May 3, 2025
He’s so mindful and demure with his lil basket. 🥰
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He’s so mindful and demure with his lil basket. 🥰
Chapter Thirteen: You Can Stay
As Riddle mentally takes in everything he's done and learned, Floyd reminds him of something important.
No warnings for this one! This is also technically the end, but there are two bonus spicy chapters. Thank you so much for reading!
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A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47890741/chapters/120739675
"Floyd…? I did okay, right?" Riddle whispers after a moment of cuddling with his... his boyfriend? What are they now? Is there even a word for this? He’s still feeling quite floaty and happy, as Floyd put it, but the high is fading. He’s starting to feel more and more self-conscious and unsure. People keep telling him that he's doing good, but is he really? He went from never kissing anyone, to kissing TWO people in one day…
"You did good. You looked sooooo good. And you felt good, right?"
"Yeeh..." Riddle happily slurs, relaxing again into Floyd’s arms. “But I feel really sweaty. And kinda gross."
"Sweaty and gross?" Floyd lifts his head and looks down at him. "Hmm."
He licks a stripe up the center of Riddle's chest, and then his shoulder, and then the underside of his chin.
"ICHH!" Riddle's flinches and giggles at the slimy tickle.
"Not gross.”
"Floyd! How could that not taste gross?"
"Much better than the jellyfishies." Lick. "Not better than crabs though." Lick lick.
“Eeeeee-!” Riddle scrunches up his face and tries to squirm away.
"Like ocean water! You're leaking~"
"HYGIENE!" Riddle gasps, pushing at Floyd's head with both hands. "IT TICKLES!"
“Heeeeee~” Floyd stops licking and just nuzzles into the side of his neck instead. "Take a shower? Then we can go eat foodies."
"Yes! Shower!" Riddle demands, pushing Floyd away from him with fond exasperation.
"Okayyyyy."
Floyd shows him the shower then wanders off into the kitchen, still reeking of sex and sweat. Mmmm, now everyone is happy and floaty, except Azul. Maybe he'll snag him later, after food.
"That seemed to go well." Azul smiles as Floyd walks in, then wrinkles his nose when he realizes that he didn't shower. "Floyd, your lack of hygiene is offensive."
"I like the smell~" Jade smiles and nibbles his slice of tart. He’s already clean, and dressed in pajama pants with a loose shirt. He looks quite sleepy, even though he’s contentedly jotting down notes in a leather-bound journal. "Looks like baby got his first orgasm, AND his first ride today. One point for me and one point for Floyd..." Jade giggles to himself.
"Points?" Azul groans, already worried about where this is going.
"Nothing. Just talking to myself." Jade smiles politely. Azul's eyes narrow, but he lets the matter rest, for now. He makes a mental note of the notebook that Jade is using, though. Perhaps he should peek in it later to make sure he's not planning anything TOO nefarious. As a rule he doesn't pry into Jade's privacy, but if it involves Riddle, then he might need to intervene.
Floyd takes a slice out of the peach tart, then takes the entire tart and leaves the slice. Distracted, Azul turns to him with a flat, "No."
"Awwww." Floyd puts the tart back and takes the slice instead.
"Once you finish that, go find Riddle," Azul sighs as he wolfs down the treat so quickly that he couldn’t possibly have tasted it. "He's taking longer than I would have thought. He might be getting sub-drop."
“Wha…? Really? But we barely…?”
“Barely for you. Not for him,” Azul points out.
“Oh right…”
Jade continues scribbling in his notebook with a happy sigh. ' Perhaps I will share this development chart later with Azul and Floyd. If we want him to develop quickly, then we should get him started on a masturbation routine to increase his staying power. Anal training would also be ideal. With a little push, he could be comfortably riding someone our size in... two months? Perhaps even reliably experiencing anal orgasms…’
Jade giggles to himself as he sketches out Riddle's sexual development chart, adding a few hearts to the ‘anal orgasm’ milestone. He’s already finished the scoreboard between himself, Floyd, and Azul. He does love making these things~ He made one for Azul and it worked out perfectly. Riddle is going to be up to speed in no time at all.
Riddle stands in the shower, letting the hot water hit him in the chest and run down his body as he stares distantly at the wall.
'Okay... so I’ve embarked on a path that deviates from everything I’ve ever thought I would do, and it's only a couple of days after graduation. Not sure what's going to happen after today, but I know I can't stay here. Did I just have sex with… with THREE people? I have to find Trey and Cater so that they know I’m ok and... oh god, I have to face my mother at some point...
The water streams over his body, washing away the last of the sweat and Floyd's saliva. He can still feel the warm, wet pressure around him. Jade's body, Floyd's mouth. The sensations of their hands, tongues, and teeth roll over his body like little whispers, warm but quietly shameful now. The bite that Floyd had given him earlier in the SMTC is lightly bruised, but doesn't really hurt. He's had worse injuries from falling off horses and his broom.
"Clean yet?"
Riddle starts as Floyd pokes his head in past the shower curtain with a grin. "Azul made me leave you some tart."
With that same, blatantly casual attitude that he seems to have toward everything, he steps into the shower with Riddle and begins to spray off, washing himself with his hands and careless, quick movements. Riddle watches him, eyebrow twitching as he does even less than the bare minimum. "That's not ALL you're doing right?"
"Huh? Goldfishie wants to go again?" Floyd's eyes brighten, and he reaches out for Riddle with both hands.
"WH-NO! I mean are you going to use soap ?!" Riddle picks up the bar of soap and firmly pushes it into Floyd's hands, " Soap. Use it."
"Awwww," Floyd wrinkles his nose, then brings the bar of soap up to his face and opens his mouth, as though he's about to take a bite out of it.
"I SAID USE IT. Don't eat it!" Riddle gasps, snatching up Floyd’s wrist.
"I knowww." Floyd snickers. He leans forward and very gently kisses the back of Riddle's hand, then takes the soap and begins to obediently wash himself with it.
“Hmmph,” Riddle chuffs out a bit of air, before laughing softly. Of course... Of course Floyd is going to play with him. No matter what happens, this irritating, gremlin-ish, and beautiful teasing is going to be a constant.
"You drive me nuts. You realize that right?"
"I hope so," Floyd snickers, rinsing off the soap. "Been trying to drive you nuts ever since I first met you. You're pretty special, Goldfishie."
Riddle gently smacks Floyd's side. "You're pretty special yourself, if you’ve somehow convinced me that I like you. I don't know how you did it." Riddle takes a deep breath, and then lets it out in a long, slow sigh. "So... when should I leave? Tomorrow?"
"Goldfishie can leave anytime he wants," Floyd blinks, repeating the same promise that he had last night as though it should be the most obvious thing in the world.
"Anytime...? Floyd you speak as if I could stay for as long as I want. Like a week."
"Only a week?!" Floyd snickers, stepping out of the shower without drying off and getting water all over the floor. He grabs a towel out from under the sink and tosses it at Riddle. He saw Jade with his planner out, and that usually means that he's scheming things months, or even years in advance. But he has a feeling that Riddle might find that. Overwhelming. "Think bigger, Goldfishie."
" Bigger? What do you…? Two weeks? I couldn't possibly! I’d just get in the way." Riddle shakes his head, wrapping the towel tightly around his shoulders. Besides, he needs to get his life back on track, now that this entire, insane ‘vacation’ is over! He’ll need to put in his applications for law school, find a way to explain to his mother that he doesn’t want to take the tests to get a medical license…
Floyd just towels his hair off to hide a smirk. A week...two weeks. Whatever Riddle wants. He'll enjoy his presence for as long as he wants to stay.
"Do what makes you happy." He bundles Riddle in a second towel and happily fluff-dries his pretty hair. "If staying makes you happy... then you can stay. If it doesn’t, then go. That’s the rule. Easy.”
"... Okay. Thank you." Riddle hesitates, then stands on his tiptoes and presses a shy kiss to Floyd's cheek with a little smile. Well… maybe he’ll stay a little longer. It wouldn’t hurt to stay… Right?
STOP BULLYING GOLDFISH
what if
what if I
was a goldfish
Glup
i would feed you premium goldfish food and give you the coolest tank ever.... and premium microplastic straws 😁😁😁‼️
Chapter Ten: Don't Leave Me Behind
Jade and Azul must deal with the consequences of their actions, and realize that Floyd is more serious about Riddle than they thought.
No warnings for this one!
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A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47890741/chapters/120739675
Jade’s phone begins to play the opening notes of a chaotic anime theme that he recognizes immediately. He hesitates for a moment, then picks it up.
“Hello Floyd. I trust that you're back on the surface with Riddle, if you’re using this?”
“Jade help.”
Jade blinks, taken aback by Floyd’s tone. It’s not nearly the vengeful, angry one that he had been expecting. “Help?”
“So I was gonna squeeze you and Azul both for trapping me in a sleepy cubby with Goldfishie, AND YOU DESERVE IT.” Jade flinches, yanking the phone away from his ear. “But Goldfishie FINALLY let me lick him and Jade. JADE. HE NEVER HAD AN ORGASM BEFORE.”
“... Never ?” Jade sits on his desk, fighting between disbelief at the news, alarm at Floyd’s tone, and lingering guilt over the trick he played on them last night to buy Azul another critical, few hours. He knew that Riddle was inexperienced, but how could he have NEVER gotten curious enough about his own body to figure out something so basic? Even by accident? Surely he’d had wet dreams at least…? “Are you sure?”
“YES! And it makes me so sad and angry and I have to keep HOLDING BACK. SO MUCH?? It’s soooooo hard, and I just want him to be happy and bossy and sexy like when I tease so I won’t HAVE to hold back. But I don’t know howwwww and I don’t want to hurt him!”
“…. Hmm. I can see that you’re at a loss. Tell me what you know about him so far,” Jade frowns thoughtfully.
“Ok, but you and Azul both gotta just STOP for a bit with scheming and strategy and money stuff, ok? For a while? Please? ”
Jade’s eyes widen. Floyd almost NEVER says please, and certainly not in that tone.
“Not FOREVER, but just until Goldfishie isn’t so… so…?” He can almost see Floyd’s hands flailing around as he searches for a word that properly describes just how virginal, inexperienced, and VULNERABLE Riddle is.
