Vault Hunters (Finished~)

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"North of Windshear, January 16, 601"​

Moss raised a hand then lowered it, unsure if he should wave goodbye after Charon turned sadly. Instead he watched him go, holding Isa's hand, until he disappeared beneath the sea. "I hope he doesn't stay lonely forever. I hope, when we meet again, he'd be among friends."

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa chuckled before clearing his throat. Amused by Charon’s response to each poke. Then he watched with a raised brow as he listened. His grin stretched wide like a cat. “Same to ya, Charon!” He playfully splashed him before he got too far —- which wasn’t deep, ankle high is Isa’s limit.

“We’ll see ya again! I’m sure!” Isa waved back enthusiastically, noticing the sadness air around him and huffed. “Send us a letter when ya settle yourself with Lysanthir!”

As he watched Charon leave, he stared at the ocean waters and huffed again. “I’m pretty sure he won’t. With how he’s with Lysanthir, I’m sure he’ll find a place to call his own.” Isa said confidently.

Zer0 Pet Panda

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"North of Windshear, January 16, 601"​

Moss nodded, feeling hopeful. "Shall we get going then?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

“Yeah.” Isa replied, reaching to hold Moss’ hand. “Ya wanna drive? I’ll stay near ya?”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Later that Night"​

"Yes." he smiled, and with that the two entered the cavernous mouth of the goliath.

* * * *​

Later, under the muted silence of the deep sea floor, the serpentine goliath slithered through the arches of a vast colorful reef, and then settled on a great expanse of sea grass, where colorful sea slugs flapped up and out of the way, sticking on the eyes of the giant. They had traveled along the coast going west for a while towards the frozen waters of Ice Crown Glacier, far enough away from Templar lands, yet still close enough for them to go back in case the panacea didn't work. It was colder inside the goliath than the previous weeks, and Moss laid on the bathtub of their caravan, his breath coming out in mists as he cradled the panacea in his hand, and a glass of water in another.

"Isaaaa! I'm ready to drink it!"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

A puff of frosty air sighed out of Isa’s mouth as he directed the goliath in it’s slithering until he found a good spot to stop. Hidden under the arches of a coral reef and waves of seaweed. They should be deep enough underwater—- at that thought, Isa shuddered and gulped— to be far from the Templars. No one will bother them here nor know of what happened. Any day now, Moss is going to try panacea and Isa wants to make sure no one will see them.

The redhead poked a star from the Dias and watched through the windows as the serpent laid still. Then he sighed in relief, pulling his white cloak and purple jacket closer with gloved hands. He can go back to the living room and stay warm! By the fireplace! Just as he opened the door and stepped inside, did he hear Moss yelling upstairs.

"Isaaaa! I'm ready to drink it!"

Isa perked up! Then he ran upstairs, closing the door behind him with a bang. His feet thudding up as he didn’t bother to take his cloak off or pull the hood down, letting it billow behind him as he turned left after reached the top step and ran to their bedroom. Slamming the doors open- Isa seemed flushed when he jerked the bathroom door open and slammed it closed just as quickly before he walked by the tub and sat on the rim. His eyes shined in anticipation and excited nervousness. Practically vibrating in his excitement.

“ . . . Ready.” He replied quietly, a puff of white air left his lips.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Fish in Water -​

Wearing only a towel over his waist in the empty tub, Moss reached out to hold Isa's hand. Isa could see he was anxious, excited, silently worried if this was going to work or not, and scared of the disappointment if it didn't. He breathed heavily, as though much of the weight he had been carrying all this time depended on this moment.

He gave Isa a brave smile, then he stared at the Panacea. And popped it in his mouth, immediately washing it down with water. Moss waited, staring at the tub but not really seeing it.

Suddenly, blue smoke began steaming out of his nose, ears and mouth. "I feel --- I feel itchy inside." He gasped, looking down. And Isa saw, his feet started to lengthen, as his legs came together and began to fuse, the familiar glowing white light whenever Moss cast a spell shining from the point where they melded. Blue swirling Atlantean runes blossomed, and where they spread, teal and silver scales began to grow. His skin was smoking blue mist now, and Isa saw his tan skin pale, and then lighten even more almost to the point of transparency. The gaps between their held hands started to push on Isa's fingers, as silky webbed skin stretched between Moss' fingers.

