Chapter Text
The sleeping waters gently rippled around her feet as she slowly descended deeper into the dark depths. The allure moon was casting its thorough gaze upon her soft and delicate features, painting her in an ethereal glow, and her figure gradually disappeared into the ocean, away from the civilization she didn’t call hers.
From the moment she had come up from the waters, approximately two weeks ago, she had had this knot in her stomach; a strong gut feeling that she had been forgetting something– something very important. Nevertheless, she overlooked her nerves and hesitation, excusing her anxious thoughts with the risky situation she was partaking in.
After all, crossing the line into the human world was in itself an action strictly prohibited for a mermaid such as her, but even more so for the princess that she was.
It was a “line” that was etched in her mind since she was young– since she and her brother had been taken in by the King. It was a reminder she got often, every waking day and every moonlit night: “an uncrossable border”. It was a warning from a past she knew all too well, a tormenting experience that still indubitably plagued her sweet heart.
But, unlike her brother and dear father – whose hearts had been pricked with spiky thorns of immense hurt and insecurity, and choked with tight vines of memory and mourning – she had decided long ago to let go of that past, and bathe in clear waters of a new day.
She had felt pressure in the same oppressive castle walls, swimming aimlessly in the same halls every single unchanging day. She had felt a spark in her, which she well knew couldn’t have borne a bright flame if she had stayed in those familiar and eternal waters.
So, she eventually made her choice to sneak out of the kingdom, away from that oppression. Under the dark veil of night, away from the sneaky and attentive gaze of all the patrolling royal guards, she swam away from her bordered kingdom for the first time, and she felt like a whole new world had opened itself right in front of her teal eyes.
Since that first swim, she couldn’t bring herself to stop. Some would call it a mere addiction to the adrenaline, to the risk, and to the unknown. She called it – plain and simple – freedom.
Her free swims eventually turned into exhilarating running. The soft sand eventually turned into prickly grass. Her world came to welcome not only merfolk, but humans as well, for with the power left behind to her by her mother – the power of the Harmony – she could turn her beautiful, colorful tail into two slender and lithe legs.
The usage of this power – this Harmony – she kept a deep secret, especially from her strict father, Gopher Wood. Had he known that the gift bestowed on her by her dear mother and friend to Gopher Wood, would be used in such an unforgiving way – to walk the world of the humans – she would be locked in the deepest depth of the ocean kingdom’s dungeons before she could even so much as utter a note of plead.
Therefore, she quenched her thirst for freedom, but never crossed too many boundaries, lest she let anything slip into the light. She maintained a perfect balance.
Which is why she was so horrified once she returned home after her two-week-long trip (which she excused as a simple vacation with her friend within, of course, the castle walls), and saw her father awaiting in her room. His dark blue gaze befell on her immediately, and she couldn’t help but not meet those angry eyes, instead trying to find comfort in her brother, who was standing right beside their father.
Her sweet brother, Sunday, was standing in perfect posture right next to the looming and mysterious threat that was Gopher Wood; poised in perfection, and face flawlessly stoic. Yet the hands clasped behind his back jittered in anxiety, which gave away his true feelings about the situation Robin had found herself in.
“Hello, father…” Robin began, painting a soft smile on her delicate features.
Gopher Wood always voiced how beautiful Robin’s smile was, perfect for a singer and idol such as her, as her natural beauty most definitely touched the hearts of many merfolk in their kingdom. Her talent for singing was no less impressive; a talent Gopher Wood described as too underrated for the deep seas, and, in reality, fit for the high heavens way above!
“My sweet child, hello. How are you feeling?” Gopher Wood replied easily, leisurely swimming towards his younger child.
This simple conversation perplexed Robin, but did not allow her emotion to give way into her facial features. Instead, she bowed slightly, and let her body relax even further.
“I’m quite alright. The vacation was much needed! I only realized how much I had overworked myself after I had finally found rest at my friend’s house!” Robin giggled, roughly continuing the small talk. Her father rarely welcomed her back from her excursions, too busy ruling a kingdom as huge as the ocean’s to have time for such insignificant matters.