“Very well. Let me get Azul, and we’ll talk about how to help. Good?” Jade stands and begins searching for Azul. They’re currently in their new office in the Sunshine Lands, which they’ve been using as an emergency base of operations for the past two days. The trash can is overflowing with takeout wrappers, coffee cups, and a broken chair that Jade may or may not have thrown against the wall in a fit of frustration. Two foldout cots are pushed up against the wall, draped with crumpled blankets and pillows. Their competition is now… dealt with, but it wasn’t easy.
“Azul? Are you awake?” He calls out gently.
Azul looks up from a chair, holding a coffee mug that’s ninety-percent espresso. A stack of brand new contracts are half sorted into three, neat piles across the desk. His hair is disheveled and he looks exhausted.
“Love, Floyd’s run into some trouble.”
“Trouble?” He stands up with a slightly guilty, worried expression. “Did Riddle hurt him?”
“No, but Riddle is involved.” Jade sits down across from Azul and places his phone on the table. “Floyd you’re on speaker. If I understand correctly, Riddle is extremely virginal, and you’re feeling overwhelmed?”
“Extremely what?” Azul frowns.
Floyd explains the situation. Azul’s eyebrows raise as he listens, and he exchanges a glance with Jade. When he’d heard that Floyd had become sexually interested in Riddle, he’d assumed it was a temporary infatuation. They’d had a mutually antagonistic relationship at school, and Floyd’s unique ability to get under Riddle’s skin was nothing short of hilarious. Azul had strongly suspected that three days stuck together would both exhaust Riddle into not seeking revenge, and give Floyd’s hyperfocus the ample fill it needed to let Riddle go and become ‘bored’ of him.
But for this to blossom into genuine affection…? Azul more than suspected that Riddle was sexually inexperienced. While the DEPTH of that inexperience is surprising, the fact that Floyd would struggle with it is not.
“Floyd? Is Riddle there?” Azul asks after a moment of thoughtful silence. Jade reaches over and squeezes his hand in silent thanks, and Azul gives him a tired little smile.
“No. We went to a cafe for lunch, since Jade trapped us with only like. SIX crabs for breakfast. He’s at the table and I went around back.”
“I packed more than that! They were probably hiding,” Jade protests.
“Or you ATE some,” Floyd accuses.
“Did you actually look?”
“...Ughhhh. Anyway we’re at lunch. I told Riddle I needed a leak.” Floyd glances back into the cafe from where he’s standing outside in the parking lot. Riddle is enjoying his lemon tea with two sugars, which he insisted on getting after finishing two slices of strawberry tart. He wasn’t aware of their conversation yet.
Azul nods thoughtfully. “After lunch, call us again somewhere we can all talk. It sounds like we owe him an apology, and if you really feel that way about him, then it’s time we all had a more serious talk about what he wants and expects. Jade? Do you have anything to add?”
“Hmm… perhaps we can all have a good dinner together, and discuss this in person?”
“Let’s see whether he is even willing to forgive us first,” Azul suggests gently. If he were in Riddle’s position, he certainly wouldn’t be willing to make amends and play nice so easily.
“‘Kay.” Floyd hangs up, and Azul takes a long drink of his espresso before glancing at Jade.
“What do you think of all this?” He’s beyond tired, but he knows Jade very well. He’ll want to support Floyd no matter what, but even so, he can tell that he’s worried about something. If they can discuss it now, in this moment of privacy, then he’ll have a better idea of how to manage the coming conversation.
“Mmm…” Jade crosses his arms and looks away for a long moment before finally responding. “I know that Floyd loves him. That is confirmed. And I’m happy that my brother found someone he can connect with… but…”
He looks up at Azul sadly. “But what does this mean for our group? I like Riddle well enough, but do we want to… bring him into the fold? We’ve always been a trio.”
Azul nods thoughtfully. "Riddle's rigidity for rule-following does make him a possible liability. But then, so do Floyd's mood swings. And your own insistence on occasionally throwing things into chaos with a secret better left unspilled…”
“I have no idea what you mean~” Jade chuckles.
"Naturally. And I… I have my own liabilities. No one is perfect. No one who exists in this world does not have weaknesses, and flaws. You know that better than anyone else. But if Riddle DID want to join us, and what Floyd is saying is true?"
Azul runs a finger around the rim of his coffee mug. "Things WOULD change. We would be somewhat responsible for ensuring that he stays safe, and that's no easy feat if he’s truly as virginal as the driven snow. Frankly, I'm surprised that Floyd hasn't broken his heart already and sent him running off in tears. That gives me a little hope that he'll last more than a week in our company. And if he does? Well. There's little use in speculating about a future that's not yet come to pass. But Riddle is an exceptional mage, and on track to become an extremely competent lawyer. And what an asset that would be..."
Azul shakes his head with a wistful smile. "But you were more concerned with change. What change most worries you?"
Jade leans back with a heavy, uncomfortable sigh.
“Perfection is not what I seek. I seek a life worth living. Filled with entertainment, and the things that I like and want to experience.” Jade muses. “On the one hand… an inexperienced partner is a challenge. I relish the novelty, and there’s a part of me that wants to see where this goes. But…”
Jade crosses his arms a little more tightly across his chest. “But what if this inclusion ends up… splitting us apart?”
“Ahhhh,” Azul sighs. He understands now. Life has a way of throwing them into unexpected places, and often the only thing they can do is try to stick together. The thought of splitting up is… uncomfortable.
"Jaaaade. Splitting up over Riddle? I don't think that will happen," Azul hums. "Floyd was literally at the brink of panic trying to figure out how to communicate his sexual desires to him. I'd give it two days before he ran screaming back into our arms, begging to be satisfied. However..."
Azul puts his cup down on the table with a long sigh. "If Floyd does eventually want to leave us to be with Riddle? Then holding him back would only make everyone miserable. No matter how much we might want to, we can't keep our partners. People grow, and change. It hurts to lose someone you love, but it would hurt so much more to force a relationship to stay together, simply to avoid that pain. If someone does not wish to be with you, then you can only give them the space that they need to leave, and if it's appropriate, let them know that they are always welcome to return."
Jade chuckles faintly. “Listen to you. When did you become so good at giving advice? You know that letting someone go is easier said than done.”
"Of course it's easier said than done. There's a reason my strongest contracts are all signed by lovers who were too frightened or angry to let a loved one move on," Azul smilesinto his espresso.
“Perhaps you are right. He was so desperate on the phone… May I share something with you that he may find disturbing?” Jade asks slyly.
“Always~”
“There is a strong part of me that wants to watch Riddle devolve into a slutty, hedonistic mess. I’d quite like to make a class for him, given what a diligent student he was at Night Raven~”
"Frankly, I find that more practical than disturbing, Jade. The thing that disturbs me is trying to imagine how Riddle got to the age of TWENTY THREE without ONCE achieving climax. Truly the repression his parents inflicted on him knew no bounds," Azul shudders.
“I heard rumors that Riddle lived a fairly strict life, and his mother was quite the general. He never spoke much about it himself,” Jade muses. He wistfully imagines unintentionally revealing to Riddle’s mother that they ‘corrupted her baby boy.’
“… Breaking him out of his shell would be marvelous .” He sighs, happily imagining her screaming.
"Oh yes," Azul smiles, permitting himself to imagine perfect, pristine Riddle helplessly overcome with pleasure between Jade and Floyd's clever hands. "But first let's see if that's even what he wants. We've already started this relationship by forcing him into an uncomfortable position. Let's not continue that unnecessarily."
“Of course.” Jade shakes his head. ”I honestly just thought that Floyd was just looking for a pet. This has become… far more complicated.”
"Floyd? Make things more COMPLICATED?" Azul lifts an eyebrow with a fond, little half smile. "Shocking."
“It’s delightful… ” Jade curls up on Azul’s lap with a happy little sigh as Azul fondly pats his head.
A few moments later, Jade’s phone plays Floyd’s signature ringtone. He picks it up immediately, nearly knocking Azul over in his haste. “Hello Floyd. Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
"Hi Jade~ Nope, you're already on speaker. Here ya go Goldfishie."
“Jade… is Azul there too?”
Jade exhales slowly, and looks over to Azul who nods. “Yes. He is.”
“Good because I need to speak to both of you.” Jade leans away from the phone a little and braces for the yelling, but Riddle’s next question is calm, and measured.
“Why did you need my magic?”
Jade relaxes just a little, and Azul winces slightly. Starting off with the hard questions, he sees.
"A competitor of mine was exploiting a loophole in the legal system to ruin perishable shipments to my Mostro Lounge branches in the Sunshine Lands," Azul explains. "They employ several mages, and in order to speak with them on... egalitarian terms, it was necessary to ensure that those aforementioned mages did not interfere."
“I see. If you were intending to fight an injustice, then why didn’t you just ask me?”
Azul taps his fingertips together, wondering exactly how much detail to go into. In another time, a younger version of himself would have quite happily lied to Riddle and let him believe that their motivations were pure. He still has that impulse now… but he’s earned a little honesty.
"Injustice? The Sunshine Lands' justice system was perfectly content to let this behaviour persist," Azul hums. "By that definition, I was not correcting an injustice, as dictated by the letter of the law. Morally justified or not, our ‘discussion’ was likely viewed by our competitor as coercion and blackmail. I didn't ask you because candidly, I expected you to refuse. Does this explanation satisfy your question?"
"... For now. I know WHY you did it, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't wrong . It also left me in a very uncomfortable situation, as I was without my unique magic when someone attempted to assault me and steal my hair. I would have thought you respected me enough to approach this without such blatant coercion," Riddle growls.
"That is my fault and I take full responsibility,” Jade soothes. “Though from what I heard, you were highly capable despite lacking your Unique Magic. Very impressive.”
"At least you have the guts to admit it and apologize. I AM quite capable, even without it. However, you still ruined my graduation party and essentially kidnapped me. I expect you to make that up to me."
"I also apologize. I misjudged the situation, and clearly hurt your feelings,” Azul replies easily. “If you would like, we can, at the very least, replace your graduation party. Just give us your specifications. Jade, Floyd and I are highly experienced in matters of food service."
