Petrichor Chapter 48: Whimsy
Note: Thanks for your patience with this chapter! I really appreciate it. Seriously.
A blast of cold air hit the duo as they entered the premises, their ears instantly flooded with the pleasant sound of bubbling and trickling water. The room was dimly lit in a menagerie of shades of green and blue, aquas and teals blanketing every surface. Their shoes clicked against the hardwood floors as they stepped off the carpet in the entry lobby and onto the branching walking path of the aquarium. It was climate controlled and quiet, the perfect environment to enjoy their little rendezvous with the denizens of the deep.
A substantial placard hung from the ceiling with arrows and labels to help direct them along their way. And, to the quiet excitement of the summoner with the white hair, this place had a little bit of everything. Tropical fish, ocean fish, cold water, and warm water. Freshwater fish were divided up by river, lake, stream, and pond; large and small, deep and shallow. And ocean fish were divvied up in a similar fashion, separated by ocean, temperature, environment, and size. And he intended to see as much of it as possible during this trip, unsure as to when he would have the opportunity to do so again.
But as the young summoner looked over his options and made an effort to figure out where they should probably start, something caught his eye that immediately sent an excited chill down his spine. Well, this day was just getting better and better.
They had a deep-sea section at this aquarium…
Chuckling to himself as he fondly regarded his friend, Sirrus looked up at the sign above them. Yes, this place had a great variety of species for them to view and enjoy. But considering the excitement that radiated off of his companion, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was that he was looking forward to most. And he got the impression that he’d already found something worth checking out.
“Has something in particular caught your eye?” Sirrus said with a gentle nod up towards the ceiling sign, the two of them stepping a little further into the building as they decided their route. V glanced over at him, realizing that he’d been somewhat caught up in what he’d been thinking, his eagerness and excitement distracting him more than he’d initially realized. After a moment, he nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face, if only for a fleeting moment. This… was going to be fun. What a foreign concept.
“Yes. Something certainly has. But I believe we will find our way there organically.” V said as he started forward, there was something of a fork in the road ahead of them, but every road led back to the others from what he could tell. That was what he could tell from looking at the sign overhead anyhow. “Where would you like to go first?”
Sirrus gestured towards the path directly ahead of them, the one that led to the freshwater section of the aquarium. He didn’t actually have a preference in regard to destination. Be it the aquatic animals or his friend’s refreshing happiness, he was being entertained regardless. The fish were stunning, sure, but V was equally compelling to him, so there was no losing in this situation. “I’ll follow you.”
“Fine by me,” V said with a soft chuckle. As long as they got going, he didn’t care where they went. This wasn’t a marathon or a sprint. This was leisure. And although he was struggling with the concept of relaxing, letting his guard down, and simply enjoying himself and the moment, he was still willing to try and do it. And having some company along for the journey in an environment that he enjoyed was always a bonus. For once he didn’t feel on edge and there was no looming sense of doom or despair. And he just didn’t know what to do with himself. He’d honestly forgotten what it felt like to relax.
… Was this what it felt like to be his father? To always be on alert, regardless of the circumstances? To be permanently unable to unwind.
What a horrifying thing to ponder…
For a moment, V couldn’t help but think about Vergil. He wondered what he was up to. How he’d been since they’d left town. His injuries during their battle with Belial had been utterly horrific, and there was a part of him that was concerned that his father probably wasn’t taking it as easily as he should be. He knew factually that Dante and Vergil both healed faster than he did by quite a large margin, but as Sirrus had inadvertently demonstrated with his own recovery process, sometimes the healing process wasn’t actually complete just because the skin, muscle, and bone fused back together properly. An experience like that could take a lot out of anyone.
His father didn’t strike him as the sort to take it easy when he was told to do so, either. V wasn’t sure that Vergil even knew what meant, if he was being completely honest with himself. He’d never really seen his father relax to any meaningful degree; the Darkslayer was always alert to some extent. It was just who he was, and it had helped to keep him alive this long, so V couldn’t fault him for it, but he did feel a tinge of pain in a deep part of his being when he considered everything that his father had been through that had made him the way that he was. He’d… he’d been through a lot.
