By the time we returned to Berwald house, I think it could be said that I was grasping the concept of walking, more or less. I still required Berwald's support, but I was much more confident in using my new legs. Berwald promised that we would get more practice in the days to come. He said that I was learning surprisingly fast, and that at the rate I was going, it would probably only be a few weeks before I could walk on my own. I smiled at the praise, hoping he was right as I didn't fancy the idea of relying on him for the rest of my time on land (which would probably be the rest of my life.)
Still, I was exhausted by the time he sat me on the couch. It wasn't just my new legs either. My abdomen was sore from the effort of keeping me upright, and my lungs burned, unaccustomed to being used for such long periods of time. After all, Violet-Eyes rarely ever left the cave. I'd only been to the surface once before, when I was very young. I wondered vaguely if I'd be able to breathe underwater now that my body had adapted for the land. It was a theory I'd have to test later though, for currently I was too tired to do much more than sit on the couch and return my attention to the television that Berwald turned on again.
This time he joined me, explaining anything that I bothered to ask him about, which actually turned out to be a lot. Eventually I stopped paying attention, devoting myself instead to conversation with Berwald. I found him much more interesting, and he didn't seem to mind my company. Somehow we got onto the topic of the Violet-Eyes yet again, and I wondered aloud if humans did not have something similar. He frowned at that, taking a moment to collect his answer.
It was his turn to explain about his people, but he seemed a bit ashamed about it. He told me that racism ran amok in his world, that people hated one another based solely on the color of their skin, or the land from which they came. He also said that homosexuality was often scorned. When I asked him to define this new word, he said that it referred to people who loved someone of the same gender. I was a bit surprised to hear these details; we Mer were nothing like that. The only group we ever discriminated against was the Violet-Eyes. Humans had so many things to hate about one another, it truly amazed me that the race hadn't wiped itself out with war. I asked Berwald of he was part of this discrimination, which he vehemently denied. He said that humans had been getting better about it recently.
He then got around to asking me why Violet-Eyes are so hated amongst my people. I sighed, having dreaded the retelling of this story. But I knew that the questions were coming, and I knew the story well.
Centuries ago, Violet-Eyes were considered a normal part of the Mer race. They roamed just as freely as someone with blue, green, brown, or hazel eyes did. In fact, because of the rarity of the color, Violet-Eyes were considered exotic and beautiful, something to be cherished and sought. One was considered lucky they were able to find one.
But all of that changed with a single Mer.
Everyone had heard of Ivan, he was a famous magician in his time, an infamous magician in mine. As far as anyone knew, he was a peaceful Mer, only using his magic to support himself and benefit the needy. Unfortunately for him, his younger sister was a little too attached to him. Though she never caused direct harm to him, the same could not be said for those around him. She followed him ruthlessly wherever he went, causing trouble and hurting those he met. He constantly confronted her about it, but never to any avail. She would not relent.
Unable to do anything about it, he was forced to try to continue his work while ignoring his sister, a task she made incredibly difficult with her constant presence. Still, he did his best. Eventually he found a woman he loved, and they married. He cast a spell over them, one to hopefully make it impossible for his sister to find them.
Unfortunately, Natalya was also a great witch. Some would say, even greater than Ivan himself. Though she was unable to find him for many years, eventually she figured out how to undo the spell he cast. And for Ivan, that meant that there was hell to pay. When he woke one day, his wife had been slaughtered, his children hung upside down and left to bleed into the water slowly. Natalya was nowhere in sight, and no one knew where she had gone.
But it didn't matter to Ivan. For by then Ivan was already broken, an empty shell missing a soul. No one is sure when exactly he snapped, whether it was immediately or a few days later, but his sanity was no longer, and his power was far greater than anyone knew. The Mer race was not prepared to face the wrath of Ivan, and he gave them no time to prepare.
That was the closest the Mer ever came to extinction. In a desperate bid to do away with Natalya, Ivan sent out a shockwave that killed every Mer it came in contact with, including himself.
One might question why the story has anything to do with the history of the Violet-Eyes, why they are so hated. But it's really quite simple. Ivan and Natalya both had violet eyes.
I finished my story, finding Berwald's face to be rather horrified. I couldn't blame him, it wasn't a fun tale. He asked me if it was true, to which I responded yes. If there was one story that every Mer knew to be true, it was this one. The worst part about it for us Violet-Eyes was that we sympathized with him. Everyone sympathized with him. We couldn't hate him for what he done despite the fact that he had condemned us all to live in hiding or not at all. Even those without the violet eyes couldn't help but like him. But all magicians have the same trait, the same eyes. The Mer have simply become too scared of magic, would rather do without it than risk another massacre.
