#valen doom

You cant tell me that they didn’t hang out

out of order mermay lateness. Have a giant dunkleosteus mer I stole, borrowed I mean, from @horseyneigh2002 and his tiny selkie pup daughter. Will I organize Valen's story in timeline? someday. have out of order stuff. [he does find Cassidy muuuuch later on in the rough time line, after he though he lost everything but a great big Slayer/john mer.]

Cassidy isn't scared of her big guardian any more. she wants to show it, but seals boop to show loves... she's still a kid. wants to be loved and get to show it.

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17: Selkie (pup)

The girl woke up warm, dry and feeling so oddly protected. It took a little while to sort out where she was, and having to fully wake up. Though it was so tempting to roll over and cuddle back to the living heater.

Cassidy almost did. 

The deep purring felt and sounded wonderful, it was not the mind numbing tone he could make. Just that purr that Valen made while sleeping. 

The selkie girl leaned up against his front, eyes half lidded. She reached up to run her fingers over one of the many scars on her now guardian. The last few months had her learning so much, about mers, about humans, even a little sea magic! 

There was so much more to learn about the open water. Cassidy had not realized how much there was when she left her nursery harbor. Cassidy had thought she knew enough, had read so much about tides, currents, even predator creatures! Shark, orcas and other hazards.

She had not been aware of how much of a threat mers were until getting caught in the edge of Valen's own hunt. For some reason, it never occurred to the selkie girl that the giant mers would be seal eaters too. Not until she was dazed and crying in between the hands of a baffled Valen.

At least he had been too confused about human-seal-selkie shapeshifter to try and eat the pup. Back then, Cassidy thought it was just as bad as being hunted, she was so scared of the giant merman that seemed to be kidnapping her.

It took time for the girl to realize she was not being saved for later. That the giant was not keeping her as a snack or pet. Cassidy was being fostered as mers apparently did, being brought around to look for a family pod. 

At least until Cassidy admitted her mother had disappeared two years ago. Unaware that solidly put her in the ‘orphaned pup’ category to Valen. For some reason being six was a part of that? Cassidy was not sure why, she had been alone in the nursery harbor for at least two years!

…and she was kept?

Cassidy was still not fully sure what happened, but she was very protected now. Valen was teaching her about the real sea, about mers. About storm dens, even knowing the best places for harbor seals (and selkie girls) to hunt. Encouraging her to learn to hunt, but there was always a large fish to be offered when there was nothing. 

Valen avoided the bigger human towns, and cities, but though hesitant… he let her go into the smaller towns and villages. Get needed dry land time as she was a shapeshifter with a human form. 

And all the fries she wanted by selling pearls and shells to humans.

Now, after a few months of being brought along with Valen on his migration. From the colder north to the slowly warming waters, Cassidy was grateful for a protector. There were a lot of things in the depths that were not mers, and dangerous to them, and something as small as a selkie? It was a good thing Valen was a good twenty feet in size, and built like those tanks in books.

The girl stretched in her spot, as a human Cassidy looked to be a young teen. She shifted, having bare feet hiding in the crook of Valen's arm. Between it and his body, it kept her feet warm. Laying back, supported by his right arm, Cassidy shifted to rest her head back on the curve of a large digit. Finding just the right spot that was softer, at least flexible with some give. It seemed softer.

The large digits curled around her, did not scare Cassidy now. Even looking up to see one of Valen's claws near. She reached up, Cassidy grasping one that was more grey than black. Checking it over, surprised to see that one could see his claws improving, they used to be a bit worn, but sharp. Now they were still shrap but… thicker and shiny?

For the first time, Cassidy wondered if mers shed their claws like their teeth, or dental plates like Valen had. The selkie girl moved a little more, getting herself into a better position. Her little movements triggered the big mer to shift. Cassidy squeaked as she was squished against Valen’s front for a moment, then the arm supporting her from going in the water relaxed. 

Just a moment his hand loosely closed over the pup to him. Not hurting but being so gentle as the old merman made sure his pup was still there, safe, dry. As there were no distressed sounds Valen's hand relaxed, the tired mer settled back into sleep. Cassidy aloud to move around, but not climb off the big frame.

Not that she was planning to really, but the selkie girl turned to climb out of the hand and arm holding and supporting her. Up onto the broad, plated armored chest.

Cassidy was still tired herself. The girl half debating on stretching out here and going back to sleep. The want of added comfort drove her to scoot upwards through. Her seal skin was resting on Valen's arm still, but Cassidy trusted her guardian. One hand over the other, she moved over the giant's front.

