Aquata Cove

Aquata Cove Epilogue 1

"We have to stun it! Keep it from reaching the others!" Savarna orders. A few hunters swim swiftly around the ravenous Relic Rockfish -- an ancient species of fish that are due to sleep for decades at a time, and become full of rage and blood thirsty when awoken from an outside source.

"If we cannot lull it, we must drain it of its blood until it stops!" Brishen says as he stabs a scaled knife into the enraged behemoth, "Noita Savarna, your healing will need to be quick!"

"No!" Savarna acknowledged, "We must try not to harm it! I will try to ease its rage with the cold!" Before she finished her sentence, a flow of frost already pours and races from her hands and from her staff. The Relic Rockfish thrashes around its restraints, the giant specimen shaking the very reef that surrounds them.

"Noita Savarna!" A mermaid screams as rocks begin to shift and crumble above them. Savarna's eyes lock onto the moving rocks, just before shards of glowing ice spontaneously grow and form to freeze the rocks into place. More rocks start to lower from the forceful struggles of the beast, prompting more glances from the Noita and freezing the crack solid just from her stares.

"SISTER!!!"

"What?!" Savarna turns, and gasps as she sees a white and black merman swipe and flip in the water against several monstrous eels, "Nalcious Eels?! THIS close?!"

"There is a school of them! The Guardian will not come to my call!" Cotei shouts as he cuts and spin in melee.

"Not good..." Savarna growls, "We have not even arrived yet!"

"Mother! Watch out!" Comes a young voice as a small trident strikes onto the gaping maw of the Relic Rockfish.

"SON! Get back to the others!" Savarna panics at an Arctic Veil merman, "It is not safe!!"

"It was going to devour you, Mother!" Tenshi says as he tries to hold the large creature.

"Do not hurt it, Son! Get back NOW!"

"AH!" Tenshi's trident snaps in half just as he gets back. The creature charges forward at the small Adra.

"NO!"

"Get DOWN!" Comes a sudden voice. A blue and silver blur races around them, and knocks the Relic Rockfish to the side by sheer momentum of the water. Savarna gasps as the newcomer rings out a strange echoing sound, stopping the Relic Rockfish in its place, "ARNAAV! The poison!"

"I'm on it!!" Says a quick flash of gleaming orange rolls forth, glimpsing what appears to be spike-like barbs jabbing at specific spots between the slabs of stone on the fish's body.

"Theros Arnaav! Left and right!" Calls a young turtle merman as he shields himself. The one with the orange scale turns into the water, withdrawing into a tight-fit crouch before an eel assaults him with its teeth. A blade shoots from under the small fortress and rips into the eel's mouth. A three-pronged spear flies through the water and slays the other eel on Arnaav's area.

"Brother! Do not harm it! That is a Relic Rockfish!" Savarna yells as she freezes an eel to a cavernous wall with her icy glare.

"I know!" Merrick says as he takes his a barb from his gear, and stabs into the Relic Rockfish's mouth.

"What are you doing?!" Cotei asked as he sees wisps of blood around the creature.

"Quick, remove the barbs immediately!" Merrick tells Cotei, "And do not let them cut you!"

"W-What??"

"Do as he says, Brother!" Savarna says as she swims quickly out of the cave. She sees several Nalcious eels, and a handful of different merfolk swimming about fighting them. "Brother, Little Brother has not been able to summon Guardian Leviathan."

"It is already within the domain, it will not hear us. There are not many eels left."

"Are you serious?! Look at them all!" Savarna says out loud.

"Naomi! Now!" Merrick says as he swims with a strange, delicate crystal.

"Yes!" Says a flash of a mermaid as she swoops in and takes the crystal from Merrick's hand. She smashes the item with her hand, and released a steady, melodious cry from both the shards and her voice. Immediately, the mermaid creates a spiraling vortex that drifts rabidly with her. The Nalcious eels are instantly drawn to the sound of the white aurora, as if they are being called, "Noita Nerissa!"

"Now," The blue and yellow mermaid flares with glowing yellow spikes, and goes into a raging tackle into the thin horde of eels. The blades of light shred into the fiendish creatures in one fell swoop, while several other members of the Kenovani and the other Piscien merfolk nearby dispatch the stragglers.

"What... WAS that?" Savarna asked, awestruck.

"Contained resonance." Merrick says, "Freezing and trapping the call of several mermen, and then tempered by ice."

"I have never heard of such a thing, Brother."

"Mother!" Adra Tenshi swims quickly to the both of them, followed closely by Cotei, "The Relic Rockfish! I-It's starting to fade!"

"It is?? Brother, you said poison..." Savarna turns to him, "You did not..."

"Ask Theros Arnaav, those barbs Brother is holding are his tools." Merrick says as he indicates the sharp spiral-shells he's holding.

"Theros?" Savarna asks as she sees the otter merman comes to them, wearing many orange tear-shaped scales around his body, much like samurai armor. "You. Did you poison the Relic Rockfish??"

"Yes, with Sazae toxin." Arnaav says as he takes the used barb-like shells, "It is not lethal unless ingested in enormous quantities; it is a poison of sleep." He puts the barbs away, "One of our members is plagued with random outrages, so we must dose him with the toxin when it strikes."

"You utilize Sazae toxin?" Cotei asked, "How can you even manage to get near one without falling asleep?"

"With tedious difficulty." Arnaav frowns with his short arms crossed.

"The battle is over, I see?" Asks Syrinx, swimming up to them with a handful of the other scouts and otherwise non-combatants, along with their Razirah.

"I believe so." Triton Hecolt tells her, "Are all of you safe?"

"Yes. Not one of us are injured." Syrinx answered, "Where is Sabrina?? Did she make it??"

"I am here, Mother." Says a smaller mermaid, armed with a spear and double-edged dagger. This one holds an orange-yellow coloration of her body with a slender whale-like tail and a short unicorn horn on her head as she comes to Syrinx.

"Thank you for intervening." Savarna says, "I feared we were going to have to harm it after all."

"What made the Relic Rockfish rampage in the first place?" Merrick asked as Brishen came up to them, "Did your brilliant Theros get brave again?"

"Yes. I challenged a sleeping and revered and vulnerable creature just when we are about to enter the most sacred sanctuary of all Piscien merfolk." Brishen says with a dulled leer.

"I had a feeling you would." Merrick smirked.

"By the Sea Mother, Merrick!" Brishen exclaims.

"Several Lava Prawns tried to make a cave out of the Relic Rockfish's body. Their heated venom is what made it thrash."

"Excuse me, but..." Comes a voice. Savarna looks, and then gasps quietly. The mermaid from before that took the fragile crystal Merrick is approaching them. This mermaid's form shimmers all around her white, cloak-like fins and body. Savarna drifts closer to her, reaching carefully as she looks at this mermaid's sapphire blue eyes.

"Who... Are you?" Savarna asked. The mermaid before her is no doubt a female Arctic Veil, but looking at her, it's as if she's... Looking through time itself, "Who are you? You resemble exactly like..."

"Sister." Merrick puts a hand onto Savarna's shoulder. He smiles at her before he swims around and behind the Arctic Veil, "I thought she may shock you, given her appearance. It has been so many years since I... Since I wanted her to meet you..."

"Who is she, Brother?"

"Sister..." Merrick rubs the mermaid's arms tenderly, "Her name is Naomi. And..." Merrick's heart beats mercilessly with anticipation, "I want you to meet my Daughter."

"Your Daughter???" Savarna asked with shock, "You have a child, Brother?!"

"I have waited so long to meet you, Noita Savarna." Naomi says to her, giving a formal bow.

"H-How is that possible??" Savarna asked, "Are you not mated to a man, Brother??"

"The humans have their ways, Sister." Merrick says with a smile.

"I have always wanted to meet you all." Naomi said, "But Father never wanted me to go far from the land, in fear of the ocean, even when he goes to the Kenovani."

"Naomi..." Cotei says as he circles her, completely amazed, "Forgive me for staring, but you look exactly like... OUR Mother..." He said with awe, "Except the eyes." Cotei smiles with wonder as he looks at her deep and vivid royal blue eyes. "You have my Father's eyes."

"Are you my... Uncle?" Naomi says with word in a very strange way -- merfolk have no such terminology.

"Your what?" Cotei asked with a raised brow, not entirely sure how to pronounce that.

"It is a word the humans use for the brother of a parent." Naomi explained, "The word for the sister of a parent is known as an `Aunt'"

"We merfolk are few in any pod." Savarna says, "We practically never have enough brothers and sisters to create such words. But how is it that we never met? I see she is 16 years of age. Why wait so long, Brother?"

"Naomi is part human... I was afraid how any of you would react... Even a few of the Kenovani see her as... I'd rather not say..." Merrick says.

"That is absurd, Brother." Savarna says as she looks at the coy mermaid before her.

"And besides, I couldn't risk you breaking the Sacred Laws for talking to her for being part human."

"And what of Grandmother?" Naomi asked, "You were saying that I look like her... Is she here?"

"Yes, I am here." They turn and smile as they see Umiato swim slowly up to them. Merrick looks his head up, and smiles with endearing relief as he sees her, "Here, come closer to me, child." She gestures. Naomi obeys and floats to her. Naomi is significantly shorter and smaller than Umiato, and her body is much brighter and vivid than the older mermaid; Umiato's veil-like fins are a lot less reflective than they used to be, and her fins are even withered to a degree. Their eyes are of different colors -- Umiato's eyes are silver while Naomi's are blue.

