ATLANTIS ASCENDENS

living shipwreck merfolk leader amaros tryton coralin.

[amarosc]

WHO'S THE LONG LOST KING? MERMAIDS AREN'T EVEN REAL

( archie renaux / 29 / he/him ) gold is still gold, no matter if sunken and buried in a shipwreck, or polished and presented on a satin pillow. AMAROS TRYTON CORALIN looks like he's carved under high pressure, and yet, he isn't. Originally, it was all on his brother's shoulders, and who would have thought the LEADER OF THE MERFOLK would once be the youngest of all three? I didn't expect the SETTING SUN BARTENDER, for sure. 

metal still bends if you try hard enough, and it can still shatter and break. but if one wields the ocean, and water can only be divided, not broken, what is there to break, and take? -- tw violence

Fend for yourself are his mother's favorite words -- as long as no one else is around. The Coralin family prides itself off of it's ancestral line -- roots in Atlantis are rare nowadays, but their bloodline is still going strong after all these years, keen on only pairing up with fellow Atlantis descendants. Amar rarely ever showed interest in such things as might and power -- unlike his two older brothers.

The two mermen reeled in the spotlight like stars on the red carpet, only pursuing the best careers, and living on the nicest grounds. They were raised to be leader -- and Amar most definitely wasn't. He was always just the spare, the accident, the kid that came a good few years too late. Which in his opinion, had more than just a few perks -- being left alone with the vast ocean to explore, with so many college parties to attend, and so much stupid decisions to make -- such as getting a degree in art history, instead of becoming a lawyer, or a doctor, or anything even more stupidly human.

Amaros' whole world comes crashing and sinking down when their old leader passes away. He mourns him -- his greatest teacher, and most appreciated friend, who always treated him like a true merman, and wasn't as stupidly snobby as the rest of his family. The ceremony that follows after is something he doesn't even look forward to -- he knows the chances of someone with Atlantian blood being chose, he knows the chances of his strong, tall brothers making the curve.

And the crystal flaunts in their direction -- but it slips right over their heads, and settles against Amar's chest instead. Pulsating, and glowing. There's your new settlement leader. The words echo through his head to this day -- and they never stop doing so. Turned foe with most of his family, and some who expected his brothers, too -- the new leader of Westray's settlement. A barkeeper with an art degree, who was never trained, never prepared. And who most certainly never asked for it.

All the freedom ripped right out of his hand, and replaced with responsibility -- and through the crystal now wrapped around his neck, with might and power he never expected.

[amarosc]

( @zacxmrnl -- the forest late afternoon )

Amaros spends the whole day listening to the rivers spread through the forest, waits for them to give him hints, but they only start whispering when Zak passes by and nears him, so he waits, sitting on the ground, toying with the multiple bracelets on his wrist. It's clear that something is missing from him. Amaros does not radiate power like he usually does, and the faint glow of the crystal around his neck is nowhere to be seen. The young man looks more vulnerable, by a lot, and he hates it. His eyes are closed, his fingertips are hovering above the stream, far away so that he is not accidentally touched by it. His eyes only open when Zak comes close enough to be in his line of sight, and his carefully composed features morph into a grimace that he can barely contain.

"Where were you?", he asks softly, "I called for you, like, two hours ago." The leader of the merfolk rubs his forehead, brushes a few strands of dark hair out of his face and looks up at his not-boyfriend boyfriend, "I might need a scandal to cover this up.", he admits, pointing at the missing jewelry around his neck, "So if you'd like to hook up in the forest for everyone to see and talk about, now may be the time." The joke lacks a laugh, and Amaros draws his hand closer to his body, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration, "Missing anything, your majesty?"

