; and if you go chasing rabbits

"Hello." He had noticed Osuke staring at the water. "Let me help you out a bit." With little hesitation, Matteo lifted Osuke, similar to how humans lifted their brides. He made sure Osuke as comfortable, the shells not digging into his skin. "It's your turn to see me anyways."

They began the walk to the water. Merfolk stared at them, jaws dropped as their monarch carried a royal dryad. He barely registered them. No one dared to confront him and he had no guards with him today, since he had insisted they go with his sister. "Do you like my crown?" he asked.

the merfolk had seen to come visit him often since the sickness hit the groves. while osuke had not been feeling his best and wasn't good for visitors, it had meant more to him than he said out loud. even if it was just the company. his cousins who usually handled the sort of things that were happening, needed more help. he had been doing his best.

"i love your crown," was the answer he provided, fully enjoying the warmth of the water on his skin and more importantly making no move to leave the arms that still held him. "the shells are pretty," he added as his hand moved on it's own accord just barely brushing on of the sparkling shells before he took it back down to rest on matteo himself. "was it someone else's first?"

he's just grateful that osuke didn't try to touch any of them, sure he'd pass away if the dryad wanted to stick his fingers in lock's mouth, even under the pretense of feeling his tongue piercing. "thank you." there's no hiding the pleased little smile on his face, though he averts his eyes from osuke's. looking directly at him is like looking directly at the sun, sometimes. so bright it hurts, but hard to look away nonetheless.

That small shred of doubt was chased away by the simple words the other had to offer. What pout had been forming slowly shifted into a soft, yet bright, smile in return. Without a doubt, he decided Lock had to be right. Which was good enough for the dryad. Letting his shirt back down, he nodded and took a quick seat on the ground they were on. The soft grass below him practically hummed at his touch.

“Did you take long to decide on what sparkle you wanted?” he questioned easily, knowing full well that he didn’t say the right word for the item. Jewelry, piercing jewelry, none of it sounded as good as… sparkle… or glitter in his mind. That even went for the abalone necklace that Matteo had made him. Still worn, every day. “I’m not sure I know which I want…” was quickly admitted in his follow up statement. His mind had been dancing over possibilities.

Wedding venues were difficult to negotiate, especially when they were essentially announcing the future queen of the merfolk. Some people saw it as a political move, but those individuals were also confused by how this could benefit the kingdom. Really, it was a lot less complicated. He was in love. They happened to be a dryad. It was what it was.

Despite being a creature of the water, Matteo wanted to be respectful of Osuke. There were rumors that he was doing this to appease the dryad royal family, but Matteo was unconcerned about such things today. They just wanted Osuke to be happy and that meant having their tree present for at least one of their ceremonies. Matteo enjoyed a good party, so having two weddings was not the worst thing ever. It was, however, exhausting to plan outside of running a kingdom.

the entire experience so far, of a wedding, was... different. So much of it all the dryad still didn’t understand. But he did like the idea of being with Matteo. He liked how their hands linked together. the way the other man smiled when he laughed. The merfolk royal never pulled away when Osuke had one of his many chaos inducing schemes. Instead, he would laugh and add to them like they were both going to do it. He liked Squirtle and how he swam near and around the king. When he put all of those together, he never questioned that there was something about the idea of forever that filled him with a happiness so bright it could rival the sun.

Still, his love worried about things. As he was sure most king’s were meant to. It wasn’t like the nymph had ever been good about being a new royal anyway. In his world, it didn’t make sense that he got wrapped up with the changes and usurping. But there he was, ignoring it anyway. At least for the moment. for the day. Tying himself to an active royal seemed to fill his head with other thoughts outside of experiments and moonshine. But for the day, he got to be the one with light feet and a smiling face. How he was born to be anyway.

Catching sight of his soon to be king, seemingly losing a bit of his mind over toadstool, a smile broke across his feet. Quietly, like moss growing over a rock, Osuke walked up behind the man, barefooted and sure only to give a little flick of his finger when he was right behind him. mushrooms of all shapes and sizes grew quickly from under the merfolk’s feet. Creating a lined walk way and all the nymph gave was a giggle in response before wrapping his arms around the other from behind.

Under normal circumstances, Matteo would have thought this man was messing with him. However, there was something about his expression that made him seem genuine. Maybe he lived in his own little world, but he seemed kind. He also treated Matteo like a normal person, which he admittedly missed at times. Though, not enough to give up his throne to Serenity. His pettiness towards his father outshone everything. Besides, his crown was the only reason he could be reunited with his real family. It was an exchange he was willing to make.