… Maybe when he got back they should spend some time together. He could invite Nero, too. The three of them had never actually spent any sort of meaningful time together alone. Perhaps the two of them just needed to interact with their father a little more. In fact, maybe they all needed to sit down and have a conversation. What that conversation entailed wasn’t something that he could speak on just yet, but it seemed like it might be a good idea.
V would think about it. And then he would ask Nero what he thought about it.
Stepping out of the tropical fish section past the copious variety of Tang, cleaner fish, and colorful reef fish, the duo passed through a set of sliding glass doors and were greeted with the semi-bright light of the outside world. A shaded walkway led to several open pools, some raised and some flush with the ground for a variety of viewing angles. But to get to them, they could either take the main path or pass through what appeared to be a colossal mesh enclosure of some sort. Without any discussion on the matter, the two of them opted to take the latter route. Whatever it led through had to be worth their time, even if it was only set dressing and landscaping.
Pivoting off to the left side, they made their way up to the mesh door that led into the enclosure, one of the members of the staff stepping back and pulling it open for them. He closed the door behind them the instant they stepped through, leading the pair to look at one another in a mixture of barely present concern and confusion. Had there been some sort of mix-up? Had they gone somewhere they weren’t supposed to? Neither of them could recall seeing a Staff sign anywhere on their way over.
“What do you suppose that was about?” V said offhandedly as they headed through the exhibit, the path curving as they gradually looped back around to where the pools they’d seen earlier had been. The path wasn’t very long, perhaps only a few dozen yards, but it was brightly lit from the overhead sky and there was a pleasant, water-scented breeze that drifted through the air. Whether the scent was a result of the open pools of water at the aquarium or the nearby like wasn’t something either of them was privy to, but it was noticeable regardless.
“I was wondering the same thing, but I have come up empty-handed. Perhpase-.” Sirrus stopped the same instant that he’d started, suddenly acutely aware of something that he couldn’t help but notice. And as he followed the genuinely bewildered look on V’s face as the young summoner looked just above him before following his gaze back down, he felt something light on his shoulder. And with a cautious glance to the side, unsure as to whether or not he should move although he liked to imagine V would inform him as to whether or not he was in danger, he suddenly had to suppress the urge to jump in surprise. There was a parrot on his shoulder.
Above them were several varieties of tropical birds, large and small, fluttering through the breeze and nesting in the canopy of shady trees that draped lazily over their head just below the mesh enclosure. This was an open-air bird exhibit. Oh. The doorman’s hasty closure of the door made a lot more sense now.
Looking at the beautiful blue parrot -or was it a parakeet? He couldn’t tell- Sirrus could hardly believe it was sitting on him. It had a cute round head with a small red beak and large, bright eyes. He dared not speak out of fear that the little creature would flutter away and abandon them, leaving them forlorn and birdless. Well, perhaps not entirely birdless since Griffon was still thoroughly in the picture, but still. Tiny, cuddly birdless, anyways.
Without giving it much thought other than to hope that he wasn’t scaring the poor creature, V slowly raised his hand up, keeping his fingers still in an effort to not startle the small creature away. It turned slightly to look at him, ignoring its previous focus on Sirrus’s hair which it had been intermittently playing with. Perhaps its bright hue had been what had caught the little bird’s eye in the first place? Regardless, with his index and middle fingers just an inch or so from the bird’s body, V silently hoped that it wouldn’t flutter away. It was just so… he just wanted to pet it so badly. He probably wasn’t even supposed to, but no one had told him that, so…
But to his obvious alarm, the bird didn’t tuck tail and fly away. Far from it, in fact. In one swift little motion, it hopped onto his outstretched fingers, perching and preening as they both just stared at it V very hesitantly scoffed and chuckled at its apparent lack of fear. To say that he was surprised that it had done that would be something of an understatement. He had fully expected it to fly away. And as he moved to raise his other hand to attempt to pet it, he realized rather quickly that it was occupied, almost forgetting that he had his cane amidst the excitement, a situation that the man with the long mostly red hair quickly clued into and attempted to rectify, reaching over slowly and taking the cane from his companion so that V could finally pet the little bird. And to no one’s surprise, it was just as softy and fuzzy as it looked, the little creature letting out a little squeak of sorts as the gave it a few gentle strokes before lowering his hand, giving Sirrus an opportunity to do the same. The adjudicator chuckled, a vibrant smile spreading across his face as he made no attempt to conceal how amused he was by this turn of events. And just as he lowered his hand the bird finally decided that it had finally had enough of this little visit, flapping its wings for a moment before flying back up into the canopy with the other birds, leaving them to continue on the path that they’d chosen to follow.