Robin never thought of him as a bad father, but he was most definitely a better king. Nevertheless, in spite of her deep nerves, she let him do as he pleased today. Maybe he felt some remorse for neglecting his children for his royal duties, or, simply, he had more free time today.
Sunday looked at her with tension and urgency, and Robin realized that, perhaps, she had said something wrong after all.
Gopher Wood, yet, continued talking: “That’s very nice to hear. It’s no lie that you worked hard these past few months; I remember looking over your schedule, packed with back-to-back concerts…”
Gopher Wood abruptly stopped speaking, yet his gaze looked menacing and tense. His lips tightened, and Robin knew he had not yet ceased talking, so she remained silent. The King swam leisurely behind her, finally lifting his heavy gaze from off her taut body.
“Your exhaustion must have been immense, no doubt, for today, for the first time since your career debut, you completely skipped a performance. Or, was it unintentional, and you just… forgot?”
Finally, the knot that was holding rigidly in her stomach for the past two weeks had come undone, and her insides felt flaky, shaky, like a swarm of bees had managed to invade her sternum. Her underlying anxiety wasn’t caused by her risky endeavor to the human realm, no. She herself may have let it slip from her conscious mind, but a deep part of her brain had not completely forgotten about the grand performance that had been scheduled for her weeks ago. A magnificent concert that was meant to take place inside the royal halls, as a commemoration of her father, the King of Penacony. After all, today was also the anniversary of his coronation.
She’s unable to comprehend how she had come to forget not only the planned concert, but the entire anniversary. She cursed herself silently in words that her family undoubtedly wouldn’t understand, as she had picked them up during her interactions with the humans, and sucked in a deep breath that rattled her already shaky heart.
“The truth is, my King, that I was incredibly exhausted from the trip back home. I’m incredibly sorry I couldn’t make it early enough. If I can make it up to you by rescheduling my performance in your honor, it would make me very happy.” Robin started politely, speaking in a way that was fit for a king of his stature. She didn’t dare to look back at him as she spoke her sentences. Fear was not what was plaguing her; her hesitation and cautiousness were merely an act to protect her prized secret.
However, she then reorganized her thoughts, and released her tongue in order to speak in a manner now fit for a father: “I’m sorry, father. I really am…” She finally turned back to look at him, bubbles popping up around her and caressing her rosy cheeks as they ascended and eventually lost air.
“I’m not sure what came over me. I’m very attentive, you know this. How can I, as your dear family, make it up to you both?” Robin continued her soft words, pleading silently to her father and brother.
Sunday directed her a soft gaze and a small smile. His eyes had not once left her person since she had entered the room, and she was grateful internally for his love and protectiveness. The latter trait was one she had opposing feelings for, but in instances regarding their father’s strict attitude, it was what she needed to feel safe and secure.
But silent gestures were all he dared give her, for around their father, he was tenser than a clam birthing a pearl. Robin never quite understood her brother’s relationship with their adoptive father. She never failed to notice Sunday’s coldness and rigidness whenever he so much as felt the presence of the King – as if he had been dropped in freezing cold waters. However, they also seemed to share one mind – her brother often repeating Gopher Wood’s monologues about the security of their kingdom and the “evil” that “plagued” the human world above them.
She let go of her running thoughts the moment her father turned back around and cast a soft glance at her. She wasn’t foolish enough to let her guard down, but she felt all the muscles in her body unclench when she was finally met with loving eyes.
“I understand, my child. There’s no need to go to such lengths for me. Your rest is far more important than something as orthodox as this yearly ceremony. We still celebrated adequately, so there’s no need to panic,” Gopher Wood brought up his right hand, rough and calloused by the constant hold of his imposing trident, and caressed Robin’s head gently, like any parent would do to their child, yet an action Robin wasn’t that familiar with, in reality.
“As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.” Gopher Wood finished, and he slowly dropped his hand from her soft hair, taking a last mysterious glance toward Sunday, and making his final exit with a silent goodnight toward both his children.
