Fantasy ☼ cяү ғσя мε ☼ 『cℓσsε∂』

[.titania]

[✦] oh my sweet suffering​

The waters carried salt on the wind, waves lulled to sleep by the midday sun. Just as the ocean chose to be lazy -to bask in the warm sunlight- Kaede also rested lazily in his quarters. His lean body lay splayed out across his messy bedsheets, elbows holding the half of his body up to hold a bottle of sake in one hand. The jar was nearly half empty and his face was already flushed pink with tipsiness. He liked the brain fog that didn't keep him fully aware, keeping him from remembering. Just observing the ocean from his window had his mind wandering back to seven days ago.

-

The crew and himself had docked on the Island of Morina after a particularly successful raid. God, sometimes the cargo ships just made it so easy to swoop in and steal what they had onboard. Kaede made sure the first place he went to was the tavern, settling comfortably at the bar top and ordering the first round of beers for the rowdy crew members and high quality sake for himself. It had been noon at that time, slowly fading into an evening of drunken laughter and antics; some of the men had fled at one point to go flirt with beautiful courtesans of a nearby Flower House. The captain didn't take any interest in behavior outside of his drinking; by his fourth bottle, the brunet was well and truly drunk, a bright pink flush running across his face from ear to ear being the first signs of a comfortable haziness. An easy way of forgetting and ignoring unwanted memories. It had reached the peak of the night, a few of the crew already passed out haphazardly, the others beginning to sober up and Kaede had been in the process of purchasing some sake bottles to bring back on the ship when somebody sat down next to him. A certain lull had taken on the tavern, hazy eyes going sharp and distinctly alert. The man must either be very stupid or desperate enough to get so close to Kaede's personal space. Aside from his first mate, Orion, nobody else dared take equal seating beside him.

Rather than spare the man his attention, he continued speaking with the bartender -charming him with a sweet smile. "So do you prefer Fallen Scholar or Nine-Tails?" The man had the voice of a snake -sharp and venomous- something that drew your attention to him in an unwanted way. Ah, so the man knew his reputation from the Sorcerers Tower and the seven seas. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Orion and Beru beginning to make there way over, pistols and dagger in hand, but Kaede made a placating motion with his left hand to halt them in there war path. The man wanted his attention, well, he got it. The captain sat up from his slouched positioning to angle his body towards the stranger -not entirely in his direction but just enough for interest- and met shockingly blue eyes with his own onyx orbs. The man was tall -taller than himself by half a head- with a well dressed frame. His clothing choice stood out, all pristine silk and smelling heavily of high end cologne- in comparison to the sea salt scented and rag tag group of pirates. As far as Kaede could tell, the man looked to not have done a day of work in his life. A nobleman. The only conclusion Kaede could draw from his observations. "I prefer captain if you really must know." His words came out coy and unlike the venomous tinge of the nobleman, Kaede's reminded you of syrup -sugary sweet and artificial "And are you a baron, no, a count? Only a noble of the lowest tier would dare to sully there hands with a bunch of vagrants.". He emphasized the words with a vixen smile, sipping from his sake as the bartender began to package up a box of the sake.

"You're as charming as they say." The words were grit out, jaw clenched slightly in annoyance "Rubine. Count Rubine. I have something for you if you get something from me. Here's half now. The other half later." Rubine pulled a pouch from his inner pocket, tossing it towards Kaede and let it spill out on the counter. Rhodium coins -silvery white with the stamp of Queen Lorelai on either side- clattered loudly on the wooden counter. Oh, he really had his attention now. Kaede investigated one coin, twirling it in his fingers and giving it a scratch. The coins were real. His eyes moved back to the count, giving it as a sign of affirmation. Money was money and whatever job was so important for the man to pay him coins worth 100,000 each, his crew would get it done.

