{ o p e n • p o s t }

[estrangedheir]

muselist • here

starters

• CADE (novel OC)
  • he swears he didn’t start the street brawl, man
• ILDA (novel OC)
  • shouting is her best marketing strategy
• SHEIFA (AU!CCS + CRAU)
  • dystopian Earth with no Clow cards and the Lis are badass black market people
  • hi-tech girl stuck in low-tech world, please send help

Comments

[shivvymetimbers]

[Bastien groans mentally once he pulls away. Judging from the look on Cade's face, things are bound to get awkward later but this is neither here or there. He'll deal with the consequences later once he gets Cade to dry land. Thankfully, Bastien is a fast swimmer.

He gently tugs on Cade's arm and gestures for the other to follow. This might be the most surreal moment in poor Cade's life. Swimming side by side with an honest to God mermaid--er, merman. Those turquoise scales seem to glow within these murky depths, almost like a lantern in the dark. Bastien tugs Cade along with a firm but oddly gentle hand, nearly the opposite of how he is on land. He's careful not to pull too hard, worried he might accidentally injure his friend. His strength is amplified two-fold in this form. Pulling Cade along is an easy feat. Hell, the blond feels as light as seaweed to him.

After what felt like a near eternity, Bastien starts to swim upward towards the surface. The long elegant blue fins upon his arms flare out a little once they swim faster and faster towards the light above. His grip upon Cade's arm tightens a little. He doesn't want to lose him to the current.

They reach the surface with a noisy crash. ]

Ah! Cade, c'mere! [He says once he yanks his friend up.] Taste that sweet sea breeze, lad.

[Believe it or not but they're a good several miles away from Port Royal now near an unmanned island. That's how far Bastien swam in just that little bit of time.]

Land, ho!

[estrangedheir]

[ The next couple of minutes has Cade operating on autopilot, his body continuing to move, to work for his survival, while his mind struggles to adapt to the situation, even if it absolutely makes no sense to him. Bastien isn’t human, he’s a frickin’ merman, and actually quite a stunning one at that.

Strong, too. The pirate merman manages to pull the blonde through the current and up to the surface like he weighed nothing. Cade takes a greedy breath once they finally break through, and fortunately manages to stay afloat.

He doesn’t say anything for a while, and just looks from Bastien to the sea to the general direction of Port Royal to the nearby island. Bewildered as hell.

At long last, he collects himself, and turns back to Bastien, his eyes clear. He manages a small grin. ] T-Thank you.

[shivvymetimbers]

[You know, Bastien didn't expect the first words out of Cade's mouth to be a token of gratitude. He almost expected the worst from Cade and for good reason. So when he hears that stuttered 'thank you' from his good friend, Bastien couldn't stop his laughter. Bastien tosses his head back and just laughs merrily at Cade's faint smile. He laughs at the ridiculousness of it all and laughs at the stupid Port Royal guards who undoubtedly think they're dead.

They live to pillage another day. Cade and him are alive and well after dodging nearly two dozen rounds of ammunition and all the likes. Alive and well to live as free as they want without a visit to the gallows. Bastien is most pleased.]

You're welcome! [The cheer in his tone is infectious as he pushes Cade to shore.] More than welcome, lad!

I'm just glad ya not too bruised up.

[estrangedheir]

[ The blonde literally flops face-first into the sand, and stays there, unmoving, for a few seconds. Then he rolls over to lie on his back, and just starts laughing.

Up until it begins to hurt, anyway. Then his laughter is replaced by a strangled sound. ]

Really thought our luck was about to run out back there.

[ Cade focuses on the things he understands. Breaking out of prison, fighting guards, dodging bullets, jumping into the water in desperation. Give him a moment, he‘ll get to the Bastien situation. Eventually. ]

[shivvymetimbers]

Cade? [A hint of worry lingers in his tone once the blond goes silent but once heard the laughter, he calms.] You're not losin' your sanity, are ya?

[Bastien asks as he flops down onto the sand a bit more gracefully in scales and fins still. He lays there for awhile just admiring the beauty of the coast before peeking at Cade again. It's good to see his friend in better spirits now. He almost didn't think they would make it out of that prison alive but they did.]

We're in luck you know. This island is one of my hideaways. [Bastien explains as he wiggles his tail slowly. Those bright blue scales shine like silver in the sunlight.]

There's food and shelter and change of clothes. I purposely came here once before to make it into a little home.

[estrangedheir]

[ Maybe it’ll be easier if Cade did lose his sanity. There will at least be fewer questions. Less awkwardness.

That awkwardness is settling in now. The blonde doesn’t respond; he’s busy staring at Bastien’s, er, tail. He tries to look away, because it’s probably rude, but politeness is honestly not on top of his priority list right now. ]

So... about that...

[ Yes, that. ]

[shivvymetimbers]

[Once the awkwardness settles into silence, Bastien feels that dread from earlier take form once more. He glances away from Cade, unwilling to meet his gaze. For the first time in a long time, Bastien actually feels...nervous.]

Yeah, what about it? [He mutters while idly preening. His hair is a tangled mess after all that.] Cade, you better not be plottin' on tellin' folks about all this.

[His voice is oddly stern now.]

[estrangedheir]

Like anyone would believe me?

[ More of, like he has anyone to tell stuff to. Other than Bastien, he’s not particularly close to anyone. It’s not his strong point. That and he’s also chosen not to get close to anyone.

He finally looks away, sitting up and pretending that there’s something out at sea that caught his attention.

Then: ] ... Are you really...?

[shivvymetimbers]

[A faint grin settles upon his lips as he admires the shoreline. No one would ever believe Cade about this. No one. All tales regarding merfolk are usually quickly dismissed by sailors and pirates alike. There's not a single person who would believe except for one.

One who've seen the truth with his own eyes. Bastien's greatest foe.]

Aye, I am. [He answers plainly without much ceremony. There's no need to drag this out any further.] My mum was a mermaid, lad. One with a sparkling red tail dotted with inky blues. She was..exiled by her people. Exiled for taking a man as a husband, a pirate no less.

[estrangedheir]

[ The fact that Bastien’s taking all this in stride seems to help Cade wrap his head around the idea. Magic and merfolk, eh? He’s never been the type to daydream much, or fear monsters under the bed, but can you really deny the impossible when you’re staring right at it with your own eyes? ]

Huh. I’d thought they’d be beyond politics and all that discrimination nonsense, being mystical and such. [ He turns his head and squints at the pirate. ] Your mother was royalty? Or they just don’t like humans?

[shivvymetimbers]

You would think so.

[Bastien replies quietly as he keeps untangling the knots out his hair. He should cut the damn thing and be done with it. Though, it probably would grow back in less than a month. He sighs.]

A little bit of both but my mother never explicitly said so. It wasn't until I...met one that I begun to understand better.

[He turns to Cade looking oddly melancholy now. They're embarking upon murky waters now.]

Her name was Nerissa.

[estrangedheir]

[ The way Bastien speaks about his mother brings an ache to Cade’s chest. For one, the pirate can’t be making this all up; his melancholy’s too palpable, too real.

And there’s his mother. But he’s not about to make this moment about him. ]

She sounds lovely.

[ What else could he say? ]