[amarosc]

( @blacksheepfms -- in the forest late afternoon )

Questions over questions, and Amaros cannot figure the answer to the most important one, which would be where the fuck is Zak. No phones being available in the ocean is a massive downside, and when he finally finds a stream that he can sense to be connected with the ocean, someone is near it already -- luckily for him, someone he knows. "Nat.", Amaros breathes out when he reaches the stream, his fingers making small, almost not-noticeable movements that send a short wave message to Zak, "Any luck finding something?" Of course, he himself hasn't had any luck. It's disappointing, very, and not only that, it is frightening. He cannot even sense the presence of the crystal, and it's driving him insane.

"I heard about your Dad.", Amaros notes, of course he has, given they regularly meet up in the council meetings, not that Nat knows of them, "I'm really sorry. I'm sure we'll find him around, yeah?" Compared to loosing a family member, loosing a necklace sounds laughable, no matter if it's a normal necklace or one that his life depends on, "What was your hint? Did you get a stupid riddle as well?"

[amarosc]

The ocean brings silence, and roaring at the same time. Even in this night full of sleep, the ocean never sleeps. None of the merfolk under the surface of the ocean have been affected, but those far away from it have been. Amaros wakes to find his ceremonial gem necklace missing right from his chest, which it never leaves. 

Meaning, someone must have taken it off of his throat, without waking him at all. It is not the only thing disturbing on this lovely morning, the sand poured into words on his living room floor is as well:

“In books and tales, I’m guarded with might, hidden in mountains, out of sight. Heroes seek me, villains too. What am I, gleaming and true?”

amaros coralin, welcome to the hide & seek! who are you playing with? well, wouldn’t you like to know. your character is missing one sacred object. they can choose to search for them, or they can get lost in their worry and don’t. (but who knows, maybe they’ll find their way back home on their own). your character was sorted into search group number 6, alongside alexios and rosita. please post this plot drop and your character’s reaction to it, which can be as short as one paragraph, or as long as you want.

you can make two choices for your character: are they searching for their lost object? can they solve their riddle or not? please include these choices in your reaction response.

Great. Someone has broken into his home. One first thought is that at least it wasn’t a vampire, one of those Solune assholes that cannot seem to give him peace. A second thought is that it may have been someone that sneakily got permission to get into his place, someone that he trusted wrongly, and could not detect to be a vampire. They’re good at hiding, after all. Lurking in shadows, supposedly still is their thing, even after all this time.

Thing is, they could have taken anything from him, and Amaros wouldn’t have cared. It could have been his favorite annotated book, the last few pictures of his mother he has, anything, but the one thing that keeps the merfolk in control, or rather in his control. His ceremonial necklace is gone. The crystal that chose him two years ago, crowned him the leader of the merfolk and took every ounce of respect for him out of his siblings’ and parents’ souls. The faint glow that he wakes up to some nights, that alarms him of wrongdoings and those in danger, is entirely gone. Fuck.

Amaros is up within seconds, and starts searching. Weirdly enough, nothing else in his apartment has been moved, and there are also no signs of someone breaking in. Had someone trusted, or untrusted from his family barged in at night and taken it from him? The merman feels unusually groggy, weirdly tired and incredibly exhausted, which is even weirder, considering he went to sleep early last night. The young man drags himself to the living room to check on the door, and feels a weirdly familiar crunch beneath his feet. Someone has poured sand into words, and Amaros has just smudged the last two words, ‘and true’, without ever getting the chance to read them. “Oh, what the fuck.” As creepy as it gets. “Oh, a riddle. Very funny.” No one is to be seen around, and the sand is weirdly only on the living room floor, no foot steps or else to be seen.

Even though Amaros despises the idea of even having to talk to him, Amaros rings up his older brother, Chelan, in hopes of getting the chance to yell at him for this stupid prank he pulled, but he doesn’t pick up. Neither do his step-mother, or his father, or any of his other two siblings. It’s as if they’re gone, wiped from earth (which he wouldn’t really complain about to begin with).

But when the emergency notification beeps in, he realizes they might be truly gone, missing like most of the other residents in Westray that really shouldn’t be. Merfolk start calling him, of course they do, he’s their leader, but he does not have a solution to their problems, and faces a significant one of his own: The greatest source of his power, his amplifier, it is simply gone. And for the first time in his life, he truly feels helpless.

