badliifechoiice2 | I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

Mermaid AU Meme

Rules:
- Put down your character name and series in the subject header. Put down any preferences (romantic or if you're a mermaid/human) in the comment.
- Reply to other people! RNG a choice from the prompts below, or just come up with whatever on your own.
- This is not a strictly romance meme. Feel free to have whatever shenanigans you like.

Merfolk and Merfolk

1.
Little Mermaid it
♢ One of you is a merperson with something you want. (Power? Help figuring out what this weird human doodad is? Becoming human?) The other is a powerful sea mage of some sort... And for the first of you, you better hope they're the good sort as you venture forth to their lair...

2.
Exploration
♢ C'mon. What's the worst that could happen when checking out this enormous sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean? You're merpeople! What's the worst that could happen? (Besides sharks. Or giant squid. Or maybe worse.)

3.
New tides
♢ Hey... That person isn't from around these parts, are they...? Maybe one of you is from deep seas, or a swamp-mer way out of your territory, or just from simply a different ocean. Hopefully neither of you are particularly territorial...

4.
Hey there, Ariel
♢ So. Looks like one of you actually took up on some sea witch's deal and is living in some human settlement. The other? Is trying to help you deal with that. Whether it means puzzling out human culture and items with you, pleading with you to come back home, or even offering you a dagger just in case you need to stab your crush (what? it's a legitimate strategy), you two need to cope.

5.
Wildcard.

Merfolk and Humans

1.
For Science!
♢ You're a scientist, here to study a fascinating new creature. Although the 'creature' in question might take offense to you saying that... So are you searching them out for the first time in the open ocean? Keeping them in some sort of containment? It's up to you.

2.
Stranded
♢ There was a shipwreck, and you're the sole survivor... Although you very nearly weren't. Whether you've just woken up or have been trying to puzzle things out on this deserted island, well... It seems you're not alone, although they're not exactly on the island with you.

3.
Siren Song
♢ Merpeople aren't always good signs... Sometimes they lure sailors out onto rocks, or extinguish their stamina and drown them in the ocean's tumultuous waters. Is this another encounter that will end in tragedy?

4.
Chance Encounter
♢ You're nothing extraordinary, just a regular person in a beach town, and one way or another... You find something that's very much not regular. Maybe you just walked into the cove at the right time, or found something- someone- trapped or injured that needed your help. So now what?

5.
Wildcard

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's like the situation on the ship's deck all over again, only this time, real fear claws at Nagisa's racing heart as he flees the scene as fast as he can, hearing the crashing and banging behind him as Rin suddenly gives chase. But he doesn't look back. He doesn't stop until he breaks through the surface and gasps, coughing and choking as he tries to catch his breath. Blood still streams from the gash in his wrist along with some smaller cuts from the glass as he wades in the waves, trying to calm down.

Rin...he must still be down there. Did he give up? What happened? Nagisa was sure he was dead this time.

Once he's sure he's got a good handle on his breathing again, Nagisa takes another huge breath and dives. He dives straight down until he finds the wreckage again, shivering inwardly as he hears the shark tearing at the boat, trying to free himself. But he knows he can't leave him. Sharks have to keep water passing over their gills, and if they stay still for too long...

Nagisa grits his teeth and swims below the deck until he's in close quarters again, searching in the gloom until he sees where Rin is trapped. He knows it's dangerous, given that he's still bleeding...but he doesn't stop himself from swimming over quickly to pull up on the trap door as hard as he can to try and free him.]

[Rin's furious flailing is already starting to die down from both pain and exhaustion by the time Nagisa returns. But his eyes still gleam with that bloodlust and he snaps as the selkie nears the door, lashing out with his claws in the same movement. If he could just reach him...

Luckily, the door's pinned him in such a way that he can only turn his body in short inches, not nearly enough to graze Nagisa with his claws, as long as Nagisa carefully angles himself. His human sides heave with the effort, gills flaring to their full size, as his breath comes in wild pants. Through it all, he somehow hasn't managed to drop the last treasure Nagisa offered him, although nearly the entire glass front has broken off now.

He continues to squirm while Nagisa pulls at the door, slowly squeezing more and more of his tail out. But it's still not enough to free him completely.]

[Nagisa's seal-half of his body is admittedly chubbier than most mer's his size, but he's also learned to control it very well. He manages to somehow hold himself out of Rin's reach, his claws swiping at him just inches away. But now that he's gotten a breath of air, drowning isn't an issue. The real issue is figuring out how he's going to free Rin without getting attacked. It doesn't help that he's still leaking blood into the water, not at all helping to satiate Rin's blood-lust.

With his gaze narrowing, Nagisa pulls harder on the door, hoping that Rin will calm down long enough to just pull himself out. It's very tempting to grab up the nearest piece of driftwood to throw at him to knock some sense into him, but that would probably just make things worse.]

