#skygg

Orion sighed, turning his back to M’eudail, slipping his sword into its holster, attaching it to his belt, pulling out a flintlock pistol and a dagger, pausing to stroke his thumb gently against the red gem in the handle, before pushing them both into his belt and turning back to M’eudail, his eyes shadowed from the rising of the blue moon. He pulled his coat onto his shoulders, tensing when M'eudail touched his arm with a soft expression in his eyes, filled with pity and pain. "Orion... I'm sorry." Orion looked at him, kneeling down and cupping his face in his hands gently, fingers drifting over the smooth, cold scales of the mer's cheeks, before hugging him, shaking his head. "You have nothing to be sorry about M'eudail... Come on, we're going to save your husband." The captain scooped M'eudail up, shivering as the mer's cold tentacles flailed and gripped around his waist for support, carrying him out onto the deck where the cool night air hit them both. The crew milled around, teeming with anticipation at the thought of a good bit of violence, and Orion looked up when his shoulder was tapped, eyes softening at the sight of his first mate. "Captain, I'll take care of the crew whilst you're gone... take care, please." He nodded, calling out his goodbyes to the crew, fully aware he may not make it out alive, before his eyes met familiar black ones. "Sunny Bashra." He shook her hand firmly, and the two shared unspoken words, before the captain lowered M'eudail into the water as the three set off, the mer drifting silently through the water, the human walking in the side-streets and alleys, and Orion, high above, walking across the roof, as they moved to the procession.

Helio was at the head, beside a stranger Orion didn't recognise, from the hood covering his face, and some of the crew, the ones that still supported the corrupted captain, carrying Skygg in a water tank, who lay curled up at the bottom, silent except for the occasional, mournful and tragic wail to the sky, and Orion noticed the way in which M'eudail tensed at the sound, looking ready to spring at the man harming his lover. The three continued to follow silently, as the oil lamps were turned on, as the festival began, and the captain hesitated. Could he really go back here? To the place which had only held suffering for him, to the place where his life had ended? But then again, he thought to himself, this was also the place where he became who he really was... A pirate, through and through. He shook his thoughts away, realising he had almost lost the trail in his pondering, skipping across a few roofs to catch up again. Confused crowds parted in the streets to let the group through, gawking curiously at Skygg as he hid his face behind his tail, and the stranger and Helio made their way to the main stage, right in the town square. The stranger said something to Helio that none of the group could quite catch, although it quickly became clear when Helio shoed the mayor off the stage, staring blankly into the shocked crowds, swaying on his feet slightly. Orion's eyes flicked towards M'eudail, where he had dove into a barrel to watch, shaking with anger, and then to Sunny, who had concealed herself in an alleyway, slowly drawing her sword. The stranger tapped the microphone, chuckling. "Is this thing on? Very good.. Now, everyone, you see this man before you! Once a proud, loyal pirate, turned corrupted by this merman's song! This alone, shows the danger magic has upon our society." The crowd muttered to each other, though Orion noticed with dismay some nods in agreement. He went to step forward, but paused himself, not wanting to ruin the plan now that they had come so far.