The merman doesn’t immediately figure out his riddle, it is only when he takes the bus to the city hall that he thinks about it, and wonders -- what does gold have to do with my stupid fucking necklace?

[dailyflicks]

Upgraded (2024) Dir. Carlson Young

[peaceworn]

@amarosc amaros & roland location: lakeview hospital, time: midmorning

after tearing through every facet of the grand viridian that he possibly could as if his necklace was simply dropped or taken by one of the dozens of blood bags that woke up alongside clan solune in the early morning, roland's mind eventually went back to his riddle. the only thing he thinks it can mean so far is blood. after racking his brain, he decided that looking around lakeview made the most sense. upon entry to the hospital, he descends to the basement where some vampires get their fix in a much more clinical setting than roland's ever been interested in. while he's not expecting to simply happen upon imani's necklace, there is a small part of him that yearsn for it to be that easy. at the very least, he hopes to find some sort of hint.

his nose leads him to the room where unused bags of blood must be stored and he's in the middle of attempting to pick the lock when he hears footsteps in the coridor. hopeful that a nurse that would be easily swayed to use her id badge to let him in the room is approaching, roland is instead met with a familiar face when he turns his head and drops his hands from the doorframe in front of him. amaros, leader of the merfolk. the very town council member that roland had tried to wean information from for clan solune all those weeks ago. he's not sure how much the other man remembers of the night, because he was rather drunk... and he's hoping they can avoid discussing it altogether. as long as the merfolk doesn't hold a grudge, that is. ❝ my riddle led me here. are you following yours or are the search parties already making their rounds? ❞

[amarosc]

"Oh, you. Don't act all normal, when you're in fact a fucking bitch." To say he's agitated, would be quite the understatement. Amaros' eyebrows are furrowed, his nose is scrunched up and he looks like he could punch someone right in the face, preferably someone less strong, preferably Roland. One significant object of his is missing -- the always slightly glowing necklace that usually hangs around his neck. "They sent me to pick up resources for the search parties, in fact." He volunteered -- what else would get him further away from all the bloodthirsty merpeople ready to push him off of his throne, and right into the arms of someone who's an entirely different kind of bloodthirsty. Amaros holds up the key badge and uses it on the door, almost letting it close on Roland's face, but only almost. A kind nurse has laid out a few packages for him to take with, which may not include blood, but other necessities.

"I think mine says gold, and I don't think I would happen to find something like this here in the hospital, in fact. Maybe I'll have to go on a treasure hunt down the ocean, far down where bloodsuckers like you cannot go." Amaros realizes he cannot carry all of the packages at once, and needs help -- a deep sigh echoes through his body and he turns back at Roland, the nicest fake smile he can muster up curling around his lips, "Help me, please? Then I won't tell the nurses you were here to begin with, idiot thief."

[emirxxsahn]

Zak listened as Amaros spoke. Enjoying the feeling of the man's hand on his shoulder, knowing deep down he could never truly be mad at him. Even when he was trying to be a little dramatic for the sake of it.

His upset soon turned to anger when he thought about all the coincidences that had lead to the man being late. If anybody had gotten in the way of his father's life like that or the life of people he cared so deeply about, he knew how he would have handled it. But, thankfully for Amaro's family, Zak wasn't his father.

"I'm sure you smell just fine, Ros." Zak smiled faintly. Moving his hand up to touch the one on his shoulder. When his friend speak again all feelings of anger, resentment and upset swiftly exited Zak's mind like a smooth exhale. Standing and turning to look at the other man. He could tell Amaro's felt awful for not being there, but none of that mattered to Zak now.

At first he went to speak, but stopped. Not even sure what to say. A true rarity for Zak who was often difficult to get to shut up, especially around Amaros. So instead, he simply moved the chair he had just been sat on to one side, closing the gap between himself and Amaros, and lifted his hand up to his best friend's perfect jawline. Before leaning forward and slowly pressing his lips against the merfolk leader's cheek.