Matteo took his question seriously. "It's a necklace," they said. "The design is a bit popular right now." No need to mention it was because people kept imitating his own jewelry style. "Trust me, you will want the entire set."

"So, what is your name?" he asked. Belatedly, he realized he should introduce himself as well. It had been a while for them. Mostly people usually knew them, especially since until recently, they didn't come to the surface much. "My name's Matteo." A strange name in these parts, but the name his adopted parents had given him. It was why he chose it when he became the monarch.

a whole set? but the first piece was so nice. the necklace that was. he didn't think much off it when he moved to put the necklace over his head. trying to avoid knocking off his flower crown as he placed it where it would shimmer softly around his neck. "i think i like a single piece. makes it a little more special," he offered with a smile as he looked back up at the man.

no, his name was Matteo. thinking back, he tried to remember if maybe he had heard the name before. truthfully, he had heard a lot of M names and wasn't certain he could remember all of them. mentally, Osuke shrugged simply because it wouldn't matter. whatever the world said didn't mean anything if he got to know him as who he was. yes, that made sense.

"i'm Osuke," he offered with a soft smile, not offering out a hand and instead kicked up a little swift gift and fluttered some cherry blossoms in the air... he may have caught some pink oleander in their too.. oops.. he couldn't help but eye the tools that had been laid out in front of him. even with the fact that he was happy with the necklace, he didn't stop himself from running his fingers over the items. curiosity filling his mind.

by now, lock's used to osuke being stuck in the loading menu for a bit, having to think about whatever it is he's trying to say. unphased, he begins picking at the rip in his jeans, wondering absently if he should wear fishnets or tights or something under them next time, since the hole is bigger than he remembers it being, and you'd actually be able to see them now.

as osuke speaks again, lock pushes away thoughts of fashion in favour of the possibility of tea. the only downside of trying to be under the radar is that all the interesting stuff happens to someone else. and my, this certainly is interesting.

a merfolk... with a crown.

bye!

only osuke could meet one of the royal family, and be more concerned with commissioning a crown from him than anything else.

laughing under his breath, lock shakes his head softly in disbelief. "i think a crown of shells might be heavy."

osuke's an adult, he can manage his own shit. not to mention they're not exactly friends like that, so there's no reason to mother him, to warn him with the stories he's heard about the ones the merfolk call royalty.

"that's interesting that the royal family has a stall, though. i guess they're trying to keep in with the theme of treaty day." he knows where not to go, now. no reason to exist too close to merfolk if he doesn't have to. 

Matteo! That was the man’s name. with his crown and quick fingers weaving together a necklace. Truth be told, Osuke could only remember the man’s eyes when it came to his face. He liked them. But his hands were a completely different story. Those he remembered. His mind was lost to him for a moment. replaying how easily they had moved to put the necklace together. just lovely. “It did seem heavy,” he finally answered back. Not really thinking about it too much before trying to focus on the moment. “but crowns are always too much,” he added with a scrunch of his nose.

When they had taken the thrown from the naiads there had been a discussion of crowns. Intricate branch woven crowns with shinnies and embellishments… he had said no to that rather quick. But he loved to make his own flower crowns. Those, those weren’t heavy at all.

The dryad blinked at the mention of the royal family having a stall. Huh, was that the royal family’s stall? If it was, did that make Matteo a royal? It would certainly explain the surprise in his eyes when Osuke didn’t react to it. Oh, well. It was a good interaction. so, he wasn’t going to even try to worry about it.

Letting the other talk for a moment, he reached into his pocket to pull out small bags that held perfectly sectioned bits of mushroom. Mixing one or two of his favorites always resulted in a bit of mental fun. “I guess a lot of people have a stall right now,” was all he added as he picked through them, he mixed what he wanted in his hand before tossing them in his mouth.  

Making a motion, he offered Lock some if he was interested but didn’t pressure the man. “Yeah, he was nice.” Even has he answered, Osuke tried to figure out where the other was going with it. Merfolk were… merfolk. Just like Sirens were sirens. It was simple in his mind when it came down to it. “I mean, nice enough to make me this necklace and show me how I could make things myself,” he added with a nod. But suddenly, he couldn’t help but wonder about the stories the merfolk had told him. About his family and his father. Were they true?