"Astounding..." Umiato says as she strokes Naomi's cheek, "I dare say I am looking into a mirror through time, with my Son's eyes looking back upon me."

"Whoa..." Adra Tenshi says as he looks at the both of them; they are virtually identical!

"I sense a peculiar yet familiar presence inside of her," Umiato comments before she looks to Merrick, "Tell me. Has she inherited more than my appearance?"

"She has power, Mother." Merrick nods, "She is more or less self-taught, but she holds the blood of a Noita within her."

"I see. Remarkable..." Umiato says, "With your blessing, Son, I would teach her how to utilize her power while we are here."

"Do you mean that, Mother??" Merrick asked with surprise.

"I do. Ever since your Brother and his Noita have succeed the pod, I have little else to do than offer seldom requested words."

"You will truly teach me, Grandmother??" Naomi asked, "W-Will I be able to understand?"

"We will see what you are able to do, and then I will show you what you are able to reach."

"I would also like to teach you what I know, but I must look over my Pod, Naomi. I will spare what time I have for you." Savarna tells her.

"Savarna." Comes a merman swimming to them, holding his trident in his hands. An Arrow Shark merman with shaded teal skin with lines of metallic bronze lines formed around his body and rigid muscular structure, "The Ningyo have cleared and repaired the path.

"Of course, you have met my Triton, Aalton." Savarna introduced as she holds onto his beefy arm.

"Merrick. Welcome." The shark merman nodded. "Unless I am mistaken, these other merfolk do not belong here." He says, indicating the Amniens and Holsiens of the Kenovani, "As a Triton of the Piscien merfolk, I ask that you leave, for you are too close to our Kingdom."

"The boundary is beyond the cave, Aalton." Savarna says, "You will have to excuse my mate. He is rather obsessive about firm technicalities. Even more so than Father was."

"There is nothing obsessive with following the laws." Aalton states before he turns to the other merfolk, "Coshiton or not, your place is not here."

"We are all aware, Piscien Triton." Arnaav tells him, "We of the Kenovani still look after our own, as does your pod. We will leave to go to our Kingdoms."

"Arnaav." Merrick says, "You be careful now."

"Yes, Merrick." Arnaav smiled as they gripped each other's forearms before they pull into a tight hug.

"Uncle Arnie," Naomi says as she comes up to him. The adult otter turns and smiles as she hugs him, "Stay safe, ok?"

"Yes, Naomi. Same to you." He says as he nuzzles her affectionately before giving a signal to the others.

"Keep your eyes open, Syrinx." Merrick bids her, "And try not to worry your Mother, Sabrina." He added with a chuckle.

"Yeah, you still owe us rent, Sabrina." Naomi says with a smirk as she hugs the other mermaid.

"For a grand total of one month?" Sabrina replies with a playful shove, "I will still need to find a job when we get back home."

"Let's go." Triton Hecolt says, "Sister..." He looks to Nerissa, his half Piscien half Holsien sibling, "Remember what we discussed..."

"I know. You too."

"Right. Move out." He ordered the Kenovani, prompting Arnaav, Syrinx, and Sabrina to them as well as the other Coshitons, and called the Capricorn to come with them.

Arnaav peddles his webbed feet as he sets his used barbs aside, before moving his paw onto his chest, and taking the diamond-shaped locket that hangs around his neck. Clicking it open, he smiles as he looks at the small picture of him and his wife -- Fumiko having Arnaav on his back in his true form, rubbing his furry tummy.

"I miss Kevin already..." Syrinx says as she and Sabrina swim with him, "He begged us not to go."

"Yes... I suppose it is hard on all of us who have a mate on land or a different creed." Arnaav says as he clicks the locket closed.

"The last I heard of you, you two were trying to have a baby, yes?" Syrinx asked him, "Have you...?"

"No. Not yet..." Arnaav shook his head, "I really want to, and so does she..." He sighed sadly, "But you know as well as I do how it is with us merfolk... Breeding his hard enough as it is..."

"Still, your mate is human though." Syrinx says, "That has to bring your chances up, right?"

"Heh, I suppose..." He purrs sadly, "It's only been a week, but I feel so lonely without her..."

"Stay strong, Theros." Syrinx says as she grasps his shoulder clad in the carp-armor, "It is only for a year."

"Yes..." Arnaav sighed. He almost wanted to try and resist the call of the Kingdom. He misses the cuddling so much...

---12 Years Ago---

Fumiko comes along the mossy rocks of the small grotto of her late grandparents' estate, where her pet otter undoubtedly waits for her. Usually happy to come to her adorable creature, this time holds sad news. Holding a pail of treats for Mizu, Fumiko smiles as she sees the cute fuzzy otter waiting for her. He's gotten big, he's probably very old for a sea otter, and yet he never runs out of energy for her.

"Mizu~!"

"Rrrhh?" The otter looks up at her... And he's shaking. His eyes look frightful as she comes to him.

"[Hiiii Mizu, good boooy,]" She coos affectionately as she strokes his wet furry cheek. She pets him softly and as he bows his head gently. "[Awwww, what's wrong, Mizu?]" After she pets over his head a few times, his paw reaches up, and stops her, "Hm?"

"Foo... Fumiko..." Mizu utters. The young adult women's eyes widen as her name is spoken by the otter!

"[W-What?? Wha... What??]"

"Fumiko...?" The otter says, "I... [I am... I-I don't know how to say this...]" Mizu speaks in perfect and fluent Japanese.

"[You... You talk?!]" She exclaims as she backs away, "[M-Mizu! You, you can talk?!]"

"[Yes... I always have been able to talk...]" He confesses.

"[What?! But you're otter! How can you speak?!]"

"[As easily as you do... I just needed to figure out how...]"

"[But can other otters talk?! How did you learn?!]"

"[My kind can... Other otters like me.]"

"[So... If you can talk... Does that mean kitsunes are real?!]" Fumiko asks, "[I thought they were myths!]"

"[I am not a kitsune, Fumiko.]" Mizu tells her, "[As far as I know, fox spirits like that are human-made legends.]"

"[Then... What ARE you? You ARE a sea otter, aren't you??]"

"[With my fur looking like this?]" He asked as he points out the smoothly ornate pattern along his belly fur along the fur bordering around his neck and sides, "[And a black symbol on my chest?]"

"[So are you an otter or not?]"

"[I am... But I am more...]" Mizu says, shaking with terror, almost crying.

"[Mizu, you're shaking.]" Fumiko observes as she gently pets along his sides, "[What's wrong?]"

"[I'm afraid, Fumiko...]" The otter whimpers, "[I am terrified... I can't lie to you anymore, and I am afraid you won't love me anymore...]"

"[Lie to me? You have been lying to me??]" Fumiko furrows her brow in confusion, "[How? All my life, I thought you were just a special otter. What are you telling me, Mizu?]"

"[Th-That is not my name...]" He says as he shakes his head as his paws weakly pushes her arm away, "[My name is not `Mizu'... I let you give me that name because it made you happy...]"

"[Then what IS your name?]" She asks, "[Mizu... Um, Otter... Just talk to me. What are you so afraid of?]"

"[Fumiko...]" The otter sniffles as he rubs one of his eyes before he looks at her, "[I love you. I've loved you all my life.]"

"[Aww, I love you too, Mizu.]" Fumiko says as she scratches into the emotional animal's cheek fur.

"[No... You don't...]" Mizu shook his head, "[You only love what you are looking at... You've never loved me the same way as I have loved you...]"

"[What?]"

"[I have always loved you, and I have always been scared if you even knew me, knew what I am, you would hate me... Your grandmother and grandfather were terrified of me, were they not? Calling me a kitsune and putting up those tags of paper to keep spirits away...]"

"[Then tell me, Mizu; what exactly are you saying to me??]"

"[My real name... My true name...]" Mizu's shaking paw digs into the hand-made pouch on his side, and drew out a small braid of white hair, adorned with small orange and cyan beads. The otter gulped as he holds it to her, "[Put... Put this around my wrist... Fumiko.]"

"[A braclet?]" Fumiko takes it while Mizu puts his arm out. She laces the thin braid around his wrist and tied it into place. "Hhh!" Fumiko gasps as the fur on Mizu's arm immediately recedes into his light brown skin. Her eyes follow the change along Mizu's arm as it also changes in shape, assuming the look of a human arm. The fur on his other arm as well as his legs disappear as well as his limbs lengthened slightly. Fumiko stares as the otter's shape shifts into a humanoid form until he completely changed.

A teenage young man looks at her with those brown eyes, a patch of mid-short brown hair on his head, with the only thing that has remained unchanged is the equipment he wears and the black tattoo on the left side of his chest. His whole body is still dripping wet with seawater.

"[You! You are... Arnaav?!]" Fumiko exclaims, "[You are the quiet friend from Hawaii! I've known you for years!]"

"[No...]" Arnaav says as he looks away; only now does Fumiko hear the similarities of his voice, as there was a slight difference to how he sounded a few minutes ago, "[You never truly knew me...]"

"[So this is what you meant when you said you lied.]"

"[I never meant to lie, Fumiko.]" Arnaav tells her with eyes rimming with emotion, "[I was never allowed to be near you in the first place.]"

"[What are you saying now?]"

"[I am a merman, Fumiko... And I was what you would call a `Prince' amongst my kind... But when I was young, very very young, I was banished... I didn't see you for a long time after that... And when I found you again several years later, I was so happy.]"

"[Wait... You were banished? How, why? Is it, wait...]" She puts two-and-two together, "[Were you banished because we met before?]"

"[Exactly. I was too young to understand, and I couldn't come back to you because I was so ashamed of what happened to me. That or I was just too upset to think clearly.]"