"However, my people, I know the cure to this man's ailment! The blood of this mer will cure him, and blood I shall give him, with this knife!" The stranger drew the blade, the ruby in the hull glinting in the moonlight, as a shadow passed over the rising moon. As he laughed, there were... cheers from the crowd, but not only that, but booing too, some having noticed the clouds slowly covering the moon, taking it as a warning from the goddess they were supposed to be celebrating. The stranger drew his pistol, shooting those who voiced their displeasure the loudest, pocketing it once again, as the cheers rose from the increasing fear. He grinned, and Helio silently reached into the tank, lifting Skygg by the tail and holding him up as he struggled to breath without the water's comfort around him. Then Orion gave the signal, lunging down from the roof and yelling a battle cry. M'eudail grabbed the nearest men, throwing them into the surrounding ocean, while Sunny kicked and slashed at anyone who tried to hold her down, and the captain made his way to the stage. He drew his gun silently, pointing it at the stranger, then at Helio, before he stopped. Helio's eyes, despite being tinted with a greenish sheen, still had that sad, desperate look to them, looking so familiar to the man who Orion used to- no- continued to love, and he began to lower his gun, sharing a silent look with the terrified merman at the front. "Kill him." He froze at the sound of the order from the stranger, and didn't have time to move before Helio jumped on him, holding him down and pressing his thumb deep into the still healing wound on his throat, as Orion struggled to push him off. He hit him with the back of the gun, and the two men stayed locked in the other's embrace, lips barely inches apart, before Orion let out a sob, his resistance faltering from the pain in his neck. Helio grinned, lifting the knife, and the captain realised that it was his anniversary gift, kept despite the pain the two had caused each other. As the corrupted captain stared down at his former husband, ready to drive the killing blow, he stopped, a tear slipping down his cheek and onto Orion's, mingling their tears together.

He shook his head, dropping the knife, before he was shoved aside by the stranger, kicking him in the chest and going to stab Orion in the heart, and Orion realised his hood had fallen. Thomas Stormturner stared at Orion with disgust, malice, and pure joy, and the two brothers could only stare at each other for a moment, one fearful, the other prepared to kill. Orion finally got an answer to his question, the answer he never got from his mother. His brother hated him, and now he was going to kill him. He squeezed his eyes shut, gasping in pain as his brother forced them open again, hissing lowly. "Eyes open, dearest brother," He spat, "I want to see the full fear on your face when I kill you, and I want to see the light drain from those pretty eyes of yours.." He was torn away from Orion, as Helio grabbed Thomas, holding him down by the shoulders as he struggled and kicked. Skygg was laying on the stage, trying to crawl back into the tank. His throat has been cut slightly, in the confusion, and Orion noticed the blade driving into Helio's heart. He barely noticed the ragged scream of grief escaping his throat, as he could only watch in horror as Helio slumped, being pushed onto his back as his heart was cut out, ruby red and still pumping, lifted high by Thomas while he fled with Helio's heart in his hand, and Orion continued, to scream, not having noticed the blood slowly gushing from his leg where he had been slashed.

Orion Stormturner fell unconscious, leaving the battered, confused, but relieved to see that Skygg was now safe, three to carry him back to his ship in a hurry, leaving Helio's empty body behind to be collected after.

Thomas retreated onto his own ship, holding the burning hot heart in his hands, feeling how it continued to pump without its body, before he pushed it into a jar, chuckling, as he sailed away. He was victorious, and had gained a power far stronger than anything a mer's death could have given him.

[Tw: blood, abuse mention]

Orion and M'eudail sat together, a fish in M'eudail's clawed, webbed hands, and a bowl of soup in Orion's. The two men sat in comfortable silence, a magical flame burning between them and lighting up the quarters, whilst not catching fire to any of the wood and Orion's gaze drifted to his bedside cabinet, the key still in the lock. The mer's gaze shifted to follow where he was looking, reaching out with a tentacle to open it whilst the captain was distracted. Orion gently pulled the tentacle away with a soft sigh, unlocking it himself and pulling out a simple, gold band. “My wedding band.” He passed it to the mer, who held it gently, turning it over in his fingers and examining the sun marking that was etched into it, drifting one webbed finger over it carefully, before passing it back to the Captain. The two men sat together in a comfortable silence, hands almost interlocking but not quite. The door to his quarters was rapped upon gently, and Orion lifted his head, smiling at the sight of his first mate Sirius, even if he couldn't see it, but then fell at the worried look on his face, standing. "Captain, the uh.. first mate of the Sunfall is here to speak with you, she says it's urgent..." The captain buried his head in his hands with an exasperated sigh, patting Nana and putting his coat on, putting the wedding band back into the cabinet and closing it. M'eudail nodded to him, waving as he left and drying his hand so he could stroke the cat gently while he was gone. Rain was pattering across the deck, Orion nestling his head into his coat a little more on instinct, Sunny standing by the front mast, waiting for him. Worry was etched onto her face, and there was a prickle along the back of his spine. Something was deeply, terribly wrong. She nodded to him. "And what can I do for you, Bashra. " Though his eyes were narrowed with suspicion, his voice held warmth, kindness, care for the girl even if her loyalty was to Helio. Sirius shuffled to stand beside him, holding onto Orion's shoulder both to steady himself, and know where he was, his sightless eyes unfocused and staring at the sea.