Robin waited long in her place, patiently letting the sound of her father’s strong tail swimming away gradually die, before she swiftly turned to her brother. His shoulders had also untensed – an action minuscule, but one that Robin, who knew her brother incredibly well, easily noticed.
“Are you done with your duties?” She cut to the chase, eyes sparkling brightly when he replied to her with a silent nod and a curious cock of his head.
At his answer, she immediately swam past him and out her window, knowing that, due to the special day, the guards would be a lot laxer, the town livelier, and, therefore, her escape easier.
“Robin! Where are you going!?” Sunday immediately followed after her, eyes wide in shock at her actions. Just now, she had tested her luck with their father, but it seems she wasn’t done playing with fire. Sunday never quite understood her love for breaking the rules.
A shiver ran down his spine when he recalled his father’s cold face and clenched fists as they both awaited Robin’s inevitable return. The confrontation went a lot better than Sunday had expected – despite not quite believing that their father had gotten fooled by Robin’s excuses. However, as long as he didn’t punish her, he would accept anything graciously.
Robin didn’t reply to him. Quite the opposite; she shushed him as she continued forth on her way, and Sunday’s eyes just managed to bulge more at her perplexing antics.
His little sister swam with conviction and familiarity, and hesitated not when she crossed past the kingdom’s grand coral walls. Sunday couldn’t help himself but stop for a moment, before he also crossed that line and continued to urgently swim behind her, not wanting to leave her alone again.
“Was your two-week… “vacation” not enough for you!?” Sunday silently spoke to her when he finally reached her side, scared of any prying ears that could potentially catch onto Robin’s misdemeanors. Sunday didn’t approve of her dangerous behavior, but he would be damned if he allowed her to get caught all because of his miscare.
“Of course it wasn’t!” Robin simply replied, eyes never losing their sparkle, their bright life. Her tail swayed happily, making her swimming winding, as she drowned the urge to start outright dancing in the open waters they had found themselves in.
Surrounded by beautiful, bright corals, whose vibrant colors contrasted greatly in the dark night waters, almost as big as the imposing kingdom walls, and a variety of sea life, the two siblings kept moving forward toward a direction only one of them knew.
“Today is a special day for the humans, too! There’s no way I’ll miss it!” Robin finally began to provide explanations, yet they only struck Sunday with more worry than reassurance.
He learned long ago about Robin’s usage of their mother’s gift; how she had decided to grow legs and venture into the world of the humans, thanks to the graceful power of the Harmony that only he and Robin could truly handle. He remembered his words and warnings, trying to convince her to cease her dangerous and foolish actions, and stay where they were safe: in the hands of their father and kingdom.
In Penacony – encompassed by the grand and strong walls, in accordance with their laws, under his power and watchful gaze, surrounded by familiar sights and people – Sunday only knew safety. After all, this was his home, the kingdom he would one day inherit as the rightful heir to the throne. From the very beginning, he had felt love inside these warm waters (from his dear late mother); he had felt safety and balance inside the familiar castle halls (thanks to his dear adoptive father).
He couldn’t begin to understand how Robin could so confidently let go of all these values, of all these privileges, just to experience something as filthy and low as humanity.
“What could be more important than the celebration in the honor of your own father?” Sunday kept bombarding her with questions, unwilling to hide the disdain in his voice. He didn’t mean to look down on her actions, but he needed to make his disapproval crystal clear.
“Oh, please, we celebrate his coronation the same way every year! This is something entirely new! And, it truly did slip my mind; I wasn’t lying…” Robin smiled cheekily, a hint of embarrassment lacing her soft voice.
Sunday just shook his head, knowing there would be no ground on which they could meet in this, and he just kept swimming. He couldn’t shake his unease as he swam through the unfamiliar waters, unconsciously seeking to stay close to his sister. If anyone were to ask, he’d say he’s choosing to stay close in order to protect her better, but reality wasn’t quite the same, and his jittery eyes betrayed his true feelings. He was inclined to summon his golden cherubs – creatures of the Harmony he could command – but just as that thought passed through his mind, he stopped in his tracks.
