Chapter 76: Gain And Loss
The surface explodes from the outside as Merrick sinks, holding Arnaav close in his arms. His body changes as his flesh formed into an array of beautiful blue and silver scales, along with wavering fins along his tail. Arnaav holds onto Merrick as his body breaks out in velvet fuzz of cream and mocha colors.
The boy peers around him with tired eyes, barely able to keep himself up from his dreary fatigue as the many air bubbles rush up and around their bodies. Merrick holds his harpoon to his side while he refastens Arnaav's two knives to his sides.
"Rest, Arnaav..." Merrick mutters.
"Mnn..."
He mounts his harpoon to his back and swims forth. Merrick clenches his eyes as he unlocks a certain, uncomfortable part of his chest connecting to his throat. Merrick swims while sending out strained, echoing signals, sending one forward, turning to his right and calling out, and coughed one out to the left. Signaling for a Capricorn is a lot more tricky than calling other animals. The frequency has to be very precise to a their wavelengths. Mermaids have to sing a fine, elaborate tune to get a Capricorn's attention, while mermen have to adjust to a strained signal.
Sure enough, Merrick detects the distant bleating echo back to him as a sea goat emerges from the ocean's infinity. He carries Arnaav to approaching pair, and straddles in securely together.
"We need to think of a way to fashion saddles for Capricorns." Merrick muttered as the ancient creature turns around, smelling the symbols on Merrick's and Arnaav's flesh, "It'd make these trips a little more suiting."
The Capricorn strokes its large front flippers around, and pulls though the sea with the young males upon its back.
---The Next Day---
Yuri sighs as she wears her casual kimono in the kitchen, "... Hm?" She looks down as she realizes she's stepped on a pencil, before looking to the table at an open notebook. She picks it up, and sees the paper chart of empty squares of Arnaav's hand-made paper note.
Almost all of the squares for the letter 'Ah' have been filled, with half a column of squares empty. While the squares for the letter 'Ii' are only half done, and most of them aren't even completely in the squares.
"Gotta say, have to give him a C- for his penmanship." She commented as she sips her energy drink. She observes the slobby handwriting – the lines and the strokes are really jagged, almost like he was being too hasty with writing each letter.
"Looks like he was trailing off a bit... The 'Ii's aren't even in the boxes..." She mumbled before closing the book, and looked over to the couch – the blanket is open, but Arnaav is gone.
"Huh... He might've went back to the ocean... Oh well." She dismissed with a sigh before putting the notebook back down on the table.
~~~
On the stage, large, glass tubes have been placed strategically here and there in a symmetrical arrangement. Adam walks up in the middle of the stage, walking around some of them, almost running into them several times.
"Is it really necessary to have this many of them for just one performance?" He asked.
"What? They're my new toys!" Jerry said, "These are REALLY going to kick ass for some of our numbers!"
"How much did these things cost anyway?" Adam said as he taps at the base-holders.
"Couple of thousand. Made a huge profit last month."
"And yet you skipped out on giving more hours." Adam mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing." Adam gets back up, "Ready to start rehearsal if you are."
"Ok, lets hit the lights!" Most of the lighting turned off around the club, with only a few sources of light to illuminate around the club, "Music??"
Adam clears his throat as he brings the mic to his mouth. He takes a breath, "~You're in-"
"~I lOVE YOU~" A dull, thick voice with soothing infantile music booms out, "~YOU LOVE ME~" Adam scoffed after he whipped around for a second, "~WE ARE A HAPPY FAMIL-"
"Hey! What the hell!"
"Chloe!! Quit screwing around!" Jerry called out.
"Sorry." Yowled an insincere voice.
"Bitch..." Adam muttered.
"Douche!" Yelled Chloe.
"Saddle-Tramp!"
"Dumbass!"
"Pig!"
"OKAY!" Jerry yelled out, "That's enough, you two. Haha, yak-yak, we got work to do. Chloe, just play the right damn song, please!"
"Sorry! I just saw a big gay dinosaur walk on stage, and I thought we were doing another number for the show." Chloe called out.
"Yeah right, you-" Adam started.
"Adam!!"
Adam snickered as he silenced himself. A pounding melody taps over and over. One glass tube flashes white with a bolt of plasma. Another one lights up with a glimpse of lightning in sync with the upcoming beat. "Looks like the sync-track is working..." Adam observed. He holds the mic up to his mouth.