And then Isa saw something he had never seen before. A new glow, electric teal over his heart in the shape of a thing and long hexagon. It was surrounded by a circle of Atlantean runes, but not Moss' natural ones, the blue smoke started to thicken from it, and slowly the runes faded as though they were eaten away, and that electric teal glow spread across Moss' chest like lightning branches, melding with his natural glowing blue runes, turning them teal white. And somehow Isa knew that this was how they were supposed to look like. This was the real him.

When the smoke faded away, there was his fiance on the bathtub, pale almost transparent skin, with a teal tail patterned with gradients of dark green, a stripe and flecks of silver and gold. He looked almost ethereal, like those pale amphibians in caves that have never seen the sun, and he was still covered in glowing light teal runes.

"Isa . . . " Moss flapped his tail and was just staring at it dumbfounded. "It worked!" he stared at his hands. "It worked!" he yelled and wriggled close to hug him.

Katsuya​

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa held his hand tightly, wanting to comfort him as he felt just as nervous. He watched Moss eat the orb and then . . . Blue smoke?! “Moss?!” He shouted before coughing, waving it away with his other hand. He never let’s go, instead he tightened his grip as light spreads from the merman’s chest. Only to loosen his grip from feeling something . . . Webby? He could barely see what was going on-! The lights blinded him, from blue to white to teal- flashing with veins spreading from the chest and through his body. He had to look away.

”Moss?! Moss? . . . Woah . . .” Isa became dumbfounded as he looked up again. His eyes widened, starry in his wonder with his jaw dropped. He hugged him tightly before quickly pushing him back with his hands holding his shoulders. His face completely turned red. “You’re beautiful!” He exclaimed loudly. Then, as if realizing that he was holding Moss, pulled his hands back and close to his own chest. Going back to his nervous tick to not touch as he took in Moss’ figure. Taking in the new parts of him as if he wanted to remember forever. “Ca-can I?” He asked bashfully, wondering if he was allowed to touch and explore his scales.

His pretty pretty smooth looking scales~ Look at those fins~ The webbed hands~

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

The way Isa said 'beautiful' so honestly and frankly made Moss stammer, red. "Y-yeah." he smiled. He let out a deep breath, looking at his webbed hands. Happy. Oh, his friends. Finally. He was already excited to see their expressions when they get their tails back. His attention was caught by Isa suddenly pulling his hands away, he immediately looked at him thinking something went wrong with the cure just now. Oh no wait, Isa was . . . he was looking at him all over.

Now it was Moss' turn to grin, and he hugged himself with his arms bashfully, dramatically looking away. "Isa, you horn dog, I just turned back into my real self, wait until we're in bed ya cheeky luprisca~" His side fins crossed shyly in front of his waist where skin smoothly changed from skin to glimmering scale.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa turned completely red, blinking owlishly. His head steaming. Then he started to laugh, covering his smiling mouth with a hand. “Ya got me there, Moss . . . However-“ Moss can hear his cloak shuffling closer and subtle heat close to his cheek; not touching but hovering.

“I believe ya prefer the tub, filled with water~” Isa purred. Gazing at Moss with such tenderness and care as he teased. “More comfortable, right?”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

Moss laughed with him, then immediately stopped when Isa's shadow hung over him. He was truly flustered now and his side fins flapped. "Y-yes, but wait, wait! Honestly, I just turned back and I kind of want to just move around by myself more and . . ." He looked out the window. There was nothing but the side of an airship there, but Moss was looking beyond that.

"I want to swim in the ocean." he said breathlessly. "Oh! But yes, Isa, you can touch me first~" And he smiled, offering his arms, showing him his scales and webbed hands. Even tilting his head to show his fin-like ears. It was like apart from Isa's exclamation that he was beautiful, Moss seemed to want to know what else Isa thought about him now and just let him explore.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa saw how his side fins flapped and found them cute. He laughed at Moss’ response. Hearing Moss’ approval, the redhead sighed out in relief, cupped his cheek, and rubbed the curve with his thumb. “No worries, Love. I can always explore later, but right now-“

Suddenly, he stood up, bending his knees as he dunked his arms in the water. Tucking them underneath Moss’ tail and behind his back before standing straight; swooping Moss like a treasure. “Ya wanna swim, right?” With that, he made his way out of the bathroom, out of the caravan, and onto the goliath’s floor after a push of the door. Then he walked in front of the biggest windows, standing in front of the Dias with a bright smile. ”Knock on the window when ya wanna come back in, okay?”

