Kenji sat down, the wooden chair creaked softly at the weight. His hand slipping over his short brown hair and then neatly trimmed facial hair, he had never liked facial hair before her disappearance. He couldn’t find the heart to shave it off. He shifted his combat boots covered feet under his chair and dropped his snub nose semi-automatic gun on the table. He took it everywhere with him, it was like his pet or third hand. Some people in the community thought it was a little strange. Most didn’t care as long as he didn’t use it on them or himself.
Nightmares were trampling his mind harder than usual tonight and his connections between metal and bone were aching with the shift in weather. The metallic brown fleshless fingers picked up the pack of cigarettes without crushing them. Every day he was gained a little more control over the new additions to his body. He tapped one out and tossed the pack on the table, he flicked his lighter and held the flame against the end of the hand rolled cigarette. He took a long drag the nicotine jolted his system and gave him a slight buzz. He blew the smoke from his nose and grabbed a half full fifth of whiskey and poured himself a shot. He leaned back in his chair ignoring the silent figure across the table from him. He drained the shot glass in one swallow and sat the tiny glass on the table.
“Wrench has been in her workshop for sixteen hours straight,” Geir said returning to his rifle he was assembling after a good cleaning. His habit to do after a long day of patrol, it relaxed him.
Kenji peered at the man with a robotic eye that illuminated the left side of his face in blue light. The war hero had lost his eye during the first wave of robots and lost his commission in the armed forces dubbed as useless to the military. With Geir came Wrench or the other way around. Either way, the two had joined their little band of resistance shortly before Castille’s stunt at the hospital. It was Wrench that had attached the cybernetic eye with targeting enhancements to Geir’s lost optical organ, shortly after he had lost it. Wrench was crazy smart with all sorts of doctorates and degrees under her belt. Since her arrival, Wrench’s work had given a lot of people their mobility and independence back, Kenji’s included. No one knew the relationship between the two, they barely talked but had a strong bond of friendship. “How is that unusual?”
Hurried footsteps, caused Geir to slap the rest of his rifle together with practiced efficiency, a skinny and very dirty kid rushed to their table. “Incoming,” she said breathless, pointing the way she had come. “South side.”
Weapons were grabbed and the two were on their feet and hurrying through the tunnels that opened to the south. Geir dropped to laid on his belly and set up his rifle on a low profile tripod and peered through his scope with his flesh eye. “One,” he said, his finger slipped over the trigger and he shifted his body to place his robotic against the scope. “Searching.”
Kenji grabbed the binoculars and found the running figure, the black haired male was bloody, shirtless and with and had pistols in each hand. He glanced over his shoulder. The action caused both men to look at what the male was running from. A robot with bullets riddled over the harden outer case, one eye was hanging out by the wires and one arm was limp at the side. Geir pulled the trigger and the robot crashed into a heap. The male stopped and stared then looked around wildly before diving behind a small rock barely large enough to protect his head.
Kenji rushed down the steep embankment and held his gun to the new arrival. “Give me one excuse,” he said. “I’ll pop you faster than your friend there.”
The robot’s tracking device was removed. “The device has been disabled, we are golden.”
“Check him,” Geir ordered as he approached.
“I’m human,” he yelled as he was manhandled checking for the barcode and other signs of the android species. “Ouch, those are my nads. Stop touching my nads!”
Kenji cocked his gun and the black hair male fell silent, empty hands rose in silent surrender. “Name.”
“Ning,” he said, his dark eyes shifting from Kenji to Geir a few steps behind him. “We were in the east, a terminating android wiped out my colony and I have been on the run since.”
Geir picked up one of the altered pistol Ning had been carrying. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“My own…ouch. Design,” he glared at the human still searching him. “You going to buy me dinner or what?”
“He’s clean,” another said glancing at the robot. “We will take that to Wrench.”
“Damn,” Kenji said taking a drag on his cigarette as he lowered his weapon. “I was hoping to kill him.”
“Maybe next time,” Geir said holding out a hand to the new addition to their colony. “Welcome to Piss and Moan.”