[Rin strains against the door as well, still mindlessly snapping, everything lost to that intoxicating smell. Something shifts and he's able to pull himself halfway out this time, but it's also clear the door has badly cut into his tail, leaving a long gash down its length and tainting the water with Rin's own blood. The more he struggles to free the rest of himself, the more of his blood spreads until it begins to overpower the tiny stream flowing from Nagisa's injury.

As it does, the mershark's movements become less manic and jerky, as if clarity is slowly slipping back into his conscious.]

[Nagisa winces, but he resolves to keep holding the door open as wide as he can until Rin can fully free himself. Even if he tries attacking him again, he'll be able to easily get away with him suffering from an injury like that...but on top of how his tail had been hurt before, who knows how long it would take for him to heal now? Nagisa never meant to hurt him, and the longer he's in his company, the worse it seems to get.

But he can't think about that now. He just holds the door with his arms slightly shaking, watching Rin stiffly as he waits to see if he can free himself, or if he's going to have to try to get him out a different way. A more direct way.]

[As Rin's own blood dilutes his mania, his concern about his situation increases. He digs his claws into the floor to try and drag himself out the remaining way, but the door's edge remains embedded in his tail, refusing to let him go without damaging it further. Rin turns and tries to push the door off him, but he can't get the leverage necessary to employ all of his strength.]

[At this point, Nagisa was at a loss. His grip was failing him, and he wouldn't be able to hold the door up with his hands forever. He just wasn't strong enough to lift it high enough for the shark to escape.

There is a split second before Nagisa's suddenly moving, rushing forward to push his body beneath the door alongside Rin's. With any luck, his chubbier seal body will provide enough extra space to hold the door open and allow Rin to pull himself free.]

[Rin's bloodlust has mostly faded, but the closeness of the selkie has him chomping his lip just to ensure his blood continues to overpower the scent of Nagisa's. The added bulk happens to be the final wedge Rin needs to work his tail free from the door's sharp edge and finally squirm the rest of the way out, spraying the water with more clouds of blood. As soon as the obstruction of Rin's tail is gone, the door slams shut again, shaking the room a bit.

Rin draws his injured tail tail close to examine the damage, as he glances back at Nagisa, unsure what to say. How are you supposed to thank someone for saving you after you tried to eat them? Twice? And the second time, he already knew Nagisa was a mer.

So he does the only thing he can. He holds out the hand that's still gripping the trinket that started this mess.]

... it still works. Even without its cover.

[He all but mumbles it.]

[Nagisa's eyes dart a little as he moves back from Rin to give him some space, alarmed by the amount of blood clouding the water by now. This fun little venture into the sunken ship hasn't turned out like he was expecting at all. He doesn't know if Rin will even be able to swim back wherever his home is, now. What if he's attacked by something on the way? He's injured, and this much blood would certainly attract predators...

But those words snap Nagisa out of his thoughts as Rin holds out his hand. The glass covering the compass is gone, but the inner face seems to still be intact.

After a moment, the selkie shakes his head a little, reaching out to close Rin's fingers over the trinket. He deserved to keep it himself, after all of that.]

[Rin blinks, baffled as to why Nagisa won't accept his offering. Doesn't he understand what an amazing find it is? He'd rather worry about that than how obviously injured he is. Getting back to his shiver is going to be a real piece of work like this. While his less-hybrid brethren usually get along just find with his kind, he doubts that will still hold true with the amount of blood he's spilling.]

It's really a lot cooler than it looks. Look if you turn it different ways, it spins back to one of the four arrows.

[He demonstrates, moving his palm this way and that, trying to ignore how light-headed he feels. His kind aren't exactly the best at admitting their weaknesses.]

That's how it helps you find things.

[He does know that this treasure is special, make no mistake. But that isn't as important as Rin getting hurt. He can't keep the concern out of his expression, and being unable to actually ask if he's okay burns the selkie up inside.

Still, as Rin continues to talk about the object, Nagisa manages a weak smile to let him know that he's still listening, he's still interested. But he's not stupid, no matter how much he seems to be at times. They shouldn't stay here.

Without a word, Nagisa reaches out again, this time taking careful hold of Rin's wrist. He'll let go if he jerks away, but if not, he'll try to pull him away from the door over to the hole in the ship's hull that they came through. Maybe if he's the one doing the swimming, he'll just be able to pull Rin along without him having to move his tail.]

[Rin is too puzzled by the action to resist it, letting Nagisa pull him along if just to understand what the selkie is up to. He notices that as long as Nagisa's leading him, he can propel himself with only brief strokes of his tail, preventing the majority of the pain that moving it brings. But there's no way Nagisa can come with him to his home. Mer or not, sharks would not be welcoming to a creature that's half prey. Especially one they've never seen before.]

Where are we going?

[Of course, Nagisa can't answer, so instead he just shakes his head slightly and keeps leading Rin until they swim through the hull and out into the open sea again with all of their previously gathered treasures in tow.

He might not know where Rin lives, much less be able to get him there, but that doesn't mean he's just going to leave him trapped in a sunken ship on the sea bed. If allowed, Nagisa will keep leading Rin along, steadily rising closer to the ocean's surface so he'll be able to breach and take a breath if he needs to.