Neither of them had to say it. They were thrilled that they’d chosen to come this way.
Sirrus shook his head at how ridiculous this entire situation was as the two of them made their way out of the exit gate, both of them still radiating amusement and wonderment as they approached the exit and passed through it back into the outside world. That little bird had made their entire day. Surely.
V felt his feathered companion shift in the darker recesses of his mind, making himself known. But before V could ask Griffon if something was amiss or if he sensed that something was out of place, his large avian companion spoke up, grumbling slightly. “Mhph. Ya know, you could pet me like that sometime, too. I’m just sayin’.”
The white-haired summoner turned slightly red in the face at the comment, combing the recess of his mind as he tried to remember the last time that he’d done that. And he came up empty, nothing of note sticking out to him. He knew that he’d done it before, but the fact that he couldn’t recall when he’d done so immediately made him feel terrible. Maybe Griffon had a point, now that he thought about it…
“Forgive me, my friend. I shall endeavor to do better in the future.” V’s apology was sincere despite the fact that he didn’t speak out loud, though he did get the impression from the glance that he received from Sirrus that the adjudicator could still tell that he was doing something that he wasn’t speaking of. He didn’t enquire, but it was as if he could sense something. To be fair, it was Sirrus. He probably could.
“Uh-hu. You’d better, string bean! The kitty isn’t the only one who likes a little affection every now and then. But I’ll drop it for now. Just don’t forget mkay?” Griffon said in the tone of a disappointed parent who was chastizing their parent for forgetting to take the trash out before they made it home from work. V could practically see his familiar shaking his little head in disapproval, his judgment of his character as severe and scathing as the mid-day sun in the open desert. He would endeavor to show them both more affection. The thought that Griffon wanted more attention from him hadn’t even crossed his mind. “I won’t. I promise.”
Exiting the bird enclosure and heading down the path, they were greeted with several large tanks containing several types of small reef sharks and a few varieties of much larger sharks, all of which were still juveniles. Understandable, considering how impractical and needlessly unpleasant for everyone involved it would be to keep an adult hammerhead or a great white shark in a tank. And as they continued onward, they approached the first of the in-ground pools, nearly back at one of the doors that led back into the building. The other two contained a few varieties of turtle and fish, something they could clearly see from this distance. But what was in this pool was harder to get a read on, and it was substantially larger in size than the others, something that caught V’s attention immediately.
He came to a stop in front of the pool, leaning over and gripping the railing as he looked over into the water to attempt to ascertain its contents. But it was hard to get a good look at what those large, vague shapes were through the murky water. It was certainly large and a freshwater fish, but nothing had come to the surface just yet. Yes, he could go and look at the sign next to the tank, but this was more fun, at least as far as he was concerned. There was a mystery to be solved.
V didn’t get a chance to finish speaking a large fin, at least as long as the lower half of his body, sprang up and out of the water, splashing his with barely warm water and soaking him thoroughly. He jumped back slightly, bumping into Sirrus, his companion not bothered at all as he caught him under the arm, fully in the process of hysterically laughing at his friend’s obvious fright. It was good to see that his fight-or-flight instincts still worked properly. He obviously hadn’t expected that to happen, and being wet was simply the icing on top of the shock sundae. Now he was cold and confused.