-

The heavy sound of bells pulled his mind rapidly from his the doze he had fallen into, shouts of surprise pushing him to get out of his bed and toss on his white with blue spirals outer kimono over his shoulders. It contradicted the black with gold spirals he already wore. Rather than put on his geta, Kaede chose to remain barefoot and keep his sake bottle in one hand. He stepped out of his quarters to the sea breeze blowing gently through his long hair, miles upon miles of blue ocean laid out before him and his crew pulling on the ropes of one of there cast nets. You'd assume it was fish or sharks they were hunting out in the waters based on the effort but contradictory to assumptions, as the net was dragged onto the deck, neither fish nor shark struggled violently in the net.
Mon Amour.

Speech Thoughts
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[Mon Amour.]

The sunlight faintly shone through the water, illuminating the vibrant hues of the corals in its gentle glow as the fish lazily swam past. It bathed everything in its soft green-blue light, shifting ever so slightly with the water above. The pieces of coral were intricate and detailed, small curves and holes scattered across their fragile frames, the colours almost as vibrant as the tail that swished calmly in the water next to them.

Maximilian floated, blue eyes scanning across the seabed inquisitively. He hadn’t quite been this close to the upper surface before, and he was quite surprised that his father had even allowed him to go. He had been sent to collect some of the most vibrant red pieces of coral, since they were needed for his coming-of-age ceremony. The young merman looked towards the coral, pale fingers moving towards them slowly before he looked away once again, eyes wandering towards the sunlight that was filtering through the water above. Maximilian pushed the thought out of his mind quickly. There was nothing out of the waters anyway - and what was above was none of his concern.

With a strong, fluid movement of his tail, the merman swam towards the other corals, hastily wrapping his hands around one of them and twisting quickly. The base of the red-coloured, branch-like structure easily broke off, and Maximilian hurriedly tucked it into a piece of kelp. He pulled the soft, green material over the rough piece of coral, and set it down on the sand below him, eyes once again moving towards the surface.

Maximilian let out a dreamy, almost drunken sigh, leaning back and adjusting his slender frame to rest on one of the corals; with his arm draped over one and his tail leaning on another so that he had a full gaze of the view around him. He couldn’t help but let his mind drift off once again, not quite noticing the light was getting darker each minute. His old father would definitely get angry that he had sat there for so long - and had only got one piece of coral.

It didn’t quite matter to him now. The light had become orangey, liquid molten spilling from the sky and bathing him in its golden hues as he leaned back. Maximilian rarely saw this, only being able to admire it when he was permitted to travel to the upper waters. Usually, he’d have immediately gone back into the seaweed fields, finished his chores, and went to sleep as soon as he saw the water darken. But today was different. It was his coming-of-age ceremony anyway, and it’d only happen when the water finally reached its darkest stage. He had time. In his dreamy stupor, Maximilian couldn’t help but stare up at the slowly dimming surface.

“My, my.” He mumbled, eyes reflecting the fading aureate rays. Perhaps he could just stay a while longer, and see what the upper waters looked like during night. While he sat, Maximilian slowly turned his gaze towards the surroundings, scanning across the large patches of coral and the long strips of kelp behind them. They seemed dull and dark now, the warm light long gone. Soon, all was black, and the only source of light was a faint white glow from directly above Maximilian. Beginning to drag himself off the piece of coral and pick up his kelp-wrapped coral, he slowly looked towards the surface once again, eyes darting around frantically. Half of his mind was itching to simply go take a harmless look above the waters, yet the other half was warning him that there simply was nothing above there. He’d be late for the ceremony. He’d probably get scolded in front of everyone. Quite unlike his usual self, Maximilian abandoned the red piece of coral, eyes glued to the surface as he swam slowly, hesitantly upwards.