Where Nagisa ends up taking Rin is probably a place he's never been before, at least not this far. It looks almost like Nagisa is bringing him to the shore as the water gets shallower and shallower, more and more coral reefs and rock formations visible from this vantage point.]

[Rin glances around them, as Nagisa pulls them along. He's not crazy enough to pull himself free and be left adrift with a serious injury and a bum tail. But he's also totally lost as to the selkie's motives anymore. First, saving him while Rin attempted to tear him to pieces and now bringing him to the shallows, a place sharks instinctively avoid because of the proximity of humans. They were fine on their ships, but their nets could be a real pain in the ass. ]

Why are we all the way out here?

[It isn't until they're close enough that the ocean floor can be clearly seen below them that Nagisa breaks through the surface of the water so he can talk, looking back over his shoulder at Rin.]

Do you really think I'm just gonna leave you out there like that?

[If Rin looks, he'll be able to see that Nagisa didn't bring him all this way for no reason. To their right, there is a cliff face with an open cave on one side. The water seems to lead into a pocket in the side of the cliff, leading further in toward a sandbar that's been naturally created there. The sand is scored with markings that are clearly Nagisa's, deep furrows left from his body and flippers pushing their way over the sand.]

You'll just have to stay here for a while.

[Rin frowns as he peers around him, taking in the sight of the cave and the sand with the familiar drag marks. This can only mean one thing: the selkie actually brought him to his home. Why would he do that? Rin's shown him nothing but a predator for most of this adventure. Why would he risk himself this way?]

Why shouldn't you? We're not the same species.

We're both mers, aren't we?

[Nagisa retorts in a tone that says that he isn't interested in arguing about it. If Rin stays, he stays. But if he's stubborn enough to try leaving, then Nagisa won't really be able to stop him. As he speaks, he continues pulling Rin toward the cove where the water is lapping gently at the rocks.]

And anyway...you wouldn't have gotten hurt like that if I didn't get stuck.

[Rin just gives him another bewildered look, but he's not exactly up to swimming off by himself either. He needs the rest.

Still, what the hell sort of mer is this guy? Why does he feel so responsible for him? They're not even friends. He snorts in exasperation.]

Tch, will you quit blaming yourself for that? I wanted the treasure too. Helping you was the easiest way to get it out.

[He glances down at the trinket still clenched in his hand.]

I've never had this much trouble with one before though. Sousuke would probably be telling me right now that it wasn't worth it.

[Nagisa doesn't let Rin go until he's fairly sure that the shark can carry himself the rest of the way. Rather, the current will. Water seems to move into the cove and back out with the tide. The water washes right up onto the sandbar, making it easy for Nagisa to move in and out when he wants.

He ends up doing that before he answers Rin, pulling himself up onto the sand with a heavy sigh. Going down so deep so many times in one day has worn him out, and it shows in the way he carries himself as he drags through the shallows.]

Didn't you say you had a buncha those things already anyways?

[Rin doesn't mind moving with the current. It feels more natural than being dragged along, albeit gently, by someone else. Rin's more accustomed to doing the dragging. He lets the current carry him close to the shallows, where the water is still deep enough to pass over his gills if he lowers himself a bit.

He can't hype the tiny smirk, as he matches the selkie maneuver his blubbery half through the sand, even though he well knows he'd be much worse on land. It's still an amusing sight, considering how smoothly Nagisa had pushed himself through the water earlier.

Rin flicks his tail fin, finding his mood lift a bit.]

There's no such thing as too many of them. Don't you have multiples of your own favorites?

Well...I guess.

[The selkie sighs, immediately rolling over onto his side once he's pulled himself out of the water. Whereas Rin might find the sight of him inching along the sand amusing, it's pretty normal for him. This body allows him to move pretty efficiently on land and even faster in the water, which is more than can be said of most merfolk. Of course, most aren't quite as...blubbery as he is. But that's never something that's bothered him too much, either.]

I keep all my stuff hidden. Someplace where the tide can't wash it all away.

[But even then, there are plenty of signs of life here. Fish bones bleaching in the sun, seashells scattered about, pebbles that Nagisa no doubt has played with by rolling them in the sand and seeing how far into the ocean he could toss them.]

[That comment instantly piques Rin's interest. A secret stash, just like his own. His red eyes light up with intrigue, as he pushes himself up on his hands, his fins flicking faster.]

Let me see! I want to see how your collection compares with mine.

[This is clearly very important.]

[What a change of tune, all of a sudden...]

Eeeh? And I thought you didn't want to stay here!

[Rin huffs and folds his arms across his chest, gills flaring again.]

I'm not staying. I just want to see what you got. It can't be as good as my set.

[Nagisa rolls his eyes a little, shaking his head as he pulls himself up onto one of the big rocks flanking the water. They're constantly wet from the waves lapping up over them, the familiar coolness against his belly a calming thing in comparison to the excitement of the day.]

There's little holes in the walls at the back of that cave. That's where my stuff is. We can go look after you're not bleeding everywhere.

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