Of Land and Sea

[CanaryCry]

Name: Korin
Age: 25
Personality: Korin is independent, as he's felt he always needed to be. He's confident enough in his own strength but would always prefer to avoid causing other creatures, of any sorts, pain or injury. Beyond that, despite his willingness to be friends and give someone the benefit of the doubt, he's inexperienced and not very good at associating with others.
History: As far as he knows, he's lived with a pod of mers whose colors don't match his all his life. His memories only go as far back as the age of 9 or 10, when a mermaid talented in magics named Minamet found him and took him to be cared for amongst the pod. When he was old enough for it he started to wander further and further away from them, and the safety of numbers, and used everything she'd ever taught him to survive by himself in the open ocean, with a cave as a home base but with much of his time spent exploring outside of it.








He was never going to see Minamet again. It was all Korin could think, in the days since he had been tricked into a human ship's nets, dumped into an uncomfortably small tub of water, and taken away across the sea. The other mers he was not so very close to, and perhaps he would miss them a bit, but Minamet had taken care of him for as long as he could remember, and he had already spent more than one night curled tightly with his tail fin hiding his face and sobbed into his hands. The time for mourning had to be over. He was stuck now, and there was nothing he could do about it but survive.

If he had thought the trip atop a boat was difficult enough, the one over land was ten times worse. The gentle rocking of the ship had been reminiscent of the tides beneath the surface of the sea, but the jolting roll of wheels over solid land was even worse. They barely had something large enough to transport him in, and if he hadn't decided, in that moment, to cooperate rather than break bones with his tail, he wasn't sure they would have succeeded in anything but dumping him into the dirt. To make things worse, the wagon they placed his too small container in afterwards was covered, and he couldn't so much as look at the many strange new plants and sceneries as he passed them. It was all so boring and terrifying at the same time that he could hardly stomach the strange foods they tried to give him, and spent many days going hungry until he couldn't stand it anymore.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of being wheeled around and looked at and generally suffering, the wagon stopped. There was commotion here and there and he sunk his body as far into the tub of water they'd supplied him as he could until many hands came to lift it. Too many people, not enough space, and the moment they tipped him unceremoniously out of the tub and he felt water deep enough to cover him, he swam off, disappearing from their sight almost in an instant. He was under no illusions that he was free, but at the center of the small body of water no one could reach him, and the water was deep enough to hide in while he tried to quell the panic.

It was bigger than his tub but it wasn't the ocean. There were no currents, and too many eyes at the edge of the water, too many voices still clamoring nearby. He felt like he was suffocating. What he would have given to have his whale bone knife back, even if just to feel its familiar weight at his side. As much as he was afraid and hated what was happening, he didn't truly want to hurt anyone. It was just for protection from sea critters, and a tool for when he needed to eat. He wondered if they would finally bring him fish again, or if he would have to stomach the strange things they gave him for so long he would die of hunger.

 

[tcnic]

Adeline

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adeline aster atwood

nicknames: 'addie', 'pain in the ass' - her brother

23

08/27

Adeline is far softer than most of those in her family. They've been a warring kingdom since she could remember, thirsting for the fight to bring them new lands and goods to extend their legacy. She admires this in them and knows that they are far stronger and resilient than she. While she does possess a bit of that flame, Addie prefers to be reading while her siblings and parents fight in the background, though she does aid them by dabbling in the history of weapon use and strategy. Her mother always refers to her as the "brain of the operation" and, more often than not, they all take her heed when she advises for or against something. Adeline isn't shy, per se, but truthfully would prefer to keep to herself rather than engage in small talk with strangers. She does have a kind streak, however, and wouldn't leave anyone feeling left out or ignored.

Adeline can have pompous moments, due to the fact everyone has been at her beck and call since she was born. Despite all her reading, she fails to truly understand the hardships and trials others face living their everyday lives. She wears rose-colored glasses when it comes to some of her family's crueler actions and simply justifies it as that being what was needed to keep their legacy safe. She cares far too much about what her family thinks of her.

The Atwood family has reigned in their part of the world for over two centuries. Their military strength and vast political influence has lead the expansion of their Kingdom to triple in size since the establishment of their rule. Adeline is the youngest of four children - two boys, two girls - and by far the most spoiled of all. Her father, King Lysander, vowed to protect all of his children upon their birth, but Adeline was by far the most sheltered and spoiled. Her other siblings are 10 years her senior, the eldest more than that, and therefor she was the child left alone in a house full of riches and experiences while her siblings went off to see the world. Every need and want she had was catered to without restriction, though the most extravagant thing the child ever asked for was her own personal library. It later became where she spent most of her time. Her mother, Penelope, encouraged the child in her reading, and personally tutored her everyday for the beginning of her life.

