[IC] Oceanus Research Facility

[Cat22]

“That would be helpful although I’m not sure how they might react to Tidus considering that he, like the rest of us, can use magic. It’s quite a common ability with some of us although some merfolk forego using magic altogether. As a result, some of them become out of tune with the flow of magic and once that happens, it’s hard to cast spells at that point.” Vaan said. While he walked over to the corner of the room after he spoke, he also still decided to keep an eye on Tidus albeit from a distance as well.

“Surface dwellers often… don’t take kindly to magic… At least, that’s how it was in the past and even today, there are those who fear that which they do not know. It’s the whole reason why many of us don’t often interact with surface dwellers especially since there are those who are likely to do harm to us or even downright kill us. Sirens are even more at risk especially since they kind of… have a diet consisting of the souls of humans…” Firion said. While he decided not to move from where he was standing, he also ended up mentioning the sirens as well.

[4323O2]

"I am aware of this. The guards here are specially trained to accept any forms of magic. Not all of us are plain humans," Alice nodded.

She felt the handle trying to turn and pulled the door open, allowing Ivan to step inside. She sighed and ushered the injured guard inside, turning her attention almost completely away from the mermen. Her focus was on helping Ivan right now as she began bandaging the guard's two wounds.

Ivan hissed in pain as Alice began bandaging him. Of course, he didn't object to her help. His attention strayed to the mermen, who he watched with quiet reserve. He said not a word. She'll probably have me guard them since I'm already in the same place as them. Ugh, He thought, his expression changing to a slight scowl.

[Cat22]

“So we won’t have to worry about pitchforks and torches then. What a relief…” Firion muttered softly as he glanced over at Bartz. While he was undoubtedly relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with anyone trying to kill him, he also seemed to be rather curious about why Bartz had decided to step away from Tidus although he decided not to ask him about his decision. Rather, he just stood there in silence as he also ended up glancing over at Vaan who was at the other wall.

“So Vaan, has Tidus done anything stupid prior to getting caught in the net?” He asked the ashen haired merman. He was somewhat curious about what Tidus could have done prior to being caught in the net hence the reason why he decided to ask Vaan about it.

“Well, aside from pulling a prank on the wrong merfolk, not much. Tidus often doesn’t think before he acts especially when he pulls these practical jokes of his…” Vaan said as he glanced over at Tidus as if trying to prove a point.

[4323O2]

Alice listened in until her radio chattered and she ducked out of the room. She knew Ivan would stay where he was, as not doing so would end up hurting him worse most likely. She went to the SCP containment building, where 34 had managed to get her door unlocked and was roaming the halls harmlessly. Of course, she knew 34 was only teasing at the security and would allow the girl to play her game for a little longer, as she had to cross the entire compound to get to the SCPCB(Special Containment Procedure Containment Building).

Emerie was purely wandering the halls, getting the lay of the land. Not much had changed since she had last been in the halls, so she was rather close to leaving. But she overheard a bit of guard chatter and retreated, not wanting to get caught even though she knew she'd been seen by the cameras.

---

Ivan sat on the cot in silence, watching the mermen.

[Cat22]

“Why am I not surprised that he would do something like that? After all, it is what he’s known for whether we like it or not. However, sometimes, I really wish that he would just stop and think before he acted. It would make things so much better and not as dangerous although we can never have nice things like that, can we?” Firion said. While he did walk over to where Bartz was standing after he spoke, he also ended up making it somewhat clear that he did not wish to be anywhere near Tidus which could be determined slightly by his tone of voice as well.

“Well, he is Tidus after all. It’s just what he does.” Vaan said as he watched Firion walk over to where Tidus was. While he did want to approach him, he also ended up turning to leave out the door as well. He had enough of being in the medbay and as a result, wanted to go explore the rest of the facility to see if he could find anything of interest. However, he also didn’t notify the others before he left which led to come slight confusion from Bartz and Firion.