“What sort of name is that?” Ning took the offered hand and was on his feet a few moments later. He scooped up his other gun and the three of them returned to the safety of the cave.
Geir shrugged a shoulder. “It works.”
Seven Months later…
Kenji stepped in front of the struggling android, the bonds appeared like rope but was flexible metal cord that could pin down most robots and their flesh counterparts. Her barcode was found, still bleeding. “Tracker is missing.”
“Take it inside and get Wrench up here. She can take the thing apart.”
The android was hefted by one of the humans that had his left side replaced by robotic parts and could pick up any amount of weight with ease. They moved down to the common area and she was dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Wrench came in the room, her goggles up on her forehead causing her brown hair to stand in weird angles. She used a scanning device over the woman. “She has many sound parts I can use.”
“Good,” Kenji sneered. “Make the damn thing suffer.”
Wrench glanced at him. “When have I ever cared for their pain?”
Kenji snorted and patted his shirt pockets. “Where are my damn cigarettes?” He found them in a pocket in his cargo pants, he wiggled them out and the pack went flying and landed beside the android. He knelt down and picked it up, he glanced at the face the enemy wore and froze. “Cassie?”
Everyone froze and stared at the android then at Kenji. "Shit," Wrench whispered. "Get Geir in here before he does something stupid."
The shirtless Geir entered the common room blinking his human eye as he tried to wake up. It was so silent, the tiny motors to the eye could be heard as the mechanical eye shifted and focused on the android. "What is that thing doing here?"
"Cassie," Kenji whispered again reaching for the android.
Geir yanked Kenji away from the bound woman. "She is not that person anymore. Look at me. Kenji." Geir turned. "Ning, get that whiskey." Geir forced the shaken Kenji to sit a drink was pressed in his hand. "Think very carefully about this."
"It's her," Kenji repeated several times.
"She is a machine with face that you recognize that is all. She isn't Cassie. There is nothing inside that noggin of hers would prove otherwise. We have to destroy it." Geir shook Kenji so hard the amber liquid in the glass the male held splashed. "Get a hold of yourself and think of the community."
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STATUS: I'm BAAAACCCKKK! 7 yrs ago- Last Seen: 7 yrs ago
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Kenji
Age: 24
Species: Human
Kenji beat on the door for a good minute before he was hauled down the steps toward the freedom Castille sacrificed herself for. They made it away from the hospital empty handed and without his bride to be. That shattered Kenji’s soul. He hated and loved her for that act. It had tormented him endlessly from that moment on.
He wanted to return and search for her. Reasonable voices of his closest friend kept him from doing anything so rash. He vowed that he would find her and took off two nights later toward the city of robots. He made it to the outskirts when he encountered some very big brawny robots, there was a fight ensued and he was nearly ripped apart. Luckily, Geir followed him and saved Kenji’s from death by picking off the attacking robots with his high power sniper weapon.
Weeks of treatments and hopelessness, Kenji’s arms had to amputate to save his life. He dropped into a deep depression having lost his heart and now his arms, he couldn’t do anything to help the colony and tried several times to take his own life. Geir was the only thing that kept him from falling on anything sharp.
Wrench had gotten her hands on a pair of functioning matching robotic arms which fit his body, the arms were attached to Kenji’s skeleton, nerves and muscular structures. The intense pain of the attachments nearly killed Kenji several times. Each time, he pulled himself back from the brink.
Slowly, he turned his life into a resemblance of living. He drinks and smokes too much, fights too recklessly and rarely sleeps. He has a strange relationship with his weapons, he never can have enough on his person. He is always spurring Wrench to build bigger and more badass weapons he could blow robots away.
Geir
Age: 35
Species: Human
High ranking officer in the military before the robots attacked. He has been fighting that enemy ever since. One of two that survived an android attack to the tiny colony before they arrived at 'Piss and Moan'.
Ning
Age: 19
Species: Human
A recent arrival to the colony.
