{04 VIDEO feat Mollymauk}

[freshtilapia]

[The video opens to Fish awake, sitting up in what seems to be their bed. Their dressing gown is on, at least. It's late at night in Lunatia-- give or take about 3am. And if your volume is up high enough, you might catch the sound of... someone? being very busy the next room over. Fish looks pretty concerned.]

Ah... hello.

[This is awkward.]

It's been a while since I've used this to address the whole network but... I was wondering how people deal with... ah... cats?

[And there's the sound of a door busting open and a blur of violet getting in the way of the camera and Fish and the suggestion that the merfolk threw their hand up so as to save the communicator from getting knocked over.]

Molly what--?

Ignore me, I'm just sneaking in here.

Wait, I can't--

Yeah, it's fine, just let me crawl in here.

I'm on the communicator.

Great. I don't wanna talk I just wanna sit...

[Rustle rustle.]

Perfect.

[A pause of silence.]

Continue, I'm comfortable now.

[The communicator comes down again, a little closer to Fish's face this time, they look defeated. But there's a very content, lavender-skinned, heavily tattooed tiefling on them, their tail swishing lazily and making a mess of the video a bit.]

I guess now you all know what I need... ah... a bit of advice on. Sorry, I'll get to replying to any answers later. It isn't the easiest having a lap full of cat-like tiefling.

[They huff and grin before turning the feed off.]

Comments

[thedarkbond]

[Well, that certainly sounds enough like cat behaviour, though Ren manages to stop himself from laughing so he can at least look like he's giving the matter serious thought.]

Is he looking for anything specific when he does that or does he just want to eat whatever...? Because you could probably handle it differently depending on which it is.

[stormchasing]

[Yasha gives them both a pretty bland look at that. She doesn't need to know and she fears any comment on it will provoke Molly into saying something more, just because he can.

With a small sigh, Yasha scoops Molly up and over her shoulder, holding him there in a fireman carry. She looks at Fish and nods.]

Now he can't distract you.

[galatining]

Ahhhhh, someone I played the beheading game with was all. I mean I think it was a lover's game now that I looked back on it.

He had a wife though, who was also picking on me.

[sketchery]

Other blue tieflings? [ She blinks, the cheeriness dissipating. As if the rarity of her skin color is a point of pride, for her ( it is ). Her lips thin, even briefly, eyebrows furrowing.

But the compliments return, and she seems placated ( and this is Molly's special friend, after all, she at least has to be nice for a little bit— ) ] That's okay, Molly's purple is definitely the nicest purple I've seen.

— What are merfolks like?

[freshtilapia]

[Fish is pretty amused by Jester's reaction to the fact that they've met other blue tieflings. Though, to be fair, those two were midnight blue. Jester was a lovely shade of blue they'd compare to something they'd find on an artist's canvas or a dress on a storefront. It was the kind of blue that was rather cheerful.

Or that was just Jester herself and the way her personality shone through the video.]

Mm... I'd say the best way to learn is to meet one in person, but what would you like to know? For starters, my particular race of merfolk isn't scaly.

[freshtilapia]

Beheading game...? A wife who was picking on you...? Pray tell, Gawain dear, what kind of relationship was this!?

Sorry for the wait! I was wondering how to go about this.

[freshtilapia]

[Fish gives this some thought before putting their communicator away and calling out to Molly.]

Molly, darling, what did you make for yourself last night? Or were you just looking for whatever was available?

[shadowonthe]

[ This is his life now.

He's been carried in worse conditions. His tail just flicks. Much like a cat's.

Where are we going Yasha. Thank gods he likes you. ]

...I guess I'm going out then, Fish.

doubly so i'm dead at work

[shadowonthe]

...I was just curious, mostly.

[ Mollymauk. Fucking. Tealeaf.

Did you even fix anything. ]

[freshtilapia]

[Fish pouts a little and seems startled, looking as if their pet was going to be taken away from them.]

Are you going, Yasha?

[The look on Fish's face says that they don't want Molly to go, but the defeated language of their body seems resigned, if this was the only way they could manage to tidy up their apartment.]