It’d just be a little look. He picked up his pace, feeling the water get a tad bit colder as he travelled higher, yet ignored the frigid feeling of the water on his skin. He’d only be up there for a minute, anyway. Maximilian’s green hair flowed behind him as he got towards the highest point of the water, seeing the blurry image of a glowing, white orb in front of him. Eyes widening, he moved slightly closer to it, flinching as he felt the tip of his nose break the surface. The first thing he felt was coldness. It stung at his pale skin as he hesitantly rose his head upwards. A faint breeze blew past, much like the water currents underwater. It all felt unfamiliar, and strangely when he breathed, no bubbles rose.

Maximilian looked around slowly, eyes wide with surprise as he realised there actually was something above the sea. His eyes slowly focused on the glowing white orb - Gods, it looked so large and beautiful up close. It bathed him it is milky glow, the only sound the steady wash of the waves lapping against his body as he stared up into the sky. It was filled with sprinkles of white light scattered across the endless darkness, and yet the giant white orb hung, just out of reach, glowing in the night sky.

He couldn’t bring himself to move away, to swim back down just yet, and his eyes were fixed on the expanse above him. Maximilian had never seen anything like it. Finally managing to tear his gaze away from the sky, the merman turned around, eyes fixating on a strangely large structure ahead of him. It was an obsidian outline against the horizon, and as he squinted, he felt something wrap around him.

Immediately, his first instinct was to shake it off him, but when his efforts were to no avail, Maximilian began to struggle. The next few moments were chaos in his mind- he could feel himself being lifted upwards as he writhed and thrashed desperately inside the net, skin rubbing painfully against the coarse material around him. The merman fought as hard as he could, tail swishing back and forth uselessly as he began to try and bite at the ropes with his teeth. He managed to gnaw only perhaps an inch of the net off, before he felt a jolt and wood against his face.

His eyes were blurry, mind in a strange haze as he continued to writhe, arms tangled in the net as he managed to look up. Strangely, he saw several strange beings around him, their figures towering over him as he moved his eyes over them, baring his teeth in an almost savage way. Maximilian tried to pull the net off him, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and anger as he struggled in the net, still continuing his efforts to escape.

The loud, painful sound of ringing and shouting filled his ears. Perhaps he was dying. It served him right since he’d decided on coming out of the water anyway. His father was right - there was danger beyond the sea. Eyes focusing on a figure in front of him, Maximilian could vaguely recognise a bottle of water, no, some kind of strange liquid. The thirst in his throat now spiked, his mouth craving for even a sip of water. He tried to move closer to it, straining against the confines of the net as if getting to that bottle would mean his freedom.

 

[.titania]

[✦] oh my sweet suffering​

Fascinating.... Deep eyes watched as the large bodied creature was dragged onto the deck with a wet thud, thrashing like a fish out of water. The corner of Kaede's lip perked up slightly at the thought. He kept his distance from the creature, signaling some of the crew back as well. He could remember the first time he saw a mermaid, the moment had been magical and permanently engraved in his heart. His child self had seen her as beautiful, delicate and regal -a queen of the ocean waves. It had been a shock as an adult during his research project at the Sorcerer's Tower when investigating about mermaids that they were anything but delicate. Most weighed anywhere from two-hundred to four-hundred pounds due to the extra weight of there tails, a dangerous muscle that with one well-aimed hit could smash the bones of a human. An autopsy performed on a deceased mermaid that had washed ashore helped to further there understanding of them, Kaede devouring the contents of it years after the deed. He watched, entranced, as the green-haired creature struggled in the nets.

They were specially made and the bells were an added touch to confuse creatures that rarely left the water. Orion must have been standing too close as he jumped back startled when the man bared his shark like teeth at him. Those would be a problem. Kaede adjusted his kimono slightly, taking a long drink from his sake and once again elevating the flush on his face back to a bright pink. The captain decided to get closer -standing about two feet away from the violent creature- and crouched before him to look at it closer. That's when confused eyes turned to look at him or more like the white sake bottle he was holding. Kaede held it up just out of reach of the straining hand. He took the opportunity to look at the webbed fingers trailing his eyes down slim yet muscular arms down to broad shoulders and that's when he noticed. This creature wasn't a mermaid, but a merman! The fact caught him off guard since merman were seen even less so than mermaids.

