Captivity (RPG)

[Echoflight]

(OHMYGOD LIKE I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I'VE STARTED A POST, NOT FINISHED IT, AND RETURNED TO FIND TWO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE POSTED OMFG)

(OK i'm chilled now)

Jinta blinked open her eyes in surprise as commotion broke out, sending disturbance through the water, and she winced, more irritated than in pain as she held a hand a couple inches from her side.

As her blurry vision cleared, she widened her brown eyes in shock. The younger female had jumped into the water. Surely she was afraid? This thought was established even more harshly as Allure swam in between Jinta and the human, hissing.

Confused by the commotion--she had always lead a rather simple life--she found herself comforted in slight by both Coral and Allure's presence. At Coral's words, she frowned at the female, but retreated a bit in panic, curling her fingers and pressing her hands back towards her shoulders. At a tapping on the glass, she cringed, trying not to breathe too heavily.

"Are you sure?" she murmured to Coral. "I don't... She couldn't... The male, what about... What's he doing?"

[Nightsong]

(I'm adding another character because I just want to RP with him soo badly. His bio has been added to the first post, though I didn't give away his backstory. As far as getting captured goes, he was just getting a bit too close. On another note, Echo, your sig is incredibly outdated, as the picture I made for you hasn't been on your profile in forever.)

Allure looked up again at the male human who had returned. She saw the...whatever the humans called it, the thing that they lay other humans on to get them to safety. She was very unfamiliar with the subject of exactly what it was, however. He had several other items she couldn't make out with him as well. She nodded upwards, motioning that she would check it out. Her head popped above the water. The man seemed to be a little pleased by this reaction, though he was still nervous. There was water starting to appear on him...Allure was fairly certain that humans didn't do that often.

"Her...on...stretcher...heal..." these were mentally filed as most important words. Allure could see what he was trying to say, for the most part. At this point it was their best option to trust them, Jinta seemed to not be getting better. Maybe they didn't have much of a choice.

***

Tristan was still deciding whether it would be better for the mer to be sedated while they took her to the temporary examination tank. If breathing out of water was painful for her, even when it was only a short time, it would be better. She wouldn't be able to feel the pain, and he breathing would be slower and more even. He was seriously hoping that was the same as humans.

"I need to put her on the stretcher, so we can heal her," he tried to say, hoping that the mer could understand him well enough to see he wanted to help.

***

The violet mer remained hidden in a cave at the very edge of the tank, yellow eyes and markings glowing slightly in the darkness. He vaguely remembered a time where that didn't happen, though it was hazy and he had passed it off as nothing more than a dream, or something of the like. He knew he was unique, though. None of his family shared the jagged stripes on his tail, nor the lighting markings. None of them had a hint of yellow on them, either. They always gave him a look of sadness and grief whenever they caught sight of it, yet never told the mer why.

He had long since decided it would be best they didn't know they glowed. He didn't want them to feel even worse. The violet mer peered out cautiously, afraid to approach any of the others, especially not with the strange human around. He found himself rubbing the shard of glass on his necklace, something he had developed a habit of doing while anxious. The edges had been smoothed, and a charm had been placed on it so it never broke. The shard of glass that caused his muteness was the thing that often comforted him now. It was odd, yet the mer still loved the smooth feeling of the glass.

Something was happening. Something tense. The violet mer could feel the tension in the water like crackling electricity. He always seemed to have a strange connection with storms, though still, never knew why.

The mer waited for something else to happen, hoping the glowing yellow markings on his ribbon fins, lightning marks and eyes didn't give him away.

[Echoflight]

(lol. I know. i keep seeing it and smacking myself but never get around to updating it. I will *probably* do that right after posting this. as for your other character, can't wait to meet him!)

Seeing Allure swim to the surface to meet the male, Jinta followed her, lifting her head out of the water cautiously for a second time. "What's he saying?" she said urgently to Allure, wanting to get this commotion done and over with. "What's that white-sheet for?"

(unbearably lazy. yikes.)

[Nightsong]

(Don't talk to me about being lazy when Frosty still hasn't replied to the "Morning Hunt" thread. I haven't had any Frosty muse. At all. D:)

"I think you need to lay on it so they can get you some healers to help," she whispered, even though she knew the human couldn't understand them. "You're going to need to just lie there for a bit while they take you somewhere else. Do you have any idea what your injury is exactly? It might help."