Wrench
Age: 33
Species: Human
She can attach metal to flesh and bones with the skill of a surgeon. One of two that survived an android attack to the tiny colony before they arrived at 'Piss and Moan'.
Age: 24
Species: Human
Kenji beat on the door for a good minute before he was hauled down the steps toward the freedom Castille sacrificed herself for. They made it away from the hospital empty handed and without his bride to be. That shattered Kenji’s soul. He hated and loved her for that act. It had tormented him endlessly from that moment on.
He wanted to return and search for her. Reasonable voices of his closest friend kept him from doing anything so rash. He vowed that he would find her and took off two nights later toward the city of robots. He made it to the outskirts when he encountered some very big brawny robots, there was a fight ensued and he was nearly ripped apart. Luckily, Geir followed him and saved Kenji’s from death by picking off the attacking robots with his high power sniper weapon.
Weeks of treatments and hopelessness, Kenji’s arms had to amputate to save his life. He dropped into a deep depression having lost his heart and now his arms, he couldn’t do anything to help the colony and tried several times to take his own life. Geir was the only thing that kept him from falling on anything sharp.
Wrench had gotten her hands on a pair of functioning matching robotic arms which fit his body, the arms were attached to Kenji’s skeleton, nerves and muscular structures. The intense pain of the attachments nearly killed Kenji several times. Each time, he pulled himself back from the brink.
Slowly, he turned his life into a resemblance of living. He drinks and smokes too much, fights too recklessly and rarely sleeps. He has a strange relationship with his weapons, he never can have enough on his person. He is always spurring Wrench to build bigger and more badass weapons he could blow robots away.
Geir
Age: 35
Species: Human
High ranking officer in the military before the robots attacked. He has been fighting that enemy ever since. One of two that survived an android attack to the tiny colony before they arrived at 'Piss and Moan'.
Ning
Age: 19
Species: Human
A recent arrival to the colony.
Wrench
Age: 33
Species: Human
She can attach metal to flesh and bones with the skill of a surgeon. One of two that survived an android attack to the tiny colony before they arrived at 'Piss and Moan'.
The morning came quickly and the brood rose early, Shine entered the main room glancing at the guest and wondered how the girl was able to fold herself like that. Mimi retrieved some tuna and helped her mother pass it out to the smaller ones. They were pretty clam this morning compared to most. Shine nursed the youngest while Mimi did what she could to keep up with the demands of her younger siblings.
Xuan entered shortly thereafter and gave his sister a hand. He was given the infant and he cuddled the little one while his mother dealt with discipline issues revolving hitting. He kissed the baby tiny fingers wrapped around his index. "You are just so happy right now," he cooed. "All full and with big brother."
Mimi chuckled. "You are so weird."
Xuan entered shortly thereafter and gave his sister a hand. He was given the infant and he cuddled the little one while his mother dealt with discipline issues revolving hitting. He kissed the baby tiny fingers wrapped around his index. "You are just so happy right now," he cooed. "All full and with big brother."
Mimi chuckled. "You are so weird."
The colors on Vincent’s shirt calmed when Anna drifted to sleep, he turned his attention fully on the remote and figured out he could change the channel. He watched a few sitcoms with little interest and hammered the button. He stopped suddenly at the image of his grad picture on the television and winced at his full name on the screen. It faded to Anna’s class picture. “These two are wanted by the police for questioning in the mass murder of,” he flipped the channel and Sponge Bob Squarepants was dancing on screen.
Vincent rubbed his jaw, he had known that would have happened sooner or later. He had hoped they would have been father away before the police started flashing their pictures in the media. They only wanted for questioning, meaning they had no idea what they were facing. There was no evidence that pointed to Anna at least not yet. If they found them now before Anna could stabilize, they would throw her into an asylum. A small part of him had a twisted feeling she would never really be mentally sound, not after all the murders she single handedly committed. Another part of him hoped she never was, her power was delicious when she didn’t have a handle on it.
