Springfallendeer @Springfallende1

ko-fi.com/springfallende… I'll bite here as well. Really low on funds due to a $200 increase in rent this month and can't afford groceries. I take comms.

Where the other tanks were clear, or even blue, this one was black. The dark red glass used to contain the water helped to reduce the amount of visible light; which was vital for the well-being of the merman that lay hidden somewhere within the tank. The downside was that this -

@Spoicy_chimken food that has been placed before them. End (Part 10)

@Spoicy_chimken small talk as they eat, though the conversations steadily drift away from work related topics and more towards personal things. Like hobbies and favored pastimes. Just to keep everything light and comfortable (in the mental sense) while they indulge in the small bounty of -

@Spoicy_chimken The duck looks absolutely delicious! The tofu sort of looks like bean-free chili with big chunks of feta cheese mixed in. It's not, but that’s just the closest visual comparison. With dinner now presented to them, the women set out to begin their meal. They continue to make -

@Spoicy_chimken Ayala laughs quietly to herself in response. “Cool. I’ll bring in the disks and whistles tomorrow~ Just don’t let me forget to hand them over.” She hums, before sitting up to move the empty appetizer plates out of the way as the waiter arrives with their entrees.

@Spoicy_chimken As in learn to communicate with all those clicks and whistles the same way that she had seen Ayala do with Hallow and Scorpius? Oh hell yeah! “I’d love that!” She excitedly replies, smiling as she does. What an exciting idea! She’d love to be able to speak fish!

@Spoicy_chimken you some good to learn how to speak mermaid, seeing as you work so closely with them.” She states, closing off the previous topic by distracting the vet with a completely different one. Tari’s jaw drops in response. Was she just offered a chance to learn how to speak mermaid?

@Spoicy_chimken myself.” She utters, chuckling a little towards the end. She takes one more drink of her boba, before humming abruptly, as if recalling something important. “Which reminds me. I wanted to check and see if you wanted a copy of the language software and a whistle. It might do -

@Spoicy_chimken about someone who had died. She then sighs. “And now I’m here. An expert in the field, more or less doing it all over again with two new mermen who rely on me for sanity just like he did. Only now, I’m teaching others how to communicate with them, instead of being taught -

@Spoicy_chimken meant, to the best of his ability. Then I worked on mimicking those sounds, which led to me making more and more complex whistles.” She explains, seemingly recalling the experience with a bittersweet sense of nostalgia. It was hard not to be a little sad when telling stories -

@Spoicy_chimken All while staring past the vet in deep thought. “It was hard, at first, seein’ as I didn’t understand a lick of what he was trying to say. But after a few lessons in sign language, it got easier. Cause he could say something in his tongue and give me a translation of what it -

@Spoicy_chimken wonder if he was trying to talk to me. Then I just went in one day with a whistle.” She adds. “And that’s how you started learning to communicate with him.” Tari states, piecing together the obvious segments of the puzzle. Ayala nods, clicking her tongue in thought as she does.

@Spoicy_chimken back to see him. Especially not when I was a kid. So all of our interactions were restricted by water and glass.” She explains, making it clear that she never heard the merman speak English. “... I heard him whistle and click, though. All the time. And eventually I started to -

@Spoicy_chimken while. She’s clearly in thought, possibly processing some heavy emotions relating to her recently departed friend. “I never got to hear him speak.” She eventually states. “I mean that I never got to talk to him, the way I talk to you. Obviously I couldn’t just walk around the -

@Spoicy_chimken seems to be telling it in quick summary. “At least twice a week, every week, for seventeen years.” The woman replies. Tari’s eyes widen somewhat in response. Damn. Talk about commitment. “He’s the reason that I learned to speak mermaid.” She adds, before pausing for a long -

@Spoicy_chimken after the fact.” She explains, before pausing to wipe some sweet and sour sauce off of her face. “I’m guessing you visited him?” The vet inquires, just engaging more with the conversation so that she feels like she’s contributing. Plus this is a fascinating story, even if Ayala-

@Spoicy_chimken “He died a few years ago.” Ayala sighs. “Whatever he went through, it was bad. He never seemed to swim right and I could tell that he had problems eating. I’m guessing he was trapped long enough for his body to start digesting muscle, so he never managed to actually recover -

@Spoicy_chimken quick without leaving out any important details. “God. Was he hurt that bad?” Tari asks. Normally merfolk weren’t just kept. There had to be a reason. So the merman that Ayala met was either a rare specimen in need of study, or his injuries had been crippling.