It could be problematic for Count Rubine who wanted a mermaid but as Kaede looked at the merman, he couldn't help but stare at the confused blue eyes. They were so so so very blue. His eyes reminded the pirate of an aquamarine necklace he stole some time ago. He almost wanted to reach out and touch the reaching hand but then memories flooded his brain again and his onyx eyes -shimmering with curiosity- fogged over again with the haze of tipsiness. Kaede crossed his arms over his knees, planted his chin in his hand and tilting it to the side. "Are you thirsty, blue-eyes?" He asked the merman casually "Sucks. If you're thirsty now, wait till we dry you out."

Speech Thoughts
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[Mon Amour.]

A small, almost guttural sound escaped his throat, something between a snarl and a growl as Maximilian felt fingers wrap around his chin. The sounds seemed muffled and unclear, the ringing in his ears getting louder while he continued to struggle in the net. The merman could see, faintly, the figure in front of him become clearer as he blinked, eyes adjusting slightly to the surroundings.

The man seemed to be still holding the bottle - just out of reach, in fact - and crouching just a few steps away. He was spewing strange words, mouth moving in such a way that made Maximilian even more confused. The merman didn’t understand, whether it be because of the confusion in his mind, or the only wrenching his chin away and baring his teeth once again. It didn’t matter the meaning of his captor’s words - he knew it was a taunt. Or perhaps a threat. Maximilian couldn’t help but look towards the bottle once again, yet refused to reach for it, instead moving his defiant expression to the man in front of him. The male seemed to be wearing a white and blue garment, one of which Maximilian could never imagine putting on. He hadn’t ever thought much about his appearance before, much unlike the other mer, yet it looked oddly attractive on this man. Gods, what was he thinking about? That was his captor, and he needed to escape. Maximilian had stilled for a moment, stopping his desperate struggle while he had stared at the human in front of him, but as he snapped out of his thoughts he continued his thrashing, tail still caught painfully inside the constraints of the net. Several of his blue scales were beginning to litter the wooden planks, drops of blood staining them as well while he writhed.

He could feel his throat aching from the lack of water, something he’d never quite felt before in his life. The light from the moon was now not comforting, instead making his eyes throb and his head spin with dizziness as he tried to get back to the sea. It looked so welcoming now, just a dozen metres away from his reach. Maximilian snarled loudly, the sound seeming so foreign in his mouth as he looked around at the figures around him, eyes lingering for a second on the man with the bottle. He could feel himself getting weaker by the second, strength draining because of the lack of water around him. This served him right, yes, it did, since the idiotic part of his mind had decided to go against every single shred of logic.

Finally, Maximilian paused once again, tail aching from the position it was in, and only then did he notice the drops of blood around him. A small gasp escaped his throat amid the heavy breathing, and he looked towards the man in front of him with a mixture of anger, defiance - and a tinge of fear.

 

[.titania]

[✦] lyrics can go here​

Kaede almost flinched at the teeth of the mer but he held it in, only responding with a slight chuckle. The two rows of pointed teeth were an intimidating sight to say the least, one bite could cost any of them a decent chunk of flesh and the captain had no interest in patching anyone up. It didn't seem the creature understood language of land people; that wasn't ideal, eyebrows furrowing in thought, but it should be alright depending on how Count Rubine wished the merman to be kept. He could take a fairly good guess of the cocky gentleman's plans. A Mermaid Tear. More rare than the scale of a drake or the tail of a kitsune, it had magical properties unlike any artifact ever created. Nobody had ever seen one for hundreds of years and it had started to fade into myth. Kaede didn't believe in myths. He kept his eyes on the futile struggle of the merman, flicking his eyes behind him where Orion was cautiously approaching behind -leather panel gag in hand. Kaede decided to finish off his sake, tipping his head back to finish it off. Some droplets escaped running down the line of his neck and he wiped them away with the back of his hand before they could reach his chest.