"[Just how young were you?]"

"[You are just a little older than me, right? I am 15 years old anyway, but I don't know exactly how old I was when I was banished, but if you know the years, you can do the math.]"

"[So all this time, you pretended to be my pet, for what?]"

"[Are you angry with me?]"

"[I... I actually don't know.]" Fumiko sighed.

"[This is exactly why I never told you the truth -- because I am afraid of losing you like this...]" Arnaav looks down as he shifts, "[I learned your language so I can understand and communicate with you, but you acted as if you did not or didn't want to notice me when we were younger. The only way you shown me the same affection I have for you was when I am in my true form...]"

"[Do you really love me, Miz- Arnaav?]" Fumiko asks, "[If you would have told me...]"

"[Yes. I always have loved you. But to be honest, humans are so unpredictable -- Yuri-Sensei told me what a situation like mine would portray my nature to you -- to what humans would call a stalker', or obsessed', when really,]" Arnaav sniffles as he wipes his eyes, "[I just don't know how to be both your pet instead of your mate any longer, and even I think that asking you to share my feelings is not proper.]"

"[Wait, Yuri? As in Umiyama Yuri? I know her, does she know about you too?]"

"[Yes, she was the one I asked to teach me your language. And I know you used to have affections for Merrick, my closest friend...]"

"[U-Uhh, I...]" Fumiko blushes slightly, "[Alright, yes. I did used to have a crush on him. But he learned enough crude Japanese to tell me he has a boyfriend. That was a long time ago, why are you bringing him up?]"

"[He too is a merman like me. ]"

"[He is?! Merrick-kun is a merman?!]"

"[Well, yes. But not like me -- I am a Dawn-Break Otter merman, and he is a Navyn Bolt merman; he appears like that of a blue and white fish.]"

"[How?! And is there anyone else I should know about who is a merman or a mermaid?!]"

"[That YOU know? No, there is no one else.]"

"[But why tell me that?]"

"[I don't know... Maybe to give you a broader understanding... I honestly don't know...]"

"[So why tell me now? About how you're a merman?]"

"[Merrick and his husband Adam, and Yuri-Sensei and HER husband... They hold each other and love each other, and I just see them, and all I can think about is you and me, and how you don't love me like that...]" Arnaav shakes his head, "[It hurts more than I know... It's like...]" The boy frowns as he takes his bracelet and unties it. Taking it off reverts him back to his original appearance, like that of mystical sea otter with elaborate designs of his fur.

"[You think I can only love you when you're like this?]"

"[And that's not enough for me anymore... But I feel like it's not fair just to ask you to change your affections to me like this. I know it's a lot to ask, but... I want to broaden my life for you. I don't want to just be your pet anymore, and it hurts that that might not happen.]"

"[Mizu, it may not be able to happen anyway.]"

"What??" Arnaav looks up to Fumiko.

"[That is actually what I came here to tell you about, and I wasn't completely convinced if you'd even understand.]"

"Tell me what?? I-I mean, [Tell me what?]"

"[Mizu, I have graduated high school, and I have been accepted in a university that is far away from here. And so I will not be living here anymore.]"

"What?? Noo..." The otter whimpers sadly at her, "No, please, Fumiko, [Don't go away!]"

"[I have to, most of my things have been packed away as it is.]"

"[T-Then... Take me with you! I'm willing to still be your pet, just please don't leave me behind, Fumiko!]"

"[I, ah... Can you even?]" Fumiko asked.

"What?"

"[CAN you come with me? Don't you need to stay here in the sea?]"

"[N-No, not necessarily. I have found that I can stay away from the sea for a few months, but as long as I stay near and in the water on a regular basis, I will be fine!]"

"[But don't you have a family??]"

"[I see them when I can, but I have told you that I was banished, I have to stay away from them. This is where I live because you live here.]"

"[So, you CAN come with me.]" Fumiko nodded, "[But what about YOUR things? Clothes, items, do you even have a phone?]"

"[I can get what I need, all I need is time. I can stay in the sea if I have to!]"

"[Alright, look, um... I will be moving a long way away from here -- I am living in a dorm house with my cousin, it's not too far from the beach, here...]" Fumiko takes her phone out and brings up a map of Japan from Google, and shows it to Arnaav, "[We are here,]" She pointed to a location, "[And I will be moving somewhere near here.]"

"[I can know it, I can find my way around.]"

"[But do you know anything about a human's way of life? Can you work, you will have to earn your keep or get a job.]"

"I know, I know how," Arnaav nods, forgetting to speak Japanese again, "Merrick's husband Adam has taught me and let me help him where HE works."

"[Mizu, I don't know a lot of English, what are you saying??]"

"[S-Sorry, but yes, Merrick and his husband has taught me to work, I know how to clean and wear clothes and other things. I don't even need to-]"

"[Alright, alright. Put your bracelet back on.]" Fumiko tells him.

"H-Huh?"

"[Just go ahead and put it back on.]" She says. Arnaav looks at the small, thin braid before putting it back around his wrist. Now a little dryer, Arnaav's body morphs back into his human form.

"O-Ok..." He is starting to shake from the water lowering his temperature.

"Arnaav," Fumiko rubs his cheek, "[I want to get to know the real you. I'm not going to lie, you are so adorable in your other appearance, and I did not think a lot about you back in Hawaii, but I still have my feelings for you, and I feel I should at least give you a chance.]"

"[Then you'll let me come with you??]"

"[If you can, do you even have a citizenship?]"

"[A what?]"

"[Never mind, that's another thing we will work on.]" Fumiko smiles wryly, "[I mean, I guess we'll need to think of a backstory for you.]"

"[So I can come?? Please??]"

"[Heh heh, yes, yes you can, Mizu.]" Fumiko says as she sees the joy start to emerge from the teenage boy in front of her, before she removed the bracelet again, turning Arnaav back into an otter, "[I just can't leave my pet behind anyway, right?]"

Arnaav chippers as he moves forward and cuddles up against her. Fumiko chuckles as she hugs the furry creature back as his arms hold around her back.

---12 Years Later---

Arnaav clicks the locket closed and tucks it safely back under his armor, "So last I heard, the two of you were trying to have a baby?" Syrinx asked as she and Sabrina swim next to him.

"We've been trying. But you know how it is with us..." Arnaav tells her.

"Humans seem to have a positive effect on our breeding though. Me and Kevin managed just fine with Daughter here." She said with a smile as Sabrina nudged at her.

"I hope so..." Arnaav nods before they continue onward.

The car soon pulls into a restaurant with wooden statues of tikis and Hawaiian totems placed all around the building, along with depictions of various scenes drawn and carved into the wall.

KAHIKO PAKU'I BBQ

Naomi holds Adam's hand as the two of them walk in through the doors and into the lobby.

"Hey guys!"

"Hi Uncle Jay-Jay!" Naomi says as she trots over to Jamal, who then bends over and picks her up.

"How's mah girl doing, huh?" He says with a broad grin.

"Wow, look at you, you're looking sharp, Jamal." Adam admires, "What's with the vest and button-up?"

"Ah yeah, forgot to tell yall." Jamal says before he pulls up a shiny brass badge on the side of his vest, "Check it!"

Adam looks and sees the words printed on the tab:

[ASST. MANAGER JAMAL]

"Whoa, assistant manager??" Adam raises his eyebrows as he looks at him, "You only been here a week!"

"Yeah, owner likes how I do things, and the position was open." Jamal grinned.

"Does that mean you're the boss now, Uncle Jay?"

"Heheh, naw, honey-pot." Jamal chuckles, "I'm like the boss's main helper. But when she's not around, I get to be the boss for a while."

"Oh cool!" Naomi beamed.

"So... Guess that means you're not coming back to the Dream Waltz then?" Adam asks.

"Yeah. Sorry, man." Jamal lets Naomi back down and stands back up, "Carla was a bitch and-"

"Jamal!" Adam snaps as he puts his hands over Naomi's ears just when Jamal said the B-Word.

"Ah man, sorry." He snickered, "I mean `witch'. She and I don't mix, and Jerry don't got my back. Loved the place, but I don't think I'm ever comin back."

"Well that sucks. You used to get me free food! Now the new bartender keeps telling me to take off my shirt if I want a discount."

"Come on, man, you stopped going for a while before that."

"Mostly because of the way Jerry talked to the kids." Adam says, "And with Chloe signing up with the police force, the place is just less fun to work. At least Captain's got me back on full time."

"Hahahahaha, still can't believe that bi-"

"Jaaay" Adam hovers his hands near Naomi's head.

"Aight, aight. I still can't believe that LADY got to be a cop. You know she a hell-raiser."

"Well, she gets to beat the daylights out of people and get paid for it, it's what she does."

"Jamal!" Says the manager, "Can I speak to you for a moment? We have a bit of a situation."

"Aight, be right there!" Jamal calls back before he starts to step away, "I'll be right back, guys."

"Ok." Just then, Adam's phone starts to ring from his pocket, "Ah, hang on..." He picks up and holds it to his ear, "Hello? ... Oh hey, Yuri."

"Hhh?! She's up right now?!" Naomi beamed up.

"Yeah!" Adam nodded with a hush, "Yeah, it's about 4PM over here... No kidding, you sound exhausted."

"Papa, Papa, lemme talk to her! Please!" Naomi begs on her tippy-toes.

"Hahaha, hold on, Naomi wants to talk to you... Oh, that's convenient." He smiles as he squats down, "She wanted to talk to you too."