Amongst the dark waters, where the lune’s shine could barely reach, Sunday’s eyes finally landed on a massive obstruction right above their very heads. He shrank back in fear as he recognized the very human ship Robin had led them right to.
And if that wasn’t enough- “Yes! This must be the Royal Yacht!”
Royal… what?
“Robin, what!?” Sunday felt his tail spasm beneath him frantically, and his heart almost shattered right through his ribcage as he watched his dear little sister swim right toward that very big, very human, and very royal ship.
He didn’t hesitate to swim right up to her and firmly grasp her bicep, minding her golden arm bracelets so as not to bruise her. He held her back, and swiftly turned her to look at him straight in his stern and displeased eyes.
“Do you even understand that what you’re doing is dangerous? Do not go near that ship!” Sunday commanded, though his voice faltered at his last words. He loved his sister deeply, which is why, despite not wanting to dictate her actions, he couldn’t let her put herself in such grave peril.
“But Sunday, that’s what you don’t try to understand- neither you nor father,” Robin pulled her arm away from her brother, but otherwise stayed close to him. She was neither mad nor upset about his previous gesture; she knew where he was coming from: a place of love.
But long ago had she come to the conclusion that this love – the one taught to them and integrated in them by their father, their King – was, in reality, a cage. She wouldn’t let herself fall into it like her brother had.
She never voiced all of these thoughts of hers, lest she anger her King or overwhelm her older brother. At the end of the day, they both had good intentions; she could never condemn them for their way of protection, even if she found it overbearing and oppressive.
“I’ve walked with these humans. I’ve talked to them, listened to them, laughed with them… They aren’t bad people.” Robin tried to persuade Sunday further, wanting to bring him to her side through her own experiences, through the things she herself saw with her own two eyes.
“You only did that via means of deception and lies. If they were to actually see you for who you truly are, they wouldn’t even so much as hesitate in doing to you what they did to our mother.” Sunday spat back venom, yet his choice of words betrayed his own worry and fear. He couldn’t utter the horrifying facts of that day, the reason they even came into the attention of Gopher Wood, and were consequently adopted.
Sunday’s posture suddenly changed. He stilled, and his muscles tensed. His long, blue tail stopped swaying in unease, and his spine straightened to perfection. His eyes showed absolutely nothing. “My dear angel, you should fall down from the clouds, finally humbly ground yourself, and realize the two distinct worlds we, merfolk, and they, humans, live in.”
Robin immediately knew those were not her brother’s words, but merely repetitions of Gopher Wood’s intense, systematic lessons. She often skipped those in her youth thanks to her musical practice and scheduled tours, but she still managed to hear every single flawed word through her dear brother.
She pursed her lips, and when she otherwise would leave it be and turn her back, this time, under the big shadow of the royal ship, she opened her mouth: “You see life as a running river, with no exits or turns, where everything leads back to this lovely ocean of yours- no, right inside Penacony’s cold embrace. I see it as a plethora of gateways, some leading to the depths of the blue sea, others to the sandy shore, others up high in the tall mountains, and others further than the eye can reach…”
She wasn’t sure how else to continue her message. She never liked going head-to-head with her brother. Ever since their mother’s death, they were inseparable, and while she knew something as simple as a fight wouldn’t cut the strong rope that bound them, she still never found pleasure in shaking their ground.
Sunday took her words in carefully. A part of him wanted to dismiss her thoughts as mere foolishness and romanticism, like his father always did – another part of him wanted to hug her, apologize, and let her freely convey all her ideas and experiences.
But as Robin had opened so many doors, Sunday, in contrast, had closed many. Now wasn’t the right opportunity to consider opening even one. It’s not cowardice, it’s strategy, it’s safety.
As he was about to suggest they both go back to the castle one final time, with words that scratched his tight throat like hardened sand, loud booming sounds came from up above, and both siblings snapped their heads up immediately.
“It began!” Robin cheered, and eagerly forgot about their argument as she swam closer and closer to the gigantic royal ship.