“Apparently they are Giant Freshwater Stingrays. They typically stay on the bottom of the enclosure. Apparently, that one didn’t get the memo.” Sirrus said as he helped his sopping-wet friend steady himself, the summoner quite literally attempting to shake off the shock he’d just received. Sirrus was quite certain he’d seen his soul jump straight out of his body for a moment there. Truly the definition of peak entertainment.
V just nodded, unable to string together a coherent train of thought. There… there were rays that big? He’d only ever seen pictures of the little ones… He.. he didn’t want to stand here any longer. This experience had exposed a fear of deep, dark water that he hadn’t realized he’d had previously. He already didn’t like moving water, but now he could add still, dark water to that list. Hooray, he’d unlocked a new phobia!
“I… I don't think I like dark water anymore. Or giant stingrays.”
“Maybe we should head back inside, then,” Sirrus said, barely containing the laughter that he was holding in. V looked so funny when his hair was wet. He just looked miserable. It was absolutely hysterical. Poor V. He was certain that he would never ever recover from this experience. “Before any other denizens of the murky deep attempt to snatch you into the inky blackness, never to be seen again.”
V shook his head, walking swiftly away from the tank as he could hear both Sirrus and Griffon laughing at him, the latter of the two giggling about how he was afraid of “the big bad fishy.” How dare they! But he couldn't muster up even a monochrome of the energy required to hold it against either of them. They were both just having a bit of fun. Except for Griffon. He was absolutely going to hold this against him until they both died. He could never hope to recover from such a severe betrayal of his trust.
As they entered the building again through the nearest door, they realized that they’d looped back around towards the entrance. It was a straight shot to the front of the building should they choose to take that route. Opting to stop for a moment to allow the young summoner to catch his breath, Sirrus leaned against the wall nearest to the door they’d just come through, not wanting to wear him out from the sheer amount of walking they’d been doing. V wasn’t tired yet, but they both had an unspoken vested interest in keeping it that way.
But just as the two of them turned to head back towards the front, assured that they’d seen the majority of what the facility had to offer, V suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Sirrus took a few steps before noticing this, turning around and doubling back to see what had caught his friend’s eye. And as he was looking for a placard with information on what exhibit they were standing near, his peripheral vision answered the question for him. And it had been the last thing he would have expected, given V’s newfound fear of deep water.
It was the jellyfish exhibit.
Watching his friend for a moment, he stayed quiet as the young summoner hastily walked through the doorway of the exhibit, not quite jogging, but not quite walking, either. He clearly didn’t want to be rude by running indoors, but his excitement was palpable, even from where Sirrus stood. It was like he’d been summoned by the creatures within the room, his absolute focus upon them as he slipped into the exhibit, his unspoken intent clear. He’d been drawn in. There was no going back.
Sirrus followed him into the large room and the sheer variety of Jellyfish quickly became apparent to him. There were a few dozen of them in different-sized tanks, all of which had rounded corners of some sort to help protect their fragile bodies. Soft shades of pastel lighting aluminated their mostly clear bodies from several sources and angles and provided a great visual contrast to an otherwise mostly colorless room. It was all very eye-catching, but that was all moot compared to how mesmerized V was by it all. And as much as Sirrus didn’t want to disrupt that, he just couldn’t help himself. He had to say something. It was just who he was today, and he had accepted that. But they were both having a good time, so what harm could there possibly be in it?
“You're enjoying yourself, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question so much as it was a statement. He spoke softly, gently as if to not scare him as he walked up behind him. The look on V’s face alone made it obvious that he was utterly awed by the little creatures that floated in the round tanks all around them. His eyes were wide and reflected the light around them back onto every surface. He looked like a small child experiencing the wonder of nature for the first time, and Sirrus couldn’t help but smile just a little from witnessing it. He was genuinely happy. There was no question.
