[IC] Oceanus Research Facility

[Cat22]

Vaan had decided to stop following Ivan and tried to find the way back to the medbay on his own. While this meant that he had taken a bit of trial and error to try and find his way back, he eventually managed to do so before opening the door at which point, Firion ran out in order to go see where the guards were taking Bartz.

---

“HEY- FIRION! WAIT!” Tidus said before he ended up seeing that Firion had simply run out of the doorway. While he would have wanted to run after him, he was currently not allowed to do so due to the current state that he was in.

---

“So… is Firion going to come here later or something?” Bartz said softly as he continued to follow the guard. While he wasn’t expecting to be suddenly hugged by Firion who snuck up behind him after several moments, he also was slightly surprised by the sudden act of affection as well.

[4323O2]

The guard muttered a curse. That wasn't the plan, but he could improvise and talk to Dr. Rivercot about switching their numbers later. He nodded.

"That was the plan, yes. Thank you for making my job easier," The second part he muttered to himself almost.

He continued to walk to the containment, and upon reaching it, was met by a half annoyed Ivan. But Ivan didn't say a word to him as he opened the door to a quiet lagoon setting. SBJ's always got treated specially, to enforce cooperation.

---

Alice waited for the guards to bring Tidus, though she knew it would be a while. That while was spent answering as few of 34's questions as possible. Of course, that was difficult as the girl was full of questions. These questions got more and more nosy until the girl began to ask for classified information, at which point Alice stopped answering them.

[Cat22]

Almost immediately when he saw the lagoon, Bartz ended up quickly running towards the door and had dragged Firion with him. While this meant that the taller merman had unfortunately been dragged along for the ride, it also wasn’t long at all before a splash could be seen in the water.

Of course, the cause of this was Bartz who had also decided to swim over towards the edge of the lagoon before glancing over at Firion. “Are you going to come in or what?” He said as he glanced over at him.

“Maybe later… I… don’t really feel like getting in the water right now…” Firion muttered softly as he glanced over at Bartz. While he had expressed a disinterest in going in the water at the moment, he also only approached the edge of the lagoon before sitting down as well.

---

“Did he leave already, Tidus? Well, I guess that means that the two of us can talk for a moment about our current situation. Besides, it’s not like there’s much else to deal with either…” Vaan said softly as he glanced over at Tidus.

[4323O2]

The door slammed shut behind them and locked with a soft click. They weren't prisoners, but they weren't free. The lagoon was mostly peaceful, and it seemed large for however small it really was.

---

The guard and Ivan returned to collect Vaan, or Tidus, whoever was there, really. Both guards knew that getting the two separated would require quite a lot of effort, perhaps even drawn weapons.

---

Alice tried to ignore 34's continued questions, but eventually ended up snapping at the girl. The SCP fell silent but still clearly had questions.

[Cat22]

“Well, I guess that we’re stuck in here now…” Bartz muttered softly as he quickly turned his attention to the door which was now closed. While he didn’t seem to understand why the guards had closed the doors behind him and Firion, he also decided not to linger on it for too long as he soon dove underneath the water once again. He wanted to see if there was any place to possibly hide away if needed and also ended up noticing that Firion had also entered the water at this point in time. As a result, he ended up glancing over at him and smiled.

“So, you finally decided to go underneath. What made you want to do that, Fi?” He asked Firion before swimming over to something that he found within the lagoon.

“Pretty much… Besides, we’re essentially locked in here so there’s not really anything better to do than to just see what could possibly be underwater…” Firion muttered softly. While he did sink to the bottom of the lagoon, he also ended up remaining silent after he spoke as he glanced over at Bartz.

---

Upon noticing that the guards had returned to the medbay, Vaan almost immediately stepped in front of Tidus before creating a fireball in the palm of his right hand. “What are you planning…” He said softly while holding the flame aloft.

“V… please put the fireball away… We don’t need for a fight to break out…” Tidus muttered softly as he glanced over at Vaan. While he had expressed his wishes for the slightly shorter merman to dismiss the fireball, he didn’t expect for said request to actually be heeded either.

[4323O2]

The guard's hand went to his weapon, but Ivan shot him a glare and he settled. Ivan sighed, looking simply at Vaan and Tidus with a calm expression.