“What began? Robin?” Sunday followed right behind, swimming upwards despite the chills that action sent down his spine and right through the length of his tail.
Robin clung to the hull of the ship, absentmindedly popping off some barnacles that had stuck themselves on it as she answered in renewed excitement,
“I got word of a special celebration that King Mikhail would be having tonight out at sea! They said they would launch fireworks! I’ve only seen fireworks once before…”
Most of her words got lost to Sunday, as he was too busy being horrified at the mention of this “King Mikhail”, then confused at the mention of these “fireworks”, and then back to horrified at the implication that Robin had been close to such loud and, no doubt, dangerous things in the past!
“Don’t worry, I’m sure they won’t fire off more. I heard that the dog is scared of them!” Robin smiled softly, but, this time, did not ignore her brother’s obvious confusion at the mention of this “dog”.
“It’s some brown, fluffy thing. You’ll understand once you see it.” Robin simply explained, too preoccupied to give coherent and understandable explanations for her words.
Sunday just shook his head, following reluctantly as Robin swam even further up and grappled onto an open window of the ship, peeking her small head right through.
“Be careful!” Sunday hissed, but also squeezed his head in after Robin made him the space.
He could see the open ground floor of the wooden ship. It was clean and tidy, hard and sturdy, definitely appropriately constructed for a king. However, as a dweller between colorful corals, bountiful stones, and rare ores, Sunday was not particularly impressed with the wood. He didn’t fail to notice Robin ran her fingers through the cracks in the dark wooden planks.
Just as he was comparing the different materials the royal mermaid carriages were built from to the firm wood of this human ship, two pairs of footsteps appeared right into the siblings’ view. Robin smiled in excitement, whereas Sunday lowered his head a little, but not enough to shield his shamefully curious eyes.
If father were to find him, he’d be utterly disappointed in him for failing to control such dangerous urges. Yet, he couldn’t peel his eyes away.
Sunday carefully ran his eyes from the figures’ matching black boots (ugly compared to their stunning tails) up to their torsos (covered by ragged and messy clothing, something that made Sunday’s skin crawl as if millions of little crabs were walking right on him), and finally, their faces.
One of them – the most well-groomed one – had short grey hair that framed his masculine and approachable face down to his shoulders quite nicely. His blue eyes, despite looking similar to his father’s, did not radiate a coldness like Gopher Wood’s.
He stopped that thought immediately, and with a reset mindset, he brought his gaze upon the second figure’s face.
A hardened face met him, flawed and hurt by scars of old, yet the lines on his face betrayed a relaxed and maybe kind personality. He had a mess of brown hair, shorter frames on his face, yet longer strands at the back of his neck, but as the tufts swayed in the salty wind, Sunday couldn’t help but think his hair looked quite soft…
And then it hit him as hard as being hit in the chest by an incoming, raging shark.
Brown and fluffy…
‘Is this the dog Robin talked about?’ Sunday’s train of thought came to that solid conclusion, and he didn’t sit on it for much longer before he was preoccupied with the subjects-of-his-curiosity’s next words.
“It’s a waste launching any more. A storm is rapidly approaching…” The man with the grey hair said, and only then did Sunday himself realize that the dark veil that was laid upon them wasn’t solely due to the late time of day, but the thick clouds that were over all of their heads, puffed up and ready.
“Razalina already warned us about how stupid this whole thing would be- it’s why she didn’t come after all. I’m not sure why you chose this time of all times to not listen to her word.” The brown-haired man – the dog, Sunday internally corrected – commented, with his hands stuffed inside his pants’ pockets as he looked onto the grey sky with furled eyebrows. The lines on his face only deepened as the first drops of water fell upon their free skin.
The man beside him merely chuckled, looking at his partner. “You say that as if you’re not standing right next to me in this very moment.”
The dog man turned to meet the other man’s stare, and he reciprocated the smile. “What can I say? I’m a loyal dog.”