“I… I like jellyfish.” V confessed simply, chuckling like a giddy idiot and not caring one single bit. This was the most fun he’d had in recent memory. He was simply overcome with a sense of giddy, innocent, wonderment that he oh so rarely felt. And he was so happy to experience it again. It had been so long. So very long, indeed. He felt a weight he hadn’t realized was there lift from him and he felt light and… free. Truly free for the first time in a very long time. He had no troubles. It was just the moment here with his friend and these spectacular little creatures. And they were so very marvelous. Better than he’d ever imagined they would be. “I’ve always wanted to see them in person. I’ve only seen pictures and footage of them. This is… special. So very special.”
Sirrus looked at his friend, a gentle smile spreading across his face. To see his friend like this, carefree and just enjoying himself? After everything they’d been through since meeting one another all those months ago. Such a short time in the grand scheme of things, but still so very long ago still. It felt like a lifetime and no time all at once. Simple joy like this was so necessary. Little joy like the poem that he saw V read in his quiet moments on the train between their conversations. He’d give the world t to keep him like this. Carefree and lackadaisical with no thoughts or troubles. The world had been so cruel to his friend. He was glad he could help him forget his troubles, even if only for a short while. And although he would’ve never guessed that jellyfish of all things would be the thing to do it, as he stood there in that room with him, he certainly wasn’t complaining.
“What is it that you like about them?” Sirrus asked earnestly, honestly curious as to what it was about these squishy little creatures that brought him such genuine happiness. Their appeal was certainly clear, to be sure. They were very cute. But even still, he could tell that there was more to it than a simple enjoyment of their aesthetic. V rarely had reasons that uncomplicated. “What makes them special to you.”
V continued to look at them for a quiet moment, obviously thinking before turning his attention back to Sirrus for a moment. That was a good question. And it was one that he hoped he could actually provide a meaningful answer to.
“Where should I even start? A majority of them are transparent. Their biology is fascinating. The variety of shapes and colors and sizes they come in… There’s nothing quite like them.” He paused, a glimmer in his eye that dazzled his companion as he continued to speak, pausing for a moment to find the proper words necessary to articulate his thoughts. V turned slightly to get a better look at his companion, something in his face now harder to read. It drew Sirrus in, firmly holding his focus. V had his undivided attention, whether either of them realized it or not. “And yet they are so incredibly fragile. So easily broken. Their conditions have to be just right. The water temperature. The salt content in that water. A strong tide can be ruinous to entire clustered of their population. And yet they persist. They just… keep going. And they aren’t the only ones. Many other creatures do. But theirs just something that makes it special when they do it, at least to me. I cannot help but acknowledge and admire their resilience.”
Sirrus turned and looked at the little floating blobs of jelly, their little tendrils floating behind and below them as they drifted along through the water that filled their tanks. They came in many different shapes, sizes, and colors, that much was true. Their variety was eye-catching. And as he looked at them, trying to regard them through the same lens that his companion did, he found himself viewing them differently. They were unlike so many other things in the ocean, and yet they persisted anyway, unbothered by that fact and largely indifferent to how it affected them unless it became a problem that they couldn’t ignore. They found kinship among their own kind, belonging in the only way that they could in such an unforgiving environment. Their inability to fit in didn’t even occur to them. They just carried on, defiant. Indignant. Wherever the path ahead took them, they marched onward. Perhaps that was too profound a statement to make about these creatures, but it did reveal something to him, nonetheless.
V found kinship in their otherness. The adjudicator saw that now. Perhaps he saw a little bit of who he was in them; in what and how they were in comparison to everything else in the environment around them. Different and utterly unique, for better or for worse. And they still belonged, something that he was still struggling to feel a sense of even now but Sirrus could tell he was getting better at gradually. Something they were both working on. And they were both doing better than ever.
He was proud of them both, but even in light of his own accomplishments, he couldn’t help but feel a great sense of euphoria in regard to the progress his friend had made. He’d been very worried about him for a while there. But that fear was starting to dissolve and the reality that things were now better had settled in. They… could have more moments like this. He… he liked that.