In his thoughts, there was a pause of any movement or words from his end.

lock lets the petals fall to the ground beside them, drawn away by the next breeze. he'd treat them with more reverence if osuke wasn't always throwing them around like they were disposable. he's not exactly hip to dryad culture, so he can only follow the lead he's been given.

"alright, you got me there. i can't even argue with that, yeah." he cleanses the damn thing twice a day, sometimes. other people's bullshit can be so damn sticky. gross. even just thinking about it makes lock reach for his necklace, the shungite piece that he'd thought perhaps would be too strong for his day to day life. boy, was he wrong. who would've thought people with such fucked up energy would just be walking around, living their lives? do they not feel shame?

"isn't everyone always pretending that?" he's not sure about non-locks, because that's not his clowns, not his circus, but locks tend to be wary of those around them, because locks were raised with a modicum of common sense. he tucks a knee up to his chest, resting his cheek on it so he can look at osuke. "i suppose it is more prominent today, though. i think that's a part of human culture, maybe. to be afraid, that is." he wants to make a reference to something that he's positive osuke would not have seen - the man, despite living in his personal version of it, does not strike lock as a twilight zone fan - but decides against it. hearing about this interesting merfolk is more compelling than having to explain a reference from a show older than lock himself, anyway.

"oh?"

Osuke had a feeling they could stumble into a type of conversation that bordered on the philosophical. Ugh, he really didn’t want to. Instead of trying to continue that portion of his state or dwelling on the thoughts of others, he decided he would rather focus on the gift of the necklace. The habit wouldn’t be new to Lock, with the dryad pulling it most often when he had a conversation with... well... anyone really.

When he tried to think of where he got the necklace he almost pouted in the effort. It seemed he didn’t really remember. Looking back at the way he walked there, he tilted his head to see if maybe it would remind him. After a few beats of his heart, he went back to looking at the other in front of him. All he offered was a shrug in response before speaking. “I don’t really know. It was -,” he paused to vaguely wiggle his hand in the direction he came from, “That way. At a stall.” Was added as he continued to slightly pout over not remembering. He did remember what the other was wearing.

As if struck with excitement he smiled, “Oh!” his demeanor moving from a pout to a grin. “He was wearing pretty jewelry too! and a crown. I think… or something like a crown…” The nymph had stared at the crown in curiosity for a few moments. Wondering if it was a costume. He could remember that at least.

lock is simultaneously relieved, and also not, to see that the one he's run into is osuke. on the one hand, the other comes across as relatively harmless - though lock would be hard-pressed to believe anyone in hanjeong is as harmless as they appear to be - but on the other... it's osuke.

'it's osuke' proves itself as a viable reason immediately, as cherry blossoms sprinkle down over them both.

well, he's not sure what he was expecting.

laughing incredulously, lock picks a petal out of his hair - there's more, he's sure, but this is the only one he can easily see, teasing his peripheral vision - letting it fall to the ground. "well... this certainly was a surprise, thank you. i thought perhaps you were someone else." he doesn't elaborate, and he doesn't expect osuke to press. "though i can't say i'm disappointed."

having successfully rescued all the cards, lock reclaims his original spot on the ledge, not terribly surprised whenever osuke takes up residence nearby. crouched like that, he looks like some sort of endearing bird. 

well, as endearing as someone whose primary interaction with lock is hounding him for pokemon merch can be, he supposes.

he's distracted from the thought that perhaps, at times, if the light hits him just right, osuke might actually be kind of cute, like some sort of perpetually-stoned kitten, or something, whenever the other speaks again. "aish, don't say that! you'll give them ideas." clutching the bag containing the deck to his chest, lock outright pouts, ever dramatic. "they're already so finicky, we don't need to encourage them to give me a harder time than they already do."

only nodded in the affirmative over surprising the other, the dryad's eyes actually searching the petals to make sure they were all cherry blossom. there was a very high probability that there was would a few in there that were poisonous. his oleander being the one that most often snuck its way into the shower of pink blossoms. they blended in so well with their pink cousins. outside of holding the other still and picking out the flowers, he would have to hope lock simply didn't plan on trying to eat any of them.

mentally, he shrugged to himself and pushed the thought aside, focusing on the moment in front of them. "not sure they need me to give them any ideas," he teased back. "the people you probably read with them give them enough thoughts," was added with a little snicker before he huffed and stopped his crouch, flopping unceremoniously on the ground beneath.

