treading / WATER

it is a joy to be hidden, and a disaster not to be found. scorned by gray.

[thalassofins]

( KING SHARK, CIS MAN, HE/HIM ) — Look who it is! If you take a look at our database, you’ll find that FINS is a TWENTY-SIX year old UNDERGROUND FIGHTER that has been in Chicago for THEIR WHOLE LIFE. According to government files, they’re a MUTANT on LEVEL TWO with the power of SHARK PHYSIOLOGY. That must be why they’re CURIOUS and SUBMISSIVE. If you ask me, they remind me of THE SCRATCH OF SANDPAPER AGAINST YOUR FINGERS, A CRACKED BOWL REPAIRED WITH GOLD, AND THE SOFT EMBRACE OF RAIN ON A COOL MORNING. They are affiliated with THE MORLOCKS.

background.

the day fins graced the world, screams of terror were wrought in his wake. born to one human parent and one ( dormant ) mutant parent, neither was prepared to deal with the reality of creating something so... different. horrified and disgusted at the appearance of their son, they begged the doctors to take him away from their sight. and away he was taken, wrapped in a towel and dumped into a backalley for what hopefully wouldn’t be an entirely unpleasant death. who, after all, would want to care for something like that?

but someone did care for the pup thrown out into the night—his own kind. from the grates came others like him, those who had been forced out of human society and into the drains, ready to take him somewhere he would be safe. while sad for the orphaned child, the morlocks knew that it was better this way, better to grow up among those that would love and care for him instead of those that would rather leave him to die. 

life in the sewers beneath the city was harsh. food and supplies were scarce among those who couldn’t work to retrieve them, limited to what they could scavenged out of the ruins... and out of the garbage. but to a child that knew no other life, surrounded by those that loved and accepted him without question, with a family, with a brother, it might as well have been heaven. even so, growing up meant curiosity—why did they have to seclude themselves in the sewers, when others could enjoy the sunlight? why did they have to struggle if life could be so good on the surface? and how could they explain hatred to innocent children?

seven’s, his brother’s, curiosity got the better of him first. out onto the surface he went, gone in an instant. he didn’t return. a few of the others, experienced in covering their tracks from humanity, went looking and found no trace of him, offering grief but little in answers. fins’, as he had been named by his surrogate family, own curiosity, his own anguish, his own refusal to accept that seven was dead or gone grew stronger. not only was he no longer content to simply forage among the refuse, to hide away for the sensibility of those he could only ever imagine, but also plagued by a sense of familial duty. he would find out what happened. he would go out onto the surface.

so, while planning was scarce and encouragement scarcer, fins made the decision to leave the only home he had ever known—the sewers, the morlocks—in search of a better world... and hopefully, his lost brother. despite hardships, despite hatred and fear and strife, he has slowly but surely began to carve a place for himself in the world. in his dreams, he sees a place higher than the dumpsters and alleyways, a place where people—humans, even—can coexist. where he can be welcomed into society, into work, into homes, without fear of being treated like scum on the bottom of someone’s boot.

quick facts.

has been roped into fighting in an underground ring under the guise of being accepted by people. is given lots of rewards for winning fights and has been tricked into believing that, much like wrestling on television, everything is staged and he’s not actually hurting people. 

with the money he gets from winnings, he buys... mostly food. given his huge size (over 7ft tall, 400lbs) he has to eat a huge amount. some of it is gotten through dumpster diving, some of it through gently passing money to local shopkeepers that have learned he means no harm. the rest? given to other homeless people/anyone who looks like they need it.

he is illiterate. :( he can write his name, if there’s a pen big and sturdy enough around, but nothing else.

bi... ;)

his favorite place to go is, obviously, the lakes! but... only at night where there’s not anyone around to scare. he tried once during the day and the screaming and panic was too depressing.

possible connections.

other fighters. anyone who’s down in that ring would probably know of him! he’s quite the winner, after all! could also be anyone who’s aware of the fights, too.

tutors. if you’re nice enough to be able to work around the big teeth, he’s always on the look out to learn things, academic or otherwise!

friends. pwease?

anything else. i’m literally down for anything, hate him or love him. he WILL cry if you hate him though.