Isa watched Moss turn to ash as he transported him from his arms and into the sea in front of him. Wanting to see how he’d react now that he is capable of swimming underwater again.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

"Right now?" Moss wondered what else they could be doing right now, then he exclaimed in surprise when Isa lifted him off the tub. He wrapped his arms automatically around his neck. "Yes, I want to swim, but if we opened the door won't the water flood . . . Okay?" he stared out the window and then back at Isa in confusion. And then went "O!" in understanding. "Okay!"

And in a sudden flash of flames he was instantly cold, instantly wet, instantly floating in the artic blues and emerald greens of the grassy ocean floor. Moss blinked, and a third transparent eyelid covered his eye like a curtain being drawn sideways. His vision adjusted in the dark, the horn on his head sensing the currents like a wind, the disturbances of fishes swimming, 'seeing' the ocean like he never could as a man. Moss cried in joy. With a powerful swish of his tail, he rocketed across the seagrass, sending startled sea slugs gliding out into the open ocean.

And he was gone from Isa's sight.

* * * *​

Moss whooped, trailing bubbles as he dashed up into a coral reef, and then dived into a trench, darting around coral archs, schools of fishes moving out of his way, brush anemones hiding back in their tubes, as he looped back and swam as fast as he could for the surface.

Water broke across his face and he leaped high into the air, hands up to the night sky and the chill of Ice Crown Glacier, before ---

SPLASH

He dove back into the sea. Moss' head came out of the water laughing in joy and he automatically looked for Isa to share it with and realized he was still under the sea.

* * * *​

About ten minutes later, Isa would see the pale form of Moss appearing from the dark depths. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, and he looked as happy as the day he laid his eyes on their caravan kitchen.

He knocked on the window.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

As soon Moss left his arms, Isa summoned a tiny fire ball from the caravan’s fireplace, luring it to his hands so he could see better. Though he kept his eyes on his beau. How, after adjusting his eyesight, his face brightened up before swimming away and startling the sea slugs. He chuckled in mirth before he fell onto his trembling knees sat down on the cold floor. Staring at the dark sea and pulling his cloak closer to his body as he made himself comfortable sitting. Just holding the tiny ball of fire between his hands and breathed deeply.

The sea still terrifies him, the cold is not helping on being courageous either, but . . . Moss waited ten years to be a merman, so he can suck it up for now. Right now, Moss is happy and celebrating by swimming in the ocean again. Isa took a deep breath. He wondered sometimes. If this relationship is okay, if Moss really is willing to be human with him. If he really wants to cut his life shorter or not be a merman again. Isa couldn’t imagine his own life being cut shorter, so how can Moss say he can? It’s being closer to death . . . For merfolk, anyways. Isa didn’t even know on how to feel about elongating his own life—for goodness’ sakes, he wanted to end his life when he was a kid! But now, now he has someone to be with. He’s not alone, so he can’t ask Moss to do that for him. He just can’t.

“ . . . Perhaps I should ask Ancient Loki for guidance . . . or ask if he could . . . But that might be selfish . . .”

Another white warm puff of air released into the cold as he sighed. Intently staring at the dark depths, contemplating. Then he chuckled mirthlessly. “Is this how Zosimos feel? Wanting to live longer with your love one? How terrifying that I’m starting to think that way . . . But I don’t want to harm others.” He only wants to live as much as Moss. So he wouldn’t feel alone, so he wouldn’t be abandoned. It’s moments like this that he wished he was an elf or a merman or any other long-living being to be with him longer. “Loki, please tell me: is there a way for me to live longer without harming others? Or without asking the heart crystal from Atlantis?” He prayed quietly. He sighed once more.