"It's the Captain, our Captain. Something's... wrong with him, real wrong. He's been covered in this green stuff since last night, he threatened to attack one of the crew and-" Orion cut her off gently. "Slow down. So you say he's been covered in this green... stuff? Do you know what it is?" He questioned, and Sunnty shook her head softly, still looking worried, as Orion sighed, taking her hand gently. "And you think it's making him act erratically, yes?" She nodded quickly. Orion sighed heavily, nodding as well and exiting the ship, Sunny Bashra in tow as the two walked to the Sunfall in silence, Sunny's silence sourced from worry, and Orion's silence sourced from both fear and concern. The walk seemed to take hours, each footstep feeling like a minute as the ship came into view, the golden flag flapping madly in the early storm winds atop the highest mast. "Thank you for coming with me..." Sunny began, adjusting her sleeves slightly. The captain glanced at her from the corner of his eye, the tiniest smile pricking at his lips quickly, before he returned his gaze to the path ahead, watching as they passed rows of shopfronts already decorated for the festival, a painful reminder for Orion. "Wasn't an issue. You were good to come to me." Finally, they came to the ship, Orion hesitating for a moment, trying not to show his fear. He was afraid, of course he was, for himself and for Helio. Despite whatever he tried to do, how he tried to scorch those lingering feelings, through sex, through whatever projects he tried to keep himself busy was, those feelings were impossible to shake away from his mind, he still cared for him, loved him even.

But he would never admit that.

He took the step onto the deck of the ship, feeling the wind wobble it under his feet, and he steadied himself on the edge, grabbing onto it. "Orion! You came back, he was right!" Helio jumped down from the ship's wheel, and landing heavily in front of him. He went to grab him into a tight hug, leaning to kiss him, which Orion very quickly backed out of, folding his arms. As Sunny had said, Helio's mouth and the front of his waist coat was stained with something dark green, his eyes wide and manic, filled with both fear and... something else, something darker. He paused, before laughing, slapping his shoulder roughly. Orion did not return the smile, but the worry in his eyes stayed. Sunny was right. Helio was a hotheaded man yes, with a nasty temper to rival Orion's, but he would never act like this, never. "Mind informing me what's going on, Frostheart?" He tried to keep the concern out of his voice, keeping a stern, almost disgusted tone. Helio's smile fell immediately, his eyes narrowing. Fury replaced the joy in his eyes, and he took a single step towards Orion, before his eyes flicked to Sunny silently. There was a silent threat there, briefly. "I just wanted you to see how much stronger I am, and I'll be even stronger with you by my side again..." He went to circle an arm around Orion's waist, but was quickly shoved away as Orion scoffed. "And how? By smearing paint on yourself?" He mocked, regaining his composure quickly. Helio gave him a fiery glare, before snatching his arm, yanking him down into his quarters, muttering to himself wildly, "You'll see... oh you will.." He trailed off with a dark little chuckle, unlocking the door and flinging it up.