She paused, balance on hands and knees on Valen's collarbone. What seemed like a collarbone, waiting to see if the giant merman would wake. When he did not, Cassidy reached out. Her fingers brushed the edge of his chin. Then grasped it as she slid forward. His neck seemed just as armored as the rest of the giant, Valen did not react or show he was waking. So Cassidy slid down to sit on his neck, leaning forward to press her head against his chin. 

She leaned back, the selkie girl looked confused for a moment. Trying to figure out how to deep a proper boop. She pressed her forehead to the side of the mer's jaw line. Blinked and scooter closer to try again, having mostly grown up as a seal-pup-selkie, not human-child-selkie.

She knew that gentle boops were like human kisses, but more. It was how you were supposed to show trust, bond with a parent. Cassidy both wanted to say thank you to Valen for protecting her when she did not understand. That she was kept safe, warm, cared for…. 

She did not know how to express that other than trying to boop. Cassidy tried, pressing her head a few ways to the large chin, jaw, and then lower cheek. Half sliding off Valen's neck, then coming back to sprawl over sideways on his neck. Starting to pout, but then relaxed into the feeling of sound and vibrations from the deep, sleepy purring.

The giant merman took a deeper breath, and then his purring paused as Valen yawned. Dental plates exposed as he flexed and arched. Starting to stretch, and wake up clearly Cassidy squeaked in alarm, about to move.

A massive hand was lifting from off Valen’s upper stomach, the dunkleosteus mer was careful of his claws and he felt were Cassidy was. Lifting her off his neck and opened his good eye to look the pup over.

Human shaped pup, who was blinking back at him in confusion, then he shifted to slowly roll over to his side. Gently settling her down in the thick moss mate in the den, finding were her seal skin was to put over. The giant finished rolling over with a second yawn and started to wrap his arms around the spot Cassidy was placed. He took a breath, head resting on one forearm, the other curled around his pup. Before he could fall back asleep felt small hands pat his cheek.

His blind eye opened on reflex to ‘look’ down, just barely seeing a soft shape of pale. A hint of sea magic, and not knowing still why the selkie girl always looked pale in darkness. Was a black seal in the day, and white one at night.

Valen felt Cassidy pressing her head against his cheek bone, then trying to snuggle against his cheek.

…why did pups have to be so…small…and cute.

Valen reached up, cupping his right hand over the currently human shaped pup, tilting his head and trying to be careful. Trying to be gentle again with something so small, and fragile, and young, pressing the bridge of his nose against the selkie pup.

His pup.

The merman felt her relax and make a cute little sound. All at once realizing he was trusted back, if not as a sire, then a guardian. Cassidy was happily snuggling against him, pressing her head to his not… not unlike how seal pups would seek little touches from their mothers.

And back into the past with big mer Valen. ended up dowing two versions of this prompt.

XD still funny, Valen finds a fresh water pup, starts taking them to the park rangers to get them home.

later on John/Slayer finds a freshwater mer pup? that's his now, he's taking it home to nest on. good luck getting baby away from them.

xXxXxXx

[version 1] May 11 Invasive Species…ish

There was a long, long awkward time of staring at the washed out mer pup. Blinking slowly up at him from where he was ‘hiding’ on the beach. 

Valen sighed deeply, sitting up he looked around farther around his beach. Spotting the distant river. He knew there had been a storm, and he had taken the adoptee pups down into his den for the storm. Teach them how to deal with storms, and about the deeper storm dens, only in this case it had been his.

The old mer left them there to play in his den, to check the surface, and was not expecting to come across another pup. One that should not be anywhere near a coastal area, and had no defence other than freezing in place. Holding still to camouflage even as Valen made sure he was not seeing something.

The pup smelled of fresh water, and he sighed. For a moment, Valen debated taking the tiny boy to the park rangers, or lead the pup back to the nearest river.

But that river was overflowing, washed out almost from the storm that moved inland. The boy was smaller than most adult humans, as freshwater mers tended to be.

Valen shifted, and reached down, picking up the shivering pup. Hearing a sad little squeak as he was raised to the much bigger giant mer’s head. Shaking at the feeling of hot breath, then confused fear as the pup was given a quick groom. Valen getting the sand off them before fitting the pup sideways in his mouth. 

With hands and arms freed he could pull himself up the beach. Muscles flexed and bulged from pulling so much weight of his own body on land. The Merman sat up as high as he could on his arms, scanning over the area and then saw where the distant part was between the trees. If he remembered correctly… there was a lake thing there, as well as another kind of ranger den. Not the beach ones, but inland rangers. They would know what to do with the lost pup, surely.

Valen could not really bring the freshwater pup down into his den, not safely. Even if he really wanted to.

The little freshwater cousins never got that much bigger than humans, they stayed small like the shallower, warm water reef mers, or even sirens! Even then they were bigger than most of the freshwater ones.

