[9:00 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“Proof?” Mallon frowns, slightly confused. “What does that matter?”

“Because I can’t tell you. It’s not— There isn’t— My home is not a place. It would be more accurate to say my home is the depths. All of it. It’s just…” They wave a hand with a sigh, the right words escaping them. “It’s different up here. That makes it difficult to return.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[10:13 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"It's different? Like, there's no water? No shit." @em | enya + mallon

[10:33 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“That’s not what I—“ Mallon cuts themself off with a faint half-growled sound. “I know that. I’m breathing just fine, obviously. Everything just feels lighter somehow. It takes less strength.” They’re not really sure why they’re outright saying all this. Maybe it’s just some weird fish camaraderie or something. At the very least, Hannah might be able to understand more than the others they had already met. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[10:37 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Well there's less resistance to movement when you're not swimming. Air is thinner than water. Or something like that. And you said you lived really far down, so.. Pressure is different too. It's why divers can't go up and down really fast, they have to pressurize and depressurize. If you sank really slowly, and your body handled it before, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to get there again. Though, I'm surprised you're not a pile of mush on the ground from being depressurized like those sad blobfish everyone makes fun of that look totally normal in their natural habitat." @em | enya + mallon

[1:30 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“Hm.” Mallon seems to be thinking pretty hard about it all. “I..suppose it could be the pressure. That would explain some things. When I..surfaced for the first time, I was not as far deep as I normally hunt. But it was fast, and it…it hurt.” One earfin, on the side of their bandaged eye, twitches. “I may have an idea why,” a wry laugh slips out, “But I don’t exactly feel the urge to test it again.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[1:33 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Hm. That's weird. How did it happen so fast? Were you on a line or something?" @em | enya + mallon

[1:43 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Hopefully Mallon’s utter silence on the matter is answer enough to that. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[1:46 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"..." Hannah stared at them. ".. Like.. a diving line or a fishing line...?" @em | enya + mallon

[3:19 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“….” Mallon stares at the ground, regretting ever mentioning it in the first place. “I was hungry and tired and as high up as I’d ever ventured before. There were big fish just dangling there. I tried to pull one off and the line started moving. To a boat bigger than the one that brought us here. It was a blur after that.” Quite literally speaking. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[5:26 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

".. Oh. Sorry that happened." Hannah said after a beat of silence. "I never liked those industrial fishers with all their lines out like that- what happened after you got brought up..? Like- I'm guessing you're not their intended catch.." @em | enya + mallon

[5:58 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon shrugs listlessly, though they do seem the slightest bit appreciative. And the moments after the ascent, well, they rather prefer thinking about those than the rest. “I fought back,” they say simply. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[6:20 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Did you kill them? I would've torn fisher men to death for less." @em | enya + mallon

[6:31 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“I think so. I hope so,” Mallon amends, clawed fingers digging into their own palms. “Everything went red.” Whether is was theirs or not, they don’t remember. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[9:04 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Hm. Yeah, something probably died. Did you jump back in the water after that or commandeer their boat?" @em | enya + mallon

[8:32 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“I.. I think I got thrown back in. Eventually. Somehow. The next thing I remember was waking up on a rocky beach.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:40 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

".. Slightly less great, but at least you lived." Hannah shrugged. "What beach did you wash up on?" @em | enya + mallon

[11:44 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“How should I know?” Mallon shrugs aimlessly. “I was in the water and then I wasn’t. I was on the boat and then I wasn’t. There were others like me on shore but different so I didn’t stay long. I kept moving and I found a place to hide and then I got the message and now I’m here.” ‘End of story’ goes unsaid but lingers in their tone. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[11:50 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"... there's more of you?" Hannah asked. "Like your family or your species?" @em | enya + mallon

[1:51 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“Species,” Mallon mutters, seeming almost..annoyed? “They are similar but not the same. Yet think they know better because they live on the surface.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[2:28 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

".. Like a subspecies? What's your species called..?" @em | enya + mallon

[5:25 PM]em | enya + mallon:

They’ve already explained a lot, might as well keep going. “I am an Angler,” Mallon replies, faint pride creeping into their voice, before it drops off into disgruntledness. “The others, those are Mers. Pretentious bastards.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[5:56 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

".. An angler? Like an anglerfish? I guess that makes sense with your um.. Light? How bright does it get?" @em | enya + mallon

