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

Entry tags:

I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

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'!]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[IT'S KAORU'S FAVORITE MERMAID EVER-- arriving in just as much of an explosive and surprising fashion as she ever does, good lord. It's not that Kaoru is easy to catch off-guard - far from it, really - but there are only so many things that people rocketing out of the water can do and kissing isn't really one of them?! No sane person would have expected this...

Luckily, she's distinct enough in appearance to recognize almost immediately, which is about the only thing that keeps her away from a reflexive punch.]

Oona-san—! [AND THERE SHE GOES... COME BACK. Kaoru sure as hell isn't getting into the water, but does lean forward a little further, like that'll help with mermaid-spotting at all.]

[She hums thoughtfully under the water, debating going in for another kiss-- she really should, honestly, with Kaoru leaving himself open like that!!

But no, she suspects she can only get away with so much even with people she considers close friends, and kissing attacks probably have a shorter tolerance span than others. Alas. So Oona surfaces again, slower this time, but she angles her face up towards him as if teasing for another kiss anyhow.]

Kaoru! You have come. Good. Am glad to see your face. [It's a nice face, after all, and she's pleasantly smug she got to kiss it. Mermaid: 1, Everyone else: 0.]

[ Why does Adolf have a feeling that he's going to have a complaint about Oona's behavior every time he sees her— which is to say, it's not every day you encounter a naked person sleeping in your general vicinity, let alone a naked mermaid. Excuse him for his kneejerk reaction of looking a little flustered, as any red-blooded male is wont to be...

Mercifully, there's no one around right now to judge him as he clears his throat and edges a foot closer, then another foot. Once he's within her general range, he stops, looks around again.

And hastily starts taking off his long-ass jacket, not for sketchy reasons... This is why he's making sure that absolutely no one else is around, because he can't have this be construed as anything indecent?! Listen, he's just. Worried.

Another, louder clearing of his throat, and he drapes his coat over Oona. He's sacrificing his hiding spot for you, miss mermaid, and he's only doing it because she's already seen his scars. ]

—Oona. Wake up.

[ Awkwardly hoverhands... ]

[A SHORT TOLERANCE INDEED, and Kaoru does seem to lean back a little when she resurfaces. Not moving away completely, though; apparently "will Oona be a little shit and pull me into the water or try some other prank??" isn't a top concern for the moment.]

My... What a greeting. [Only mildly exasperated, even! It's certainly not the worst Oona could do. Kaoru places one hand right before the edge of the water, brow furrowed.]

Ah— But, it seems as though you've had a busy time since we last spoke...? [IS THAT A MERMAID TAIL THERE IN THAT MURKY WATER.]

[between being almost crushed in the collapse of the gym to being awake for the bulk of the prior month amped up to an unusual 11, haru has almost exactly no energy to speak of. this, however, does not stop him from doing what harus are inclined to do: gravitate to the water. deep flooding does not an ocean replace; probably something they can agree on, but it's better than nothing. still, haru's eyes barely want to stay open much less his limbs cooperate for a lazy swim, so he's only considering his typical .00001 second aptitude for stripping and submerging, peering down into the water when --

-- !!!!

haru literally does not have the words. he's pretty crap at texting too and has never before used a keysmash in his life but he knows what they are -- nagisa sent him enough of them to last....forever, though he'd take one now just to know his friend is....well...still somewhere. existing. alive. his thoughts don't veer this far though. rather, his whole mind is taken up by the exclamation points and a zing of wakefulness that has him sitting up so fast, he actually falls backward in a rare show of utter gracelessness. then he blinks.

he remembers this pers--

--on?

ah....

he blinks again.

her name slips off his surprised tongue with haru's typical soft cadence, his confusion lessened by recognizing her.]

Oona.

[the scales are beautiful, and if she reminded him of the ocean before, it's an epitomizing evocation now. it feels foolish to be homesick now of all times though, so he inhales and exhales the tightness in his chest, lets it sink beneath his tiredness.

he's glad she's okay. it's a realization that's heartening. he hasn't felt glad about anything in a while. grateful -- yes, to korra, to rin, to makoto. relieved. this feels different. a touch lighter than the other sentiments.]

[She laughs again, too pleased with life at the moment to feel anything else even in the fact of Kaoru's exasperation.