"Thanks, Papa," Naomi accepts the phone and holds it to her hear, "Hi, Mom!"

Naomi presses the red icon on the phone before sadly handing it back to Adam. Naomi frowns as she sits on one of the lobby seats while they wait for Jamal to come back. Adam sits next to her and rubs her hand, "I know it's hard." Adam says, "There were days where I just spent my days completely alone in the house."

"... So how do you go through it?"

"Well..." Adam huffs, "I just try to pick up extra work, either at the docks or at the night club. I used to perform as a singer, you know that?"

"Yeah, but I never got to see you sing at that place because of your boss."

"Uh-huh." Adam smiled, "But he was being a total jerk so I stopped playing for him."

"Hehehe, even Chloe is nicer than him, she's fun!"

"Hahaha, yeah she is. Part of the reason why I stayed at that place."

"Heeeey," Jamal comes back trotting to them, "Sooooo, Adam." He claps his hands together idly, "Buddy, mah brutha... Best friend..."

"What do you want?" Adam said with a knowing smirk.

"Whaaaaat?" Jamal's voice goes a little high while Naomi giggles, "What makes you say that?"

"Call it a psychic hunch." Adam stands up and addresses him, "So what's up?"

"Aight, so, Michelle wanted to do this thing where we got live music, and the guys we hired ain't showed up yet, or we didn't get the papers cleared first, I dunno. So... I talked to Michelle, and... Ya know how you like to do favors for people?"

"The personality trait escapes me." Adam grins with his arms crossed.

"C'mon, man!" Jamal scoffed.

"Lemme guess, you already told her I'd do it."

"Weeeelllll... Kinda, man?"

"Riiiiight." Adam chuckled, "I guess I can spare an hour or two."

"Sweet! You're awesome, bro!" Jamal slaps Adam's arm.

"Do you at least have costumes?"

"Costumes?? Are you kiddin, this is a restaurant!"

"Damn, uh... At least any nicer clothing than... Well, this?" Adam gestures to himself.

"Uhhh, I'mma go check real quick." Jamal says as he side-steps away and rushes.

"You owe me for this!" Adam called out.

"What was he talking about, Papa?" Naomi asked curiously.

"Eh your Uncle Jay-Jay volunteered me to do some singing."

"Oh, ok." She nodded. Adam thought for a moment before he squatted.

"Hey, I've got an idea, sweetie..."

"This way, Triton Merrick." Says a Disciple as she guides Merrick into the hall of the sacred palace. Like all of the other ruins, what isn't broken has been reformed or rebuilt by the coral deposits and branches everywhere.

"I wonder if the other Kingdoms look like this..." He pondered aloud, "With the coral growing and replacing what was lost."

"As I understand it," The Disciple says, "Lyoness is spawned with crystal, while Kandam is built upon metal."

"Pity none of us will ever witness them. Atlantis is wonderful enough though." It is just the two of them. The Disciple didn't explain what they are doing or where they are going; simply saying Merrick must come with them.

Finally, they enter a large, orb-shaped chamber. Merrick looks around and immediately notices there are seven statues positioned around the room -- 4 males, 3 females, by what he can tell. They vary in appearance and size. Merrick slows down as he looks at one of them, a male statue... This one looks somewhat similar to how he normally looks in human form, at least as best as he can see.

Just then, Merrick sees Umiato being escorted in, just like him, "Mother?"

"Son." Umiato says with intrigue, "You are here as well?"

"For what reason? Do you know?"

"I confess not, my Son." She answered, "I was summoned and brought here with no explanation." Just then, another disciple swims in with Aalton behind him. He looks to Merrick and Umiato with an estranged gaze.

"Triton Aalton? Do you know why we are here?" Merrick asked.

"No."

Moments later, a large and vicious looking merman swims into the chamber. His body is elongated with heavy plate-like scales along his body. His eyes are almost pure black with a deep sheen within them, with a claw of pure pearl along each fingertip to the knuckle, and mast-like horns on his back with large fins, and willowing whiskers on his face.

"I know you. You were there at the battle of the Lightning Mask." Aalton says.

"I do not remember you." He said deeply, "There were too many others in my sights..."

Soon, a disciple swims in with a seahorse mermaid -- a Coshiton. Ular's eyes go right for Merrick with surprise, "Oh, Merrick. I did not expect to see you here."

"None of us have, it seems." Merrick replied. Promptly, a ray mermaid is taken inside the chamber too, slowly flapping her wing-like body as she comes, as well as a luminous and eerie merman of a transparent body with bioluminescent lights shining and twinkling within his form.

"And all seven are here..." Says a Disciple.

"What do you mean? Why are we here?" Asks the largest and draconic merman in the room.

"In the final days of Atlantis, only seven members of the royal family of Atlantis were alive to be our salvation. They sacrificed themselves so that we may exist today."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Asked the ray mermaid, "Seven of us, were we chosen at random?"

"The seven statues in this sacred chamber best renders the ancestors of the royals of old -- their holy auras still resonate to this very sun, though their souls have long since wandered. Even now, we do not know which was the king, which was the queen, or of their children thereof."

"What is this leading to?" Aalton asked, "Can you tell us the main point?"

"As best as we blind and all-seeing disciples are able to see, you merfolk in this chamber are the most similar to the ancestors who gave their lives to evolve their kin.

"You are suggesting that we embody the souls of the royal family? As if we are their incarnations?" The deep-sea merman asked.

"It is uncertain if your souls are the ones who once hailed from this temple, but your own auras are the ones most identical to that of the statues. Tritons and Noitas both only carry these seven souls."

"Wait, but I am not a Noita." Ular says, "At least... I do not think I am..."

"I can see you are." A Disciple says, "It is in your body, the power that flows..."

"How? I've known her for years, and she's never shown any sort of power that Noitas have." Merrick said, "Like me, she is a Coshiton who dwells within a pod of rogues... Then again..." He turns to look at the seahorse, "Ular, how long ago did you say were with the Kenovani?"

"All my life, they took me in when I was a meryin. I cannot remember my pod, all I know are of the Coshitons."

"And you had no idea you are of mystical blood?"

"Can we focus back to why we are here?" Aalton asked impatiently, "With all due respect to the wisdom of the Disciples, I personally find it impertinent to herd the seven of us here without a proper explanation beforehand."

"We humbly apologize for the secrecy to you," The Disciple responds, "The identity of the chosen few must be kept secret for the first of many gatherings of the year -- for we cannot trust all who belong in our Kingdom until you have all been sanctified as such."

"So... I assume we are here to discuss the ways of our kind..." Merrick says, "And our laws?"

"Precisely. Every century, the chosen souls are gathered, and talk of the future of our kin..." The Disciple answers, "But first, we must give way to our most majestic ruler of all of Atlantis."

"Atlantis has a ruler?" Umiato asked, "I have always known the Kingdom to be kept by the Disciples and Ningyo."

"Indeed, but one mermaid must rise above us all, to be the voice of the Sea Mother, to be one who oversees the struggles and the truths and virtues of all us merfolk; all three of the Kingdoms has their own Majesty, and very few know of her existence."

"We are ready." The dragon-like merman says.

"So let it be." A pair of Disciples swims into an 8th corridor, and into the dark way. A few minutes later, they see a distant twinkling light, which soon illuminated the hall within. They all watch as soon, a wondrous mermaid is escorted by two of the Disciples and two Ningyo into the chamber. Her very flesh shimmers with its own light, the scales on her body reflecting light from every angle. She wears treasures of coral around her wrists, neck, and waist, including a tiara formation upon her head as her mirror-like eyes gaze upon them.

All seven merfolk gathered here felt compelled to bow before the holy mermaid as she comes to them. "I thank you all for coming to our sacred temple." She says, her voice echoing within itself, "I am the keeper of Atlantis. I am the voice of every merfolk born of our descendent, and I am the humble being of sight for our Shining Sea Mother. I am Vessel Lorelei."

"With all who are assembled here, we begin our first of 13 assemblies of the royals of old." A Disciple starts, "Let all who have come here be gathered, and state their name as well as their creed and their status, past or otherwise."

Each of the merfolk are guided to a spot around a large intricate growth of coral, specifically placed before a particular statue. "You must start," The Disciple tells the large merman, "And then you will follow to complete the circle." He said to Umiato. The eight Ningyo who have been summoned stand at the doorways to guard the merfolk in the chamber, the ever-radiant eyes trained upon every direction in front of them.

"Very well." The armored merman nodded, "I am Triton Phorcys of the Dragon Glare merfolk."

"I am Noita Umiato of the Arctic Veil merfolk." Umiato stated.

"I am Noita Delja of the Celtaray merfolk." The ray mermaid says next.

"I am Triton Theros Aalton of the Arrow Shark merfolk."

"I am Triton Coshiton Merrick of the Navyn Bolt merfolk."

"Then I suppose... I am Noita Coshiton Ular of the Wayward Seahorse merfolk." Ular says.

"And I am Adra Triton Yamini of the Phantom Sky merfolk."

"I welcome you all to this generation gathering of merfolk, and I think you all for your due reverence in our sacred home." Lorelei says with her arms held up, "I am the Vessel of Atlantis: Lorelei of the Sea Mother."

"So what do we do now?" Ular asked.

"I believe we talk of the current state of our kind." Aalton says, "Talk what must be improved or what must be done."

"Then if I may start?" Merrick says, "If it does not seem too bold to request at the very start, I ask that we reexamine some of the Sacred Laws, and I ask if it be necessary to abolish one or a few."

"Abolish the Sacred Laws?!" Delja says with a shocked glare at Merrick, "The Sacred Laws have been with us since the fall of Atlantis! You dare even suggest removing one of them?!"