Adeline's mother passed from a terrifying illness when she was the age of 15, and for many years the house felt empty without her mother's warm laughter and soothing words. Her father changed significantly, becoming much more somber towards everyone but his children. While still as great of a warrior, the light had left their home, and it showed the most in her father. Her siblings returned all within a year of their mother's death, after Adeline had written letters stating that their father needed help. She could hear him crying at night. Now, the siblings are once more in their old family home, partners and children brought along, in an effort to help their father run the kingdom. Adeline is not too thrilled at the talk of her betrothal, not at all prepared for the day she must take on the burden her siblings did not want to endure.

Adeline could hear the commotion from the balcony outside of her bedroom, a well-worn book spread between her palms. She glanced up from the magical weaving of a fantastical tale and down towards the lake that took up the majority of their back courtyard. The moon flowers were beginning to open on the trunks of trees as the sun fell from the sky and was replied by its lunar sister. It was spring and with spring came the flowering of their gardens, making it Adeline's absolute favorite time of the year. Her mother had always stressed to her how important it was that royalty tend to their own gardens and the planning that came with it, to ensure they had the best compared to the other neighboring kingdoms. She smiled at the thought while she slid a piece of papyrus into where she planned to stop her reading, before whirling around and walking back into her room. She set the book gently down into her shoulder bag, before toeing on the sandals she always used when going on a traipse into the garden and slinging the bag onto her back. There were some small, dried snacks she kept in there as well, for her particularly long walks.

The castle was dead silent, aside from foot steps here and there from the butlers and housekeepers doing their nightly tasks, and she figured her family members had likely wandered down where she had seen all of the commotion. It was odd for them to not be already seated at the dining table, waiting to eat that day's extravagant meal. Adeline's lips pushed into a purse as she pondered what could be going. She continued her descent down to the lowest tier of the courtyard, making her way down the cobblestone path her mother had forced her father to make. Adeline's father walked the path every morning and evening nowadays, no longer complaining about the hard work it had taken to build.

Adeline let her fingertips graze a petal of one of the large, white moon flowers that nearly gave off an iridescent glow. It reacted to her touch, shrinking back on itself, before fully-opening once the contact had been severed. They were her mother's favorites and has quickly taken a nostalgic place in Adeline's heart as well. "Auntie Adeline," She heard her niece screech from a few feet ahead, the child looking red in the face due to excitement. Adeline smiled as she reached the group of family members and placed a calm hand on the crown of little Eloise's head. "They caught a mermaid!" She squealed, balling her hands into fists and jumping around a bit, before disappearing to the front of the crowd in the hopes she'd get a peek. Adeline thought surely her brother must have been pulling the child's leg. While they existed, mermaids were crafty and elusive creatures, who'd sooner slit a man's throat than be taken by him: or so she had read in her many books.

Adeline followed the path the child had taken until she came to stand by her father. She placed a hand on his forearm in greeting and he turned to look at her with a somber smile, before turning his focus back to the crystally blue lake. "Caught him offshore about three days ago," Her father grunted in explanation. "I've heard they're extremely precious creatures to the Calliwell's, and they'd pay good money for him," He continued, glancing her way before continuing, "And it likely would help our relations with them if we were to offer them something so precious."

Adeline considered her father's words with pursed lips, before slowly nodding her head. Though, a part of her in the back of her mind questioned the morality of it. This was a sentient creature. One with memory and thoughts and dreams and language systems. They were closer to humans than fish by far and she couldn't see her father doing this to any ordinary individual. She kept the words off her tongue, however, and simply watched the water in silence.

She heard the dinner bell go off in the distance and with a kiss to her temple, her father muttered that he would be going inside to eat. The others followed him and Adeline called that she'd be right up, but not to wait until she arrived. She was curious to see the creature with her own eyes. Did the drawings in her books do them justice? Or had the authors and artists taken creative liberties to sell their stories more? She sat down at the edge of the lake on the soft grass and opened her bag, pulling her book from within. She kicked off her sandals and let the water of the lake lap at her toes as she leafed through her novel, eyes periodically glancing up if only to catch a glimpse of the being.

 

[CanaryCry]

There were so many voices on the shore, and Korin had only had a short glimpse of the crowd that gathered before he'd hit the water. Both fearful and elated at the freedom to move, he took off immediately to where he could no longer be seen, and hid there for some time, staying still and looking around himself. The water was deep enough and the borders far enough apart that he had plenty of room to move, and he could see sea life moving about here and there, but it was not the ocean. It was not nearly so free or so deep, and the lack of currents while surrounded by water made him feel strangely uneasy. He may as well have gotten himself stranded in a lagoon, except there was no way out.

When he'd taken a moment to breathe and calm himself enough to explore, he started as far from the continued clamoring of voices as possible, and refused to come up high enough for anyone to see him. The plants that grew in the water were strange, and the wildlife stranger - the few small turtles he saw had little feet with claws, more suited to land than water, and seemed to be equally happy in either environment. Most things were spooked by his presence, as he wasn't trying to hide and his scales caught the light too easily in the more shallow waters, but he moved slowly so as not to frighten them too much and ruin his attempt at studying them.

