mermaiding | INBOX @ Cerealia

What is your status?

[aw he's so nice

but no, really, it's out of concern he's texting, he's just...bad at friendly texting.]

'Are you alright, Oona? Was worried about you.'

That is all you have to say. is it so hard? :P

[Who dared teach her emoticons.

But she considers, a moment, how to respond. Physically, mentally, she was pretty okay. Nothing to write home about. Emotionally...]

I am fine. But, I am sad. There was the ocean, Sousei. i saw it. i swam in it. It was like being home again, a little.

And then it was taken again. I do not know how I feel now.

[belatedly, she adds:] What about you?

That's not what I said.

[She's not wrong that that's what he meant, though.

Anyway. Ahem. He thought that something like this would happen to her. To have what she wanted and then be snagged away....]

I'm fine. How did you feel around the ocean? [He's trying to figure out which of her many issues they should be tackling here first, okay...... just. Not subtly.]

[She doesn't know where to even begin...]

pretend you find yourself at home.

It is your home. Every detail is the same at first look. The curtains, the chairs. The little decorations.

but it is not your home.

there are little things. a picture is slightly crooked. a light is pointed a different way.

they are not big differences, yes? Ignorable. But they are there.

It is not your home. It is, but it is not. It could be. Could try and ignore those little things, could make it home again. But you will always know it is not the same.

[She pauses for a long moment again.]

Does that answer make sense?

Yes.

[He's...not very good at comfort. But he believes, more than anything, he's familiar with the feeling of a home that doesn't feel like a home. Of a place that should be right, but isn't.

Of the feeling of being too far away to touch home properly.

And he feels like he has to try.

...]

You are aware that you have more than one home, correct? That place may have been a facsimile of your home, but there is another here that is not a fake.

[with Tenka, and...yes, with him as well. That much, even if not the ocean, will always be her home too. It won't fix the problem, but maybe it will ease it a little.]

[Truthfully, she hadn't. It's not like it's a new concept, but it's the first time the idea has actually been offered and extended to her. A new home.

The idea of establishing a new home, or acknowledging that she certainly has one, is scary. It's something "permanent," almost tangible that can't really be taken back. The idea of "settling" makes her anxious, but even beyond that... Oona can't deny it makes her feel, well, good. It feels good to be told she has a home, that she has people that care about her. It's not a new concept, but it's revolutionary for her to actually realize it and accept it.]

With Tenka, and you. [She'll say it even if he won't and she smiles to herself. She has no idea what 'facsimile' means but she assumes it means 'similar' or...something. Context clues!!]

Yes. I am realizing that now. I did not want to, before. That is, I did not want to think about moving on. It is a scary thing a future and stability. I do not know what to do with those.

[Still doesn't, still getting used to it. Still getting used to a lot of new things.

...She thinks of Adolf and wonders if she should say anything, then decides against it. Sousei isn't the kind of person you go to for relationship advice.]

But thank you. I will remember that. You mean a lot to me, Sousei. Things like this, these reminders, they help.

Did you not see the ocean? [She noticed a lot of people were missing from their little beach episode...]

[That's... a lot more emotion than he wanted to deal with!! Gosh darnit, Oona-- okay, but no, despite Sousei's tsun tendencies, he's not going to deny Oona this. Moving on is a huge step, but he can see her start to recover, to grow, and to become her own person separate from her past. It's a good process.

She needs this, and he's never going to deny her that recovery.]

Then I will continue to remind you as need be. As frightening as it can be, I am not concerned about that. You have never struck me as a coward.

[Even after all of this time--he's sure of that. Oona is not a coward.]

Am not a coward! Completely not.

[But she's glad to hear it, that he recognizes it. Praise from Sousei is rare and she'll look for it where she can when it comes from him.

But she'll change the subject now, because she's curious on what's happened with the others who didn't go to the beach with their little group.]

They split us all up. Smaller groups-- at least, ours' was small. Do you know why? Or where everyone else went?

I am starting to want to learn. I have not paid attention before. I did not care. But now, I have reason to care. So if there are things you know, I want to know too.

[Well then, well then. This is an interesting development. He wasn't expecting to see words like this from Oona, but... it's good, he thinks. It's a sign that she's starting to really embrace the idea of the fact that the world outside of her own viewpoint matters as well, even if only by trying to understand what's going on in this entire mess.

He approves.]

I have no problems with teaching someone who wishes to learn. [He'll tell her whatever she wants, now that it's clear she really wants to know.]

I was also separated into a different group. My group was presumably the group associated with the spirit of "earth", from what I gathered. The others in my group had also been told that they were "hers"; in other words, that spirit who resembled a tree.

It is thus logical to conclude that we were separated into our pertinent elemental groups.

Then those of us at the sea must be water. That would make sense.

Maris said before that I was 'one of his'. So, then, there is fire and also air? There were only four of those people, and only four elements. Unless, the Bridge is another? Hmm, but I do not think so. Perhaps she is, as her name says, something that brings all of them together.

I wonder if they are like gods in this world.

Perhaps. They are some sort of spirit of this world, but beyond that, I can't say.

I believe you are correct about the Bridge. She isn't one of them, but has some other purpose. Her title is explanatory enough at that.

[A pause, and then...he adds on, before he sends:]

Naturally, you would be water. It is the only element that fits.

Of course! [She wouldn't have it any other way! And can't really imagine it going any other way besides. If a mermaid isn't of the water element, the world clearly would've been turned on its head or something.]

You being earth makes sense as well. You are very grounded

[WHO THE FUCK TAUGHT OONA ABOUT PUNS]

[He actually has to doubletake at that text.

What the fuck.

... A beat, and--]

Your grasp on human language has improved quite a bit, if you are making jokes like that. [Good god...should he feel proud or exasperated....]

Either way, yes, I suppose it fits as well as anything. Due to that, we went deeper into the jungle area.

[It's okay, Sousei. Oona's proud enough for the both of them. It takes her a minute or two to respond because she's too busy cackling at her own joke.]

Deeper in? Did you find anything?

[Trees that made them hallucinate their most important people--nah, not that.]

We eventually reached a village of sorts, but it was empty while we were there. There was however a shrine that seemed to be used for sacrifices of some sort.

INBOX @ Cerealia

text; post-jungle event

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