But her eyes light up as the question is asked, eager to show off] Mm! [She moves to the edge of the water next to Kaoru and places her hands on it to hoist herself up and seat herself on it.]

I spoke to that man who came to destroy things, the one angry at CERES. He is nice, like him. [But she might be biased. She smooths her hand over her scales, proud beyond words to have her tail back] He gave me tail back. [She flicks the tip of it at Kaoru playfully to shake the water off]

Do you like?

[Oona sighs deeply as his coat drapes around her, the sudden weight making her stir some.]

Hm...? [What comes out of her mouth can't be described as a language, exactly, so much as a vocalization, a melody set low and seems to give off the impression of 5 more minutes! She curls up beneath the coat some more and yawns before higher brain functions kick in to inform her she should be a bit more concerned about this development.

She opens one eye and makes a curious sound, taking in his appearance with a sleepy calmness. Then, she smiles] Ah. Adolf. See? Remembered. Important to remember, so I did. [She's quite pleased with herself]

[Honestly, Oona.

Sousei has tended to skirt away from the places of the most water, really, but he still has to keep an eye out for what still needs repairing and fixing; when he sees someone slumped on the ground, his first thought is that they're in trouble...at least until he approaches closer.

Then it becomes rather obvious it's just Oona, and while she can get in trouble in a lot of ways, around water is not one of those ways. He slowly inspects her, eyes narrowing slightly at the quite obvious tail. She got her tail back somehow, that much is for certain, but...how?

He crouches next to her.]

Oona. You should not sleep in a place like this.

Haru.

[She greets him in kind, her hum pleased at being recognized and for recognizing him in turn. The boy with eyes that reminded her of the sea.

She moves closer again, content in her knowledge that he won't retaliate against her for her indiscretion, and reaches out of the water for him. There's an exhaustion that seems to seep into her bones, but it hardly matters right now when she feels too giddy and happy to dwell on it. It's a strange war within herself, her happiness making her light and her exhaustion making her want to sink down and nap.

She won't allow herself to quite do that yet, though. Instead she touches at Haru's face if he lets her, and for half a moment feels tempted to drag him in for another kiss and then down, down into the water. She feels feral, dangerous, and the desire to revel in that and go wild is there, but--

A hum again and she pulls her arm back into the water to rid herself of the temptation.]

Told you, am mermaid. Now, can prove it to you. [She lowers her lashes in mock-shyness.] You like?

[The sound she makes in response is very not human. It's a noise, a melody vocalized on a groan. Nooo mom, she doesn't want to get up for school today!

She lifts one hand and then brings it back down heavily on the ground, a half-hearted swipe or an attempt to wave him away, either interpretation is up for grabs. But not that he's stirred her she becomes aware of the chill in the air and makes a displeased sound, cracking on eye open to look at him.]

What? [It's both a what do you want? and What did you say? at once.]

[for someone generally so averse to touch, haru finds he does not mind oona. even the graze of her fingertips reminds him of the water and for a moment that feels long but probably isn't, he's caught up in the deep of her eyes. gravity is there in the fluctuations of blue and softer aquatic tones, an unspecified danger both beautiful and wholly untranslatable. interestingly: if another person had kissed haruka nanase, he might have been angry or defensive enough to come across as such; he might have run. as things are right now, his own gaze stays in rapt attention to the sometimes glimmer of what is unmistakably a tail.

oona asks if he likes it and he's not sure if she means just the look or her actual reality -- the truth of her.

from an artist's perspective, he couldn't ask for much better than this; even his low-energy can attest. he'll remember for later and he hasn't painted in what seems like forever -- given over to errant sketches, wood whittling, random ways of filling the anxiety of empty hands that cannot cut through the water. but this would be worth picking a brush up again, he feels. there is something he's missing, he thinks, maybe. but he doesn't pay it enough mind to explore the thought further. rather he ends up blinking again, a slow, quiet motion. ]

I believed you before.