Dark green stained the wall and floor, leading to a large tank where Skygg lay, weak. His neck was exposed, the wound hastily wrapped in cloth, and his eyes travelled up to stare at Orion. And the captain knew exactly who this was, and his suspicions were confirmed, horrifyingly. He fell to his knees, trying to go to the merman, but Helio stepped in front quickly, blocking him as Orion gave him a furious glare, snarling at him and baring his teeth at his former love. "You monster." He spat, "How could you do this? He's innocent! He's going to die, what if he had a family?" The taller man gave him a pleading look, begging Helio to understand, to stop this madness and free Skygg, but Helio only gave him a measured, satisfied look in return, though it faded as he saw the fear, the pain in his eyes. But he couldn't go back, not now, not now he was too far gone. He shook his head silently, and Orion stood, looking ready to draw his sword. "Please, don't..." Skygg pleaded, and Orion put his sword away, glancing back at him with a knowing look. The mer nodded in understanding, and Orion stepped away, shaking his head at Helio in disgust. He shoved past his former husband, glancing at Sunny with a sad, apologetic look, leaving the ship. He only paused upon hearing her pained yelp, before breaking into a run. He stayed solemnly silent as he came back to M'eudail, and his face told him everything.

The mer and the captain cried together, holding each other close, as Orion prepared to fulfil his promise to him, no matter what it took.

The quiet slosh of waves against the side of the ship stirred Orion slightly, having been confined to his bed to recover from his injuries, casting a glance at the map nearby. The course had been charted towards the Kingdom of Aecoca, home to the beautiful race of centaurs which protected the forests surrounding the kingdom. Why Sunny was so determined to go there, he had only a slight suspicion, but it would mean that some… arrangements would have to be made to allow M’eudail and Skygg to join them. His gaze drifted across his quarters to watch the two of them, sleeping, cuddled up in each other’s embrace, and he felt a slight twinge of jealousy, and a pang of grief too. He sighed heavily, standing up and walking across the deck, out of his quarters and into the night air. His leg began to make an uncomfortable creaking sensation, and his eyes closed slightly, still tired from the sleeplessness he was suffering with, before his legs buckled, crashing into the waves below as his eyes snapped shut.

He was hauled onto the deck, water forced out of him by M’eudail, concerned eyes gazing down at him. He sat up, and Sirius stayed silent, scooping him up into his arms and tapping away back to his quarters, grumbling. “I’ve had enough Captain. As soon as we dock, you’re getting a cane.” Orion immediately began to protest, but Sirius gave him a look that silenced him with his sightless gaze, eyes not focused upon him, but he got the message quickly. It was no use now, he had to accept his weakness here, even if it had almost been the death of him, and how the captain despised appearing weak. He sighed heavily, limping into bed and rolling over, bringing his pillow down on his head with a quiet grumble. He could feel Sirius touching around, before finally touching his hair, moving it slightly in a gesture of comfort for the much older man, before letting go of him gently. "We're almost there Captain... the mers want to come with you, said that they have a way to... become human briefly? I was more worried about you being scooped out the water to really listen, but... we're almost there, anyways." Orion murmured a noise of acknowledgement, squeezing his eyes shut and praying for any kind of undisturbed sleep. As his eyes fluttered open a while later, from the gentle tapping on his arm Skygg was giving him, the hurried footsteps and voices outside his quarters told him that they had arrived, and he rolled out of his bed, leaning on M'eudail for support as he made his way out of his quarters, glancing at Sirius talking to Sunny, both ships having docked.

Dark shapes swum in Orion’s vision, Helio falling to the ground and going still in front of him, his eyes closing. Then a cold hand stroking his cheek. His eyes snapped open, the hand yanking itself away as he sat up awake in his bed, looking around as his breath soothed. He was surrounded by Sunny and Sirius, with M’eudail perched looking through the window outside, and his eyes fell on an unfamiliar face, the owner of the hand who was calming him. The silver hue of his skin and sharp dorsal fin on his back told Orion all he needed to know. This was Skygg. His eyes held the same softness his husband had told him so much of, and the captain’s eyes fell upon the bandage around his throat, where it had been cut, and Orion reached towards it on instinct. Skygg flinched slightly, baring his teeth at him, and he let his hand fall, his eyes going soft.