[7:01 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“Yes.” Mallon hesitates, glancing around briefly, and upon seeing the room essentially empty, pulls the bandana from their head. Their lure springs out to dangle above their forehead. In the lighting of the dining hall, the glow isn’t super noticeable, but then they blink—and the glow intensifies as their eyes darken to more of a grayish color. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[7:27 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Oohhhhh, wow-" Hannah stared at the light, simply entranced. Her eyes seemed to be slightly reflecting the light back.. "... That's so pretty... Wow....." @em | enya + mallon

[8:09 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon stares unblinkingly back, their eye continuing to darken deeper grays as the lure glows brighter and brighter. Their gaze seems sharp, too sharp, before they suddenly snap back to themself with a twitch of their head and a series of rapid blinks. Their eye returns to normal and the glow dies down. It seems like they finally process Hannah’s words, almost on the edge of embarrassment. “Thank you. I have not shown many since breaching the surface.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:20 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah had began to subconsciously reach out toward the light as it got brighter, only to quickly yank her hand back as it died down again.

"Oh- um- yeah, it's nice. But I can see why you wouldn't share it with more people." Hannah nodded, rubbing her eyes a bit. @em | enya + mallon

[8:25 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“Sorry,” Mallon says, only vaguely apologetically. “And yes. I am hoping to keep it under wraps as long as possible.” They pause, then add, “I would appreciate if you did not share this with others until after my fight. I feel it may help against my opponent’s range.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:28 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Sure, yeah, I can do that." Hannah said. "Us fish people gotta stick together, right? I think we're the only two here. Who's your opponent?" @em | enya + mallon

[8:36 PM]em | enya + mallon:

A faint, genuine smile cracks onto Mallon’s face at that. “Yes, I suppose so. Thank you.” It fades, however, at the clarifying question. “I am set to fight Ekmeros. I had..spoken to him, the other day. Before I knew we would fight. I showed him a little bit of my abilities, but..he did not seem as willing to share his own.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:38 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Hm. I haven't met him yet, so I can't really gossip at all.. Maybe I can meet him, learn what he's about, and tell you..?" Hannah suggested. She was well known for being soooo tactful, after all. @em | enya + mallon

[8:50 PM]em | enya + mallon:

“..If you’d like?” Mallon actually seems somewhat uncomfortable with the idea, but they don’t offer any outright refusal. “I would prefer to earn my victory here. But I don’t think that would hurt. I would offer the same, but. It seems you already know your own opponent well enough.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:56 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Mm. Quite well. I don't need to interact with him any more than necessary." Hannah grumbled. "I do have something else in mind to make us even, if you'd humor me." @em | enya + mallon

[9:04 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon raises an eyebrow. “And that is what exactly?” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[9:06 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Would you want to go swimming with me and Bonaparte sometime? I've never been able to go with anyone else." @em | enya + mallon

[9:28 PM]em | enya + mallon:

Mallon wasn’t expecting a request like that, and their smile returns quickly as they straighten up. “I.. Yes, I would like that. That would be nice.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[9:36 PM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Great! No take-backsies once you get in the water and start to freeze your tits off. We should go like early evening when the water is warmest. It doesn't bother me as much in my shark form, but the water is nearly frozen out here." @em | enya + mallon

[7:27 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“I don’t plan on ‘take-backsies’. I am used to the cold of the depths,” Mallon reminds, grin turning a little toothy as they add, “And I have already hunted in these waters once. I bet I could last longer than you.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[7:47 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"Hmmm, I've been out there too, and Bonaparte has been out there the whole time and has been fine. I bet I can do it longer than you can, you only look half fish anyway. It'll be worse for you." @em | enya + mallon

[8:05 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“I am not half-fish,” Mallon grumbles, looking almost personally offended for a second or two. “And besides, you are human.” They pause, then add, “Mostly. But I will be perfectly fine. Better.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:21 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah didn't notice that she had apparently said something offensive. It was just a true statement.

"I turn in to a real shark. I'm 100% shark and 100% human at the same time." @em | enya + mallon

[7:46 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“That makes no sense,” Mallon mutters under their breath, before saying louder, “Fine. I suppose we will just have to find out, then.” @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[8:46 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

"It makes a lot of sense if you think about it." Hannah shrugged. "Yeah, see you later, then?" @em | enya + mallon

[9:41 AM]em | enya + mallon:

“Yes. That sounds like a plan.” Mallon nods sharply once, then abruptly turns to leave. @Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline

[9:42 AM]Mads|Roque🩸+Hannah🦈+Madeline:

Hannah nodded back, and turned to leave in the other direction. @em | enya + mallon