"How about you don't do that." He paused for a moment as he pulled back, and look at the man in front of him, unable to really believe this was happening. "I think I'd prefer to have you as close to me as possible, at all times, Ros."

"Because I love you."

[amarosc]

"Be honest, idiot." Amaros cannot stop a nervous laugh from escaping his lips, "I do smell a bit oily today." It's like he can feel Zak's anger fade, which causes his own shoulders to relax and his very own anxiety to slowly simmer down. "I really, really wanted to be there for you." His tanned fingers find their way up to his neck, toying with a few strands of his hair on the back of it. He truly does wish he had been there, and had seen Zak through it all. His heart aches when he even thinks about missing out on it. Then the kiss on his cheek hits him, and so do the following words. It reminds him of a few moments that happened years ago, in large palace bathrooms, his family's house, in the ocean, and then recently, in their apartments. It pieces something back together inside of his heart, something he hadn't registered as broken.

His fingers draw him down by the neck and Amaros doesn't hesitate this time -- he just kisses Zak, on the lips this time. Something he had dreamt of doing at the masquerade ball, but the events of the night had changed his plans, and that was okay. This, it truly felt perfect, in a fairytale way. When he draws back, his cheeks are a little rosy. "You know, for a second I thought you were about to ban me from your kingdom, your majesty." A nickname that circles back to a very important encounter in Zak's bathroom -- just that it used to be your royal highness. At the end of the day, he's always been just Zak to him.

"It would be an honor to accompany you to the afterparty, you know." Amaros presses a second kiss to his lips just a few seconds later, "Unless you'd rather meet me half undressed in one of your bathrooms later in the night.", is added with a wink.

[nytcwl]

❝ Hello, dear, ❞ Umi deviated from her original plan of teasing him. She had initially wanted to remind him of their strange but hilarious interaction at the party, but seeing him like that up close, she decided to be as gentle as she could be. Taking her spot beside him, she ran a hand through his hair, smiling her best smile as she did so. ❝ You look like you’ve seen better days. ❞ The sun was nice indeed, which was why she had opted for a swim instead of fishing. To be fair, she was still sort of fishing while she swam, if only to give chase to the unfortunate guppies that came close before eventually letting them be. When she resurfaced to soak in some sunlight, that was when she caught a glimpse of Amaros, her favorite bartender. Among other things, she considered him someone she treasured. ❝ Fortunately for you, your day is about to get better now that the prettiest girl in all the seas is finally here with you. ❞ ❝ Unfortunately for you, I’m not much for actively participating in...such things, ❞ she gave him a little shrug before pulling him closer for a tight side-hug, placing his head gently on her shoulder. Umi might be a merfolk, and she might be the owner of Oyster Royale, which would make her technically a leader of other merfolk, mostly the ones she employed, but she has always been very aloof when it came to their settlement, their society, their very community. So much so that she rarely knew what was going on. Turning toward the horizon, she continued to comb his hair, ❝ Still, I wouldn’t say you’re a bad leader. What makes you even think of such terrible things? ❞

[amarosc]

"The fact that everyone thought so at first." Amaros' curls are soft beneath her fingers and the comfort of her head on his shoulder slowly grounds him back to earth, or well, water. "During the ceremony, I hid behind my siblings. I knew it would be one of them. I'm the bastard, the odd one out, after all. Less tall, less buff, less strong-minded." Or so he thinks of himself. As it had turned out, the woman his father had an affair with, had been a descendant of Atlantis, just like him, but unlike his brother's and sister's mother, making him a full descendant of Atlantis -- which he truly believed to be the reason why he was chosen. You have a clean heart, the witch had told him on the day the crystal had chosen him. You will be of use.

