A soft knock drew their attention to the door, Jono quickly moving behind the large vanity mirror as. It wasn't until he was sure that the crab was safely out of sight that he grasped the doorknob and opened it. A light blush was dusting her cheeks as she smiled up at him, asking if she could come in, and held up the stacks of games she carried. "I thought we could play a bit?"
Amethyst lit up when he noticed that a few of the boxes she carried bore similar designs to the games he had salvaged from sunken ships. His head bobbed in excitement, opening the door wider, and gestured for her to come in.
"I'm so relieved," she sighed, stepping through. "I wasn't' sure if you were the gamer type or not- mph!"
His finger had pressed against her lips for a brief moment, stalling her words long enough for him poke his head out into the hallway. The big black Newfoundland's head tilted to the side as their gazes met, its large wet nose working overtime as it made to sniff him all over. His knee bent, meeting the carpet as he held out his hand, palm facing upward towards that dog as it leaned towards him. A grave mistake. The second he had bent low enough the dog had barked and launched itself at him, causing them both to fall into the room with a heavy impact.
"Oh my gosh, Moki, no!" She hurried to place the games she was was carrying onto the table to rush to his aid but found herself awestruck by the sight before her when she turned around. Even compared to the genetics of the Newfoundland, Moki was on the bigger size of his breed, so to say that he was huge was an understatement. Heck, he was big enough to knock over her over six foot brother! It started as a chuckle in her chest that grew into a giggle into her throat then exploded from between her lips in full blown laughter that was causing her eyes to tear up.
Man and dog both looked up at her in unison, only making her laugh harder. The Newfoundland was so large that it felt as though he was being blanketed by a what he could only describe as a polar bear blanket. He would be quite comfy if it wasn't for the near unbearable weight threatening to crush him. The large pink tongue dragged across half of his face as he attempted to sit up, causing his lips to lift into a half smile of amusement as he managed to wiggle himself out from under the giant dog. It softly woofed into his face when he managed to rise to his knees, hands playfully ruffling the thick fur, then rose to his full height while patting it upon the head.
Her laughter had died while watching the two interact. Never had she seen Moki take to a stranger like this, he was normally so protective over her that it was difficult to keep him in check around others but here he was acting as though this stranger was a friend. Amethyst met cerulean as she commended his strength, that moving a Newfoundland required some serious muscle, and felt her mouth grow dry when he shrugged. Just what was he hiding beneath those clothes? She shook herself when a smirk raised his lips, only feeding the inner image within her skull, and clapped her hands. "So, what do you want to play first?"
. . . .
Time was nonexistent as they fought for victory in each game they played, the large pile slowly dwindling until only one was left: Monopoly. Both had owned an equal number of spaces but the number of little plastic houses or hotels varied. Somehow he had been lucky enough to happen across Boardwalk first but she had snagged Park Place then immediately put two hotels upon it so that it could be close to rivaling the neighboring property. As the hands of the clock met each number, his ears were blessed by the various sounds that came from her as she focused intently upon each game in turn with the occasional change of subject that she would speak of. Just now he had learned that her and Seto's parents had passed away several years ago due to a strange event when they had been visiting a business partner. "I don't remember all of what happened, evidently I was sickly that even the best doctors there were unable to find what was wrong with me."
His eyes widened, the dice in his hand falling still.
"I was just a baby so I don't really remember much," she sighed, leaning back to rest against the bed frame. They had moved to the floor after the first few, finding this a bit more comfortable. "But her journal is the only thing I have of hers. That," her hand rested against her chest. "And this." Anzu reached into the neckline of her shirt and pulled out a fragile chain, a scale glittering in the fireplace's flickering light. "Her journal explains that she was gifted this by a 'being of the sea' but I've seen those sketches."
A flare of pain erupted in his hip, the same spot where a new scale had taken several years to replace the one that had mysteriously disappeared when he was young. There was no doubt that the scale was his own but if his was being worn on a chain like an accessory…what happened to the one mother gave? His hand rose to his head as the room wavered.
"Oh, Atem, you were always quick to sacrifice yourself if someone was suffering in front of you…Why did you follow mother though when you could have played with your father and brother?" Gentle hands cupped his face. "you sweet son of mine, you may look like your father but you have my heart, don't you?" Her arms cradled him against her chest as her attention to someone he couldn't se. "The scale of a merfolk can be a powerful remedy if ground into dust." A hand caressed his cheek as he cried softly into a shoulder covered in familiar white cloth, a finger dusting against his cheek as a tear slipped down his tanned skin. "Please, I beg of you, use my scale instead of my son's…His would be more suitable with his stable health and limitless energy but I beg of you to use my own. Once a scale is plucked it can never be returned to its rightful place upon the tail so please don't use his unless you absolutely have to."
A gasp came from somewhere he couldn't see. "What are you saying?" Through the pain and long strands of his mother's golden hair, he spotted a human woman shift across the sand, a bundle within her arms that radiated with sickness. "Lazuli, you have become dear to me and have taught me so much that I can't accept this. You said yourself that losing a scale could shorten the merfolk's lifespan and you…"
"I am not long for this world, meaning I would not suffer if you were to use mine." The arms around him tightened. "It saddens me, knowing that I will be leaving behind my twin sons and husband, but I have faith that they will live on and watch out for each other. That is why you have to use my scale, so that the last of my strength can enter the failing body of your child and that she can have a chance to live." Feather soft lips met his temple as their gaze rose to meet the bright aquamarine of the human woman kneeling in the sand. "Just as you saved the lives of my sons, allow me to repay the debt."