That isn't to say that all Violet-Eyes have magic. In fact only a rare few of us do, and even fewer are able to use it well. I personally have displayed a bit of magic ability, but it's nothing truly amazing. The most useful talent I have is my ability to talk to other races, but it's also become something of a curse. When I fed, I was forced to listen to the cries of my prey. For that reason, I never developed my magic, doing my best to block it out so that I wouldn't have to hear the anguish anymore.
He was quiet for a while, letting the story sink in. He didn't ask any more questions, suggesting we instead watch a movie. When I showed confusion about the word 'movie,' he explained that it was much like the television, except that it was much longer and usually considered better. I agreed, and he decided that we would watch the one that he had mentioned earlier in the day, The Little Mermaid. He asked me to point out anything that contradicted true Mer life.
-.-.-+-.-.-
To say that that movie was horribly inaccurate would be an understatement. Hardly anything about it was true, but I understood what the humans were trying to achieve with it. The important part of it was the love story between the two main characters, and the subliminal message therein. I was a bit outraged when Berwald told me that most people consider this movie to be the gospel truth about my people. Or rather, I was when he explained to me what he meant by 'gospel truth.' He had to remind me that most people considered my race fictional. I frowned, but said no more on the subject.
After our movie Berwald decided it was time for another meal, and I perked up at the prospect. He raised an eyebrow, obviously curious about my eating habits. He asked why I was so excited about getting food, and I explained that it was rare that I got more than a bite to eat at each feeding shift. What he had fed me that morning had been approximately equivalent to an entire week's worth of meals. I could feel the mortification rolling off of him as he hurried into the kitchen, quickly putting something together for me to eat. I thanked him with a smile, trying to take my time with this one.
I'm not really sure what it is that he made me, but it was just delicious as the first meal he had given me that day. When I asked him what it was, he said that it was called pasta. He explained that it was a quick dish to make, so a lot of people relied on it for late-night dinners. And I thought to myself, if this is considered quick food, I'd love to see a meal that took a long time to prepare. Berwald ate as well, cleaning up after us once we both finished.
We spent most of the day after that simply lounging around, seeing as I was too tired after our walk to do much else. And the exhaustion just kept piling onto my shoulders. I never knew how truly difficult it was for the humans to get around. Berwald walked around as if it was no trouble for him, and I guess maybe it wasn't. He'd been getting around like that his entire life, after all. When the sun had set enough for me to know that it was evening time, he got up and made us another meal, this one bigger than the two before it. And, wouldn't you know it, this was even better too.
When it began getting dark outside, Berwald suggested we get ready for bed, and I found myself looking forward to it. I apparently had become quite fond of the "bed"in my short time of knowing it. But that really shouldn't come as much of a surprise; the closest thing I had to a bed where I came from was a fellow emaciated body that clung to me as if for life as we rested at the bottom of the cave. Needless to say, it wasn't the most comfortable arrangement.
Berwald helped me out of the clothes that he had given me earlier in the day, and helped me into some that he pulled out of what he called a 'dresser.' He explained that the new clothing was used for sleeping, that it was made to be more comfortable. It took a long time to find some for me, and he said that the reason for his hesitation that morning, and at the moment, was because all of his clothing was much too big for me. He decided that we were going to have to go and get me some clothes of my own, for his simply weren't going to do. He said that he'd go shopping the next day, so I'd only have to make do for the night.
I smiled, thanking him in advance. I wanted to protest; I knew that it was going to cost him something. But I really didn't have a choice in the matter… As far as I was aware, my stay on land was going to be indefinite. The strange thing about it was, a day ago I would've been scared of the prospect, but now it didn't seem like such a bad idea. In fact, life on land so far had been undoubtedly better than life under the sea for me. Berwald was kind and generous, there was no one out to get me, and I didn't have to starve. All in all, it seemed like I was going to have a pretty good life on land. Well, so long as Berwald's kindness held out.
But I had a feeling that it would. As far as I could tell, every bone in Berwald's body was full of kindness. I mean, it takes a lot to help out a total stranger. Even more if that total stranger is from a different species altogether. But Berwald… Berwald helped me without even asking a single question. He brought me to his home, gave me a safe place to stay, allowed me to share his bed, fed me, and gave me clothes to wear. He answered all of my questions, and was genuinely curious about me. Suffice to say, I managed to get fished out by the kindest human on earth.