Valen was not a fan of dragging himself on land, or forested areas. He was very grateful for having such thick hide and armor plates on most of his body, as well as that it was still raining.

There was a whine from between his dental plates, and a little wiggle, but the boy stilled as the giant merman hummed around them. Valen used the same lullaby tones he did for his adopted pups in the den. Never putting too much pressure on the pup, reassuring and trying to get across without words that he was safe with the giant

Finally, after a good bit of time, Valen pushed through the forest line. Huffing but it felt nice to pull his underbelly into the tall, grassy area before the ‘lawn’ started. The giant was breathing a little heavy, lowering himself to brace on his elbows, then forearms as he settled. Ducking his head and let the pup slide out from between his jaws, and into the space between his forearms. Wide, golden brown eyes stared up at Valen as the saltwater merman yawned to flex his jaws and dental plates.

“Almost there pup, just give me a minute…” Valen rumbled, catching his breath and slowly lowering himself to rest from the trip. Braced on his forearms and elbows, Valen was making sure to control his breathing. Keeping things steady, calm, humming a soft note he hoped would work for freshwater mers. It was a tone he used with humans… it might work. 

“...what…” a tiny voice meeped under his chin, the boy sounding so lost it hurt. “what…are…you?”

“I am a mer, like you pup.” Valen chuckled, tilting his head to look down with his good eye. “But, I am from the sea, and you from freshwater.”

“...big?” came the nervus squeak. 

Valen chuckled, nodding, “Yes, I am. I come from the open water, but have pups on the coast.”

Lost and found ones like this pup, but still his now, and were safely sleeping out the storm. But… maybe…

Maybe… 

Valen shook his head a little, turning his attenion back to the little brown colored pup. “Did you live in a lake, or… river?” 

“The big lake!” the boy chirped, starting to realize he might be safe. 

“Ah, good,” Valen hummed, the pup knew about where he came from, that should help with getting him back to his pod. “You need to tell the rangers all about your lake. Name, shape, directions, fish, plants. Everything you can remember pup.”

“Why?” came the puzzled question. 

Valen smiled down at the pup, “Because they are the park rangers, they can find your home, and pod with all that.”

The little boy looked around, having no idea where he was. He peered up at the giant above him. “They really can?”

“yes.”

“...promis?”

Valen glanced down, and then chuckled as he shifted his arms, tucking the pup under his neck and laid down fully on the grassy lawn. Keeping just enough space for even a human to lay under his head comfortably. The freshwater pup was just that much smaller, and Valen could sense the tension leaving the boy. It was not hart letting him stay in the new hiding spot, sheltered from the rain, storm and wind while Valen himself relaxed.

Assuming out of armor here

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Doom guy:

Slayer wears whatever fits, doesn't matter the clothes or style it fits he sits in it. That is, if he HAS to wear cloths. Dude will walk around with nothing because he just ...forgets. not showing off or anything he just plan forgets after long stretches of fighting. Vega or someone else has to remind him to get in the habit Cloths again.

(more then once the Sentinels had to tackle and dress this man)

I do kinda have it that he likes just shorts, or trunks, or sweatpants with the ankle elastic cut. No so much shirts a lot because the man bleeds heat so much. Once cooled down it has to be a loose shirt, thus his like if Argenta cloths because most Argenta are bigger then him.

However, he will try to wear what a person he likes gives him.

Slayer can't feel much on his feet from all the nerve damage, scarring and calluses. Soo...he goes barefoot. Or wears his armor boots if he HAS to

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Vega:

If human? Or human enough to need cloths. Clean cut and professional, not really a suit he would have whatever is appropriate for the setting, though likes blue and green tones and human style cloths. Vega would know a little of how to make sure a his cloths fit, not ful tailoring though. He would definitely be trying to keep clean, himself and his cloths, though won't panic over stains. Too many things to worry about.

And they would need to be comfortable. Because Slayer. That giant ass man will flop on Vega every chance he gets.

Get squished nerd.

Also has good hiking shoes, have you seen the size of Mars and the Fortress???

.

Valan:

Like Vega, he's very clean cut and tidy, though it's Argenta clothing he's wearing. So sort of looks like modern tunic style, easy to get in and out of. Easy to fight in. Keeps nice and clean, guy know magic for keeping stains out of everything. Though can wear more floral Sentinel cloths very easily, his late wife taught him well how to pick matching cloths and colors if he is in a situation where he needs or can do so.

doom writing, based in the Garnets story. have a cute.

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The lone man walking through the quiet halls paused, catching a sound before he could be told by the new Atlan AI of the Fortress. It helped that they had left the doors half open to the rooms of the newest additions out of stasis. The man turned to back track to where the distressed sound was, finding one of the shared rooms for the human youngsters.

