I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

[mermaiding]

Who: mermaiding & you!
When: 2/24ish?, ICly
Where: Wherever there's still deep flooding
What: Oona struck a deal with Maris and got her scale back, meaning she can turn back into her mermaid form. She's finally taking it out for a spin.
Rating/Warning: Vaguely NSFW, because mermaids do not wear clothes.

---

[She hadn't expected it to go easily. The process of removing her tail had been painful and clumsy to begin with-- she had never used that magic before, and she had never had to replace said tail either. She knew, in theory, hwo to, but it had taken her a few times to finally get the magic right.

The process had been just as painful-- was it always going to be painful, or was she just inexperienced, doing something wrong? Every movement ached as her muscles got used to the familiar movements of swimming again.. or maybe it had something to do with this crash of energy? Who knew.

She did feel tired, but that wasn't important right now. She decided against going her full form (there was no need for someone to actually mistake her for a monster and try to kill her right off the bat), but the more familiar half-form that most people associated with mermaids was fine enough.

It felt like flying, twisting through the waters, her gills burning with unfamiliar use. It had taken more time than she'd like to admit to get used to using them and she'd spent far too long accidentally trying to use her lungs and choking herself. But now that she was getting used to it, she wasn't sure she'd ever actually leave...]

[Option A]

[She'd never get truly tired of swimming around, but the space isn't that large, so it isn't long before she gets bored--and that's when she takes to terrorizing poor passer-bys. She waits until someone's standing near the edge of the water and slowly surfaces, watching to make sure their attention isn't on the water itself and...

GRABS THEIR ANKLE.

And immediately bursts out laughing at their reaction. Maybe it's you she grabbed? Maybe a random NPC whose panicked screams make you feel like jumping in to help out or investigate? Either way, Oona's clearly having a grand ol' time.]

[Option B

[There's definitely something moving in the water. You might see a flash of golden hair, or light reflecting off blue scales. Maybe you see a light, glowing faintly deep below...

Either way, it entices you to look closer. If you kneel on the ledge and lean over the water to try and get a closer look, you're in for quite the surprise. Oona's stirred up the debris and dirt below to mask her ascent to the surface; male or female or anything inbetween, it doesn't matter; lean in close enough and you'll suddenly find a pretty mermaid breaking the surface to press a kiss to your mouth.

It's a quick one and she swims away a bit right after with a bright laugh and a grin]

[Option C]

[Okay, so maybe the drain on her energy was more than she was anticipating. She pulls herself up out of the water, only barely managing to get herself on land before she curls up on her side and promptly goes to sleep. Her tail dips into the water, occasionally swaying absently and causing ripples in the water.

She may even start snoring softly, but either way it's probably not a good idea for her to just remain there hanging out, right?]

[Option D]

[WILD CARD. Got another prompt you wanna try out? Maybe Oona manipulated the water to splash a nice wave at your character? Maybe you dropped something in the water for Oona to discover?

Go crazy it's all yours'!]

Comments

[mermaiding]

[She glances curiously to the tin, but nods at the question, her smile a tad bitter.] Yes, it is.

My mother... could make it look so beautiful. The power to do this came from her family, her clan. She taught me, a little, before I left to explore. She said even if I could not do it fully, it would impress my cousins in the north when I visited. Make them like me, and also easier to learn.

...Of course, I did not see them before I was captured. It took me long time to figure out how to complete the magic. [It's deceptively simple, though she feels a little self-conscious actually doing it in front of someone. Her hand sweep over her tail, from the top towards the bottom as if brushing the scales off of her. At first she seems fine, but as the scales begin to peel away and disappear, Oona's face screws up in pain, teeth digging into her bottom lip.

The whole process takes maybe only two minutes, but at the end of it her lip is bleeding and her shoulders shake from the effort, but her legs are back and there's a scale roughly the size of her palm sitting in her hand, a brilliant blue like the rest of her scales.

She exhales slowly and sits up straight again, bending her legs as if testing them and wincing from the effort. It's a good thing she's got that coat on too, since she's now totally naked. Oops.]

..It is not supposed to hurt. I am just... no good at this sort of thing. [A half-whispered confession and she shakes her head, mildly disappointed in herself. It's another reminder of what her captivity cost her; if she could have learned it properly, that right way...]

I will be able to move and walk in a few minutes. The pain will go by then. Got captured before because I tried to move right away, did not let myself get used to it. [Oona rubs at her legs, trying to speed up the process and will away the lingering pain]

[zitteraal]

[ It's difficult to watch the whole thing, not because the transformation itself is unseemly, but because of the clear amount of excruciating pain that comes along with it. His expression darkens, but only enough that it's a fleeting moment of moroseness that Oona won't have to deal with later. ]

...It must be frustrating.

[ The tone here is measured, calm but not unkind. He reaches out to wipe Oona's torn lip with the high collar of his jacket, dismissive of the red streak it leaves on white fabric. It's no great loss to him. ]

If it hurts, say so. If you need to rest, also say so. [ A beat, and he appends: ] ...There's nothing and no one here to judge you.

[mermaiding]

[She wants to scoff at his observation, but ends up jumping in surprise when he suddenly tends to her lip.] Ah, your coat-- [She frowns at the streak of red, hoping it'll come out and not be some weird, constant reminder of the mermaid who showed too much skin.

Her eyes flick to his face and then down to the ground, slowly hugging her knees to her chest.] ...It hurts. And I'm tired. [She feels like she doesn't quite have to repeat that, since it's obvious and she's said before, but 'it hurts' and 'I'm tired' encompasses much more than just the pain in her legs and her general sleepiness. Being away from home and family hurts. Trying to pretend she doesn't care about the scars that form ugly paths over her once-beautiful skin exhausts her.