***

Well at least they were talking about...Tristan couldn't say he knew exactly what, but he was willing to bet they were talking about him. More specifically, what he wanted to do. He leaned back a bit, patiently waiting their decision. If the mer wasn't concerned enough about her injuries, perhaps they weren't as bad as Tristan had been led to believe. Even so, most the the other mers seemed more protective of her. Perhaps it was due to the fact she was the youngest seeming mer?

Wait. No she wasn't. Tristan smacked himself in the face. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about the mer who seemed to be the youngest, who was male. He had seemed to be hiding ever since being placed in the tank, however. Perhaps he should make sure the violet merman was still there...

"Have you seen another me, perhaps? A purple one?"

***

Something else was going on. The violet mer didn't move, though he had a nagging suspicion he was going to be discovered pretty soon. The man was pointing in his general direction. Of all places, he really didn't want to be singled out when the female mers seemed more hostile than usual. He wasn't a fighter. His wispy were meant to attract prey, not slice it. And while he did have fangs and claws, it wouldn't be enough. He was too small and young to be able to hold his ground for long.

The mer retreated as deep back into the cave as he could, though the darker it got the brighter the yellow marks glowed. If he had a vocal abilities left, he might have been murmuring that they could hopefully go away. He was lost, and admittedly afraid. He didn't want to be seen like this, or taken as a threat either. At the moment, his options seemed limited, however.

[Echoflight]

(XD true. i'd almost forgotten about that thread. we're so bad. D:)

"um... Okay," Jinta stammered, pushing herself closer to the male. "How do I... Get in?" she asked, but she directed this question mostly towards the two-tail.

Registering Allure's question, she glanced over her shoulder to the scarlet mer. "My--my side. When the first two-tails--um, I..." She trailed off, not quite knowing how to explain, she gestured weakly towards her ribcage, and dipped her head underwater, taking a deep breath before resurfacing and eyeing the human warily. She extended a hand, then pulled it back again, then pushed it out, carefully. It wasn't close enough for him to reach, which she knew, nervously looking at the white-sheet.

Her rib ached, and it gave a little throb as she took a shuddery breath. She closed her eyes tight for a second and a half, and approached the male.

(mebbe jinta and violet mer(haven't looked up his name yet) can have a relationship instead of jinta/trsitan. it'd make more sense anyhow. though i do love human/mer pairings. thoughts?)

[Petalfur]

    At Tristan's pointing, Chloe swam to the surface. She nodded to her instructor and dipped back under, signing to a female further out. Find purple and yellow mer she signed, then broke the surface again, pulling the goggles away and breathing in deeply. The Mers seemed to be in tense communication, and knew it would be a challenge to get the injured one out of the water. Then an idea struck.
    Chloe turned to the one that seemed to be most comfortable with communicating, and signed simply, I'll help her get on. Tell her I will help her up. Then, slowly moving towards the edge where the staircase that Tristan was on, Chloe held out her hands so she could lift the mer out.

***

    Purple.. yellow mer. Purple and yellow mer? Coral frowned, but swam away toward  rocks that the male was pointing to. "Um, hello?" She called into the caves. "Can I come in? The humans want to know if a purple and yellow mer is here and alright, soo..."

(HE'S MY MAN!! JK if he comes up then maybe )

[Nightsong]

(Guys, read his bio. He is 14. He's too young for that, in my opinion. That and right now he isn't interested that much. You all can't fight over Tristan, either, since he is a bit too old, at least for Jinta. Make some dude characters if you want more romance xD)

Allure nodded to Chloe reluctantly, turning to Jinta. "They're going to carry you out and onto the...stretcher, I think that's what it's called. Be careful," Allure explained, leaving her stance in front of Jinta so she could get closer, though she stayed near the moon mer.

***

Tristan looked back at Chloe who had come out of the water. After making sure his hands and arms were wet, in case dry hands harmed the scales of a mer, like those of a fish, Tristan held them out so that the moon mer could grab them and he and Chloe could hoist her onto the stretcher. He kept the soaking towels on standby to make sure the mer was still wet while being transported. The only question was whether they would trust them or not.