He left the room and wandered the hall, he couldn’t really go to the lobby with his limited radius so he returned and sat crossed legged on the bed. He really needed more roaming room. He sat there contemplating the situation for an undetermined amount of time, Anna’s power started licking at him and she started to scream. He stabbed the power button and he leaned toward his friend. He was pulled out of his position and he held her. “It takes time,” he said, stroking her hair. Having no real clue if she would ever forget. How could someone forget that? He still remembered that blood in every way being dumped on him.
Pure exhaustion would be Anna’s true friend. That was the only thing that would keep her mind from assaulting her. When she was in a sleep she wasn't able to dream. Maybe a shrink that could walk her through this guilt or whatever she was suffering from. They could kidnap someone like that or something. He dismissed the idea, they didn't need the hassle of trying to keep another person alive. "It will take some doing, I am sure. But you just have to keep fighting it like you did them in the gym. You will win."
Vincent rubbed his jaw, he had known that would have happened sooner or later. He had hoped they would have been father away before the police started flashing their pictures in the media. They only wanted for questioning, meaning they had no idea what they were facing. There was no evidence that pointed to Anna at least not yet. If they found them now before Anna could stabilize, they would throw her into an asylum. A small part of him had a twisted feeling she would never really be mentally sound, not after all the murders she single handedly committed. Another part of him hoped she never was, her power was delicious when she didn’t have a handle on it.
He left the room and wandered the hall, he couldn’t really go to the lobby with his limited radius so he returned and sat crossed legged on the bed. He really needed more roaming room. He sat there contemplating the situation for an undetermined amount of time, Anna’s power started licking at him and she started to scream. He stabbed the power button and he leaned toward his friend. He was pulled out of his position and he held her. “It takes time,” he said, stroking her hair. Having no real clue if she would ever forget. How could someone forget that? He still remembered that blood in every way being dumped on him.
Pure exhaustion would be Anna’s true friend. That was the only thing that would keep her mind from assaulting her. When she was in a sleep she wasn't able to dream. Maybe a shrink that could walk her through this guilt or whatever she was suffering from. They could kidnap someone like that or something. He dismissed the idea, they didn't need the hassle of trying to keep another person alive. "It will take some doing, I am sure. But you just have to keep fighting it like you did them in the gym. You will win."
That is perfect.
Waiting is fine on the merfolk idea.
You should have an organization come after Anna.
How long did she sleep? I was thinking a little side plot of the police looking for her in addition to the organization that you were thinking of adding. Because I am having a hard time finding things to write to fill Vincent's posts that are not just fluff.
You should have an organization come after Anna.
How long did she sleep? I was thinking a little side plot of the police looking for her in addition to the organization that you were thinking of adding. Because I am having a hard time finding things to write to fill Vincent's posts that are not just fluff.
Xuan didn't like that she dismissed his inquiries, there was something off about this Cora. He let it go for now, he would figure it out soon enough. She would eventually drop hints of where she came from. "As you wish," he said.
Mimi frowned at the new girl and put her things away, yawning. "I should follow Father's advice," she said hugging her woven basket close to her chest. "Sleep well," she hugged Xuan warmly before swimming to the gap near her parents and slipped into the chamber. She put the basket near the ceiling before snuggling against the wall and closing her eyes.
Hunter and Winter entered the cave relaying a gory story, Hunter barely acknowledged anyone as he passed. Winter glanced at Cora with interest, he winked at her as he waited for Hunter to wiggle through the gap to the sleeping chamber. He followed close behind then poked his head back through. "Come on, X."
"Sleep well," Xuan said and moved after his brothers. He couldn't get rid of the feeling the girl was hiding something that would put his family at risk. He didn't like jumping to such drastic conclusions. It was too easy to say she was doing nothing and suddenly passed out. That was a bad stink. He hovered in the middle of the cavern his brothers peering at him.
"Who is that cute girl?"
"Cora," Xuan said, then lowered his voice to keep the discussion amongst them. "Do you remember what happened to Uncle Tide's family?"
"How could anyone forget?" Hunter snorted, following Xuan's example and quieted his voice. "The whole brood was wiped out. Why bring that up?"