"They are also some of the most foolish posturing of our ancestors." Merrick retorts, frankly making Ular a little nervous.

"How dare you, Coshiton..." Delja scowls, "Have you no respect?"

"I ask that you at least hear my Son out for his request." Umiato says, "Surely you reserve he has reason behind his words."

"You are his Mother, are you?" Delja sneered, "Then you are biased for his brazen position."

"Are we not here for a reason?" Aalton asked her with a glare, "If we had time for child-like accusations, we would not be here."

"He calls our ancestors foolish!" Delja ranted, "He shows very little regard for the ones who made our lives possible!"

"I beg to differ." Aalton says, "Who are the ancestors but simply those who existed before us? Were they nothing like us, both as rational yet foolish as those of us alive today? They deserve nothing but our respect, but I also do not recall Triton Merrick directly calling them unintelligent."

"The allegations alone are-"

"That is enough!" Triton Phorcys bellows, "I grow agitated with your ranting already. Let him get on with it." Delja glares back at those beastly eyes, before silencing herself.

"As I was saying," Merrick continued, "I am not declaring all of the Sacred Laws need to be abolished, but some of them do not require existence."

"Such as?" Yamini asked, "The Sacred Laws, as I understand it, are absolute and unquestionable."

"For example. Noita Ular was exiled when she was a meryin, so she claims, and the previous Triton and Noita of the Kenovani pod testified. Her mark is the crime of Unjust Thievery, and yet she cannot remember any sort of life before the Kenovani took her in."

"So she was granted two chances, and she was punished for it. Plain and simple, as it always was." Delja retorted, "I see little point in pursuing this further."

"She was banished when she was too young establish lasting memory." Umiato tells her with stern eyes, "Your voice carries much hostility -- have you no sense of mercy?"

"Triton Aalton." Delja turns to him, "I hear you were a Theros of philosophy and order. How can you not object to Triton Merrick's demands?"

"..." Aalton takes the question into consideration as he bows his head and crosses his arms, "I agree the Laws were established for a reason: to keep our kind within the borders of sanity and organization. However, I have heard of several Sacred Laws of the Holsien and Amnien merfolk that have struck rather irrelevant with me. Following the rules given to us by our ancestors is important, but there is also room for reason and circumstance. To blindly discriminate while hiding behind ancient borders is the pursuit of a coward."

"You hypocrite..." Delja frowns, earning a sharp and angry stare from the shark.

"Would you like to repeat that?"

"Your mate is Triton Merrick's sister, is she not? It is in your soul as well as his," Delja speaks, "You are also biased in Triton Merrick's favor, as is Noita Umiato. You speak of reason, yet I can see where your loyalties REALLY lie."

"Noita Delja, I believe you are throwing words around where they do not belong," Yamini says.

"And you! An Adra! Should your Father not be here in your place?!"

"Noita Delja." Says Lorelei's echoing voice, gaining the attention of all seven of them, "Each of you have been gathered and placed here for your souls' resemblance to our most sacred ancestors. Age and species matters not in this hallowed chamber. Your anger is disturbing the balance between all of you. I plead you stay your words, and give others their chance..."

Once again, the ray mermaid quiets herself.

"Back to what I was saying," Merrick goes on, "I understand if we cannot move to abolish the Sacred Laws, but at the very least, I believe leniency must be exercised by a significant count."

"I see no reason to truly extend the range of leniency for the laws myself." Yamini says.

"Hmph..." Ular scoffs, "You have never met a Coshiton, it seems."

"I cannot disagree with Triton Merrick," Phorcys talks in his mighty voice, "If I may give testimony of a personal experience; I have always been one to give credit and gratitude where it is due. Years ago, my Son was entangled and trapped within a human-made web. He could not sever the ropes that cut into his flesh, and I was not made aware until he was captured for too long. However, before I could reach him, I saw a human female take him from the water."

"Is this going anywhere?" Delja asked, "Does this really have anything to do with the Laws?"

"Yes." Phorcys glared at her, "I could not allow myself to act further, lest I risk exile for violating a Law. I thought that human had taken him away. But I saw something that truly rearranged my views on humans. It seems the female had a blade of her own, and she broke the webs that endangered my Son, and he is still alive today because that human helped him."

"You are a Triton." Yamini points out, "Could you not save him beforehand and just take your second chance? And even then, you are no doubt strong, surely you have easily slain that human before she had the chance to touch your Son."

Phorcys gives a deep breath of a sigh as he closes his eyes, "I have already used my chance a long, long time ago. And we dragon merfolk do not resort to monstrous brutality, despite what you would believe..." He looks back upon them, "I at least wanted to reward the human for showing mercy and compassion for my Son... The Laws made a useless coward out of me." Phorcys's fist shook, "Everyone in my pod did not question me, they did not berate me for the bound weakling that I was, and the very notion of it all brings all of my anger to light over and over."

"I still do not see the point." Delja says stubbornly, "You are not the only one who faces unfortunate events in our lives, and yet you want the Laws to walk around your personal needs?"

"You are a very self-centered mermaid, Noita Delja." Ular says, "Most of the Sacred Laws are petty and useless, and punish many of us as sinful monsters for the weakest of mistakes."

"If the Laws have always been as severely obsolete as you say, would they not be removed from the last gathering within Atlantis?" Yamini asked.

"Vessel Lorelei," Aalton spoke up, "Has there ever been a time where one or several Sacred Laws have been revoked?"

Lorelei closes her eyes for a moment, and reopened them, "In fact, some the Sacred Laws have been removed before in the past, when they were deemed unworthy of significance."

"See?" Merrick says, "It seems we do have some sense from times gone by."

"You continue with your brazen disrespect." Delja glares at him with disgust, "You would have us change our ways from your suffering alone."

"How do you think my Son is the only one who has suffered from the Laws' ire?" Umiato asked.

"We all have our trials, we all must suffer." Delja says, "What gives us the right to uproot our ancient ways for the hindering of a few?"

"A few?!" Ular says, "The ocean in all its might is cruel enough as it is now! How can we just allow future generations to toil away at Laws that we do not even need?? And to be exiled at the hand of the merfolk whom we love?? Why must we cast each other out as if we meant nothing to one another??"

"To the best of my views," Merrick says with his arms crossed, "Most of the Sacred Laws are little more than glorified guidelines that act as invisible enemies that create evil and pain where there is none. They demand we erase our existence for crimes without so much as a true trial. Even the hierarchy's advantage only delays the inevitable at best."

"The Sacred Laws are indiscriminate as well, as I have observed," Aalton says, "Triton Merrick. You speak of an Amnien merman who also was exiled when he was a meryin, the same for Noita Ular. What was your friend's sin?"

"Human Association. He was too young to understand the severity of his crime, and he repeated the violation until the Ningyo came and forced his Mother and Father and Razirah to banish him."

"Such is the penalty of our ways." Delja says, "Do you realize what kind of uproar would arise if we abolish even so much as ONE Law?? The idea alone could outrage so many, let alone the execution.

"Come now, Noita Delja." Phorcys growled, "At this point, surely you see SOME sort of compassion upon hearing all of this."

"I... I still need to hear more reasoning..." Yamini says hesitantly. "My Mother and Father taught me the absolution of the Laws are what keeps stability intact for the sake of our survival."

"I see no reason why the leash of authority cannot be loosened." Aalton says, "I see it as harsh to paint a Coshiton as a nonexistent deviant if they are guilty of little else than a misunderstanding. Not to mention the trust the Laws withholds from how we live."

"I can recite other such laws that are utterly obsolete." Merrick goes on, "An Amnien law prohibits them from hunting without the permission of the leaders, or else they cease to exist. A Holsien law demands one finds his or her mate within the span of 50 Red Moons, or they are exiled. One of our own Piscien laws forbids us from partaking food of any kind above the surface. The harshness of these laws is beyond laughable, as well as suggesting that we limit the flexibility of survival in most cases."

"We cannot control the Laws of the Amniens and Holsiens." Yamini points out, "I think we should keep focus to our own kind."

"The principle is the same." Ular tells him.

"Noita Umiato," Phorcys turns to her, "I am curious. You and Triton Merrick are Mother and Son, correct? I would like to hear the personal experience of what transpired to banish your own kin."

"..." Umiato thinks upon this sadly, "At the very moment when it happens..." She holds her hands gently together, looking at the palm that burned Merrick so long ago, "It feels like being forced to execute my own child."

"Oh come now." Delja scoffs, "I find it hard to-"

"Let her speak!" Phorcys barks threateningly, immediately silencing her, "Continue..."

"My Son..." Umiato's eyes start to weaken, "Was a very exceptional Adra Triton. His skills of combat and hunt mirrored the efficiency of his Father. Yet with such strength, he possessed simple wisdom beyond a few years and shown compassion and goodness to anyone... Even showing mercy when his Father would not. I placed the mark of his sin somewhere he could not see it because I myself could not bare to look at my own hand when I stained his flesh with my own fire."

"My Son was exiled for the crime of Forbidden Love." Umiato continued, "He is mated to a human male. The Red Moon chose a man to protect and cherish my child. And I have seen this human and known him to be a loving and humble man through his eyes. My Son lived with secrecy for fear of losing his pod... His family... He was forced to lie to me as well as his Father." Merrick cast his eyes down, "I confess I secretly condoned whatever deception he spoke of; I feigned ignorance because I did not want to believe he was acting out a forbidden practice, if he was doing something so incredibly sinister that he could not tell us."