the question sent his way made him huff a strand of long hair from his face. "i'm not, usually. these things are always so boring. fake compliments and people pretending that they don't think the person next to them might kill them if they aren't human." he grumbled in answer. his mind was always annoyed that people honestly, got weird on treaty day. "i would have stayed in the woods but my cousins asked me to make an appearance." of course, he didn't mention that it was for the new royal things that needed to be done, as he didn't usually stand in any sort of limelight for it.

anytime other nymphs were reminded he was connected to they got even more suspicious of him. as if it was all his plan. Osuke would like to point out that if it had been his plan, they would have been poisoned and gone so he didn't have to see the previous royals all the time. way easier... he could use more trees to fall to planet his mushrooms... tempting... nah, they were naiads after all.. but water planets....

or maybe 500 is more accurate. watching as a group of merfolk pass by where he's set up a little spot near the beach to people-watch, lock shuffles his deck absently, knocking on it quickly before flipping the topmost card, eyes scanning it.

five of wands. no shit.

rolling his eyes, lock shoves the deck back into its pouch carelessly, though he misses the mark a bit, a few of the cards tumbling to the ground a few feet from the ledge he'd perched on.

"damn it." heaving out a heavy sigh, lock jumps down, fetching the cards closest to him, bumping into someone as he does so. "oh, shit- sorry. i don't usually suck at personal space like this."

The night had turned out to be different than what he had thought it would be. For instance, he hadn’t planned on walking away with one less keychain and a new necklace shining around his neck with sparking abalone shells in the moonlight. Smiling softly, he happily played with the new necklace. His fingers twisting gently, doing their best to do no harm. So far, the night had turned out to be less boring the expected. Osuke was pleased.

So pleased in fact, that when he saw a familiar silhouette at the edge of the beach. That small, happy smile turned into something more akin to the Cheshire cat when he decided to head the direction of the other figure. Shifting his keychain slightly, so it didn’t jingle as he walked. He moved towards the person he knew as Lock. Of course, he was certain there was another name for the half human, but it wasn’t as if Osuke needed to know it. Lock was good enough for him.

They had known each other for a little while. Lock usually the one suppling the dryad’s need to collect all things about a creature known as a Bulbasaur. Apparently, it was a cartoon character for something called Pokémon. Only after lock showed him what that all meant did he fall in love with the Pokémon. The others were great. But bulba was better.

Doing his best to seem like he had no plan, he bumped into the other, tipping his head slightly so his hair shadowed his face up until the point a smile was pointed in his direction. Seemingly, Osuke reached into his pocket before raising his hand up and blowing cherry blossom petals into the other young man’s face. Laughing to himself, he didn’t hold back as he watched the petals slowly drifting through, he air. “You looked like you could use a little surprise,” was all he had for an explanation, humor still clearly lacing his words.

Matteo thought for a moment, wondering what the currency exchange would be. Did nymphs trade in stones these days? It was hard to keep track of what was value in a trading economy. At least the humans made it simple with their valueless pieces of paper. Though, he still didn't quite get it.

He didn't get the joke, but he laughed anyways. He was cute and Matteo was admittedly a bit weak to pretty faces. If it wasn't for his fear of becoming the former king, Matteo might have been a much weaker man. Though, he supposed there was something beautiful about his parents' relationship. They might have never gave a damn about him, but they were devoted to one another. If not, his mother could have saved herself house arrest.

"My dad is a bit of a crafter," he said, referring to his real father that didn't cause long-lasting emotional damage. In fact, he was probably down in the ocean crafting now. "He used to let me apprentice for him. Here let me show you how it's done."

The actual crafter they had brought to land was on break, so the station was available. Matteo began to hammer away, then their hands weaved the silver slivers around the abalone shell. He thought for a moment. They began to weave, creating designs with the silver, adding smaller abalone pieces.

The laugh he got in return didn’t seem fully genuine, but he didn’t really know how to read the other man, after only meeting him now. Osuke was sure that it was an odd thing, him not knowing more creatures around the island and in the ocean. But truth be told, he was always more interested in the forest and his own personal grove where his tall cherry tree stood. Literally the ground with petals almost constantly. Even during the time of the year when normal plants would start to sleep. Nymph plants weren’t the same as ones that weren’t connected to a dryad.

 Looking at the other man, a bit owlishly, he listened to him speak. Wondering what it must have been like to have a family in the same sense as the other. There were some nymphs that came from nymphs directly. But many came from the trees themselves. Or at least, he thought so. He had after all. His tree was his mother and father. Warm and safe like anyone would say a parent should be. Maybe it wasn’t the most normal of things? Not as if he had ever sat down with anyone to ask. But he could imagine a parent being a crafter. Taking the time to teach a son how to create unique pieces.