[it's a point worth making. he had no reason to disbelieve her other than the prejudice of a world where these things are only fairytales, but his grandmother raised him on island lore and some of that has always felt more real to him than exams and dusty desks nailed to teflon floors. ocean water makes him feel alive and he remembers -- with a flush that only meets his ear tips -- telling people back then: mermaid. when asked what he wanted to be. even nagisa's curious tales of space crusading had more root in reality -- astronaut people amended for him, though nagisa always was quick to correct them too.

well, maybe not much has changed. haru wants to swim.

dipping his hand in the water again, the line his fingertips create as he drags it through catches on the light: sharp refractions. as response to her inquiry though, he pauses before saying,]

My grandmother always said all mermaids are beautiful.

[not quite the compliment she might have wanted but a truth to haru anyway. irrefutable. which in its own fashion is a compliment maybe too.

and really, grandma nanase had meant that they had to be -- beautiful, ethereal, if not wholly irresistible, as part of their charm, their draw. but he doesn't include this, instead mulling over it quietly as he continues to run his hand through the water, a lazy, longing sort of motion.]

But how ...?

[this time he raises his eyes to find hers again if she'll meet them. he's wondering too, honestly, what she will do if and when the flooding fully recedes. it hasn't occurred to him that she can choose one form or the other -- or he doesn't remember. both tend to be fair possibilities where haru is concerned. ]

[Chibi is, as he does, picking through the wreckage for salvageable parts. His place is livable but severely flood-damaged, and the resulting rebuilding has put a strain on his finances; perhaps this will make it a bit easier. Besides, he has projects to rebuild, and Big Plans and that.]

[So he bends to pick up something that looks intriguing and SON OF A BITCH WHAT IS THAT ON HIS ANKLE--! He jumps and yelps, considering bolting away until he hears loud laughter from underneath the surface.]

[Ah, it's the mermaid whose name he hadn't gotten, judging from that laugh. Chibi looks closer, notices her chest almost immediately, and does a quick gentlemanly turn of his head so as not to stare... But his eyes creep back, not to her chest but to her lower body - this time not because he's an ass man ~~though he is~~, but because he spies a tail glimmering under there.]

Your tail, you'd mentioned. [A kind smile; at least someone got what they wanted this past week.] You got it back?

[ Kogi's eyes catch the flicker of... something, and he can't help but approach it and crouch to the water's surface. With one hand at the sheath of his weapon, he's a little unsure what COULD happen, but either way, he's totally ready for---

--- well, not that.

He's not really sure what just pressed their lips against his and his face turns bright red. The sudden, affectionate action causing him to fall back onto his bottom and stare at the grinning, laughing mermaid. ]

Hey! Was it really that funny?

[ He wipes his lips. Kogi's not upset, but whew. ]

[Rock Lee was moving along with precise strides near the watery area, off on some errand or other related to the reconstruction. But he's caught completely offguard by the hand tugging at his ankle, ninja though he may be.]

Ack! [He turns directly towards the grabber, looking shocked and red in the face. Could that be-]

O- Oona-san?!

Ah, you! Lee! [She giggles further and rests her arms against the ledge, looking quite pleased with herself]

You scream loud! Were you surprised? [Like she doesn't know.]

Your grandmother was wise. [She seems pleased regardless, watching his fingers dip into the water. This water isn't the ocean water of her home or anything like that, but there's still a connection there, a feeling of belonging. The water was part of her as much as she was part of it. From the sea she was born and to the sea she would return, but for now the water she found here could substitute.

She watches the line of his hand, where his fingers disappear into the water and sighs softly, raising her gaze to meet his at the question.] Hmm. Made deal. That man, the one who destroyed things and flooded? Talked to him. He gave me my tail back.

[Her tail swishes through the water a little faster to show it off some, clearly proud of it.] Do you want to see it? [Out of the water, she means.]

[It takes her a little bit to calm her laughter down enough to respond, but she nods eagerly]

Yes! It is back, and I am whole! [She presses her hands against the edge to hoist herself up and sit there, laying her tail out so it could be in full few. Eyes shining with pride, she runs her hands over the scales and sighs deeply, content.]

Thought I would never see it again... It is pretty, yes? Would you like to touch?

Yes! [Oona responds immediately, her laughter subsiding into the occasional chuckle]

Your face! So surprised! Was just a kiss. [She says as if she wouldn't react with the same bewildered surprise or anything.]

[ Give him a moment to take in that sound, that incomprehensible but pleasant string of music; his hands fall on his legs from where he's kneeling, attentive for a beat before he reminds himself to focus.