"But my Son was merely doing what his heart commanded. He was innocent and terrified, and the Laws made him feel he needed to steep into hiding within shadows and deception. Our love is decided by the night of the Red Moon, and what came to be after that was beyond his control. That was not his fault!"

"Your Son committed several sins as a Coshiton, and he paid the price." Delja tells her venomously, "You cling to pain to one who did you a silent injustice constantly. It is your own doing if your heart bleeds more than you allow it."

"I have had just about enough of your cruelty." Aalton says.

"Cruelty..." Delja sneered, "I am what reality would have of me."

"What happened to you to make you so harsh in nature??" Ular asked, "You are practically mocking us for our hardships."

"Suffering is part of our lives, or did you forget that??"

"Then tell me." Umiato says with anger-filled eyes, "How would YOU respond with the impossible task of forsaking your children? Would you cast them out and call it right, despite of the reasoning?"

"I wouldn't know." Delja scowled, "My children died years ago. They were eaten alive before my eyes, and I could not save them." Her scratchy voice tells them. A pause goes by before she talks again, "We merfolk exist only to entertain the Waves of Fate. Why should we bother to change the rules now? What will be the point? It would not change..."

"I understand your pain," Merrick says, "But it WOULD make a difference, for so many-"

"You know LITTLE of pain and loss!" Delja says, "It happens in every second of our lives, and you must armor yourself to take it! My children were mangled devoured, and I heard their screams until fate's mercy bid them to die. And my mate, my Triton, he was too old and senile to even know they were ever truly gone. I have led my pod on my own for decades, long before you were born, Triton Merrick." The ray mermaid spits, "You whine and cry from your pain, and yet I see you do not take precautions."

Merrick clicks a very keen sound of silent lightning as his eyes give a shrill stare at her.

"How dare you..." His stomach feels a very deep dive of ravenous and profound anger, "Don't you dare lecture me on agony." His voice underlines his lethal demeanor, "As a Noita, you should see into my soul and know what I have gone through! You entitled wretch... I was cast out for something that was out of my hands."

"Hmph."

"Oh do not mock me, Noita Delja. You are deliberately taunting me at this point." Merrick is nearly shaking with anger at her smug face, "Do not tempt me, Noita Delja." Merrick warns her, "As I was taught, pain itself is a very thorough and precise teacher."

"Are you threatening me, Triton Merrick?"

"I am educating you Noita Delja, and you should pray I do not take to a practitioner's approach. I scarred and crippled the balance of my family for having found love. I lied to my Mother and Father to their faces I was a slave to my own fear as the land drained me of my life while I cowered in the sun's daily fire. I have endured torture and evil that you will NEVER see, and I was forced to watch as my own mate was mutilated from the inside and out! My very children were robbed from me by those who deemed me dangerous and unworthy of nurturing simply by existing, and nothing else! I have seen worse horrors than you will ever know! And even my SLEEP is haunted to this day of all of the persistent demons that were forced upon me! You dare harass and laugh at anyone's pain and you have the audacity to preach how it MUST ALWAYS happen?! How many more merfolk must die and writhe simply because YOUR cold stupidity refuses to see reason?! How-"

"Triton Merrick, please stop!" Lorelei's voice calls. Her voice follows a mystical sigh that blows around in the room. Merrick huffs and gasps as he feels his insides shift dramatically. He looks at his hands as they tinkle strangely. Something... That was not natural, something was wrong just now.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Yamini asks, the lights in his body flickering timidly.

"Nothing. It was nothing." Merrick says, "Noita Delja... Your ignorance is nothing short of infuriating." He says with a low glare.

"I know of merfolk like you." Ular says as she leers at Delja, "You have suffered much, so you close out anyone else so you don't have to suffer their hurts, while you endeavor to keep yours alive. Your bitterness robs you of empathy and understanding."

"It is how I survive." Delja tells them, "That is MY resolution."

"Let us move on. Much like Triton Merrick, I am beginning to feel limited to how long I can stay my trident." Aalton says, "Where were we?"

"Noita Umiato was speaking of how she..." Phorcys inhaled and exhaled, "How she banished her child."

"Yes... As I said, my Son is mated to a human man. And when given a chance, my Son chose to leave our pod." Umiato says, "For what it is worth... As much as I longed for him to be with us, I think he was wise to leave... Rather than to forsake his lover."

"He... He chose his own path then." Yamini says, "It is how..."

"Adra Triton Yamini," Umiato says, "You are still very young and have yet to have children of your own, and you have not faced the sort of trials ones must endure to know what it means to understand others. I apologize to say you are naïve to what I am saying. And Noita Delja. You have thrown away your mercy to abandon pain, and brazenly imply that all others are worse for themselves for not doing the same as you."

"Abandon pain? I live with it every single sun." Delja frowns.

"You have shut out the capacity for sympathy. Because the Sacred Laws dictated my Son to vanish from our own people, I have missed so much of his life; I have lost him so many times and known him to have endured far too much in life than he should have, I was not allowed to be with him at times when he needed me most. I could not even meet his own Daughter until now because her human blood posed an intangible threat."

"I... Yes... I agree now." Yamini nodded.

"Noita Delja. Do you still hold your harsh reservations?" Phorcys asked.

"I care not. Everything is the same to me; without point and inevitable to the grand scheme of things."

"Your generosity knows no bounds." Ular remarked.

"I understand that abolishing a Sacred Law at all is unheard of and drastic." Merrick says, "But if we do not remove the unnecessary ones, we should at least change how they are upheld. What happened to me... To so many others... It is not right."

"I second my Son's words." Umiato says, "No parent should ever be forced to mutilate their child..." Phorcys looks down with a sigh, "No parent... Should be kept from serving and protecting that which they hold most dear..." She looks to Ular, "And no one should be so young as to be abandoned."

"Ok, so then you just hold the fish as you let the heat cook it." Naomi says as she coaches a glowing yellow-red mermaid, who is holding a rather large fish in her lava-like hands.

"The heat to... What?" She asked, "I don't understand what you're getting it."

"Cook -- it's how humans eat their food, it tastes better." Naomi said, "Normally, we should use actual fire, but we don't have any way to make any."

"You are still not making any sense." The fire mermaid says with a slightly annoyed look.

"Look, just trust me! There's a mermaid in my Father's pod who is the same species as you, and she always cooks like this."

"Riiiiiight..."

"Daughter." They turn to see Merrick swimming to them, "Let's go to the surface."

"Alright. Hold that thought." Naomi tells the other before she and Merrick swim up. They swim along the reef and onto the dancing aurora of sunlight above.

~^~^~^~

Merrick's fair hand grabs onto the rock as his foot pushes down on it, wearing his scale necklace as he climbs up on his human form, rubbing and scratching a little at the thin layer of light gold stubble on his lower jaw. Naomi puts on her own bracelet of white pearlescent scales to dissolve her veil-like fins as her long blonde hair folds and clings to her back as she too comes out.

Merrick takes his trident off of his back and places it down. He also takes off and digs into his pack to take out a small sundial and a compass, and sets it down to point it at a specific direction, "Right so... Noon, I guess...?"

"Tell me again why we couldn't just bring our phones, Dad?"

"Electricity can be sensed by any merfolk, and if we bring anything like that, we may get into trouble." Merrick answered as he adjusts the sundial to see where its shadow is pointing.

"So we just turn them off until we need them."

"Great idea. I REALLY wish I thought of that before Atlantis got rid of all their plug-in outlets."

"Oh God..."

"Grit and bear it, sweetie." Merrick says as he gets a few more things out, "You know, I was older than you way before I even touched an on/off switch."

"That was then, this is now." Naomi says with her arms crossed. She watches as her father takes out what appears to be bunch of parts of a device. After a few minutes of building it, Merrick turns a small crank for a minute, and lets it go, nodding as he hears a very low frequency coming out of it. "Dad, are we REALLY going to live here for an entire year??"

"Yes we are, honey."

"Can't we just stay a month and head back?? I'm already getting bored here."

"Somehow, I get the distinct feeling you will get by without the Internet for a year." Merrick says as he takes a very old-fashioned camera and winds it up.

"Ohhhhlll"

"You will be fine. Your instincts will keep you going, you'll get used to it."

"I don't wanna get used to iiiiiit. I don't want to have to live on raw fish all year! I'm already sick of tuna and squid, and I don't even like them!"

"Tell you what, honey," Merrick says, "Maybe I can get a ride over to Long John Silvers right around the corner and get us a couple of patties of artificial meat." He teases as he adjusts a strange artifact that has a crystal that sparkles brightly in the sunlight.

"Dad, just... Just stop. Please." Naomi groans.

"Relax, it's only for a year." Merrick says.

"Can't you just ask your friend if he can't get a couple of things when he makes it to Papa?" She asked. Merrick pauses as he thinks about that.

"Actually that didn't occur to me. I'll see what we can do." Merrick then goes next to his teenage daughter and held up the camera, "Smile, my sweet, deprived little angel." He said with a staged grin.

"Heh heh heh, bite me, Daddy." Naomi retorted with a smile covering gritted teeth.

CH-CHEEHH

A photo slips out from the camera, and Merrick takes it and waves it in the air a little. "That's weird. I believe that's exactly what I told your Papa right before we left."

"OH my God!" Naomi exclaims, "DAD!"

"Hey, you mess with the shark, you get the teeth. Or a bear, more like." Merrick smirks as he watches the photograph slowly manifests the image.

"Oh my God, Dad!"

"Hey, it's been a while, and it's going to be a while, gimme a break." Merrick puts the picture aside, "Ok, so lets get to th..." He takes a double look at Naomi, and sees something on her arm.