Intently, he watched the man put pieces together. Easily weaving the silver with the abalone shells, he used. It made Osuke’s fingers tap and dance in anticipation of maybe getting to touch it when it was all done. What surprised him was when it was offered to him. Blinking for a moment, he hadn’t realized how much he leaned in to watch until he was faced with the how close the other man was. smiling widely, he reached for the item that was made, not very sure what it was meant to be..

A necklace maybe? A keychain, he had a lot of keychains. They dangled and clinked on his key ring but… truth be told they were no keys on the ring at all, only decoration. “it’s pretty” he as he reached for it. a reverence he hadn’t been expecting when he was faced with having it. he put the shell he had been holding down before taking it in hand.

This person clearly did not, which should have been offensive (he was wearing a crown after all) or he just did not care. He supposed the fellow could have thought he was just some performer. After all, he was clearly not merfolk. Matteo smiled at his interest. His presence was calming. Soothing even. Matteo shook his head. He was the monarch dammit. He needed to make a good impression.

"Abalones can be used in recipes, but the shells can also be used to make jewelry. They can be quite valuable around here. Well, when you aren't from the ocean." Matteo chuckled at their not quite a joke. "See?" They pointed at their crown and at necklace. "I can show you how if you'd like." Wait, why had they just said that?

whether it was a good thing or not, osuke had never been good at recognizing people. commonly, he was in his own little world. dealing with his concoctions and experiments. but he could say, the man in front of him was pretty. that sort of pretty that made the crown he had make sense. not that he had started at a lot of crowns, despite having helped over through the previous royal family of the nymphs.. if he hadn't.. necessarily cared if the stayed ruling or not. maybe the crown was a costume?

his nose scrunched up at the description he received. valuable, huh? shifting the one in his hand for one side to the other, he looked to the shell. trying to determine the sort of price he would put on it.. for fun, he figured he could play on what people thought of nymphs.. and or.. what some of them were really like.

"so, it could be worth two shiny stones? or maybe three since it is shiny too?" he questioned with a curious tilt, looking back at the man. doing his best to keep a straight face and keep eye contact. but osuke couldn't hold his straight face for long. it cracked and he snickered a little and shook his head, "i kid. i kid," he laughed before wiping a fake tear from his eye..

"with how you're wearing them they must be important," he added as he started to calm down a bit. "and they are very pretty.." he paused letting his eyes trace over the crown and jewelry one more time before smiling softly.

Date: April 8, 2023 Location: Opening Ceremonies

Matteo tried not to look bored. This event was a political minefield long before he was born, but it had become increasingly chaotic in recent times. First, there was the shift in power among the nymphs fifteen years ago, which had led to an argument about which group would represent them. Then it was his own sudden coronation thirteen years ago, which had led to speculation. Now, there, was the murder of the town's mayor. Yet, they all had to show up and smile, pretending the humans didn't want their heads.

The crown felt heavy on Matteo's head, but he supposed that was the life he had chosen. His actual crown was made of volcanic rock encrusted in shells and precious pearls. They had added gold just to ignite envy in the humans. After all, this was all it really was. An opportunity to show off.

Matteo smiled at the person in front of him. This year, he was handing out abalone shells prior to the opening ceremony. After all, he was ever the benevolent monarch. "Would you like another one? I have plenty."

Osuke paid little mind to the festivities around him. the only thing it really meant for him, was a little higher sales as humans were looking for ways to delight themselves. honestly, he couldn't blame them. their mayor had died recently, after all. which, to the younger dryad, was something more likely to spice life up but he realized, his view on life was different. through rose-colored glasses that had nothing to do with optimism.

his seemingly aimless walk carried him through the town as he headed for a specific spot. the nymph had been hoping there would be merfolk about and potentially selling things. specifically, to see if they had any poisonous herbs themselves. land creatures were who he mostly sold to but there was a whole area of the world that held opportunity. if he could figure out a way to take care of the ocean folk too... that would be perfect.

at least, that was his goal, until he found an area with what looked like shells. pretty shells. hues of blue and pearl. Osuke, moved around the human standing in front of the area, picking up one of the shells gingerly and gazing at them. his flower crown shifting a little on his head as he tilted it to the side. "is this one of the ones you can hear the ocean with?" he questioned quietly, "or is it just.. pretty?" he added as he looked upward towards the men near the shells...