"But I was chosen. And now I'm stuck in this misery." His light blue scales glimmer in the sunlight while he moves slightly. From afar, viewed from the sure, they surely look like seals laying on large stones, trying to get sun into their fur. "I think I'm in love with Zak.", Amaros almost whispers, "And I don't know what to do about it. I don't want him to think it's just because he's about to become King. I don't want him to think it's... I don't even know if I want him to know. What if he doesn't... love me back? I would be forever... embarrassed, and we have to work together." Groaning, Amaros lets his head sink against hers, "Well, fuck."

[blacksheepfms]

Maia absolutely would never turn down a night out, especially a night out with Amaros. The two had been getting free drinks from merfolk and frankly Maia was soaking it all in, she didn't care what she was drinking as long as it was free. The moment he spoke Maia immediately leaned in, ready to hear this gossip. "Oh my god tell me everything!" She grinned as she listened intently. "I so promise not to tell a soul." Which she intended to keep. Amaros was her friend and she didn't want to hurt him like she's hurt so many others. Her smile only widened when she watched how he talked when he spoke about his crush, her own thoughts leading down a path to someone she knows she couldn't think about. Maia took a sip of her drink to get her mind out of her thoughts and into the moment. "Well he sounds like the perfect package honestly! I have to meet him!"

[amarosc]

"Yeah, but we're just friends." At least, Zak kept putting it like that. At the masquerade ball, things had shifted, only to be ripped out of proportions after his father's death, and the disaster of the ghost ship crashing into the cliffs. It had now turned into a tourist attraction and a playground for scientists and researchers, but Amaros tried to ignore it in the distance as much as he could. Out of instinct, his fingers wrapped around the crystal dangling on his neck, which always emitted a faint glow, only to be seen by supernaturals, and a few humans able to see through the gentle, magical mist -- not that he didn't have proper excuses on hand.

"So I'm not sure if you knew," he adds a dramatic pause, "But there's a royal merfolk family, you know? There's settlements, which have leaders. And I'm Westray's. Kind of like a mayor, just for a large segment of the ocean. And then there's the royal family, which is large, you know? Recently, they came to live here in Westray, because of the magic rooted in the ocean grounds here, or whatever. And you know, I grew up around their Crown Prince a lot, because he was supposed to marry my sister." Amaros takes a deep breath, "He always declined. And throughout the years, I... always had this little crush on him, but now it's evolved. Evolved terribly far. We were meant to have a date at that ball, but then shit went down, and then his Dad died, and... he's set to be King. So I'm in... love with the King. Well, King to be. Of the... merfolk." Amaros takes out his phone and holds it out for Maia to see after finding a picture of him in his gallery, "That's the guy."

[emirxxsahn]

It was never going to be an easy day for Zak to make it through, but knew that the one thing that could have made it a little less unbearable, was the presence of Amaros. Throughout the entire ceremony, all Zak could think about was Amaros. Whether he was okay, hoping that something hadn't happened to him on the one day he'd be unable to be there to protect him.

As he swore his oath to his people, and went through all the usual long winded, and perhaps a little out dated rituals in the ceremony, every now and then his eyes would flicker across to Alice and Chogan, looking somehow more smug than usual. Zak wasn't an idiot, he knew Amaros wouldn't miss this on purpose. They had to be behind it all.

Once the ceremony had (eventually) ended and Zak was officially King, he rushed back to his private quarters, to either get ready for the celebrations ahead, or plan his escape. He hadn't quite decided on which yet.

After almost an hour had passed and Zak was no closer to making a decision, and even further away from being ready. He heard a knock. Head turning to look to the door, and seeing Amaro's face slowly appear from behind it.

Even if it wasn't his fault, a theory that hadn't been proven right just yet, Zak was still upset that Amaros' hadn't been there. He turned back, looking at himself in his mirror, trying his very hardest to not get too visibly upset as he listened to the man's voice.