"…Hmm. Well, it had better follow the Queen’s Rules for the Graduation Banquet," Riddle demands. "Additionally, I expect an apology tart."
"I see. Ah... what is in this apology tart?" Azul asks cautiously. "I know that strawberry is quite popular…?"
"Absolutely not! Rule 542 covers the appropriate fillings for apology tarts. I suggest you look it up~" Riddle says smugly.
“Yellow fruits only. Lemon is the typical choice, but yellow peaches are also acceptable,” Jade murmurs, putting his in-depth study of Heartslabul’s rules to use. Azul gives him a nod of thanks.
"I see. We will look up the relevant requirements," Azul says, suppressing an amused smile. So this is Riddle’s idea of punishment, is it?
"And make sure you decorate with both red and white roses." Riddle adds sternly.
"Yes, I understand," Jade says tiredly. "Floyd? Are you coming home soon?"
"Oh yeah. Haven't been home in days," Floyd says slyly. "Should be there by tonight."
"We'll be ready." Jade hangs up the phone with a faint sigh. “We have to get ready right now, don't we?"
“Evidently,” Azul groans, pounding the last of his coffee.
Chapter Eight: Don't Tell Me What To Do
Riddle and Floyd find themselves trapped. They make a call, and receive a surprising answer.
No warnings for this one!
Previous | Next Chapter | Fic Index
A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47890741/chapters/120739675
The final notes of a haunting lullaby fade from Riddle's memory as he wakes. It's quite dark, but he can still hear Floyd breathing underneath him, and feel his arms wrapped snugly around his back and shoulders.
“Mnnnnnnnnn… ” Riddle rests his cheek against Floyd’s chest with a soft, drowsy churr. He must have slept with him all night. What time is it? It's so dark that it's hard to tell.
"Floyd?” he yawns. ”Are you awake?"
"Mmmnghhh..." Below him, a yellow eye opens just long enough to give him a petulant look before closing again. "Nooooo."
The bioluminescent stripes across Floyd’s body flicker dimly, and then grumpily go out.
"You very clearly are." Riddle sighs, rubbing his eyes. As much as he loves cuddling, his body is cramped and he needs to stretch. At least his own bioluminescent stripes are getting brighter the more he wakes, making it easier to see.
"Go back to sleep if you like. I'm going to...?" Riddle reaches forward, and his hand runs into something cold and solid where the exit of the sleeping cubby should be. He squints through the darkness at it, deeply confused.
“… What?” Frowning, he wiggles backward, trying not to jostle Floyd as he feels along the walls of the tube. Did he get turned around…? He thought that-
"Oof!" Riddle winces as something heavy falls forward around his neck. He reaches up to feel, and his fingers immediately run into a heavy collar with a bone-chillingly familiar, heart-shaped lock. His eyes go wide with shock and disbelief, and he frantically reaches for a spell to blast open the cubby. Nothing happens, not even a flicker, but it can’t be, it CAN’T-!
"Floyd, wake up! The cubby is sealed off and I’ve been collared! BY MY OWN MAGIC!"
"WHAT?!" Floyd's eyes snap open and his stripes flare to life, immediately revealing an identical, heart-shaped collar around his own neck. He doesn’t seem to notice it at first as he cranes his head backward, and then tries to swim out of the tube. His hands immediately run into something that looks like a thick sheet of magical ice.
"JADE!" He draws his hand back with a snarl, visibly reaching for his magic to blast a hole in the ice. When nothing happens, he freezes, and then slowly looks down. "Jade...?" His hands find the magic-sealing collar, and his expression twists into disbelieving fury. "OH MY GOD, ARE YOU SERIOUS JADE?"
“Floyd, calm down-” Riddle flinches as he thrashes around and nearly hits him with his tail.
“NO!” Floyd pulls his arm back and gives the ice a vicious punch. It makes a muffled thud, and he yanks his hand back with a little hiss. "Owie."
“Floyd, what does Jade have to do with this?” Riddle demands, pressing his back and arms to the ceiling of the cubby as Floyd scoots backward underneath him.
“EVERYTHING. DAMN IT JADE,” Floyd claws at the stone with a screech, like nails being drawn across a chalkboard.
"AGH! Stop that,” Riddle covers his ears with a grimace, spotting a large packet wrapped in kelp leaves that was placed near the entrance of the tube. He snatches it up and turns it over in his hands. “Look! Our captor must have left this for us."
He unwraps the kelp. It contains a small bag made of fine netting with a handful of live crabs in it, and a seashell like the one Floyd gave him last night to call the market guard.
"SoRrY tO hAve pUt yoU iN tHis preDicAmEnt," Floyd snarls out of nowhere in an angry, mocking tone. “NOT SORRY!”
“Floyd, we have a shell. We can call for help with it, right?” Riddle forces himself to keep a cool head, even though he badly wants to join Floyd in tearing their way out of here with sheer, destructive fury. “Here, I’ll call and you eat.” He picks up the bag of crabs and pushes them into his hands to keep him from clawing at the walls. “Eat a few of these.”
“Ughhhhh…” Floyd angrily grabs two crabs out of the bag and crunches through them with an indistinct grumble.
“Ok…” Riddle takes a deep breath and puts the shell to his ear, focusing firmly on Jade. There’s a moment of quiet, white noise that sounds faintly like ocean waves, and then a click as the call connects.
“Jade. Are you the reason why we’re trapped?” Riddle demands immediately.
"Riddle Rosehearts! Good morning. I trust that you slept well?"
Riddle’s eyes narrow. The voice on the other end of the line doesn’t belong to Jade, but to Azul.
“AZUL. You have ten seconds to explain why you trapped us in here and took our magic away.” Riddle growls.
“Straight to the point? Yes, I suppose that’s warranted,” Azul sighs. “As Floyd so eloquently explained to Jade last night, my hold on your unique magic is… disappointingly flimsy. And while I agree that it was inexcusably rude for me to coerce you into lending it to me, I hoped to make up for it with the accommodations. Jade and Floyd’s parents have a lovely residence, and I took great pains to tailor a transformation potion to your needs. I hoped that these touches would encourage you to stay for the full duration of the contract…”
"SO YOU INTEND TO TRAP ME INSIDE A DARK, NARROW TUBE FOR TWO DAYS INSTEAD!? What in the world are you using my magic for!? When I get out of here I will teach you a lesson about this type of trickery! Mark my words-!"
“LET ME OUT!” Floyd screams over him, slamming his shoulder into the ice.
"Alright, alright..." Jade's smooth tone comes soothingly over the line. "Riddle, I apologize. We will help you get back to the surface so you can be with your mother and father. I just thought you both might enjoy cuddling a while longer. My mistake…"
"Wha… " Riddle freezes, fear curling through the pit of his stomach as his mind stutters to a halt. "M-my..."
MOTHER’S LAW (uNnUm#rD) CJ XDJVD-xTBKvyYBKLCfb
His mind locks up as he finds himself unable to remember which rules he’s even broken, but he KNOWS it’s so many that he can’t… he’s NEVER-
Drinking, Floyd , the flutters, the touches , the entire trip, Floyd blowing him kisses, drinking, churring, the way the his body’s bioluminescence flares so, so brightly whenever-
"What's wrong Riddle? Your mother must be very worried, yes…?"
“I-I-I…”
"Azul. Jade. Stop."
Floyd's voice is quiet, and his tone makes it clear that this is crossing a line. The phone goes silent, and Riddle can almost see Jade and Azul exchanging a surprised look.
“… I apologize,” Jade tries.
"NO. Neither of you are the boss of me. Or Riddle," Floyd says in the same quiet, even tone. "I know you. Whatever you're doing? It's not gonna end the world if you can't finish it. So you can either let us OUT of here."
He presses his fist against the ice blocking his way, glaring at it with an intense, and deeply angry expression. "You can let us out of here, or I'm gonna do a whole lot of thinking about how much I like being forced to make decisions."
‘Floyd…’ Riddle stares at him. He’s never seen him act this seriously. Not for himself, and certainly not on another’s behalf. He’s standing up to Azul and Jade… just for him?
Azul hangs up the call. There’s a brief, silent moment, and then Riddle’s collars unlock, and fall away from their necks in a shimmer of spent magic. Riddle feels his neck in shock as Floyd sighs deeply, looking a little wistful, and a lot relieved.
“He… he listened…” Riddle says numbly as a crab crawls across his tail, doing angry snips at the air with its claws.
“Yeah. Nice to know he actually cares,” Floyd grumpily snags the crab off him and eats it in two bites.
“I guess so.” Riddle blasts the ice barrier open with a shockwave of superheated water and swims out.
“Nghhhh…” He stretches his arms and tailfin with a deep, satisfied shiver. “That… was a surprise.”
“Yeah.” Floyd swims out of the cubby and carefully collects Riddle’s souvenirs into his shoulder bag. “C’mon, let’s go.” He holds out the bag for Riddle to take.
“Thank you.” Riddle slips his bag on, and then snags the net out of the cubby and eats another crab. He might as well take these for the road if they’re leaving now. Or the…swim. Since there aren’t roads.
“Ah… will… everything be okay between you and your brother? I hope you realize that after this…” He looks up with a firm, angry glare. “I DO want payback.”
“Getchu back to the surface, like you wanted,” Floyd leads him through the hallway and out to the front door. “And then AFTER. After we get you up, maybe I help you get the payback.”
He slips his own shoulder bag on, and then hauls the front door open.
“You’d do that?” Riddle quickly scoops up the last of his crabs, feeling a little better in spite of himself at their crispy texture and savoury flavour. He might as well enjoy these while he still had the oral equipment to do so.
“HA! Imma do it anyway. Those two have it COMING.” Floyd promises with a low chuckle.
“Hmph. Glad to hear it.” Riddle smiles, and offers the last crab to Floyd. “I’m just saying this now… these crabs are delicious, and that’s only because my mouth is different. I’m going to miss them.”
“Well YEAH. Hee, I could bring one for you to try when we get up to the surface,” Floyd offers, crunching up the morsel with a little smile. “Just bite real soft. Human teeth are pathetic.”
“I… appreciate the thought, but perhaps not. Better safe than sorry.” Riddle says delicately. He licks his lips with a little sigh, then swims over to Floyd and wraps his arms around his shoulders. “All right, let’s go.”