[thalassofins]

unfortunately, covering his eyes doesn't make him any less upset. he's just not comforted by the darkness right now. worse still, even hale's words aren't enough to break through his despair. why would anyone have that kind of hunger? let alone inflict it on someone else... he can't wrap his mind around it, not at all. "i don't know," he answers, after a long moment. "maybe." the more he thinks about it, the madder he gets—he was mind controlled into doing something horrible? something he can never take back? something that will haunt him for the rest of his life? just used, without the ability to make his own choices? like an animal? like a monster? "fuck," he growls, stomping his foot hard on the floor—it creaks beneath his weight. more so when he drops to the floor with a heavy thud. "i don't know what to do."

[thalassofins]

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐲.

Oh, jeez. Does Romy have the energy to explain the concept of keeping kosher to a guy that probably never even heard of the Hebrew Bible? She kind of doesn’t, but also, she doesn’t want to lie. Seems unfair to patronise a guy that’s been nothing but open to new knowledge thus far, and she’s also not keen on minimising her Jewish heritage anyway.

“It’s not kosher. Fish has to have fins and scales for it to be kosher, which I mostly try to stick to because I’m Jewish. Which is a religion, if you’re familiar with those. Like, Christianity, Hinduism, et cetera. So lucky for you, any shrimp and lobster we find are all yours, because I have specific rules I stick to.”

         fins is actually completely unfamiliar with anything that she’s talking about, but that’s almost too overwhelming for him to form a good question about it. kosher? religion? hinduism? she may as well have been speaking greek, which he also has no concept of. “can i ask you more about it, later?” he asks, wanting to sit and think about it first. plus, he’s asked so many questions already... he doesn’t want to take up all of her time on catching him up with the surface world.

         he does understand the gist of what she’s saying. at least the part about specific rules. not everything works for everyone, so it makes sense to him that some people would want to do things a little differently. especially if they have the option. “you can have some extra fish, then. since i’ll be getting all the other ones.” shrimp, lobster, whatever else there is.

[thalassofins]

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐲.

“Totally,” she gives Fins a faint smile. It’s cute that he’s so concerned about being nice. “Crunchy? I’ll take your word for it, I can’t eat shrimp. Or sharks, for that matter.” she snaps her fangs playfully at Fins. “Betty won’t be scared of you, I promise. He’s in his own nice big tank and honestly, I think he’s too dumb to experience things like fear anyway. My boat is a totally shark friendly zone – I get worrying about people being scared, but there’s none of that when I’m the captain.” Romy’s appearance makes a lot of people uncomfortable, not that it stopped her as dressing as the girl from The Grudge for halloween, because she thought it was funny. But there’s times it’d be nice not to be the object of discomfort and fear, and she guesses Fins must get that far more than she does.

         “why not?” fins means shrimp, of course... but wouldn’t be entirely upset to know that shark is edible, too. it only makes sense, doesn’t it? sharks are fish. fish are edible, therefore sharks have to be edible, too. as long as nobody is trying to take a chomp out of him, he can accept that fact. maybe he wouldn’t mind if someone took a bite after he died. he’s never considered what would happen to him when he passes... it would be nice to make someone happy one more time. “okay,” he answers, taking romy’s word at face value. if she says that her beloved pet won’t be scared and that her boat is safe for someone like him, why would he question it? people seem to find it easier to be honest with him than not. he just isn’t normally worth the effort of a lie.

[thalassofins]

𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐞.

“Okay, how much did you hurt them? I can help them if you tell me where they are. I can heal people if I give them some of the life force inside me.” It’ll drain her and make her feel sick for a couple of days, but it’s worth it, if it helps Fins feel better. Hale knows he’s not a bad person, and she doesn’t want him to feel like he is. “And who asked you to do it? If you give me a name, I’ll make sure they learn a lesson about asking people to do stuff they don’t want to do.” Learn a lesson probably means something totally different to Fins than it does to her, but the less he knows about her violent tendencies, the better.

         fins makes a low, despairing noise in the back of his throat. he can’t even look at hale anymore. she definitely can’t heal this one. not anymore. “i...” he trails off, feeling thorns catching in the back of his throat, hooking between his gills. what he wouldn’t give to just disappear! “they’re... here...” it’s the most he can get himself to say on the subject, his hands coming up to cover his eyes. if he can’t see, maybe he can pretend it’s not happening... “i don’t think you can... help them anymore...” not when they’re in the process of being digested, which is horrible enough to think about. he’s tried all day to get them to come back up, but he’s just not built for that. what goes down, stays down. “ize. i thought they were my friend,” he continues, gills puffing hard at the sides of his throat. “why would he ask me to do something like that? why would i listen?”

[thalassofins]

𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐞.