“My apologies. You’re Skygg, aren’t you? I’ve heard a lot about you.” He dipped his head at M’eudail, who smiled briefly, waving a tentacle at the two before returning to staring out the window. The shark mer soothed slightly, at Orion’s calm expression, before smiling back at his lover, gently rubbing his thumb against the other mer’s hand, pressing his cold lips against it. Orion reached out again, and this time, the silver mer allowed himself to be touched, leaning into the warmth of Orion’s palm, his eyes closing slightly in content. M’eudail chuckled a little. “I’ve been told plenty about you too, Captain Stormturner” He reached over, twirling a lock of Orion’s greying hair in his clawed fingers, grinning as the captain’s cheeks flushed slightly, as he glanced at M’eudail quickly, checking if it was alright.

The other mer rolled his eyes, taking Skygg’s hands in his gently, kissing him adoringly. “Dearest, you’re flustering him, he’s just woken up from an injury that almost killed him” He chided gently, and Skygg looked away apologetically. Sirius’ sightless eyes fixed on Orion’s bed, tapping his shoulder. “How are you feeling Captain?” Orion sighed softly, his eyes lowering as grief crashed over him like a wave, and M’eudail silently wrapped a tentacle around his hand in comfort, Sunny placing a hand on his shoulder as silent tears began to slip down his cheeks. Skygg didn’t have the fury that Orion would have expected for being so mournful towards the man who kidnapped and tortured the mer, his tail flicking through the water of the tank slightly. “I’m sorry… I know how much you cared for Helio, and how much he cared for you… but I think we can help each other.”

Orion’s ears flicked slightly, interested, wiping his face from tears, and blinked slowly at him. “A regular human heart does not glow like Helio’s did when it is removed. And I remember something about Helio having changed his name before he became a pirate, yes?” The captain nodded quickly in response. “Yes, from Sunheart.” The two mer shared a quick glance, sharing silent words with just a look between each other, before they nodded. “Helio is still alive. Well- his soul is.” Orion turned away, standing up and shaking his head, his fingers gently trailing across the snake skeleton he kept under his pillow for comfort. With a sigh, he turned back around. “No. No, he isn’t. He can’t be!”

“Orion, your husband has god blood, he is alive! As long as his heart is not destroyed.” M’eudail retorted, steadying Orion with a few of his tentacles, as the captain stumbled a few steps, before sitting back onto his bed, burying his face in his hands with a trembling sob. Sunny wrapped an arm around his shoulders softly, sitting beside him calmly. “How can we stop this then? How can we save Helio? Do you know why that man took his heart then?” Skygg lifted a hand to pause her questions, and Sunny fell silent. He rested his hand on her shoulder gently, lifting Orion’s chin gently to look him in the eyes kindly. “The stranger, or whatever his name is really, wants to destroy magic in this world, and he thinks he can become the most powerful using the heart of a god. We must find him, together.”

Orion sighed softly, nodding and bringing Skygg’s hand away from his chin carefully, “Are you sure you want to though? Helio did kidnap and torture you.. I’d understand if you two wanted to leave us behind.” The two mer lovers glanced at each other, before they chuckled, and shook their heads, hugging Orion tightly. The captain allowed himself to relax, finally, and hugged them back. He rose to his feet, walking out onto the deck of his ship, up to the wheel, shouting out directions, before glancing at Sunny.

“Captain, I’d say we head towards Aecoca, we may be able to ask for reinforcements.” Orion nodded, patting Sunny’s shoulder gently, before wrapping a coat around her shoulders. “Of course, I trust your judgement, Captain Bashra of the Sundance.” Sunny’s eyes widened, before softening and puffing out her chest with pride, before she ran off the ship of the Shooting Star, running to her own ship.

Orion took one final look back at the place where so much of his pain had stemmed from, and smiled. One day he’d return, after bringing his brother to justice, and return his husband’s heart to where it should be.

And somewhere between the land of gods and the living, a lone soul wanders, calling for anyone he used to know.

M’eudail blinked awake briefly, before mumbling and closing his eyes again, tentacles covering his head. He knew what was happening today, the entire West Ocean kingdom did. His 18th birthday, and they day he would formally become a prince and enter a position of power, a position of stupid, stupid power which only brought with it fancy dinners and tight suits. It also didn’t help that he would be assigned his own personal guard either, someone who would follow him everywhere he dared to go, get in the way of every one of his plans. At least he would get to choose, even if they all acted the same anyways.