"Dad?" She says, noticing him suddenly getting quiet. Merrick takes a step over and holds her arm.

"What is this?" He asked with a frown as a shallow wound is brought to his attention.

"It's nothing, Dad," She pulls her arm from him, "I just scrapped myself on a coral branch a while ago."

"And why are you lying to me?" Merrick asked.

"I-I'm not lying, Dad."

"Naomi." Merrick stares her down with his strong arms crossed with his solid blue eyes giving her a stern gaze.

"Hhh... I uh... I had some trouble with some of the merfolk..."

"Hhhhmmmhhh..." Merrick closes his eyes as he tenses with a hard and angry breath.

"Dad, it's fine,"

"No. It's not. I'm not going to put up with this nonsense, I'm getting the Ningyo to keep them on constant watch, and then I'm going to make it CLEAR that-"

"Dad, please stop, I don't like it when you're like this. Brishen and Uncle Cotei showed up like 2 seconds later and gutted them."

"Hhhh... Fine." Merrick says, making himself simmer down, "But listen. Evidently, I'm going to have a full-time job one week out of every month. Mother too, she and I both will be summoned on occasion."

"A job? How do you mean?"

"It's a long story, but listen to me, sweetie." Merrick holds her shoulders, "While she and I are gone, I want you stay with the pod -- either Sister's or Brother's pod, they're both familiar with me, particularly your Uncle Cotei's pod, but Sister would probably be more reliable as a Noita. So stay close to my Sister if you can, I don't want you wandering off anywhere I can't see you."

"Dad, you're starting to go all `Finding Nemo' on me again."

"Yeah! That tends to happen when I see my little girl get skewered behind my back!"

"Dad, I wasn't skewered! I already iced them the hell off before the others even came along anyway, I'll be fine."

"And that's another thing." Merrick pointed, "Do NOT get into fights. Atlantis is a sacred place, and if the Disciples catch you starting trouble OUTSIDE of a sanctioned duel, they will not take it lightly."

"I can't help but feel like everyone makes up these rules as they go along, Dad."

"Just stay close to your Grandmother, and you'll be fine, she wants to tutor you while we're here anyway." Merrick says as he goes to his pack and gets a black sharpie.

"So... Who is it again who's meeting us again? You were really vague about him."

"..." Merrick picks his head up, hearing a very keen buzz coming, and raises his brows as he sees the creature approaching them, "Oh wow, that was fast. He must've been in the area."

"Huh?" Naomi looks at the direction, "Whoa! What the hell is THAT thing?!"

"It's Taci." Merrick answers with a smile as the gleaming, beautiful insect creature flies to them with its vibrating and blurry wings.

"I thought you said we were meeting one of your Kenovani friends! This looks like a giant Jewel Wasp!"

"Yes and yes." Merrick says. Taci looks at them with his ruby-like glass orb eyes as he buzzes around them, before his metal legs clink onto the reef rocks. "Hey, Taci, it's been a while." He greeted the insect as it speaks a few clicks from his pincers.

"Dad, would you start making some sense? Not to be rude or anything, but who or what is this thing??"

"First things first. Taci, this is my Daughter Naomi," Merrick notes, "Please forgive her if she says something very... Well, anything."

"Wait, what's THAT supposed to mean?"

"Naomi, this is Taci. He was once apart of the Kenovani pod." Merrick explains as he stands by the large crystalline wasp, "He used to be a Flying Fish merman, but then he got stranded on land during a Black Sun, and it changed him into this. Ever since then, he's just been growing into his new form and even improving, evolving if you will."

"Ooook, I think I see."

"Keep in mind, he can't talk as we do, but he can still understand us."

"Oh uh... H-Hi, Taci, is it?" Naomi speaks deliberately loudly, "It is very nice to meet you! I really love your wings!"

"Naomi, he's mute. He's not deaf." Merrick says with a crooked mouth, "Again, Taci, don't mind her."

"And you wonder why I say the same thing to my friends, Dad."

"Anyway, give me a minute, Taci, and I'll have it ready." Merrick says as he sits cross-legged as he takes the photo and writes on the back of it.

{Made it to the Kingdom, we miss you guys already, please send something modern for the poor unfortunate soul right next to me.}

Naomi comes next to him and accepts the marker from Merrick and writes.

{My phone and some actual food would be awesome. Tell Mom I said hi'!} Merrick gives Naomi a roll of his eyes as he takes the marker and draws an X over the word phone'

"Come on Daaad, I'll keep it out here!"

"No electronics, young lady. Deal with it."

{Love, Merrick & Naomi} They both signed their own name at the bottom.

"Ok." Merrick puts the picture along with a couple of very strange and unique seashells and coral fragments into a pouch made of kelp and tied with hemp rope. Taci watches patiently as Merrick ties the package onto one of his armored legs, "You know where to go, right? Same as last time."

Taci clicks his pincer-like teeth with a nod as his reflective wings rise up. Those glass-like wings start to beat until they blurred into a loud buzz and he levitated up from the rock, and circles away from them before flying in a direction fast

"Still wish they can come over to us..." Naomi says as they watch Taci quickly disappear into the horizon, "At least once..."

"Yeah... Me too..." Merrick replies as he puts his arm around his daughter, watching some far away dolphins jump and race along the surface.

"Hey Dad... About Grandpa-"

"No. I don't want to talk about it." Merrick says abruptly as he turns around and walks off. He picks his trident back up, and rolled his head to crack it.

"Dad, wait. I just wanted to-"

"JUST" He turns a sharp turn at her as a shout escapes his mouth and holding his hand out threateningly to keep her at bay. Naomi gasps and halted. Merrick huffs with aggravation as his hand closes, "Just, drop it."

"Dad..." Naomi pushes, growing a little bold. Her eyes see the energy of his body spiking with very dark blue needles that seem to be darting in and out of his soul at the same time as streams of sharp rivers circulate in and around his chest, "I don't like how your aura is looking... You're starting scaring me."

"Naomi, I'm still trying to deal with it." He tells her with his razor sharp glare, "Before you get any clever ideas, do NOT pull any of Donna's therapy antics on me right now."

"I-I'm not, I'm not." Naomi pushes, "I get it, I just..." Merrick gives her a very impatient sigh before giving that dark and cold gaze -- the look that always told her she was walking on very thin ice, "I... Ok, Dad..."

"Hahh... Right, I'm sorry." Merrick says, "Lets just get back..."

"Son?" They turn to see Umiato climb from the surface. The water rushes and washes off and away from her body, the resulting sea foam and bubbles turning into a simple white and light cyan gown.

"Hello, Mother." Merrick says as he adjusts himself. Umiato walks deliberately to them, glancing at the strange mechanical set-up Merrick made with the crystal and the makeshift radio.

"And what is this contraption?"

"It's something I use to contact a friend. A former merfolk, changed by the Black Sun. It reflects sunlight so it can be seen from far away while emitting a sound that is specific to hear."

"I see."

"Yes..." Merrick stares at his parent for a moment before turning to his daughter, "Naomi, would you give me and your Grandmother a moment? I need to talk with her about something."

"Sure, Dad..." Naomi says as she walks slowly and looks at his aura, noting small hints and glimpses of a dark blue silhouette, as if they were a hologram in a fog of smoke. The vague images hold cavernous echoes of a voice she doesn't recognize.

Merrick's eyes stay to Umiato until he notices that Naomi is still present, "Go." He tells her somewhat impatiently after he catches her looking at him. Naomi steps further away and retreats back into the water. He turns to Umiato.

"Your face shows me anger... But your aura reflects different."

"I don't want her to see me like this." Merrick replies as he keeps his stern look while taking a second to wipe his eyes, "Mother. Why didn't you tell me Father passed? I had a right to know. Why."

"It was four moons ago, Son... I still needed so much time to make peace-"

"Then you could have sent Sister. Brother. Brishen would've done nicely." Merrick starts, "Honestly, one word, Mother. A hint, a message, if you didn't have the heart to tell me yourself, I don't care WHO would've told me.

"Son..."

"ANYone would have sufficed! How can you just let me believe that he was still alive?!"

"Son, I know," Umiato stammers slightly, her voice wavering with emotion, "This was my mistake,"

"This wasn't a mistake, Mother! This was cruel."

"Son..." Umiato looks at him with hurt eyes. "You are telling me..."

"Tell me something right now." Merrick growls lowly as he comes up to her, "Because I know with something this important, one of them would've gotten the nerve to seek me out. So answer this: Did you forbid Sister, Brother, and Brishen NOT to tell me that Father died?" Umiato's eyes glisten with remorse as she looks at him. Merrick scoffs with disbelief before he turned away from her. "Really? Really, Mother?"

"Merrick..."

"REALLY, MOTHER?!" Merrick yells. He turns away from her as his hands dig into his hair. He paces a few times as he tries to restrain himself. He turns back to glare at her as she looks at him with honest regret, "I never thought you would do that, Mother. All my life, you never lied or withheld something like this from me."

"And you have not?"

"I... This isn't about that!"

"True. But I am still your Mother, Son. And while furious, I will not hear hypocrisy from you."

"Tch."

"Yes... Now I fully understand your younger years."

"Don't change the subject, Mother." Merrick frowns, "And don't justify your mistake with my past."

"Fine..." Umiato sighs as she rubs her hands onto her head before looking back up, "Son, I am sorry. You have... Complete right to be furious with me. I understand that-"

"So why not, Mother?! Why wasn't I allowed to know?? That wasn't fair! Why did you leave me in the dark?! He was my FATHER! He was my FATHER, and now he's gone!"