Floyd grabs his wrists, then takes off at full speed. Riddle watches the sealife zoom by with a deep, pensive sigh. Despite everything, a part of him wants to stay, and continue discovering the wondrous, new things that the deep has to offer. A single day really is quite short…
“You can always come back~” Floyd offers with a tentative, hopeful tone. “Just let me know. The market is waaaaay better when it’s not tourist season.”
“That’s… true.” Riddle agrees, realizing that maybe this isn’t just a one-time visit. He can come back later, when he’s ready. Ideally when he’s more prepared, and making the decision of his own volition.
And maybe with Floyd again as his tour guide~
As Floyd swims, points of deep, purple-blue light begin to appear just ahead of them. They quickly resolve themselves into an enormous school of jellyfish, made up of uncountable thousands of creatures. They drift serenely in the water, tentacles outstretched and heads marked with a distinctive, glowing flower pattern that reminds Riddle of a five-petaled rose. He can’t help but stare at them. Their glow and form is eerie, yet beautiful.
“Twilight blue,” Floyd offers, coming to a gentle stop at the edge of the school. As Riddle watches over his shoulder, he baps a jellyfish on the head with one finger, right in the center of its flower pattern. The creature flips over, then flails gently, righting itself with the graceful serenity of a slow-motion hot-air balloon.
“Oh right. The twilight jelly migration,” Riddle realizes, peering into the school in bemusement and wonder. How can such creatures live like this? Just adrift with no direction. No worries. They don’t have brains to consider the future. They simply… are what they are.
“This is why the tourists come, yes?” Riddle nods toward a rocky outcropping below them. The elderly couple from the market are sitting down there with their camera, and an obnoxiously bright lantern. “How do these creatures migrate? They seem quite helpless.”
“They are,” Floyd baps another one with a little snicker. “The currents do a switchy-switch this time of year.”
He rotates his fingertips around each other in a way that seems to vaguely suggest something turning around and heading in a different direction. “The jellies are all just along for the ride. They can’t help getting pushed around, but they make a pretty light show. That’s where Vera’s twilight blue colour comes from. These little guys.”
He bops another on the head with his finger, sending it spiraling deeper into the group. Now that he’s mentioned it, Riddle can see that they’re the same, vibrant blue as the glass knives.
“Don’t they sting?” Riddle wonders as Floyd continues to push his luck by bapping the jellyfish around.
“Only their tentacle bits.” Floyd sniggers, then intentionally sticks his fingers in one of the creature’s tentacles. They flick against his hand, and the jellyfish serenely bobs away. “Not that bad though.”
He rotates his hand around, showing Riddle a few, mild red spots on his fingers. “These ones are kinda wimpy. Plus, if your skin is slimy, then the stingy bits get stuck before they can go all the way in. Jellyfish just aren’t that bad if you’re a mer. Not like WASPS.” Floyd shudders. “Why don’t humans have protective slime for wasps??”
“I don’t know. Humans just don’t have slimy skin. If they did, then no one could live in places like the desert. You’d dry out!” Riddle explains with a shrug. “So if I want to touch these, the tops are okay, but not the tentacles…”
Curiously, Riddle pets one on the head. It’s squishy and pliant under his finger, the same texture as the jello-shots that started this whole, ridiculous trip. Its bioluminescence flares a little under his finger, but otherwise it doesn’t react at all. “It’s so jiggly… Wait, did you anger a hive of wasps?”
“They looked so tasty,” Floyd mourns. He spears a jellyfish with his claws and pops it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “See, these guys just kinda taste like nothing, but wasps are just teeny, flying shrimpies. They sure get mad when you try ‘n taste them though, and they’re BITTER!”
Riddle grimaces, silently deciding not to eat one of the jellyfish himself if they are tasteless. “I’ll take your word for it. So they just go throughout life aimlessly, then?”
“Yeah. They’re too weak and little to fight the current. But they all bunch up like this for the migration.” Floyd bops another one on the head, sending it pinwheeling into one of its buddies with a gentle bounce. “They stick together, even if they can’t pick the direction they’re headed in.”
“And yet they persist… one would think that they should be gone. Extinct. And yet… they’re still here. They must be doing something right.” Riddle pets another one with a little smile. Good jiggly jellyfish.
“Hee hee hee. There’s lots of them and they taste like wet paper~” Floyd sniggers. “They might be doing something right, but I sure don’t wanna join them.”
“Same. I rather like being in control of my own destiny and path.” Riddle agrees, holding thoughtfully onto Floyd.
“Me too~” Floyd hums as he holds Riddle’s forearms and begins to swim off again.
Chapter Seven: Do You Love Me?
Riddle asks an important question, and Floyd has an answer.
No warnings for this one!
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A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47890741/chapters/120739675
As though his thoughts had summoned him, Floyd peeks around the doorway, then lazily swims into the room and sprawls himself across the center of the floor. Riddle glances at him, about to complain that he’s blocking the door when he realizes that he can easily swim over top of him if he wants to leave. The realization suddenly makes the room feel quite a bit larger.
“Those guys were so pathetic that it was sad,” Floyd yawns, stretching out his arms and tail.
“Hmph… stealing hair. I barely had anything worth cutting, and yet they still tried.” Riddle tenderly rubs the spot where his hair got yanked. It’s still a little sore.
“Ohhhh, they could get a lot of money for your hair. Even just a little,” Floyd beams. “It’s so pretty.”
“That doesn’t excuse it!” Riddle retorts, giving Floyd an exasperated look. Regardless of whether red hair is rare, pretty, or fortune-worthy, it is HIS, and attempted theft is a crime. “Are you ok? They didn’t try to steal any of yours, did they?”
He swims over and floats a few feet above Floyd’s outstretched body, frowning down at his hair. He seems to still have all of it…
Floyd opens his mouth and lets a large, silvery air bubble slip past his teeth. It drifts upward and bumps lightly over Riddle’s forehead, before breaking apart into a dozen smaller bubbles that curl through his hair with a feather-soft tickle. Riddle blinks at him, one hand half raised to his face as tingles rush across his face.
“Nah, I’m good. Got burned making soups though.” He holds up his hand and sure enough, two of his fingers are bright red and blistered over the pad just below his fingertips. “Forgot the blue-handle rule.”
“...Ridiculous. How could you forget that?” Riddle shakes his head. “Vera was very clear.”
He reaches out and gently presses his fingertips to Floyd’s. Crimson sparkles gather in the air around their hands as he pushes a little magic into them. The blisters smooth over, and the redness fades until a week of healing might have gone by. “There, that’s better.”
“Mnnnnnnnn…” Floyd gives Riddle a strange, soft look, then blows another bubble. This one bounces lightly against his cheekbone, before trailing upward and through his hair with that same, fluttering tickle. “Thanks.”
“Uh…” Riddle stares down at him, face warming as he becomes extremely aware that their fingertips are still pressed together. It’s… it’s very distracting … but he doesn't want to pull away. “You’re welcome. Floyd…? I wanted to...um. T-this has been fun. Much more fun than I thought it would be! But I…” Riddle trails off, utterly forgetting what he wanted to say as warm little flutters run all through his stomach. Floyd just stares back at him with his mismatched eyes and that strange, soft expression, making the flutters even stronger. His bioluminescent stripes are glowing a steady, beautiful cyan, and his hands are so big compared to Riddle’s own small, slender ones…
Riddle blushes and looks away, awkwardly pulling his hand back.
“U-um… I want to go back tomorrow. To the surface,” he manages. “I know you wanted me to stay for two more days, but… uh…” He curls his fingers into a tight little fist and presses it uncertainly over his chest. “I don’t…”
“Goldfishie can go back whenever he wants,” Floyd murmurs, dropping his hand back to his side. “Happy you had fun.”
He blows another bubble, and this one bumps against Riddle’s lips, rolling between them and over his cheek before trickling upward through his hair. Riddle’s entire face tingles as it rolls over him, and his tummy flutters again. Something about the way Floyd’s lips are pursed, and the way he’s tilted his chin up finally clicks in his mind, making his heart beat faster. Floyd is…is he blowing him kisses…?
“You…” He uncurls his fingers and lightly touches his cheek. “Why did you do that?”
Floyd tilts his head to one side with a crooked little smile.
“Because I like you, Goldfishie. I want you. Want to find out everything about you. What makes you happy? What makes you squeak~” He tilts his head back, and a cloud of tiny bubbles escape through his teeth. They scurry upward over Riddle’s face and hair like a dozen, tiny fingers.
“Hhh-!” Riddle gasps, shivering just a little as the contact makes his face tingle again. Floyd giggles, and then his expression becomes serious again.
“Wanna figure you out, but it’s so hard…” Floyd lets his head relax against the floor and looks off to one side with a smile. “When you wanna show someone that you love them, you feed them. You bring them gifts. Show them your teeth~”
He yawns hugely, revealing his terrifying, double row of pointed teeth, and the plate on the roof of his mouth. He closes it again a moment later with a sad, thoughtful expression. “But that’s for eel-mers. Not Goldfishies.”
Riddle inhales slowly as Floyd’s gaze returns to him, and he reaches up to trace the heart pattern over his chest. Riddle’s bioluminescence follows his fingertip, chasing along behind it before fading again. Thoughts of anything but the tingling pressure gliding over his skin fades into a single, incredible realization as Riddle half-consciously pushes himself into the slow, teasing stroke. ‘Floyd… Floyd loves me?’
“So what’s for Goldfishies, then? What makes them happy?” Floyd pulls his hand back, blinking up at Riddle with a calm, thoughtful smile.
“Happy…?” Riddle echoes faintly, trembling slightly as he struggles to think of anything to properly answer that question. They’re so close now. Their faces are only a few inches apart. “I… I don’t really know. No one’s ever asked me that before.”
Floyd’s arms and tail wrap around him, bringing him down into a deep, comforting hug.
“Mnnnnnnnnnn…” Riddle closes his eyes, melting into him with a churr. Floyd nuzzles his chin into Riddle’s hair, and one of his hands rolls slowly over his back and shoulders. It glides across his scales with smooth, soothing pressure that makes his breath catch, and his entire body flutter in the best possible way.