In one quick motion, he dropped the bottle and let in smash into a dozen pieces in front of him. The sound was not loud but startling to a few crew members, just enough distraction for Orion to make an attempt of coming up behind the merman and try to slip the gag over his mouth. Those teeth were the biggest concern and if Kaede could get that handled, everything else would fall into place nicely. He stood from his crouched position, knees popping and feeling slightly sore. "Ber, grab a couple others and start getting the ship ready to sail. You" His hand pointed to a younger man with pointed cat ears and a quick flicking tail "Clean up my mess, would ya?" A cheshire grin popped onto his face, implying that his words weren't a question but a command.

Speech Thoughts
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[Mon Amour.]

Maximilian was rather surprised that the man hadn’t even reacted to the baring of his teeth. He’d never even done such a savage action before, let alone to another creature. Nails scratching on the wooden planks, the merman let out something between a whimper and a groan as he saw the man finish off the rest of the liquid in the bottle. Maximilian watched, frozen, as the last drops of the liquid rolled down his captor’s neck, eyes glued directly onto the drops of clear liquid. Until the bottle was dropped.

The shards of glass that cracked against the floor made the merman inhale sharply, his head immediately retreating backwards until it reached the confines of the net. He hadn’t been hurt by the pieces of the bottle, luckily, yet it had definitely caused quite a shock. His heart was still hammering against his chest from the scare he had received, his eyes still darting around quickly, and his mind still hadn’t registered what had happened – until he felt something wrap around his mouth. Maximilian began to writhe again, feeling fingers unsuccessfully try and keep him still. His tail moved quickly, adrenaline coursing through his veins once more as he let out another snarl, the strange leathery material on his face making him struggle even more.

He flailed wildly in the net, desperately trying to get that uncomfortable thing off his face. It felt painful against his skin, the material stopping him from breathing through his mouth as he tried to inhale. There was a certain breathless feeling in his head now, everything descending into a haze as his eyes groggily focused on the man in front of him once again. He watched, still struggling and moving his tail, as his captor stood up, eyes following the movement and travelling upwards.

Due to the lack of air, the hesitance to breathe through his nose, and the strange waterless environment around him, Maximilian had allowed the person behind him to fasten the painful material around his mouth. He tried to bite it off, sharp teeth straining against it. The adrenaline had since seeped away, and he unsuccessfully tried to move forward once again as he heard the faint sound of voices float into his ears. There was an odd-looking creature as well – or maybe it was just his imagination – but he could see something like a stingray begin to pick up the pieces of glass.

No, it was not a stingray. It had a long tail, though, and peculiar triangle-shaped things that rose through its hair. Maximilian tried to say something, the sound muffled by the gag, yet he persisted, hoarse voice breathy and quiet. If it looked like a stingray, it must have been from the sea, of course. Perhaps it could help – but considering the things that the other creatures had done, he didn’t count on it.

 

[.titania]

[✦] oh my sweet suffering​

The merman obviously couldn't understand what he was saying, that much was a given judging by his eyes giving no indication that the words spoken to him were being registered. Kaede dished out orders swiftly, arms crossed over his chest lazily. He kept an eye on the merman out of the corner of his eye, taking note that the creature looked intrigued by Ying-li, the felis steadily picking up the glass shards one by one as commanded. The sun was beginning to set, casting a hazy orange glow over the ocean waters. Kaede really could never grow tired of the picturesque view; his legs naturally carried him towards the ship railing and placed his hands reverently on the smooth cherry wood. The wind seemed to pick up at that moment, sea salt carried on its gentle waves and running through his light brown hair. It felt soothing as the cool breeze ran through his kimonos and eased the warmth he felt from the alcohol, soothing the flush of his face.