By the time he made his way back around to where the humans had gathered, there were no more voices, and while under water he couldn't see any of them moving around either. Cautious and anxious still, he stayed a good twenty yards away from the edge of the water and eased his way up to the surface slowly so as not to make any noise, until just his hair, eyes and the tips of his head fins could be seen. There was only one of them left, he noted curiously, sitting down and looking at something in her lap. A book? He had only seen them once or twice, and generally after the ocean had taken them. They were so fragile that they were generally destroyed by the water before he could look at them.

It was quite sudden, when her eyes flicked up from the book and caught his, and he disappeared back under the water the second it happened, hovering a few feet beneath the surface with a startled flutter in his chest. She'd seen him! He'd spent so long being cautioned against being seen by humans that it still made his heart beat hard in his chest, despite being toted around and poked at by curious humans for the past few days. Where had all the others gone? Was this one meant to watch over him as if he could escape this landlocked puddle? With how far they'd traveled, it would take him days to drag himself back to the ocean. He'd dry out, starve and die before he ever made it.

 

[tcnic]

adeline

mood: curious | location: the lake | mentions: unnamed mermaid

Adeline saw the creature for but a moment, and a sharp gasp left her lips as she did. Her book was quickly folded up with the bookmark tucked gingerly within and she reached slowly for her bag to place the cherished object inside. Her mouth was parted slightly in awe and she inched closer to the water, in hopes that she could see the mermaid beneath the water. The water gleamed, ripples circling out from where the creature had appeared, and Adeline pushed forward onto her knees so she could get a better look. However, she wasn't particularly known for her grace and fell face forward as if she were top heavy. She sputtered as she withdrew her head from the water, quickly wiping at her face and exclaiming about her dress as she did so.

Her mother would be a wreck if she was here to see the streaks of mud on the very front of her dress. It would be a whole affair; luckily, the rest of her family didn't care quite so much, though the housekeeping would give her grief later on for it. "Oh, bloody hell," She cursed beneath her breath, something she rarely did in the most heated of moments. "Well, I supposed you owe it to me now to come out seen as how I've soaked myself in the process of trying to get a glimpse of you," She shouted at the seemingly empty water. She wasn't counting on the fact that the creature would reappear, but decided it was worth a shot.

Adeline sat back down with a huff and wiped at her dampened hair, dreading having to get the tangles out later. "I've read in books that your kind eats fish," She stated, as if talking to a friend. There were no answers, but she'd keep talking regardless if only to get a better look at the mermaid within the lake. "Perhaps if you appeared and told me the one you're most fond of, I would be able to bring you some. Though, without that information I would fear I'd get you something you weren't a fan of."

 

[CanaryCry]

Korin was quick to duck under the surface of the water, but afterwards moved slowly to avoid detection, drifting gradually further from shore with only small movements of his fins. He watched as the human female's colors moved closer, jumping slightly when she suddenly plunged into the water - but a moment later when she sputtered and pulled back up he was laughing. She wasn't trying to chase him: she'd fallen in! It struck him as amusing even through the nervous anticipation of being stuck in the small, landlocked body of water, and after the stressful journey he'd had, he thought he deserved a moment to laugh.

He was sure if he hadn't taken that moment, he may have done something foolish like risk angering his captors by splashing her with his tail. He'd wanted to, when she insisted he come out, and it had taken a long moment of self control to stay still and resist the urge. What was so interesting about him that she wanted to see? He had to wonder. Why had they brought him here? To gawk at him like some kind of shiny new ornament? Or would they change their minds about keeping him alive and kill him for his scales? He wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

Finally, interest piqued by the mention of a proper meal, he gave himself a little push to glide backwards through the water, partially to be sure she couldn't jump in and try to grab him, but also to spite her so that she couldn't see him as clearly from further away. Once there was a safe distance between them, he hesitated for only a moment more, then slowly came back up to the surface. This human had yet to try and get to him, and there was only one, so surely it was safe enough to come out and look at her. He dared to go so far as to reveal his entire face, water resting at about his chin, and watched her with a wary sort of interest. Minamet had warned him not to get within reach of humans, but they had already captured him, and he was so far from home, and he was very hungry. Was it ok to speak, just to this one? If things continued the way they had been going, with the humans unsure what to feed him and him going without food for long stretches, he didn't see what other choice he had.

". . . any fish." He said finally, voice quiet and a bit weak, headfins pressed unsurely down and back against his head. He rarely did more than mutter to himself when he wasn't in the water and was unused to using the muscles needed to truly speak above it. "But they took my knife. . ." He couldn't make any fish ready to eat with just his teeth. That was barbaric, and difficult besides. Perhaps if an armed human came close enough to the water he could just take theirs.