"They let in a stranger among them," Winter said softly with a snort. "Our dear brother is getting paranoid. You think that skinny girl is going to start cutting throats?"
Xuan shook his head and eased his body into his sleeping spot. "I don't know what to think. I hate not trusting. I don't want to be blind to dangers either."
"A tough spot," Hunter stated.
"What brought all of this on?" Winter asked floating toward his brother and wrapped an arm around Xuan's shoulders.
"She supposedly far away from her brood and she doesn't want to talk about them? That is just odd. Even when Mimi is emotionally distraught for one reason or another, she still talks about us," he whispered. Mimi was the most emotional girl in the whole of the community, she was far too sensitive for her own good. Feelings easily hurt.
"We will keep an eye on Cora, if she keeps acting strange, we will take her for a dance with the rip current."
Xuan nodded and the bothers settled for sleep, he felt better talking about it. Though the worry continued to grind inside him until he drifted to sleep.
Mimi frowned at the new girl and put her things away, yawning. "I should follow Father's advice," she said hugging her woven basket close to her chest. "Sleep well," she hugged Xuan warmly before swimming to the gap near her parents and slipped into the chamber. She put the basket near the ceiling before snuggling against the wall and closing her eyes.
Hunter and Winter entered the cave relaying a gory story, Hunter barely acknowledged anyone as he passed. Winter glanced at Cora with interest, he winked at her as he waited for Hunter to wiggle through the gap to the sleeping chamber. He followed close behind then poked his head back through. "Come on, X."
"Sleep well," Xuan said and moved after his brothers. He couldn't get rid of the feeling the girl was hiding something that would put his family at risk. He didn't like jumping to such drastic conclusions. It was too easy to say she was doing nothing and suddenly passed out. That was a bad stink. He hovered in the middle of the cavern his brothers peering at him.
"Who is that cute girl?"
"Cora," Xuan said, then lowered his voice to keep the discussion amongst them. "Do you remember what happened to Uncle Tide's family?"
"How could anyone forget?" Hunter snorted, following Xuan's example and quieted his voice. "The whole brood was wiped out. Why bring that up?"
"They let in a stranger among them," Winter said softly with a snort. "Our dear brother is getting paranoid. You think that skinny girl is going to start cutting throats?"
Xuan shook his head and eased his body into his sleeping spot. "I don't know what to think. I hate not trusting. I don't want to be blind to dangers either."
"A tough spot," Hunter stated.
"What brought all of this on?" Winter asked floating toward his brother and wrapped an arm around Xuan's shoulders.
"She supposedly far away from her brood and she doesn't want to talk about them? That is just odd. Even when Mimi is emotionally distraught for one reason or another, she still talks about us," he whispered. Mimi was the most emotional girl in the whole of the community, she was far too sensitive for her own good. Feelings easily hurt.
"We will keep an eye on Cora, if she keeps acting strange, we will take her for a dance with the rip current."
Xuan nodded and the bothers settled for sleep, he felt better talking about it. Though the worry continued to grind inside him until he drifted to sleep.
Okay, thanks for letting me know.
“It is nice to meet you, Cora.” Xuan said moving back to where he had been before shuffling through Mimi’s basket.
“She is a part of the community, Luna,” Xuan said. “We take care of our own. Everyone is commissioned to help one another that is our way. Surely, you are not being selective, Luna? What if some day you are in a state of distress and no one helps you because of something you cannot help?” He shook his head. “There is nothing more important than family or community. Nothing. Without it there is only chaos.”
“She is a little strange,” Mimi whispered. “And she is grabby.”
Xuan faced Cora, not familiar with the language she had used. “Mr? Is that a title of some sort? There is no reason to be formal or anything here. You are a guest and family while you are in our home. Don’t feel awkward or shy. Mother will have you with a list of chores soon enough.”
“Yea, there is always something to do here with the brood.” Mimi snorted.