“What about this?” Floyd murmurs into the top of his head. “Does this make you happy?”
“Yes~ ” He feels wonderful. Cozy… Small and protected, just like that moment back at school so long ago. He slowly wraps his arms around Floyd with a long, slow exhale, pressing his cheek to the center of his chest to return the hug. Is this happiness? His entire body feels so warm…
“Hang on…” Without letting go, Floyd tucks himself tail-first into the sleeping cubby, pulling Riddle along with him. It’s snug, close, and surprisingly dark. Riddle blinks up at the ceiling as a touch of uncertainty slips past the comfort. The adult versions of the sleeping tubes only have a single strip of reflective mosaic along the top. His and Floyd’s shared bioluminescence does reflect off the smooth, white sides, but it’s much darker than the child’s tube had been. The effect is not unlike Floyd had turned off the lights to go to bed.
“Better…” Floyd’s hand presses to the side of his face, cupping his cheek for a moment before running gently through his hair.
“Mnnnnnnn~” Riddle sighs, eyes falling closed as he takes a deep, slow breath. Longingly, he nuzzles into the hand and the center of Floyd’s chest, encouraging him to continue cradling his head as he falls asleep. “Better…”
A few hours later
“Floyd…? Are you awake?” Jade whispers, peeking into the sleeping cubby. Riddle’s bioluminescent stripes have gone completely dark, but Floyd’s are still glowing dimly. They brighten as Floyd yawns, then blinks out at him with a grumpy expression.
“Go away,” he grumbles. What is Jade doing here? Is he here to interrupt his bonding session, AGAIN?
“Go away ? Can’t I check up on my big brother and his adorable pet?” Jade coyly rests his chin on the lip of the sleeping cubby. Floyd cranes his head back to squint at him suspiciously. He’s acting all casual, but his body’s slumped, and his eyes look like they haven’t slept in days.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing. Just curious at how things are progressing.”
“Progressing FINE.” Floyd sticks his tongue out at him, careful not to tighten his grip or jostle Riddle around in a way that might wake him up. He has been SO GOOD. SO GOOD! ALL DAY!! He only teased Riddle a TINY BIT. He sat through most of the glass making, even though he worked in that shop for a MONTH, and already knows everything about it. He got the sand-scooping spoon a little messy after cooking the soups in it, but it serves it right after it burned his hand!
“Thought you and Azul were busy,” he retorts in a low whisper. “Why are you back already? Are you done?”
“I heard about what happened at the market,” Jade holds up two fingers and brings them together like a pair of scissors snipping shut. “Someone took a fancy to your Goldfishie’s hair. I just hope the whole trip wasn’t soured for him.”
Floyd rolls his eyes. “Idiots. I barely got a chance to squeeze ‘em. Riddle ain’t a pushover, Jade. He dug a trench in the seafloor with their stupid faces.”
“I’m not concerned about him handling himself. I’m more worried about whether he’s thinking about leaving early.” Jade hums. “My poor brother has been pinning after Riddle for so, very long. It would be a shame if this vacation was cut short. The way it might be if he were planning on leaving in the morning, for example…”
Floyd’s expression freezes, and then hardens into simmering anger. “Thought that was what you wanted. I told you n’Azul both at the beginning. I’m not a jailor. Bad enough you went to all that trouble to get Riddle drunk JUST to get his unique magic. What? You couldn’t think of ANYTHING you could offer in return to make it a solid deal? That’s kinda pathetic, and it’s not my fault. If he wants to go back, then I’m taking. Him. Back.” Floyd bares his teeth to make sure there’s no doubt in Jade’s mind that he fully intends to back that promise up. With force, if necessary.
“No need for threats. I understand,” Jade soothes. “I just want your budding relationship to bloom, and not wither. I can tell that you’ve really put your best foot forward, given how snuggled up he is~”
Jade placatingly holds up his hands with a little smirk. Floyd settles back down, ear fins relaxing and expression smoothing out. He knows Jade well enough to be suspicious whenever he wants something and Floyd doesn’t immediately give it to him, but surely this time he understands? This is really important, and their dumb, secret mission that needs Goldfishie’s magic-sealing collars has to come second.
Jade leans forward and lightly nuzzles Floyd’s nose with his own. “So… does little Goldfishie like my brother after today?”
“Yeah. He said he had fun~” Floyd’s response is hesitant, but his tone has more than a hint of pride in it. He looks down at the top of Riddle’s head, and his face breaks into a soft, silly smile.
“That’s my brother.” Jade kisses the top of Floyd’s head. “If he makes you happy, then this was all worth it.”
He leans back with a sigh, and then continues in a slightly melancholy tone. “Does this mean we won’t be spending as much time together now?”
Floyd tilts his head back and blinks at him in confusion. “Dunno. I still wanna play with you and Azul. If Goldfishie wants to stay with me, then he’s gotta share.”
Jade breathes out a sigh of relief, and his expression relaxes just a little. “Good… do make sure you tell him that we share, ok?”
“Well DUH,” Floyd rolls his eyes as though that should be OBVIOUS. “Pretty sure he already knows, but yeah.”
“Thank you~” Jade gives Floyd’s forehead a soft kiss. “Good night, brother.”
“Nighty night~”
Jade swims away, then pauses at the door. "By the way. I'm truly sorry to have put you in this predicament."
“Predicament?” Floyd lifts his head, but Jade’s already gone, and the house is quiet. Nothing but the gentle whirring of the pump, and the occasional faint snore from Riddle. Huh…
Floyd settles himself inside the sleeping cubby again and closes his eyes. That was weird, but whatever. Maybe Jade just wanted a kiss because he was just really grumpy from all the work that Azul was making him do. Floyd would be HELLA grumpy in his place. Weird that he asked whether they would still be able to play together though, just because Floyd was playing with Riddle. Why would he ever stop? Jade’s taken other lovers before, and that never stopped him .
Floyd relaxes his head, and gives Riddle a gentle squeeze. Oh well. In the morning, Goldfishie will probably wanna leave, but it's comforting to know that Jade won’t be too mad at him for not trapping him down here, even if it ruins Azul’s big plans...
Floyd’s bioluminescence dims as he drifts off again, keeping Riddle's body pressed into his own. Just before he fades, the notes of a slow, lingering lullaby echo through the halls. It’s an old one that their mother used to play for them, about the child of a mermaid who was walled off from the sea. Soothing… bittersweet… compelling.
Sleep...
Chapter Six: Red Hair
Riddle's red hair attracts some unwanted attention.
The only warning in this one is justifiable violence.
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A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47890741/chapters/120739675
They quickly swim clear of the crowd. Floyd leads them up to the top-most part of the cliffside, where the lights are a little less harsh and only the occasional tourist is swimming past.
"Made you a snack." He offers Riddle a fist-sized packet wrapped in seaweed with a suspiciously sweet smile.
"A snack?" Riddle's stomach growls in spite of his reservations. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until food was offered. Physical exercise and magic both take a lot of energy. "Thank you."
He cautiously takes the packet and turns it over in his fingers. It has a strangely dry feel and looks blackened, as though it’s been lightly burned. “I saw you swim off while Vera was showing me the kiln. Was it to make this? For me?”
“Awww, you saw? It was supposed to be a surprise,” Floyd grins. “You kept talking about cooking food underwater, and it kinda got stuck in my head. So I borrowed the oil fire and cooked some soups.”
“That was you?! And you made soup? I… I thought I smelled something odd earlier.” Riddle stares down the packet, feeling strangely touched. Floyd can be such an irritating, unrepentant jerk, but sometimes…like now?
Riddle can still remember that moment in his bedroom, wrapped up in his arms so snug and tight. He remembers a new pair of boots, left quietly on his doorstep with a note tucked into the box. ‘No more blisters, Goldfishie.’
And now this. His stomach flutters in a warm, quietly excited way as he leans forward to take a bite.
“Don’t let go once you start! Gotta eat it all in one go or else it’ll escape,” Floyd cautions. “Like this.”
He bites the end of another packet and squeezes it, visibly swallowing the contents as he goes. Riddle freezes, then tries his best to follow along. It’s warm, and tastes shockingly good, especially for something that Floyd made in secret over a puddle of burning oil. He used shrimp, clams, and crab to make a kind of minced chowder with a very thick broth. The seaweed packet is seared on one side, and the flavour has spread warmly through the rich meats. There’s a surprisingly hint of sesame and garlic in the broth as well, which is especially odd considering Floyd said that mers don’t use spices. It’s muted, but it adds to the savoury ingredients in an interesting way. He sinks into the wonderful flavours, closing his eyes
“Mnnnnnnnn~” Riddle blinks as an throaty, resonant sound rumbles through his chest and his bioluminescent stripes pulse happily. Why…? He’s never made that sound in his life. He didn’t even know that he was able…?
“Eeee! Here, have another one~” Floyd hands him another soup packet with a gleeful expression. Feeling a little self-conscious, Riddle takes it and eats.
“Mnnnnnnn~ mmp?!” He swallows quickly to cut the sound off, glaring at Floyd as he giggles. “What?!”
“You’re churring. That sound. Mnnnnnnn,” Floyd mimics it. “Means you’re really happy.”
“Oh…” Riddle accepts a third soup packet and eats it more slowly. He…he is happy. Happier than he can remember being in a very long time. Today was so much fun.
He finishes the soup packet and turns the wrapping inside-out, admiring the way that the seaweed has been tightly woven and rubbed with something oily to make it water-tight. “This is really impressive! Where did you get the spices?"
“The garlic? I have some infused sesame oil from the surface. It almost didn’t make it ‘cause there was an air pocket inside the bottle.” Floyd opens his bag and pulls out an extremely crumpled plastic bottle with a label that’s clinging to its middle in a few, soggy shreds. “Sometimes stuff in plastic can make it down from the surface ok. Not bread though. The bread got squeezed to death.”
He pulls an unidentifiable wad of crushed plastic out of his bag. It’s the size of a hockey puck, and a thin, brownish wad is just visible inside.
“Wow. The pressure really destroyed that,” Riddle blinks in surprise.