-. -. - + -. -. -
I woke up, cuddled against Berwald. I smiled to myself, doing my best not to move. I didn't want to wake him. I had been staying with Berwald a little over four weeks, and I think we both realized that I was becoming a permanent fixture. Truth be told, I had nowhere else to go really. I didn't know anything about being on land, I was still learning new things every day. There's simply no way I'd be able to survive on my own, and Berwald knew that just as well as I did. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind my company too much.
In fact, I was starting to think that Berwald quite enjoyed my presence. And, as the weeks wore on, and I noticed that he never had any visitors… Well, I kind of put two and two together. Berwald was lonely. Lonelier than even the Violet-Eyes were. At least we had one another. Berwald didn't have anyone. Not until I showed up, anyway. And, seeing as I didn't really have anywhere else to go, I figured I could stick it out with him.
As promised, he had taken me shopping, and I now had my own wardrobe, hung cleanly next to his in the closet. He even allowed me to pick out my own outfits when I got dressed, though sometimes he would have to correct me when I made a terrible mistake. I've been getting better as of late, though. I've gotten better at walking, too. I still tend to fall over pretty frequently, but I no longer have to rely on the support of Berwald everywhere I go. That's given me a lot more freedom. When Berwald goes to work, I sometimes take walks by myself, familiarizing myself with my new environment. I've even made a couple of friends! And nobody on land seems bothered by my eye color, which is a nice change.
Still, I'm too scared to go anywhere near the ocean. I'm not sure what exactly I think will happen… I'm sure the Hunter gave up on me long ago. I just… I can't bring myself to go towards it. Perhaps because I'm scared that if I do, I'd want to go back. The thought is always looming at the back of my mind. It's very dull, but there is an ache in my heart. It's an ache that I doubt I'll ever be able to get rid of, for I was meant for the ocean. No matter how well adapted I might be to land now, it's not where I belong.
But it is starting to feel like home. I'm very comfortable living with Berwald, and he's doing his best to help me settle into human life. He's slowly teaching me how to cook like he does, and I'm proud to say that I can cook a few things by myself. Admittedly though, I do tend to hurt myself pretty often. Luckily for me, humans have this thing called a Band-Aid, and I have become fast friends with the little contraptions. They've saved the well-being of my fingers countless times. And I've gained quite a bit of weight. I was actually worried that I would become like the large humans on television, so overcome with weight that they couldn't walk without the assistance of a machine. But Berwald assured me that it was healthy and very flattering, and I've not given it a second thought since.
As thanks for the cooking lessons, I've made a habit of bringing lunch to Berwald while he is at work. The first time, I simply brought the bag that he had forgotten to him. I knew that it contained his lunch, and that he would likely be hungry the entire day if I didn't bring it to him. I nearly got lost on the way, seeing as he'd only taken me to his place of work once before. But somehow I made it, and he seemed surprised if not delighted to see me. It was one of the few times I've seen Berwald smile, and suddenly that became a goal for me; to make him smile.
So after that, I did my best to better myself in the area of cooking. I even practiced secretly when Berwald wasn't at home, slowly improving until I considered myself good enough to actually give something I made to Berwald. I made sure that the lunch he packed mysteriously 'vanished' right before he left, giving him no time to make a new one before he had to go. Then, as soon as he was gone, I got to work on a new lunch. I tried to remember everything that he expressed favoritism for, then packed it all into the little plastic containers and headed his way. I was just in time to catch him for his lunch break, and sure enough, I earned a big smile that day.
And since that day, I've made it my personal job to prepare lunch for him every day. It's the least I can do, considering all he does for me. And believe me, he does a lot for me. I've taken on a few other jobs as well, like cleaning around the house… But really there isn't a lot that I can do. I'd like to get a job like he has, one that pays money that could help him out. I'm sure that I'm no small financial burden. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be able to get a job until I've familiarized myself better with the human world. As is, I would simply be too suspicious. Someone would surely catch on that I wasn't exactly… Human.
But Berwald never complained, never even mentioned it. When I tried to bring it up he would change the subject, or assure me that I was no trouble at all. I wished he'd tell me the truth. I want him to be honest with me, and I already know that I'm a burden, so he might as well just tell me. But I doubt he ever will.