Oona rubs her face briefly and takes a deep breath, stretching her legs out in front of her again.]

...You do not have to stay, you know. Will find a place to sleep. [She stifles a yawn and despite her words it seems more likely she'll just. lay down on the ground here again... Oona no.

Actually, that makes her wonder, and she looks at him fully again] Are you staying somewhere?

[zitteraal]

[ Oona... you can't just sleep out here in the open?! But here's Adolf, who doesn't really have the heart to take his coat back from her. He's going to just let her keep it for now, since she's still. Not wearing clothes. It'll save him from having a heart attack, really.

Also, he'd say something about it being difficult to just up and leave after hearing someone express how things hurt, but he figures that that much can be left unspoken. ]

Yeah. My old room. It's mostly intact.

[ Intact enough, he means. He's not picky, and there's a light shrug to go along with that sentiment. ]

—You can keep the coat, by the way.

[mermaiding]

[Her brow furrows slightly and she looks at the coat with a frown] ...Will not keep forever. It is important to you, yes? Would be difficult to find other exactly like it, probably.

[or maybe not, in this place... Still!!] Will return it to you. [Ad then she smiles, amused] Ah, but, not right now. You can not handle even my chest exposed, am afraid you would explode from embarrassment if tried to give it back now. [Sure, make fun of the totally normal reaction one would have to a suddenly naked person... Gj Oona.

But she settles again quickly, their talking distracting her from the pain-- it's beginning to fade anyhow.]

Mine was destroyed. [She pouts suddenly] And all my jewelry with it! Had so many pretty things, and they are gone! Stupid... [Only part of this flooding thing she's really mad about, tbh. All the money she wasted on anything shiny and sparkly that caught her eye...]

[zitteraal]

[ Her comment about his embarrassment has him look slightly perturbed for a moment, long bangs tilting over his face to cast his expression in half-shadow. But he gets over it, and he breathes a soft exhale through his nose, almost as if he's dryly amused. ]

I can take the jacket back and leave. But some other person is going to start stripping to give you clothes after I go— I'm saving them the hassle.

[ What a tsun. Green eyes still flicker towards her legs, gauging the level of pain that may or may not be lingering while he considers her indignance over her lack of 'pretty things'.

A wave of the hand, here. ]

—And mourn more important losses. You still have 'pretty things'.

[mermaiding]

Ha! You do not know that. Would probably be ignored. [No one just ignores a pretty naked woman hanging around, Oona. Pls.

She huffs and pouts more though.] What important loss? Those pretty things were only things! Do not care about rest of things. [Even her apartment itself being gone is only a mild annoyance.] Was used to worse before, will get used to worse again.

[Thaaat's depressing. Oona sighs though] But, will miss the bed, perhaps. It was very nice one. [Since her legs feel about up to it, she moves to crawl on his lap again, because speaking of beds...]

Let me nap here. [She doesn't actually expect him to agree, mostly just wanting to be a bother for the hell of it, but hey! Maybe he'll indulge her for a few minutes]

[zitteraal]

[ There's something to be said about how easily Oona can approach people, and while Adolf mentally balks at the addition of more weight back on his knees, it's not unwelcome for that heaviness to be there. It's a pleasant sink in his chest, not the one that comes with fear or uncertainty.

Her head settles on his knee, and he shifts so that the metal implants embedded there don't jut uncomfortably against the side of Oona's face. ]

I'm not the bed that you lost. [ Thanks, Captain Obvious. It's a trifling joke, one that's disguised as something more prickly. The effort and effect may largely be lost due to his compliance, but let it never be said that Adolf Reinhardt doesn't try to be incredibly unapproachable. ] ...Just be quiet and sleep. I'll give you 30 minutes.

[mermaiding]

[It's not the most comfortable place to be sleeping, to be sure, but she's also slept on worse. Despite that, she grins, cheeky despite her sleepiness] You are not, but this is better.

[Didn't that count as a lie? Better not to dwell on it. She relaxes quickly, eyes closed even thought she keeps talking a little longer] And what will happen after 30 minutes?

[zitteraal]

[ Cue an extended pause, one that may seem like he doesn't have anything to say in response...

...but he finally offers something, which he feels stupid about the moment it comes out of his mouth, but. Listen, he can't just leave a naked mermaid around... that seems dangerous?! ]

I'll carry you somewhere less out in the open. If you're still asleep.

[mermaiding]

[Oona laughs a little and gives a pleased hum.] You are bad at saying 'no' to me. [A teasing observation; especially after the build up he put into it, putting a time limit on it and everything.

It doesn't take long for her to drift off to sleep though, and it says a lot about the amount of trust she's put in Adolf to let herself be seen so vulnerable before him. Consider yourself lucky, Adolf!!]

[zitteraal]

[ The sad thing is that he does: he considers himself fortunate that anyone has the heart to be this open with him, fortunate that he's allowed to be here. For someone accustomed to swimming in tepid waters, to navigating through minutes and hours and days that are as empty as they are routine, this is the most he could ever ask for. Someone breathing calmly near him. Alive.

He waits until he's certain that Oona is fast asleep, counts the seconds until he's sure that she's too far under to register anything on the surface, before letting himself sift a long piece of hair away from her face, her eyes. The rise and fall of her chest under his jacket is a steady rhythm that beats comfortably against his own exhaustion.

If she doesn't wake up, that's fine— he'll find a quiet place for her to rest, and hopefully anyone who finds her will treat her as warmly as she deserves. ]