"~You're in control ~Pressin' pause on my heartbeat ~Someone stole all the air, so I can't speak now~" Adam swerves as he puts a hand to his chest before gesturing, "~I know ~The chase ~Is on ~I feel ~As though ~My time ~Has come~"
"~How many times do I fly through your head space~" Adam's tone rose as he walks deliberately a few steps, "~Now it's speeding away rom the safe place, yeah ~Your skin, ~The touch ~The kiss ~The rush ~Too much ~And here it comes~"
"~When your liiips tooouuch miiiine~" All of the glass columns all light up as electricity dances wildly in them, "~It's the kiiiiss of liiiife~! ~I know~" Adam dances in place with the mic still at his mouth, "~I know that it's a little bit frightening~" Adam walks forward a little, "~We might as well be playing with lightning~"
"~We tooouuch like~" Adam feels his own cheek, "~Like it's our fiiirst tiiime~ Oh oh~! ~I know that it's a little bit frightening~" ~We might as well be playing with lightning ~NooOOOoow ~Oh oh~"
"~Just you and me and the coats in the back room ~Learning things they don't
Teach in the classroom ~Now, you're here ~I feel, the fear ~But evvv~verything ~Is oh ~So clear~"
"~I've been addicted to you since the first hit ~Out of control like a surge of electric~" Adam holds up his arm out, "~When your liiips touch miiine ~It's the kiiiss of liiife ~I know~" Adam pumps his arm as he takes a repeated step-dance on one side of his body, "~I know that it's a little bit frightening ~We might as well be playing with lightning~"
The music comes to a conclusive melody, "~We touch like ~Like it's ooouuur first tiiiime ~Oh oh~" Adam grooves his body as the individual glass tubes flash randomly with the artificial lightning, "~I know that it's a little bit frightening ~We might as well be playing with lightning now~"
"~Oh oh~" The music slows down, and the plasma columns dim to a close as the tune echos the last line. Before Adam can say anything, someone else shouts out from the deserted club.
"YOU SUCK!" Chloe called out amongst the initial silence. "Go blow yourself, asshole!"
Adam slumped over in a sudden cough of laughing, before holding the mic up to his mouth, "I would, but I'm not that flexible."
"Of course you're not, fatass!!"
"Oh shut up, Cow, go home and die, where somebody is actually obligated to like you." Adam retorted.
"Drew! Mimi! Cut it out!" Jerry called out, "We only have an hour to rehearse tonight's numbers!"
"Spoil sport." Adam says.
"Am I the only one with balls in the family, Jerry?!" Chloe called out as Adam walks off the stage.
"Shut up and get dressed, Chloe!" Jerry called back, "Your number is after the next one. Hurry it up and stop picking fights already!!"
Being cousins, Chloe was made to work in Jerry's club might do something about her attitude, but very little has changed in the 4 years she first started at her parents' behest, especially since Adam keeps keeping up with her overwhelming sass. Jerry groans as he rubs his temples, reaching into his pocket to pop a couple of Tums.
~~~
The Capricorn slows down as Merrick can sense a large group of diversity. Merrick smiles as he sees the mighty sea turtle Triton, alongside the lethal-looking lionfish Noita, with their two children beside them. Merrick calls out with a striking signal, almost immediately stopping the pod where they go.
Samudra looks to his side, and sends a herding call to halt the pod. Vanora swims around, and looks onto them, "Ah, Merrick, Arnaav." He said to them. Merrick floats off of the Capricorn, and carries Arnaav to them. "It has been over 24 suns, I confess I was starting to worry a great deal."
"He was stubborn," Merrick replied as he comes to them, "He became more enticed with human society than I had anticipated." Vanora comes to him, and puts her hands onto Arnaav's temples, whom is still sleeping in Merrick's arms. Her soul reads into his aura, and quickly has a feel of his current health.
"Are you insane?!" Vanora declares as she quickly takes Arnaav away from him, "He is in terrible condition! He is almost as weakened as you were when you first joined!"
"I know, b-"
"And he is far younger than you! He cannot stand this sort of abuse to his body like you can!" She ranted like an angry nurse, "You should have forced him to come back! This is not good for someone so young!"
"I understand that, Noita Vanora," Merrick said firmly, "But he was persistent, and I did bring him back before he became worse."
"Pushing him longer is really not wise." Samudra said calmly, "I understand you have found ways of prolonging a stay, but do be more careful as far as Arnaav is concerned."
"Yes." Merrick nods as he begins to turn, "Oh, and when he is perfectly well enough, please send him back to me on the land."
"What??" Vanora and Samudra said at once.
"As often as possible, if you please."
"Why? I am reluctant to let him go back just once." Vanora scorned.
"I believe Arnaav may have found is mate, that is why." Merrick answered.
"His mate??" Samudra inquired, "But he is too young."
"True. But there is a human girl that his almost obsessed with." Merrick said turning back to face them, "I believe when he is of age, and under a Red Moon, they may bond."
"So this human girl lives in your lands then?"