He had been doing this slow pacing through the hall, just in case of something happening. One of the humans being in distress, the sounds not too loud but enough for him to investigate. He was not to surprised that it was one of the rooms the younger kids were in. The Argenta man smiled a bit finding the two kids that were in separate beds that evening before we're now both in the same bed.

It was meant for an Argenta adult, so there was plenty of room for the two small human girls to fit on the same bed. At interesting angles and somehow opposite directions, with some odd feet between them and plenty of blanket space. Close enough to feel safe but just far enough from each that the brown haired girl, Heather, did not feel or notice that the other girl was starting to thrash.

The man silently lunged forward after seeing how she was now twisting. He caught the darker skinned girl… Iris, as she was mid roll, eyes half open as she now started to thrash at the mask and hose from the machine that helped the kids breathe at night.

The girl whined, at first not recognizing where she was, nor who this near stranger was. Frightened from the nightmare already as she slapped at the larger hands pulling her up.

“Shh,” the man said reflexively as he pulled the comparatively tiny girl into his arms as he sat on his knees beside the bed. He knew she could not hear him, but could not help it before letting out a low, chest deep rumble. Making sure the girl was safely held in his right arm, restrained up against his front for just long enough for him to untangle the hose from her head and neck.

Valen hummed now, looking down at the little human. She was just too small for her age, the size did not match up to what he instinctively knew of children's growing patterns. Both of these girls would be seen as half their age, or near skeletal starvation state…

Considering some of the humans had been smaller than they were now when Valen first helped the Slayer get them in the stasis pods. They had gained weight in the week or so hooked up to the stasis pods and the steady nutrients from them. 

“It's alright little puppy,” Valen said softly, catching the small hands and pulling them down from Iris’ clear mask. Catching it and setting the mask back in place. It was one that the Fortress Atlan, Vega, had made so had a little disk to the one side that Valen recognized. Holding the little black in place as small hands scrambled at his left wrist, not that he could feel the little nails scratches on the prosthetic. 

Valen triggered the little mask to give some of the needed medicine for the girl to help get her breathing under control. Making sure to keep up the steady, deep rumbling sound, hoping Iris could feel it and waited until her breathing smoothed out. Calming down as she was able to breathe better, eyes adjusting to the dim light that came from behind Valen from the hall.

She was staring so intently at Valen, he wondered what the girl saw from her perspective. Staring up at his scarred self, tracking the lines in his face? Or what was left of his right ear? Iris was staring almost as intently when an infant would watch a parent. He smiled a bit, scars tugging it lopsided, as Valen could see the child shifting to focus on his blind eye, then to his left black one. It had something twisting in his heart, before Valen realized the almost echo of his position, holding someone so small and young in his arms beside a bed.

Though this was not a colicing or sick youngling foster or his son when little. Valen took a slow, deep breath himself, then a second, and on the third loosened his gentle restraining hold now that Iris was awake and aware enough to recognize Valen. There were no wiggles to get away, if anything the too tiny hands caught his left hand as he was pulling it away from her mask. The metal hand paused, Valen letting his fingers be captured in a tight grip. Iris shifted, looking at the hand she held with both of her's. Then those big eyes looked up at Valen's face, her gaze tracing the deep scarring on Valen's face. Then her expression turned puzzled looking back at his hand, poking it.

Valen chuckled, suddenly realizing that this little pup of a child had not really seen his prosthetic arm yet. He smiled as she moved to grasp a metallic finger tip. Iris made a soft sound, shifting finally, only to press against the front of Valen’s gray shirt a little more firmly. Letting go with one hand to tap his chest. 

She was trying to sign with one hand, pausing at the puzzled look from Valen.

“I don’t know much about human signs, my little one.” Valen started, and tilted his head as the girl moved to press the side of her head against his chest. Like how Heather did to the Slayer in fascination. Then he chuckled, and started the low rumbling again, smiling in a relaxed way that had the girl smiling a little. She cuddled back against him to feel the sound, Iris’ grip was moving to cling to his shirt instead. 

Oh no.

Why must she be… cute.

Valen reached with his free hand, careful to get the mask and hose off the girl. Sitting up and holding the (too small, so very small) child close as he got up off the floor. Turning off the… CPAP, that’s what it was called. Valen sat down on the bed, glancing over to make sure the other little girl was still sound asleep. Then looked back down at who he held. “Little one, you should not look at me with such trust.”

Iris just blinked back, not catching everything said, as she was distracted by the short beard. Reaching up to pat Valen’s chin, smiling as he ducked his head. Lifting the girl up to press his head against her own, “Thank you though, for offering that trust, little pup. I will protect you here little one.”