It quickly becomes clear that Fins is going through something serious. “Okay, well, sit down, sweetie.” Hale takes a seat on the couch, patting the spot next to her. It’s always a tight squeeze due to his size, but she doesn’t mind being close to Fins. In fact, she loves it. “We all do bad things sometimes, but it doesn’t make us bad people, if that’s something you’re worried about? Tell me what happened, and I’ll try to help you. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is.”

         without another immediate word, fins settles himself down on the couch. it creaks and bends beneath his weight, but it doesn’t break... yet. he hopes it doesn’t. he really doesn’t need another mistake on his hands. “it is. it is as bad,” he says, voice quiet. small. everything he’s not. “maybe worse.” it’s difficult to imagine it could feel any worse, but in the same breath... he doesn’t quite think words are enough to describe it. “i hurt someone.” his voice is even quieter, wavering. “someone told me to and i did. and i don’t know why.”

[thalassofins]

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐲.

“Mmm… nah, don’t worry about it.” Romy pretends to think about it for a second, but she doesn’t want anything in return from Fins. She’s not generous with the expectation of repayment. She’s generous because it’s her parents’ money and she knows they’d hate the idea of her buying a watch for a shark man! That’s if she doesn’t just steal it.

“You know, I never thought about eating Betty. Maybe he’d taste good… I don’t know. But once you’re emotionally attached they just look less delicious. You’ll meet him when you come over. I did used to have some shrimp too but Betty ate them… so I guess they tasted good, at any rate.“

         “are you sure?” he asks, just for his own sake. fins trusts that romy is honest with her expectations and likely isn’t the type to just let someone take advantage of her. still, he wants to make it equally clear that he isn’t going to do something like that! maybe he can get her something sometime... if not to pay her back, then to help express his gratitude. “that makes sense. i wouldn’t want to eat something that i care about, either.” even things he doesn’t sometimes, if the fish he had been concerned about had been any indication. it’s difficult being a sensitive predator! “i like shrimp, though. i don’t blame him for eating them. they’re very crunchy.” he, of course, eats them whole... tail and all. same with most shellfish. “...do you think he would be scared of me?”

[thalassofins]

𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐞.

Hale is getting ready to open a portal when she hears Fins’ voice behind the front door. “I’m home!” she calls out back to him. If it weren’t for his aura being a darker colour than usual, she might’ve decided to head down to Hell and get back to him later. But, Fins is important to her, and she considers him her family, so she’s not going to leave him when he needs her. After skipping the bottom two steps of her stairs in favour of jumping, she unlocks the door and gives him a smile.“Come in. Are you okay, big guy?”  

         it’s immediately obvious that fins is not, in fact, okay. a shark has never in the history of the world looked so dejected! “no,” he answers, slowly shifting to his side ( and ducking down ) so that he can get through her front door. he definitely doesn’t want to talk about what’s happened out in the hallway... or anywhere, for that matter... but someone needs to know. he can’t just keep his feelings inside forever. “i did something... bad. i don’t know what to do.”

[thalassofins]

starter for @haleozdemirs !!

crying is beyond him ( at least, physically ) but heartbreak and anguish? not so much. fins isn't used to having to seek out reassurance from others, particularly not on the surface world, but he just can't find a way to deal with himself on his own. not like this. "...hale?" he calls out quietly, head resting at her door. "are you home?"

[thalassofins]

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐲.

“Alright; if you want a colourful watch, then a colourful watch you will have.” Romy isn’t a particularly colourful person herself, but she can appreciate that Fins, who has evidently led a life of deprivation, might want a little fun and pizzazz. “I don’t know if I have a favourite colour… maybe red? I have a pet fish, Betty, and he’s got these really cool dark red markings that are pretty badass. But personally I mostly stick to black because my clothes always get wet and black is the least likely to make me look sweaty and gross.”

         “okay,” he says, clearly pleased by the idea. “can i give you anything in return?” fins does enjoy gifts, but he doesn’t want anyone to feel like they’re being taken advantage of, either... he’s not exactly financially literate, but he’s always been a giver no matter what. “a pet fish?” he asks, suddenly curious. weren’t they just eating those? it must be a different kind of fish, but... that begs the question of whether there are fish that exist that aren’t edible. seems strange to him! “is it not the kind of fish that tastes good?” fins, personally, doesn’t know if he would be able to have a fish around without being tempted to take a bite... which would then make him feel terrible!

[thalassofins]

𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐧.