"I'm fine, Ros." Zak lies, slowly turning back to look at his friend. "It was long. Boring. You would have hated it anyway." Zak shrugged, turning back. "What kept you? I guessed those lovely parents of yours had something to do with it, but I could be wrong..."

[amarosc]

"You could be wrong?" Amaros takes of his jacket, drops it onto an empty chair and pushes the sleeves of his shirt upwards. Frustration draws lines into the skin of his face and his eyebrows furrow into a pained expression. "What are you on about? Do you seriously think I didn't come because I thought it would be boring?" If Amaros is honest, a hint of fear starts bubbling in his chest, but he pushes it far down, in an attempt to ignore it. "How could it have been boring when it was about you? You're the most exciting thing in my life." Amaros' hand meets Zak's back, and then the leader of the merfolk squeezes himself in between the mirror and his newly made king.

"Someone dumped a large bucket of crude oil into the ocean close to merfolk living grounds." His words are quiet, soft-spoken. Sorrow is hidden in his tone, "It spread fast due to the wind, so it took a while to get it all out of the water. I went home as quickly as possible when it was all under control, got into my apartment and the water was cut off. I had to shower at my neighbor's, you know, at the old lady's apartment that always chats with me for hours, which today, she didn't, because I rushed to get dressed. I get back to my apartment and someone has thrown a painted stone through my bedroom window, and it rolled right over my suit alongside my bed. Which is why I'm not wearing ocean-blue, like I told you I would, and which is why I smell like my new shampoo is crude oil based."

Amaros carefully placed his hands on his shoulders, eyes meeting his, "I wanted to be there. For every single little boring ritual, every recitation and every tiring speech. I wanted to be there for you. I messed up, and I get that you're upset, and I'm terribly, terribly sorry." A few beats pass, then Amaros takes a risk he did not expect to take tonight. "If the crown's making your head heavy already, I can be there for you. Because I love you, Zak, and I truly did want to be there for the ceremony. And if you don't want me around anymore, then I'll stay as far away from you as you want, also because I love you."

[amarosc]

( @blankspaceforbadthings -- The Setting Sun late, during sunset )

Maybe he's been at the Setting Sun after his working hours a bit too often in the last few weeks. Maybe it's exactly what he needs. His mind has been spiraling with thoughts around Zak, about his position as leader of the merfolk, about his life in general. He's tired and exhausted, and has been longing for a long swim recently, but something is holding him back. The ghost ship is freaking him out, and so has been the fact that the guy he's been head over heels for has been crowned as the king of the merfolk. What takes his mind off of things is the chance for a good, funky cocktail with a friend, and today he's chosen Harlow and invited him out.

Amaros plops down in a seat when he finally finds them, pushing his legs far away from his body and immediately turning his head in his direction, "Evening, my friend. Are you ready for the latest new from under the surface?" His tanned fingers rub over his face, "How's it going, Harlow? Can I get you a drink? The Barbie's Dreamhouse and Coco Mama are excellent choices."

[amarosc]

( @zacxmrnl -- an open sea house, royal owned late, in the evening )

Amaros knows his family managed to make him late when he sees the sun fading on the horizon, but even all the obstacles they placed in his way cannot stop him from attending this event. He's thrown on his finest suit, adorned with shells and jewels, the enchanted crystal glowing around his neck. The palace guards let him pass through, already familiarized with his face. He passes through marble corridors and rooms, until he reaches the room with Zak's personal guard standing in front of it. After a bit of persuasion, he knocks and carefully opens the door.

"I'm so late.", Amaros whisper-says, "I'm so sorry, Zak. It's- my family-" Bad excuses, even if they are true. "I missed it, right? Like, obviously I did, but, god, I'm so sorry." Guilt sweeps up his throat and clogs it right up, "How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Amaros is shy to properly approach him, unsure what to say, how to apologize, "I wish I could have been there. I'm sure you did an amazing job."

