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Without Emma telling him what to do he’s just going to go off of whatever seems most logical, without regard for how it might affect others and who could get hurt by it. 

    Running her hands DOWN the glass, Alice felt her heart JUMP. He had paid ATTENTION, he NOTICED. So many people had just POINTED and LAUGHED. But here was someone–who noticed HER.

         Though, to be honest, she couldn’t HEAR him. But she COULD read his lips, and she only hoped he’d be able to do the SAME.

           “HELP?” She’s careful when pronouncing it. HUMAN language wasn’t her first, and she wasn’t SURE if she was saying the right thing, but she hoped her point got across.

          She was STUCK, she was SCARED, she wanted OUT.

         Pale, slender hand presses against the glass, across from her own. He watches her lips move. He can’t hear the word-- but he doesn’t need to. He knows what it is she wants. 

Trapped inside a small space, her every move watched by those outside of it... no privacy, no hope for escape...

            He knows a little too well. 

And only wishes he knew more about this world and its customs. Perhaps she’s not human, but she looks like him. Where is the line, anyway, between a person and a thing? A question he could never fully figure out on his own. So, his mind turns to the one he asks himself when he can’t: What would Emma do? 

It takes barely a moment to answer that. Hand still against the glass, he nods. 

             Alice felt COMPELLED, almost, to swim closer to the glass. PRESSING her hands against the glass, her TAIL swishing in the water.

           She TAPS the glass, and tilts her head, as if trying to get the other’s ATTENTION. 

            He’s familiar with various legends, of course. The Grace Field library had housed a wealth of classic literature, but Norman had thought himself quite good at telling the factual from the legendary. 

            Though, his time thus far in the human world has shown him that, if one thing is certain, he can’t fall back on everything he thought he knew. 

            Such as the fact that merfolk were apparently real and not merely creatures of legend. 

The boy approaches the glass, lips pressed together thoughtfully. 

            “Hello.” 

absent-minded  |  abusive  |  addict  |  adrenaline junkie  |  aggressive |  aimless  |  alcoholic  | anxious  |  arrogant |  audacious | bad liar |  bigmouth  |  bigot |  blindly loyal  | blunt  | cautious |  callous  | childish |  chronic heroism |  cheater |  clingy  | clumsy  |  cocky  |  co-dependent |  competitive  |  corrupt  |  cowardly  |  cruel  | cynical |  delinquent  |  delusional  |  dependent  |  depressed  |  deranged  |  disloyal  |  ditzy  |  egotistical  | envious |  erratic  | evasive  | fickle  |  finicky  | fixated  |  flaky  | frail  |  fraudulent  | foul mouthed |  guilt complex |  gloomy  | gluttonous  |  gossiper  |  gruff  |  grudge holding  |  gullible  |  hedonistic  |  humorless |  hypochondriac  |  hypocritical  |  idealist  | idiotic  |  ignorant  |  immature  | impatient  |  incompetent  |  indecisive  | insecure  |  insensitive  |  lazy  |  lewd  | liar |  lustful  | manipulative  |  masochistic  |  meddlesome  |  melodramatic  |  money-loving  |  moody  |  naive  |  nervous  |  nosy  |  ornery  | overprotective |  overly sensitive  |  paranoid |  passive  | passive-aggressive |  perfectionist  |  pessimist  |  petty  | power-hungry  |  proud |  possessive  | pushover  |  reactive  | reckless |  reclusive  |  remorseless  |  rigorous  |  sadistic  |  sarcastic  |  senile  |  selfish  | self destructive |  self-martyr  |  shallow  |  skeptical  |  sociopathic  | sore loser  |  spineless  | spiteful  |  spoiled  | stubborn  | suspicious |  suicidal  |  tactless  |  temperamental  |  timid  |  thief  |  tone-deaf  |  traitorous |  un-athletic  |  ungracious  |  unlucky  |  unsophisticated  |  untrustworthy  |  vain  |  withdrawn |  workaholic

           frustration          ,          A   HOT          &          UGLY   THING         ,          burns   your   up   your   throat   like   molten   lead          ———-          you   were   sure   you   could   taste   the   SMOKE   OF   ANGER   on   your   tongue          .          teeth   clench   to   the   point   of   aching          ,          biting   back   a   vicious   bark          ———-          THE   REFUSAL   YOU   SO   WISH   TO   GIVE          .          you   are   a   soldier          ,          A   BLOOD   HOUND          ,          you   were   no   ones   babysitter          .

           still   you   swallow   it   down          ,          those   UNSPOKEN   WORDS   TASTING   LIKE   BILE          .          you   have   your   orders          &          as   the   good   soldier   you   are          ,          you   have   a   duty   to   follow   them           .          IT   IS   YOUR   ONLY   PURPOSE   IN   LIFE          .

          ❛     let’s   get   one   thing   straight          ,          this   is   no   kiddies   playground        ———-          we   do   not   have   the   time   to   babysit   brats          .          keep   them   out   of   our   way          &          i’ll   along   with   this   bullshit          .     ❜          deliberate   steps   taken   you   breach   his   personal   space          ,          your   voice   cold          &          AS   UNFORGIVING   AS   ICE          .          ❛     but   get   in   our   way          &          i   won’t   be   responsible   for   what   happens          .          ❜                                              

        Blue eyes are cold as he listens to the response, pale lips pressed into a thin line. He doesn’t attempt to interrupt, doesn’t reveal his thoughts until after she finishes speaking. 

        Gaze drifts toward her face once more, cold and yet soft at the same time. The teen allows a moment before he speaks. “I understand your CONCERN. But I don’t think you’ll need to worry. These children are SPECIAL, you see; we’ve faced many threats of our own, threats not unlike those you face here.”

        He’s quiet again, and breaks eye contact. “I simply want to KEEP THEM from the war if at all possible.” 

         Irritated, perhaps, but only a little. Such disdain was to be expected from adults, and hopefully he’ll be able to clear it up shortly. 

        “As for ME, though, you don’t need to take such precautions. I’ll work with you, and within the year we’ll find a way to END THIS.”

          ‘   I  ONLY  have  one  rule  when  it  comes  to  books  or  tv  or  anything  of  the  sort.  make  it  gayer.   ’

“If that’s what makes it more entertaining for you, by all means.” 

Norman shrugs. He’s not particularly concerned with sexuality in fiction, or really sexuality at all (though it does seem to be a common topic in this world).