[4323O2]

Ivan continued to watch and listen in on the merfolk, taking in their personalities and quietly classifying each of them. Tidus was a given SCP, Bartz seemed to be safe, perhaps, Vaan was... well he wasn't sure yet, nor was the guard sure about Firion.

---

Emerie had retreated to her enclosure, much to the relief of all involved in containing her. But now work had begun on installing a new lock that would be more difficult for her to unlock herself. They always make it too easy. They know I won't try, so once I get whoever they're bringing in next to me, I can leave, She told herself as she sat down on the cot she was given and sighed.

Alice approached the SCP girl's enclosure, a clear scowl on her face. She was playing games. That's not good. We can't find anything for her to do, so we can't keep her entertained. Hopefully once the SCP boy is introduced to her, she'll behave, Alice thought as she studied 34 through the thick pane of glass that separated them.

[Cat22]

“And there he goes… Honestly, what is he even planning…” Firion muttered softly as he watched Vaan leave the medbay. While he was unsure why Vaan had decided to leave, he had also decided not to ask himself about what the reason could have been although he ended up also glancing over at Bartz who had created a small orb of ice that he was tossing in between his hands. Of course, he also decided not to ask him about it either although he ended up creating a small fireball in the palm of his right hand.

“How long am I going to have to stay here? It’s boring!” Tidus said before he ended up rolling off of the cot that he had been placed on. While he didn’t seem to like staying still, he also didn’t want to sit in complete silence either which he found to be quite boring.

“Tidus, I-I don’t think that you’re supposed to be moving around all that much! You could end up undoing the bandages that Fi, Vaan, and I used to bandage up your wounds. If you get them caught on something, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to bandage up your wounds again.” Bartz said as he gave Tidus a look that could easily translate to “Don’t do anything stupid”.

[4323O2]

Ivan followed Vaan out, not stopping the merman yet. But before he did this, he turned to the other three.

"Do me a favor and stay here so I don't get fired, please. Somebody should come move you to a more comfortable arrangement soon," He told them before disappearing after Vaan.

Despite his instincts, he wanted to see where Vaan was going to end up.

---

"I've asked you to stop doing that, 34. Multiple times. So why don't you give me a logical answer this time," Alice hissed at the girl.

"I was bored. You haven't given me anything to do, so I had to do something!" 34 responded, giggling a bit.

[Cat22]

“But… Vaan already left! We can’t just let him wander off on his own since he has a habit of being rather reckless!” Firion said. While he didn’t seem too keen on the idea of staying put while Vaan was off wandering around, he also didn’t want to leave Bartz and Tidus by themselves either for fear of one of them wandering off and getting lost without someone to keep an eye on them. To that extent, he chose to remain where he was for the time being so that he could make sure that neither Bartz or Tidus would end up wandering off.

[4323O2]

Alice sighed, shaking her head. The SCP girl wasn't cooperating, and it was becoming bothersome to the extent that she almost called for a guard to silence the girl. But she knew that would only boost the child's annoying habits. She turned to leave and walked right into a guard who hadn't been paying attention.

"Watch it!" She snapped immediately, picking up the clipboard she'd dropped.

The guard muttered an apology and hurried away, much to the obvious entertainment of 34.

---

Ivan trailed after Vaan without a word, knowing that if the merman went in a direction he wasn't supposed to, he would step in.

---

Another scientist in a white labcoat came into the medbay after being told to start by bringing Tidus to the SCPCB, and he would do that. The guard approached the three of them.

"I'll assume Ivan told you you'd be moved to more comfortable quarters?" It was half a question.

[Cat22]

Vaan was currently wandering around the hallways and chose to remain completely silent. While he seemingly had no idea of where to go, he also had enough of being stuck in the medbay for the time being and as a result, had taken it upon himself to explore the facility on his own. However, since he didn’t know his way around the place all that well, he had eventually gotten lost without meaning to which seemed to confuse him.

