mers oh my

[shikosuki]

Merchoro PSL

Comments

[matteimasu]

[ Aaaaaaaaaaaand here comes the difficult part ] The gulls... they said Choromatsu... was not talking. He was being spoken to and communicating with people but every response he had was non-verbal. They... described it as if he was... mute. Does that... does that sound like something that is normal for him...?

[karappo]

[Choromatsu? Mute?

Abso-fucking-lutley not.

Poseidon's expression suddenly drops, slackening in a way that's so full of disbelief that it overtakes the sadness that was overtaking him.

It makes way for anger.]

WHAT?

[Megami can probably take that as a no...and what's worse is that a massive thunderclap sounds in the distance along with Poseidon's words.]

[matteimasu]

[ Megami jumps, the thunderclap frightening him

Yeah, taking that as a no ]

Th... That's what I thought...

[karappo]

[Poseidon isn't even hearing Megami anymore. All he can think about is Choromatsu, now human...unable to speak, possibly permanently. Hell, why wouldn't him being human be permanent as well? He has no reason to think otherwise...this must have been Totoko's price for her magic. Taking his ability to speak...to sing...

Thunder rolls again, and the wind on the tiny island suddenly picks up, causing the trees nearby to bend from the strain. It had begun to sprinkle when Megami told Poseidon of his son's situation, but now it's really starting to come down.]

WHAT WAS HE THINKING!?!? Not only has he made a deal with Totoko, but he may very well have permanently disabled himself in the process!! Are his precious humans, his so called desired life on land, worth such a thing!?

[The waves crash against the rocks on the far side of Megami's island, as if to echo Poseidon's rage. It's taking everything he has not to leap back into the sea to go make takoyaki out of a certain sea witch.]

[matteimasu]

[ Megami tries to shield himself from the rain. Boy this is going... about as poorly as he feared it would honestly.

The god is much bigger than him and therefore all the more frightening but he can't let him just rampage like this. ]

Poseidon, calm down...!

[karappo]

[Poseidon's tail slaps the water with enough force to cause a wall of mist to spray upwards before falling back into the sea along with the rest of the rain falling overhead.]

What reason have I got to be calm? I have lost my son, and now- now he is bound up in the clutches of that sea witch!

and now mom's mad too

[matteimasu]

[ Okaaaay, now Megami is shouting... and for such a small god he has a whole lot of bark to him ] Because if you do not, at this rate you are going to sink my island!! [ And since he's angry anyway, y'know let's... just address another point that's been on his mind ] And regardless of how angry you may be at Choromatsu, you are not blameless in what has happened! SO CALM DOWN!!

EVERYONE'S UPSET NOTHING IS OKAY

[karappo]

[...Even if Poseidon is mad, and god he sure is, Megami...has a point. He's brought right back to when he had his fight with Choromatsu, and his anger tore his grotto to pieces. Sure, that was underwater, so he could probably do more damage faster, but...

His eyes dark briefly over Megami's form, more thunder rolling in the distance, though lesser this time. The rain doesn't stop, but he does stop shouting, his shoulders going a bit slack. Every part of him is tense and wound tight like a spring, and it shows in his expression.]

I never said that I was.

[matteimasu]

[ Megami... tries to calm down himself, feeling a bit bad.

He moves closer to Poseidon then, partly so he can put a hand on his arm as an act of comfort and partly so... he can shield himself from the rain, look at him he's soaked now, you did this.

He sighs. ]

...I apologize if that was out of line.

[karappo]

[Poseidon bows his head, his heavy brows furrowing until his eyes practically vanish behind wet bangs plastered to his forehead. He couldn't make the rain stop if he wanted; it will just have to run its course.]

Choromatsu...had been telling me about his friends for a while. That he liked them. I encouraged him, and gave him gifts for them, because I wanted him to have friends. I had no idea they were human.

[...]

I was just trying to protect him. He got hurt so badly...I could not bear the thought of that happening to him again. Now...things are even worse, all because I found out and demanded a stop be put to it.

...was I wrong for sacrificing his happiness for his safety?

[matteimasu]

[ ...... ]

I don't think you were wrong in wanting to protect your son.

However... while I can understand your intentions, I'm not sure I can agree with your decisions at the time.

I... have not met Choromatsu. But from what you've said, he sounds to me like a smart boy. I'm sure he knew you would be unhappy with him and that this has caused him some anxiety for quite some time. He could have kept them a complete secret from you, not tell you a single thing, but the fact that he told you so much at all tells me he likely did want your approval eventually. That he did not want to always keep it a secret.

So... I am not saying you were wrong but I do not believe you were right. Love is a very powerful thing, stronger than magic and even more unpredictable. You should know this as you know firsthand just how powerful for love for your children is. But we also do not get to choose who we fall in love with, and while not all loves are a good idea and many are misplaced, it is hard to say without meeting them if Choromatsu has given his love away to people who would abuse it.