"Nothing to harm you. I do apologize for my guards' behaviors, as they seem to have upset you. Your friends are safe, and you will be too," Ivan spoke calmly, looking at Vaan but not meeting his gaze as to avoid what could seem like intimidation, "there are many merfolk here, just like you four. If you do not trust me, I can see if anybody is available to come speak with you," the offer was harmless, but both guards knew who was the only available merfolk who could play this part- SCP-034-FMM.

[Cat22]

“Wait… you mean… there are others like us? Did they also wash up in ghost nets or is that a situation that only happens with a few of us?” Vaan said. While he did not move from Tidus’s side, he was slightly curious about how the other merfolk could have possibly arrived at the facility when the mention of other merfolk being there was made clear. As a result, he had decided to ask two questions in the same statement so that he could get some answers that might be helpful to him.

“I want to know the same thing that V inquires to know. Did the other merfolk here also get tangled up in ghost nets or did something else bring them there?” Tidus said. Like Vaan, he seemed to be curious about the other merfolk however, he opted to keep that curiosity mostly hidden away aside from the question that he had decided to ask.

[4323O2]

"There are all sorts of stories from them. Yes, some washed up and we've helped them, some were exiled and this is the only safe place for them, I could go on. We intend only to help," Ivan explained, "again, if you don't believe me, I can see if anybody is available to confirm my statements."

The guard beside Ivan moved forward but was stopped by Ivan's suddenly outstretched hand. Ivan didn't need to speak before the guard retreated to the doorway and he was able to lower his hand.

---

Alice wondered what was taking so long and headed up to the medbay, a bit annoyed that this was taking so long. She approached the guard in the doorway and whispered to him, and his response irritated her.

"Ivan is trying to convince them to trust him. It would be easier if we had somebody to confirm on the spot but..."

Alice glared, sighing before speaking as she tried to keep herself under control.

"Well, we don't have that. Get it together. We're behind."

[Cat22]

“So… I’m guessing that they all trust you as well. However, who even knows if any of you have tried to harm them either. To that extent, I’m not entirely sure that I should trust you either.” Vaan said before he ended up taking a step back from Tidus. While this meant that he was no longer anywhere near him for the time being, he also was still unsure about whether or not to trust the guards who were also in the room although he was also prepared to create a fireball to defend himself with if necessary.

“I’m… with Vaan on this one. I am also not sure if I should completely trust you however, I also don’t fully know your motives yet.” Tidus said. Like Vaan, he was still slightly wary about trusting you so easily. It’s not like I’ve even known you for very long nor do I know your motives so why the hell should I trust you in that regard?” Tidus said as he ended up glancing over at Vaan.

[4323O2]

Ivan sighed, but he heard Alice speaking softly with the guard. He had to speed this up, but that would be difficult.

"You have no reason to trust me. I just ask that you give me a chance," his voice shook a bit, as he was slightly intimidated by Alice's appearance.

"Merriam. Go do your duties. This is taking too long, and unfortunately, we have deadlines. Both of you, guards," Alice spoke up, dismissing both guards with a gentle yet harsh word.

Both guards immediately obeyed her, leaving without hesitation. The scientist was now alone with the two merfolk, and completely defenseless. If either of them decided to attack her, she could easily be taken down. But she hoped that wouldn't happen.

"Now. I understand you don't trust us, or know who we are. So why don't we sit down and discuss. I'll answer all your questions with full honesty. I have no reason to lie," She told them, going over to a desk and turning the chair so she could sit and speak with them without having to stand.

[Cat22]

“Well, first of all, can you tell us why we were brought here beyond the whole ghost net incident? I do not know enough about this place nor do I know about those who are here so why should I end up trusting you when you tell us to follow you.” Vaan said before he ended up sitting down on the floor next to Tidus. Judging by his tone of voice, he seemed to not be willing to trust the guards and scientists just yet however, he was also slightly concerned about Tidus as well.

“I… have the same question as Vaan. We don’t really know much about this place so how can we be sure that it’s even alright for us to be here at all? For all we know, this place could actually be deceptive or even downright dangerous for those who are here.” Tidus said as he ended up tapping the end of his tail against the surface that he was resting on. While he wanted to know more about his current location like Vaan did, he also wanted to know if there were any hidden dangers that he needed to be aware about as well.