Sunday was still quite unsure about what a dog was, but as he watched the grey-haired man puff out an exaggerated sigh, he surmised maybe it wasn’t the most acceptable of descriptions. Yet, taking into account Robin’s simple explanation, he deemed it quite accurate.
Robin poked his shoulder discreetly, and Sunday only spared her a glance before he looked at where she was gesturing: right above them, into the deep, angry clouds.
The two siblings weren’t the only ones who noticed the predicament they had all found themselves in.
“Gallagher, lower the sails, and make sure all lower hatches are closed before you take refuge.” The grey-haired man ordered the dog (Gallagher?), yet the dog did not immediately obey.
“What will you do?” the dog first decided to ask. He was loyal and careful, Sunday could agree on that much for now.
“I’ll just finish off the ship. I won’t take long.” The grey-haired man reassured, and the dog looked at him with eyes as cold and unmoving as stone before he departed, off to complete the duties he had just been given.
From what Sunday knew about navy crews, the grey-haired man giving the orders yet being treated so respectfully was most likely the captain. Therefore, he most likely was also the “King Mikhail” Robin had mentioned earlier.
“Let’s go.” Sunday finally spoke up after so long of silently observing. Robin snapped her head back at him, and before she could ask her brewing question, Sunday beat her to it.
“They aren’t the only ones in danger from the storm. The waters can be challenging to navigate in such conditions. We should make it back before it hits us.” Sunday further explained, and while he knew his argument was solid, Robin still chewed on her bottom lip in worry.
He sighed and looked back into the wooden ship-
Where he accidentally met the eyes of the supposed captain.
The captain’s (king’s) eyes bulged in surprise, which quickly turned into horror as he gave up on whatever rope he was tying and swiftly strode toward the two siblings.
“Hey! Are you-“ Before he could finish his sentence, a booming lightning struck down right at the center of the massive wooden ship, sending the man flying from where he was previously walking. Half of his upper body crumbled over the wooden railing of the ship, and he looked back to meet the eyes of his partner, who had come running after hearing the loud thunder.
“Fuck! Mikhail-“ Sunday didn’t allow himself to listen to any more, as he sank down into the sea and pulled Robin down with him.
“What are you doing!? The ship is going to sink!” Robin argued as she flailed her tail left and right in order to free herself from the strong grip of her older brother.
“Exactly! And we won’t be around for it.” He raised his tone slightly, struggling to persevere above the booming noise of the unwavering lightning strikes. The waves rose around them, and the sea kelp snapped from the natural chaos, as the lower sea creatures swam left and right in utter panic, seeking safe refuge under rocks and in pits of sand.
“No!” Robin only yelled, her voice disorderly and her vocal cords frail. It was the first time Sunday had heard her speak in such a way.
“I won’t stand to be passive!” His little sister continued, and before he could even so much as think of a reply or action, she had swum right into the crumbling planks of the ship, water sizzling as newborn fire met the cold and powerful ocean.
He quickly lost her within the chaos, and he swam in panic around the broken ship, narrowly avoiding being hit.
Sunday knew well that Robin was a tough and resilient woman, capable of many things on her own, and much stronger than he ever was or could ever be. However, seeing the chaos unfolding around him, both due to the natural disaster that was this merciless storm and the destruction of the human ship, he felt his head fill up with fog.
Everything was so disorderly, so chaotic, so unsafe, so unfamiliar, and Robin was completely alone-
His eyes snapped to a burst of bubbles in the deep blue sea, and behind them appeared a body. That of a human.
In this disordered mess, he needed to gain the upper hand somehow. It’s not disobedience if he did it all in the name of retaining Order.
In this vast blue sea, the human was a mere speck of dust that didn’t belong. He, in contrast, was in his element, and he had the mercy of all others.
He just had to choose what to do with that mercy…
Father would advise him to turn back around and leave the human to struggle in vain. His mercy was a gift that only belonged to those like him, not undeserving humans. That’s the natural law of the Sea, in which humans had no place.