”No . . . I suppose not unless a miracle happens . . . Hm?” He heard a thud from the window and looked up to see Moss by the window. Isa quickly put up a smile and waved at him. He pushed himself off the floor and walked closer to the window, touching the freezing glass as he muttered something under his breath. The fire ball went out and Moss can see a steaming line curving around on the window, creating a portal that’s big enough for Moss to come in. Isa kept his arms wide open, tense under the freezing water that’s crashing into him.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

Moss quickly swam into Isa's arms. He thought he was helping him warm up by hugging him, but Moss was as cold as thawed fish.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

The portal closed behind him. Isa caught Moss and pulled him closer, ignoring his body’s trembling. “Had fun, Love?” He asked casually, adjusting his hold so Moss can be comfortable, having one arm under his tail and the other supporting his back.

”Not gonna lie, I’m surprised ya came back so quickly. Usually it takes ya more than an hour to get ya out of the sea.” He chuckled, nuzzling Moss’ cold and wet cheek.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

"I did have fun! But I wanted to be happy with you." Third transparent eyelids blinked back into the inner side of Moss' eyes like a curtain. "You can put me down now, Isa, so you can get changed. Will you please bring me my component pouch so that I can clean all this water up?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa nodded and took off his cloak with one hand, tossing it on the floor in front of them before gingerly placing Moss down. Right on top of the cloak. “I’ll be back.”

After a change of clothing, he grabbed Moss’ pouch and walked out of the caravan. Wearing his trench coat. “Here ya go, Moss.” Isa chirped, squatting down a bit to pass the merman the pouch with a smile.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

"All right." Moss kissed his cheek and grinned, tail swishing. "Thank you for being a gentleman."

When Isa came back, Moss was doing some sitting down push ups? Sort of practicing dragging himself backwards to move.

"Thank you." he received the pouch and taking out a pinch off blue powder he gathered up the water into a single ice crystal. Just like his transformation, his swirling Atlantean runes were a light teal now and that tiny hexagon pattern over his heart reappeared glowing white when he cast his spell.

Holding Isa's not so wet coat in his hand, he raised his arms up towards him. "Erm, will you please carry me again? I don't know where to go. Maybe to our bedroom?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Okay, he’ll admit it. Moss looks cute with his arms up like that. Wanting to be carried. Isa tried to not coo or blush as he complied his beau’s wish, happily tucking his arms under where his bottom would be and having a hand on his bare back so he wouldn’t feel like he is falling. He gazed up at Moss with a warm smile and kissed the middle of his chest. “Of course~ to bedroom then~” He purred.

He carried Moss inside the caravan and when they reached their bedroom, Isa simply fell in the bed with Moss in his arms. Laughing as pillows flew from their playful drop. Hands started to tickle his sides too, nonverbally declaring a tickle fight with his beau.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

Moss' tail swished rapidly and he smiled when Isa kissed his chest, and he wrapped his arms around his neck and tenderly kissed his forehead before nuzzling contentedly under his chin. Ahhh~ to be held in these arms is great~

"O!" Moss laughed too at Isa's playfulness and then he really laughed, when Isa tickled him. "Ah! Not fair! I don't have leg strength for grappling!" said Moss trying and failing to get the upper hand on their tickle fight, and ended up just slapping Isa's butt with his tail.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

“OW!” Isa yelped as he face planted next to Moss’ head on the bed. His hands automatically went to his own butt to defend from Moss’ tail.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

"O! Sorry!" Immediately, Moss soothingly petted Isa's butt. "Sorry, Isa, I forgot how strong my tail is." he laid flat on the bed. "Do you want some ice?" he offered helpfully the ice crystal.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa groaned before suddenly pushing himself up and gazed at Moss with the starry eyed look. Smiling brightly. “How strong is your tail?! It’s incredible! Is it from swimming?!” Then he looked at his tail, now really interested to touch and study.

”I assumed that merfolk have muscles in the tail area but I never thought how strong! Can ya break shells with a swing? How about coral? A rock? May I touch your tail?”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -​

Moss was surprised by the sudden starry eyed look that he dropped the ice crystal. He was happy and flattered, and feeling proud for some reason. Isa usually reserved this look for his love of antiquity. "I-I guess so? But I haven't swam with it in a while, so maybe it's just something I am born with?" he gave powerful swishes in the air, making the repaired hook poem dangling over their bed rise and jiggle.

Moss chuckled. "I can break shells, but that would hurt! Coral too! Rock --- I wouldn't hit a rock, I'd bruise myself and knot my scales. And yes, my minamini, you may touch . . . all of me~" And Moss dramatically splayed on the bed.

Katsuya