He shrugged a shoulder surprised she hadn’t been taught about the layers of their world. He was curious just who her family was and what they taught in their lessons. He had heard that some communities didn’t offer that knowledge to their broods, thinking it wasn’t important. Hunting, gathering and other necessary tasks were put in front of such things. “There are five regions or layers to the ocean,” he held up his hand, lifting his tail and easing it down moving forward toward her.
“The No Light,” Mimi said and pointed to the floor. “Very cold and really very little life except for prawns and nasty fish that like to bite.”
“We live in the Dark Layer about in the middle of it, above that is the Midnight layer, it is a little lighter than this one.”
“Yea and warmer, but no glow worms.” Mimi piped up. “Strong currents also, so you always have to keep out an eye for the rip currents or you will be moved very fast and very far away before you can untangle from it. That is what happened to Peith.”
“Above that is the Twilight Layer, which has even more bright than the Midnight when the sun is out then the Shine Layer.”
“We never go there, it is rough water and very bright. Many stories of merfolk going missing and never returning. We stay safely down here where we belong,” Mimi said finishing the loop around the metal disk. She held it up for their inspection. “One like this came from above and knocked Sandy on the head, he was not happy. We took it to Peith and she said it was human money. Whatever that is.”
“She would,” Xuan said.
“She kept the one I showed her, luckily there were more for my jewelry.”
“I wonder if you had been carried by the rip current,” Xuan wondered out loud. “You were just floating a little above where we killed the tuna.”
“What were you doing?” Mimi asked anxiously. “Hunting starfish? I like starfish, I had to have my brother take mine back because it needed the Twilight layer to survive. Those rip currents are tricky things, they shift and will swallow a merperson if they are not careful.”
“Tell us of your family and community, perhaps we can figure out where you come from.”
“She is a part of the community, Luna,” Xuan said. “We take care of our own. Everyone is commissioned to help one another that is our way. Surely, you are not being selective, Luna? What if some day you are in a state of distress and no one helps you because of something you cannot help?” He shook his head. “There is nothing more important than family or community. Nothing. Without it there is only chaos.”
“She is a little strange,” Mimi whispered. “And she is grabby.”
Xuan faced Cora, not familiar with the language she had used. “Mr? Is that a title of some sort? There is no reason to be formal or anything here. You are a guest and family while you are in our home. Don’t feel awkward or shy. Mother will have you with a list of chores soon enough.”
“Yea, there is always something to do here with the brood.” Mimi snorted.
He shrugged a shoulder surprised she hadn’t been taught about the layers of their world. He was curious just who her family was and what they taught in their lessons. He had heard that some communities didn’t offer that knowledge to their broods, thinking it wasn’t important. Hunting, gathering and other necessary tasks were put in front of such things. “There are five regions or layers to the ocean,” he held up his hand, lifting his tail and easing it down moving forward toward her.
“The No Light,” Mimi said and pointed to the floor. “Very cold and really very little life except for prawns and nasty fish that like to bite.”
“We live in the Dark Layer about in the middle of it, above that is the Midnight layer, it is a little lighter than this one.”
“Yea and warmer, but no glow worms.” Mimi piped up. “Strong currents also, so you always have to keep out an eye for the rip currents or you will be moved very fast and very far away before you can untangle from it. That is what happened to Peith.”
“Above that is the Twilight Layer, which has even more bright than the Midnight when the sun is out then the Shine Layer.”
“We never go there, it is rough water and very bright. Many stories of merfolk going missing and never returning. We stay safely down here where we belong,” Mimi said finishing the loop around the metal disk. She held it up for their inspection. “One like this came from above and knocked Sandy on the head, he was not happy. We took it to Peith and she said it was human money. Whatever that is.”
“She would,” Xuan said.
“She kept the one I showed her, luckily there were more for my jewelry.”
“I wonder if you had been carried by the rip current,” Xuan wondered out loud. “You were just floating a little above where we killed the tuna.”
“What were you doing?” Mimi asked anxiously. “Hunting starfish? I like starfish, I had to have my brother take mine back because it needed the Twilight layer to survive. Those rip currents are tricky things, they shift and will swallow a merperson if they are not careful.”