Robin, however, had already swam headfirst into the wreckage…
With a deep sigh and a clench of his teeth, he moved forward, and firmly clasped his arms around the dog’s firm chest. He flapped his tail rapidly, struggling to pull such a heavy human against the relentless tide of the stormy ocean.
He didn’t want to think about what his actions meant to him. At this moment, he just moved as if on instinct.
Sunday just kept moving and moving, head split apart in different directions and aching deeply. When he finally reached the shore, he hit his tail with enough force so as to jump out of the water, the human still intact but unconscious in his arms.
The golden sand stuck to his wet body as he carefully laid the human on his back, and tried to catch his breath. He leaned above the man, shaky and distraught at the entirety of tonight.
As his sinful actions replayed rapidly in his mind, he winced painfully and lowered his head in confusion. There was so much to think about: Robin’s safety, his father’s words, his own perplexing and opposing actions, the human that was struggling amidst the specks of golden sand under him…
The merman slowly raised his head back up, taking in the dog’s form. His brown hair was strewn all over the sandy beach; his outfit was messier, as most buttons of his shirt had unlatched, a boot was missing, and his pants had rolled up slightly.
To Sunday, he looked appallingly messy and uncoordinated, yet the tarnished outfit revealed below the expanse of skin the merman couldn’t peel his eyes off of.
Unlike his own scale-filled skin, painted with an ombre of blue to gold, akin to a painting of a magnificent star-packed night, the human skin was plain. The only flaws he could notice were the countless scars he possessed all over his torso and arms.
Very slowly and hesitantly, Sunday brought a hand up to that human torso and delicately traced a long pink scar that rested diagonally across the big span of his chest. With just the tip of his finger, he followed the scar from the very top to the very bottom tip of it. It was raw to the touch, and Sunday wondered how often this man got into trouble to gain so many marks and blemishes. His eyes kept wandering curiously around the human man’s body as he studied each scar his tattered clothing could reveal. Some were so old, they had faded with time and were barely noticeable; others, like the one he had just touched, were newer and more obvious to the distant eye.
He finally took his eyes off of the man’s body, and glanced at the dog man’s face. His face only contained one small mark, a little, healed scar on the right side of his nose, whereas his neck was etched with a variety of old marks Sunday couldn’t even bring himself to decipher.
Therefore, he just stuck to the long-healed injury on his face, but his eyes and mind still managed to wander off into other territory. He thought that the dog man’s battered face looked rough and aged, yet the soft breathing that escaped him as he slept peacefully gave him an aura of quietude that Sunday wasn’t afraid of.
So, he leaned just a bit closer as the dog slept. Sunday wasn’t knowledgeable on how to save someone from drowning; after all, it’s not something he had ever had to worry about. But, from the structured movement of the man’s lungs, Sunday surmised he would be fine. He couldn’t spot any fresh injuries either.
He had made sure the human was fine and had quenched the thirst of his own curious eyes.
Sunday should leave. He should return back to his bedroom in the castle and pretend as if nothing had ever happened tonight.
Eventually, he will come to forget tonight’s events, and the dog’s brown hair, and rough face, and raw scars…
Just as Sunday reached a tentative hand over to the side of the man’s face, eager to trace the healed scar by his nose and feel the prickles of the man’s stubbly jaw for one last time, the dog opened his eyes, and shiny gold clashed with ruby red.
"..."
“…What the-“ before the dog could so much as utter a complete sentence, Sunday had already summoned his golden cherubs, and had taken him out cold (again).
“Thank you…” Sunday muttered as one of his little harmonious companions came to lean on his cheek comfortingly, while the rest curiously flew all around the once more unconscious human.
“Just leave him… We shouldn’t stick around for when he wakes up again.” Sunday ordered, and the cherubs slowly vanished in obedience, but not without sparing one last look at the mysterious human.
The merman also felt himself hesitate. As he slowly scooted over closer to the calmer waters, he turned his head around one last time, sparing a glance at the man he had inappropriately offered mercy to.
With one last heavy sigh, he plunged back down into the dark blue of the ocean, as the human above lay at rest until the early hours of the rosy morning.