“Yup.” Floyd puts it away. “Anyway, the problem with spices is that all the salt water washes ‘em away, but oil hangs onto flavour a little better. It’s why the crabs taste so good, ‘cause they’re nice’n fat right now. I bought some ingredients and then cooked it all in the kiln’s air pocket. The tourists thought it was funny, because I messed up Vera’s spoon.”
"So the oil is the key to this soup. Possibly because it doesn’t mix with water…? Wait, you messed up Vera’s spoon? What did you do to it?!"
“It’s fiiiiiiiine,” Floyd sniggers. “Just a little soupy~”
"Mmmngh... you miscreant..." Riddle sighs, finding it hard to get angry with his belly so warm and full. Surely Vera has multiple spoons…? “You shouldn’t be so flippant around Vera. She’s easily twice your size… Actually, why IS she and your grandmother so big? Is it because they’re older than you?”
“Hmm? Noooooo. They’re eelmaids,” Floyd scoffs. “Eelmaids are just bigger.”
“A LOT bigger, apparently. How strange…” Riddle yawns. His eyelids are getting heavy, and he rubs them to keep himself awake. He can’t be this tired already, can he? What time is it? It’s so difficult to tell when the light is exactly the same as when they arrived.
“My shopping is all done. Is there anything more we need to do here?” Riddle yawns. His bioluminescent stripes dim slightly.
“Nah, we can head back. It’s almost nighttime.” Floyd stretches his arms and smiles lazily at Riddle. “It’s a rule that Goldfishies have to accept rides home at nighttime, instead of swimming the whole way themselves.”
"You don’t get to make up rules," Riddle grumbles sleepily. "You are not a subject matter authority, or a legitimately elected official.”
“Ehh, you’re all sleepy though. I can tell. C’mon~” he turns around and bends his head forward so Riddle can cling to his back.
"Okay..." Riddle doesn't argue as he wraps his arms around Floyd’s neck and accepts the assistance. He has to stay awake…
"Floyd... someone mentioned… that I resembled a princess, but…” He yawns hugely, eyes drifting closed. ”I thought the royal family in Atlantica currently had a prince?"
“Princess…? Ohhhhh, they’re talking about the oooooold princess. The first one who came on dry land. You do kinda look like her,” Floyd muses as he holds onto Riddle’s arms to firm up his grip. “It’s your eyes. And your hair! Red is actually pretty rare, especially with blue eyes. Ughhhhh.”
He makes a displeased sound as they leave the market’s circle of light and darkness closes in around them. Riddle snickers distantly at the thought of getting confused for royalty, then rubs his cheek into Floyd's hair for a moment. "Silly. I'm not a princess."
He opens his eyes. A prickling sense of unease creeps through his chest as he blinks, staring into the utter blackness ahead of him. It’s so dark that he’s not entirely sure that he opened them at all. Tentatively, he looks back toward the market, just to verify that he hasn’t suddenly gone blind. "You weren't kidding. The light really messes with your eyes…” He rubs them fitfully. “Floyd... uh… When will they go back to normal?"
“Pretty soon now. It’s AAAGH-!”
Floyd abruptly whips to the right. He flips over, fingers still clasped tightly around Riddle’s wrists to keep him from being thrown off.
"Floyd!?"
Something hard and fast slams into Riddle’s side and tears him out of Floyd’s grip. Riddle yelps, instinctively smacking at whatever attacked him with his tail and fists.
“Fghaa! Hold still-!”
Riddle’s eyes finally adjust, showing that he’s been grabbed by a shark-mer about Floyd’s size. He’s trying to pin Riddle’s arms to his sides as a smaller, angler-mer swims up beside him holding a large pair of scissors.
"HOW DARE YOU! UNHAND ME!" Riddle screams, anger searing his sleepiness away like a blowtorch consuming a slip of paper. Magic surges into the water around him, before rushing outward again in a torrent of boiling hot water. The angler-mer screeches and zips backward, eyes widening in shock.
“FUCK! Why you-!” The shark-mer swears and backpedals as his skin is painfully seared. He casts a spell that sends a shockwave through the water, trying to disorient and flip Riddle around.
"AUGH!" Riddle screeches as he’s spun around, unable to summon a shield in time. “OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!” He reflexively tries to cast his unique magic on the sharkmer and angler, then swears under his breath when nothing happens. Azul’s stupid contract-
"Damn you Azul!" Riddle hisses, spreading his fins out as far as they can go to flip himself back upright. He feels something grab a handful of his hair, but his flailing rips it free and unintentionally stabilizes his spin, leaving him face-to-face with the very surprised angler-mer.
"I WILL TURN YOU INTO SASHIMI!" Riddle creates a vortex of superheated water and blass it at the angler-mer. His head stings where the clumsy idiot pulled some of his hair out. “I WILL AGK-!”
“Why are you fighting so hard?! Someone else already stole most of it,” the shark-mer grunts, wrestling him back into a tight bear hug.
"STOLE MOST OF IT!? ARE YOU STUPID!? NO ONE TOOK MY HAIR!" Riddle rips an arm free of his grasp and closes his hand into a fist. A surge of pressurized water blasts them apart, sending the sharkmer spiraling face-first into the seafloor.
“FUCK THIS-“ the Angler-mer takes off and runs headlong into a fiercely grinning Floyd.
“…Hi.” Floyd pile-drives him into the mud with a breathy, sadistic chuckle.
"Leave! Us! ALONE! This is a lesson that you had BEST NOT FORGET! Theft of any kind is a crime, and theft of HAIR is assault on top of that! Don't you DARE engage in this behaviour EVER! AGAIN!" Riddle punctuates each word with a punishing shockwave. The sharkmer cries out in pain, curling into a ball and protecting his face. By the time Riddle is finished with him, he’s a shuddering, barely conscious mess.
“Hee hee hee, you squeezed him good Goldfishie~ You guppies were barely worth the trouble.”
"Indeed. This was barely worth anything." Riddle says in a haughty, annoyed tone. “Floyd, where are the authorities? This attempted crime must be reported immediately."
“Authorities? Ohhh, like the market guards. Sure, we can call them,” Floyd grins and hands Riddle a seashell. “Super rude to try and jump people when they can’t see~”
"It is rude..." Riddle curiously looks over the shell, then turns and glares at the angler-mer. He is trying to take advantage of the distraction to slip away. "Stay put, or I will ensure that you stay put."
“And then I’ll squeeze ya~” Floyd very gently presses a finger into the angler mer’s back between his shoulder blades. He sinks back into the mud with a soft whimper. The shark-mer just groans softly. Mers in general are not especially resistant to heat or burns, and he is no exception. Riddle’s hot water blasts really did a number on him.
“Hmmph-” Riddle turns back to the shell, convinced that Floyd has their captives sufficiently contained. It has a faint aura of magic around it that suggests he should simply put it to his ear and focus on who he wants to call, a little like a scrying glass. He does so, and a moment later there’s a crackle of static. “Security. How may we assist?”
"Yes, hello. I was attacked just outside the market…”
Riddle explains what happened, and the person on the other end assures him that they will be with him shortly. The matter is resolved quickly and efficiently. The market has its own contingent of security (who are all quite familiar with Floyd and rather surprised that Riddle isn’t calling BECAUSE of him) who arrive in minutes. The two hair thieves are taken back toward the market, and the guards thank them both for catching them.
“We had a few tourists come to us with their hair missing this week. There’s always more nonsense like this during the twilight jelly migration, but we haven’t had reports of hair theft in YEARS. Hopefully, this will be the last of it.”
Riddle and Floyd both have a few bruises, but apart from that and a few strands of Riddle’s hair that got torn out, they’re both fine. From what the guards said, the thieves were used to dealing with tourists. Since they were all surface mers, not mages, and not adapted to the darkness, their vulnerability made it far easier for the thieves to cut and run, as it were.
The rest of the swim back to Floyd’s house is uneventful. Lassa has prepared a much larger room for Riddle, and he settles himself with a sigh, feeling exhausted now that the adrenaline has faded. The walls have the same, abalone tile pattern on the walls as in the nursery, to reflect light and make it easier to see. But unlike the nursery, there’s only one sleeping tube, and it’s much larger. Also, the cubbies are all empty. Riddle stows his bag neatly in one, carefully taking his purchases out and placing them fondly in the cubby below it. Amazingly, despite being made of glass, none of his gifts broke in the scuffle. He can only thank the packaging and Vera’s craftsmanship for that.
He yawns and sets his shell rose down, giving it a melancholy little pet. He longingly wishes that he could have a cup of tea. He’s thankful for the larger room, but still can’t help feeling quite homesick as he eyes the sleeping cubby. At least the bed will be comfortable, despite being made of stone. Still, he hopes that he can go back home very soon. Floyd said he could leave whenever he wanted… Did he really mean it?
Chapter Five: Glass Crafting
Riddle gets a chance to try traditional, deep-water glassmaking.
No warnings for this chapter!
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A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47890741/chapters/120739675
Tourists continue to stare and murmur as Riddle passes them. Nobody is so blatant that it’s rude, especially when Floyd is literally elbowing his way past them with no regard for personal space. But the shop IS crowded enough that he can’t help but hear someone murmur ”…like the princess!!” as he squeezes past. Curious…
The inside of the shop is brightly lit. From floor to ceiling, it’s criss-crossed with long, slender sticks made from a bone-like material. Maybe whale baleen? They’re spaced widely enough to swim past, though Floyd is sensibly taking extra care to not knock into anything with his tailfin. Glassware is tied firmly to the sticks at regular intervals, separated by type and colour. The closest items are little drawstring bags filled with opalescent marbles. Past them is a row of spear points made from smoky, black glass, and past those are several rows of colourful jars and bowls. They range in size from something that would barely hold a teaspoon of sugar, to one big enough for Riddle to curl up comfortably inside.
“Excuse me, pardon me,” Riddle continues to swim delicately past the other mers, trying to stay close to Floyd. “This shop is amazing!”
He looks around, trying to spot something that his friends might like. There are some cute charms shaped like starfish that Cater could decorate his phone with. Trey likes cooking gear, so perhaps a bowl, or a set of jars? Ace and Deuce might like some of the smaller knick-knacks to decorate their dorm rooms, and Chenya will appreciate anything, as long as it's weird. One of those rainbow pufferfish ornaments maybe, if he can get to it safely with all these people!