"And he was my soulmate, Merrick!" Umiato tells him with her voice raised, "Kaiken meant the entire world to me! He held the life of my heart, and he guided our pod by my side for countless years!" Merrick continues to leer at her with angry tears, "When we fell in love, he promised me he would give spark of existence to protect me, and he..." Umiato closes her eyes as her hand went to her mouth. After taking a few seconds to gather herself, she continued her heated rebuttal, "Kaiken... Gave me you. He gave me your Sister, and he gave me your Brother. He gave so much to me even in times where it hurt him sorely. And after the miraculous span of time the Waves of Fate were generous enough to allow us to be together, he finally gave all that he had left."

"So I ask you this in my own defense, Son. With an endless tapestry of memories portraying both the best and the worst of your years, would you be easily able to intangibly scribe to your child if Adam perished as Kaiken did?"

"Khhh," Merrick paces around in anger, leaning his head back when he stops. Honestly, he doesn't know what to say to her.

"I am sorry, my Son... I have done you an injustice."

"Why, Mother??" Merrick turns to look at her, "Tell me why..."

"I suppose... I could say that I did not want you to know for as long as possible... In some way, I can say that Kaiken was still alive so long as you believed he was. But that would be nothing but an excuse. I can also say that I did not wish to see your heart break over the loss of your Father, as your Sister and your Brother did, as well as the pod who followed him for so long... But more importantly... If you were told about it, it would make his passing so much more real..." She looks down, "I love you, Son... But embracing you to share the sorrow would have hurt me so much more than I was prepared to bear... I did not tell you because I was selfish, Son..."

"Haahhh..." He sighs as he turns back away from her. The two of them stay in their positions for a while, feeling the scent of the sea billow around them in the wind, "... It's been 10 months since I last saw all of you." Merrick finally says as he turns to her again, "I haven't spoken to any one of you in so long. And I didn't even get to say goodbye." Merrick's last sentence ends with a whimper as a tear rolls and drops from his eyes.

"Merrick..." Umiato comes to him.

"I know he was old, Mother. He didn't have many years left, I knew that. But for God's sake..." He gasps harshly to hold back a sob as he puts his hand over his eyes, "I wasn't even there... I am his eldest child, and I wasn't even there..."

"Son, he understood. We all understand." She says as she holds his shoulders. Merrick gasps and huffs as he stands there, trying to maintain what control he has left over himself at this time, Kaiken's image still playing through his mind's eye.

"... I wanted him to meet her..." Merrick sniffled as he sobs after a moment of composing himself, "I really, really, really wanted to hear what he thought of her..."

"I know, Son... I know..."

"I wanted to hear him say he approved of her... I needed him to know my child... My legacy continues, and I needed him to know that."

"I know it's hard, Son." Umiato says tenderly, "When Kaiken passed away, I lost so much more than a merman beside me... I knew he wasn't going to make it when that Sand Ray attacked... We could have escaped... But nothing I said could stop him from fighting for the pod. The days are still hard to pass over since he departed to the Shores of Light."

Merrick lets the tears flow from his eyes as he as grips his trident, "I still can't believe he's gone..." His arms rest down so the top of his weapon lands onto the rock as his head tilts up, "He's gone, Mother... My Father is gone, and he will never meet my daughter..."

"Your Father may be gone from this world, but he lives eternal in the next." She tells him, "And he would have loved your Daughter."

"But Mother, how can you know that?" Merrick said through a thick voice as he turns to look at her, his eyes red and wet, "Any child of mine would ALWAYS be half human, and he could barely tolerate being near Adam."

"Because your daughter is a mermaid. A mermaid who looks so much like his mate." She puts her hand onto his cheek, "Kaiken would hold her like he held you and your Sister and your Brother. And he would be proud to see her to have inherited the power she carries now."

"Hhgghh..." Merrick cries as he comes close to her and cries on her shoulder, "If I were there... I could have saved him..." He whines, "If I was there... He wouldn't have had to die..."

"No, Son, there was nothing-"

"Don't, Mother... If I had been there, I could have made the difference. I couldn't have stopped him, but if I was there, he wouldn't have had to endure the battle as he did..."

"Son, you must stop pretending you know of the past in a place where you were not." She says as she pushes him backward while holding onto his shoulders to look in his eyes, "You have always done this, Son. What happened to your Father is never going to be your fault. It was no one's fault." Umiato explains as her eyes barely show her tears, having passed through her own mourning long ago, "It was his time, Merrick."

Merrick bows his head and covers his eyes with his hand as he sobs harshly, pushing all the memories he can summon to his mind, shaking and tensing as words and sentences makes this fact so much more sadder.

"Oh, Son." Umiato says as she strokes his arm, "Kaiken has taught you so much and so well, and yet his integrity has made you hard on yourself. He has served his purpose and so much more, and reached above and beyond his own moral limitations. You did that for him, Son." Merrick uncovers his eyes and looks into hers, "He would never say, or realize it himself, but you taught your Father to open his heart."

"What... Mother..." Merrick sobs as she consoles him, "How? Why?"

"Your exile opened his eyes and his senses so much more than he would ever have thought. And he would have cherished deeply for Naomi."

"Egheghghg" Merrick cries as he hugs her. In his mind, he sees Kaiken walking, or swimming from him in the eternal light, leaving his trident rooted in the divine sands of the shores.

Adam paces around the sand, holding a fabric scabbard with a handle at the top and a couple of other things too. His insides are pounding as he replays the events that have just happened in his mind. Naomi was changing... What caused it? Why now? What's going to happen to her?

He looks to the shore, and spots Merrick's blonde head surfacing. He immediately runs over, and dashes into the water and wades over to them until he can see Merrick's naked human-form body when the water is waist-deep. "Merrick! So what's happening, is, oh my God," Adam gasps as he sees a small and white iridescent mermaid in Merrick's arms, her webbed hands holding upon her eyes as she moves weakly, "Merrick, what's happened to her??"

"I-I don't know, Adam," Merrick says with is voice full of panic, "She's a mermaid, but I- I don't know, she can barely handle herself!"

"What do you mean?"

"She says she can't see, she's seeing too many lights, and she's starting to develop a fever!"

"Oh my God, what should we do?? Should we go to Atarah??"

"We don't have time for that! I need to take her to the Kenovani! Vanora and Nerissa are the only ones who can help right now!"

"But what about Atarah though?? Isn't she closer?!"

"She hasn't been a mermaid for eons, Adam! She wouldn't know how to help right now!"

"Daddyyyy..." Naomi cries.

"I know, honey, I know, it's ok, it's ok," Merrick hushes, "Adam I don't know when I'll be back, but at this time of year, the Kenovani shouldn't be too far from these waters. I need to go now!"

"Ok, Merrick, ok, here," Adam relented as he presents the items he's carrying, "Take my machete and your emergency pack, I already put your phone it in a plastic casing in it."

"Ok," Merrick quickly slings the pack onto his shoulder and takes the sheathed blade.

"Merrick, be careful," Adam says with a quick kiss, "Call me as soon as you can."

"I will, I promise." Merrick says before he turns around and swims down as Adam watches his legs morph into the long blue tail under the surface.

"Daddy... My eyes are hurting..." Naomi whines.

"I know, baby," Merrick said with suppressed terror, "I'm going to get you some help, and everything's going to be ok." He kicks his long, powerful tail as hard as he can as he flies through the water, heading further into the open ocean.

---9 Years Later---

"It was really terrifying when it first happened." Merrick says, "A Noita is born with the benefit of her mother being there to show her how to control her prowess, but my daughter didn't have that. It took several days for the Noita and Adra Noita of the Kenovani to teach Naomi how to stabilize her sight."

"Your Daughter really is a Noita?" Brishen asked with astonishment.

"Yes. But because she wasn't the same species as the Kenovani's Noitas, there wasn't anything she can learn beyond the basics. Things just couldn't translate properly. As well, half of the Kenovani members were rather judgmental and uneasy by the fact that she is half human. And I couldn't introduce her to Mother or Sister because of the Sacred Laws."

"I can't imagine being in the kind of life you have, Merrick." He tells him, "You sound as if you deal with so much complexity. Just how elaborate does your life have to be?"

"I get by. I never thought of it like that. Hahah, though there are several differences with her that I'm a little jealous about. Like she doesn't need the ocean like I do, she understands things quicker than I do, she's not at all effected by chlorine. Not even the smell."

"What?" Brishen asked with a strange look, "Effected by what?"

"Oh, sorry, chlorine. Humans make bodies of water of their own, and chlorine is this type of... Let's go with poison. Chlorine is a kind of poison they use to keep their large waters clean. It's extremely rancid by scent and it burns horribly on the skin, but Naomi doesn't notice at all, just like the humans."

"Hahaha, I can see you've had your work cut out for you. I know my daughter's been a lot hassle in the past. Hey, do you want to see if we can take on a Scythe Fish? Some of them are getting violent, and I wanted to see if you wanted to help me hunt them."

"Um..." Merrick pondered, "I'll... Pass for now. I don't really feel up to it right now."

"Oh... Alright, I understand. I'll tell some of the locals just to be careful until then." Brishen then shakes as he pushes himself up, trying to find his balance on his two legs.

"Use your spear as a third leg, it helps." Merrick suggested.

"A-Ah ok," Brishen quickly gets his weapon, and sighs in relief as he puts his weight into it as he walks.

Merrick sighs as he turns back to the horizon, listening to the wind and the waves tackling the rocks around the tide.