Kaede closed his eyes for a moment to bask in the setting sun until the harsh voice dragged him roughly out of his contentment. Rude. The thought drifted through his head before turning around, propping his elbows on the railing instead to look over at Francis and Leon, two burly human men that he had added to the crew not that long ago. It wasn't that he saw anything special in them, just that Orion had pestered him to bring on several more men to help with the work that had become harder with the loss of three members earlier that month. Neither men were intelligent like Ying-li or reliable like Orion and Beru; just two more greedy muscle heads to fill in space. Kaede grimaced at them, disliking how they "forgot" to respect him despite his captain status but there wasn't much he could do to fix that. "What should we do with this?" Francis, the taller of the two with a mop of curly red hair and a gnarly scar running across his face, asked him while giving a rough kick to the merman's tail.

God, he wanted to slap the man so hard. He couldn't have the man damaging there catch or the pay would probably be docked. Kaede gripped the railing with his hands tightly but kept his face easygoing, head tilting to the side to address them, "He can be put in my quarters. Tie his wrists on the hook opposite my wall." He pushed himself off the railing, walking confidently up to the two with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Leon was bright enough to step back but Francis stood tall and cocky, smirk being wiped from his face once Kaede delivered a swift kick to the man's shin with the bottom of his geta. The redhead gave a cry of pain, crouching to grip his bruised shin and glaring up at his captain. Kaede stared him dead in the eye, onyx flashing silver for a second -enough time to get a face of fear- before returning back to normal. He wouldn't be fucked around with by the help. "And don't damage him or I'll make sure your cut goes to the sharks."

Feeling that he made his point clear, he made his way back to the railing to enjoy what time he had left -one eye keeping alert as the two men unraveled the mer from the netting. Francis grunted with effort, trying to get the thrashing tail in his grip but the creature was still damp and was much heavier than he looked. With some effort, he managed to get a grip on the scaly feature while Leon made quick work of grasping at the merman's forearms. Kaede couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips; the merman was a pain in the ass and strong at that. It amused and fascinated him equally at his struggles -he couldn't understand why he was trying so hard knowing it was futile.

Speech Thoughts
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[Mon Amour.]

The feline-like creature did not respond, much to Maximilian’s disappointment. He stilled for a moment, exhaustion taking over briefly, but quickly began to struggle again once he caught sight of the two large men that were walking towards him. They were slightly taller than him, probably, but from the ground the two of them looked as if they were two giant columns that towered above. The merman refused to curl away, yet there was a hint of intimidation in his glare as he moved again in the net.

Maximilian let out a pained grunt as he felt a hard kick to the lower area of his tail, hands clenching against the damp wooden planks as he gritted his teeth. His mind still wasn’t functioning correctly, everything seeming slow and muddy as if he’d eaten some type of poisonous fish. Even so, he could tell there was a faint, aching pain near his fin, forcing him to crane his neck and move his eyes hesitantly towards the area of injury. Luckily, the man’s boot wasn’t made out of anything too damaging, and it hadn’t drawn blood – much to Maximilian’s relief. He wanted to snarl and bite, yet the strange gag around his mouth prevented him from even speaking. Hearing a faint murmur of a voice above him, the merman’s eyes dazedly moved towards the man holding the glass bottle from before, head tilting to the side in confusion as he watched the scene unfold.

It confused him, really, why the man from before – who seemed to be the one with the authority – was attacking one of his comrades. Maximilian didn’t quite understand the whole dynamic of humans, yet his focus was primarily on getting out of the net. He thrashed slightly again, body moving against the wood, yet paused once he saw the two men returning. A small growl formed at the bottom of his throat, sending what he hoped to be a ferocious glare at the burly humans that were getting closer. Maximilian could see them more clearly once they were within half a meter, blue eyes focusing on the fiery red hair and deep scars that he could only assume showed that the man was a warrior. The merman snarled again as he watched them begin to try and get the net off him, straining against the leathery material while attempting to claw at the humans’ legs. His sharp fingers did quite come in handy in such situations, managing to scrape one of the men’s calves and stab the other one’s upper foot. Gods, he felt like a savage brute as he thrashed and writhed in the painful grips on his tail, fins slapping against flesh over and over again in an attempt to make whoever holding him let go.