“It’s so crowded,” Riddle shrinks closer to Floyd’s side as a group of surface-mers swim past him holding their purchases. “I’m a little worried going further inside. We might knock something over.”
“You mean like this?” Floyd grabs an expensive-looking vase, gives it a tug to break the string that attaches it to the display stick, and holds it up with a wicked grin.
“Floyd!” Riddle snatches it out of his hands and cradles it in his arms with a glare. “Common sense demands EXTREME CARE while in a shop full of glass!”
Floyd reaches up over his head, plucks a jellyfish ornament from another stick, and deliberately drops it.
“FLOYD…?” Riddle jolts forward, then freezes as the delicate ornament drifts to the floor of the shop and lands unharmed on the stone with a gentle tink~ “Wait… what?”
“It takes a loooot more to break glass down here than it does on the surface,” Floyd hums as he picks the ornament up and ties it back to the stick. “We make it stronger, and the water keeps things from falling so hard that they break, usually. Jade ‘n me were really surprised about how bad surface glass is. The first time we got cups, Jade grabbed it so hard that it broke in his hand! And it shattered into sharp pieces that got EVERYWHERE. Shoddy craftsmanship.”
“Wha…? So then Jade’s hand got stabbed by broken glass? His poor hand!”
“Heeee! He was fiiiiine,” Floyd sniggers, holding his opposite elbow in one hand. His expression does NOT inspire any confidence about the state of Jade’s hand.
“If you say so…” Riddle frowns. He can’t imagine how shocking that must have been...
“ Floyd . What have I told you over, and over, AND OVER AGAIN about- Oh?”
The eelmaid who they had seen working the kiln through the window is floating behind them with a stern, exasperated expression. She trails off, blinking down at Riddle as she notices him for the first time. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had a visitor.”
“Hello.” Riddle waves, still holding the vase. She’s let her turquoise hair down, and somehow seems even bigger up close. “I’m Riddle. I apologize for causing any trouble. Floyd was just telling me not to worry so much, because I was afraid that I’d accidentally break something.”
She gives him a confused frown, then lightly shakes her head and smiles. “Hello Riddle! I’m Vera, and it’s no trouble. I was just making sure that Floyd was minding his manners, in case I needed to call Thalassa again~” She beams, but the look she gives Floyd is darkly meaningful.
“Oh? Really?” Riddle stares at Floyd, intrigued by this unexpected discovery.
“That was so long ago!” Floyd protests. “And I fixed everything!”
“After I called your grandmother,” Vera crosses her arms. “But you’re right, that was a long time ago. Can I help you find anything in particular Riddle? No rush! You are welcome to stay and browse, of course.”
“Well… I am looking for some gifts for my friends, but I’m curious! What happened back then that made you need to call Floyd’s grandmother?”
Floyd looks mildly panicked as Vera smiles sweetly. “Oh, I think it was…maybe six years ago? It was the off-season and the shop was empty. I just finished up with a batch of twilight blue, and then I came out here to the display floor…”
“I said sorry and everythinggggg,” Floyd buries in his face, clearly mortified.
“…And who do I find out here but Floyd, cutting every single string in my shop with a pair of scissors!” She lifts one of the bags of marbles and lightly tugs the string that’s holding it to the display stick. “EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. And he was LAUGHING!” She holds out her fingers like a pair of scissors and mimics Floyd’s voice. “Snip! Hee hee hee!”
“Oh my Seven… heh.” Riddle puts a hand over his mouth to hide an amused smile. He can truly picture a slightly younger version of Floyd doing exactly that. “What about Jade? Was he just letting it happen?”
“Oh no. The little devilfish used the distraction to sneak into the kiln and play with my tools.” She chuckles and shakes her head at the memory. “I almost didn’t catch him, because I was so busy chasing THIS one around to get the scissors away from him.”
“Nghhhhhhh,” Floyd tries to hide even deeper into his hands and the shopkeeper gives him an exasperated, but fond pat on the arm.
“It worked out in the end. Their grandmother let me put them to work for a month, and they both decided that traditional glassmaking wasn’t interesting enough to keep causing mischief over.” She smiles nostalgically at the top of Floyd’s head. “One of my most gifted apprentices, when he was in the mood for it.”
“Floyd~ I had no idea that this side of you existed! I must get pointers on how to make you to behave…” Riddle chuckles. Floyd gives him a petulant, ’try it if you dare,’ sort of look. Riddle returns it with a smug grin. This is one of very few times he’s seen Floyd embarrassed, and he is going to capitalize on it! “This reminds me of the time he crashed one of my tea parties.”
“Tea party? Where was that?” Vera asks with interest.
“At Night Raven. Floyd and I were classmates, but we graduated yesterday. In my dorm, it is traditional to have an Unbirthday Party at the end of every week, unless it is someone’s birthday. I invited Jade, but not Floyd because the first time we met, he very rudely invaded my space, and said, ‘WOOAH! You're so tiny!!!!’ And then tried to pick me up! So I blasted him across the room, and that was that. I wasn’t expecting Jade to bring him along, but he did, and then he IMMEDIATELY began to chase my hedgehogs and started a brawl! It was a mess!”
Vera starts laughing after his description of orientation, and her laughter only grows louder as Riddle continues.
“Haaaa! That sounds about right. You’re from Night Raven then! The surface. You swim so well that I thought you were visiting from another village,” she explains through lingering chuckles.
“Thank you!” Riddle beams with pride. “I’m getting better, but it’s a little tiring.”
“He only started this morning, but he learns everything super fast,” Floyd confirms in a matter-of-fact tone. “He woulda been a waaaay better apprentice than me.”
“Is that so?” Vera gives Riddle an appraising look. “Do you want to give it a try then? We’re making knife blades today. It’s a very beginner-friendly process.”
“I would love to!” Riddle says enthusiastically, thrilled by the chance to get a closer look at the underwater kiln.
“Wonderful! Come back here then!” Vera leads them both deeper into the shop, and then through a little tunnel with a sign over the entrance that says ‘Employees Only.’ The water is noticeably warm against Riddle’s body, and it’s much darker than the main room. The walls are all marked with a familiar, glittering mosaic pattern that makes the tunnel easy to follow, but this time, the tiles that form it are all made from polished, purple-blue glass.
“Up there is the kiln.” Vera comes to a stop in a wide chamber. Light pours in through the enormous, floor-to-ceiling window that they saw from the outside, and the tourists eagerly point when they see Riddle. “Have you ever worked with anything this hot before?”
“I’ve worked with an oven and a cauldron, but never a kiln. Please go over anything I need to know.” Riddle is so excited that he barely notices the viewing window. “Floyd talked a little bit about the history of this place. This is the world’s deepest kiln?”
“Yes! Early kilns were made in caves similar to this, but air circulation was always a limiting factor. Crude oil burns hot, and it’s easy to obtain, but it needs oxygen or the fire smothers itself. A lot of deep-water glassmaking was done here, in the cliffside where the market is currently located. There were a lot of suitable caves to work with, but they still needed time and special care to replenish between batches.”
Vera pauses, grabbing a hair-tie out of a cubby to pull her hair back into a tight bun again. “Nowadays, the kiln is modernized. We’re equipped with machinery that separates the seawater around us into salt, oxygen and hydrogen. We burn the hydrogen in the kiln directly, but we still dry our base material using crude oil to keep the tradition alive. It’s the deepest facility of its kind, and one of the oldest.”
She gestures outward at the thick, stone walls around them. “To produce tempered glass, the kiln needs to reach temperatures over one thousand degrees. Because of that, it MUST be shielded from the seawater above it. If the outer shell of this cave were to breach, then seawater would rush inside, flash to steam, and possibly explode. We do daily inspections to ensure that everything is still watertight before the burners are lit for safety. So-!”
She claps her hands together. “Moving on to what you’ll be doing~ The glass has already been melted, and is waiting to be cast. To prevent burns, any surface that is safe to touch has been painted blue. If it’s not blue, don’t touch it, all right?”
“Understood!” Riddle smiles, absorbing the information. “May I use magic to assist me?”
“Certainly! That will actually make it a lot easier for you to manage the tools. They were built for eel-mers, so you might find them a little unwieldy, I’m afraid.”
“Unwieldy?” Riddle glances toward Floyd with a frown as he notices that he’s casually started swimming back into the shop. Where is he going…?
“The grips were made for my hands.” Vera holds them up to explain, and fair enough, her hands are enormous. “I have a set for apprentices that will suit you a little better, but it’s all on the big side. It shouldn’t be a problem for something this simple though, especially if you can use magic to help take the weight of the tools. Any more questions?”
“Yes! If I do well enough, could we possibly make something a bit more complicated?” Riddle asks eagerly.
“Oh? What did you have in mind?”
“I’m very fond of roses.” Riddle holds up a hand, and casts an illusion of a rose in full bloom above his palm. “They’re a beautiful flower on the surface.”
She blinks, and Riddle can see her doing some rapid calculations in her head. She gives him an appraising look, then nods. “We can give it a try! It will have to be free-form, which is quite a bit trickier, but we should be able to get you a sturdy result. Ready?”
“I am!” Riddle says excitedly. He isn’t great with art, but he still wants to give it a try.
“All right!” She swims upward, and pops her head and shoulders into the air pocket at the top of the cavern. As Riddle follows, the water gets warmer, enough to make him slightly uncomfortable. He pops his head into the air pocket, blinking water out of his eyes. As he noticed outside, the air is a little smoky and tastes stale, but he has no trouble breathing. A slow current is cycling fresh water through this upper layer, like the circulation system in Floyd’s house.
“What should I do first?” Riddle asks, swishing his tail to stay upright and in place. Vera points to the stone tray sitting over the burning puddle of oil. Up close, he can see that the substance inside is a snow-white, glittering powder.
“This is our base material. It’s fully dry now. Fill one of these crucibles so we can put it in the kiln.” She hands him a spoon with a long, glass handle that’s been formed around a clam shell, and indicates that he should use it to fill a large, stone cup.