He finally stirred, taking a deep breath that eventually morphed into a yawn. I smiled as he drew me closer with the arms he had just stretched, burying his nose in my hair as he relaxed again. I giggled, alerting him to my wakefulness. He shifted, scooting back a bit so that I had freedom to move as I pleased. He waited until I too had stretched, and allowed me to get out of bed first. As always, I took the first shower while he made breakfast, then we ate together. Following that he took his own shower while I made him lunch, then he'd get dressed and head out, leaving me to my own devices until he returned. During my free time I would clean, take a walk, watch the television, practice my cooking, and sometimes I just daydreamed. A few hours after noon, usually around four, he'd return home and make dinner for the two of us. On occasion we would go out for dinner, usually only when Berwald was really tired though. What we did after dinner was up to Berwald. Sometimes he'd want to go and do something, other times he'd simply want to partake in the things that I'd been doing, like watching television. Whatever it was, it didn't matter to me. I was just happy to be with him.
I guess I should mention my growing fondness for Berwald. At first I found him entirely too frightening to be likeable. But I was mistaken; he turned out to be a very endearing person. Very sweet and courteous, always thinking of my well being before his own. I grew to love the time we spent in the company of one another, and I looked forward to it all day. Even if it was simply taking a walk or conversing in front of the television, it didn't matter. Maybe I was overly excited. After all, it had been ages since I had come across someone who was genuinely interested in what I had to say, and had something to say in return.
It also helped that he waited patiently as I spoke, waiting until I had finished a thought to respond. Most of the Violet-Eyes would interrupt me mid-sentence, or ignore me all together. Mer are already social creatures, and I am the worst of the worst. I can talk and talk and talk and never stop. But Berwald is wonderful at listening, so it ended up working out. Though, sometimes, I think the things I say go over his head. Mostly things about Mer. And that's fair enough, we are a different species after all. For the most part, if he doesn't understand something he'll ask me about it.
And we're both learning new things about ourselves too. I found out that it takes just as long to go from my legs back to my tail as it did the other way around. I found this out when I fell asleep in the white basin. (I've since been informed that it's called a bathtub, or bath for short.) Berwald was pretty surprised when he fished me out, only to find a fish. Well, half of one anyway. I'm actually kind of thankful for the delay though. It allows me to bathe regularly without having to worry too much about the change. My legs do get a bit scaly if I dawdle too much in the shower though. And it's pretty much unavoidable if I take a bath, so it's pretty rare that I indulge in one. Berwald told me that adult humans rarely take baths anyway. He said they don't have enough time for it usually, so it's something they partake in as a special treat. But he added that I shouldn't let the conventions of the adult lifestyle keep me from enjoying baths. And he even got me some special salts that melt in the water and make it smell lovely. So I try to take one once a week.
And, he doesn't know, but sometimes I add normal salt to the water. He has a big bag full of salt chunks in his storage room, and I borrow a cup or so to put in the water. I know it's pathetic, but it is as close as I can come to seawater, and it comforts the ache in my heart, if only minutely. I do it secretly because I don't want Berwald to worry for me. He has enough to fret about on my behalf. You should have seen him when he thought that he needed to provide separate living quarters for me.
After the first two nights of sharing a bed with me, he suddenly decided that I must hate sharing my sleeping space, and he got up early to begin cleaning up the spare room. When I managed to stumble my way into the room to see what he was doing, he informed me that he was tidying up so that I could occupy the room. He promised to get me my own bed and everything. He spent the rest of the day fussing about the room. I eventually caught on to what he meant (I was still getting used to the human things he spoke of) and assured him that I didn't mind sharing the bed with him, so long as he was comfortable with it. After all, as I had previously mentioned, I had been sharing my sleeping area with another Mer for years.
He calmed down after that, and the entire escapade was forgotten in a day or two. Truth be told, I was actually a bit frightened of sleeping alone, especially in an unfamiliar place. I had grown much too used to the comfort of arms around me while I slept. Thankfully, he raised no qualms, and was quite affectionate in his sleep. Though we typically fell asleep apart from one another, he would roll over at some point and draw me near him, or lay his head upon my chest. But I didn't mind, it was nice to be held, and very warm.
Today I had decided to take a walk while Berwald was working. Thanks to my restlessness, the house was very clean, perhaps overly so. That left me little to do inside, and it was a truly lovely day outside. Perhaps I could even meet one of my friends, I thought. So I donned my shoes, already a bit worn out from my feeble attempts at walking. But they were becoming more and more comfortable the more I wore them, so I couldn't complain. I headed outside, locking the door behind me as Berwald had taught me to, putting the key into my pocket. My walks had become frequent enough that Berwald invested in a key for me to carry around with me, in addition to the one he had.
