide.]

I'll keep it nice and safe with me...and all you have to do is get one of those humans that you love so much to kiss you. But you'll have three whole days to do it, so that shouldn't be a problem, right? Not if they truly love you...

[She plays with the end of her ponytail as she swims by, looking off to one side.]

If you can do this successfully, my magic will transform you into a human permanently.

[shikosuki]

Oh! Okay! That's not so bad then! I should be able to do something like that!

[ That's so reasonable! :> ]

What happens at the end of the three days if I don't? I just change back?

[fishchild]

[...okay, even her fish are bewildered at his just. Immediate acceptance of this bargain. Totoko, meanwhile, just sort of hovers in the water for a moment before reminding herself just how these guys were as kids: stupid enough to willingly be hypnotized so she could have them do whatever she wanted.

No wonder Poseidon never let them talk to her again.

She lifts her hand to her mouth for a moment, not wanting Choromatsu to notice how shit eating her grin has become.]

Exactly. My magic can't keep you that way forever unless you seal your end of the deal, and all~ And if it's true love for sure, then it will work.

I'm actually impressed, little Prince. You're so eager to become something you've never been before...you aren't scared?

[shikosuki]

Ah, well... to be honest I've... always wanted to go to the surface... to know what it's like to have legs... Also I... I'd miss my brothers but... if it gets me far away from my father, then I'm glad. [ W O W ]

[fishchild]

[Honestly...knowing that Poseidon had upset one of his sons to the point of not even being missed by them is almost enough for her. The thought of it makes her giddy, and she has to hold herself back from cackling. This is so delightfully broken, and she's more than happy to make it all the worse.]

Make no mistake, Choromatsu. Once the spell is fulfilled, I won't be able to change you back. But you still have three days to change your mind...and the only price I require you to pay is your voice.

Does that sound fair to you?

[shikosuki]

[ After a moment of thinking it over one last time, he nods. ]

Yes. It does.

I'll do it.

[fishchild]

Perfect.

[She gestures to one of her fish, and after it disappears for a moment it returns carrying a scroll that she carefully plucks from its mouth, unfurling it for Choromatsu to see. It's....a damn lot of text, but with a line to sign at the bottom. A moment later, a quill appears next to it for writing.]]

All I need you to do now, then, is to sign this contract...and everything will be ready for me to make your wish come true.

[shikosuki]

[ Whoa yeah, that's... a lot ]

...Awful lot of text, huh? [ he picks up the quill though ]

Um... should I be reading this...?

[fishchild]

Whaat, all of this? Oh no, it's just a contract to bind our agreement! It's all pretty much everything I just told you, explaining the rules for what you need to do and all that...just in a lot more detail, that's all.

[A lot more.]

It's all boring stuff, trust me. You got the gist of what you need to know.

[shikosuki]

[ A part of him is saying he should absolutely read this.

But the rest is like "okay but she's so cute though????? what is there not to trust" ]

Well... okay. If you say so.

[ and with that he

signs his name above the line ]

[fishchild]

[Once his name has been signed, it actually seems to glow a very bright, burning gold right off the paper until the contract snaps shut into a roll in Totoko's hand before disappearing all together. After that, she sweeps away to a higher shelf in her home, pulling out various bottles of things and stacking them up in her arms.]

Now theeeen~ Let me just see what I can whip up for you, alright? This shouldn't take long! I assume you want to get out of here as quickly as possible, after all.

[shikosuki]

[ He watches with this feeling of dread in his stomach that he might have just done something awful... but he chooses to ignore that. ]

Yes. Please.

I fear my father might find me if we don't hurry...

[fishchild]

Oh, don't worry too much about that. Your father might be powerful, but so am I.

[She turns around and tosses something into a crater in the center of the cavern, bottle and all, and it bursts with a massive puff of steam.]

I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve, Choromatsu~

[shikosuki]

[ He backs away in surprise at the puff of steam and while he... believes that Totoko is powerful he doesn't believe she's AS powerful as his dad. ]

A-Are you sure? I-I mean, he's a god and...

[ But he shuts himself up because at this rate he's gonna jinx it ]

[fishchild]

And? Just because he's a god doesn't mean he's got all the power.

[IT KINDOF DOES- but she ignores the contradiction and tosses in a few more bottles anyway, causing more and more of the crater to bubble and ooze and seep strange mist that looks...toxic.]

Have you ever thought about what us merfolk can do, Choromatsu? Compared to the humans? We might not be gods, but we can do so much more...

[shikosuki]

[ He cautiously peers into the crater. That... doesn't look too good.

But her question catches him by surprise. ]

We... can?

I guess Totoko is Sebastian now

[fishchild]

Oh come on. Think about it- we can swim to parts of the ocean they'll never reach, we can breathe underwater, and we've created entire civilizations under the sea! Can humans do any of those things?

[Another potion goes in and she wanders to the crater's edge, looking to see if it's about the color she wants it to be.]

I mean, I'm not judging you or anything, but the human world sounds awfully boring in comparison.

don't break out into accent now girl

[shikosuki]

[ he mulls over that a bit ]

I... guess. But humans can go almost anywhere... they've even figured out how to cross the sea on their own.

And they have fire and cooking and can make beautiful things without magic at all...

[ he's getting kinda rambly but this is precisely why he's so into them ]