After a while, his father came knocking, opening the door without asking, as per usual. He gently rested a hand against M’eudail, not shaking him, only a gentle acknowledgment that his son was already awake, settling down and waiting for him to get up, smiling warmly at him. M’eudail’s ears burned in embarrassment at his father’s expression, full of pride and hope for his son’s future, but forced a smile for him, and he got a tight hug in return. He loved his parents, of course he did, but his father was always so… clingy with him, and his mother the complete opposite. Of course, the young merman knew why, as all his siblings were lost in the war between their kingdom, and the North Ocean Kingdom. It was how the two coped, after all, even if it was terribly different from how the other did.

“My son… I’m so very proud of how you’ve made it so far, you’re finally becoming a prince! I hope you understand what this means now, yes?" M'eudail arched his shoulders slightly, rolling his eyes and nodding very softly, which seemed to satisfy his father enough to leave him be and make his exit. The young prince sighed softly, following after him and getting swarmed by outfitters and dragged into a powder room to be dressed up for his stupid, stupid coronation ceremony. As M’eudail was pushed and pulled into the perfect princely position, he began to wander about his personal guard. He head heard them training below his window, but he had never actually ventured down to watch, so we wouldn’t know the roster he would be choosing from. He supposed the mystery made this unpreventable thrusting of responsibility more bearable at the least.

He allowed himself to be lead down the stairs, into the courtyard where it looked as if the whole kingdom had gathered, just to watch him choose someone he may end up hating, and M’eudail gazed down the line of young mer who had been training for the sole purpose for the chance of being a personal guard for him, and even then, they would become a part of the royal guard if not chosen by him. He didn’t quite fancy the look of the burly woman right at the end, although she was gorgeous to look at. He paused as he continued swimming down the line, at the very last potential guard. A shark. He had seen this shark before, going about his day and helping his mother and father in the market, and he had heard stories of how their family had begged to be let into the kingdom, and how his father had permitted it, despite the protests. He couldn’t help but feel a slight unease, just on the back of his neck, after all, the sharks of the North Ocean Kingdom were the reason why the war started, and how he had lost all his siblings before him. The shark mer opened his eyes briefly, locking eyes with M’eudail for just a second, before lowering his gaze. This was the one, he knew it deep down, and before he knew it, he was pointing at him, gasps rippling out from the crowds.

M’eudail glanced back at his father, just for second, and winced at the mixture of disbelief and rage brewing in his eyes. He turned back to face the kingdom, with the shark mer looking equally surprised, pointing to himself with his mouth agape. A small cheer began in the front of the crowd, from the shark’s parents, which quickly spread to the rest of the crowd, celebrating their new prince and his guard. M’eudail barely felt the ceremonial sword being pressed into his hands, lifting it to knight his new guard, who had quickly bowed his head, his thick white hair flowing in the water current.

The shadow wandered aimlessly through the darkened streets, shadowy buildings lining the endless cobbles. He called out, his voice barely a whisper against the silent world inbetween life and death. He glanced down at his hands, noticing how they seemed to fade a flicker as he moved, looking around some more before his eyes landed on a familiar shape. He began to run towards it, as the shape quickly faded from view, a mirage of his own corrupted imagination, as the shell of the man he once was sunk to his knees, feeling the hole in his chest where his heart was supposed to be. He couldn’t help himself, sinking against the wall of a towering building, burying his head into his hands with grief. He hasn’t meant for this to happen, not at all, and he only had himself to blame for his awful it had gone. He loved too much, and that love got others hurt. Ghosts of his tears slipped down his cheeks, curling up as small as he could make himself. He barely moved when he felt a phantom of his heart jolt roughly where it should be, or at the ghostly imagination of a hand on his shoulder. A voice spoke, a female voice, gentle, but with a raspiness to it. “Helio?” The voice whispered in his ear, and his head snapped up in shock. He was alone.

