mers oh my

[shikosuki]

Merchoro PSL

Comments

[karappo]

[Poseidon blinks, slowly, and levels his hand with his face again so he can look at Choromatsu properly.]

What is it, then? You can tell me.

[shikosuki]

...Promise not to freak out?

[ He's gonna freak out. He knows it. But it's worth a shot. ]

[karappo]

I promise. I will not freak out.

[....you're not inspiring confidence in him by saying that, though.]

[shikosuki]

[ He sits back up for this, because he probably should. ]

Dad... I'm talking about being independent.

[karappo]

Independent?

[He repeats, as if he doesn't understand the meaning.]

You mean...live out all on your own? What on earth for?

[Says the great being of the sea who has never had children before now.]

[shikosuki]

Well, don't you think it's time?

I'm not a guppy anymore. [ repeating himself purposely ] I'm an adult... I feel like I should be working towards independence and living my own life.

That's what humans do at this age, right?

[ ah

the H word........

how do you even know that about humans... ]

[karappo]

......humans?

[When he repeats the word this time, it is not with the simple, gentle confusion that he usually carries in his tone when he genuinely doesn't understand. The word leaves him in a particularly tense, almost clipped sort of way. One with complete understanding.

He tips his head down a little, his eyes solely on Choromatsu now.]

What humans do and, what we do, do not intersect, my son.

[shikosuki]

[ ...ah. frick.

well he hasn't freaked out yet... maybe pushing this will be okay..... ]

...But why?

We don't... we don't seem that different.

[karappo]

On the surface, perhaps...but I have been in this world far longer than you have. I know how cruel, how ruthless humans can be.

[His tail flicks through the water as he turns and starts to swim back towards the inner caverns of the reef again.]

Our similarities lie in appearances and few other traits alone, and even then there is not much to speak of.

[shikosuki]

[ Okay, that kinda irritates him after dealing with some very nice humans lately and he ends up getting defensive ]

There's no way all of them can be like that though! And not all merfolk are saints themselves!!

[ I mean, Iyami is... around..... ]

[karappo]

You sound so sure of yourself, Choromatsu.

[He replies simply, twisting and turning his way down a long, narrow cavern that leads to their home.]

I never said that we were not also prone to cruelness, but even you and your brothers have seen some of the most minor affects humans have on this world. Pollution in both the ocean and on the land...overfishing, wrenching entire ecosystems from the waters. That does not even scratch the surface.

[It doesn't even mention...other fears he has had, concerning humans.]

They do not need defending. They know what they do.

[shikosuki]

[ he... he has a point. but he HATES that ]

...Do they really?

How do they if all we do is hide from them? We don't even try to reason to them.

It's... it's not fair. Not all of them can be that bad.

[karappo]

[Poseidon makes a face, his tail kicking up sand as he breaks through the end of the tunnel into the winding maze of coral and anemones that make up the rooms of where Choromatsu and his brothers live.]

Reason with them about what, exactly? Throwing garbage into the water? What do you think might happen if one of us spoke to a human?

[shikosuki]

[ He's quiet for a moment and then just repeats back the things he's been told his entire life. ]

Catch us? Imprison us? Eat us?

That's what you want me to say right?

[karappo]

[He doesn't respond right away, breathing a sigh as he makes his way into the part of the reef that Choromatsu calls home. He gently sets his hand down on the floor of one of the large reefs of coral so he can swim off and rest there instead of in his palm.]

My son...you are a good boy. I know you want to think the best of humans...and most of us generally do. There are many humans out there who are kind, and thoughtful, and considerate even of the things that they do not understand. But unfortunately, as the way the world tends to be, those who would not do those things are far outnumbered by those who would.

We are not human, Choromatsu. We are different in a special, wonderful way. In ways humans cannot comprehend, and never will be able to. And showing ourselves to even just one...

[He shakes his head, reaching out to brush the top of his head, fondly.]

It invites the rest of the world to look upon us as things different from them...things to take power from, things to be afraid of...things to keep locked away.

Do you understand what I am telling you?

[shikosuki]

[ He swims out of his palm when it's set down, knowing the gesture well by now, and is silent as Poseidon lectures him, keeping his head down. ]

...Yes. Father.

[karappo]

Good.

[He sighs again, pulling away and moving to one side of the reef so he can start plucking some fronds of seaweed to wrap his wounds with.]

Of course...the comings and goings of humans do not exactly have anything to do with what we were discussing before. You saying something about wanting to be more independent, non?

[shikosuki]

Yeah.

Like settling down with a nice mermaid. Or man I guess.

[ or both

or a nice human even :V ]

[karappo]

[Poseidon drops the chunk of seaweed he'd just been holding, then, only to scramble to pick it back up.]

E-eh?

[shikosuki]

[ ???

???????????? ]

...What?

[karappo]

Y-you mentioned independence, not...not anything like that.

[He clears his throat and gathers up the seaweed, tying a few bits together to make them stronger.]

[shikosuki]

Well, I-I mean... that's part of it right?

Falling in love and leaving home and...

[ he trails off there, thinking about it. does he have a starry look in his eyes? yes, he absolutely does. blushing too. ]

[karappo]

Well yes, but...you are still my little one! My little guppy! You could not possibly be ready to move on so quickly...

[He says this as he makes his way back over with some lengths of tied together seaweed, gesturing for Choromatsu to shift so he can take care of those cuts on his tail.

For Poseidon, time moves a lot differently. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast in a lot of ways. But when it comes to his children, they might as well be small for eons.]

[shikosuki]

Ughhhh, for the last time, I'm not a guppy!! I'm definitely old enough! If anything, I'm too old to still be at home!

[ He shifts as Poseidon wants him to, lifting his tail up and leaning back, but he's pouty and grumpy about it. ]

You only think otherwise because you're a god!

[karappo]

[.....he is silent, for a time. He doesn't say anything else until he's gotten one of the deepest gashes completely covered, tying it tight enough so it won't come off.]

......do you...know someone?

[Like, okay he understands wanting something like that in the far far off future, but...why else would he bring it up...]