He was freezing. His mother had warned him that the northern waters would be cold, but he honestly hadn't expected them to be this chilly.
His mother had come here with hopes of marrying him off to someone of rank here. She expected him to union with someone from this part of the ocean? Would he be expected to live here too? He might be able to get used to it, if he lived here every day, but the thought of doing that just made him feel very depressed.
His entire life he had been treated like an object to be moved around as needed. One of his sisters would take their mother's place and he there to be pretty and show the world just how favored his family was. He knew that his mother had wished he was born a woman, at least then his abilities would have been put to better use that way, and she she treated him less like a thinking person and more like a pawn in her politics.
He had hoped that being in this new place would be strange and exciting. He probably would have enjoyed minute of it if it weren't for the cold. That really was putting a damper on the whole experience of finally being allowed away from his pod's waters.
Finally, he got tired of waiting around in the shelter his mother had picked out for him. Sneaking out had been surprisingly easy, probably because the guards weren't as dutiful here as they were back home. Swimming was bound to be better than staying in his room and waiting around to see if his mother had managed to sell him into marriage yet. At least moving would help him feel less cold.
He knew she'd be angry that he had disobeyed, but even her wrath was better than being locked up.
The pod was excited to have visitors, and frankly Llŷr was as well. It wasn't often they saw other mer and especially not from so far away! He had met a few of them already, but they seemed fairly reserved. Even so, he's pretty sure the elders will break them down with aggressive hospitality soon enough.
There were also talk of some marriage that might be going on, which was even stranger. Was someone marrying into the pod? They just got here, after all! You don't marry someone you just met.
Right?
Swimming over the nearby reef to a more open flatland of deep water, Llŷr was mostly just getting some exercise and enjoying the freedom of the sea when he spotted the moon.
The moon was under the sea? No, that was another mer. (Obviously the moon couldn't be down here!) He shakes his head and swims a bit closer, wondering if this one was part of the visiting pod. The other mer's tail was radiant and so unlike any other he had seen before. It was more similar to his own green shimmer, out of place in cold water.
...but his was because of his mixed blood. Was this mer also a siren?
"Hello?" he says, raising a webbed hand in greeting.
"It's nobody's hunting ground, you're fine." He swims around the other mer in a playful way, flicking his tailfin to show off the shimmering scales.
He can't quite help the grin when the new visitor spoke about how cold it was. Llŷr nods and gestures to the open flats. "It's colder here than in the reef. I know where there's a few volcanic vents, too, if it all gets too cold."
Moving up closer, he gently touches Mahina's shoulder in a more official greeting. "I'm Llŷr. You're with the visiting pod, right?"
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His mother had come here with hopes of marrying him off to someone of rank here. She expected him to union with someone from this part of the ocean? Would he be expected to live here too? He might be able to get used to it, if he lived here every day, but the thought of doing that just made him feel very depressed.
His entire life he had been treated like an object to be moved around as needed. One of his sisters would take their mother's place and he there to be pretty and show the world just how favored his family was. He knew that his mother had wished he was born a woman, at least then his abilities would have been put to better use that way, and she she treated him less like a thinking person and more like a pawn in her politics.
He had hoped that being in this new place would be strange and exciting. He probably would have enjoyed minute of it if it weren't for the cold. That really was putting a damper on the whole experience of finally being allowed away from his pod's waters.
Finally, he got tired of waiting around in the shelter his mother had picked out for him. Sneaking out had been surprisingly easy, probably because the guards weren't as dutiful here as they were back home. Swimming was bound to be better than staying in his room and waiting around to see if his mother had managed to sell him into marriage yet. At least moving would help him feel less cold.
He knew she'd be angry that he had disobeyed, but even her wrath was better than being locked up.
no subject
There were also talk of some marriage that might be going on, which was even stranger. Was someone marrying into the pod? They just got here, after all! You don't marry someone you just met.
Right?
Swimming over the nearby reef to a more open flatland of deep water, Llŷr was mostly just getting some exercise and enjoying the freedom of the sea when he spotted the moon.
The moon was under the sea? No, that was another mer. (Obviously the moon couldn't be down here!) He shakes his head and swims a bit closer, wondering if this one was part of the visiting pod. The other mer's tail was radiant and so unlike any other he had seen before. It was more similar to his own green shimmer, out of place in cold water.
...but his was because of his mixed blood. Was this mer also a siren?
"Hello?" he says, raising a webbed hand in greeting.
no subject
"I hope I'm not intruding. I was having trouble getting used to the cold, so I thought I'd move my tail and see if that helped."
no subject
He can't quite help the grin when the new visitor spoke about how cold it was. Llŷr nods and gestures to the open flats. "It's colder here than in the reef. I know where there's a few volcanic vents, too, if it all gets too cold."
Moving up closer, he gently touches Mahina's shoulder in a more official greeting. "I'm Llŷr. You're with the visiting pod, right?"