The room rushed into focus as he gasped, the hand rubbing his temple slowly falling down to his side. His back met the bed frame as his eyes numbingly traced the patterns in the dark mahogany carpet beneath them. Amethyst widened at first in awe then clenched tightly shut in hopes to hold off the tears that threatened to form and ferociously bit into his lower lip when it trembled. So the tale that the eel siren female had told…was true. He swallowed the emotional lump within his throat as she sighed.
She shook her head, as if waking from a dream, and held out her hand for the dice. "Long story short, they passed away and we were left to fend for ourselves after inheriting Kaiba Corp. Seto makes sure that I have everything I could ever need and want, even gifting me the puppy that has grown into the giant Newfoundland over there. I took up dancing because it helped me to find a way to express myself. I could envision myself atop of the highest mountain or even flying through the sky." The dice clattered across the board, her hand quickly moving the shoe game piece the correct number of spaces and thankfully landing on one of her own. Her make-believe funds were safe for now. She smiled fondly, gazing out the window before fixing on him. "Can I tell you a secret?"
He nodded. His heart stuttered when she scooted closer, one of her hands grasping his clothing as she grew serious while her other hand bent his head to bring it close enough that her lips could reach his ear. The warm breath that tickled his ear caused his already pounding heart to give a hearty thump and the hairs on the back of his neck rose when her lips lightly brushed the sensitive shell of his ear. Amethyst eyes widened when after her confession she sheepishly pulled away and turned her back to him. Had her heard her correctly, that her favorite fantasy was to imagine that she was swimming through the ocean as if she were a mermaid?
"It makes me sound childish, I know, but it was my favorite thing to imagine when I started dancing. Mother's journal and sketches were full of all sorts of stories or pictures about the ocean right outside and I guess it carried over into my dancing. It sometimes felt as though she was watching me when I did," she sniffled, a tear gathering in the corner of her eye. She gasped softly when his finger rose and gently collected the moisture droplet upon his fingertip. "Sorry, I must seem like a big crybaby."
His head shook as he extended one arm in invitation, a gesture that earned a raised eyebrow before she quickly accepted it and leaned against him as more tears followed. Seto had been so distant since their parents's passing and there had been so many suitors who wouldn't hesitate to touch her given the chance so for someone to actually give her the choice as well as offer to comfort her instead of taking advantage of her weakness. Their game forgotten, he remained perfectly still as her tears soaked the lent clothing he wore. She missed her mother, that was obvious, and it made him feel all the worse. What could have caused the destruction of his father's kingdom, cost not only the lives of everyone in the underwater kingdom but also those of his and her parents?
Her tears had been spent but she remained within his one armed embrace. His head had rested against her own a while ago and the slow rhythm of his chest told her that he was still awake. Gratitude filled her when she spotted the nearby clock and found it to be after midnight. She had kept him up far too long and yet he hadn't done a thing to deter her. She pulled away, apologizing, and found herself speechless. His eyes were glittering with unshed tears and found them practically swimming with a familiar pain and sadness that she had seen in her own when she looked into a mirror. "You have lost someone too."
It wasn't a question but he answered it with a nod as the arm that had been wrapped around her shoulders rose to form a fist against his chest. Though it had been a few years the pain of loss was still fresh, a constant reminder that he was on a quest to find the truth of how such a strong king such as his father and a kingdom so vast could fall. He and Yugi had been young at the time but they still recalled the gentle monarch who ruled justly that would ensure that they knew he cared for them deeply. A gentle hand against his cheek caused his lips to lift in the corners in what he hoped was an assuring smile as she asked if he wanted to talk about it.
Her brows furrowed when he gave her a complicated combination of body language that said "I'll be alright" and "I'm more concerned about you". He still hadn't said a word despite her multiple attempts and her eyes widened slightly when his hand rose to rub his throat. "I didn't even think that the accident might have injured you in some way. Let me get a doctor." She stood and pulled out her cell to page one of the on-call doctors and blinked when he deftly snatched it from her hands as he rose to his feet. The anger instantly dissipated when she noticed how careful he was while examining the little device. "You've never seen a cellphone before?" He shook his head, nearly jumping as it chimed, and handed it to her when her brother's name flashed across the screen. She apologized again for overstaying her welcome and was about to step out into the hall to answer the text when she came to a halt. Before she could lose the courage, she turned back to face him and wrapped her arms around his waist in a full embrace.
A burning blush made itself at home within his tanned cheeks when her softness enveloped him. He glanced to Jono, finding him asleep behind the mirror, and willed himself to relax as she thanked him, his arms slowly wrapping around her smaller form in response. It had been so long since they had last embraced like this, their beings flush against each other and the unified warmth between them caused his chest to burn with a flame he long thought was extinguished. The pressure was not near as suffocating as it had been when he was sustaining the punishment of confinement; once heavy and attempting to rob him of breath but now it was as if she was surrounding him in a bubble of bliss the longer they held each other. Ainma Vinculum or not, he was in love with this human whether others liked it or not. He secretly confessed that he could and never would deny anything that she would offer in the future and they parted, offering her a smile as she slipped out the door. His blush returned when the sounds of suppressed chuckles reached his ears and he cast a glare towards a clearly awake Jono as he flipped the lights off.