:c

[freshtilapia]

...

[Fish is just... utterly surprised? What kind of whims did the Cordis moon bless him with??

Also, what was there to be curious about? As they aren't really able to cook, Fish mostly kept fresh fruits and vegetables in their fridge. And then there was the occasional food brought by Mollymauk.]

I see...

Now after speaking with Molly briefly...

[freshtilapia]

... he was just curious, apparently.

[stormchasing]

[Yasha raises an eyebrow at Molly's assumption, but just pats his rear instead of saying anything.

She gives Fish a reassuring look.]

Just around is all. [ Yasha makes like she is going to the door and but instead moves to look at Fish's curtains.]

These are nice. Look Mol, aren't these nice? [There's definitely some amusement there.]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren curls a hand over his mouth slightly at that as a polite way to disguise a small laugh.]

Well, you might have to make sure he knows everything that's in your kitchen, then, so it'll be boring for him next time...or you could see if you can use it to get his attention on you instead. You know, feed him or something so you're the one in charge of what he's getting into.

[freshtilapia]

[ Somehow, that one reassuring look was enough to really brighten Fish up. And as soon as Yasha says they’ll be around, Fish gets right to cleaning up their living space, putting the messed up items back where they belonged. They worked pretty fast, being pretty particular about their abode.

There’s quite a lot to see in Fish’s apartment, really. The curtains were of a soft gauzy fabric, layered over with a thicker one in soft blue. The walls were covered in a very ornate, colorful wallpaper. And there were little trinkets related to the sea everywhere. ]

[sketchery]

So, there's this one story I read when I was a kid, right, where there was a little mermaid and she like, really wanted to walk on land with other people??? 'Cause I guess she was half fish.

[ ... ... ... How... does she ask this... ] But like ... well — [ ... ... ... ] You know. [ You're not, is what she's trying to say. She tried. ]

[freshtilapia]

Ah yes... they're cousins to my race. They're the more famous ones, too-- near legendary beings sailors often wax poetic about.

[Fish chuckles.]

Somehow having legs makes you less fantasy material.

[And they roll their eyes.]

But anyway, my race of merfolk isn't exactly fish? We've got more in common with whales and dolphins. We breathe air and give live birth. My race actually lives above water, but we often go into the water for extended periods of time-- finding food and all that.

[galatining]

A very temporary and complicated one. I had to do a quest and matters became very complicated.

[madannoshashu]

Heh. Sounds like you might have a bit of a pheromone problem on your hands.

[ He knows allllll about those. He's Cordis, too. ]

You could come hang out with me a while if you want a little time off, but I'm still getting the hang of it myself.

[freshtilapia]

Pheromone?

[Fish knows "amphibious" but "pheromone"...? Despite them knowing very well about things connected to sex, that word just escapes them.]

Ah... I'd love to come hang out with you but...

[They may have an open relationship but there really is no doubt about it to Fish. Molly absolutely has their heart.]

I can't leave this troublemaker alone.

[madannoshashu]

Eh, it's a side effect of the Cordis moon. We give off a funky scent that attracts people to us.

[ He just smiles a bit at Fish's answer. ]

Well, there's always next time, right? I know there's no such thing as too much fun; just don't wear yourself out, yeah?

[freshtilapia]

Maybe. Or, I could just let him go through all this and just... well, get used to it.

[Fish chuckles.]

It'll only be for a few days, anyway.

[freshtilapia]

Oh my...

[They really can't quite wrap their head around this one.]

[freshtilapia]

I see... oh, and there is definitely always a next time, darling.

[They chuckle. After that sudden kiss during that trip to release the dragons... well, Xigbar was hard to forget.]

And I'll make sure I won't.

[Definitely an audible grin in that voice.]

[thedarkbond]

You could, but that seems like it'd defeat the point of having asked for help...and probably be less fun for you...

[Surely feeding people is a normal activity that normal people find fun.]

I guess the big question is if it'll happen again next cycle.