The Token
bonecarvedquiver
“Ha! I see you’re curious!”
Curious, or nervous. Owen still wasn’t used to reading Marius’s body language. Then again, he didn’t really think merman actually existed. Sure, there was lore and legend about the children of Ikatere, and all the denizens down in the deep, deep sea. And there were some tales about creatures with, well, tails that weren’t entirely fish, but something else as well.
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Oh right, of course! He did say that he has something to give him. That was the whole point of this meeting. Why did he act so surprised? Maybe it was just the thought of receiving a gift that was so exciting that he forgot all about the message to meet him. He mentally shrugged it off, hoping he didn’t look like a fool.
Close his eyes. Right, ok, that sounds simple enough. Marius did just that and resisted the urge to peek. He suppressed his jittery emotions and let Owen do what he needed to do. He waited in darkness.
He felt something slip around his neck. At first, he thought he was going to wrap something tight around his neck, but he quickly learned he was wrong. Instead, something hung just on his sternum. The contact of the cool object raised goosebumps on his flesh. He bit his lip as he tried to calm his wide smile.
When Owen announced his completion and told him to open his eyes, Marius did as he was told. Immediately, felt for the necklace. Thankfully the rope or cord was long enough for him to pull the pendant away from his body so that he could look at it. As if the smile on his face couldn’t get any brighter, he practically beamed. It was smooth, twisted, save for the grooves of swirls that adorned the lowest loop. Three loops, to be exact. It was tied to keep in place. Just after the knot were small pebbles of a holey stone. He had seen these before, around volcanic islands. They were just the right size to fit between his index finger and thumb. There were also beads of blues and greens. He knew these stones, or rather, glasses. They were found all along the ocean floor: sea glass. He has plenty of shards and shapes of his own in his ever-growing collection of shiny objects.
Marius took the time to look it over with such wonder. How did he make this? The carvings are small yet intricate! He must use some kind of tools to achieve this. Here it was, the most beautiful gift he ever received. Better than the cans he found, better than the prongs (silver forks) he found, better than the cryptic messages (license plates) he found. He didn’t quite understand the meaning of the design, but he knew how to appreciate and respect something he knew little about. Although, it didn’t hurt to ask.
His cheeks were a lovely shade of pink. He let the pendant dangle on his breastbone after he looked it over countless times, a newfound appreciation every time he studied it. Owen had put time and effort into this gift, this personal gift, and it sparked a reaction that perhaps even the sniper wasn’t expecting.
In a flash of green, Marius tackled the other into a hug, wrapping his arms around his neck. He laughed and snorted and kissed his face a dozen times over. He was so overcome with joy that he couldn’t contain it any longer.
“Oh thank you so much! I-…I love it,” he exclaimed. He paused for a moment, letting his excitement calm down, remembering that he didn’t have anything in return. “You…did not need to do that. But it’s very kind of you.
“I’m…sorry that I do not have anything to give you,” his smile faltered as he felt a pang of guilt in his heart. “I don’t think any of my gifts would be as beautiful as this….this….what is this? It is a necklace, yes?” He pulled it up from between their chests and held it in front of Owen’s face. “What-…u-um…What does this mean? This shape…these markings. I love it, and I want to understand it.”