He isn't surprised that she remembered, but it's dangerous that she has. His eyes close for a second (he's tired, not because of this, though), posture slacks. ]

...I'll give you full marks for memory, then. [ A conscious tilt of his head to one side, to tuck his exposed left jaw under his hair. ] But that's not important. Don't sleep out here.

[That sure is a noise....... he ducks the swipe easily enough, and nudges her.]

You are sleeping in the middle of the city.

You also have obtained a tail. Explain yourself. [Story time, Oona! This is one Sousei is very interested in.]

[the slight intonation of agreement is inarticulate, a hum of soft sound mostly lost in favor of the movement of the water. not purely ambidextrous, haru's hand eventually just idles in the water, the rest of him already missing being in it entirely even if the last time was less than pleasant. at his right side, his arm remains in a sling, mostly healed by korra -- another being of water as far as haruka is concerned, though he'd know more if he asked her -- but needing real time to fix what's left. he counts himself fortunate that she could handle his head injury and back, so he doesn't complain though he's frustrated. want to swim, he thinks again and it means more than that -- almost always has -- but he refocuses back on oona for now.

ordinarily people don't hold his attention for long or with great credence; so it makes sense that the 'people' he's met who do stay stuck in his head, are not quite after all.

his brow pinches a little at the mention of the flood and the being supposedly responsible. on the one hand, it could have killed many people. on the other hand, he clearly was able to restore -- in some respect -- what should have been oona's from the beginning, if not for people. too complicated in the end, haru chooses to zero in on the benefit, eyes arrowing clean across the water to where oona's tail flickers like the shine of so many precious stones just beneath the surface.]

I'm glad you have it again.

[what he means is: people should never have taken it from you in the first place.

the shift in haru's presence is subtle but there -- a quiet fervor, that cornerstone way of caring -- deep and stubborn.]

Yes. Please.

[his answer for the offer is without hesitation but still polite, blinking once and rubbing at his eyes as if to force the tiredness out. he won't miss this opportunity.

at the back of his mind, part of him is still preoccupied with the kiss after all but....not for a readily apparent reason. oona's kiss had been playful and brief and less of an assault than if it was anyone else (almost) but it still catches on part of haruka's subconscious in a way that cannot be wholly dismissed. his chest feels a little tight and his head aches; as if he's trying to remember something. though on the outside he looks as calm-natured as can be.]

Oh. It is you. [It's said in a deadpanned tone, Oona looking a little disappointed. Why couldn't it have been some handsome prince or something?? Lame.]

This is not how you wake people, you know. You are bad at this.

[She doesn't particularly feel like telling the story either. The ground isn't particularly comfortable, but she feels ready to slip off back to sleep anyhow. Her tail splashes listlessly at the water.]

The man who came. Eh... When everything was being destroyed. Talked to him. Made a deal, so, he gave me a scale, like one lost. Said I was one of his people, more so than before. [A pleased hum.] I do not mind.

Like him.

Memory is very good. [She looks smug with herself, then pouts.] Of course it is important, is your name.

Why should I not sleep out here? It is nice. I like the water. [She pauses for a moment and then seems to finally notice his coat is on her. Oona sits up some to look at it in confusion, then at him] This is your coat? Why?

Very pretty - and functional, too. It must be nice to have it back. [Just like what he's hiding under his hat - but unlike the tail, that's not something you show people. He wonders for a moment what she'll do when the flooding dissipates, how sad she'll be.]

[At the offer, though, he stands with eyebrows raised for a moment. Goddess, that seems a little...]

But is it really alright to... [Touch something so important to her? He deliberates for a moment, then reaches out with callused fingers to run them over the scales. They are slick and textured under his fingertips - yep, fishy indeed.]

Ah, that reminds me of my homeworld's oceans.

[He does calm down a bit as he glances towards her. Somehow, it's been easier for him to feel calm lately, and he nods.]

Yes, that is me!

Ah... I suppose that I was taken by surprise, Oona-san. I did not expect to see you there!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 11

I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

b for my trash heart tbh

be still my heart...

c!

no subject

( B )

no subject

no subject

c;

no subject

no subject

no subject

a!!

B!

A!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject