[[ Oh no, that's really lovely. I had no idea what I was going to end up doing anyway. XD ]]
. Bianca .
After asking Mitch what was going on with his life, Bianca began to splash her feet around in the water like she did when she was a little girl. Actually, it was what she did basically every day, so it would be more appropriate to say that she splashed her feet around like little kids did. It was a habit she'd picked up long ago, ever since she first met Mitch. Watching his tail moving around underwater without him making a conscious decision made her envy the beauty of the Mer and, when she was littler, she did her best to mimic the actions. Over time, she did it without even thinking.
In that friendship, the phrase 'the grass is always greener on the other side' definitely applied. While she wanted to be a Mer, or at least a Half-Mer, she knew that Mitch wanted to be a human. There had been a time when he was fourteen and she was fifteen when he had been feeling particularly jealous. He told her about it and she argued that all she wanted was to be able to swim around Ingo day after day like he did. When he said that it wasn't much, she accused him of being ungrateful and then things kicked off from there until they were hollering at each other, not worried that someone would come to investigate in their anger.
That was probably the only significant fight they'd ever had. Or, at least, it was the only one Bianca could remember. They may have had others when they were younger, but she wasn't sure. She only recalled the deep loneliness at the pit of her stomach that she felt when she stayed at home the next day, not stepping on the sand at the beach, let alone the water. But, with years of practice, Bianca had become one of the most stubborn people alive and she kept herself from visiting their pool. Days past until five had gone by and, finally, she returned earlier than normal to find Mitch already waiting for her. Thinking about the way he'd apologized using a lecture that was obviously premeditated immediately after seeing her made her stomach turn, even now, when three years had passed.
Hearing an intake of breath from Mitch and knowing he was about to start a long story, probably a rant about his parents, Bianca looked up with a mischievous grin on her face before kicking water towards him with a laugh. Mitch promptly turned his back to her, covering the hot dog with all the greed of a human hiding a sack filled with gold. "You're getting salt water all over my hot dog!" he whined, earning another giggle from her.
. Mitch .
Mitch began watching Bianca's feet in the water when he thought she wasn't looking, like he did pretty much every other day. He wished he could do that. Sure, he wouldn't swim as strongly as he did now, but who cared? if he had legs, he could stand if he wanted to. He could run and kick and jump. You couldn't do that with a tail. It just wasn't physically possible. As much as he adored Bianca, he couldn't deny that he resented the fact that she could do lots of things he could not. He was stuck in the water and she was free to go wherever she pleased, if a little bit clumsier in the water.
Deciding to answer Bianca's question, he racked his mind for a moment to find something to tell her. He decided to inform her that his parents were now considering keeping him chained to the bottom of the ocean. He wasn't lying or kidding - he was dead serious, and he planned to tell her all about it. Apparently she heard when he took a breath to begin, though, because there was a downfall of salt water around him and he desperately tried to protect his precious hot dog. He'd have to start asking her to bring more than one, he supposed, if she was going to keep ruining them like that. He'd frequently told her that he felt guilty for making her spend her human money on food for him to try, but time and again she would tell him that she didn't care.
After complaining about his destroyed hot dog (that actually hadn't been touched by the water), he heard a splash that wasn't caused by either of them. And...was that a mutter, perhaps? Someone talking? He put a finger to his lips, silencing whatever words Bianca was about to say. Glancing at her, he saw ther eyes were widened in fear. What if it was another person? How would they explain his tail? "Hello?" he called, reaching over and handing her the hot dog. Despite the desperate shake of her head, he ignored her and slowly swam closer to the opening between the rocks. "Anyone over here?" He tried to keep his tone friendly so he wouldn't scare whoever it was off, although that might be a good thing if he didn't want their secret getting out.
Peeking out to the ocean, he saw that there was a pair of eyes looking at him. They were light blue, like his own, and they belonged to a girl that appeared to be a little younger than he was. She had dark hair and a purple-colored tail. Another Mer. Or, at least, a Half-Mer. "Hi, there," he greeted more brightly, grinning now. There was nothing to worry about from his own kind, unless of course she was a Defender. He hoped that wasn't the case.
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