[amarosc]

( @nytcwl -- in the ocean mid-day )

The blue scales of Amaro's fins glistened in the sunlight. While he usually tried to be more ethereal than not, today he was just flopped over a stone like a seal, watching the waves roll into the beach. After a few minutes of silence he heard the water breaking against a person right next to the stone he was laying on, and turned his head in their direction. "Hey, Umi.", he greeted her softly, "What's up?" His fingers traced lines onto the stone and he gently splashed some water up, into her face, "Come lay with me, the sun's nice."

Amaros was rarely ever in a bad mood, but now he was, stuck thinking about what had happened in the last few weeks, with Zak, with the Solune Clan, with every single person he had encountered. "You know what I like about you? You don't make me feel like a freak for who I am." Amaros started toying with his enchanted necklace, "Do you think I'm a good leader? I mean, I was chosen, yes, but do you think I could do better?"

[amarosc]

( @blacksheepfms -- The Setting Sun late, in the evening )

Amaros' shift has long been over. Being the merfolk leader has one advantage: free drinks from other merfolk members, at least sometimes. Maybe it helps that he's confident and flirty. But only maybe. It's how he and Maia end up with their fourth free drink of the night in the lounge chairs the bar offers. Amaros takes a bite out of a pineapple that is stuck in the hilt of his fancy cocktail glass, before taking a few sips of the blue, sugary liquid.

"I think I'm in love.", he blurbs out, "Which is kind of the worst case. He's cute. He's really cute. But Maia.", he pauses, "Will you promise not to tell anyone when I tell you who it is? Pretty please." A few dark curls fall into his face while he leans forward in her direction, so that his low spoken words will not be heard by the other few visitors the night has to offer, "I think I'm going crazy. He's so hot. And not only... physically, you know? Like, he's smart. He's cute. I hate it. He's so... perfect."

[emirxxsahn]

Zak's smile slowly faltered when he saw Amaro's parents coming up behind him. He wished he had more time, enough to pull the boy away into the party and avoid any kind of confrontation between them, but unfortunately it was far too late for that.

"Not at all." Zak answers, clearly. Not entirely sure if it was the kind of question he was supposed to answer, but his little conversation prior to this had clearly given a boost of confidence, the type needed to engage in conversation with the Coralins. He does everything in his power to resist a heavy eye roll at mention of Amaro's sister. A subject he should have expected to come up, since it did almost any time the two family's interreacted. Before he can even speak on the matter though Amaros pipes up, surprising Zak, his words bringing a smile back to the young Prince's face.

Then the attention turns back to him, and he knows this time he definitely shouldn't speak, but Amaros' bravery, emboldens Zak once again. "I'm afraid I have to disagree with you there, Mrs Coralin." He says, smiling politely at the woman.

"Lead to the way, Ros." Zak tilts his head to Amaros, smile still firm and remaining across his lips. "Have a lovely night, Sir. Madam." Zak nods to the boy's parents before practically pulling him away. "Are you okay?"

[amarosc]

Everything moves too quick. One second, his parents are scoffing at them, the next second, Amaros lets Zak pull him out of the scene, away from his parents. The street is not too crowded anymore -- and when the power suddenly goes out, Amaros thinks it to be in favor of the lunar eclipse, not sensing anything bad -- too focused on gently wrapping Zak's face with his hands and pulling him down to kiss him. But that never happens. Amaros does not get to answer his question with a kiss, because all out of sudden, someone calls out for Zak.

"Your royal highness! Prince Zak!" Amaros lets his hands slip down, suddenly caught by a feeling of -- of what exactly? He cannot quite figure. "Zak.", Amaros whispers, his hand grazing his in the dark, "I-" A man appears right beside them, drawing Zak away from Amaros, "Your royal highness. You must understand. This is important. A family matter." "What happened?", Amaros asks, suddenly nervous, "What's going on?"

A second person appears, then suddenly a third, and then, even though Amaros does not exactly appreciate it, his father appears by his side. "Amaros.", he warns, step aside.