[tw for yelling, blood and violence]

Orion stormed onto the ship, his eyes full of furious fire as he shoved past Lucien on his way to ask him what had gotten him so worked up, going into his room and grabbing his bookshelf, yanking it down from the wall with a thunderous crash. He turned to the dresser, kicking it with a furious scream, before turning his anger onto the wall, punching it until blood rolled down his wrist, and then some, growling with each rough smack the wall made as splinters burrowed their way into his knuckles. He didn’t stop, not even as fat tears began rolling down his face, ignoring the mer trembling in the tub, watching the furious captain in terror as he took his rage and pain out onto his bedroom. His laboured breathing and hoarse screaming eventually ceased as the picture fell from his dresser with a cracking of glass as it hit the floor. He turned around, the adrenaline slowly fading as he knelt down, desperately scraping shards of glass together from the picture. “No.. no, no! I’m sorry!” He sobbed, taking the picture out of its ruined frame with trembling hands, hugging it close to his chest.

“Are you-“ M’eudail made his first attempt to speak, but was quickly drowned out by Orion’s sobs, as he flung himself onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow. Nana nosed her way into the room, jumping up beside him and laying on his back, purring to slow his breathing down enough for him to calm, at least a little. M’eudail could only watch, waiting patiently as Orion weeped into his pillow, still clutching the photograph in his bloodied hands, before rolling out of bed, eyes still streaming with tears, lifting the bookcase up again and slotting the books neatly back into place, trying to calm himself with the task of cleaning up. The mer narrowed his eyes slightly, before beginning to speak once more. “…Have you lost your love too?” Orion stiffened, turning slowly to stare incredulously at M’eudail upon hearing his voice. He examined the net’s tired eyes, filled with grief, and his words began to click into place, as he withdrew slightly, looking down at the crumpled picture grasped tightly in his hands. “No- I mean, not in the way that- that you mean, I… we aren’t together anymore.” He sputtered out finally, and M’eudail nodded in understanding, looking at one of his tentacles in silence, as Orion finished cleaning up and disappeared into the other room, cleaning up his hands and using tweezers to pull out the splinters and glass.

He returned, his heels clicking in rhythm to the roaring ocean outside of the boat, which swayed the docked ship back and forth softly. “Is your lover…?” He trailed off at the mer’s nod, lowering his eyes to avoid his searching, tragic gaze, as Orion sat down in front of him. “Yes. He… he got taken by a ship, a little while before you captured me. I don’t know where he is now, but… there’s not point in hoping. He’s dead.” M’eudail masked the extent of his grief in his voice, although it trembled in places, and Orion’s eyes softened with understanding, reaching out to touch one of his tentacles. He pulled away from him sharply, tucking his extra appendages close with narrowed eyes and a hiss of warning. “Could you tell me about him?” Orion asked quietly, his head still bowed in respect. M’eudail paused, before nodding slightly. “Skygg was… well, he was beautiful. Gorgeous white hair, and his markings and fins… but the best part about him was his personality. His smile. He was kind, and trusting, and his smile would light up the ocean like the hottest summer’s day!” He chuckled fondly, sadly, and fell silent, his ears lowering and looking down, as Orion thought to himself for a moment.

“Maybe… he isn’t dead! I mean, you got captured by me; and you aren’t dead! And I’ve been told I’m a pretty scary pirate.” He laughed, but it faded upon seeing M’eudail’s expression. It was defeated, hopeless, and tragically beautiful, something that brought Orion almost to tears as he reached out slowly, his hand eventually resting to sit on M’eudail’s shoulder, to comfort the mer. “Don’t give up.. I swear to you, I will find your husband, and I will make sure you reunite with each other!” The mer tensed in shock, searching Orion’s gaze for any hint of him lying or leading him on, and found none, as his heart began to swell with hope.

He reached out, shaking the captain’s hand firmly as they sealed the promise, giving each other a small smile.