   ‘  fins ? everything alright, you aren’t you’re usual happy go lucky self.  ’  dusting some sand off of the pier, she settles easily beside the other. peering curiously ( & with a note of concern ) up at him, analyn gives some gentle pokes to fins’ side.  ‘  wanna talk about it ? been told i’m a great listener ….  ’

         being incapable of blinking makes for a fantastic thousand-yard stare. and that’s exactly the expression ( what little of one he can make ) fins wears, gaze set out upon the horizon with no end in sight. he doesn’t know what to do with himself, now that he’s become some sort of monster. he barely even notices the pokes at his side, thick skin and tormented thoughts an effective balm against reality, good and bad. “no,” he says quietly, voice wobbling. “i don’t.”

[thalassofins]

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐲.

“Oh yeah, they probably won’t make watches in your size,” Romy hums thoughtfully, looking at Fins’ wrists. They’re thicker than her forearms. “There’s specialist mutant shops, I don’t know about for watches specifically… but maybe we could get a wallet chain or something… yeah, if we get a wallet chain then you can keep your watch in your pocket, on the chain, like a fancy old timey gentleman. Do you have a favourite colour? Do you think you’d like, you know, a sophisticated, grown up, plain kind of watch, or something fun and colourful?”

She floats on her back, drifting idly here and there with languorous sweeps of her tail, regarding Fins. She’s not sure why, but she’s quite enjoying this. Perhaps it’s a sign she needs more friends.

         it’s overall, a lot to take in at once. two minutes ago, fins didn’t have the slightest clue what a watch was, now he’s being asked if he would prefer any specific type... the correct answer seems obvious, but the fact that he’s given a choice throws him off somewhat. are there people who would want it any other way? “i like colors,” he says, nodding. plain and sophisticated just doesn’t seem worthwhile... “i don’t think i have a favorite. they’re all very nice.” and the more of them, the better! he’s just drawn to bright patterns... “what’s your favorite color?” he asks, momentarily distracted.

[thalassofins]

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐲.

… He doesn’t know how to tell the time. Okay. Sure. Romy can roll with that. No point hurting his feelings over asking the instinctive ‘what the fuck’, but at a better moment she definitely wants to ask more about what happened to this guy. If he doesn’t know about telling the time, he’s definitely not going to understand things like daylight savings and sunset coming at different times throughout the year, so…

“Not exactly, but if you leave the rock I’ll expect you when it gets dark. That’s fine. Do you… want me to get you a watch, and I can show you how to tell the time on it? It’s pretty useful to be able to do that. –A watch is one of those things people wear on their wrist and it’s like a little clock to tell them the time.” She adds that last bit, you know, just in case. Poor fella probably feels stupid as hell having to ask what everything is all the time.

         “okay. i can do that.” it’s easier to remember ( or rather, realize ) when it’s starting to get dark than to learn the concept of a twenty-four ( or twelve! ) hour clock. he doesn’t know what any of that even means! he only hopes that, as he learns to read, he’ll be able to sort out numbers, too. “a watch?” he adds, thinking it over. “if it’s not trouble. i wouldn’t want you to go out of your way for it.” at the same time, fins has no concept for monetary value, either. he can only guess that romy won’t offer anything beyond her means. "maybe i could go, too? i don’t know if they would be able to offer one that would fit around my wrist without a reference.” his own is... well, much larger than anyone else’s. and then some!

[thalassofins]

𝐢𝐳𝐞.

   ize keeps occupied with a task of their own while fins goes to work with the body. & even though it’s the first of a the long list of names given to them, it at least offers another disposal option. after a brief phone call with the big boss, they snap the flip phone in two & remove the battery. it’ll make a cute little acidic dessert for their new friend, once he resurfaces. 

   gloved hands reach out to retrieve the bloodied head & in exchange, the dismantled tech. ‘  let’s trade, yeah. go ahead & swallow this too & take off the camera, doodlebop. once i transfer this beauty into my box, i’ll get ya’ your coin.  ’  having a minion will surely come in handy. especially one they can use as their personal dumpster ! with a hop in his step, ize drops the head ( along with soiled gloves ) into it’s new casing.  ‘  alrighty ! that i’m feeling on the generous side today, i’ll switch out your shiny new quarter ━━ for a shiny new, fifty cent coin ! ’  pulling said coin from a sandwich baggie, they flick the object towards fins. ‘  & what do we say in return, minion ? you DO have MANNERS, don’t you ? ’

         obediently, fins takes the broken cell phone and pops it back down his gullet. it won’t hurt him, but it sure does taste funny! the camera comes next, gently pulled free and handed back without any further comments. ize, after all, had told him to keep silent unless it was strictly necessary. in a trance as he is, fins is unable to do anything ( to the best of his ability ) but obey. instead, he wipes some of the blood and foam from his mouth and then promptly wipes it all onto his shorts. clean! “thank you,” he offers, once ize prompts him for his manners. he does have manners, in fact, but only to a point. bedside, not tableside. “is there anything else you would like me to do?”