Sirrus didn’t know the depths of his past, but he could see the hold that past had on him. But he was slowly pulling loose; treading water up from the depths in an effort to breach the surface. Sometimes he couldn’t even see that destination. The depths were deep, after all. But he still believe it was there and kept heading upward. He had to believe. It was all he could do. All either of them could do. But at least they weren’t alone anymore.
They’d come a long way since the day he’d found V standing on the corner in the rain.
“I think I understand,” Sirrus said softly, his eyes drifting from his friend to the jellyfish again. They could stay here a little while longer. There was still plenty of time left in the day, after all. So long as they were enjoying themselves and they made it home in time to rest for tomorrow, he didn’t really care where they were. “Thank you.”
“What about you? What’s your favorite deep sea creature? Surely you have one.” V said softly, gazing quietly at the tank in front of him as he stood beside his friend. He genuinely wondered what he would say. And to his slight confusion, Sirrus looked almost embarrassed to answer the question, something he certainly hadn’t expected.
“I… I like Cephalopods and Crustaceans. The more nightmares they give you, the better. The Vampire Squid and the Bigfin are in my top three with the spider crab being a close contender. I could talk about them for hours.” His face flushed slightly and he shifted on his feet, seemingly genuinely embarrassed to reveal what he was about to say. V gave him a slightly sideways look, now deeply intrigued. This was curious.
“But… what’s your favorite?” V simply had to know now. The suspense was simply eating him alive. He couldn’t be expected to just never know now. His reaction alone was all the proof that he needed that this answer was worthwhile. He prodded him gently, practically pleading for an answer. And as Sirrus looked down at the floor and shook his head in utter defeat, he practically whispered his answer, chuckling ever so slightly at his own ridiculousness.
“... The dumbo Octopus.” He spoke as though all the air had left his lungs. V couldn’t recall seeing him so red in the face before. He genuinely seemed embarrassed to admit that he, a self-proclaimed lover of terrifying creatures was head over heels for a tiny, adorable octopus. And it was one of the most endearing things V had ever seen. “Those giant eyes and those little fins on the top of their head are just so… I can’t help myself. They are simply too precious. And now you know my secret shame. Never reveal it to anyone. I beag you.”
V could only squint his eyes and chuckle deep in his chest, his amusement at his friend’s sincerity evident. He had to keep that in mind. A little idea to squirrel away for later. He needed to find him something Dumbo Squid related. He simply had to. “Your secret is safe with me. You have nothing to be ashamed of, however. That is an excellent choice. They are quite precious, aren’t they? And small. So very small.”
Sirrus nodded in agreement before composing himself, glancing over at a clock on the wall. It was time they headed to their next destination. It was just shy of noon now, and they had a few things to take care of before they headed back to his residence for the evening. This had been fun. He was glad that they’d taken the time to come here.
With that, Sirrus gestured towards the entrance, bowing politely as he handed V his cane back. He was probably going to need that to fight off the sting rays they would inevitably encounter along the way. “After you, V. I’ll follow wherever you lead me.”
V smiled slightly in recognition of his friend’s comment before retrieving his cane from him and turning his attention to the entrance. Yes, they had other roads to travel. It was time for this place and this moment to become a fond memory. One he would treasure. Always.
5200 words. Wow, that felt good! I went through and read some of your old comments last night and decided that what I’d already written just wasn’t enough. Thank you to all of you for inspiring me. Your wonderful words really are a light in the dark for me. I’m glad to have such wonderful people who read my story. I'm so lucky. Truly.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Where do you think they should go for their final stop of the day? I’m curious to see what you think. And thank you for the nightmare-fuel revelation that the Bigfin Squid exists. I’ve not known a single moment of peace since. I’ll see you all next Wednesday, and I hope you have a wonderful week in the meantime. Take care and I’ll see you in the comments! And as always, sorry for any mistakes. I pulled a late night on part of this and I double-checked but I’m sure I probably missed something. If you see anything, please let me know and I’ll fix it. Bye Bye!