“Now… where exactly was the way back to where I just was…” He muttered softly before he ended up looking around him to see where he was. While he seemingly didn’t recognize the part of the hallway that he was in, he still seemed to be somewhat confused about which direction was the way back as well.

[4323O2]

Ivan seemingly appeared behind Vaan, though he had simply come from around the corner. He sighed, noticing just how lost Vaan was. Of course, he had the option of leading Vaan to his new containment, or to the others. He chose the option that was probably the worse of the ideas: back to the others.

"It's never a good idea to wander these halls alone, my friend. I could take you back, if you wanted," He spoke in his monotone guard's voice, aware of the other guards who were probably listening in on the conversation from the testing rooms.

The hall Vaan had wandered into was filled with observation rooms, though the way into those rooms was deceptively simple, masked as plain white doors with no markings. The lack of marking was signature to only observation rooms, and this made navigation difficult but easier at the same time.

[Cat22]

“We’re pretty sure that he did tell us about that however, Vaan kind of… wandered off… Tidus might possibly want to wait for him before leaving especially considering how close those two are. So, in that regard, is it possible to wait until Vaan gets back before we leave so that Tidus would be more at ease?” Bartz said. While he ended up tilting his head to the side out of curiosity after he spoke, he also seemed to express the desire to wait until Vaan came back for Tidus’s sake.

“I agree with what Bartz said. Tidus and Vaan are rather close and separating them for too long probably wouldn’t be a good idea especially considering how Tidus can be a bit… hard to handle at times…” Firion muttered softly as he glanced over at Tidus and Bartz. He had opted to agree with what Bartz had stated and as a result, had also decided to add to it as well.

“Well, I guess that I should probably get back to Tidus and the others however, I kind of… got lost… So, I wouldn’t really mind being brought back to where he and the others are. Besides, some of them have a habit of worrying about me due to the fact that I can be quite reckless at times.” Vaan said before he ended up taking one step back from his current position.

[4323O2]

Ivan didn't move, just nodding. He didn't want to startle Vaan, as that would be problematic.

"I can understand why they'd worry. Come with me, we should get you back," He said simply, turning to go back to the medbay.

---

The guard nodded, but knew Ivan probably could do as required. It would be easier to move only one of them at a time, as not to startle them with a swarm of other guards.

"I see. I'm sure everything will be fine, however. I do have a deadline for getting the four of you comfortable, though," He sounded slightly worried, as he didn't want to get fired.

---

Alice was now overseeing the finishing touches of SCP-035-MMM's containment, while trying to ignore 34's constant complaints and requests. Of course, the SCP child was being even worse now that she had figured out she was getting a neighbor and wouldn't be getting all the attention. It's probably part of her game. Don't give in to her, Rivercot, Alice reminded herself.

[Cat22]

“I-I understand… However, please be wary of Tidus as well… He likes to pull pranks on unsuspecting people and honestly, it’s kind of a problem especially if he pranks the wrong guy. Don’t ask me about how many times that has ended up in some sort of altercation…” Firion muttered softly as he glanced over at Tidus once again. While he took note of how the merman had fallen onto the floor, he also didn’t dare to pick him up either out of a slight fear that he would end up getting smacked by a fire spell or something similar.

---

“Alright! I guess that I’ll end up following you then! Besides, it’s not like I’d be able to find the way back on my own.” Vaan said softly as he began to follow Ivan back to the medbay. While he was being rather careful with where he stepped, he also decided not to speak much either our of respect for those who were potentially occupied with other assignments at the moment.

[4323O2]

"Thank you for the warning. I'm sure our system will be sturdy enough to prevent any harm to any of our... members..." The guard said in his monotone voice, "Now, just so I keep on schedule, would one of you be willing to come with me?"

The guard's voice gave away absolutely nothing, as it was void of all emotion.

---

Ivan heard this and nodded, though he said not a word. He led Vaan back to the medbay. Though it would slow down the moving of the four merfolk greatly, he did not want to trick or lose Vaan's trust.