***

Shard found himself pressing up against the back of the cave as he spotted a mer approaching. He wasn't sure if these were hostile towards others, but wasn't willing to risk it. She wasn't able to see his glowing eyes, or the glowing yellow markings and ribbon fins, which was a relief, but she was still directly in front of him. The violet mer felt the rocks pushing into his back, putting pressure on him from all sides. He relaxed a bit as the mer took to calling and speech as opposed to defense however. The nervous expression faded from his face a bit, though he remained visibly  wary.

He knew he wouldn't be able to call out in a response. He had been unable to speak since he was a guppy. He found himself internally debating whether to reveal his presence or not. Cautiously, he crept out of the cave, pushing against the rocks using his hands to swim slowly and close to the ground.

Eventually he showed his face, his short-ish brown hair swirling a bit as he stopped in front of the mer, a wary expression still planted on his face. The young mer's yellow eyes were wide as he waited for any hostile movement.

[Echoflight]

(yeah, you're right. i read Shard's bio shortly after that post. ne-er mind. and i'm gonna make a human character, but he's kind of a greedy jerk so i'm not sure y'all want some of that. Nightsong, may I have permission for my coming-soon-human-character to speak small amounts of Mer from reading mythology books and such?)

"Okay," Jinta breatehed to Allure. "Thanks."

With jerky movements, Jinta held out a hand to the male, her brown eyes slitted and tense. His hand was easily larger than her own. and she glanced sideways to the female, also with a hand extended, shaking her head and closing her eyes, she allowed her hand to fall into his. It wasn't as dry as she would have thought, and warmer too. Her own hand was cold from the water all day and soft, and the hardness of his skin was both reassuring and... terrifying.

She gritted her teeth and set her eyes in a hopefully cool manner and waited for death to happen.

(i had no idea how to do this. thus... this.)

[Petalfur]

    Chloe nodded. "One, two, three!" On three, Chloe hoisted the Mer upwards, trying to lift her towards Tristan, who seemed to be holding the mer's hands to help her.

***

    Coral twitched as she heard the swish of water and a tail against rock. Her senses were zoned and enhanced after living among caves, so she could detect a lot. Moving slightly to the side, she allowed a beam of light to trickle into the the cave, and flexed her fingers as she noticed a gleam of the reflection. "I know you're in here," she said, moving forward but keeping her gaze off the mer so she wouldn't startle it. "I don't want to hurt you. Just talk and make sure your alright, or else the two-fins will scour this place until they find you."

[Nightsong]

(I'm thinking this post is just gonna be Shard, the others don't have too much to do.)

Shard came forward even more. He had been pretty sure that he was visible, but even while he was glowing the mer couldn't see him. Weird. ""I don't want to hurt you. Just talk and make sure your alright, or else the two-fins will scour this place until they find you." He couldn't talk. Verbal language would have to do.

He floated completely out of the cave and waved his hand in front of Coral's face, trying to show her he had been right there the whole time, his face now slightly annoyed as opposed to wary. He gave her a gesture that basically said, "What?" It wasn't official, or any type of sign language, but it was the best the violet mer could do.

[Petalfur]

    Coral jumped slightly. She must have been so deeply lost in thought that she hadn't noticed him. When she looked forward again, the mer - a male, obviously - was floating in front of her. Coral cocked her head slightly when he made gestured with his hands and made out his sign. "Well, I was sent by one of the humans over there," Coral replied, pointing to the female that was helping Jinta up. "She's not all that bad, I think." Returning her gaze to the male, she said, "So, if you don't mind my asking, what's your name? And why can't you speak?"

[Nightsong]

He looked up again, having realized that the humans were now helping the Moon Mer out of the water and onto...whatever the thing was. He hadn't known she was hurt before now, and after he learned she was hurt, his face turned to that of worry for a second. He looked back at Coral as she spoke again.

This next part was practically rehearsed. While he knew he used to have a real name, after the accident he wasn't able to say it anymore. He ended up with the name Shard, because of the shard of glass that made him mute, and that it hung around his neck now. If somebody asked him his name, he pointed at it and waited for them to guess correctly. It usually took a few tries, but eventually they got it.