I think what your son needed most from you in that moment was your understanding. For your continued support. Its not that you were wrong to try and protect him, it's that you were wrong to deny him this.

You were wrong not to try.

[karappo]

[...he understands what Megami is trying to say, he thinks. That, essentially, he ought to have given Choromatsu the freedom to make his own choices...and his own mistakes, if need be. He'd warned them about humans, sure, but he did not exactly have the right to keep them away from the shore, not as adults anyway.

He just can't say he understands. He's not sure he ever would.]

I fear...that the damage I have done to his trust in me may be irreparable. I certainly made it clear to him how I felt...and let my anger rule my actions.

[Poseidon doesn't meet Megami's gaze, blinking as the rainwater collects on his eyelashes.]

I just...cannot trust them, Megami. I am so afraid he will be hurt again.

[matteimasu]

[ He tries to smile and pats Poseidon's arm again. ] I know. ...May I ask something? Aside from the incident with the net when he was a child... why do you so strongly distrust humans?

[karappo]

[Ah. That's...not something he's been asked, at least not something he's been asked by anyone but his children. And for a long time, he doesn't respond.]

Contact between merfolk and humans has never been something I have desired. It is not that I hate them, far from it...I care for the ocean as much for their sake as I do ours. But we as a people do not need to make our presence known among them. There are so many out there who would seek to exploit us...perhaps even hunt us.

That is not a life I wish for my people, and certainly not my sons. We should live free from beneath the scrutinizing gaze of man. And likewise, there are many of us who feel particular animosity towards humans...it is not as if it would be guaranteed that all mers would be interested in being friendly with them.

[He pulls his tail closer to his side.]

It is safer for us both that we be apart.

[matteimasu]

I see... [ Well at least it's not RACIST... ] And exceptions truly cannot be made you believe?

[karappo]

...I do not know. I have never made one before now.

[He hates to think this way, but he feels like if he made an exception for his sons, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of...well, everyone else to disallow human contact. Even IF he wasn't already too protective to allow that in the first place.]

[matteimasu]

[ Megami thinks on it for a while... and eventually decides to drop it for now, bringing the conversation back to Choromatsu instead. ] For what it's worth... I do not think the relationship between you and Choromatsu is beyond repair. All children eventually fight with their parents. But effort will have to be put in, especially if he cannot... [ He looks back down ] Especially if his loss of voice is truly permanent. ...But I think... I think you might inevitably have to meet these humans for yourself.

[karappo]

[He was afraid you might say that.]

Hmph. What a shameful meeting that would be...

[Choromatsu's partners meeting his father, the One Who Caused Everything To Go To Shit. It leaves a bitter taste in the sea king's mouth.]

What is saying that I will even have the chance? If Choromatsu has truly become human...there is no way he would come near the sea now.

[matteimasu]

[ Megami is quiet again for a moment, thinking. ] ...Poseidon, would you say your relationship with your son was a close one prior to all this?

[karappo]

...very close.

[He brings his hands together in front of him, threading his fingers slowly.]

Obviously my sons have begun to do their own things as they have grown up, but...none of them have ever strayed very far.

[Not as far as Choromatsu has, anyway.]

[matteimasu]

[ He smiles ] When this island was still inhabited, there was a time a child came to me with the intent of running away from home. This was not the first time, sometimes children of unfit, horrible parents would come to me with the same intent, but I was always careful with granting those wishes. In this case I had seen the child with his mother before and they had always looked very close. And yet still, even with me bringing that up to him, he refused to go home. I did not fulfill his wish but I did not want him to hurt himself by charging into a dangerous situation either, so I allowed him to stay with me in my lake. Do you know what ended up happening, sea king?

[karappo]

[He thinks he can guess, but...]

What happened?

[matteimasu]

Well at first he was enthralled to be staying with me and enjoyed himself immensely. I took the best possible care of him. But a few days later, he told me that he wanted to go home. No prodding or different treatment on my part, he just came to that decision on his own. And so I let him. He ran home crying to his mother, begging for forgiveness. He never meant it when he said he didn't want to see her again; he just needed time to cool down. I am sure Choromatsu is the same. He has made a hasty decision, because he went to someone who took advantage of him instead of someone like me. But in time he will likely try to find his own way back.

[karappo]

I do hope you are right...I still fear that some of the damage may be permanent, but...I just want to apologize.

[He exhales a deep sigh as the rain finally starts to peter off.]

I just want him to understand that I never meant to hurt him, the way I ended up doing. I love him too much for that.

[matteimasu]

[ oh thank god the rain is starting to stop ] I hope he will. I think he probably understands that himself too.