“Tell us of your family and community, perhaps we can figure out where you come from.”
“What is she doing?” Mimi whispered when the stranger was making gestures in the water.
“I have no idea,” Roe stated softly. Their written words were logograms, a drawn character would represent an idea or proper name. The whole race had a similar base structure on the writing language and the passage of time the characters evolved with the family becoming their own dialect.
“Perhaps she is mute?” Shine said, touching her head. “Can’t speak with her mind.” The idea was absurd, if the girl could think, she could communicate. It was clear the guest was understanding them.
Xuan lips tugged downward as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea. Her gesture before tickled his mind for a while until he figured what it meant. “Wait,” he said and moved toward the new arrival, the mermaid seemed to be lost in her own frantic thoughts. A gentle hand rested on her arm until he had her attention. He pointed to the character on his chest that represented his name. “This is my name written. This is the only way we write.” He backed away to give her more space, his sisters hated when men came to close to their space when they were upset. “So, I don’t know how your family talks. We do it a little differently here.” He tapped his temple, he didn’t move his mouth at all when he communicated the rest of the idea to show her what he was trying to convey. “What you do is, think of what you want to say clearly in your mind. Then,” he put his finger tips against his brow and moved it away opening his fingers toward her. “Project it. Think it at the person you want to talk to,” he chuckled, his dark eyes twinkling and a grin spread over his lips. “Only louder.”
Around them most of the cave worms lights were fading while others in the sleeping rooms illuminated. “Is it that late already,” Shine cried turning to the five youngest. “Time to sleep,” the little ones protested. With her insistence, play things were put away and they all moved to the larger sleeping chamber. Roe excused himself to help with the brood. “Don’t stay up to late, Xuan. You too, Luna, your mother will be needing help when she visits Pieth.” The old woman was half crazy with her delusions, talking about humans all the time. She had been to the surface several times and tried to get everyone to believe humans exist.
“I won’t, Father.”
Mimi returned to her braiding near her basket and still listening to the stranger and her brother. She couldn’t think of a better way to explain how they spoke, it was a learned thing when growing up. Natural as breathing.
“I have no idea,” Roe stated softly. Their written words were logograms, a drawn character would represent an idea or proper name. The whole race had a similar base structure on the writing language and the passage of time the characters evolved with the family becoming their own dialect.
“Perhaps she is mute?” Shine said, touching her head. “Can’t speak with her mind.” The idea was absurd, if the girl could think, she could communicate. It was clear the guest was understanding them.
Xuan lips tugged downward as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea. Her gesture before tickled his mind for a while until he figured what it meant. “Wait,” he said and moved toward the new arrival, the mermaid seemed to be lost in her own frantic thoughts. A gentle hand rested on her arm until he had her attention. He pointed to the character on his chest that represented his name. “This is my name written. This is the only way we write.” He backed away to give her more space, his sisters hated when men came to close to their space when they were upset. “So, I don’t know how your family talks. We do it a little differently here.” He tapped his temple, he didn’t move his mouth at all when he communicated the rest of the idea to show her what he was trying to convey. “What you do is, think of what you want to say clearly in your mind. Then,” he put his finger tips against his brow and moved it away opening his fingers toward her. “Project it. Think it at the person you want to talk to,” he chuckled, his dark eyes twinkling and a grin spread over his lips. “Only louder.”
Around them most of the cave worms lights were fading while others in the sleeping rooms illuminated. “Is it that late already,” Shine cried turning to the five youngest. “Time to sleep,” the little ones protested. With her insistence, play things were put away and they all moved to the larger sleeping chamber. Roe excused himself to help with the brood. “Don’t stay up to late, Xuan. You too, Luna, your mother will be needing help when she visits Pieth.” The old woman was half crazy with her delusions, talking about humans all the time. She had been to the surface several times and tried to get everyone to believe humans exist.
“I won’t, Father.”
Mimi returned to her braiding near her basket and still listening to the stranger and her brother. She couldn’t think of a better way to explain how they spoke, it was a learned thing when growing up. Natural as breathing.
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