The net was falling away, which made some part of him relieved but the other part frightened of what they were about to do. Perhaps they would kill him first – no, eat his flesh first, then sell off the remains. Maybe they’d pull out his scales and eat those. Maximilian didn’t quite know why his mind was imagining such horrid things, yet it made him struggle even more in the men’s grips in fear of what they’d do to him. He could feel hands wrapping around his arms, stopping the use of his clawed hands, and thick fingers finally getting a grip on the end of his tail. Maximilian began growling and snarling again as he writhed and wriggled in their arms, eyes lingering on the onyx-eyed man for a moment before tearing his gaze away and continuing his attempt of trying to kick the humans holding him. The merman didn’t cease his struggling even as he was carried away from the deck and towards the captain’s quarters, only pausing when the two men dropped him on the floor with a wet thud and began to untangle a length of rope. This proved to be a grave mistake, since he began to claw at their legs once again, tail knocking over some of the things inside the room in his haste to try and get away. His throat still felt as dry as ever, and the lack of water around him made him extremely slow to move. The merman growled behind the gag as he was hastily grabbed again, with much difficulty, and forced against the wall.

His wrists were bound and looped over the metal hook, tail still thrashing in the incandescent lamplight. Maximilian breathed heavily, chest heaving up and down from the effort of struggling so much as he glared at the two men in front of him. Precious water trickled down his neck, sliding down his tail and landing on the floor. His hair was still wet, luckily, and was one of the places of his body that were still hydrated enough. He didn’t make any more efforts to speak, nor to struggle, in order to preserve the remaining energy. Maximilian dreaded the moment all water vanished from his skin, and his mind drifted off once again to the possibilities that might happen.

 

[.titania]

[✦]oh my sweet suffering​

[Oh my goodness! I'm sorry for the bout of inactivity! Finals week came upon me like a horrible surprise party I didn't ask for!]

"Fuck!" Francis wanted to rip the scales off the overgrown fish, feeling the wound on his calf drip crimson on the wooden deck. The captain would have his head for it but honestly, he just wanted to move the merman and be over the effort of everything. Leon was not any happier, moving with a slight limp from the wound on the top of his foot. They may have set the green haired creature down harder than necessary out of spite. All this effort for one noble and for what? A little bit of gold that would be divided equally anyway. After the creature was secure -not bothering to touch Kaede's things- the two brutes left the quarters. Francis cast a sharp look over at the captain, brooding unhappily but eventually meandered his way towards the mess hall with the Leon in tow.

The brunet could only stand on the deck for so long as the sun continued to dip in the sky, reaching the point where it's rays made everything on the water sparkle like a million jewels. Kaede could never get enough of the view and soaked in every second he could, every minute, until his mind would begin to clear out of it's haze. The corners of his mouth dipped down, left hand going up to rub the center of his forehead. The mild hangover headache was warning him of the memories that were going to follow shortly so with a deep sigh, the captain made his way to his personal room. Ying-li had taken care of his mess, gray feline ears idly flicking from his post at the ship's wheel. Kaede waved up to him half-heartedly; the navigator already knew where they needed to go and it was his job to get them there safely. Ying-li was a damn good navigator so he really didn't have any worries about retiring for the night.