The stranger, one of the royal guards, holds Zak's arm, "Your royal highness. I am afraid to break the news, but it must be done. I am terribly sorry, my boy. But the King is dead."

[emirxxsahn]

Zak is a little thrown of when the question is asked. Hoping he wasn't getting muddled up with how he thought Amaros interpreted his own question. In the simplest of terms, Amaros was his 'date' for the evening, that was true. But Zak had accompanied many, many people to balls such as this one in his time and none of those companionships ever meant much at all. The same could not be said for Amaros.

He considered the man a close friend. He was one of the few merfolk who didn't treat Zak like he was already King, and though it had taken some time to get passed the curtseying and formal words, Amaros had learnt quite quickly that Zak just wanted to be treated normally, and he liked that.

The man then continued. Adding that he would like it if it was a date. Of course by this point Zak had clocked on to what he meant by that word. "I like to think it is." He said simply, without much thought. He would be lying if he said he hadn't given this some thought before tonight. Knowing the situation with Zak and Amaros' family had always been a complicated one. Especially considering the fact that Zak had been practically promised to the man's sister. A pairing he had never been a fan of.

"We can stay out here a while longer if you'd like, Ros." Zak smiled, seeing how nervous the young merfolk leader looked. Reaching down, and placing his hand on Amaro's arm. "I like it out here. Less need for masks, too."

[amarosc]

Amaros releases a breath he's held way too long, and the gaze in his eyes softens. "Okay.", he almost whispers, then it's a date." Fifteen year old him would freak it, if only he knew that the hot guy he had been staring at for all night during a ball, clearly busy dancing with his sister, would stand in front of him like this fifteen years later. But all rose-colored moments full of crushing are ruined within seconds, when a firm hand grips his shoulder, and a man appears right beside Amaros that looks like a carbon-copy of him, just a good thirty years more aged. Chogan Coralin carries a gaze that could kill, and the blonde woman that appears right beside him is so enchantingly gorgeous, that a few heads turn as they walk by. Though: Alice Coralin's facial expression when she looks at her husband's product of cheating, is as sour as if she just bit into a thousand lemons.

"Zak, dear.", she purrs, "Is Amaros distracting you from finally going in?" Like ever so often, Amaros' fingers itch to summon his trident, and to leave her bleeding in this lovely alley, like she had one of her friends do with his late mother, "Did you see his sister tonight, love? She's wearing a gorgeous blue gown. A lovely young woman she grew to be. And she's not married yet, which is quite the shame." Now, Amaros really wants to summon his trident. "Maybe she should start being less of a mean bitch. Perhaps then people would actually enjoy talking to her." Amaros rips his shoulder free out of his father's grip, who gifts him a concerned gaze. Alice fakes a gasp, and gifts Zak an apologetic glance, "Awful behavior, my dear. I still cannot believe you were chosen as the new leader, when your siblings were right there. Is that not right, Zak?"

Amaros takes a step back, his back slightly hitting Zak's chest, and he turns to look up at him, "I changed my mind. I would like to go in now."

[amarosc]

( @nytcwl -- The Lunar Eclipse Masked Ball late, in the evening )

Completely delighted about getting a single moment of piece, Amaros slips onto a chair at the bar, and is immediately confronted with his wonderful, stunning older sister. She's that by just one year, and even though they are almost the same age, she seems to have found joy in behaving like a toddler, pestering him constantly whenever she gets the chance. To his luck, she disappears after a few moments of bickering, running to find Zak. Amaros lets his head sink onto the counter of the bar, and takes a deep breath. When he lifts his head off of the counter again, he's faced with an unfamiliar face. On his chest, the crystal emits a faint glow -- identifying the person right in front of him as merfolk.

"Hey.", Amaros greets Umi, "I don't think we've met, which is a crime, because you look fabulous, and I've been here my whole life, and usually gorgeous creatures never get past me." He holds out his hand for Umi to place hers in it, so that he can kiss her knuckles, "Amaros Coralin. A pleasure to meet you."