I took a familiar path, one that led to a public meeting ground known as a park. I had stumbled across a few of them during my adventures, and I found them to be pleasant. They were always full of plants and people, each with a different reason for being there. Some came to relax in the sun, others came to enjoy eating outside on a blanket. Some brought their children to play on the monstrous and garishly colored equipment apparently made for just that purpose. Others still were simply passing through on their way to and from home. And quite a few were walking around aimlessly, just like me. I had made my first friend (apart from Berwald) at the park. He too had been walking, and he helped me up when I fell over. I thanked him, and was on my way, but I was quick to fall over again. At that point he became concerned for my safety, and offered his company while I walked in the park. I agreed, and a few minutes later we found ourselves fast friends.
Before he left, I learned that his name was Matthew. He told me that he was actually grateful for my company, as it was rare he had any. He was very soft spoken and easily overlooked, so he didn't have many friends. I admitted that I didn't either. He seemed surprised, but he grew more comfortable with me after I had said it. At some point we delved deep into conversation, letting our legs take us wherever they pleased as we picked through several topics.
He confided that he was walking in the park to escape his lover. Though he assured me that he loved him deeply, his lover was very loud and sometimes obnoxious, and Matthew liked to get away and take some time to his self every once in a while. I decided that was okei, and hoped sincerely that I wasn't interrupting his alone time. He shook his head, informing me that he was fond of my company. I was nice and easy to talk to, even if I was a bit peculiar. (That would be thanks to the whole "not being a human" thing.) We parted ways a bit sadly, but he let me know that he always went out for a walk around the same time of day, and he gave me a piece of paper with several strange symbols upon it. (Berwald informed me that it was his name and phone number when I showed it to him.)
So I thought to myself, as I was walking in that direction, that the chances were high that I would run into Matthew. Today was, after all, the day that he normally took a walk. And that sounded nice; I could use a conversation partner. Not that Berwald was a bore, but a fresh face is nice once in a while.
A/N: I think it's kind of funny that it took me longer to get chapter three out than it did for chapter two, considering I didn't have my computer when I posted chapter two. Oh well, it seems I lost track of time. I'm also trying to keep ahead of myself, so I resolved not to post chapter three until I had finished five, which I did last night. So here it is! I would have had it up earlier, but I wanted to edit it beforehand. It's a good thing I did, too, because this was wrought with errors. I must have been pretty tired when I wrote this chapter, because some of my sentences didn't even make sense. And I noticed that I replaced a lot of words with ones that rhymed, like we and he, and other such things. They were silly mistakes, so I'm glad I read through.
So, I'm super psyched for Supernatural Toronto. I know one reader is going, anyone else? If you're there, and you see me, you should def say hi! I'm going to be dressed up as Meg Masters 1.0 on Saturday. And I'm going to be doing a panel at Dodeca-Con next weekend, as well as entering the cosplay contest. I'll let you guys know if I place! (I'm not getting my hopes up, despite it being a tiny con, there are always those surprisingly awesome cosplayers!) I'm dressing as Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji. You can check out my outfit on my deviantart page. If you need a link, check out my profile!
I hope you guys are liking confused little MerTino. I've grown pretty fond of him myself, but I hardly count. Sorry if the story seems a little fast paced, but I have the tendency to dwell on needless domestic details, so I'm trying to get to the climax a little faster this time around. We'll see how that goes for me. I hope you're still entertained by my writing, I'm doing my best to improve, bit by bit!
Joo, so I'm not even going to lie... I might have to take a little break and finish Kingdom Hearts DDD. I don't know if everyone is aware, but I'm seriously the biggest Kingdom Hearts fan in my freaking state, if not the entire country of America. I'd say the whole world, but the Japanese can be a little... Ahem, anyway, I've been so worried about getting chapters written that I actually haven't finished the game yet, and that's seriously bothering me. I want to get it done before 1.5 Remix comes out. So I'm going to ask you guys to be patient with me if the next update takes a little too long. I'll try to hurry and finish, promise!
Okei, I'll let you guys go for now. Thanks as always for reading, and feedback is always appreciated! Feel free to check out my ask pages and my facebook page. My ask pages are kind of lonely. They're really the only excuse I have to draw something, and I won't do it otherwise! So if you have any questions for me or the characters of any of my stories, feel free to go ask! They don't have to be super serious questions. You could ask Berwald what his favorite color is! Anything goes! For realz this time, thank you for reading, and see you next time!
KuroRiya
九六りや