Upon entering, it took every urge in his body to not find the two men and drag them back to clean up the mess. The items that had been neatly placed on his dresser were knocked to the ground and some of his kimonos that were hung on a chair had been rudely dragged on the floor. From a small table, more items were haphazardly on the floor. Idiots The thought floated through his mind, shutting the door behind him and starting the tedious task of picking things up. He kept the corner of his eye on the merman who was now taking up a decent amount of space, his bare chest was heaving from his struggling and water droplets were dripping from his dazzling jewel colored hair. It was fascinating that the vibrant green still shone so beautifully even in the dim room. Without looking directly at him, Kaede poised a question on the tip of his tongue but the words never came out. Instead, he took notice of a burgundy kimono with white floral patterns had gotten stuck underneath the mer's tail.

Well, that was just great. There was no way he was getting that back without a fight. Instead of continuing his cleaning, he pulled a chair from his small table and swung around so the back was facing the merman. Kaede sat on his backwards, reaching his slender fingers downward to pick up one of the white bottles from underneath his bed and popped the cork from it. The strong scent of alcohol hit the air, floral notes mixed with the distinctive scent of liquor. He took a long drink from it and when his eyes came back to focus on his captive, the pink flush had reappeared across his cheeks. "So, do'ya have a name?" His words ran together smoothly, tone more muted than it had been outside. If he was stuck with the creature for a week, might as well call him something other than "merman".

Speech Thoughts
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[Mon Amour.]

[No worries at all! I also sincerely apologies for my own late reply, I too have had a couple of very hectic weeks!]

Letting out a shaky sigh as he looked around the surroundings once again, the merman adjusted his wrists, a wince winding onto his features as he felt the rope move against the agitated skin. Maximilian’s scales shone with a subtle sheen of seawater in the orangey light in the room, vision still hazy and head still swimming with dizziness and confusion. The faint crash of waves lapping against the hull of the ship seemed to calm him slightly - but perhaps the sound was merely another figment of his muddled imagination.

The room was small to him, compared to the large, open space of the sea, and Maximilian felt strangely trapped as he shrunk back near the wall. It seemed too barren, and too enclosed for him to stay, eyes scanning across the unfamiliar objects placed around. Exhaling slowly again, he tried pulling against the coarse rope, feeling pain prick at his wrists as it stayed taut. A hiss of annoyance escaped his mouth, teeth gritting together as he looked towards the door. The two humans had left, much to his relief, and Maximilian slumped down further in the ropes. He wanted water. It felt unnatural and strange and dry and he needed some sort of hydration. The merman’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment, head lolling forward exhaustedly, but snapped back up once he heard the footsteps getting closer. Maximilian didn’t have the strength to put up too much of a fight in such a state, the water dripping off his body mirroring his declining energy. Still, he made a small effort to wriggle his wrists out of the painfully tight restraints tied to the hook. His eyes darted back and forth between the inside of the room to the doorway, fear flashing across his features for a split second as he watched the human walk in.

It seemed to be the same one from before – the man who seemed to be the captain of the large ship. He carried himself with a strange air of confidence, his dark eyes glittering with a mixture of danger and charm. Maximilian swallowed, pushing down another snarl that rose in his throat as his teeth strained against the gag once again. Flinching visibly as the door closed, the merman kept his gaze trained on the human, trying to make out any sign of violence or aggression in the male’s actions. The human looked to be picking up the objects on the ground, and only then did Maximilian realise how messy the room had become. He didn’t quite notice the piece of clothing wedged under his tail, mind still too overcome with shock and confusion.

Maximilian froze as he saw the human drag a chair to sit on, eyes wide as he met his gaze. Flinching again as he heard the cork pop off the bottle, the merman instinctively tried to move backwards, but was only met with the painfully hard planks of the wall. The smell of whatever was inside of the glass made a grimace come over his face, eye twitching at the sour, unfamiliar scent that wafted into his nostrils. Hearing the human speak in that undechiperable language, Maximilian only glared at the man, hissing a swear in his own language behind the gag loudly. His tone dripped with venom and anger, emotions that had never quite surfaced in the sea. Usually, the mer language was melodic, but with his hoarse and deceitful voice it sounded something more like what an ogre would mutter in a bad mood.