[4323O2]

"Well, with your injuries," Alice indicated Tidus's injuries, "the only safe option was to keep you here until you were fully healed. As for the rest of you, we only intend to keep you safe. I can understand if you do not trust my word, as you have no reason to."

Her voice was calm, and her mannerisms displayed nothing.

[Cat22]

“So I guess that means that you’re not going to let us return to the ocean, then. Regardless, what do you plan to do about the ghost net situation? It’s affecting far more than us merfolk and there have been stories of the mightiest sharks and whales also being caught in ghost nets as well…” Tidus muttered softly before he ended up glancing over at Vaan. While he also did end up tapping his tail against the end of the cot.

“Well, I guess that I should probably trust your word then however, we still need to deal with the ghost net issue as well. As long as they’re still in the water, more of our people will get tangled up in them and as a result, more will end up suffering. We need to find a way to deal with them as well since those nets are a threat to us.” Vaan said. While he decided to add more on what Tidus had said about the ghost nets, he was also showing some interest about getting them out of the oceans as well for the sake of both the other merfolk and the other residents of the sea.

[4323O2]

"Once you're healed, we will, if you'd like. Though, I'm not sure that would be the safest idea, in case it happens again. We're trying to deal with ghost nets, but it's rather difficult because we can't have those we have protected here getting caught as well," Alice told them, "until then, I'm sure you're both tired of being in the medbay."

She had realized that getting Vaan and Tidus separated would be difficult, so she could simply change Vaan to SCP as well and problems would be solved.

[Cat22]

“Regardless, somebody needs to deal with those nets or else others could get caught in them. It’s no longer a laughing matter anymore.” Vaan said as he finally sat up and stepped away from Tidus. While he did glance over at him for a moment, he also decided to walk up to the door as well before speaking again.

“Also, somebody’s got to carry Tidus. We can’t shift into our human forms if we’re injured and the same is true with him as well. As a result, you might need to have someone carry him if you plan to take him out of the room as well as keep a close eye on those bandaged wounds. Something tells me that he might need to have those bandages changed frequently as well.” He said before he attempted to open the door.

[4323O2]

A guard who had been passing by stopped Vaan, but Alice snapped at the guard and they went back to their rounds. Alice sighed, muttering something unintelligible. She turned to Vaan, keeping an eye on Tidus though.

"That can be arranged. Would you like me to show you to your quarters?" She asked Vaan while fiddling with her radio.

---

Emerie was getting bored, and went and let herself sink to the bottom of her pool, in her mer form. She was unharmed, as she could breathe underwater like most merfolk. She was just bored, and her tail flicked occasionally.

[Cat22]

“I would like that. Also, please make sure that Tidus arrives at where he’s supposed to go safely. It would do us np good if he was harmed more than he already is.” Vaan said as he ended up placing his hand on the doorknob before opening the door. He seemed to be quite ready to leave and as a result, had decided to approach the door rather early.

[4323O2]

Alice nodded, realizing that this would be easier than expected. She moved to the door after standing.

"This way. I'll get you settled and I can have some guards get your friend comfortable," She stepped out the door and began making her way down the hall, keeping her pace slow enough for Vaan to keep up while being able to make sure he followed though she did not turn.

---

Two guards were getting a stretcher to transport Tidus to his containment. They weren't struggling, per say, but the stretcher wasn't coming out of the closet, which was surprisingly empty.

---

Emerie got bored and surfaced, splashing around a bit like a child. Her boredom was becoming infectious, and the guard took out a small hand-held cassette player, pressing play. It was classical music, but it calmed the mermaid, as she rarely heard music.

[Cat22]

“So… where exactly are we going…” Vaan muttered softly as he continued to walk. While he wanted to know where he was exactly going to be staying at, he also looked behind him occasionally as well for some reason. While he chose not to specify what that reason was, he also chose to not speak about it either.

[4323O2]

"To one of our many indoor habitats- I say habitats because there's no better word for them that I'm aware of," Alice replied, stopping at a door that read (55, 56).

As she opened the door for Vaan, birds could be heard chirping and chattering and making general bird sounds inside. Of course, illusions were powerful things...

---

The guards with the stretcher entered the medbay to move Tidus to his SCP containment, silent even though they could tell what the other was thinking. These two guards had a few features similar to merfolk, but where not merfolk.