He pointed to the glass on his necklace for the first question, then lifted it up and held it against his neck, while making a slicing motion with it over the horizontal scar on his neck. He then dropped the shard and pointed to the scar, with a small smile, showing her that he didn't mind her asking and that it was okay.

[Petalfur]

    Coral watched with interest as the Mer tried to communicate. She had to think for several moments.. Glass, Piece, Broken, Sharp, But soon settled with Shard. Coral smiled again as he explained his injury smoothly. She Shook her head slightly, frowning at the cut across his neck. "I'm sorry that happened," Coral finally said. "But, If you want I can teach you this language that some humans and a handful of mers know, and that can be how you communicate? I can translate or something for you. It's just a suggestion." She felt her cheeks warm at the thought of her embarrassment, but tried to keep her neutrality.

[Echoflight]

(imma do something in here might count as powerplaying. i don't think so--mostly just gravity--or maybe this isn't how you envisioned the tank, Night, so just tell me and i'll edit it.)

The female two-tail was helping her up, too, and Jinta bit her lip hard, folding her top lip over so that no teeth showed and pressing her eyebrows together in a manner of distress. She couldn't help but twist a little on instinct, stupidly so--her side hit the edge of the platform where the male two-tail stood as to not be in the water.

She gave a guttural cry, unlike her normally airy tones, and as soon as she was completely away from the water, she went completely limp, curling on her side, cradling her rib. Surely something was broken.

Away from the water, the cold, sterile air of the human containment hit hard, and she attempted to lift her tail, then dropped it abruptly, shocked at the heaviness of the air and the difficulty with which it was to move. Air must be much heavier than water, she thought, pursing her lips and blinking.

. . .

Dr. Wilder had been away looking at charts while this whole commotion with the Moon Mer had been going on, but as he returned a look of shock spread across his face. He immediately sprinted up to the tank platform next to Dr. Davenport.

"What's going on? Are we removing them already? Is this for testing?" he intoned loudly in his fidgety, middle-toned voice. He paid no heed to the stretcher--that must only be a method of transportation, must it not? The wet towels were self-explanatory, but he frowned at the mer's position.

"Goodness gracious, is she injured already?"

Reflecting, the use of the term already may or may not have been useful, and he rolled his eyes at himself, waiting lazily for the doctor's reply and eyeing the beached mer with an expert's eye. She looked more like the mers from Disney movies--a jeweled marine top and a silver-blue top, no other fins of strange sort. That kind he held in disregard--they were closer to human, and so then, in his opinion, useless pretenders.

The others he studied more closely--the scarlet one for instance, with her ear-fins. She looked tough--definitely difficult to handle if one tried. In no manner could she serve as any purpose to his intents. But she fascinated him all the same--though not as brutal as the mers of myth, her fang-and-claw demeanor he felt more feral, more deserving of scientific study.

The others--he'd been told there were several--were not visible from his viewpoint--but a green smear and an object that might yet be one. They must be hiding.

Just like animals.

(okay, probably not powerplaying, but imma leave that there anyway because i like using the word imma.)[/i]

[Nightsong]

Allure hissed at the newcomer, having not seen him before. She didn't like the way he was observing her. She winced as Jinta flailed, though knew she was unable to help the mer. While she could breathe oxygen completely fine, others weren't as lucky, and all she could do was watch.

***

Tristan let out a grunt as he pulled the mer out of the water. The fact that she was moving was not very helpful. He put the mer on the stretcher as quickly as possible, placing wet towels in an attempt to keep her wet as she was transported to the other room. As Dr. Wilder came up, however, a frown was apparent on his face. He didn't really like the man.

"Would you shut up and help already?"

***

Shard shook his head. He didn't really need help communicating, and even if he did, doing it through a human language wasn't all the appealing. He looked up again, his mouth open in a silent gasp. The humans had just pulled one of the mers out of the water. He pointed to the humans, a concerned expression on his face, trying to ask if it was safe to show himself, though he had long forgotten how to simply mouth the words. To try and show what he wanted to say he swam upwards a bit, pointing, then came back, with a look on his face showing he was unsure.