[thalassofins]

𝐢𝐳𝐞.

   ‘  no ! it’s for fucking decorations ! OBVIOUSLY, it is what you’re disposing of. stop askin’ so many questions or i’ll rip your tongue outta your mouth & feed it to you.  ’  using a foot to nudge the body bag forward, they motion for fins to come over.  ‘  right. time to earn your quarter, big boy. was told to make this one extra gruesome ….. so …  do some limb ripping aannddd …. bring me back his head, you understand.  ’  again, they’re very precise with the instructions. and are sure to make the request impossible to go against.  ‘  m’also supposed to get this on film too  ━━ so you get to wear this go pro ! doesn’t have to be 4k or anything, just try not to mess up the camera.  ’

       normally, fins would be put off ( upset, really ) about ize’s attitude toward him. caught in their spell as he is, he says nothing—instead, he offers a nod. understood. no more questions. “okay,” he says, unflinching at the command he’s been given. later on, he’ll be much more freaked out about the whole thing. right now, all he can think to do is obey. after allowing ize to secure the gopro to him, fins stoops over to take the large sack in one of his hands and pull it toward the water... still squirming, if weakly. once in the water, the scene is straight out of jaws—as soon as the bag falls away, he takes the poor human in his hands and begins to tear them limb from limb. blood turns the water around him into a cloud of red, sinking into his senses, driving him further into his frenzy. by the time he’s finished, only scraps remain—aside from their head, the rest of them has been stuffed down his gullet.

         pulling himself back up onto the docks, he holds it out ( still oozing blood... eww ) for ize to take. “i finished.”

[thalassofins]

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐲.

“Yeah, sure. Gimme a sec.“ There’s one very easily accessible sort of trinket available when you’re in the river. Twisting around with fluid grace, she dives down to the bottom with a silvery flicker of her tail where she scans the riverbed for something suitable, and soon finds a decently large, rectangular, flat rock that is quite distinctive looking. Resurfacing, she hands it to Fins. “If you leave this on the deck somewhere obvious, I’ll know you’re coming around. Is there a time that’s generally good for you? If we assume the rock means you’re coming at like, 8PM maybe?” It doesn’t occur to Romy that Fins’ limited knowledge extends to telling the time.

         fins waits patiently as she dives down to search for something to use, eyeing her curiously when she pops back up. a rock? that would work! he takes it gingerly, turning it over in his hand. it’s much smaller in his than it was in hers, and smoother than he would have expected. a very nice rock, all things considered. “okay, i’ll do that,” he says, although he hesitates when romy brings time into the mix... he doesn’t know anything about that, either. why does it have to have numbers and letters in it, anyway? it doesn’t make any sense to him. “um... is that when it gets dark?”

[thalassofins]

𝐢𝐳𝐞.

   ize has to wonder how someone so massive, could be so ridiculously timid ! if they had fins’ built, they’d be going through chicago on rampages ! anything & anyone could catch this fade. now that they’ve had the chance to let his temper quell, they relay more specific instructions. ‘no. do whatever it is you do in your free time n’ keep your mouth closed, about everything. at sunset, you’ll meet me where i told you. then after that, you’ll follow through with my plan.  ’  clear & concise commands are always best in these situations. plus considering how much struggle went into their earlier conversation, the other obviously needs straight-forward.  ‘  now, get outta here. don’t be late & once my favor is done, you can have your shiny quarter.  ’

         the rest of fins’ day goes as it usually does, with little memory of the altercation between them. as soon as the sun begins to set, however... the call once again becomes unavoidable. he makes his way to the dock in a trance, taking in nothing and no one was he walks. when he arrives, he stands still until ize follows suit, dragging a heavy bag behind them. normally, fins would question this—it’s suspicious. now, he’s powerless to. “is that what i’m... disposing of?” he asks, more monotone than usual. he’s still curious, but not to the same extent that he would be normally.