“Ok.” Riddle exhales softly. His magestone bracelet and bioluminescent stripes begin to glow. Red sparkles blink into existence around the spoon, which lifts itself and floats over to the tray. Riddle directs it to carefully scoop up the powder. As he does, he notices out of the corner of his eye that the tourists are now practically glued to the window. The couple with the camera are taking picture after picture, and several others are pointing and gesturing eagerly. Vera ignores them, humming with approval as he fills the cup.
“Good! That’s enough. Now we need to move it to the kiln. You can try these, or use your magic. Whichever is more comfortable.”
She offers him a set of tongs made of stainless steel with blue-painted handles. They are nearly as long as he is, and even though they’re designed to fit snugly around the stone cup, they probably weigh at least twenty pounds. That would be less of a problem if he were doing this entirely underwater, but his tail has to constantly swish from side to side to keep his head in the air pocket, even without adding a huge stone cup full of sand and huge metal tongs on top of all that.
"No need. I can just... do this~" Effortlessly, he uses magic to bring the crucible over to the kiln. Physically, he doesn’t seem capable of sweating as a mer, but even if he could, he wouldn’t have broken a sweat at this. Manipulating objects is childs’ play.
"There we go..." he smiles, pleased at the opportunity to show off for the tourists, just a little. "Everything is so big and heavy! You must have built up a lot of muscle from doing this."
“You do get the hang of it after a while,” she smiles, opening the door of the kiln for him. “I’ve been doing this for…oh, twenty years now? Plenty of practice.”
"Is this a family business?" Riddle moves the crucible into the open kiln.
“It is! In fact, all of the shops down here are.” She closes the door to the kiln, then moves down a little and opens a smaller door. “I heard you had large businesses on the surface that are run by people completely unrelated to the original founding members. Not even friends! Just employees. Such a strange thought.”
"Ahahaha... yes... Though there are family businesses too. My parents are famous doctors, and they expected me to follow down that path."
“I see.” She opens a different door in the kiln and points to another stone crucible. “This glass has been treated with a special chemical to strengthen it. Take it out and pour it into this mold.” She takes out a smooth, stone slab with ten small holes in the top and sets it up on its end. As she does, Riddle distantly sees Floyd’s teal head pop above the surface of the water for a moment. He tactfully ignores him. Perhaps he went somewhere to go to the bathroom, or something. Life down here is all so strange and new, he doesn’t want to pry and be rude.
"To strengthen it…” He follows her directions carefully, lifting the crucible with magic and filling each hole in the mold. “I can imagine it took a lot of trial and error to get this just right... I am a little surprised that merfolk don’t have any large corporations. Doesn’t anyone pursue business ventures for the sake of creating a fortune?"
"Oh, many do. Especially those who trade and do a lot of business with the surface." Vera carefully picks the mold up with the set of blue-handled tongs and moves it back into the kiln for a moment. "But most of the folk I know don't care HOW much money they make. It's far more important to produce something beautiful, safe, and durable. Merfolk have been crafting glass for generations. What I do sits on the shoulders of millions of artisans, and thousands of their persistent years."
She takes the mold back out of the kiln, and then taps it sharply against the work surface. It cracks open, and ten knife blades made of deep, purple-blue glass fall out. She sets the mold aside, then sorts through the blades with a smaller set of tongs. One by one, she holds them up in front of her eyes, and runs the back of her hand behind them in an odd, scanning gesture. After a moment, Riddle realizes that she must be using the bioluminescent spots on the back of her hand to shine a tiny bit of light through the freshly cast glass, and check it for defects.
"Perfect." She sets a blade in front of him. "Now we need to sharpen the edge, and bind it to a handle. Sharpening has to happen before the annealing process, which will ensure that if the knife breaks, it fractures into square-edged pieces that are less sharp and dangerous. But of course, we want the edge to be sharp and dangerous! So…”
She takes out a specially shaped pair of stone blocks, carefully wedges the knife blade between them, and gives it a firm tap. When she opens the blocks and pucks up the blade, Riddle can see that the edge has broken off in a perfect, razor-sharp sweep. “Oh!” Riddle carefully takes the blade back and tilts it into the light. “So quick! Metal knives can take hours to sharpen. What happens if the edge dulls or chips?”
“The knife would need to be replaced,” she confirms, pushing the sharpening blocks toward him so he can repeat the process with the others. “It’s one of the reasons we take so much care to strengthen the glass. Once it’s finished, it can’t be re-sharpened. Now for a handle…”
She lightly takes one of his wrists between two, gigantic fingers and holds up his hand with a bemused smile. "Shell, I think."
She reaches into a cubby and takes out a piece of specially-shaped oyster shell. When she nudges the knife blade next to it, Riddle can see how it’s all meant to fit together to form a knife.
"Slip these together." She hands him a block of stone and shows him how to set the knife pieces inside so that they will mesh together. "And then we'll pop them back in the kiln. While they're welding, we can give your rose a try."
"Shell, huh?" Riddle tilts the oyster shell back and forth for a moment to admire the pearly, white sheen, before putting it together with the blade. He’s so excited to see the final product! These knives are so unique and novel. It’s a perfect gift for Trey! And now he gets to try a rose for himself~
Vera opens the kiln where he originally put the powdered base, and hands him a long, stainless steel rod with a blue handle. "This is going to be complicated, but I think that you can accomplish some parts of this with magic to ease the process. I'll make one alongside you, and you can copy what I do. All right?"
"Of course!"
She deftly dips the end of an identical rod into the crucible of molten glass and pulls up a glob, rotating it between her fingers to keep it from falling off. Riddle uses magic to copy his teacher, checking back with her every so often to make sure he’s doing it right. The process is delicate, and requires a lot of deft handling. She shows him how to use a giant pair of shears to cut off pieces of molten glass and press them into petal shapes with tongs. The roses take shape quickly, and in a deeply satisfying way. Finally, it's time to add a stem.
"Traditionally, I would bind the petals to bone, baleen or shell to strengthen the finished piece," she muses, rolling a plug of molten glass through some emerald-green granules. "But I'll leave that part up to you. If the stem is made entirely of glass, it will be more fragile, but it will also more closely resemble the illusion you showed me earlier.
"Hmm... I do want it stronger, but I like the idea of accuracy..." Riddle wrinkles his nose. There's an odd, fishy smell in the air? Probably just fumes from the burning oil. "Hmm... show me how you would do it.”
“Shell it is, then.” Vera reaches up, sorts through a cubby for a moment, then comes up with a pair of slender, cylindrical shells. They have a pebbled pattern that’s suggestive of dry, sandy soil.
"Something like this…" She folds the heat-softened glass petals into the narrow end of the shell, then takes a tendril of green and weaves it around the lip and back, following the shell's natural contour. The final result looks as though a vine has grown tightly around the shell, and a rose has bloomed from the open mouth where a creature might live. She sets it firmly on the work surface and rocks it back and forth a few times to flatten the bottom, then lets go. It sits on the tabletop with the rose’s petals upstretched, glimmering in the light of the forge and the electric lights just outside the viewing window.
"This... this is perfect." Riddle beams. What a wonderful way to symbolize his 'vacation.’ Being kidnapped for his unique magic is still VERY MUCH something that he will be confronting Azul about later, but this … for once he’s made something beautiful and creative, which has always been something he’s struggled with and it’s amazing~ "Thank you for indulging my flight of fancy. You're an amazing artist to be able to make something based just on an image."
"Oh no, thank you! It's a pretty little design. I may even make a few more and put them out in the shop." She smiles, then gathers up their roses and pops them into a large, stone sleeve. "This will strengthen the glass, and prevent it from breaking into sharp fragments," She explains as she pops them into the kiln. "Just like the knives. And speaking of, they should be ready..."
She takes out the block with the knives, and douses it in a trough of oil. Then, she opens the block and carefully takes each knife out and lays it onto the work surface. The blades are a beautiful, purple-blue colour, and crystal clear. The edges look extremely sharp, and the glass has pressed firmly and seamlessly into the oyster shell handle and spine. She slips each into a little sheath made of kelp, and ties them tightly with string. "Do you want the entire batch, or just a few?"
"I would like to buy two of them, if that’s all right." Riddle picks up a knife, admiring the way that the shell handle fits neatly into his hand. HE made this. HIM! "How much?"
"Mmm... you helped, so 50 cowries per item? I'm half inclined to give you them for free. I'm sure my shop will be making MORE than its usual income with this crowd."
She waves to the group of mers outside the window and holds up a shell rose for them to see. Several of them clap their hands and wave back with enthusiastic smiles. Behind her, Floyd is shaking his right hand with an irritated scowl. When he notices that Riddle is looking at him, he sinks down into the water up to his chin with an innocent expression. "Good job Goldfishie~"
"Oh! Floyd, where did you go? I thought you left," Riddle asks distantly, staring out the window. He’s shocked by the amount of people out there.
"Left? Nahhhhhhh," Floyd says with a bored yawn.
"No…?" Riddle frowns, then sighs and decides to let it go. “Never mind... What are cowries?"
“Money.”
“Ohhh, the shells from…?” Riddle reaches into his bag and pulls out the strings of shells that he tried to wear earlier.
"Yup!" Floyd nods cheerfully.
"Let's handle that at the counter where we have a little more privacy," Vera gently suggests with a glance at the tourists through the viewing window. She wraps the shell roses safely in kelp leaves, then sinks down into the chamber below the kiln.
"Okay. Uh Floyd, how much do I have? I need to make sure there is enough... Oh! And how much are the marbles? And the pufferfish ornament? I was hoping to get a few other things for my friends.”
“Of course! Take as much time as you need,” Vera laughs, and lets him make and adjust his purchases as Floyd explains the cowries further. It turns out he has more than enough for everything. Each string of shells is a different colour, which corresponds to a different monetary amount. He has quite a bit left over once everything is carefully wrapped up and stowed away in his bag.
"Ooh, look. This sea anemone shell that looks like the one they just made~" Someone enthuses as they leave the shop.
"I want the twilight jellyfish ornaments! They always run out…"
“So amazing!”
"Ughhhhh," Floyd pushes through the ever-thickening tourists with an exasperated sigh.
"Thank you so much." Riddle calls back to the Vera as he swims away with his purchases tucked safely into his bag.