---

Finally, everything was ready and Alice, now fed up with 34's whining, ordered the guards to silence the girl. The guards were hesitant, not wanting to invoke the anger of either scientist or SCP, but obeyed. But it didn't take much effort for 34 to shut up almost immediately, as the girl clearly disliked the guard's... questionable methods... of silencing her.

[Cat22]

“W-well… I guess that I could probably step forward…” Bartz muttered softly before he ended up taking a step forward. While he seemed to be a little nervous about being in a new environment, he ended up glancing over at Firion and Tidus as well although he was also silently wondering where Vaan was at with the moment.

“Bartz… are you sure that you’ll be fine going with them? You don’t have to go if you don’t want to and you surely don’t have to go alone either.” Firion said as he glanced over at Bartz. He had taken notice of the nervousness of the young wanderer and as a result, ended up deciding to ask him if he was sure that he would be alright being by himself for a moment.

“I’ll be fine, Firion! Besides, I can handle being by myself for a moment so there’s no need to worry about me all that much!” Bartz said cheerfully before he ended up glancing over at Firion and smiled at him. While he had attempted to hide his feelings of nervousness, he also ended up trying to reassure Firion that he would be alright.

---

Vaan continued to follow Ivan while remaining completely silent. He was silently anticipating being able to reunite with his friends however, he decided not to show the excitement that he felt.

[4323O2]

The guard did not react, just watching before indicating the door.

"This way," His eyes flicked over Bartz, labeling him as SBJ-042-MMM mentally.

---

Ivan took a turn toward the containment, a slight detour... maybe... or was this his objective...? Something like that. He paused to speak in a hushed voice to a female guard, who took a furtive glance at Vaan.

[Cat22]

“O-oh… We’re leaving so soon? I wanted to spend some more time with my friends…” Bartz muttered softly as he walked over to the door. While he did end up glancing back at Firion and Tidus, he also silently wondered how well the two would get along once he left the room. However, he ended up pushing that thought to the back of his mind as he stepped through the doorway.

---

Vaan only remained completely silent although it was somewhat clear that he was slightly uncomfortable with being glanced at in a specific manner. While he had tried to hide this, he also ended up creating a fireball in the palm of his hands to hide behind if necessary.

[4323O2]

Ivan sighed as Vaan seemed to startle, dismissing the other guard with a sharp “back to your duties,” before turning and walking down the hall farther. He didn’t know if Vaan would choose to follow, but hoped he would. His target destination was the lagoon where Bartz(42) and Vaan(41) would be kept. He knew the third SBJ merman, Firion(56) would be kept with 55, though he forgot what 55’s name was- if 55 even had a name that is. Ivan also knew that Tidus, being deemed SCP for his behavior towards Alice Rivercot, would be seperated from the other three, but with the 34 girl. It could be problematic. He paused in front of a white door with two numbers writen in an ordered pair: (41, 42) .

---

“Doctor Rivercot?” Emerie called suddenly, startling herself and the scientist.

Normally, Emerie didn’t use Alice’s formal name unless she wanted something, but despite herself, the scientist turned with a look of slight confusion on her face. Of course, Emerie didn’t want anything except to know more about the merfolk who would become her neighbor. She knew that even with a neighbor, the attention she would be getting would continue to dissipate into nothingness. Now, she was unable to sleep during the night hours due to the scientists’ attempts to use her sleeping state to draw near to her with needles, but since she had most often slept at the bottom of the little pool she was allowed to have, she made it difficult but not impossible.

"Yes, 34?" The scientist's voice was calm and collected, unlike previously.

"Who will be in the cell beside me?" The question was innocent, but something was strange about it as the child was never asking innocent questions.

---

The guard stepped through the door as well and shut it behind him. He didn't speak to 42 as he beckoned for him to follow as he made his way to the room with (41,42) as its only label.